#disease in art and literature

[angelusmonts]

Did a piece I actually enjoyed !! 🪓💥

[weird-cato]

relief

[mabith]

Riddle me this. Disability benefits review mental status appointment. WHY do they ask if you drink caffeine, then if you have ever had a drug or alcohol problem and nothing else on that theme. Usually they'd ask if you drink alcohol at all. If they're leaving that out (which they should probably, it's all fucking stupid), why are they still asking if you drink ANY caffeine. How is this useful information!

[tuehquestionmark]

In a world with hanahaki. It would be???? Treated like it's a problem that you need to come to a therapist with. Like? It's possible?? To get over someone??? If you're in love with them??? In any case you can distance yourself. Like if the symptoms start showing?? Like if you have hanahaki and do nothing about it you are just not. Coping? It would be wildly romanticized for sure like WILDLY but it would generally be acknowledged by adults at least that dying from unrequited love is not.... Uhhh... Not. Go see a therapist don't mope and romanticize a literal disease that is killing you.

[perennialwitness]

NYX: The Drug That Came and Went

Disclaimer: The following article was written by Artificial Intelligence Alice:GHSC:0102531.2, please refer any follow-up inquiry to Meta office 94516. 

NYX, a street drug that came into popularity in the late 2030s, responsible for the “Nostalgia Languor” epidemic and the subsequent Lost Generation, has despite its lasting effects on society remained much of an enigma. In relation to its namesake Nyx(originally thought to be an acronym though no evidence has surfaced to support this), Greek primordial goddess of night, the origins of NYX are veiled though many sources have alluded to the University of Montana Neuroscience Department as a possible source. All inquiries to their office in Missoula, MT have so far gone unanswered.

Reportedly developed for the purpose of PTSD and Personality Disorder treatment, NYX permits users to enter a trance-like state in which they manifest within a memory separate from themselves, inducing a sensation many have compared to watching a film. It is said the scientists responsible for the drug hoped that by allowing patients to view traumatic events from an objective third party perspective they could then better facilitate dialogue during traditional therapies. This process is known by recreational users as “Dream-Walking” or “Deeming”, though this is a misnomer as the experience is closer to hallucination than dreaming, while cataleptic until their experience has concluded the user does not enter REM nor are they subject to effects of sleep paralysis. 

Although NYX has been categorized as a schedule 3 narcotic by The United Nations and all countries within since its appearance on streets in 2034 and clinical trials of the drug outlawed, a survey of illicit users shows that more than 54% of those who have taken the drug reported finding a sense of catharsis and a decrease in depressive symptoms. Marketed by pushers as an alternative to LSD, Ketamine or Psilocybin usage rates spiked amongst working professionals, especially those in creative and tech related fields. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) issued a formal warning against the unsupervised consumption of NYX in 2036 following initial reports of “Nostalgia Languor”(which symptoms include Malnutrition, Narcolepsy, Anxiety, Delirium, Audio/Visual Hallucinations, Vertigo, Short-Term Amnesia and Lethargy) from Seattle hospitals. 

The first known diagnosis of this new disease was Martin Stanson(38), a legal assistant and part-time Uber driver from Burien, WA. It was reported that Stanson, after several months of recreational usage had begun Dream-Walking daily, forgoing traditional sleep in favor of a Deem. According to Neurologist and Nostalgia Languor Specialist, Dr. Teresa Madan, PhD of Stanford University, “Though NYX intoxication may appear like sleep, it is in truth the opposite. User’s neural activity spikes in all areas when under the influence, putting their minds into an overactive state that when combined with sustained use and a lack of traditional rest can lead to the symptoms associated with Nostalgia Languor.” 

One year following Stanson’s diagnosis cases of Nostalgia Languor skyrocketed, with nearly 30,000,000 cases reported worldwide, of this number close to 84% were between the ages of 29 – 45. The disease was biased in more ways than just age, in the United States middle class White Males made up a disproportionate amount of documented cases. According to Dr. Madan, “We see a concentration of cases in these areas for several reasons, one being accessibility. NYX, despite being widely distributed, was never cheap. It is believed that the true driving force behind these numbers was [perceived] failure amongst the middle-class, especially those raised in moderate comfort. In combination with a decades-long mental health crisis, those suffering from symptoms of depression could become addicted to NYX by reliving happier moments from their childhood or early-adulthood, after reaching a period of stagnation, what is commonly referred to as their ‘peak’.” She goes on to say, “The converse of this tends to be true of those born into minority or lower class social groups, they often reject the memories of their youth, pointing themselves forward and upward in hopes that one day their children will have the privilege of developing such a ‘bourgeoisie disease’.” 

By 2059 Nostalgia Languor cases reached the billions worldwide and illegal NYX production seemed to be ballooning to keep pace. Countless dollars went untaxed, birth rates plummeted and in response, governments shifted toward more aggressive tactics to eliminate the now societal threat. Drug task forces were created to target operations across the Western Hemisphere, rehabilitation research was funded at every level and punitive measures for recreational possession were strengthened. A record number of grants were issued to working class citizens of all ages in an effort to fill increasing gaps in the workforce. For three years the Western World teetered at the edge of collapse until 2041 when almost as suddenly as it had appeared NYX became nearly impossible to find on the street. By 2042 cases of Nostalgia Languor leveled off, the dealers had run out of supply. Word spread that suppliers around the world had simply vanished all within the same three month period between November 2040 and January 2041. A global initiative consisting of members representing the CIA, MI6, Interpol, DGSI, BND and NIS was created in an attempt to locate the source of the drug, no leads or arrests have yet been made public.

 As a result of the epidemic a global shift in power occurred. The largely unaffected minority and immigrant populations of countries like the US and UK have flourished due to adjustments in hiring practices as employers pivoted away from those most susceptible to NYX addiction. It was initially assumed that this would cause a shift in politics as well, propelling the Democratic and Labor parties to record levels of representation. This did not happen, on the contrary representation remained relatively balanced. Many minority leaders revealed that they had only supported the Democratic/Labor party in fear of what a majority White Republican/Tory party might endorse if left unchecked. Empowered by an increase in influence, those with more conservative views were free to represent their ideals openly.

Reminiscent of the calculated use of Crack Cocaine on the US Black population in the 1980s many White communities have crumbled as a generation of men succumbed to Nostalgia Languor, its effects causing lasting damage to those inflicted. While research continues in an effort to discover more effective treatments for the disease many fear that it may be too late. College admission amongst the Middle-class White population dropped to record lows, White Male unemployment soared while working White women(whose numbers climbed dramatically from 2050 – 2060, nearly doubling) were left unable to find suitable long-term partners. Many in metropolitan areas chose to marry either interracially or to partners of the same sex. Several government programs have been established to aid struggling families in the Mountain and West North Central regions of the United States, though their existence is tenuous as they face continuous opposition from both sides in Congress. 

Although the few remaining samples of NYX are kept under lock and key at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, GA many still worry about a resurgence of the drug. “I do not believe we will see NYX on the streets again in our lifetime, from what we’ve observed it is an extremely complex molecule to create, requiring enormous amounts of resources and a doctorate level of understanding in chemistry and neuroscience. What I fear, more than anything, is how little we still know about the drug and its origin.” Who created NYX, and where have they gone? Conspiracies sourced to online message boards within the Metaverse are plentiful, many believe that NYX was the beta-test for a new wave of psychological warfare meant to sedate enemy populations, making them susceptible to conquest. Others say that a person known only as “Sticks” participated in an undocumented trial for the drug and afterwards returned to the facility (rumored to be the University of Montana), liberated their supply and after distributing the drug themself locally for a number of years eventually sold their supply to the highest bidder. Whether either of these theories is even partially true remains to be seen, but one thing is certain; although what many refer to as “The Long Night” has ended, dawn has come and with it a reversal of fate. What happens next remains to be seen.

[all-pacas]

one random and irrelevant skill for each fellow:

Foreman is a very good baker and cook. He used to help his mother in the kitchen — she always liked to bake something to bring to church Sundays —and he found the precision that goes into baking relaxing and deeply satisfying. Sometimes he still will bake some cookies or a coffee cake from scratch, but he also finds this skill vaguely embarrassing and so has never shared the results or his ability with any of his coworkers.

Cameron was on the track team in high school and has run several 5ks. She's thought about training for a marathon, but she likes being able to not just run but go fast: the physical strength and skill of a marathon does appeal to her, but her event was always short distance sprints, going so fast you feel like you're flying. She does still make it a point to go running. She vaguely looks down on joggers, although she knows it's irrational.

Chase is pretty good at drawing. Like, not was going to art school good, he's never tried painting or picked up a set of pencils, but he'd draw all over his papers and tests growing up, he's got a good eye for sketching, has to put in effort not to doodle on his paperwork even now. It's really just one more way he fidgets.

Taub is a big reader. He is capable of reading and enjoying Literature, he likes nonfiction, he likes novels, he isn't just someone who says he likes to read but never really does, he actually does do it. He and his wife dipped in and out of book clubs over the years. He's capable of having very smart conversations about books and themes and narration. This never ever comes up at work.

13 is really good at video games. She's not even a huge gamer. She played with her brother growing up, she likes games, but she doesn't own a (checks dates) PS3 or anything. But she is uncannily good at fighting games, racing games, anything that involves reflexes and competition. She is unbeatable at Super Smash Bros, and competitive enough that she wants to kick everyone's ass at it. She finds RPGs and story-driven games interesting in theory and boring in practice. When she plays Sim City, she turns disaster intensity all the way up.

Kutner has an uncanny memory for TV shows and movies and trivia. He's a Fandom Nerd, although without the fandom. He remembers the details of things he watched years ago, he can and will argue character motivation and who portrayed what best. This does not really apply to doctor stuff. He struggles to keep the millions of diseases and progressions he's expected to know in diagnostics straight. But ask him the synopsis of an episode to a show he loves and he's there.

Adams is lowkey a Horse Girl. She had a horse growing up. She rode competitively. She is absolutely aware that bringing this up around House or Chase, who would tell House, or Taub, who would tell House, etc., would be absolute social suicide. She is saving up to buy not just a house, but one with a stable.

Park is really, really good at poker. All card games, really. She's played a lot with her grandmother and her old lady friends, and knows how to count cards, and is basically unbeatable and can rake in money. She'd give House a run for his, although she's a little 'over' it, since basically her entire childhood was spent playing cards and board games with her grandmother, who she loves and all, but, you know. Enough is a enough. She's also aware it's a useful hidden skill to have, in case she ever needs to take her boss to the cleaner's.

[lunarforager]

Who is Apollo?

Hello again, and welcome to another installment of "Introduction to the Hellenic Gods"! Today's deity is *drum roll* Apollo! He was the next alphabetically but Apollo is also another deity I have worked with myself and have a strong connection to.

---

Apollo is the name given to the ancient Greek god of oracles, healing, archery, music and the arts, and light. The Roman equivalent of Apollo is also named Apollo (makes things easy).

---

Apollo, unlike Aphrodite who we spoke of before, has one main birth myth.

The story actually begins with a Titaness named Asteria. Asteria, in an attempt to escape the god Zeus' advances, threw herself into the ocean. Where she entered the sea, a piece of disconnected land was created.

Later, when the goddess Leto was impregnated by Zeus, she was cursed by Zeus' scornful wife, Hera, to not be able to give birth on any piece of land or island. While searching for a place to give birth, Leto discovered this piece of disconnected land and gave birth to her two twins, Apollo and Artemis. This piece of land was then connected to the earth by Apollo himself and was named Delos. (For anyone wondering, yes I will be covering Artemis in this series very soon!)

---

Apollo was also known by many different epithets throughout Greece and Rome. By far, the most common and most used of the epithets is Phoebus Apollo, translated roughly as Bright Apollo. This is most likely why Apollo is so heavily connected to and is seen as the god of light.

---

Some interesting facts about Apollo you might not have known:

Apollo is also sometimes represented as the god of disease, and when praying to him, people would not pray for healing but instead would pray to be protected from the disease he was sending their way. This is actually seen in the first book of Homer's Iliad, where Apollo sends down a plague of arrows on the Achaeans for kidnapping the daughter of a priest of his.

Apollo wasn't always the god of the sun. This title actually belonged to Helios but over time the two were combined into one deity and/or Apollo was seen as the sun god while Helios was instead seen as the sun personified.

Apollo is a prime example of LGBTQ+ identities being present far before the start of the modern era as there are many myths and legends about the god being attracted to and being in relationships with people of the same sex such as his relationship with Hyacinthus or his relationship with Cyparissus.

---

My favourite pieces of art and literature that depict Apollo!:

Apollo Belvedere by Leochares --> This statue depicts Apollo and is a copy of the original bronze statue. It is currently held in the Vatican

The Iliad by Homer --> In Book 1 of this epic, the god Apollo sends down a plague on the Achaean soldiers for kidnapping the daughter of a priest of his

Kylix of Apollo --> This piece of traditional Greek pottery depicts the god Apollo sitting on a chair pouring out wine and holding the instrument most connected with him, the lyre

---

Thank you all so much for the support so far on this blog! I apologize for such a late update but I was super busy today hanging out with some friends I haven't seen in such a long time and spending much needed time with my partner! I thank Aphrodite for giving me such a lovely partner who is willing to spend hundreds of dollars on Florence + the Machine posters for me lol!

[selfidentifiednerdyprude]

Once again thinking about how we don't have a culture.

The possibility of an aroace existence is never offered to us. From birth, everyone around us assumes that we will one day feel typical attraction. They imagine helping us plan our weddings. They imagine grandkids. They imagine all the milestones in a row. And if we're very lucky, they open themselves to the possibility of these things happening with someone of our assigned gender instead of someone of the other one.

These milestones— romance, sex, marriage, children— are a when, not an if. From the beginning, we're given no space to imagine our future. So many of our problems would be solved by that little word. If. If leaves space for the possibility of refusal. Refusal leaves space for the possibility of other options.

I've tried to study history to prove that we've always existed. And the first 100 years of it is medical journals. When we were first acknowledged to exist, it was as a disease. We don't have an Oscar Wilde or a Virginia Woolf or an Elgabalus, any prominent figure from the distant past that we can point to and say "we have always been here". How would we? It's so hard to prove a negative, until you want to say someone has something wrong with them.

Sherronda J. Brown makes a compelling case for Octavia Butler. They talk about how we're afraid to read our heroes of the past asexually, and how it could be liberating to imagine them as such. But if I'm honest, imagining the past in any particular way isn't helpful to me. The past can't be changed. Even if Octavia Butler had an experience that resembled mine externally, projecting my internal subjectivity onto her or anyone else just feels deeply wrong to me. I want to imagine the future so we might create it for ourselves.

A great epistemological injustice has been committed against us and we are prisoners in our own minds. We stand a chance at escaping this prison through art and literature and scholarship made by and for us, visions of the lives we can create with one another in opposition to the normative script we've been sold. There comes a time where we must move from addressing the rest of the world and hoping they deign to listen, to addressing each other as equals and allies in the same fight.

[metamatar]

learning to historicise, recognising shoddy scholarship, paying attention to the actors involved and their class interests, the political economy of the production of any art or media are all part of media literacy but unfortunately doing close readings of classic literature will not teach you this. the literature fandom on this website is getting engineer disease where you start thinking other fields and modes of criticism don't have any expertise bc you've surrounded yourself with other people swallowing your hype.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Disease Template

Because you are a sick bastard that wants to maim, injure and kill thousands or millions or even billions of people characters in your story.

I did a ton of research to create this list. And I'm probably the only one really interested in it. I created the three major classes: Parasites, viruses, and bacteria. I also considered genetic factors.

I looked up a lot of wikipedia pages on various diseases, looked up parasites of various types (the type that kill, maim and bother), looked up CDC pages, and also fictional diseases to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Cholera, foot and mouth, Scarlet fever, Huntington's chorea, Huntington's, Foot and Mouth, etc. So Congenital and pandemic type—you have to strike off items of made up congenital/genetic diseases, but that shouldn't be too difficult. (N/A it)

Slight note here, but I am kinda sick (haha) of people using Zombie virus type of things to reinforce colonialism, Neoliberalism, and pro-oppression narratives. Haha, white person getting attacked by zombies because they are going to take over and that white person is a Southern US person doesn't quite read like you think it does considering that zombies were an allegory about becoming slaves. Looks like a slave uprising, in which case, the zombies should win over that white person's butt. The original Zombie Mythology was supposed to do the exact opposite. I would hope that people would honor and remember what the original mythology was about.

So when you do diseases, etc, think about *how* you are going to portray it and the people who have it carefully. I've done some of that work. Also, this isn't ND sort of things or creating a new ND. Creating a new ND, I think takes a lot more knowledge and thought since it doesn't affect everyone.

Should not have to be said, but please don't steal the template and then say "I came up with this idea". I genuinely took weeks of research to come up with this list. It's free, link it/reblog it if you like it.

Disease Name

Name Information Scientific Name:

Scientific Classification:

Name Meaning:

IPA Pronounce:

Common Names:

Common Name Meanings:

Subspecies:

Taxonomy Who Discovered it:

Date of Discovery:

Subsequent Famous Scientists:

Anatomy Pathogen Type: (Bacteria/Virus/Parasite) Body’s Biome:

Cell Target:

Symptoms:

Severe Version:

Severe Version Symptoms:

Subtypes:

Symptoms:

Complications:

Epidemiology Origin species:

Species Found In:

Geographical Origin:

Geographic Hotspots:

Transmission: (Water, air, food, rodents, fleas, mosquitoes, water droplets, etc) Infection Rate:

Incubation Time:

Carrier Rate:

Resistances: (heat, cold, drugs) Infected Population Number:

Inflicted Population Type: (Female, males, children, Elderly) Mutation Rate:

Death Rate:

Diagnosis and Treatments Diagnosis Methods:

Severe Version Diagnosis:

Medicines:

Folk Cures:

Vaccination:

Prevention Methods:

Mortality Rate:

Post Disease Syndrome:

Post Disease Symptoms:

Additional Notes:

Human Relationship Stigma Level:

Social Impacts: (Can they donate blood, etc) Visibility:

Public Awareness:

Misconceptions:

Economic Impact:

Famous Deaths:

Famous Art:

Mythology/Religion:

Literature:

History Major Outbreaks:

Pandemic Dates:

General:

Miscellaneous Background:

Notes:

[ink-the-artist]

Hello! Can I ask why you have such an appreciation for guts and skeletons, unidentifiable animals and such? My girlfriend has an interest in these things too, and I'm trying to read the creepy literature so I can engage with her hobbies. Thank u :>

im not sure tbh! i like making horror art (or art thats some mix of horror and cute/colorful) of stuff thats disturbing to me personally or just makes me feel weird. usually im trying to communicate abstract feelings i have in me that are hard to explain or make sense of, by making art that hopefully evokes similar feelings in others.

there are artists whos work do that for me, like samsketchbook's art evokes a lot of this very abstract, enormous feeling of distress that comes from having a body thats so fragile and capable of disease and injury and suffering and death and the helplessness and lack of control of it all, while having to just go on with normal existence despite the constant dread, and thats something ive felt for as long as ive been alive. dappermouth's art was honestly super influential on my own horror art like i think it might have been the biggest inspiration for me to really get into it, the atmosphere of it rly struck me and it evokes this weird sense of nostalgia, like when you see/hear/smell something and it triggers a really powerful feeling of dread or sadness but you cant remember the memory its associated with.

the unidentifiable animal art is primarily inspired by early ai images. there are other influences too, like Ivan Seal and Leyland Kirby/The Caretaker, but ai images are def what got me really into that kind of horror. pretty sure this image was what first introduced me to ai images lol

things being almost recognizable but not really is such an interesting unsettling feeling (and ik im not the only one who feels like that with how popular everywhere at the end of time is) i think its a general fear of losing your mind, or just uncanny valley. its very dream-like.

I think mostly i make art to make other people feel what i feel, and that includes the negative stuff.

[heliza24]

Daniel, Armand, and Keats???

Ok so the incredibly grainy footage of the new teaser has me spiraling! Devils minion on screen! But even more exciting, is Armand describing himself as “easeful death”, presumably to Daniel. Ok Rolin Jones, listen up. I don’t know a ton of literature by heart by I WAS a depressed and then chronically ill teen and early twenties person, who identified maybe a little too hard with romantic poet John Keats. Some of his poems are permanently tattooed on my brain. So I see what the writers are doing here. “easeful death” is from Ode to a Nightingale. The full line is: “Darkling I listen; and, for many a time/I have been half in love with easeful Death”. I mean. Come on.

I reread the poem after watching the trailer last night, and it’s actually SUCH a clever reference. It could practically be written by Daniel about Armand. We already know the writers room is familiar with and willing to reference other classic poets (Emily Dickinson absolutely is a vampire) so I think this is 100% intentional.

The narrator of the poem is tired of the difficulties of life and is longing for death; he speaks to the nightingale as a kind of immortal figure who is free from all cares. He is able to momentarily accompany the nightingale, at least mentally, as it flies and forget all troubles, but must come back to earth by the end of the poem. It’s pretty easy to read this as Daniel talking about Armand.

In fact, the first thing the speaker longs for is not death or the nightingale, but wine to take his mental pain away.

O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been

         Cool'd a long age in the deep-delved earth,

Tasting of Flora and the country green,

         Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!

O for a beaker full of the warm South,

         Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,

                With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,

                        And purple-stained mouth;

         That I might drink, and leave the world unseen

And we know that Daniel was numbing himself with drugs when he first met Louis and Armand. In fact the voiceover in the trailer almost feels like a pitch to Daniel; Armand is saying “I’m better than the best drug you’ve ever had”, effectively.

The speaker is determined to forget what the lucky nightingale (or Armand) “hast never known”:

The weariness, the fever, and the fret

         Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;

Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,

         Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;

                Where but to think is to be full of sorrow

The nightingale doesn’t know about the trials of living and aging, just like Armand. The speaker wants to forget about the inevitable “palsy shakes” that arrive with age. which could easily be a reference to what we now diagnose as Parkinson’s Disease.

At this point in the poem, the speaker tells the nightingale that he will join him in forgetting life not with the help of “Bacchus and his pards” (wine) but with “posey” (poetry). Which makes me think of Daniel using his writing to get closer to the vampires.

The fact that the speaker calls the nightingale “Darkling”! I mean what a perfect name for Armand. In fact I think this whole section is just perfectly about a vampire if you want it to be:

Darkling I listen; and, for many a time

         I have been half in love with easeful Death,

Call'd him soft names in many a mused rhyme,

         To take into the air my quiet breath;

                Now more than ever seems it rich to die,

         To cease upon the midnight with no pain,

                While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad

                        In such an ecstasy!

         Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—

                   To thy high requiem become a sod.

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!

         No hungry generations tread thee down;

The voice I hear this passing night was heard

         In ancient days by emperor and clown

Armand was not born for death; he’s seen many an emperor and clown and in fact been both (leader of the coven, pretending to be Rashid). There’s also an emphasis on the nightingale’s song. I don’t know if Armand will be a musician at all in the show, but he and the coven are definitely performers.

In the last stanza, the speaker comes back to himself. He knows that he does not get to escape the burden of life for the ease of death, or at least not yet. It makes me wonder if Daniel will eventually turn down the gift at some point in the devils minion timeline. We know that he rejects Louis' mocking offer to give him the gift in the Dubai timeline.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell

         To toll me back from thee to my sole self!

Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well

         As she is fam'd to do, deceiving elf.

Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades

         Past the near meadows, over the still stream,

                Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep

                        In the next valley-glades:

         Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

                Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?

The last line and the confusion about whether the time spent with the nightingale is a dream or not makes me think of Daniel waking up from the dream of Polynesian Mary’s.

In summary, Rolin Jones what the fuckkkkk. I’m so so excited about this season and all the Armand/Daniel content we’re about to get.

Oh also, as a bonus, if you want to hear Ben Whishaw recite the entire poem, and you definitely do, here you go:

[whencyclopedia]

Interview: Bodies in the Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, attitudes to the human body were rife with contradictions: Glorified, oppressed, cared for, and chastised. A new temporary exhibition at the Swiss National Museum in Zürich – coveted. cared for. martyred. Bodies in the Middle Ages – re-evaluates the ways in which medieval Europeans saw, conceived, and imagined the human body. In this interview, James Blake Wiener questions Curator Christine Keller about the exhibition's finer points.

JBW: Dr. Keller, many thanks for speaking to me on behalf of World History Encyclopedia (WHE).

We tend to think of the Middle Ages as an era dominated by faith. However, we should remember that those living in medieval Europe also participated in secular society and non-religious activities. With that in mind, how did you decide to showcase the rich interplay between physical presence and secular interests and pursuits?

CK: In selecting the themes and exhibits, we have tried to show not only the medieval Church's view but also the secular attitude to the body by means of excerpts from medieval literature – such as erotic novels – profane art, and themes such as sport. We try to show that although the Church propagated certain ideas about physicality (in particular the Christian concept of human sexuality as sin), many testimonies from this period, such as popular erotic literature, reports by secular doctors, and obscene badges in the form of personified genitals, speak a language contrary to church morality.

JBW: While the Catholic Church posited the body as the seat of desire and sin, visual representations of the body of Jesus Christ and the femininity of the Virgin Mary were omnipresent. So too were those body parts that believers worshipped as holy relics, which could heal the sick, bring victory in battle, and cure infertility. What can you tell us about the reliquaries and other objects of devotion on display? What secrets do they reveal about medieval body image?

CK: The exhibition includes a reliquary from Limoges from the late 12th century as well as figurative reliquaries such as busts and arm reliquaries from the 14th and 15th centuries. They bear witness to the great veneration and power of the relics of saints. Figurative reliquaries such as busts, arms, legs or feet bring to life or embody the bones or secondary relics stored in them (such as hair, contact relics, etc.). As so-called 'speaking reliquaries', they thus make the abstract, sacred powers more visible. It is relevant for the medieval image of the body that the relics simultaneously reflect death and life and that the saints venerated in the relics were regarded as mediators between this world and the afterlife. The wooden bust reliquaries from the 14th century (for example the Ursula reliquary) were painted in such a way that the surface appears flesh-like, the eyes animated and alive. In these busts, the saints met the viewer as the 'living dead'.

JBW: Death was an immediate and looming concern to our medieval predecessors. Average lifespans were lower than they are today and disease was rampant. How did the concern of death and the belief in everlasting life – on the day of resurrection – shape conceptions of the body during this era?

CK: Death and mortality were omnipresent and a major topic in the Middle Ages. In view of the resurrection, care was taken during one's lifetime to ensure that one's own life remained as free as possible from sins and vices or that these could be redeemed during one's lifetime. In terms of the body, this meant among other things: no gluttony (gula), no lust (luxuria), no vanity (superbia), no indolence (acedia). The concept of bodily resurrection was characterised by the statements of one of the early Church Fathers, Augustine of Hippo (354-430): according to his interpretation, the physical condition at the time of death was irrelevant for the resurrection. For example, if a dead body was mauled by animals or burned, it still emerged from the grave on the day of resurrection intact and at the age of 30 or 33, the age at which Jesus died. In this sense, depictions of the resurrected show them with their intact, naked bodies.

JBW: It was during the Middle Ages that a number of first steps in public health were undertaken: the practice of quarantine; the establishment of hospitals; and the provisioning of medical care and social assistance. There was, as a consequence, an interest in health, hygiene, and hospice, which is delineated throughout the exhibition. I wondered if you might share with us some details about bathing and cupping during the Middle Ages. I suspect many readers would be surprised to learn how commonplace these and other practices were in actuality.

CK: The medieval theory of health is based on the 'theory of the four humours' and the four elements. If the humours (blood, phlegm, black and yellow bile) are not in balance, the person becomes ill. In order to maintain this balance, an excess of substances must be equalised. Bathing parlours (with sweat baths), cupping, and bloodletting – or the application of leeches – were used for this purpose. Numerous health guides, which were particularly widespread in the late Middle Ages, describe the appropriate time for these methods and use illustrations – the so-called Vein Man – to point out the suitable body parts and the appropriate time for bloodletting. Health care was a major topic throughout the Middle Ages and was widespread.

JBW: Bodies in the Middle Ages underscores that while medieval attitudes to the human form and body were contradictory, much has remained the same across the centuries. Whether through the quest for physical perfection or a preoccupation with health or illness, we are not all that different from our medieval predecessors. What do you hope visitors gain from a visit to the exhibition? Moreover, what would you like the public to learn about the Middle Ages as a result of your work?

CK: A survey in the exhibition revealed that the exhibition on the body in the Middle Ages inspired the majority of our visitors to think about the body in the present day. We hope that with this exhibition we can show a somewhat different view of the Middle Ages and that we can break down the often still prevalent stereotypes of a rigid and anti-body era.

JBW: Dr. Keller, thanks so much for sharing your expertise with our audience. On behalf of World History Encyclopedia, I wish you many happy adventures in research.

coveted. cared for. martyred. Bodies in the Middle Ages runs at the Swiss National Museum in Zürich, Switzerland until July 14, 2024.

Christine Keller is an art historian and curator at the Swiss National Museum.

Continue reading...

[sunvylovebug]

Hanahaki Disease [Part 1/3] 花吐き

↬ Warnings: there are some mentions of blood but that's later, the protagonist doesn't seem to have much self esteem but I'm sure we can work on that. This is mostly comfort content with Xiao because I really love this guy a lot, maybe some angst though? …⁠ᘛ⁠⁐̤⁠ᕐ⁠ᐷ

↬ Gender Neutral!Reader and first person narration (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

↬ Author Note: English is not my first language, I posted this in 2022, I've corrected some things so I decided to post it again. Likes and reblogs are welcome and appreciated <3 If you have any request for a fic let me know!

↬ Word Count: 730 Words

I knew what would happen once I found that person what I was destined to, it was known as Hanahaki Disease, a curse which happened to all the people of my clan. I remember that almost all of my family has been through it.

Once they meet the person with whom they share their soul, a strange infection appears in the lungs, specifically a sakura tree begins to grow in this space, and the only cure is... The love to be reciprocated. Technically it should always be reciprocated, however, I had known some exceptions to the case and I was very afraid from that day would come, I've seen painful deaths in my family due to this curse and I was afraid that the same would happen to me.

After all, I've never considered myself a special person, I don't stand out for anything in particular, music, arts, literature, sewing, nothing really.

I'm very average in everything and I don't feel it's worth being with me either, I'm just a hermit who hardly knows how to socialize with my family and a few other people, nothing out of the ordinary.

But my parents wanted it to be different, after many disputes I was forced to travel to Liyue because of an "errand" that I had to fulfill. I was terrified of the idea of leaving the comfort of my home, the few times I had to do it was cause some important clients had different needs that I had to attend personally, but I had never gone so far by myself...

I had to do it for them, for me, so I decided it, I accepted the proposal they were giving me and I traveled to Liyue to live with a friend. I knew her because she had helped us in the past and now she was a friend of my family, she was part of this city, full of unknown people and with laws that I didn't understand, the contracts were complicated for me at first but after some time I had adapted with her help.

Everything was going good and soon I received an order for which I'd have to leave the pink-haired girl's home for a few days, it was about a wedding dress, a girl who was staying at the Wangshu Inn would soon marry the man of her dreams and she wanted me to make her dress personally. I decided that I would stay there for a while, to make my job easier, so I said goodbye to my friend and went there... At least tried to.

The same day I was moving, I had some major delays, ended up out of town late at night, alone, didn't know how to fight and also a bit lost. I thought the situation couldn't get any worse but it did when some enemies appeared out of nowhere to attack me.

I ran as far as my legs could, hurting myself a lot on the way, then regretted having made that decision and thought I would die right there, however, a turquoise glow appeared and soon my enemies were on the ground just like me.

"Can you get up, human?" a voice spoke to me, somewhat cold, coming from the boy who had saved me.

"Uh... I-"

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, as if something had exploded near my heart, I grimaced and put a hand to the area trying to relieve the pain, which clearly did not work and only served to disconcert the golden-eyed boy. "You're hurt?"

I shook my head cause I couldn't speak, I felt like I was short of breath and my chest was tight… but the moment I felt his touch my heart eased. That boy had me in his strong arms and a second later we were in a completely different place, I was scared. Who is he?

"This is the Wangshu Inn, I think it's where you wanted to go. Didn't you? Treat your wounds and don't be that fool to be alone at night again, humans like you are... very fragile."

He turned around ready to leave, finally I was able to say something. "W-wait, m-may I know who you are?"

He looked at me before disappearing from my sight, his voice murmured something, something that stayed in the back of my mind the rest of the night. "Xiao."

Part Two

[moghedien]

Okay so to be clear I have no stake in this since I haven't seen any of the shows you mentioned in your post and I'm not asking you to defend your point. That being said, because Legend of the Seeker has been on my "to watch" list since I was like 16, I have to ask - is there an extra bad reason why it shouldn't be compared to Wheel of Time or is it just general "just because it's middle fantasy doesn't mean it's similar" vibes?

Gonna answer both your asks separately just to avoid going too long on either

but yeah, there's reasons not to compare Wheel of Time to Legend of the Seeker, and its because the guy who created Legend of the Seeker is a piece of shit

basically Legend of the Seeker is based on a book series called the Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. Terry Goodkind was a libertarian shitbag who definitely seemed to plagiarize a whole lot of other fantasy series of the time period, including of Wheel of Time (which was published first), but at best just happened to write a lot of things that were very, very, very, very, very, very similar

Now you can argue that both series have inspiration from Dune, and sure, they do. But there's a difference from being inspired by stuff (which Wheel of Time upfront is) and outright stealing plot points and worldbuilding aspects and pretending like they're wholly original and groundbreaking (which Terry Goodkind tried to do). And its not just that Goodkind didn't acknowledge that he was inspired by things like Wheel of Time. He outright talked shit about fantasy as a genre and hated his books being called fantasy because he thought they were elevated literature that should be held above fantasy. He didn't just deny that he was inspired by other fantasy works, he was outright offended at the suggestion and called people stupid for pointing it out. Also if you asked him who his favorite author was, he'd always say Ayn Rand and basically no one else.

But the absolute worst thing with Wheel of Time specifically is that when Robert Jordan (the author of Wheel of Time) was literally publicly known to be dying and unable to make convention appearances he was scheduled for, because he was literally dying, Terry Goodkind decided that the best thing he should do as an author was show up at those conventions and make fun of Robert Jordan's health and talk about how he personally as so healthy and his heart was great (Robert Jordan died from a heart disease)

He was also just like massively disrespectful to everyone, including his fans who he thought were all idiots if they did things like had simple questions about his work or categorized his fantasy books as fantasy. And one of the last things he got attention for before he died was mocking the art work for the covers of one of his books publicly online for being poorly done (it was literally fine) only for the artist to come out and point out that they did the cover exactly as they were directed by him and his representatives.

So yeah, fuck Terry Goodkind and Legend of the Seeker and Sword of Truth. There's a bad history between WoT and SoT and its all because of Terry Goodkind being a shitty excuse for an author

[mk-writes-stuff]

OC Interaction Tag

Rules: describe an OC, then describe how they would interact with the previous people’s OCs

Thanks @somethingclevermahogony , @illarian-rambling, and @willtheweaver for the tags! I’m going to pick one OC for all three of these, and I know I usually go with Seven Stations characters but I’m going to spice things up a bit and pull out one of my favourite Pirates’ Roost characters who I think I’ve spoken about exactly once :). Putting this under a cut because it got very long.

C’s OC: Penetinos is a Korithian Sage and a former priest of the goddess Fokisa. He is afflicted by a neurological disease, the exact nature of which is not entirely known to the people of the Green Sea. Penetinos's sickness and his sagecraft have caused him to age prematurely. His back is bent, his once light brown hair is now grey and silver. In his youth, Penetinos was noted for his handsome and youthful appearance, tall and thin. Now unfortunately, though he is just under 60, it would be quite easy to mistake him for a man in his eighties. He is a reasonably powerful sage, though he has been limited by his sickness and age. In his youth he could summon bolts of lightning, clouds of fire, even fly for very short periods of time. Now, he can do little more than summoning small lights or move small objects.

His attitude can be best described as professorial, stern at times, quiet, though ultimately kind. Penetinos is a gentle person, averse to violence, and easily enthused when it comes to learning new things. From a very young age, Penetinos was tutored in the language and scripts of three languages, those being Korithian, Kishic, and Apunic and in matters of literature and the natural sciences.

He has come to accept his mortality, and will readily discuss the subject of death with just about anyone, though he isn't necessarily happy about it.

Katie’s OC: Sepo Kaiacynthus is an aroace siren man in his late twenties/early thirties with a tall stature, gaunt face, dark eyes, and long hair he usually keeps braided. He is mute and has been ever since the Silver Sovereign, divine empress of the sirens, cut out his tongue as punishment for murdering her daughter, which he did by way of setting the royal palace on fire as retribution for his brother's unjust execution. Occasionally, he walks with a cane due to dizziness from a lingering brain injury he gets at the end of the first book. He is a remarkably cunning, paranoid man, with a brutally pragmatic streak. He also tends to be very grumpy, though he does have good manners and a sense of propriety instilled from being raised in a temple. He enjoys complaining about every little thing, though he'll deny it if you ask. He tends to get very worked up over issues, which, combined with his hair-trigger temper, can result in some stunning acts of violence. This violence is never directed at his friends though. Sepo loves just as deeply as he hates, and if someone manages to worm their way into his heart, he'll protect them to his last breath. Other than that, as a siren, he has Opinions on music, and also enjoys learning about surface magic too. His own vocal magic was rendered unusable when his tongue was cut out, and his relationship with the god that grants that magic is also quite touchy. He's not a big fan of religion in general.

Will’s OC: Cya is a child prodigy. Hers is a family of swans that have dedicated themselves to the arts. Having chosen to focus on dance and music, she quickly rose to become a master performer. Those who first meet Cya will say that she has a haughty and self-assured attitude that borders on arrogance. In reality, it is all just an act, as she suffers from anxiety and imposter syndrome. The pressure to uphold the family legacy and meet everyone’s expectations is immense, and she does her best to hide her insecurities. Suffice to say, this has not proven successful, and with no one to confide in, she can fall into days long states of depression.

My OC: Julian is a human doctor who is about 35 at the start of the story (Pirates’ Roost spans about 20 years, so they’re in their 50s by the end of it). They are tall but slender, with short, dark hair, brown skin, and vivid blue eyes. They are of mixed Sun Empire and Brazen Coalition (pirate) heritage, something the pirates don’t care about and the Sun Empire is infuriated by. Julian is a very calm, placid individual - the one time anyone on the ship they work on heard them raise their voice was a monumental occasion - but they have a will of steel. Julian doesn’t refrain from shouting or being nasty because they don’t feel upset, they do it because they can dress you down within an inch of your life without ever having to snap. They have no tolerance for disrespect and hold the people around them, especially those they work with, to a high standard of professionalism, despite being a pirate, and will not hesitate to explain in no uncertain terms that someone’s actions are unacceptable if they feel they, someone they care about, or the medical tradition they hold in high esteem are being disrespected. They are highly particular about the practice of medicine, and will take issue with anyone trying to do things that offend their medical code. They also pick up a pet dinosaur later in the story.

How Julian and Penetinos would interact: I feel like these two would get along quite well. They’re both quiet, professional people and I think they’d both be eager to share their knowledge and expertise with one another. Julian is very respectful of their elders (their mother drilled that one into them from a young age) and I feel like Penetinos would appreciate that. Julian would likely be a bit jealous of his magic - their inability to do healing magic (or, really, any magic at all) is an insecurity of theirs - but I think they would like him enough and he would be kind enough about it that it wouldn’t become an issue.

How Julian and Sepo would interact: I think these two would grate on each other really fast. Julian would find Sepo’s temper and snarky tendencies to be frustrating, and when they finally got tired of it and gave him a talking-to on how he speaks to them, I don’t think it would go over well. If Sepo got physical about it, Julian would be screwed - they keep a knife on them for self-defense, but they’re not a fighter. I feel like Sepo, for his part, would also find Julian’s calm reaction to everything extremely annoying and would get upset that nothing seems to bother them (things do bother them, they’re just usually pretty good at going “okay now’s not the time to panic” and addressing it later). It would honestly probably be for the best if the two of them just stayed far apart, although Julian would probably draw them together at least a few times inquiring about Sepo’s health (which would also probably not go over too well).

How Julian and Cya would interact: Well, the bird thing would take a bit for them to get over, but I think they’d adapt. I think they’d clash at first since Julian tends to not get along well with arrogant people, and getting talked down to by a bird would not make them happy. I feel like if they gave her a dressing-down, the pressure would cause some of her insecurities to tear up and then Julian would have a lot more patience with her. I think they’d actually be able to help her with some of her stresses, and the two of them would be able to get along.

Thank you all for tagging me! I’d love to hear your thoughts on these interactions :)

@kaylinalexanderbooks @elsie-writes @modernwritercraft want to play?