#cause children's deaths are really rare but like... preventable

[subdee]

Everyone over 6 months old can get one. We also found out how much they "cost" ($120-130 a pop) but I'm sure the actual negotiated price for government and insurance is lower. They're still free for Americans with insurance (by federal law insurance must cover the cost) and I think there's some kind of plan being worked out now to cover the cost for people without insurance.

If you recently got vaccinated, the recommendation is to wait two months before you get the new one. If you recently got COVID, you can wait three months but you can also get the booster "as soon as you're feeling better" (source). But bottom line is everyone should get the new booster and don't get so caught up on the timing that you skip it.

CDC finally fuckin' recommended the new COVID boosters for everyone in the US. letting my american followers who don't check the news know because i've been turned away for wanting to get an extra booster & now won't be anymore & it's Lovely. most americans are not going to get these and are going to grumble about them, which sucks as far as spread goes - but DOES mean u can schedule with ur local pharmacy sooner rather than later. please do so. ur immunocomprised friends and ur own body will thank u.

[cynthiav06]

I was just having a Percy jackson Brainrot and I was curious about something...

Considering the fact that Most Demi-gods Rarely ever Live that Long it makes me wonder just How Dark the Percy Jackson Series is

Like despite casting Neglectful Gods Aside, I can't imagine wanting To be a Demi-God due to the fact of how much Danger your in the moment you realize your a Demi-God

Percy said that once you figure out your a Halfblood it's only a matter of time before *They* Figure it out too and they'll come for you

I'm guessing he's talking about The monsters but even if he's not I can't imagine wanting to be a Demi-God cause I Genuinely wouldn't be able to handle being in that much Danger

And worst imagine how your mortal parent would feel, well that is if they care about you enough to care

It's just thinking about some of the things that were in the books it really made me think about the amount of Danger the Demi-Gods are in just really thinking about it

I mean it is the main premise of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, not to mention the opening words of the book.

It's also the theme that haunts the narrative of Heroes of Olympus or any other sequel after that.

It's the driving force behind Luke's actions, behind Percy's actions and beliefs, it's literally the motto of being a demigod.

It's the reason Kronos was able to rise with an army, it's the reason why Percy loathes all if not most gods.

Because Demigods are stuck in an all loss system. Choose the Olympians and suffer through neglect and quiet oppression, living and dying by whims of ignorant gods, or choose rebellion and be exterminated like pests. Do nothing and let yourself be molded by the gods into a dutiful child and even then death awaits you at the mouth of monsters.

Even having to suffer many abuses from their mortal parents at times and lack of any safeguarding system or protective group.

No matter what bargain they pick, the demigods will always get the shorter end of the stick. It's inevitable.

Even Poseidon, despite how greatly he loves Percy and how dearly he favors him, still tells him immediately after they meet that a heroes fate is always tragic. That even a god cannot undo it. That he, a god, is entirely and utterly sorry for the fate he has subjected Percy too. That it's his greatest mistake because he has doomed his son to die a painful death.

Hermes foresaw to some extent what would become of Luke and did nothing for he could do nothing.

It's why Hades promptly had to leave his children to their fate after their hiding place was uncovered. It's also why he could even if, in a fit of anger, dare imply that Bianca would have been of better use to him than Nico to Nico's face.

It's why Zeus, the supposed strongest Olympian (I have doubts), couldn't prevent Thalia's death and could only trap her essence in a tree. It's also why he has the audacity to offer up Jason, an actual child he sired as some sort of collateral and apology gift to Hera.

An object to use and throw. That's what gods view demigods as. They can always sire more, at least that's what they believe.

Even Athena, enraged and blinded by her hate for Romans, had no problem sending her children (who are quite literally a manifestation of her own essence) on a death quest to retrieve her statue of power, not a few times but for countless centuries, with no remorse not even when she regained her sanity as Athena.

Even Chiron is but all too happy to send demigods to die to fulfill the whims of gods.

It's also why the series should end in Percy and the two camps overthrowing Olympus. Maybe not all the gods but Zeus definitely. A new order. Maybe they team up with the so-called minor gods (I think the title is derogatory and an inaccurate term), and Percy will need to ascend (let's admit it, that's unavoidable. He is more god than mortal at this point. But maybe just maybe he will not become a god but another type of immortal, something different and stronger. (Cause he had the power to manipulate and take control of the domain of one of the protogenoi and use it to overpower the said protogenoi in their own place of power).

Either way, your ask is literally the entire premise of everything, small or big, that takes place in the books. It is also why Rick should commit to the idea of toppling down the system that enables such a thing.

I have no hopes for Riordan but in my mind, that's what Percy and the Seven and all the demigods from both Camps did with the help of minor gods and even Atlantis [Poseidon won't say no, not to this, even he knows the extent of Zeus's depravity, of his own past actions. He will help, and so will Hades. After all that's been done to his children. I think Tartarus was the final straw for both Poseidon and Hades. After that, they would do anything to protect their children. The true canon really, but Rick is too much of a coward to write it. ]

Sorry, I just had to rant. As you can tell, I have thoughts and feelings on this. Quite a lot of both.

[aphroditelovesu]

⸻ The Lost Queen - IX ⸻

— summary: You woke up near a military camp without remembering how and why you got there, you didn’t understand why they were dressed like ancient Greeks, all you knew was that you weren’t safe and you needed to get out of that place as soon as possible. Too bad for you that you found yourself attracting unwanted attention from the Macedonian King and he won’t let you go so easily.

— genre: yandere, dark!au.

— warnings: time travel, obsessive and possessive behavior, murder, mention of torture, kidnapping, angst, fluffy (very rarely), dub-con, eventual smut, pregnancy.

— pairing: yandere!alexander the great x female!reader, yandere!generals x female!reader.

— word count: 1,600.

— tag list: @devils-blackrose, @faerykingdom, @hadesnewpersephone, @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 , @kadu-5607, @zoleea-exultant, @borntoexplore11-blog, @silmawensgarden, @elvinapandra, @jennifer0305 , @his0kaswife, @animetye-23.

— the lost queen series masterlist.

Chapter 9

A few days passed and everything remained the same except for a few changes. The atmosphere in the camp was slowly improving and Alexander seemed to have recovered after your decision.

You still regretted your choice, but you knew it was the right thing to do.

Cleitus finally woke up, to everyone's surprise, and he was recovering slowly, but that was to be expected. It was almost a miracle that he had woken up and that was both a good and a bad thing.

You had prevented his death and changed history.

You sighed and looked around you. There was a lot to be done for the imminent wedding. Alexander wanted to get married fast because they would soon go to Sogdiana Rock and everything had to be done as quickly as possible. Knowing that he would soon meet Roxanna filled you with hope and fear. You hoped he would still marry her, as he was supposed to, but you were worried.

You knew Roxanna's story and you knew what she had done to Alexander's other wives. Honestly, you were more nervous about meeting her than marrying Alexander. And if there were children...

You shook your head, it was better not to think about it for now. There was no guarantee that you would get pregnant with him so quickly and you didn't even want to think about it, the idea of getting pregnant filled you with dread, not because having children was a bad thing, but rather the circumstances and who you would be getting pregnant by. It was all very stressful and you felt like you were going to throw up if you kept thinking about it, so it was better not to think about it, no matter how hard it was.

Nor was there a guarantee that he would marry her because history has already been changed and could change again.

Your head throbbed as you thought of the countless possibilities and chaos that your presence here could have caused in the future. But there was no point in thinking about it now, you would leave soon, you were sure, and you would find out for yourself. You just hoped it wasn't too serious.

''Ugh...'' You grumbled and massaged your temples, trying to ease your headache.

There was still a lot of work to be done. Alexander left you in charge of organizing the wedding, along with some servants and slaves, because according to him, it was something women would do better at. You were tempted to throw your shoe at his head, but you didn't.

Too bad.

Honestly, you never thought your marriage would be like this, that is, if you ever got married. You definitely never thought you would marry Alexander the Great.

And you always imagined that you would have your family and friends present at the occasion, that your mother and friends would help you organize everything, it would be with someone you really loved and it would be a happy occasion.

Instead, you were being forced to marry a man who was supposed to be dead a long time ago, in a place in the middle of nowhere? You weren't sure and it was a very sad atmosphere.

The reality was harsh and painful.

You looked at some colorful fabrics left on your cot and regarded them with apprehension and perhaps disgust. Your wedding dress wasn't what you wanted either, it wasn't white lace or those beautiful dresses you only saw in movies or magazines.

You should get married in black at once, to symbolize your mourning.

You took one that was deep red in your hand and stared at it, taking in its details. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't what you had in mind. It had some gold features, which you knew was real gold, and a very discreet neckline. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

Sighing, you prepared to try it out.

Two days passed and everything was ready. It would be a simple but beautiful ceremony, everyone was eager and excited. The atmosphere in the camp changed radically and it was as if everyone had forgotten what had happened to Cleitus and were focused on the wedding and the fact that they would have a Queen and, if the gods permitted, an heir soon.

Alexander was being prepared for the wedding. He had already showered and was putting on the final adjustments, the red tunic he would wear and some jewelry that would complete his appearance. His hair was drying naturally, he wore some kohl on his eye, highlighting his beautiful eyes of different colors, and perfumed. A sweet, soft scent radiated from his clothing.

In general, he was attractive and well dressed. There were no longer any traces of the defeated and drunken man he had been a few days ago, but of a King and a conqueror. And his men were grateful for that.

Hephaestion entered Alexander's tent and smiled to see his friend looking happier and healthier. The image he had of Alexander would still haunt him for the rest of his days.

''You look good, Alexander.'' Hephaestion commented and sat down on a chair and took a jug of water and poured it into a cup, sipping it.

Alexander looked at Hephaestion and his gaze softened and he smiled, ''You look good as well.''

And indeed, Hephaestion was well groomed, as were all the guests. He was dressed in a dark blue tunic with a few ornaments, but enough to make him look more handsome than he already was. His long hair was braided and he also wore kohl, highlighting his blue eyes.

Hephaestion smiled but there was a sadness lurking in his eyes. Alexander noticed and went to his closest friend and placed his hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He knew that today was a painful day for him.

Hephaestion touched Alexander's hand with his own and shook his head, ''I'm fine. I just... I still don't know how to deal with this properly, but I'm fine, I promise.''

''I know it can't be easy, but it's something I have to do. As a King and as a man.'' Alexander whispered the last parts, feeling sorry for his friend. It wasn't easy, neither for him nor for Hephaestion.

''You are the King. You must marry and have an heir, I know that.'' Hephaestion smiled and faced Alexander, ''I always knew that. From our days in Mieza to when you became King of Macedonia. I always knew that.''

''Hephaestion...'' Alexander sighed, suddenly feeling melancholy.

''Do not worry about me. I am fine. The wedding will start soon, don't be late for your own wedding.'' Hephaestion stood up and placed the cup on the table and walked towards the exit, ''I'll be fine.''

Alexander smiled sadly, ''I know you will, after all, you are also Alexander.''

Hephaestion's face lit up and his face looked a little red, but he smiled and waved at his friend and turned away. Alexander watched him with regret, feeling guilty for causing his friend pain, but he couldn't shirk his duties.

And his desires. He wanted to marry you, it was a necessity and he couldn't ignore it.

The sun was setting over the war camp, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink, while the gentle breeze blew through the olive trees and poplars that surrounded the camp.

There was music and dancing involved. Some musicians played instruments, such as the harp and lyre, and dancers danced and enchanted the audience who watched them.

The bride, (Y/N), looked beautiful. Her clothes highlighted her beauty even more, a heavy red and gold tunic draped over her body, with jewelry adorning her and a red veil hid her hair, her face was clean and her natural beauty was highlighted. Her soft, wistful eye was alluring, with the kohl highlighting her color.

The ceremony began with a colorful procession, led by flutists and dancers. (Y/N), draped in a magnificent red robe, gracefully paraded through the camp, crowned with jewels. Her radiant face and eyes sparkled with joy or sadness. Alexander, dressed in a deep red robe, waited anxiously on the table, surrounded by his generals and soldiers watching from a distance.

The priest, a man of great wisdom and a white beard, led the ceremony. With the blessing of the gods, they exchanged vows of eternal fidelity and deep love. As the flame of the eternal candle burned before them, symbolizing the eternity of their commitment, the couple exchanged gold rings, a promise of love that would never lose its luster.

The wedding celebration took place under a starry sky, with long tables filled with Greek delicacies - olives, feta cheese, bread and red wine. Everyone danced to traditional music, celebrating the union of (Y/N) and Alexander. It was a night of joy and communion, where generals, friends and soldiers shared stories, laughter and wishes for eternal happiness.

This was a time of great joy and promise. The promise of an heir and the joy of a marriage that would be talked about for centuries to come.

As the night came to an end, the most awaited hour would arrive. Finally, the consummation would be made and if the gods bless the newlyweds, a child would come from their union.

Only the gods, the children born and the bride would know how cursed this union would be.

— lady l: and that was it! The wedding night is coming and I promise drama in the next chapter, this one was calmer and based on the wedding. I'm not good at describing weddings, but I did my best! I hope you enjoyed it and wait for the next chapter because it, my readers, promises to be CHAOTIC!! 😈 Hope you have liked and feedbacks are always welcome! ❤️

[pawowogic]

Hi! Genuinely please tell me about why you are a Utopian defender, I'm new to the fanbase and I'm interested :D cause it seems to be a pretty rare decision and it's often seen that Daniil is either too cruel or too much of a pawn of the Kains.

sorry for such a late reply, i wanted to make sure that I answered this to my fullest ability...

so why am i a utopian supporter? first of all, i have played pathologic 1 to completion and i have NOT played pathologic 2. all of which i am going to discuss will be about the first game. i will also be doing some interpretations of the game itself, which we be DEEP into spoilers.

i also want to begin by talking about the other 2 ending first, and why i do not like them. but again, every choice is right as long as it is willed - none of the three endings are HORRIBLE, just i prefer one over the others.

first, clara's ending. probably the worst one, besides the plague/no choice ending. a lot of the limitations of this ending come from the fact that it was rushed. if i remember correctly, her original ending was meant to be the plague ending. and it very much shows! it feels rushed and stilted. we aren't given a lot of motivation to choose to sacrifice which of the bound you have, over the course of 11 days, fallen in love with. its heart wrenching. and it isn't a long term solution. people will still need to die after their sacrifices. the plague originates from the plague in the earth, which has become unearthed by the polyhedron. without destroying either of these, more people will have to die. and the people that do die - the reason is that they are 'sinners' in claras eyes. i have a bit of bias - i'm ex-catholic and staunchly against the death penalty, so everything about this ending is against what i am. (really, what is lara's sin? she wanted revenge? she is only nice to the living because of her affection for the dead? and yulia? rubin???). generally, i dont think either the polyhedron or the buildings of the town are worth it.

it also does not affect any of the issues of the town itself. the political system, the subjucation of the kin - all of these issues prevented the plague from being addressed will NOT be fixed with clara.

now, for the haruspex ending. the fandoms favorite. most of my distaste for this ending happened towards the end of day 11 and day 12. first, with the udurgh - we are made to be unsure whether the udurgh is the town or the polyhedron. its very unsure! while this ending is much better than clara's on addressing the plague (you destroy the polyhedron, stopping the spread of plague and getting a LOT of cure). but this is an impermenant solution. 10 years or 100 years from now, someone will dig a hole in this town. maybe it will be a well, or another building - but it will happen. and the plague will be unearthed again.

and the political situation that the haruspex ending has? awful. while it does end up getting rid of some of the rulers - they end up just replacing them with their children. it doesn't fix the system - it just makes the cage softer. and again, in 100 years, their might be another big vlad, another saburov family that will be awful for this town. the final cutscene of his ending has a running motif of wheels and gears turning, as if nothing had changed. it's very unsettling.

one thing i think people get wrong about the utopian ending is that many believe that daniil die. while this is a fun theory, it's not really supported by the text. if the game designers WANTED his death to be apart of the choice, they would have shown it. they also are concerned that he is not in his ending cutscene. which is true! but it would be weird if he was. i mean, he's not from the town. he's not becoming apart of the leadership. why would he stick around? maria is becoming the leader.

another reason for people's dislike of the utopian ending is people's dislike for the kains. and yes, they aren't the greatest. they often manipulate you as daniil one way or another. but, almost every character does manipulate him for their own ends. aglaya does it so daniil will destroy the polyhedron (out of revenge for both her sister and the powers that be)

now . i want to talk about teensy and tot and how these endings effect them and what i believe the polyhedron and the town represents. the enitre game of pathologic is just a game by these two playing after losing their grandfather. this is pretty simple - this grandfather they have lost is represented by simon and isidor. both are killed by the plague, just as teensy and tot's grandfather died by sickness. simon was described as an immortal, great man that everyone loved - likely a childs perspective on their own grandparents. each of the endings is a way that these children deal with the death, as they are not allowed at the funeral.

the polyhedron is simon's memory. that is what the kains want to do with it, have him continue to live within it. but this would cause the children to evacuate it, thus leaving the softness of childhood. if the town is preserved but the polyhedron is destroyed, childhood remains (with the soul and a halves and dogheads given more power) but the memory of the grandfather is dead. if both are perserved - well, in my opinion, it's suicide. the town stagnates, nothing changes. people must die for both to survive.

with this whole-dealing-with-grief metaphor, both losing childhood or losing simons memory are awful sacrifices. but i personally believe that memory is more important. ignoring death is not dealing with it - as these children (and all of us) will lose more people in our lives.

also the polyhedron is really sexy sorry.

[nightmarebeforenewsiesau]

If you haven’t already shared, what’s Spot’s backstory?

...This one has some trigger warnings. Here's the grocery list.

ABUSE LIKE A LOT

FAMILY/RELIGIOUS TRAUMA

THE SALEM WITH TRIALS?? SORTA??

(Slight) internalized homophobia

A HAPPY TREE FREINDS SOUNDING ASS SLOW DEATH

Yeah this little guy has it bad

-

Sean Patrick, more commonly known to his friends as "Spot" in death due to his good aim with a slingshot, is a mystery to many. Few know what he was when he was alive, and those who do have been sworn to secrecy. From now forth you are one of these trusted individuals... he trusts that you will keep this a secret. And if not, well.... we may say he carries that cane around for a reason, and it's not for mobility. At least, far from it anymore.

You see, Spot Conlon was never some fearful king. He never lived a lavish life, was never the top of anything... and he was certainly treated as less than a king, even as far as less than a person. His own father, a prominent figure in the community, was the cause of this. While in public he treated Spot wonderfully, but at home became quite a different story. While, yes, Spot's name in the afterlife is attributed to his slingshot skills, neither Spot nor his friends were the ones to come up with it. It was his father, calling him it as an insult due to the various spots from cigarette burns up his arms.

Spot's father was a very righteous, religious, set in his ways man. He could never be swayed, never convinced of any idea that wasn't his own. He said the lower class only were there for pity, that all those richer than him were swaying the elections. He said that friendship is a waste of time and that if a man didn't have money nor a reputation he had nothing. He said that any man who didn't get himself a wife was a fool and that if he didn't raise his children right, to be just like him, they were a disgrace... what he clearly considered Spot to be. So Spot tried... he really did. He wore long sleeves, did his hair nicer, started using ametur makeup stolen from his mother to hide the various marks, scrapes, and bruises on his skin. He stopped talking, and more started just arguing. But nothing seemed to please his father, who was growing more angry with him every day.

The witch trials of the 1600s were many centuries past, mostly out of everyone's minds. Spot had read a book on them in school, but the thought never quite crossed his mind again. After all, witches and demons and the like were all fake, in his mind. But there were still many adamant believers- one man in the late 1870s beat his wife to death, believing she'd been taken and replaced with a witch. Even though it was no longer punishable by court, certain groups learned to take it upon themselves.

One day, Spot had found that his skin had uncomfortably dried out, so he put a small amount of Vaseline (yes that existed in 1899 google it) on his arm. If he hadn't done this, maybe things would have been different. But most knew this was coming. His father, mad about something or other, tried to burn Spot's arm, only to find that he couldn't- his son's arm wouldn't burn.

Spot didn't think anything of it when his Father brought him to what he called a "get together" that night... he found it strange that they chose to hold it in a forest quite a distance away, but knew better than to ask. He fell asleep on the way there. He was only awoken when a gag was shoved in his mouth and rocks- heavy, crushing ones- began falling onto his back. He heard the cracks and horrible sounds his bones were making- unfortunately he was conscious to hear most of them.

His father, a part of one of these firm groups of believers, believed his own son was a witch, and that he'd casted a spell to prevent his skin from burning. He was the one to drop the last rock, right onto Spot's face.

-

In death, Spot rarely takes off his mask, since the rock to his face disfigured it a slight amount. And he still flinches everytime Race's cigar accidentally gets too close to him, or when Albert collects rocks and brings them back to their home. He still hears his father's voice every once in a while scolding him for not being with a woman or focusing on getting a wife... and sometimes he almost believes that his father was right. He always comes back to his senses though, after an hour or two. In death he built up the reputation of a king, a legend, the one he couldn't achieve in life. And he accepts the treatment he knows even his father would be jealous of, because that's all he was raised to want.

Not even Race and Spot know the story of how he died. Neither does anyone else... and I trust you won't tell them. Or, I at least hope you won't. Where there's a king, there's an army.... and I know two very brutal individuals who know very well how to fight, and would go after you the minute Spot sheds a single tear. Best be careful.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Would Aro have done anything differently if he knew Bella would turn out to be a shield? I don’t know if he would still be insistent on Edward changing her if she could turn out to be such a threat. Would it be easier to simply let Edward happily live with a human for 80 years & not have to worry about the threat?

I understand it is the law, but it’s not like he hasn’t bend the rules before, esp for the Cullens.

I stand by my theory that "shield" is a bullshit term Eleazar made up.

The thing is, Aro did know, certainly he had a very good idea. Bella completely blocked Edward, his own gift, and Jane's in that meeting as a human. Later he would confirm that Demetri can't find her when he should be able to. It wasn't inconceivable that she'd be able to block Chelsea and Alec even if she couldn't for whatever reason block Alice, Jasper, Marcus, or even James.

Now, her being able to protect thirty people at a time is downright impressive, but it's not out of the realm of possibility either.

The thing was that it wouldn't matter, because in a sane world Bella Swan would never have been his enemy.

If Edward gives into pressure and turns her, then hooray for Bella, she's a vampire like she always wanted, the Cullens are law abiding citizens, and Aro never need see them again. Edward may resent him forever for this, but there's nothing he can do about it or will do about it.

If Edward ends up killing her, then it's a bit of a waste and a tragic ending, but it's out of this world. The law has been followed one way or another, the human is dead, and given history Edward will probably try to kill himself which isn't Aro's problem.

Aro, however, does not live in a sane universe.

He lives in the very strange reality, hanging by a string of chance, where Edward...

a) chooses to fuck his very breakable human wife even with the very high risk he'll fornicate her to death

b) Edward succeeds in fucking his human wife on such a level as to cause her no serious injury requiring her immediate transformation \

c) Edward's demon seed somehow, impossibly, impregnates Bella Swan with an alien, something that so rarely happens Aro's never even heard of it, because Edward really really really wanted to fuck his human wife and was so filled with hubris didn't even consider condoms

d) Bella chooses not to abort and is protected by Rosalie who prevents Edward and Jacob for cutting her open with a machete in a back alley

e) Edward changes his mind about demon babies very suddenly and almost miraculously and decides vampires have souls after all.

f) Jacob is prevented from murdering Renesmee by SUDDEN IMPRINT

g) Bella somehow survives childbirth even when the doctor's out of the room, Edward's opening her womb with his fucking teeth, her spine is broken, and her heart actually stops

h) Jasper doesn't take the baby out back behind the chemical shed despite the fact that it's a vampire baby, Alice is blind, and he must be shitting bricks

i) The Denali invite themselves over, have a history of nearly being murdered over immortal children, and the Cullens did not think, perhaps, to move and avoid them for a while until Renesmee looked an appropriate age. Anyway, the Denali invite themselves over, Irina happens to see the baby, and is far enough away that there's no time to chat.

j) They somehow convince all of the Cullen friends that they should really really really stand witness to the fact that this baby is not an immortal child. Edward just likes fucking humans.

You can see we're already on j, here, and I could keep going. Had none of this lined up, then that confrontation would never have happened, and they would find themselves weirdly pitted against the Cullens.

Aro lives in a fucking insane universe.

[suzuran777]

Slow Damage: Clean Dishes Epilogue 1 Summary

This epilogue shows how Baku and Shiro met and how they eventually started living together as a couple. I do recommend reading my other blog posts which summarize the game’s plot and endings, but it’s not necessary to understand this epilogue!

Also check Slow Damage’s content warnings if you’re sensitive to certain topics, because this game is also really dark.

This epilogue starts with a flashback in which Baku is strangling Shiro. He wonders why Shiro is smiling, in a situation like this, most other people would cry, struggle or beg for their lives, but Shiro seems to enjoy it. Confused, Baku lets go of him and waits for his reaction. Shiro smiles ‘’Won’t you kill me?’’. A hand covered in blood and bruises touches his face. Shiro tells him that they are quite similar to each other, people who don’t have a place they can call ‘’home’’, who don’t really belong anywhere in this world. He suggests they should stay together, so Baku can kill him one day. Baku is not sure why he accepts his offer. Perhaps he recognized the immense amount of despair which made him wish for his death, Baku knew that feeling too well. Just like Shiro, he also had no place he could call ‘’home’’ anymore. It was the first time he encountered someone like Shiro.

After this the game skips to a different flashback. Baku was raised in mainland Japan, not in Shinkoumi. His parents worked as embalmers who took care of the bodies of those who passed away, to prevent them from decaying. They had a strong policy of being open about their work and showed it to their children as well. Therefore, death was always close to him, even when he was just a child. He was proud of his parents’ skills, but at the same time he felt lonely, after all his parents rarely had time for him. It was normal for him to come to his parents’ workplace after school, so the sight of a corpse did not faze him.

‘‘I wanted to be a good listener so I wouldn’t cause trouble for my parents, I was proud of them and their work.’‘

When he was a bit older, he started spending less time at his parents’ workplace. Two years later, during his first year in junior high school, Baku’s parents passed away in a car accident. Since he stopped going to their workplace, he only saw them in the morning and at night. He thought their deaths wouldn’t change him much because he rarely saw them, but it left a big hole in his heart. He didn’t cry, it felt like all his emotions had been sucked out of him. The bodies of his parents had been severely damaged in the accident, but Baku decided to embalm them himself. Even though he was never taught how to do it, he had seen it so often he knew what he had to do. With the help of other relatives, the funeral went by without any problems. 

After this Baku’s life started changing. He used to be a quiet and obedient child, but soon after the death of his parents he started getting into fights at school. An acquaintance had asked him if he wanted to take over the family business, but he refused and moved to Shinkoumi instead. 

‘‘Immediately after graduating high school, with the inheritance of my parents and the earnings of my part-time jobs, I started working for Clean Dishes/Sara-ya.’‘

He learned about Sara-ya from online advertisements and he was hired immediately. His job is to clean the rooms in which people have died, be it suicide or murder, but it seems like most employees immediately quit because they couldn’t handle what they would find in these rooms. Baku didn’t feel anything when he saw a corpse, he was used to it after all, which is one of the reasons why they immediately hired him. 

It was one year after he joined the company. Cleaning is usually done in teams of two people, but Baku went alone because a lot of people quit the company. When he starts cleaning the room he notices something is off. There should only be two corpses in this room, so why did he just hear the sound of someone breathing? He decides to inspect the corpses and notices one of them is in fact not a corpse, but a man who’s still alive.

Baku: ‘’I heard someone died here so I came to clean it up, why are you sleepig here?’’

Shiro says he also came here because he heard someone died in this room, but he somehow fell asleep. Baku asks him if he knew the person who passed away, but Shiro shakes his head, ‘’I just like corpses, so I came to see it.’’ After hearing this very abnormal story Baku wonders if he’s lying, who sneaks into a room and then falls asleep next to a corpse? Even for him that’s abnormal. Shiro asks him if he also likes corpses, but Baku shakes his head, he’s just used to them but that doesn’t mean they share the same interests. After this first encounter with Shiro, he meets him again a few times after that. For some reason he often visits the rooms the Sara-ya employees clean.

Sometime after this Baku gets into a fight with a group of people outside. Some other people also join the fight and that’s how he ended up strangling Shiro (which is shown in the first part of this epilogue). Baku doesn’t want to get too involved with this group, so he wakes up the ‘’corpse loving man’’, who then introduces himself as ‘’Shiro’’. Baku doesn’t know if that’s his real name, but he just accepts it, his real name isn’t Baku[1] either, that’s just what some of the cleaners at Sara-ya called him. He didn’t care what people called him anyway. Shiro doesn’t question it and calls it a cute name. After that they learn a bit more about each other, like Shiro’s job as a prostitute (which is also mentioned in the third epilogue!).

‘‘To put it bluntly, it was a terrible room.’‘

Shiro’s living situation was anything but normal and cleaning didn’t seem to be his biggest priority. He quits his job as a prostitute after meeting Baku and decides to also work for Sara-ya. Because of his strange obsession with corpses, the company also hires him immediately. They also eventually decide to live together because Shiro struggles with suicidal thoughts and needs someone to take care of him. Baku doesn’t mind being in a relationship with a man because he has seen so many corpses, gender is the last thing he cares about (thank you Baku, so romantic...).

‘‘No matter what kind of person you are, you are a ‘thing’ that will eventually rot, including myself.’‘

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] ‘’Baku’’ is a term used for Japanese supernational beings who are said to devour people’s nightmares. However, when they get greedy they also devour people’s dreams, hopes and desires. The Sara-ya employees joke that Baku doesn’t have any dreams or hopes, which is probably the reason they gave him this nickname. His real name is never mentioned, Shiro’s isn’t either.

I already summarized Shiro’s backstory in another blog post, but this one was also very interesting to read. Even the happy content in Clean Dishes still feels a bit bittersweet compared to Slow Damage’s happy endings. 

[flyonthewallmedstudent]

Listeria

For whatever reason it reminds me of Desperate Housewives and Wisteria lane. Or just Wisteria in general.

It's unfortunately it's anything but wistful or romantic.

This is inspired by the netflix series Poisoned. I hate that title but it's a great watch. I learned a lot from it. I highly recommend it particularly for medical students and residents etc.

So, listeria are gram positive rods (most bacilli are negative) making this relatively easier to remember (purple rods). Also catalase positive. IT's also a facultative anaerobe - so both cultures may be positive (aerobic and anaerobic bottles).

the species that is the culprit for major human pathogens is Listeria monocytogenes.

At increased risk groups (more likely to die of Listeriosis) - the immunocompromised and extremes of life, including the elderly, pregnant women and neonates. Immunocompromised: HIV, anyone on long term highish doses of steroids, leukaemia/oncology patients etc. Worryingly, incubation time is 3-90 days in these groups, so it's difficult to really trace or keep track of. Pregnant women are at 20x higher risk of acquiring the severe form.

Source: CDC

Hence why during pregnancy you're advised not to consume raw salads, fruits, cold cuts, soft cheeses, sprouts and smoked salmon or sushi, no mayo and no raw egg (definitely no raw milk) etc. Similarly, common recommendation is you serve none of these to children under the age of 1. It naturally lives in soil (hence avoidance of raw sprouts) and can live in animals. So it can frequently contaminate food.

Image Source: SA Health

As with COVID (I can't believe I'm using COVID as a measure of things), it can cause mild food borne illness (nausea, vomiting diarrhoea, myalgias, even fevers) to invasive disease causing sepsis and even meningitis or encephalitis. Incubation time is a few days in the mild form.

IMage source:

Death by Listeria when you have the severe form (Listeriosis) is 20%, astonishingly high given you have a 1% chance of dying from Salmonella.

It's a small risk but the issue is that complications and fatality if you do acquire is high. It's also highly preventable, but the challenge is food safety and avoiding certain foods as a consumer.

i.e. in pregnancy, most will have diarrhoeal illness that's mild. But in the subset that get invasive disease and really unwell, there's a 20% risk of miscarriage, risk of premature labour and risk of still birth at 3% in the US. In the states, pregnant women are also 10x more likely to get Listeria infection. That is, illness after exposure.

On the final note of prevention, also always properly refridgerate food to 4 degrees celsius and cook meat to 165 fahrenheit or 73 degrees celsius. As I've learned from the Poisoned documentary, you can ask restaurants to do this, ask them to use an internal thermometer to measure - as rare/medium rare etc have no meaning as it pertains to food safety. If they can't, order something else.

With meningoencephalitis, we just presume that Listeria is a possibility and treat empirically while awaiting investigations.

Investigations: - CSF (lumbar puncture) in event of signs of meningism or encephalitis (classic headache/fever/stiff neck/rash and/or acute confusion or seizure AND fevers) --> expect the classic features of bacterial meningiits and gram stain positive for purple rods - PCR - stool cultures have no value - blood cultures--> look for gram positive rods in the preliminary findings, expect a call from the lab Empirical therapy: - none in asymptomatic or mild disease. just monitoring until symptoms resolve and supportive care (fluids etc.) - Listeria is a notifiable disease to the health department in most Western countries that keep track of outbreaks. - in the US, standard treatment is ampicillin. - in Australia at least, standard therapy is IV benzylpenicillin, 2.4 g 4 hrly in meningitis or encephalitis and everyone is just started on this until bug identification/gram staining and sensitivities return. - in hypersensitivity, bactrim is used. - cephalosporins have no activity against them (or "inherently resistant), hence you can see IV ceftriaxone and benzylpen in the drug regimen for empirical therapy of meningitis - cef covers gram negatives, strep pneumo (most common cause of meningitis) and neisseria meningitidis - duration of therapy in severe disease: 3 weeks, 6 weeks if immunosuppressed

Really great summary here.

Random historical trivia

listeria is named for Dr. Joseph Lister, a British surgeon who introduced sterilisation of equipment and antiseptics to surgery, improve post op care and observed that microbes are the cause of cases of poor wound healing or post op infections. he also began to look at them under the microscope as an early pioneer of bacteriology.

Lister's father by the way, made compound microscopes for a living, so lister became proficient at using this and started publishing articles during medical school

this also led to a lot more research on inflammation and coagulation

weirder trivia: in his med school days, surgeons commonly did not wash hands between patients and some didn't even change gowns, glorifying how busy they where by how many stains were on it by the end of the day

so unsurprisingly his early battles to pioneer antiseptics and aseptic techqniues to prevent the transmission of infection in surgical patients were pretty uphill

Resources CDC guidelines WHO guidelines FDA Statpearls --> great at covering basic physiology and pathology etc. in a short form. Australian therapeutic guidelines - unfortunately not free.. so won't bother to link. If you work at any large-ish Australian hospital you'll have 'free' access. Wikipaedia US list of outbreaks CDC recommendations on foods to avoid vs okay to eat to avoid Listeria

[bluegekk0]

I don’t know how much information is out there for grimm’s past partner that you have mentioned several times but I’d like to know more about her. How did they meet and what made grimm so interested in her? And what eventually led him to leave her. But most importantly how did grimm handle her death and how did it affect his view towards mortality?

I also saw that you stated on the world anvil page that she was some kinda writer, I imagine that she would use writing as a coping method for grimm leaving her and I would just overall like to know her side of the story.

Sorry for the lengthy ask but this seems a big part of grimms past that I would like to know all about this part of his life.

There isn't that much information about her since it's something left in the past. They were together many years ago, it's a very distant memory that Grimm generally tries to avoid.

(small update: changed her name since I didn't like the previous one)

He met Ette Irma (this is the name I chose for her, not much thought was put into it since the name really isn't relevant to Grimm's story) after one of his performances with the Troupe that she attended. They first talked about the show, then the topic changed to her writing, and that was when things really clicked between them. Grimm avoided stable relationships for most of his life at that point, but he did start desiring true love sometime before he met her. Not to mention, even back then it was clear that Grimm found those extremely passionate about their craft to be very attractive, and he saw this kind of passion in her. So she kept seeing his performances for as long as he was in that land, and eventually they ended up getting together.

At that point in his life, Grimm didn't fully comprehend morality. He was immortal himself, surrounded by the Troupe which shared that trait of his, and all of his interactions with mortals were brief. Yes, he witnessed death at times, in some cases he even caused it, but old age was always something he didn't really consider. After all, he never stuck around mortals for long enough to witness it.

His relationship with Irma was fairly short, I imagine they were together for 2, maybe 3 years. Things were going great, he would let her join on his travels, help her with her books, and enjoy a close bond that he desired. During all that time, he didn't think too much about the future (he rarely did in the first place; what's the point of wondering about what's ahead if you know for a fact that you will be there to witness it?), so the thought of outliving her didn't cross his mind. But then he was there by her side as her father passed away from old age, and I think that was when the realization hit him. He knew that one day, he would be in the same spot, watching the same thing happen to his partner, maybe even their children? It deeply shook him, and it got in the way of their relationship. He desperately thought of ways to stop the fate from happening, but the only thing he could offer was a place at the Troupe. He did ask her to join, but even back then he knew it was a messed up thing to suggest. Regardless of how he framed it, she would be bound to him and the power imbalance would twist their relationship into something he wasn't okay with, and neither was she. So soon after, they separated. Either that, or he simply ran away and left her. Regardless, their relationship ended because he was too afraid of outliving her.

Afterwards, mortality turned into an extremely dreadful topic for him, even if he knew it wasn't a concern to him specifically. He still craved a deep connection, he wanted to have a partner, to maybe have children one day. He saw mortals have that life and he wanted it for himself. But the thought of having to bury his love and being unable to prevent it in any way really messed him up.

He did try to get with beings similar to him, with other gods. He had a brief fling with WL, for example, long before Vyrm showed up. But things never worked out, in most cases the gods did not care for him past his body, as most of them did not trust him after his banishment. And if that wasn't an obstacle, then their personalities got in the way. Being stuck up and self absorbed was unfortunately a common trait among his kind, and no matter what, he couldn't find a genuine connection with them.

The hopelessness of it all got to him, and he stopped any attempts at finding love after that, only satisfying his needs with strangers and removing himself from the picture the moment there was a slight suggestion of something more. He became very lonely and hid his feelings behind a mask. That was until he met Vyrm, and the rest is history. Vyrm was immortal like him, and that gave him hope and made him want to try again. But I already talked a lot about their relationship so I'll leave it at that.

As for Irma, she wasn't happy about it, obviously. She was saddened at his departure, and even held a grudge towards him. Her way of coping was writing, and while the most personal of her works were kept private, she did eventually publish some stories influenced by her feelings. She did end up finding a new relationship afterwards, and who knows, perhaps she even forgave Grimm at some point, but they never met again. Then she passed away as mortals do. Grimm tried to avoid thinking about her life, he was convinced that it was for the better that way, though he hated himself for putting her in that position. He doesn't know the full details of her life or death, but he knows where she was buried. I do think he visited that place once, but it was a painful experience so he never went there again after that.

Even to this day mortality terrifies him, especially seeing as Vyrm is a lot more vulnerable now without his powers. He's still very sturdy, yes, and he can't age, but he can still die of injury or illness, which scares Grimm, and the same applies to the rest of his family. He's incredibly protective of them as a result, often to a fault. But it's his relationships with those in Dirtmouth that suffer the most - he's scared of making close connections with any mortal in the town, as he knows that one day he will have to bury them, so he tends to avoid forming bonds with most of them, especially if they're already showing signs of old age. Even with Zote, while he does consider him family, he struggles to make a meaningful connection (as much as it's possible, it's Zote after all).

Though I do think that with time he gets a little bit more used to the idea of aging and death. He would without a doubt witness funerals of those from the town that he's familiar but not very close with, so he would get more accustomed to the concept. But deep down the inevitability of death still gets to him, and there's a good chance that when faced with the mortality of someone he's friends with or closer, he would still get the urge to run away.

I think I remember you sending an ask about the whole family and how they would cope with those around them dying, so I won't get into that here, and I'll definitely mention Grimm there again when I get around to answering that one. But I find the concept of a family of immortal beings who are safe from aging having to face the mortality of others to be very fascinating, and Grimm is the most prominent example of it in the AU. Of course, I'm not planning to kill any of them, and the AU is more or less frozen in time at this point, but it's still a fascinating idea, even if it gets very depressing.

This part of Grimm's character feels very personal to me, it is in large part projection. I'm terrified of death and dread having to face it, so in many ways I share Grimm's thoughts on the topic. Vyrm might be my designated projection canvas, but I do also share some traits with Grimm, particularly this one. No escape from the projection beam for him, I'm afraid.

[dollwrites]

Hi Hi so I won’t talk about switching up on alicent until after you’re done with the season but once you’re done I’ll have SO much to say lol. One thing I will say is that since season 1 I have felt so deeply about her, people like to ignore the trauma and abuse she went through because of how bitchy she was to nyra and for “causing” the war, which btw I could GO ON FOREVER about how it wasn’t alicents fault they usurped the throne but people love to lay the blame solely on her and then call themselves feminists for supporting nyra ��� anyways, she was manipulated her entire life by the men in her life, she had like 3 children before the age of 18, she was never allowed to have a life. Sorry that she didn’t break the cycle but guess what that’s realistic to real life, it’s hard to break the cycle. And I’m angry that they switched up on my girl in season 2, that they made it so that all of her kids have so much trauma related to her and try to portray her as basically hating her kids. The way I saw it season 1 alicent would do ANYTHING for her children, even through she didn’t really like aegon she would still do anything for him. Where is the mother that literally attacked the heir to the throne for her child?? The one that aemond clung to after he lost his eye?? But now all her kids hate her… okay.i want the alicent I loved back lol. Also in the books she wasn’t like a sniveling crying mess over Luke’s death, girlie literally didn’t give a fuck she went “So? A bastard died so what” lmaoo.

Omg hell bath lol 😭 yeah he totally deserved that BUT I will say it really disappointed me aemond did that because he did it from a place of emotion and it wasn’t the smart thing to do at all. The greens need every dragon they can get, now it’s literally all up to aemond and vhagar to go against all of the blacks dragons which really worries me for aemond 😭 it just wasn’t smart to do that to sunfyre and sunfyre did NOT deserve that. I always think of how happy sunfyre was to see aegon like a literally puppy and then I remember him screaming in pain, it breaks my heart 😢 and the fact that sunfyre loved aegon so much that he tried to wrap his wing around him as they fell to take all of the impact, ugh I get choked up he’s my second favorite dragon after vhagar.

I also cried watching the dragon fight like my stomach hurt I was so upset. Every time I rewatch the show I skip that part. Did you watch the after parts of the show? Where the actress for rhaenys said they had her say angos or attack, unlike all the men in the show who just say dracarys because she wasn’t controlling her dragon, she said attack instead to let the dragon do what it wanted, attack how it wanted. And I love her so much for that 🥲 I’ve also loved her so much since season 1, she represents real misogyny that women go through, her quote “men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the iron throne” is too real right now. Literally all of this would be prevented if they just made her queen instead of vizzy.

Did you see aemonds face after he killed her?? Oh my god I was literally crying and mid cry went OH 😳 lmao he looked tew good. So with aemond I think it was just kind of jarring for me to see him like that because after season 1 for two years I thought of him as this dom and ruthless take no shit type of person, and honestly I still do see him like that in most ways! Because honestly I don’t think he was necessarily a “sub” for this woman like it wasn’t sexual you know? Obviously they fucked but him cuddling with her and being vulnerable wasn’t sexual it was the only time in his life that he felt he could let go and be vulnerable and emotional (which is really sad). So depending on which mood I’m in I love to imagine (with fanfic for example) that aemond could be like that with his wife or lover, that very rarely he could drop the brutal serious personality and trust in his partner to show that side of him. And other times i imagine that he would never do that because he doesn’t want her to see him as weak, like before season 2 I didn’t even know that side existed to him I thought he was just always confident and controlled, and didn’t really have a lot of emotions, didn’t need validation anymore, he was very much giving psycho to me in the first season lol. Like going from this kinda reckless psycho to “they used to tease me you know 🥺” I was like huh 🤔 idk how I feel about that lol. But yes I love the fact that he’s only been with one woman, that’s very in character for him! Hes literally the type to sneer at his brother for being a whore, he would be very serious about dedicating himself to one woman.

Girl I wish I was watching it with you! lol I annoy everyone I watch it with because I pause it every 20 minutes to go on a long rant about lore and the book and symbolism lol

YEAH THATS WHAT I WAS SAYING LAST NIGHT. I WAS PRETTY HIGH SO I PROBABLY DIDNT MAKE MUCH SENSE BUT I do like that she’s lowkey a disaster character I truly feel for her though bc it seemed like she always just really wanted her father’s approval too and that’s why he could manipulate her so much. I also don’t think she hates or even disregards her children, because the pure rage she felt when aemond lost his eye was PALPABLE THROUGH THE SCREEN ( props to the actress who delivered the female rage beautifully ) but I do think especially once they got older they did become more useful than cherished if that makes sense? I wish when Aegon said he didn’t want to be king that she was just like okie but then we wouldn’t have a story 💀 Alicent I also think ( up to mid season 2 at least ) she’s not right or wrong too like the initial putting Aegon on the throne was a misunderstanding which is SOOO funny to me ?? Like especially when nyra FOUND OUT ?? But I’m sorry I also can’t blame her for not conceding immediately after. OMG NOT ALICENT BEING STONE COLD IN THE BOOKS LOOOL yeah I know Luke was a kid but me and him had beef fr and I was kind of like relieved that I don’t have to see him… now 🤞🏻 aemond, turn your attention to the other one… kill jace for me pls….

AHH I HAVENT BEEN WATCHING THE AFTER CLIPS. I think I might go back after the season and watch each one. The episodes are really long and I don’t get a ton of time at home, so I basically cram as much as I can 😭😭 but omg… let me cry that is SOOO meleys and rhaenys had the strongest bond I swear I’ll still put rhaenys up as one of my faves bc even though like she wasn’t a huge part she was just a badass and to see her cuddle meleys and the way they communicated so easily just by looking at each other : (

SO IS SUNFYRE DEAD : ( I thought they said that he was still at the castle but I think I was still in shock after they dragged meleys head through the town I deadass was like >:0 watching that sunfyre was so cute and HE !!! I did see that he tried to brace Aegon for impact with his wing that makes me want to cry actually AKSKSK

Also, I could just google this but I’m going to ask anyways :3 are the dragons themselves fireproof to some extent? Because it seems like for sure when vhagar grabbed meleys with her foot and kept lighting her up that she wouldn’t sustained more fire damage specifically? I saw her wings on fire but she was able to put it out and still fly afterwards so I kind of marked it up to maybe the thickness of their skin has something to do with it.

OKAY AEMONDS FACE WHEN HE KILLED HER.. hold on there’s a tiktok in my likes of it hehe

I HOPE THAT SHOWS UP

I’ve been mass saving a bunch of edits bc I like to look at him…

NO I TOTALLY GET IT THOUGH. To me, seeing him cuddle with her also never gave me the “he subs for her” kinda vibe either. I think that during sex he’d very much be a straight up conquerer just by watching how he is in fights and stuff like I do imagine he’s very dom.

AHH YEAH PAUSING AFTER I WATCH AN EPISODE TO READ AND RESPOND TO YOUR ASKS IS VERY MUCH LIKE GETTING A YAP SESH BUT IM ALL FOR IT !! I’m about to watch again now ( didn’t finish it last night got too baked and fell sleeb 😣 )

[vilevexedvixen]

Like OG Fallout? Play Pathologic!

I've been a fan of various things for literal decades now, but not really participated in any fandom communities until literally this year. I've just been making cosplays, watching videos, drawing fanart and writing fan theories / fiction in my own time. So the very heated aspects of fandom flew me by until now ^^' I do completely get the more angry fellow FNV fans for what Bethesda has done to Fallout (regarding all entries after FNV), and some of the aspects I see people praising most about OG Fallout and FNV are mainly the roleplaying, writing, and bleak setting / vibe.

And to that I can't help but go "Have you heard of our Lord and Saviour Icepick Lodge?"

Pathologic classic HD and Pathologic 2 are the closest games (in my opinion) that capture the same aspects of OG Fallout and FNV the more angry fans feel they've lost.

You play as one of three healers in an isolated Russian town ravaged by plague. This is going to be more of a ramble of me gushing about various aspects of the game, so I've included a less popular review (love this guy's stuff) to more concisely discuss the game in a more structured way and give an accurate picture of gameplay (which I only really discuss in terms of combat, which is frankly a really small part of it compared to the resource and survival stat management, semi-present fast-travel (at a cost, which changes as circumstances get worse and forces the player to choose between loss of time, energy, money, or risk of infection, when deciding how to get from a to b by forcing players to only fast travel between certain points if they have the right resources, or walk through infected or ransacked districts).

Never before have I sympathised so much with a certified twat (The Bachelor), or been so genuinely excited to discover my character's bf-turned-bitter enemy isn't dead but finally taking a nap.

Admittedly, Classic HD is more linear but that doesn't detract from the story for me, but I definitely think 2 actualises the player freedom classic HD pretended to have.

Also both soundtracks are bangers, but quite different (tribal electronica versus shamanistic horror).

An aspect of gameplay that took a hot minute to learn but is very engaging is the hobo economy bartering system, which subtly changes as time goes by. Different resources such as medicine (which are obviously used up a lot in a plague) become more scarce and expensive. As people get more desperate for essentials like food, they start trading more valuable items like jewellery for it. Kids want seemingly valueless things like marbles and nuts for very valuable items (food and meds - yeah, besides the pharmacies, children carry the most drugs and knives; take that as you will). Inflation goes through the roof, money is no longer accepted in some shops later on. The economy is extremely dynamic, but not overly difficult to navigate so forces the player to adapt alongside it. You can never be certain what resources will be accessible the next day, which further makes when and where you decide to use what resources you have on others an engaging moral and practical decision. Unscripted, might I add!

Leading players to act like this when rare things like Schmowder (a near-fatal cure to the plague) show up by chance:

And if you don't stay on top of your stats and resources (which is very easy to do) you end up in binds like this:

The diagnostic and treatment system is also fairly intuitive, in that there are humor-specific tinctures, and others that can be used to treat two different humors. The more resources you use trying to diagnose where the infection has settled, the more pain you'll caused the patient, which you can lower (to prevent death) by using vials or morphine. Accurate diagnosis is important to avoid wasting resources by using the wrong antibiotics (which is less effective). You can't be in two places at once, so every patient you treat is a drain on time and resources you could be using somewhere else. Sometimes it's better to let a patient be if the risk of death is too high for your treatment to have a worthwhile impact on their chances for survival.

Given how stretched thin your time and resources always are, even if the opportunity for tender downtime catching up with old friends arises it is all to easy to pass up because you're too busy. A cruel reality most people face these days irl. What's more, if you happen to die before deciding to go to this meetup, there is a chance that Mark Immortal will tie your character's hands behind their back which then prevents you from being able to hug you friends when you meet them.

Oh yeah, forgot to say but death has permanent consequences across all saves so reloading to before you died doesn't undo any penalty Mark curses you with unless you start a whole new run. Early on, you may be asked to help with a task which ends up not helping in the way expected (to help solve Burakh's father's murder or to help cure the plague) but does act as a small tutorial on how to listen / look for herbs you can use in remedies. You still feel irritated that a child wasted your time / was just playing with you, at least initially, so you learn to really consider what's worth chasing up and what might be a waste of time / red herring when deciding what trails in your mind map task menu to chase up. Especially since if you don't pursue them, they WILL happen without you and the consequences of your intervention or not remain uncertain until they crop back up in unexpected ways.

Admitedly, the endings in 2 are binary (though what you do in the wider world and story do effect the ending / what happens to specific characters) which I found very disappointing, especially given how much less effort it takes to do one over the other, like the game is encouraging you to pick the diurnal ending. The game is also a bit janky, but no moreso than FNV. Combat is not satisfying mechanically, especially if you opt for using guns, though that's kind of the point. You're a doctor (admittedly Artemy was a military medic, so he has some combat training, but still). Though sometimes it can seem (but isn't) unavoidable in the early game when you're public enemy number one. The combat feels like if OV Fallout's combat was in first person.

There aren't technically "factions" per se, but rather bodies of power in the town the approach both its running and the crisis at hand from different angles. To be honest, I completely sidestepped the Saborovs for my first two playthroughs entirely. Bad Grief says I'm a fool to try and clear my name to the man who effectively runs the police force? Sure! Unless you take interest in investigating your father's death, or frequently save babies (long story), I didn't cross their path except in the town hall meeting. Which is a shame, but honestly the other families interested me more. The Kains have a lot going on and are the most philosophically driven family both in their architectural choices and in how they utilize the polyhedron. The Kains and the Olgimskies are more interlinked than the Saborovs are with anyone, especially regarding the town's children and their seperate factions (Notkin's Soul-and-a-halves and Khan's Dogheads, whom you'll likely encounter early on to help settle some gang warfare). In fact the town children functionally operate a seperate society divided between the town and the polyhedron.

I quite like the fact that the Olgymskies (responsible for the town's main / only industry of slaughterhouses, which repeatedly overlap with the older practice of bull worship and sacrifice by The Kin - wait, I haven't even mentioned them yet wtf) aren't just treated as evil robber barons (though Big Vlad absolutely partakes in corruption and prioritising the health of his children over the town / his worker, especially when investigating The Termitary and the circumstances around its closure), but people navigating stopping the spread of plague while still trying to meet the very real problem of food scarcity now that the Town's been effectively cut off from the rest of the world and their lifeline industry has been halted.

Something I really appreciate is that they show the children have agency and act by their own judgement, and that the adults of the town aren't inherently wiser. Early on in the game the leaders of the town main child gangs will go in search of a way to help stop the plague's spread and WILL get infected unless you intervene. They also keep track of the plague's spread, for their own sake but the player can take head of what they learn to plan their routes through the town ahead of time. They also aren't treated like untouchable saints either. Death is very much a reality for EVERY character, no matter how young, both by natural and unnatural causes from the get-go. There are several occasions where the player character will be taught by child characters, such as Sticky, about how to survive in ways they've had to as orphans. I also love how the main child factions have their own distinct philosophies that help (alongside more specific characters that play carer / leadership roles outside of the Doghead and Soul-and-a-half factions, like Capella and Maria Kaina) inform your late-game decisions, since the children are very much the town's future, and how you endorse them will inform how the town operates going forward. I especially love the dogheads, and how they see themselves as not quite fully human yet. Striving for humanity and to be better, such as the utopian future promised by their home The Polyhedron. Meanwhile Notkin's soul-and-a-halves are far more grounded in the here and now, and the fact we need to rely on each other (and our animal companions) to be whole. The two aren't a dichotomy either and work together on a few occasions since, at the end of the day, surviving the plague is a shared goal.

Good luck trying to save everyone! It is genuinely difficult and just deciding who to use resources on and choosing what to use resources for actively effect the story and roleplaying, not just dialogue. Supplies are limited and sometimes it's better to focus on self-preservation just to live another day because it's better others die than the town to go without a doctor. The game mocks and derides players who engage in combat, but you're never barred from it and there are very good reasons to engage in it (obtaining more medical supplies to keep people alive, saving babies from infected buildings, self-defence, protecting people who would otherwise be wrongfully executed, etc.)

I think it's important to seek out the good that still exists in the world rather than stew over the bad. Ironic, I know, given I'm recommending a bleak tragedy of a game / story, but my point that it's good still stands.

So yeah, if you're a disgruntled Fallout fan please give Pathologic (especially Pathologic 2) a shot. I really think you'll like it!

Edit: I keep adding stuff to this post. Originally tried to keep it brief but kept thinking of stuff worth talking about that it's beginning to get bloated ^^'

[doublycharming-tetraquark]

Okay, so let me start off by saying that I really appreciate your empathetic view of Louis. It's a breath of fresh air in this fandom.

I might call it The Claudia Show (because it is) but I started watching this show for Louis and his journey. It is so rare to see racebent characters that are color-conscious and not just colorblind. And Jacob Anderson might be one of the best actors of our generation. He is truly a gem.

I also believe that Louis loved Claudia to the best of his abilities. It is one of my points of contention that people keep minimizing Louis' love for her. This is also the Claudia show to Louis. He has set up this interview to deal with her death (the same way the first IWTV book was about Anne dealing with the death of her daughter.)

I disagree on that point that he didn't fail Claudia. He wouldn't be so fucked up about it if he hadn't in some ways failed her.

The main issue is that Louis can never meaningfully put Claudia first.

I think one of the main things that made Claudia leave the first time in S1 was, in addition to Lestat's abuse, is Louis' passivity. Lestat tries to choke her and she looks at Louis and says something along the lines of "You're gonna let him do this to me?" and also "He treats us like shit and you take it. Why is that?". To his credit, I think Louis does regret it and tries to make up for it when she comes back and Lestat tries to attack her again. (Leading to S1E5 IPV scene). And then the finale when he wouldn't let her burn him. Like of course I understand why he couldn't and I don't blame him for it. But there is a reason that he suppresses that memory and it's because of the fact that he physically harms Claudia in that scene (strangling her the same way Lestat did.) It's one of the main reasons Claudia wants to find other vampires, because she no longer feels that she can trust Louis. ( I will talk about this more when we talk about Claudia. ) (Also please note that Lestat is just as much Claudia's abuser as he is Louis')

In Season 2, Louis' treatment of Claudia is very typical of the simultaneous parentification-infantilization that adult children are often subjected to. (That Lestat also does to her in S1. More on that later.) Louis treats her interchangeably as his sister or his daughter depending on what suits him. She is a child who needs to be protected from the truth of the coven and the knowledge that Armand knows about Lestat. ("You were happy. I didn't want to ruin that.") But she is an adult who needs to handle her own problems. ("Go sit in your choice sister."). This happens in the same conversation, btw! Also, if he'd told her his suspicions earlier, she would not have joined the coven. (Even Jacob himself has said that Louis needs Claudia to be happy for himself. Very typical parent behavior.)

Also him not believing her when she tells him Armand threatened her? "Doesn't sound like him". Bro! He tried to kill you an episode ago. Please be serious!

All this being said, I don't like that Louis tried to take all the blame for her death. Like yeah, there are things he could've done differently but he didn't cause her death. The coven, Lestat and Armand did. Both Lestat and Armand could've prevented it but they didn't. Because ultimately they didn't care about her (More on that during Claudia and Armand thoughts). He is the only one (besides Madeline) that loved her.

Ep6 is one of my favorite episodes. Because while Louis and Claudia's relationship deterioration is heartbreaking (as is Louis insisting he doesn't care while self-harming. My God. I need to hug him.), I love that for a tiny bit, they both break the cycle of abuse. Louis makes Madeline out of love for Claudia. They give her a choice that is not made under duress. She is comfortable before she is turned and the turning itself is so tender. The only vampire not made out of Trauma and Louis made her! And once he had, he never tried to control her the way he was controlled by Lestat.

( I have thoughts about the trial too but thinking about it too much makes me cry. We'll talk about it at a later date. )

"The way that Louis finds his way into a relationship with Armand is so heartbreakingly soft. We never see them in their intimate moments as dom and sub, but I get the sense that he would be a tender lover -what he wants is to be respected, to have control."

You are the only person allowed to have opinions about Loumand from now on! Wonderfully put.

"Louis's relationship with Daniel is endearing and charming and all things adorable. I hope they whatsapp each other often and have some uncomplicated relaxing stress-relieving sex."

Season 2 has turned me into a DanLou shipper. Louis, stop toying with that old man and fuck him! I hope they go on dates together and make both Armand and Lestat jealous. It's what Louis deserves 💙.

The only thing I wanted for Louis pre-finale was for him to properly grieve Claudia and move on. I just wanted him to stop suffering and be happy for once. We did get that and I am overall happy with where Louis ends up, though I am mad that we never see Louis actually reach those conclusions. You can read my thoughts on it (and on Loumand divorce and Loustat reunion) here.

I am also repulsed by the Loustat being framed as a love story. Which is why I am happy with the S2 ending and will consider it the end of the series for me unless the writers can prove that they won't fuck it up.

(Sidenote: I know you are attracted to Louis when he is sweet and gentle and I also love soft, gentle, teasing Louis. But Louis is the hottest to me when he is being mean to people. That smile after bringing Daniel to tears? oof! Also, him taunting and killing Santiago. I was swooning! That was a look™. More Louis being mean to people, please! Ermm..for the plot, of course!)

It's been two days since I finished watching Interview with the Vampire, and the show has been consuming all my brain space. I didn't have the energy to live blog each episode of season 2, but I want to get my reactions down, before I go in search of reading other people's. This will be a haphazard collection of thoughts, so I think what I will do is start talking character by character and see if that helps me organise things any.

Louis

This one is the beating heart of the show, and I don't see how it would have worked if they had not made him a Black man. Everything stems from what he learned during his life of how to survive and thrive and yet remain kind and compassionate, and watching him be fragile and loving and grieving is soul stirring. Perhaps other people might still have found the show engaging with the role played by a white character (given fandom's embrace of the slave owning pirates in Our Flag Means Death, I am sure a slave owning Louis would not have been an insurmountable problem).

But this story belongs to the Black Louis, and to what Jacob Anderson made of him. Just impeccable acting choices, all down the line. I am mesmerised by him.

Praise for the character aside, he is the moral heart of the show. (I know there is a case to be made for Claudia, but I will get to her after this.) I don't actually much enjoy villains presented as anti-heroes, and Louis engenders so much empathy in a show filled with rather awful people.

Of course, he loves Claudia. And I do see him putting her first to the best of his ability. Claudia may be entitled to her resentment, but that doesn't make it rational fact. Louis encouraging her to leave the first time, knowing that Lestat would follow him if he left, that's a valid choice. And then choosing not to burn Lestat... I am reminded of how few victims of domestic abuse actually murder their abusers. The main desire is always to get away. I don't condemn Louis for choosing to not kill his lover.

Claudia had no roots laid down in New Orleans, but Louis did, and he gave all of that up to support her really rather nonsensical search for mystical vampires who were not as awful as Lestat. He helped her join the coven even if he could see it was a cult. And when she introduced him to Madeline, he listened to her. He turned her for Claudia. I don't ever see a moment where he stopped actively caring for her and doing the labour to prove it. I took the line about her being a burden as fully just transparent bait for Armand.

And when Lestat shows up at the trial, its Claudia that Louis is focussed on. He Always. Puts. Her. First.

The way that Louis finds his way into a relationship with Armand is so heartbreakingly soft. We never see them in their intimate moments as dom and sub, but I get the sense that he would be a tender lover -what he wants is to be respected, to have control.

And then we come to the post-trial choices.

I can somewhat buy him sparing Armand's life during his vengeance murder spree, because it wasn't just that Armand said he had saved him during the trial - if you remember, Armand was only encouraging him to leave Paris. Louis was the one who asked. But also, Armand was the one who let him out of the coffin. He did save Louis, and Louis would have tasted the blood of the person who saved him and known it was him.

I think maybe Louis was able to get over Armand facilitating Claudia's murder, because he saw him as a victim paralysed in the same way that he himself had been. Louis knows about having to keep his head down and be complicit with an oppressive system, and I think he offered the benefit of the doubt to Armand because of that. Perhaps also - Louis forgave Claudia for attempting to murder Lestat because he could see her desparation and why she needed to do it. Maybe Louis created a story for himself where Armand was similarly trapped. I don't know. To me, his choice of staying with Armand is the one I am the most questioning of.

(All of this is presupposing that what we saw was what actually happened. There are indications that there is yet another layer to the trial that we don't know about, and because Louis wasn't there as primary witness for the end, maybe some new facts will emerge to make Armand either more sympathetic, or more manipulative.)

Louis's relationship with Daniel is endearing and charming and all things adorable. I hope they whatsapp each other often and have some uncomplicated relaxing stress-relieving sex.

As for Louis and Lestat... see, I was ok with what I saw on the screen. I saw an abuse survivor leave his second marriage the instant he found out he had been lied to, and I saw him visit the parent of his child for closure. Taking on the burden of Claudia's death is nonsense, of course, but it was believeable nonsense. In that I accept that Louis, after having learned that Lestat did lift a finger to partially save his life, spilled out from all his generosity and love, what he thought might help the wretched ex he saw eating on rats and playing on a plank.

But what I am not ok with, what repulses me to the core, is the apparent conviction of the show producers that Louis and Lestat are destined to return to each other, as the great love of each other's lives. It is true that some domestic abuse survivors never manage to completely free themselves from their abuser, and some spouses continue to stay with the abuser of their child (Alice Munro, looking at you). But that storyline is a horror story. Nothing in the framing of the show indicates that horror. And I do not wish for a season 3 that walks down that road.

[adriensaltprompts]

Submitted Prompt: “Nine Lives Aren’t Limitless (AKA Adrien Can’t Count)”

edited a bit

AU wherein one of the reasons the Black Cat works as an offense-oriented Miraculous (in an AU where each Miraculous is specialized in combat and other areas) is because it grants its users the ability to keep coming back from things that would otherwise kill them.  As well as things that actually kill them. 

Fatal injuries remain fatal, but the user’s body doesn’t stick around – circumstances always seem to conspire so that they fall out of sight, or otherwise disappear quickly from view… and then the Black Cat user respawns nearby, fully healed and fresh as a daisy, with only the memory of their recent demise remaining.  For them and anyone else who witnessed it.

This is meant to grant the user more flexibility, encouraging them to take more risks, dancing in and out of harm’s way, drawing attention away from more vulnerable targets who don’t have expendable lives.  A buffer for the bold, helping them keep others safe.

Naturally, this doesn’t come without cost.  Dying is rarely a painless process, and while they return refreshed and revitalized, the effects catch up with them once the battle’s over and the adrenaline’s run dry.  Black Cat Users tend to be heavy sleepers, curling up and conking out while their aching bodies recuperate, not to mention the mental trauma of being killed.

Adrien, naturally, treats this as carte blanche to goof around and do whatever he pleases.  This is a Chat Noir who doesn’t get taken out of the fight with one hit anymore.  Though he still relies on Ladybug carrying the day, his life doesn’t hinge on her winning – not as much, anyway.  There are still times where Adrien gets taken out of the equation before he can transform, and mind controllers are still obviously a major issue whenever they come into play, but overall, he’s able to make his senselessly ‘noble self-sacrifices’ and return within minutes.

(Knowing Adrien, he also really enjoys Ladybug’s reactions to his antics.  The looks of utter horror she gets, especially the very first one, when she thought he’d died right before her eyes and was never coming back… the intensity of those expressions naturally fades over time, going from horrified and shocked to increasingly exasperated and angry, but luckily for him, he finds her irritation cute, too.)

'Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought them back.'  That’s how the old saying goes, right…?

…But there’s another relevant saying.  Many cultures believe that cats have multiple lives.  Nine, most often, but sometimes six.  Sometimes seven.

Always limited.  Even in that children’s song, the cat only keeps coming back so long as they keep singing.  And nobody can keep it going forever.

Plagg tries to warn him.  Marinette warns him.  She pleads with him over and over to stop testing his luck.  To stop burning it away so senselessly, so frivolously.

But Adrien’s the sort who firmly believes that consequences only apply to other people.  Not to him.  He’s too special.  Too important. He’s Adrien Agreste, he can do whatever he wants.

And so, inevitably, there’s going to be a time where his recklessness catches up to him.  Where he makes a mistake that the Ring can’t save him from.

Death isn’t the only potential problem they’re up against, after all.  Even putting aside the threat of mind control, all it takes is one person in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Somebody seeing something they shouldn’t.

There’s also the fact that the Black Cat always respawns someplace where they’re alone.  Unobserved in that moment, like Schrodinger’s Cat.  But that doesn’t prevent somebody from seeing them immediately after they’ve respawned, and while they return fully transformed, that could still cause further complications.  Especially when coupled with how they must then make their way back to wherever the battle is.

But yes, death remains a factor, even for Adrien.  And when a Black Cat dies for the final time, the last of their luck ensures that their body is lost in just the same fashion as always, dropping out of sight.

They just don’t come back, this time.  The Ring will resurface eventually, carried away by its kwami who is compelled toe leave the scene of the final death, but as for the bearer… well, only Plagg knows for sure.  Maybe Adrien’s body will turn up somewhere, or maybe it remains lost.  Maybe it’s all up to luck, at that point.

So what kind of fate does Adrien meet, when his luck runs out?

[lesetoilesfous]

Anders and ‘‘Murder’’ in Dragon Age

Ok so I’ve seen this a few times recently and want to break down my thoughts on it.

Anders is a murderer - this is true.*

(*Though there are some really great meta posts proving how by Dragon Age Canon he killed less than 100 people in the Chantry boom. I’m on mobile but if anyone wants to add that please do.)

Hawke is a murderer. Varric is a murderer. Isabela is a murderer. Fenris is a murderer. Aveline is a murderer. Merrill is a murderer. Sebastian is a murderer.

Guys you, you have a kill count. Hawke and their whole gang are a group of dangerous vigilantes who kill people according to their own personal moral judgements.

The difference between Anders’ Chantry Boom and the Kirkwall Crew’s merry decade of mass murder is that a) the Chantry Boom was the beginning of a Civil War b) That Civil War started, in part, to prevent a genocide

(Canonically, Meredith had called for the Rite of Annulment with no good reason. Canonically, she is going to enact it knowing the Circle mages are innocent. Canonically, the Gallows had over 800 innocent people inside including children and the elderly. Not to be utilitarian, but yes, I would kill 100 political and religious leaders in a corrupt, dictatorial, violent theocracy in order to save nearly a thousand innocent people.)

The third difference between Anders and Hawke and the gang’s multiple-hundreds head count is that you, the player, don’t do it. So you don’t excuse him the way you excuse yourself - despite the fact that Anders’ last ditch effort to save over 800 people after ten years of peaceful protest is infinitely more justifiable than Hawke’s slaughter of hundreds of refugees and gangs in a city that is canonically riddled with poverty, prejudice, unemployment and homelessness.

When I say Anders Was Right, I don’t mean, “he’s my favourite character so I’m turning a blind eye to his actions”. I mean, seriously, I think that what he did was the morally correct choice and a necessary one.

I don’t mean that Anders isn’t an asshole. He’s a huge asshole!!! He shouldn’t have lied to Hawke. He shouldn’t have manipulated them. He’s selfish, and ignorant, and often blind to the way his words and actions hurt other people. He can become self absorbed and arrogant. He demands disclosure of trauma, he’s short tempered, he leaps to conclusions, he hurts people’s feelings, he IS blinded to the causes and needs of other communities because of his single minded focus on mages and his own suffering. And a lot of his dialogue towards Fenris and Merrill (however cartoonishly exaggerated, but more on that anon) is unforgivably rude AT BEST.

I think Anders actions at the Chantry were correct and morally justifiable. Does that mean I think he’s perfect? Of course not! His flaws are what make him interesting!!!!

But even if all of this weren’t true - EVEN IF the rest of the gang didn’t canonically have a kill count as high as, or higher than, Anders’ first action in a civil war to prevent a genocide - EVEN in that case.

I also cannot condone Bioware’s conscious, deliberate, centrist, toxic, ableist caricature of a mentally ill, queer character and his fight for civil rights. I…don’t actually think we need a story right now that explains to us how, fundamentally, queer bipolar men are ‘unhinged’, violent and evil, simply for the fact of their resistance against state and religious abuse. Even when they’ve been tortured. Even when children are going to die.

We have this appalling, condescending, imperialistic idea that people - in reality and in fiction, are only allowed to violently resist violent oppression by the state and church if we find them palatable. If they step a toe outside of our personal comfort zones, (themselves constructed by the same imperialistic propaganda we’ve consumed since childhood) we immediately rescind that right - damning an individual for resisting, even if their life is on the line. Even if it concerns the death of children. This is not a moral choice. It’s a social bias.

As for Fenris and Merrill - I struggle to believe that a man who spent ten years providing free medical treatment to refugees, criminals and the homeless never met an elf or learned anything about discrimination against elves. I also struggle to understand how - despite the fact that the Circles are the only place in southern Thedas where elves are not segregated from humans, and where they can reach an equivalent position of authority to humans, somehow Circle mages are most often the mouthpieces for anti elven discrimination.

And by this of course I mean I don’t struggle at all. It’s very helpful for bombastic, oppressive governments like the USA, and all who support them, to set up a false dichotomy between marginalised communities. To peddle the lie that marginalised communities’ biggest threats are one another and not, say, the church or state actively enforcing violence against them. (The Chantry teaches that mages corrupted heaven. It also teaches that elves are inherently more sinful than humans because they are ‘born further from the Maker’s light’).

Once again, apart from the catastrophic failure in internal logic that results in these forced, cartoonish caricatures of Anders as a character - I also disagree with this because I fundamentally do not believe that we need a story about queer people and mentally ill people fighting people of colour but never daring to raise a finger to the people lobotomising them, r*ping them, killing them and driving them to s*icide. I don’t like that story because I don’t think it’s a good one - I don’t think it’s narratively interesting. I do think it’s morally corrupt. I think it’s toxic propaganda. I think it drives us apart.

There’s this incredibly condescending attitude among DA fans towards people who like Anders. The patronising, lazy assumption is that we saw a pretty blonde white man and didn’t engage with the narrative at all. This is rarely the case. We are also adults. We also played the game. We just came to a different conclusion.

[ceph-the-ghost-writer]

Thanks for including me! I've been busy with work/school, so it just took me a while to reply.

I'll offer just two examples from my high fantasy world since there's a lot of variety based on region, class, jobs, not being human, etc. (Also, I may have rambled on for quite a bit even with just two cases. ^^;)

Nightborn: The hereditary vampires of Arasind generally follow the customs of whatever culture their spouse(s) hail from when marrying humans. These matches are frequently for love/affection since a human's short lifespan means the arrangement will be at an end in a mere fifty or so years tops anyway. At times, however, the nightborn partner seeks marriage because a) the human holds political power (and thus can serve as a tool for multiple uses), and/or b) conceiving children happens at a higher rate between mixed couples, as well as prevents inbreeding. There's no such thing as a "half-nightborn" in their culture. While the child won't be outright discouraged from forming bonds with their human parent/relatives, the nightborn side of the family will always be strongly present. Subtly cultivating a feeling of loyalty to them rather than humans in the child.

Marriage between nightborn is a highly regimented affair. They can marry for love, but it's more common for bloodlines to negotiate alliances and favors through matrimony. Everything is haggled over, from the duration of the union (eighty years is average) to which family any children produced will belong to--especially who gets the children. Siblings have been divided due to this, however, it's more common for one bloodline to have more clout and thus be awarded offspring in exchange for other favors.

Wedding ceremonies are lavish affairs, each side showing off their wealth and prestige. Partners will exchange blood of course, as well as a large token, typically a decorative collar, bangle, or arm cuff with motifs representing both families. These represent being bound to each other as well as duty. Infidelity is a grievous offense, an insult to a spouse's bloodline and the alliance/bargain it came with. At least one war was caused by an unfaithful partner who couldn't wait for the arrangement's expiration date.

Shadyrus, deity of night and death, is the creator of nightborn, so is revered. Since Shadyrus doesn't have a face of their own, it's common practice, among nightborn and some human cultures, to make masks of plaster or other materials. Then, when they die, Shadyrus is able to wear the deceased's visage as a gift, or to communicate with the living relatives. Since nightborn usually enjoy very long lifespans, they have time to get really elaborate with their death masks, having them made from precious metals or rare woods, and decorating them with gems, shells, feathers, or other flourishes. Some even make a whole collection of masks, leaving an entire wardrobe behind for the deity.

Matroi: By contrast, the Matroians are a kingdom populated almost entirely by humans. They worship the sun and earth above all, and are fanatical about destroying nightborn or any other creature deemed a threat to humanity. They're also deeply divided by class/rank, so customs vary not only by region but by social standing. People of the earth--farmers, herders, the common folk who work/live on the land basically--usually have festive but simple weddings in the form of a communal party. These are always held outside, in full view of Cyanos, the sun. If a village/town has an illuminator, a priest, then they'll officiate, otherwise the eldest members of each family will bestow blessings on the union. Decor and dress will vary, but yellows, earth tones, and whatever grows best in the region are common themes. Matroi recognizes multiple genders and sanctions marriages across the spectrum.

Funnily enough, people of heaven--Matroian nobility, high ranking religious and military families--are much like nightborn when arranging marriages. Political moves and alliances are the primary goal. The more advantageously positioned family will hold sway over the children. Unlike nightborn, pre-marital chastity is strictly expected of both partners, partly due to avoiding lineage disputes, partly due to a belief that nobles should be able to control their impulses since they're "closer to Cyanos", "more refined/perfected".

Ceremonies are conducted in the greater temples, during the height of daylight hours, with anyone who's anyone in attendance. Spouses share a custom with the sunsworn, holy warriors in service to the sun god. They mix a paste of clay, honey, and other ingredients into a paste. Before dawn prayers, they're to write out their marriage vow on the back of their right hand and forearm using the paste (sunsworn do this with prayers, but over their entire body). This ritual reminds them of their commitment and duty. It also leaves behind a paler image of the characters as the rest of their skin remains brown. Failing to do this regularly will result in the words fading, revealing who's been lax in taking their marriage and prayers seriously.

Matroians fear death magic above all else, and their funerary practices reflect this. Allowing a loved one to be touched by decay is unthinkable, and is a fate reserved for criminals and heretics. Common folk, especially farming communities, have designated "reapers", members who serve as undertakers. It's their duty to drain the bodies of adults of fluids, then carefully dismember it with a ritual sickle. The pieces are then either wrapped in beautifully embroidered linen or placed in boxes with protection prayers. These segments are then buried, preferably in separate crop fields. This prevents any death sorcerers from raising the corpse, enriches the soil that once fed the person, and is believed to keep ancestors' blessings around for a good harvest (provided the community maintains proper respect, abstains from sins, etc.). Children are often simply cremated, their ashes then sprinkled in the fields.

Vultures, crows, hawks, and most other scavenging animals are considered sacred, especially in the plains of Matroi. They're seen as protectors of the dead whose bodies couldn't be recovered since they eat it before magic or rot can touch it, then carry to either the sun or earth, according to the person's station.

When a high-level person dies, cremation is always the method. The corpse, draped in rich cloth, is placed on a pyre/altar in a special temple with thick, specially cut windows. The windows act as magnifying lenses, so as the sun climbs higher and shines brighter, it eventually lights the pyre. The smoke exits through vents/chimneys in the ceiling, allowing the soul to take its place in the celestial hierarchy (or even become a star, if they were important enough).

HAPPY WORLDBUILDING WEDNESDAY!

I’ve been doing a lot of cultural worldbuilding for a couple of my wips, and something I’ve really come to appreciate are fictional wedding and funeral customs! So, what are, if any, some traditions and/or customs when it comes wedding and funerals in your world? Do the societies in your world look at death or marriage in a particularly unique way?

This is a little late arriving for Worldbuilding Wednesday, but it’s here nevertheless! I wanted to put something out there for all of the new writeblrs I’ve gotten to check out over the past couple of days, so, if you’re one them, then definitely this applies to you! Tagging is a nightmare, but I’ll try my best! And, this should also go w/o saying, but if you see this and you just want to participate, then please feel free to!

Tagging some new followers (with no pressure, obviously!): @toribookworm22, @calicojackofficial, @westcountrygothic, @mz-elysium, @wearfinethingsalltoowell, @leighvalentin, @happystarfishnightmare, @an-elegant-void, @littlepatchofhell, @spookyceph, @thatndginger, @aesa, @theskeletonprior

Also tagging some OGs (again, with no pressure): @thetruearchmagos, @cryptid-s-wips, @citruswords, @reowrites, @highlycosmic, @make-the-heteros-upseteros-2022, @blackwidow2005, @ellatholmes, @floppydiskdoc

[problemsynth]

I offer my horrible ocs on the altar for thee

My best worst boy Mouse is a wretched gangrel from small town British Columbia with all the problems and is uniquely bad at being a vampire and also alive. He's fighty and bitey with the world's shortest temper. And despite his efforts to be good at anything he just kind of sucks. He's got so many issues most of them steming from his lack of self control, anger issues, and inability to say no. His sire turned him after he beat up her ghoul (and a prolonged stalking in which she framed him for murder, cut off all escape routes, and ambushed him in his own home) and promptly abandoned him with a note telling him not to die and a van. This predictably lead to mouse making a series of bad decisions that continue to this very day.

There's my sweet terrible toreador solaire who started her long extensive career of arson at the age of twelve. She is my vtmb baby and also the daughter of a Catholic hunter (and cult leader) who kept her mother (who'd become a thin blood) in a basement for several years. She took this well :) deciding the best course of action was to make a deal with the other prisoner of her father a brujah named keenan to raze the place to the ground, kill her father, and rescue her mother. She failed to rescue her mom but remains friends with Keenan. After a series of events involving being separated from her boy Keenan, embraced in downtown la, blowing up a prince, and becoming a dedicated member of the anarchs, and reunited with Keenan the two most wander around hunting hunters and causing chaos. Bc she's very normal and also allergic to boredom.

Keenan is a former sabbat shovel head that unfortunately encountered solaire shortly after running from the sabbat. He got really tired of the atrocities and being a part of them and really wanted a quiet life. That didn't work out. Mostly he is the one voice of reason that can reign in solaire. And after spending well over a decade taking care of her he's come to accept thats just what unlife holds for him. At least it's not boring.

Amelia, mouses sire, is a wandering gangrel who loves a hunt. Mostly she acts in the interests of her "pack" and is fairly utilitarian in her actions (she tends to kill those who cause problems or lack a clear use) mouse is however a rare exception. He's mostly entertainment to her. In their rare interactions Amelia takes joy in sending him on stupid missions and shoving outrageous responsibilities on him just to see if he'll ever say no. (In spite of his loud angry complaints he always complies)

Tsiuri (sire), and mirabell and Marie (her childer) are my horrible malkavians defined almost entirely by all consuming destructive obsession. Tsiuris was in preventing the deaths of her 17 childer at the hands of betrayal, an obsession that led to her killing 15 of her children and being betrayed by her favorite childe (mirabell chosing to let a cam enforcer put her out of her misery). Mirabells obsession lies in chronicling destined deaths. And Maries in in her all consuming love of mir seeing the only way for them to stay together forever in diablerizing mir. These nights mir mostly wanders as a free agent seeking out mass deaths. And Marie works as the right hand of a sabbat tzcimice causing mass deaths and seeking out her love mir.

Thirteen is a thin blood malk and a "responsibility" pushed onto mouse by Amelia. Thirteen was unwillingly at the center of a gehena cult for a while and escaped with the assistance of Amelia. Hes largely free to do whatever he wants but sticks around mouse to be a pain in the ass. He likes crime and fucking with people. And solaire and mouse provide ample opportunity to do both.

Nere is a 7'4" Nosferatu who's memories were very deliberately erased after they became a touch too in tune with the beast. They spent their days fearing the echo of the beast and collecting old newspapers and eating animals in the sewers and an abandoned church of a small town. Until solaire dragged her crew into town hunting a skinwalker for fun and decided the best way to kill the thing was to pipebomb the sewers (and destroy his home). Being a sad wet beast, they were bullied into joining Solaires group.

Taiga is a brujah and an anarch baroness of Vancouver who was and is a jazz musician from the 1920s and runs a lounge. She's a little ray of midnight sunshine and takes helping her people very seriously.

now that I’ve gone on a following spree of wod blogs I can start my TRUE evil agenda:

tell me about your wod ocs. that’s an order I want to see them I love love love wod ocs