#I still cannot fucking believe this happened

[bellaxgiornata]

There better not be any love triangles! And it's really only gonna work with Frank x Karen bc I don't think Matt is or ever was in love with her. He loves her and cares for her, of course, maybe before she knew about Daredevil he liked the idea of being in love with her or someone like him but it was never gonna work. And even after, she was way too angry at Matt for so much and so long that unless they got together between DD & DDBA I just don't think it's gonna work. Maybe they slept together between then bc obviously they have chemistry but Matt has chemistry with everyone (that scene with him and Dex!) and I don't think he would do that to Karen bc I think she's probably just got some unresolved feelings and is still crushing on him (bc who wouldn't, that man is 🥵). And I also don't think she would be happy with Matt. And she just seems to get Frank. Matt needs to go to therapy and get his shit together before he's actually with anyone (but he can go ahead and be the whore we know and love and literally fuck around). I dunno. Just my opinions as always and would love to know yours 💕

Ohhh, interesting! I am die hard Kastle--there's a reason it is FFTD canon that Karen and Frank are together. And I've got no hate for Karedevil shippers, but the chemistry between Karen and Frank is undeniable. Those two just have a tension that Matt and Karen do not--and yes, I agree, Matt had more chemistry with Dex in that prison scene 🤣

Unfortunately, I'm definitely getting love triangle vibes from the finale, but I hope I'm wrong. There was clearly something going on with Matt and Karen in DDBA episode 1 when they're at the bar. What it was? We have no idea. What happened between the end of Netflix OG series season 3 and DDBA season 1? We also have no idea. Elektra has been gone for quite a few years, so I'm guessing Matt's not as hung up on her as he had been (though I refuse to believe she's really dead--Black Sky and no body = I'm not buying it because she totally saved Matt from Midland Circle before disappearing, you cannot convince me otherwise). So maybe he tried to move on and eventually Matt and Karen patched things up a little in the years after? We have no idea. We're missing years of information. So there was probably a little something happening between them.

But Frank and Karen? He crawled out of his hole to do a favor for Karen AFTER THE MAN GOT A HAIRCUT, SHAVED, AND THREW ON AFTERSHAVE. He literally made himself look presentable for Karen just to go save Matt for her. HE ASKED HER TO STAY FOR COFFEE. And thanks to Matt, we know that their heartbeats when they saw each other was quite telling. But at the same time, so was the fact that Karen asked about her heartbeat when she saw Matt before she quickly wrote it off as "adrenaline." Love triangle vibes. I hate it here.

My fear is that Frank has gone so far off the rails violent and vengeful (which was wonderful to see in the finale, I mean, goddamn Frank 🔥), that Karen might be too hesitant to be with him now.

Either way, I think it's safe to say that both Matt and Frank need therapy. Badly.

[sparkles-and-trash]

Breaking The Silence, a dabihawks drabble ~

rating: gen

words: 1,7k

summary: when Touya wakes up after the final war and finds out his vocal cords are permanently damaged, he gets some unexpected help to find his words again

ao3 link

The first time Touya opens his eyes after the war ends, he can’t believe he��s still fucking alive. 

He doesn’t even know how he feels about the fact. 

This wasn’t the plan.

The plan was to go out in a blaze of glory, leave all this shit behind and never have to worry about seeming weak and a bother again.

What he got was the opposite. 

Because here he is, burnt and broken once again, his family looking at him with pity in their eyes, his friends, at least the ones who’s currently allowed to visit him with some form of security, they clearly do not know how to speak to him now, and Touya doesn’t judge them for that.

Because Touya cannot speak at all. 

The combination of his own ice and fire during that final fight with Shouto had damaged his vocal cords beyond repair, so now all Touya can do is watch . 

Watch his friends and family awkwardly hovering around his hospital bed, watch the nurses and doctors look at him nervously, and he can’t even tell them to fuck off.

That he doesn’t need pity.

That he’s not dangerous anymore.

All the danger burned away with his whole resolve the day of the fight. 

So Touya just lies there, staring up into the roof, trying to dissociate the time away until someone will finally tell him what’s supposed to happen next. 

Then Hawks show up. 

Or actually, it turns out Hawks isn’t there anymore, it’s just Keigo now, and it actually turns out there ‘s quite a difference between the two.  

Where Hawks grinned, Keigo smiles in a strange, loop-sided way, with his eyes more than his mouth.

While Hawks’ eyes were cold and calculating, Keigo’s is nervous and curious. 

Where Hawks’ wings were huge and majestic, Keigo’s is smaller, more scraggly. 

That one is all Touya’s fault, and he knows that. 

And he can’t even fucking admit to it out loud. 

He can’t even apologize.

To be perfectly honest he’s not sure he would have even if he could, but he sure would like to have the option. 

But for now, they simply watch each other when Keigo comes to see him.

It's weird, before all this Keigo would talk his ears off, always chattering about something or another, but now he's just... there. 

Never quite meeting Touya's eyes. 

It's fucking weird, is what it is. 

Then, one day it’s not Keigo who comes through the door like Touya had come to expect, but instead the dual haired weirdo that was his youngest brother. 

Little Shouto Todoroki, the very same person Touya had spent years building up in his head to be some form of Endeavor clone, a fighting machine with no heart. 

Little Shouto Todoroki who, as it turns out, is just a strange boy with a big heart and quite abysmal social skills.

And coming from Touya, that’s saying something. 

Shouto doesn’t usually come here alone, but today it’s just him, a slightly too big sweater and a cat themed messenger bag slung over his shoulder. 

When he just keeps hovering awkwardly near the door Touya eventually raises his eyebrows and nods towards the empty chair next to his bed.

Shouto’s face lights up for a moment and he scurries over there to sit down and open his silly cat-bag to show Touya what he’s brought. 

Touya feels all the color drain from his face.

Because Shouto keeps pullings things out of his bag; books, cards and writing supplies, all with the same themes plastered on them.

Sign language. 

Finally Shouto meets Touya’s gaze, and a look of understanding falls over his face. 

“You can say no,” Shouto says quietly, and Touya simply raises his eyebrows in a deadpan expression.

Can he, though? 

Shouto actually smiles a little.

“You know what I mean,” he says with a shake of his head, and Touya is momentarily taken aback by how easily his youngest brother seems to understand him. 

Touya sighs and averts his gaze. 

“We’ve learned some of the basics in school, since the chance of us running into someone who’s hard of hearing through our hero career is quite big, but I’ve been taking it up again after you…” 

Shouto drifts off for a second, and Touya turns to look at him again. 

“After you woke up,” Shouto finishes, and Touya sighs. 

It’s really, really hard to keep hating this kid once you actually get to know him. 

Touya makes a motion for Shouto to hand over one of the books, and Shouto’s face breaks out into the biggest smile Touya had ever seen on his brother’s face. 

It might be worth a try, after all. 

And try they did. 

Touya begged, through writing, for Shouto to keep this a secret, just in case he couldn’t do this, he couldn’t stand to fail at something else in front of everyone he knew, he simply couldn’t. 

So Shouto kept his secret. 

Shouto came by almost every damn day with a smile and bag full of books and memorizing cards, he kept motivating Touya when he was just about ready to give up, he picked up the cards when Touya threw a tantrum because he got something wrong again, and he cheered when Touya finally managed to sign proper sentences. 

Touya had no idea how to properly thank him. 

When he finally admitted so, through the signing Shouto had taught him, Shouto simply shook his head and told Touya that getting to do this for him was everything he wanted. 

If Shouto saw Touya’s eyes tear up after that, he didn’t point it out. 

Another thing Touya was eternally grateful for. 

Sometime between the start of the lesions with Shouto and now Touya had been moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility, both for his physical injuries, his mental health and his villainous past. 

It’s there, in his little room as he’s getting closer to being released on a strict house arrest sort of deal with Haw- Keigo, of all people, that he finally shows off his new skill to someone other than Shouto. 

He’s honestly just taking a chance here, hoping that Keigo knows some level of sign language himself, but based on what Shouto has told him the chances seem high enough.

So, when Keigo comes for a visit on a rainy spring afternoon, Touya is honestly a little excited when he signs a simple greeting.

At first Keigo doesn’t even skip a beat, simply replies how he always does, still not fully meeting Touya's eyes.

“Heya Hot-stuff, how’s -” 

He cuts himself off. 

Slowly turns towards where Touya is sitting, trying his very best to not look how proud he’s feeling.

“Did you just…?” Keigo asks, and Touya signs a confirmation.

“What, cat’s got your tongue?” Touya signs, slowly and rather clumsily, but it gets the point across enough for Keigo to laugh. 

“You sure you, of all people, want to be the one to make that joke?” Keigo asks, before a look of dread falls over his face. 

"Fuck, I didn't mean ut like that, or, I did but I didn't, I.."

He trails off into a loaded silence, and Touya just stares back, deadpan. 

"It's okay, Silly Bird," Touya signs, and Keigo gives. him a small smile. 

They simply watch each other for a moment, before Keigo speaks up again.

“Did they teach you that in here?” he asks, and Touya shakes his head. 

“Shouto did,” Touya signs, and Keigo’s eyes widens. 

“Woah, really?” he asks, and Touya nods, proudly. 

Keigo whistles.

“That’s impressive,” he says, more to himself than Touya.

“He’s a good teacher,” Touya signs, and Keigo raises his eyebrows.

“I mean sure, obviously, but I was more talking about how he managed to teach you something without ripping his hair out in the process,” Keigo muses, and Touya glares back at him with a pout. 

“If this is about you trying to teach me how to play poker we both know you were the problem there,” he signs, and Keigo rolls his eyes dramatically. 

“Sure, you setting fire to the cards had nothing to do with it at all,” Keigo quips back, and Touya actually smiles. 

After a moment Keigo smiles back.

Softly. 

“This is nice,” he says with a fondness in his voice Touya hasn't heard since before the war. 

Touya nods.

“I missed telling you off,” he signs back, and Keigo rolls his eyes with a laugh. 

“I guess I missed having someone to keep me in line,” Keigo chuckles, and Touya tilts his head.

"Really?" he signs, and Keigo tilts his head, confused. 

"You have kind of avoided me since I woke up," Touya explains with his hands, and Keigo averts his gaze.

"I didn't mean to," Keigo says quietly. 

"But how... how could I not, after everything?" 

Touya sighs heavily. 

"After I burned your wings?" he signs, and Keigo's eyes wides.

"What, no!" he exclaims, and Touya raises his eyebrows, confused. 

"My wings... fuck, who cares abut my wings, they're still there, they still work, kind of, but Touya..." Keigo's voice softens as he utters the other's name. 

"I, I mean we, we nearly lost you Tou, for real," he whispers, as if he's afraid to utter the words. 

To make it real. 

"I'm still here," Touya signs, not really capable of finding the right words in the moment.

Keigo smiles.

"You have no idea how glad I am for that," he admits, and Touya huffs, trying to hide his blush by looking away. 

"Silly bird," he signs, and Keigo chuckles.

"What can I say, you bring out the best in me," he says with only a hint of sarcasm, and Touya smirks. 

“Are you sure you’re ready for that full time?” Touya signs, not quite brave enough to hold Keigo’s gaze while he does.

He’s good at joking and jabbing, but this has actually been eating on him recently. 

Keigo is making quite the sacrifice to help Touya rejoin society or whatever. 

A feather gently pokes his cheek, and Touya turns to face its owner. 

Keigo’s still smiling, but there’s something different in his eyes now.

Something Touya can’t quite decipher yet, but when he moves closer Touya doesn’t object. 

For a second Touya thinks he’s gonna kiss him, but instead Keigo gently touches his forehead to Touya’s, making their noses bump against each other gently, before he moves back a little again. 

Touya’s heart is hammering in his chest, but not in a good way, he thinks, and when Keigo finally answers, Touya’s whole body feels light and fluttery. 

“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life, Hot-stuff.”

[tuiskuh]

I posted about this on bluesky already, but I am still pissed off so sharing here too. So much of the mainstream conversation around trans healthcare here in Finland comes down to controlling what people do with their bodies framed as concern. "it's so permanent"! "what if you regret it?" "what if you hurt yourself?" and yet alcohol and tattoos and plastic surgery and contact sports are all fine?

Especially when we are talking about adults, the fact that someone somwehere some time fucked up and regretted their choices... well sucks for them but like it happens. How many articles could you write about people who have failed professional sports careers who regret going into it and destroying their bodies? and yet are we banning professional sports?

This is not even going into the fact that the % of trans people who regret transitioning is minimal. based on all of the information we have, for absolute majority of people that treament is life saving. But even if it wasn't... we cannot build a society that controls what adults do to their own bodies based on how "life changing" the results might be. Or if we do we need to be closing all skiing centers immediately because i know at leats 3 people who have torn their knees irreparably while skiing. And can you believe it? these were all children too! Big skiinng is out there ripping up our children's knees and nobody is doing anyhting to stop it!

The "worry" about trans people hurting themselves through trans healthcare is just concern trolling. It's about control and coercion and it is an attempt to limit people's bodily autonomy. Adults are responsible for their bodies and just because some people regret their choices it does not mean nobody should be allowed those same choices.

[lemotmo]

Yeah please just let it be for a reason. Let it matter.

Q. So you believe that it won't actually be about Bobby but will be about Buck or someone else instead? Tim and Oliver both said the Buddie storyline is on pause for the two parter so I don't have faith at all that it will be something we've not already predicted or pretty much seen, the leaked funeral stuff.

A. Okay I have several asks from people saying Oliver and Tim said the Buddie storyline was paused for the two part event. I don't know where that came from because I don't recall reading that anywhere. So many people are saying it though that I'm guessing I just missed it somehow? Unfortunately I think it's going to be exactly what we all think it's going to be. Bobby is dead but not really dead and he has to figure out how to make people aware he's not dead and then they have to rescue him before he really does suffocate and die. I'm not expecting anything different from that. The problem with that though is that makes this two part event absolutely irrelevant and pointless in the end. That's my problem with it. They've done such a good job of weaving the Buddie storyline into every episode for the back half of the season so far and pausing it to for a storyline that will end up not mattering at all, is annoying as fuck. That's my problem. Doing all of this and devoting this much screen time to a two part event, and the aftermath today's episode will also cause, all for none of it to matter in the end is mind bogglingly stupid. To pause an actual storyline in favor of what would amount to nothing but a gimmick in the end is ridiculous. That's what bothers me. Bobby 'dies' or almost dies multiple times a season and it has never ended up mattering or changing anything long term. It's a storyline they tell every single season and it never ends up being anything. So I cannot get excited about these kinds of episodes. Literally no one believes he's actually dying. So why are we here? Yes the acting will be good. Yes the episode will be enjoyable in the moment, but once it's over it will have been for nothing. I don't want Bobby dead. I don't, but doing this multiple times a season, at the expense of genuine character storylines, all for it to amount to nothing in the end is insane. That's all I'm saying. Make it mean something. Make it have a purpose of some kind.

Thank you Nonny!

Okay, I'm first just going to copy/paste (italics) what I sent earlier to Ali in our personal conversation. That way I don't have to type it all again. 😋

Well... I'm still living in Buck nde spec land I'm afraid.🤭I refuse to believe that the whole Bobby 'fake' dying is real. I still think it might all be a 'red herring'.

I'm probably horribly wrong🤷‍♀️, but I still feel there is something bigger they are hiding. I am not to be deterred. 🤣 They didn't really say that the Buddie storyline was paused. It was more a general 'the personal storylines' will be put on hold during this emergency. At least, that is what I saw in one of the interviews.

But that doesn't mean they can't show us Eddie's reaction to the 118 being in danger and/or it doesn't mean the Bobby 'fake' death storyline is actually happening.

I could have done without Tommy though. Enough is enough at some point. 🙄 Now, am I excited about the episode? No, not as much as I probably should be. Because there is indeed the possibility that all of the 'boring and obvious' theories will be true.

But I'm still kinda curious and in disbelief that these theories will be true. I still think they might possibly surprise us in a good way.

Then again... you know me, forever the optimist.😋 It might all turn out to be wishful thinking from my side. But I'll worry about that after I've seen the episode tomorrow morning.

For now? I am still curious to see what is going to happen. 🤷‍♀️

For those of you who don't know about my Buck nde spec, go to this Ali post. I added all the relevant links in my answer to this ask. Anyway yeah... I'm not sold on the whole Bobby dying storyline at all. If they do this so soon after another Bobby almost dying storyline? And with all those 'leaks' of the funeral out there? It would be the most boring anti-climactic ending to that episode. Even if it was only a 'fake' death.

Seems that all the journalists got screeners, but were not allowed to post or talk about it at all on social media. I don't even think the 'emoji' journalist posted her usual emojis for us to guess what they mean. This while the entire 'fake' funeral was spread out over Twitter and other social media with the journalists commenting on it. Everyone interested in 911 saw it. I'm sorry... I'm not buying it. 🤷‍♀️ I don't live in delulu-land, don't worry. 🤣 Both feet are firmly on the ground. I'm highly aware that I might be severly disappointed tomorrow morning after I've seen the episode. But I'm also prepared to be happily surprised.😋

¯\(ツ)/¯

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[discordiansamba]

if you will, some more assorted thoughts about this au:

rin cannot swim. he's fully waterproof, but he is simply too heavy. he just sinks. this is why he strongly prefers the (artificial) ocean over the pool. he still will go to the pool with his friends if they invite him, though- he just stays in the shallows the whole time.

rin and his family still live in a church, though it no longer is actively serving as a church. yuri has a basement lab hidden underneath a trap door where she works on rin's body. rin has a bed set up in his room, even though he doesn't actually use it.

the kyoto trio have been over to rin's house several times and have never noticed anything amiss there. they know the family has a robot cat that yukio built but that's not *that* unusual.

once he's past his 'my friends will hate me if they see what I really am' stage, rin enters the 'actually it's kind of embarrassing to be seen with my frame exposed in any way' phase.

the kyoto trio visit rin's place, and shiro tells them he's in the lab. when they get down there rin is just covering his face. like. guys what the fuck. privacy! and they're just like. dude. you're fully clothed. and he's just like YEAH but my face plate is off. it's embarrassing!

because rin's brain is completely organic, it's generally believed that he doesn't have to worry about falling victim to the mysterious glitch that robots periodically seem to suffer in which they go berserk.

earth was abandoned within their great-grandparent's generation. it is supposedly currently completely inhospitable towards human life, due to the fallout of a devastating war. it's thought that nothing still lives there...

(...or is it?)

something something it's all a lie and the baal are actually a race of alien bodysnatchers that has been cultivating humanity for four generations now so that they can develop into perfect hosts for their kind- or that was the intention when the stations were created, and the first generation of humans were abducted and brainwashed.

(mephisto and azazel have become fond of humans in their own right. the destruction of the ninth station was the result of experiments that mephisto and lucifer helped run as a compromise- using humanity as a basis to create vessels that could even sustain the power of the strongest of their number. eventually, that attracted the strongest of them all...

...so maybe there's a reason rin's human body survived the accident, even though he really shouldn't have.)

shiro and angel are both the results of these experiments- in shiro's case, his ego was simply too strong, so he was released. angel was simply the only survivor of the project, and was taken in by the mysterious uzai family.

(but then- if it's all a lie, and earth is still habitable- then what is shiemi's purpose in all of this? and why is the one on mephisto's station so fundamentally different from all the rest?)

robots go berserk when the (less intelligent) bodysnatchers mistakenly try to inhabit them. they go together like oil and water.

something something tamamo is a bodysnatching victim and she's raised izumo and tsukumo as her spares in case anything should happen to her current body. they do not know this about their mother, but izumo suspects something is wrong after tamamo's personality mysteriously changed out of the blue.

and shima? well. let's just say he has a... mutual arrangement.

shima voice: body snatch? more like a body share. yamantaka has to do my math homework.

"rin, wake up."

rin groaned, his eyes flickering open. it takes a second for them to focus, before he turns his head and sees his mom sitting next to him. she's smiling, but her smile is strained.

"...mom?"

his mom lets out a long exhale of breath, her shoulders slumping in relief. she pulls him close in a tight hug, but when he tries to return the gesture, his limbs just feel heavy and strange. his head is groggy, like he's still half-asleep.

...where is he? the last thing he remembers...

fire. lots of it.

his breath hitches sharply in his throat, but even that action feels strange to him. his fingers twitch, and he dimly becomes aware that he's sitting down somewhere, in a place that looks a lot like mom's lab- but it's different than he remembers it. he slowly turns his head to see yukio watching him, almost warily. his brow furrows at the sight of his twin. he looks... a little older, he thinks?

"it's okay," his mom rubs a soothing hand over his back, "-it's okay, rin. you're going to be okay now."

"...i feel weird," rin muttered.

"that's okay," yuri assures him, "-you'll adjust soon enough, i promise."

...adjust? adjust to what?

his mom lets him go, and rin slowly lifts a hand, staring at it almost in a daze. he flexes the fingers, his brow furrowed in confusion. it looks like his hand, but it doesn't feel quite right. it's not just his hand- his whole body feels that way. the heaviness is starting to fade, and his limbs are slowly starting to respond, but he can't shake the strange, alien way his entire body feels to him right now.

"...nii-san?"

rin turns towards yukio, and does his best to grin at him. yukio lets out a breath of relief of his own, before he hugs him, just like mom did. rin blinks and returns the gesture this time- but yukio winces a little so he automatically lets him go. mom tells him he needs to be careful- he's a lot stronger now than he used to be. rin's brow furrows in confusion. he doesn't understand. why would he be stronger?

"oh, your internal battery should be finished charging now."

...internal battery? rin stares at his mother in confusion as she presses a few buttons on the weird chair he's sitting on- and all of a sudden, the last of the heavy sensation leaves him. he frowns, gradually swinging his legs out of the chair- and just as abruptly becoming keenly aware of feedback from a limb he didn't have before.

...huh? why does he have a tail?

he looks between his mom and yukio- then slowly his gaze drifts. there's a long mirror in mom's new lab, but when he meets his eyes in it, his reflection doesn't feel right. like yukio, he looks a little older... but it's not just that. something's different, and it's not just the black tail that's flicking behind him like it has a mind of its own.

...but it's not until his mom helps him stand up, and he turns his head to see the tube behind him that he realizes just what it is about him that's different. it's hard to recognize it with all the damage, but he's keenly aware that the body that's hooked up to life support inside of it is his own.

...or it was.

oh. he's not human anymore, is he?

[thesaltyace]

omfg y'all am I insane or is this healthcare professional a fucking nutjob

(Spoiler: I know she's a fucking nutjob but would deeply appreciate others chiming in because I still feel crazy 😭)

Okay, so I am still reeling from this provider interaction and feel like I'm going crazy. To sum up, she downplayed covid in general, suggested that antivirals were more dangerous than covid itself, and I believe she tried to scare me and my partner into not asking for Paxlovid at all.

Background info:

My partner and I are both mid-30s. We both have health conditions that place us in the high risk category for serious covid complications (asthma, CKD, overweight/obese, etc.).

Because we have several high risk factors, we have been super careful for the past 3+ years, and fortunately haven't caught covid at all before now (to our knowledge).

We are primarily concerned about long term damage and possible long covid. We are aware that even though omicron has lower risk of long covid, it's still around 10-14% risk. Especially considering our high risk health conditions, we want to do everything we can to prevent long covid.

We are aware that Paxlovid is an oral antiviral that received full approval a couple of months ago for high risk groups.

What happened:

My partner and I both tested positive for covid today using an at-home test, so we decided to go to the local clinic. They offered to see us together and we agreed, so we're in the same exam room.

The tech who was taking our info asked, "You tested positive with an at-home test? When?" "Yes. We took the tests about an hour ago." She seemed confused. "So why are you here?" "To…. confirm with a PCR I guess? Or to get antivirals?" She seemed annoyed and quickly left.

[Edited to add - the LVN and tech discussed between themselves, before they left the room, that the provider said a PCR wasn't necessary since we had a positive home test and symptoms.]

When the provider (CNP) came in, she started off with the same question. "Okay, so I understand that you tested positive with at-home tests. So... why are you here?" We gave her the same answer: "To get Paxlovid? ...I guess?"

She scoffed and said, "I'll prescribe you Paxlovid if that's what you want, but I don't recommend it." Well, that wasn't what we expected to hear. She explained that she doesn't recommend it because it's only authorized for emergency use and "doesn't really do as much for you as you'd like to think." She went on to explain that it interacts with "a ton of really common medications" so it can be very risky to use anyway, possibly even more risky than covid itself. My partner spoke up to say, "Yes, we saw that the only medication of mine that appears to have an interaction is amlodipine but that it isn't a contraindication." and she quickly said, "Right, but Paxlovid is just very risky if you have anything cardiovascular going on."

O…kay….

She then explained that Paxlovid isn't really for mild cases anyway, it's really just for people who are at high, high risk for severe covid symptoms and would, like, die in 24 hours without treatment. We found this odd (and in fact blatantly wrong) based on our own knowledge of Paxlovid and covid, so we didn't quite know what to say. I felt very put off and like I couldn't trust what she was telling us. It's at this point that I suspected this woman was trying to dissuade us from taking Paxlovid for… I have no idea what reason. But we live in West Texas and it's extremely red here, so… draw your own conclusion. (I did.)

She then started talking down to us (IMO) by explaining that we would still have to deal with the coughs and sniffles even if we took the antivirals. As though we were only there for a quick fix, because our little stuffy noses were so annoying. I finally spoke up and explained that we're less concerned about acute symptoms and more concerned about long-term effects and possible long covid.

This really made my blood boil. She proceeded to tell me that 1) Paxlovid won't help with preventing long covid, 2) omicron doesn't really cause long covid, that's just the original covid strain that does that, so no one is really seeing new cases of long covid, and 3) no one's getting severely sick from covid anymore anyway, and we appear to have a mild case, so I shouldn't really be concerned. You know, folks, based on my own knowledge, those are some pretty sweeping unsupported statements. So the more she talks, the more concerned I get.

She then starts telling us about how there's all sorts of adverse reactions that can happen with Paxlovid. Horrible reactions that could totally ruin your life! Worse than long covid! But no specific reactions mentioned at this point - just general "Oh, it's so bad" pearl-clutching statements. We sat silently through this -- I think wondering if this was actually happening.

Our continued silence finally caught her attention. "Oh, I know, most people don't expect to hear all this!" "Uh huh." At this point, I'm trying to not to pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. "So what are the risk factors for these reactions?" "Well, they're far-reaching effects that can ruin your health and your life! It can happen to anyone. Things like hemorrhagic stroke--" I am extremely annoyed and cut her off. "Okay, fine, but that doesn't answer my question. What are the RISK FACTORS for these reactions?" "There are none." "None? No risk factors. No correlations. For any of these reactions." "No. It affects everyone equally. Age, sex, race, doesn't matter. You aren't safe because you're young." "No specific health conditions that would put one at higher risk of these bad reactions?" "No, it affects EVERYONE the same."

^^ If y'all don't see why that kind of claim is absolute bullshit I don't know what to tell you. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think I've ever heard of any condition/reaction that that has zero identifiable risk factors or correlations, that just somehow affects everyone equally. She pulled that out of her ass, full stop.

Anyway, we just stared at her again because what else do you say to that kind of fearmongering bullshit? She followed up with, "And this drug is only approved for emergency use, so you know, you're taking a big risk if you choose to take Paxlovid. Like, I have to confirm in our system when I send the prescription that you understand the risks. And it is a risk."

Here's the thing. I remembered seeing a couple of months ago that Paxlovid was now fully approved for high risk groups. You know, like me and my partner. She's trying to tell us that Paxlovid is somehow more dangerous than covid/the risk of developing long covid. As best I can tell based on current data, risk of developing long covid from omicron is around 10-14%. Is this woman seriously trying to tell me that Paxlovid has greater than a 10-14% chance of causing severe issues with no known correlations/risk factors, and was somehow still fully approved for high risk patients a couple of months ago? Something is seriously off here.

If I had to listen to any more of this bullshit I think I was going to lose my absolute mind and verbally rip into her. She already said she'd prescribe it if we wanted it, and I didn't want to risk that changing by pissing her off, so finally I was like, "Okay, I guess can we have a moment to discuss this together, then?" I figured we'd be able to exchange a quick, "This woman is crazy. Yes, let's ask for the Paxlovid", but she goes, "Oh, no, I'll just go ahead and submit the prescription. None of the pharmacies are open until tomorrow morning anyway, so that'll give you plenty of time to consider it. And if you decide you don't want it, just don't fill it. But if you decide you do, the prescription is already submitted."

O....kay... then...

So she leaves and soon the LVN comes in with the appointment summary printoffs. The LVN asks us if the provider discussed with us the cardiovascular risks associated with Paxlovid.

"No...? I mean, she said it can interact with blood pressure medication but that's it."

"Well, it can have some pretty nasty cardiovascular side effects. I used to work in cardio at the peak of covid and we got calls all the time about whether or not this cardio patient could take Paxlovid."

No mention about what the answer actually was for all those phone calls -- just the vague implication that it's terrifying to take Paxlovid because it might hurt your heart. Again, this just didn't match what we knew about Paxlovid, but we also aren't confident enough to call them on it ourselves.

We got out of there as quickly as we could and agreed in the car that we would look up more info online when we got home; however, our inclination was already to fill the prescription and take the Paxlovid. We tried looking up these adverse effects she warned us about. All we can find is info about medication interactions, which we already knew. We found studies stating that cardiac patients benefited more than most groups from taking Paxlovid. We found ample information suggesting, as we already knew, that with our health conditions we are absolutely recommended to take Paxlovid and that we personally have no contraindications.

It occurred to us after we got home that the provider never told my partner what to do in terms of adjusting the amlodipine while taking Paxlovid. They'll have to ask the pharmacist tomorrow and may skip the amlodepine tomorrow until they can ask their regular doctor about it on Monday. Sucks that this is happening over a weekend and the only medical professionals available will be the same folks we just saw, because they sound absolutely INSANE.

In case anyone is wondering, uh, yeah, as best I can tell, current data suggests Paxlovid helps reduce the acute illness period AND may reduce the risk of long covid. And I couldn't find a single goddamn thing about severe reactions like hemorrhagic stroke. So I don't know what the actual fuck these people were doing trying to blow smoke up our asses, but it PISSES ME THE FUCK OFF. They have done this to other people. And even if we complain, I'm sure they will be allowed to continue doing this to other people because covid deniers and downplayers are the norm here, not the outliers.

[nikkashidashipper]

you guys. in the czech dub of the game, henry calls hans nicknames and more importantly, diminutives during the scramble after they get ambushed on their way to nabákov. im. soft

[hamable]

He might as well have said I’m Kacchan “Sugoi” Midoriya bitch and you will refer to me as such that’s right I’m marrying him now you fucking asshole

[mauricemylittlemeowmeow]

tonight's psychotic meltdown:

[throes-of-warm-tornadoes]

i dont want to put this on main bc im scared but i hate it when people downplay katniss and gale's friendship. ive seen so many people say how they have nothing in common and how they wouldnt even hang out if their dads didn't die and its like... okay. have yall never had friendships that were forged from the aftermath of unthinkable situations? because it kind of makes me uneasy that their bond is minimized for that reason. at the end of the day, i think they both have a lot of similarities, even if they probably wouldn't have become friends under more favorable circumstances. they both are very caring and nurturing toward the people they love, they both love very intensely, they're both goofy as fuck (laughing and joking around in the woods---a part of 12 punishable by whipping---is actually bonkers), and they genuinely bond by hunting even if it is out of survival. im sure someone much smarter than me could articulate this point better, but i just hate how sometimes their friendship is punched down in order to elevate katniss and peeta's relationship (romantic or otherwise). because honestly they aren't that cute either, their relationship (both romantic AND otherwise) actually stressed me the fuck out. like guys kiss and make up PLEASE simply smooching isn't gonna fix everything

[clownhonkbonk]

how was s2 real.

i made crowley less stressed bc they deserve a break

[kanronotatsu]

something something noh sangcheol, a complete outsider, a cop with serious anger management issues and prejudice against criminals, who never knew high schooler golden boy goh jeongwoo and has met him twice before learning he's a murderer still noticing that something is *wrong* and working through his bias to come out on jeongwoo's side

vs

jeongwoo's father's closest friends & jeongwoo's closest friends, who have all known him since childhood, some of them probably even held him as a baby, and has known him more than anyone else apart from his parents not only betraying his trust and destroying his life completely, but also doing everything to divert blame back to jeongwoo by all means necessary

i think about this dichotomy a lot

[sapphire-weapon]

modern fandom's perception: a bunch of DEGENERATES have INVADED resident evil fandom and FLOODED the previously INNOCENT AND WHOLESOME fandom with DARK CONTENT and it is WORRYING to me. INCEST and RAPE have no place in RE fandom won't someone think of the CHILDREN???

RE fandom's actual reality: almost all of the porn in RE fandom prior to RE5 was zombies and/or dogs and/or lickers and/or plagas raping the girls and in fact one of the very first pieces of RE porn art ever passed around fandom back in the late 90s was zombie chris raping claire and it's still incredibly easy to find

[timetravellingkitty]

peeks out cause it's safe now you guys were really weird about Depp v Heard

[lalalychee]

happy homestuck day to those who celebrate

[light-wrath-paradise]

*remembers Dungeon Meshi* The Winged Lion