#sanitation-related illnesses

[sandraharissa]

How did they accidentally intimately understand the experiences of mentally ill ppl in s1??? How??? It’s gotta be cos the writers changed right

Ok bcos like, it’s not like Jinx in s1 was a good portrayal of mental illnesses in the sense that it was realistic. I’d actually argue that part of her appeal and what made her work so well is bcos she was undiagnosable. She showed many symptoms of what could be many different issues and so many ppl could relate to her on a basis of one symptom. But what they did with Jinx that made her work so well is that they seemingly understood the emotions and psychology that are shared by ppl with all types of different issues. They didn’t need to understand all the technicalities in terms of, like I said, a realistic portrayal of a specific issue. What mattered was that she felt like a really mentally ill person cos her arc dealt with the struggles of mentally ill ppl. She was portrayed to feel isolated, struggling to communicate/socialize, feeling like she was fundamentally wrong/different, like she inherently didn’t belong anywhere, frustrated with her own symptoms, having internalized guilt, a desire to be loved/accepted, feeling unlovable, trying to hide her issues/symptoms, futilely trying to fit/change her behavior to fit/pass, feeling like a failure etc.

The main betrayal of s2 when it comes to Jinx and her arc was violating that connection that ppl build with Jinx in s1. S2 Jinx is an extremely unrealistic, unrelatable and sanitized portrayal of mental issues.

99% of her symptoms disappeared after she experienced smth that would drastically exacerbate them. Are you pranking me? Is that what I’m supposed to relate to? Quick fixes were applied, like giving her Isha to fix her loneliness but 1)that’s not how raising a child while mentally ill would look like, it would make her struggles worse 2) they cease to portray crucial experiences of mental illness like feeling like you don’t belong cos your behavior is always off, these things don’t just disappear, even when ppl get better there’ll still be these moments, and that’s in a best case scenario. Like trans ppl after finishing treatment saying they got rid of 99% of their dysphoria, but never a 100%. look at how they expertly managed to portray Silco and Jinx having a close loving bond and simultaneously highlight her loneliness and isolation. So she has a kid now bcos single mothers are not famously lonely and isolated ppl right? It was a common point of criticism of Silco that Jinx not having friends amongst her peers is a really bad sign but now she still has no friends but now 1) it stopped being an issue 2) she’s also a single mother now.

The focus was switched from her being portrayed as likely born neurodivergent + traumatized to depression but specifically suicidality. it’s not like in s1 she wasn’t portrayed as depressed/suicidal and you’d think she’d become more so after s1 but that wasn’t the sole focus, but curiously it becomes so in s2. But despite this switch in focus that you’d think would stem from the writers wanting to write about their own experiences or smth that interests them that they think is important it couldn’t be clearer that the writers had zero empathy for the issues they were writing about cos it’s misery porn, a pitfall that many stories that center suicide fall into, glamorizing and romanticizing it. In s1 her worst symptoms like hallucinations were very dramatic and cool-looking visually but it was connected to this fundamental empathy, the understanding of mentally ill ppl as ppl with emotions and what those are. In s2 they drastically switch the portrayal of her issues to fit what they wanted to do with her in s2, and then proceeded to use it solely for cool and dramatic imagery/scenarios. It is completely disconnected from ppl’s real life experiences. The relatability was sacrificed for the sake of following tropes like 'death as redemption' that are supposed to be more dramatic or smth. Having her ping-pong from having no issues to having all the issues throughout the narrative.

Act1: She’s ‘dead inside’, she seems somewhat motivated at some point only for it to be revealed she was planning suicide – alright season, nice, what’s next. Act2: she’s just completely alright now from the get go, her hallucinations show up only when she first finds out Isha’s in danger. why? who knows. It’s like the writers understood that for them that would be a particularly stressful situation so they use the imagery of her illness to communicate she’s super distressed in this moment. So they used the imagery of mental illness not to convey mental illness and how it interacts with her life but as a dramatic-looking shortcut to convey a strong emotion, one that any other character would feel in this situation. Otherwise she’s doing better than she ever was, even in s1a1, and then Isha dies. Act3: so now she 100% ’wants to die’ again and it’s super depresso but then she has one conversation with Ekko and she’s again doing super good and then she dies by semi-suicide but she’s happy doing it and it’s like. beautiful? ok.

[applesontheground]

I am officially here with my very first request from you! 💕

Now, considering that I've been struggling with 'The Horrors' for...a while now, lately, I find myself more and more in need of comfort.

However, my idea of 'comfort' may be quite a bit different than someone else's, especially when you take into consideration that I've always found comfort in the creepy and tranquility in terror.

(Not to be overlooked is my ability to see the beauty in the bizarre and to take solace in sin...*ahem*)

Very conveniently, two of my 'comfort characters' that just so happen to embody all of these qualities are also on the list of characters you write for - Asa Emory, and Gabriel May.

So...here is my request. Since I *adore* a surprise, I'll leave it up to you who you pick to give me comfort. I'm not picky about the details, but there is one thing that needs to be included, something I desire most of all...

A warm, strong embrace.

To be held snug and secure.

A hug, Riri.

I need a hug...

what an understandable thing to ask for. love writing myself some good slasher snuggles when i'm sad, too.

i've been mulling long and hard about who i wanted to choose for you, and while gabriel is still very funky fresh and new to me ... i miss asa. besides what i did a couple days ago, really haven't written him since JULY OF 2022. A GODDAMN TRAVESTY.

it's been too long since we've shared our love for these fictional guys, darkly <3 as i've said, i hope i've made the wait worth it, and that you're doing well! (and hope the horrors have ceased, as well umu)

i can put my arms around you🕷️

SFW | Word Count: 1,300 | Asa Emory x GN Reader contains canon typical/mentions of collector work, injury, fluff 🎼: x

Realizing how hard it was to stand again had only actualized itself during the car ride home.

Working on some sort of autopilot since you had left the house, the weight of holding a pancreas preserved in a jar, watching human body parts placed beside insects pinned to sheets of paper in the similar inquisitive sanitation, and the incident with a live harvester skittering along the back of your hand with needle-thin legs bigger than its entire being, was felt now. In the canopy of your shared house, the garage cold to the touch of your exposed face, you watched him walk inside with saliva sitting in your mouth, sticking to the walls like honey. He gave one glance back, made sure you didn’t look completely devastated, and then disappeared inside.

It was hard to show gratitude even without the minor afflictions besides mental anguish: you had taken a particularly hard fall on your side, limping when you finally got yourself to walk away from the car door, and your head was thundering from a 2x4 – left loose from another one of his projects not relating to, well, collecting – having fallen from against the wall, center against the back of your head in a numbing connection.

Still, you let go of any frustration and ill will towards it as you crossed the threshold between the garage and your shared space with Asa. When you were entwined with another soul, you had learned, these ugly things were far easier to wash off at the end of the day – and you were hurting, but you didn’t mind doing it.

You really hoped he knew that despite limping into the kitchen, silently grabbing the nearest soft surface and burying your face into it. Catching sweat, catching the pained expression, hiding the flush that came with finally calling the horror you witnessed off.

It was all normalizing, helping him with what needed to be done and being let into his double life. At first, he had just asked you to come with him. Sit by in another room and do some busywork while he handled self-made problems. He made sure you knew his other motives, too: the shared time that came with the close access in between work.

Tonight, it was one of the first of a few since he needed assistance: you seeing the people he had been working on. Some were still alive; some still had the eyes to bore into your soul, lingered now in the momentary dark you offered yourself. Bad physical feelings – nausea, fatigue, all of it – would pass. It always had, always would. You did what you could to stabilize yourself now, brush it off again while breathing the familiar smell of the house in through the fabric, hand placed on the cold countertop.

The sink running next to you jolted your attention back, dragging the dish towel off your face. He had been staring, not yet taking off his mask despite the blinds drawn and his gloves coming off. All the reason to, but he still hesitated. You smiled only halfheartedly back; the best one you could manage as he held his hand out. Lost, but once again complying without any more explanation, you gave him the towel, and only then he spoke for the first time in hours.

“Did you hit your head?” He asked, and you replied, “I did. Can still…” Your jaw locked in a moment, so you instead gestured downwards as you started over. “I can still stand, despite that.”

He hummed in reply, now taking the opportunity to start reaching for the laces on the back of his head. You felt a slight spin to your vision, so you then admitted, “I am feeling lightheaded, though, so I might go lay down.”

“I’ll join you in a moment.” He said, sliding the strangely stiff material from his face, turning to you with an exposed face, “Right behind you.”

You smiled again, a little more meaning behind it this time as you stepped away. His focus lingered, more pointed towards your gait to make sure you’d make it up the stairs to the bedroom. When you sighed, straightening your posture and now moving with a strong purpose to go fall into bed, cocoon in the covers, he turned away again.

Relief slipped over you, first falling stomach first into the bed, the same need to hide your face for a few long seconds. After a few more moments of trying to wash the recollections, get it all out of your head, you begrudgingly bent a leg, undoing your shoelaces with your face still down in the mattress.

A snicker got you to pull your face up, looking over your shoulder as you scoffed back at him. “I’m a little bent out of shape, don’t mind me.” You joked, rolling over to your back, and he stepped further into the room. Setting a few remedies down on the nightstand, the man now stood between your legs, outsides of his thighs brushing the insides of yours.

You still had to hold your breath, too worn down to initiate anything like that but still letting him lean down, hands framed on either sides of your head. He leaned in, kissing your neck as he then trailed up to your ear. “I don’t thank as much as I should for…accompanying me.” He lamented, and you responded with a tilt of your head, lining up with a hand to his cheek and kissing him.

“You don’t have to.” You reminded him, “I have a knack for surviving what you’ve decided to throw at me, Mr. Emory. It’s becoming…” You pondered the word, hand sliding from his face to the back of your neck. Fun, maybe? No, too lighthearted. Bearable? Too distant. You met his eyes again, his pupils still impossibly dilated, no color in sight. The word suddenly rushed to the forefront, and you breathed it out below your breath, “Impossible, in all the ways I want to bear.”

He seemed puzzled at that, but you smiled and added, “I’ll make more sense after sleep. That’s all I can ask for.”

He nodded finally, eyes trailing down  your body for a beat. “Oh, actually I will ask-“ You hooked a leg around his hip, “Could you get my other shoe?” He was frozen, standing back up straight before he smiled, his voice still tender as he took hold of the laces. “Of course.”

Slowly, with as much contact between chests and legs as possible, Asa crawled into bed with you. He waited until you seemed utterly relaxed, curled in the large beige duvet and surrounded by pillows, to find where he fit beside you. Holding his forearms, you let him be the one to adjust now, and then tangled your legs with his as they came around tight. Constricting you to his chest, you felt like you could die in this position, relish the contact and feel the other side of the collector's coin flip to Asa Emory again.

A fast, cold force against the back of your head made your eyes snap open. The dishtowel you had handed him was holding a bag of something frozen – ice, those mixed vegetables you hadn’t gotten to working with yet – where the wood had knocked you almost senseless. Immediate rushes of cold, soft relief made you sigh deeply with once again more force, every muscle going soft and tucking closer to him.

“Oh, that-“ You groaned, your chin settling into the material of the sweater, full weight against him, “Asa, that’s perfect.”

He was silent, but the satisfied peck of his lips on your temple was enough acknowledgement. A perfect fit in all ways that mattered, he mused to himself as he kept the pack held to your head.

[wateroflifefrommountains]

Cassandra Cain: Character Thought Experiment

What if the mandate by Dan D never happened? What if writers were allowed to keep writing stories about Cassandra? What if her run was not cut short? Evidently, there would be a broader exploration of the character and her relevance would not have waned due to absence and editorial mandate. There is an argument that a heel turn would still have happened as Cass is shown to have "limits" to her code. (I.e: There was a chapter in her original run where she mentally killed the Joker after being presented with a scenario where the Joker killed Batman.) Moreover, Cass, has also shown disdain for societal oppression but was ill-equipped to handle or solve said problems aside from the usual fisticuff heroics. At the very least, stories about her struggling with the decision would have been interesting. It can even raise the dilemma in the no-killing rule by raising the "Not killing does not mean not evil" argument. On the other hand, there is also the risk of Flanderization. Despite their best efforts, a well-intentioned writer may still over-simplify the character by focusing on her most prominent traits or by focusing on traits they gravitate to. It is possible for the iteration of the character in this scenario to be similar to the overly cutesy sanitized version held by notable groups in the fandom. Another possibility is evolution. The growth of the character may have become permanent. If Simone's plan to explore her relation to religion became a reality, there could have been an overtly Christian version of the character or even one that gave up crime-fighting all together. In this scenario, it could have been a natural progression or a shocking but earned decision. On the flip side, there could also be grave mischaracterization in the same way Robin: OYL turned her into a villain. It would have still been jarring and it would have still been rejected by the fandom. In all these cases, it would not have been because someone made a decision that character was not sustainable with complete disregard for the fans and the sales. For something to happen by the whims of fate or the faults of those who acted in good faith is simply life, but for it to happen due to the machinations of a puppeteer... is a tragedy (or a crime).

[astrojulia]

Asteroid Hygeia (10): Understanding Its Signs, Houses, and Planetary Aspects

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₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ About the Asteroid: Hygeia is the fourth largest asteroid. It was named after the Greek goddess of health, and because she is the personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation, asteroid 10 Hygeia may be related to these characteristics in astrology. It talks about sanitation and prevention, in the current studies of astrology, an art that doesn't stop, it is currently associated with how a person prevents their health in a physical, emotional and mental way, or at least, as it should.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Sources and inspirations:Sadly, it's not because I care about my health that I'm interested in this asteroid LOL. However, there is another interesting reason for me to make this type of post. Asteroids, in general, are not used much in birth chart reading, and that's okay. In my view, your birth chart is like a cake, and asteroids are just toppings. My reason for looking into asteroids is due to their history. The first four asteroids found were Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Juno, all women. Before their discovery, the vision of women was limited to either daughter/mother (Moon) or wife/harlot (Venus). Women were seen as nothing more than that. Even though it didn't change much after the discovery, a new perspective on what a woman can be opened up, and that's why I write about it. There’s not much sources about asteroids, Hygeia is one in the middle ground, there's more than others but it's not very detailed. My sources where this and this.Also, the image template in from minikyuns on deviantart.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Asteroid Hygeia Rx: It can indicate people who need more time to recover from physical and mental illnesses. It also shows people who reflect a lot on their health and well-being and look for alternative methods of care. In a more spiritual context, it indicates people who worked with health in past lives.

Asteroid Hygeia in Signs

✧. ┊Aries: In Aries, Hygeia governs your inclination to start fitness programs and live a healthy lifestyle. You may become impatient when recovering from illnesses, but -your declining health may be a sign that you need to slow down. You have little tolerance for sickness, which makes you reluctant to discuss it and even dislike a sneeze. As a result, you may not give yourself enough time to recover. However, a significant event may prompt you to take a break and prioritize your healing. Getting sick is usually an indication that you need to take a step back and relax. Overall, you strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle and enjoy rigorous exercise.

✧. ┊Taurus:With Hygeia in Taurus, you prioritize your comfort and well-being in everyday life. However, neglecting other areas of your life such as love or career could lead to illness. Your stubbornness and obstinacy can either aid or hinder your health depending on your willingness to make changes. Your health is closely tied to your sense of contentment and satisfaction, so if you're unhappy with your life, it's important to adjust your routine. Your diet may be a challenge due to overeating, drinking, and other unhealthy habits. Nonetheless, this trait also demonstrates your resilience and strength, which typically correlates with a robust immune system and the ability to bounce back from illnesses.

✧. ┊Gemini: With Hygeia in Gemini, you have a keen interest in learning about health, particularly the connections between mental and physical well-being. You may have had personal experiences with mental health that have led you to become something of a self-help expert. You are skilled at multitasking and can talk and move simultaneously, making you adept at gathering information on various health topics. Your mental agility enables you to recognize the importance of the mind-body connection, which keeps you from becoming complacent about your physical health. In short, you are constantly striving to maintain a healthy balance between your body and mind.

✧. ┊Cancer: With Hygeia in Cancer, your health is closely tied to your living environment. Any disruptions or instability at home can cause health problems for you. You tend to worry about the health and well-being of not only your family and friends but also others around you, including pets. Your caring and empathetic nature means that your health is intimately linked to the care you give to others. When faced with challenges at home or work, you may experience mental and physical health issues. On the positive side, you have a natural knack for understanding nutritional requirements and enjoy creating healthy snacks and meals for others.

✧. ┊Leo: With Hygeia in Leo, you take pride in your health and are generally content with your well-being. You may have a keen interest in physical exercise and other therapeutic activities like reading or painting, and enjoy taking long naps. When you're feeling unwell, you tend to put on a brave face and project an "I'm fine" image to others, even if you're not truly satisfied with your condition. However, you may fall ill when you don't receive what you feel you deserve, such as not achieving your desired weight loss or not being paid what you think you're worth. You have a high standard for your health and don't tolerate anything less than optimal.

✧. ┊Virgo: With Hygeia in Virgo, your health holds a crucial place in your life. Your well-being suffers when your daily routine becomes disorderly, so it's essential to recognize the connection between your mind and body and establish a healthy routine. You have a deep understanding of the interplay between your mind, body, and spirit, and you prioritize maintaining a balanced diet, regular exercise, and good hygiene. You have a strong need for personal cleanliness and an orderly environment, which helps you feel calm and centered. If you neglect your self-imposed health plans, you tend to feel unwell and understand that it can have long-term consequences.

✧. ┊Libra: With Hygeia in Libra, achieving balance in your life is crucial to maintaining good health. You understand the interplay between different aspects of your life, and how an imbalance can lead to health issues. You also see a connection between health and beauty, recognizing the benefits of good health, hygiene, and physical appearance. You enjoy sharing your ideas about what you find attractive and how it relates to overall health and well-being, and may become frustrated if your advice is not taken seriously by others.

✧. ┊Scorpio: With Hygeia in Scorpio, you may experience cycles of health and illness throughout your life. It's important to recognize the interplay between your mind and your physical well-being, particularly with regards to sexual health. Your deep interest in the connections between the psyche and the body fuels your fascination with establishing "truth connections" and achieving a sense of order and completeness in your life. Your health may be influenced by cyclical energy patterns, with sexual health and fertility being areas of particular importance.

✧. ┊Sagittarius: With Hygeia in Sagittarius you have a broad perspective on health and prefers to see how it fits into the big picture. As a result, they may research health issues for specific groups and often become someone with expertise in the medical or health fields who teaches in classes, courses, or lectures. Hygeia Sagittarius is a visionary in this field and must ensure that their knowledge of health is founded on truth and practicality.

✧. ┊Capricorn: Hygeia in Capricorn is highly knowledgeable about health issues and understands the importance of following proper procedures to maintain good health. They eventually become a health expert, driven by a keen interest in learning more about both personal and global health challenges. Hygeia in Capricorn is willing to put in long hours of rigorous study and serious research to find solutions to these challenges. Their dedication to their work is matched only by their unwavering commitment to improving the health and well-being of others.

✧. ┊Aquarius: Hygeia in Aquarius is deeply concerned about the health of the planet and stays up-to-date with the latest developments in health, medicine, and ecology. On a personal level, they enjoy staying fit and often participate in sports and fitness clubs with their friends. They have a keen interest in trying out fresh, innovative health practices and sharing them with others. Hygeia in Aquarius is also intrigued by unconventional treatments and alternative forms of healing. They tend to make acquaintances in situations involving health, treatment, and care, and enjoy networking with like-minded individuals who share their passion for improving the health and well-being of others.

✧. ┊Pisces: Hygeia in Pisces is deeply concerned about the spiritual wellness of the world. They believe in the connection between physical and spiritual health and are eager to share their thoughts and insights with others. Hygeia in Pisces has a strong sense of compassion and is willing to put themselves in the service of others, even if it means spending time at the hospital during bouts of illness. In a broader sense, Hygeia in Pisces has the potential to become a global leader with a mission to protect natural and spiritual resources. Their deep empathy and intuitive understanding of the interconnectedness of all things make them uniquely suited to this role. Whether through advocacy work, research, or other endeavors, Hygeia in Pisces is committed to promoting the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet as a whole.

Asteroid Hygeia in Houses

✧. ┊1st house: With Asteroid Hygeia in your 1st house, your focus on your health is always at the forefront of your mind. You're constantly aware of how you're feeling on a daily basis, and prioritize taking care of yourself. It's important for you to be open to new and innovative strategies to improve your overall health and well-being. By staying proactive and mindful of your physical and emotional health, you can maintain a positive and balanced outlook on life.

✧. ┊2nd house: With Asteroid Hygeia in your 2nd house, you have a deep desire to feel good about yourself and your overall health is often tied to your sense of self-esteem. You may find yourself overly focused on presenting yourself as well-groomed and put-together, and could become preoccupied with promoting this image to others. It's important to remember that true self-worth comes from within, and taking care of yourself holistically, both physically and emotionally, is key to feeling good about yourself. By nurturing a healthy sense of self and prioritizing your well-being, you'll naturally radiate confidence and positivity.

✧. ┊3rd house: With Asteroid Hygeia in your 3rd house, you may find that environmental stress can have negative physical effects on your well-being. Your nerves are more sensitive to external stresses, making your mental health a crucial aspect of your overall existence. It's important to prioritize self-care and take steps to manage stress, such as meditation or therapy, to maintain a sense of balance and inner peace. By nurturing your mental and emotional health, you'll be better equipped to handle the ups and downs of life and stay resilient in the face of challenges.

✧. ┊4th house: With Asteroid Hygeia in your 4th house, your early upbringing and conditioning can have a significant impact on your health and well-being as an adult. Negative conditioning or unresolved emotional issues from childhood can manifest as physical or mental health problems later in life. It's important to work through any past traumas or emotional baggage to promote healing and maintain a sense of balance in your life. By taking the time to address any pent-up difficulties, you can prevent them from impacting your health in the long term and create a healthier and happier future for yourself.

✧. ┊5th house: With Asteroid Hygeia in your 5th house, self-acceptance is crucial for your overall health and well-being. If you don't address your emotional needs and desires adequately, a preoccupation with finding love and validation from others could lead to negative health consequences. It's important to prioritize self-care and to cultivate a strong sense of self-worth that doesn't rely on external validation or the approval of others. By focusing on your own happiness and well-being, you'll be better equipped to form healthy relationships and create a fulfilling life for yourself. Remember, good health starts from within!

✧. ┊6th house: With Hygeia in your 6th house, you may be particularly focused on your health and well-being, and may struggle with issues related to self-esteem based on your level of productivity in this area. You may need to follow a strict diet or exercise regimen to maintain good health, and it's important to take care of yourself both physically and emotionally. However, it's also important to remember that self-worth isn't solely tied to productivity or achievement, and it's okay to give yourself grace and compassion when it comes to your health journey. By finding a balance between taking care of your physical health and prioritizing your emotional well-being, you'll be better equipped to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle for the long term.

✧. ┊7th house: With Hygeia in your 7th house, your mental and emotional well-being is closely tied to your relationships with others. You may struggle with issues related to self-identification and self-esteem, and may rely too heavily on external validation or the approval of others. It's important to prioritize your own needs and desires, and to cultivate a strong sense of self-worth that isn't dependent on the opinions or actions of others. Psychology and therapy can be helpful tools for exploring these issues and developing healthy coping mechanisms. By prioritizing your mental and emotional health and working to develop a strong sense of self, you'll be better equipped to form healthy and fulfilling relationships with others.

✧. ┊8th house: With Hygeia in your 8th house, you may have a deep fascination with health and wellness, and may be drawn to researching health issues in order to uncover hidden or underlying factors. You may also have an interest in topics related to death and the afterlife. It's important to approach your health journey with a balance of scientific and holistic principles, taking into account both physical and emotional factors. Collaborating with healthcare professionals or seeking out alternative healing practices can be beneficial for achieving optimal health and well-being. By staying curious and open-minded, you'll be better equipped to explore and understand the complexities of health and wellness.

✧. ┊9th house: With Hygeia in your 9th house, your belief in a higher power or higher consciousness may have a positive impact on your overall health and well-being. You may feel a strong sense of faith or spiritual connection that supports your physical and emotional health. This can help you to stay positive and resilient in the face of health challenges, and may also inspire you to explore alternative healing practices or seek out holistic approaches to wellness. However, it's important to remember that even with a strong belief system, it's still important to take care of your physical body and prioritize self-care. By staying attuned to both your spiritual and physical needs, you'll be better equipped to maintain balance and vitality in all areas of your life.

✧. ┊10th house: With Hygeia in your 10th house, your health may be closely tied to social expectations and the pressure to succeed or achieve recognition. You may have a strong drive to succeed in your career or public life, which can lead to stress and a tendency to prioritize work over self-care. When faced with challenging circumstances, you may struggle to let go of the need to control everything and find it difficult to relax. It's important to cultivate a healthy work-life balance and prioritize self-care, even amidst the demands of your career or public image. Taking breaks, setting boundaries, and seeking support from loved ones can help you to maintain your physical and emotional health. Remember that your worth isn't defined solely by your achievements, and that taking care of yourself is a vital component of long-term success and fulfillment.

✧. ┊11th house: With Hygeia in your 11th house, you may be less prone to health difficulties overall. However, your health may be impacted by tension or disappointment when your personal aspirations and desires are not met. It's important to prioritize self-care and manage stress in order to maintain your physical and emotional well-being. Additionally, cultivating positive social connections and a sense of community can have a beneficial impact on your health. By surrounding yourself with supportive and like-minded individuals, you may feel more motivated to prioritize your health and well-being. Remember that your health is a valuable asset and that investing in self-care and positive social connections can pay dividends in all areas of your life.

✧. ┊12th house: With Hygeia in your 12th house, you may be highly concerned about your health, and may experience psychological or psychic manifestations related to your well-being. It's important to pay attention to both your physical and emotional health, and to address any buried feelings or subconscious patterns that may be impacting your well-being. Repressed emotions or unresolved issues may manifest as physical symptoms or health problems, so it's important to prioritize self-awareness and seek support if needed. Practices such as meditation, therapy, or journaling may be helpful in uncovering and processing any underlying emotional or psychological factors that may be impacting your health. Remember that taking care of yourself holistically can lead to greater overall well-being and a sense of peace and balance in your life.

Asteroid Hygeia in Aspects Overview

✧. ┊Conjunction: can manifest as a strong focus on health and wellness, or an increased sensitivity to health issues and the need for self-care. The planet that is conjunct with Hygeia can also influence the expression of health and wellness in the individual.

✧. ┊Opposition or Square: can manifest as health issues that stem from stress or emotional turmoil, or a struggle to balance self-care with other responsibilities. The planet that is in opposition to Hygeia can also represent an area of life where the individual experiences challenges related to health and wellness.

✧. ┊Trine or Sextile: can manifest as an easy ability to maintain good health and wellness, or a natural inclination to prioritize self-care and well-being. The planet that is in trine to Hygeia can also represent an area of life where the individual experiences ease and support related to health and wellness.

Asteroid Hygeia in Aspecting the Planets

✧. ┊Sun: it indicates a strong focus on health and well-being, and a tendency to prioritize self-care. The Sun represents the individual's core identity and sense of self, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a deep connection between one's sense of self and their physical and emotional health. This aspect can also indicate a need to pay attention to the body's signals and to prioritize rest and relaxation when needed. The individual may have a strong desire to achieve optimal health and well-being, and may be drawn to careers or activities related to health and wellness.

✧. ┊Moon: it indicates a deep connection between emotional well-being and physical health. The Moon represents the individual's emotional nature and sense of security, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a strong focus on nurturing oneself both emotionally and physically. The individual may be particularly sensitive to environmental factors that impact their well-being, and may benefit from a supportive community or network of loved ones. This aspect can also indicate a need to prioritize self-care and to recognize the importance of rest and relaxation for overall health and well-being.

✧. ┊Mercury: it indicates a deep interest in health and wellness, particularly with regards to mental health and communication. Mercury represents the individual's communication style and mental processes, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a desire to share information about health and wellness with others. The individual may be drawn to careers or activities related to healthcare, psychology, or other fields related to mental and emotional well-being. This aspect can also indicate a need to prioritize self-care and to recognize the importance of mental and emotional health for overall well-being.

✧. ┊Venus:it indicates a deep connection between physical well-being and aesthetic beauty. Venus represents the individual's sense of beauty, love, and attraction, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a desire to maintain good health and wellness in order to promote physical attractiveness. The individual may be drawn to activities that promote both physical health and beauty, such as yoga or dance, and may prioritize self-care and pampering in order to maintain a sense of balance and well-being. This aspect can also indicate a need to prioritize relationships and social connections as a key aspect of overall health and well-being.

✧. ┊Mars: it indicates a strong connection between physical health and energy levels. Mars represents the individual's drive, ambition, and physical energy, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a strong desire to maintain good health and wellness in order to achieve one's goals. The individual may be drawn to physical activity and may prioritize exercise as a key aspect of overall health and well-being. This aspect can also indicate a need to recognize the importance of rest and relaxation in order to maintain a healthy balance between physical activity and recovery.

✧. ┊Jupiter: it indicates a deep interest in health and wellness on a global or societal level. Jupiter represents the individual's sense of optimism, growth, and expansion, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a desire to promote health and well-being for all. The individual may be drawn to careers or activities related to public health, advocacy, or policy-making, and may prioritize community outreach and education as a key aspect of overall health and well-being. This aspect can also indicate a need to recognize the interconnectedness of all living beings and to promote a holistic approach to health and wellness.

✧. ┊Saturn: it indicates a deep sense of responsibility and discipline when it comes to health and wellness. Saturn represents the individual's sense of structure, authority, and responsibility, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a desire to maintain good health and wellness in a rigorous and disciplined manner. The individual may be drawn to structured exercise routines or health regimens, and may prioritize self-discipline and self-control as key aspects of overall well-being. This aspect can also indicate a need to recognize the importance of balance and flexibility when it comes to health and wellness, and to avoid becoming overly rigid or self-critical in pursuit of perfection.

✧. ┊Uranus: it indicates a focus on unconventional or innovative approaches to health and wellness. Uranus represents the individual's sense of rebellion, revolution, and change, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a desire to explore new and untested methods for achieving optimal health and well-being. The individual may be drawn to alternative healing practices or may experiment with unconventional diets or exercise regimens. This aspect can also indicate a need to recognize the potential risks and benefits of unconventional approaches to health and wellness, and to maintain a sense of balance and caution when exploring new methods.

✧. ┊Neptune: it indicates a deep connection between physical health and spiritual well-being. Neptune represents the individual's sense of spirituality, intuition, and imagination, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a desire to explore the connection between the mind and body. The individual may be drawn to meditation, yoga, or other spiritual practices, and may prioritize emotional and mental health as key aspects of overall well-being. This aspect can also indicate a need to recognize the potential risks and benefits of alternative healing practices, and to maintain a sense of balance between physical and spiritual health.

✧. ┊Pluto: it indicates a deep connection between physical health and transformative experiences. Pluto represents the individual's sense of power, transformation, and rebirth, and when in aspect with Hygeia, this can manifest as a desire to explore the connection between the body and the unconscious mind. The individual may be drawn to practices such as psychoanalysis or hypnotherapy, and may prioritize emotional and mental health as key aspects of overall well-being. This aspect can also indicate a need to recognize the potential risks and benefits of transformative experiences, and to maintain a sense of balance between physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

[nenelonomh]

sickness hygiene

living through covid, we all know just how important simple practices like washing your hands are - to protect you from sickness, and save you time and money. it's especially important to know how to clean yourself properly - but often the extent of the benefits is masked. would you have guessed increased productivity as a benefit?

sickness hygiene refers to the preventative hygiene practices that you can implement to protect yourself and others from illness. ailment can significantly impact productivity for several reasons. when you're unwell, physical discomfort affects your ability to focus and perform tasks efficiently. pain, fatigue, and other symptoms can hinder productivity.

of course, when you're sick - it's important to take care of yourself and rest. this post explores preventative measures and benefits. taking care of yourself can help you feel like her. when you prioritize self-care, it positively impacts various aspects of your life.

here are some reasons why hygiene is essential:

disease prevention

contributes to physical health

improved mental and emotional well-being

practicing good hygiene helps prevent the spread of infections and diseases. regular handwashing, proper dental care, and cleanliness reduce the risk of illnesses caused by bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.

you should wash your hands before and after: preparing food, caring for a sick person, using the bathroom, blowing your nose or sneezing, or coughing, touching an animal, using public transportation, and handling garbage. if you don't have the ability to wash your hands, try to use hand sanitizer.

maintaining personal hygiene, such as bathing, grooming, and washing hands, contributes to physical health. it prevents skin infections, body odor, and other hygiene-related issues.

feeling clean and fresh positively impacts mental health. good hygiene boosts self-esteem, confidence, and overall happiness.

here's some of my favourite, relevant posts:

hand hygiene

oral hygiene

bathing

i hope this post was helpful, and i wish you luck on your journey. ❤ nene

image source: pinterest

[empirearchives]

Napoleon and Water

Excerpt from the book Aaron Burr in Exile: A Pariah in Paris, 1810-1811, by Jane Merrill and John Endicott

Aaron Burr lived in Paris for 15 months, and this book goes into detail about those years living under Napoleon’s rule. This part focuses on Napoleon’s water related reforms.

———

Napoleon’s fountains gave drinking water to the population, that is, children drank water, not beer. The water was free, not purchased. And the apartment would have had a separate water closet equipped with squat toilets (adopted from the Turks) and a bucket to wash it after use. Some restaurants and cafes had W.C.s, even one for ladies and one for gents. These were hooked into the sewer system that branched under each important street.

Napoleon merits points for delivering fresh water to Paris. If serving Paris with water from the d'Ourcq River by canals was not be a consummate success, Paris gained 40 new fountains, and the emperor commanded that fountains run all day (instead of a few limited hours) and that the water be free of charge.

Perhaps the most laudable of Napoleon’s policies were utilitarian city works, especially bringing clean water and sanitation to Paris. The improvements to infrastructure included new quays to prevent floods, new gutters and pavement, new aqueducts and fountains, and relocating cemeteries and slaughterhouses to the outskirts of the city. This was also a way of keeping up employment. An Austrian aristocrat in town during Napoleon’s wedding to Marie-Louise wrote his mother, in Vienna: “Nothing can give an idea of the immense projects undertaken simultaneously in Paris. The incoherence of it is incredible; one cannot imagine that the life of a single man would be enough to finish them.”

It was a tall order. Previous rulers had been aware of the problems and one big engineering initiative, a failed marvel, had been the waterworks at Marly, located on the banks of the Seine about seven miles from Paris. Louis XIV had it constructed to pump water from the river to his chateaux of Versailles and Marly. This was the machine marvel of its age, with 250 pumps that forced river water up a 500-foot rise to an aqueduct, and it was a sight Burr mentions going to see. By 1817 the “Marly machine” had deteriorated because it was made of wood, and the waterworks were abandoned.

Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve, the prominent 19th century literary critic, wrote that there had been “ten years of anarchy, sedition and laxity, during which no useful work had been undertaken, not a street had been cleaned, not a residence repaired nothing improved or cleansed.” Postrevolutionary Paris was at a nadir in terms of both the inadequate, disease-ridden water supply and the filthy streets, which were basically open sewers, deep with black mud and refuse.

“Napoleon,” writes Alistair Horne, “was obsessed by the water of Paris, and everything to do with it.”

Parisians had mostly been getting their water directly from the Seine or lining up at the scant pay fountains. In 1806, nineteen new wells for fountains were dug that flowed day and night and were free. Napoleon had a canal built 60 miles from the River Ourcq, ordering 500 men to dig it, while still a consul in 1801. It brought water to the Bassin de la Villette, opening in 1808. Some doubted the wisdom of having such an abundance of water—an oriental luxury that might incur moral decay. Now the supply of water for firefighting was also much improved. The canal had light boats, as Napoleon tried to make back some of the huge expenditure by licensing navigation, and a circular aqueduct from which underground conduits went to the central city. In 1810, there were still many water porters wheeling barrels through the city.

Now Napoleon attacked the problem of the Seine as a catchall for pollution. Parisians were so used to it that men swam naked in the river and a contemporary guidebook advised merely that the water of the Seine had no ill effects on foreigners so long as they drank it mixed with wine or a drop of vinegar. Thus houses on bridges were demolished and an immense push began to clean and modernize the city sewers.

As this book is about Aaron Burr, here is section about Burr taking inspiration by a new water related invention during his time in Paris:

Remarkably for someone who was very aware of his health, he never complained of the water. He did, however, take an interest in an invention to make it easier to dig a well. When the inventor of a process to make vinegar from the sap of any tree was not in his shop, Burr and a friend, “Crede”, went to see another invention: “We went then to see Mons. Cagniard, and his new invention of raising water and performing any mechanical operation. His apparatus is a screw of Archimedes turned the reverse, air, water, and quick silver. Cagniard was abroad; but we saw a model, and worked it, and got the report of a committee of the Institute on the subject. If the thing performs what is said I will apply it to give water to Charleston.”

[Bold italics for quotations by me]

[gotham25052]

Dark Waters Part 6

As the social fabric of Gotham begins to fray and the Joker's intrusion into her life escalates, Anna struggles to maintain control. But is she threatened by the Joker or by something within herself?

Contents: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

Tag list: Let me know if you'd like to be on a tag list for this fic!

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

Author's note: Annie has some visitors at the hospital...

TW: 18+, violence, mild sexual content, heavy themes including contemplation of death, mention of morgue, body bag, funeral homes, suspected/inferred necrophilia (nothing graphic)

Dark Waters, Part 6

At first, everything that was happening blurred together for Annie at the hospital. She didn't remember very much from day to day. The parade of doctors and nurses never ended - so many faces passing by her bed. They were constantly checking her heart rate, drawing her blood, sending her for scans. An exhaustion like nothing she had felt before pursued her, and she just wanted them all to go away so that she could sleep.

She felt in the beginning like they were killing her with all the testing, but when she started to have longer breaks between coughing fits, she realized the antibiotics they were using were working. The first time she slept through the night without waking up in a struggle to breath, she felt like she was in heaven.

The sameness of the days was filled with repeated moments - breathing treatments, short walks in the hospital's hallways - until she wasn't sure how many times she had followed the same routine. But she could see from the calendar the nurses refreshed each week that about a month had passed since she entered the hospital.

She had some difficulty acting as if she was her new pseudonym, Sarah Lilton, but her usual reticence to talk and her stoicism served her well and helped her avoid mistakes when talking. Silence was her ally.

One of the doctors, the one who seemed to be in charge, she thought it was Dr. Breall - he always studied her vitals with wide eyes, as if she posed some serious danger to him. It was hard for her to understand. She didn't think she came across as very threatening, here ill in the hospital. She had no idea that the Joker had threatened this particular doctor with impromptu surgery if she didn't recover. Though, perhaps it was somewhat naive of her not to guess that some type of intimidation had happened.

The one thing that gave her an anchor in this new world was the image of the Joker in her mind. His voice, his dirty hair, it was so far removed from this sanitized existence. She dwelled on all the details of him, clinging to them like a lifeline to the outside world.

She watched the news each day on the TV in her room, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, some reminder that he was actually out there. But hardly any information about him surfaced. Instead, stories about Dent's passport system and the checkpoints took up most of the broadcasts. Little incidents had begun to happen - a small demonstration of peaceful protesters had tried to walk through a checkpoint, refusing to show their passports, and had been disbursed with tear gas and arrested. Bizarrely, a few of them were wearing clown masks - Annie could hardly believe a peaceful demonstrator was wearing the same mask as the Joker's armed thugs. But in such a divided city, the citizens of Lower Gotham seemed to be embracing anything that was against Dent's checkpoints.

The news was full of other related events. A new mother with her baby was held up for hours because she didn't have paperwork for the newborn; stores were short on inventory because of truckers' difficulty passing the border between the two halves of the city. But these events were trivial compared to the last one the news had covered - the details stayed with her and made her feel uneasy. A man had pulled out a gun when passing through the main checkpoint on the largest bridge between Lower and Upper Gotham. He had mortally wounded two of the officers staffing the booths there and was also killed himself. The story explained that he was a father with three children, an average man who had never shown any signs of violence before. Something about the situation in Gotham now had pushed this man to extremes he never would have come to otherwise. Annie wondered what would happen as the weather warmed into spring and the city's residents returned to the streets.

"Well, Sarah, you have someone famous coming to visit you today," the nurse said one morning. "Lucky lady, the best room in the hospital and important visitors." Annie's brow furrowed, her first thought of someone famous that she knew being the Joker, but knowing that the nurse wouldn't be excited about a visit from him. The nurse seemed to expect a response, so Annie responded with a hollow, "Yes, I'm very lucky." She attempted an awkward smile, but knew it must have not been convincing. The nurse just shook her head and laughed, finishing up recording her vitals for the morning.

The nurses and staff straightened up her room and encouraged her to brush her hair. There was some kind of strange excitement in the air for this visit. Annie could barely control her nerves - anything out of the ordinary was concerning to her. She had no idea how or when she would get out of this hospital, and she was constantly afraid of giving away her identity. Someone even put a bouquet of flowers on the table by her bed, but they had no meaning to her - she knew they were there just as decoration, to be inviting to whatever guest was coming. She suddenly felt quite alone, quite a lot more alone than she had felt at any time during her stay in the hospital so far.

Later that morning, her fear only increased when she saw two police officers enter the room, throwing her into a panic. She maintained the same stoic composure she had adopted for her entire stay in the hospital, but under the surface she knew she may have been discovered.

However, when the next person strode in, she knew the officers were just a security detail. It was Mayor Dent, looking much larger in life than he did on TV screens. He walked in with practiced ease, looking cheerful despite the bleak hospital walls. He sat down in the chair by her bed, and her gaze was suddenly far away, thinking of a very different person who had been there in the same chair when she first arrived.

Her faraway stare and look of concern didn't seem to phase Dent, as he regarded her and said "Good morning, Sarah, I'm sorry to be intruding on you like this," with the easiest affability in the world. She looked at him with his signature blond hair and tailored suit, everything painting the picture of a dedicated and charismatic public servant. Anyone would be disarmed by his politeness, his attractive appearance. But Annie was not just anyone, she had experience with lawyers and the legal system, and she was not so easily charmed. Her vigilance was only increased by his smooth demeanor and polite words.

"How are you feeling," he asked, seeming to really want to know the answer. She was hoping he wouldn't ask questions and was already at a loss as to how to answer. "Um, I feel good, much better," she said, looking at him anxiously. "Ok, that's good," he replied, seeming to smile away her awkwardness.

"Well, it's a beautiful day outside, hopefully you'll get to go home soon and enjoy being free from this hospital. I know you must be tired of the long stay you've had here."

She nodded silently and he shifted in his seat, clearly ready to pursue a different line of inquiry.

"Sarah, I came today to ask for your help. Do you remember… how you got to the hospital?"

Her eyes rolled to the side, already feeling suffocated. This must be why he was here. "I remember some of it, not all," she said carefully.

"Well, you must remember the man who brought you here, he would be hard to forget, with the makeup and all," another easy smile spread across Dent's face, as if he was dismissing the Joker's appearance, making light of the clown that was terrorizing Gotham.

"Yes, yes, I think it was the Joker, right? Or maybe someone pretending to be him? I've seen him on the news before. Yes, it was all very strange for me." She had at least thought about what she might say if asked about how she arrived, during her long weeks of recovery in the hospital, so she had some idea of how to respond to these types of questions. The words felt strange in her mouth, though - she had always preferred silence to lying.

"We are just wondering why he went to the trouble to bring you here. He took a huge risk when he came to this hospital. It would be odd to do that for a stranger - are you sure you've never met him before?" his face had become more serious, the interrogation skills of the lawyer becoming more apparent.

"Yes, I had just gone out to try to find a clinic, because I was so sick, and I couldn't handle the snow and fainted. I have no idea why he was there, why he brought me here. He does seem… unpredictable? Maybe it was some kind of a… joke?"

"Well, I suppose that's possible," said Dent, frustration beginning to creep into his voice. It was clear to her that he had something else up his sleeve, something he was going to throw at her. He clearly didn't believe her story.

"So Sarah… Sarah Lilton, right?" She nodded her head slowly. "Let's hear a little more about you - where did you grow up? Where do you work?" His words had become icy, and his demeanor was no longer the affable politician. He was instead the clever lawyer.

She paused, knowing she couldn't answer those questions convincingly. She took a deep breath, following her only option at this point. "I'm feeling tired, please, I don't want to answer any more questions today."

"You can't even tell me where you work?" he said with mock surprise.

Her demeanor changed too, and despite her small frame and the clear marks illness had left on her, her eyes held him in a clear, unflinching gaze. "I don't think I have to answer your questions. If you are accusing me of something, then I'll need a lawyer, please."

She could hear him exhale, his anger finally rising to the surface.

This interview had not gone in the way he had hoped, at all, he realized. How could this clown draw these types of people to him, with their insane loyalty? Dent himself didn't have those kinds of followers - his people had turned on him as soon as his popularity in the polls began to fall. How did the Joker inspire this kind of devotion? They must all be lunatics. Dent cursed the fate that had pitted him against such a foe. He wished that he could have brought his gun to the hospital, but of course that wasn't allowed. Looking at her, somehow he doubted even that would make her give him away.

He was already sitting quite close to the bed, and now his arm shot out and grabbed her wrist. He wasn't able to yell or threaten her there in the hospital, but all his anger was channeled down into his grip on her. His face contorted with stress and the effort he was putting in to squeezing her wrist. She drew in a sharp breath with the pain, feeling like her bones would break, but her gaze remained unwavering and never left his face.

He finally let go with a sigh of frustration and got up. He didn't look at her again. He spoke to the officers at the door. "As soon as she's well enough, book her, get her down to the station. She goes directly from the hospital to the station." He walked out of the room, resuming his usual easy manner, so that the doctors and nurses didn't even know what had happened. They had been remarking on how their patient and Dent could have almost been brother and sister, or even an attractive couple, with their similarly light colored hair (though hers was slightly darker than his) and delicate features. They both looked almost angelic.

She had felt somewhat trapped before, not knowing how she would leave, but now the hospital became a prison for her. She knew they would come for her, and from there, she knew that the police could bypass some of her legal rights if they submitted her for a psychiatric evaluation and deemed her to be Arkham material. All her fears of the mental institution flooded back now, and she began to wish the Joker had left her there in the snow. She only knew the rumors about Arkham, but they were enough for her to recognize that she wouldn't survive there.

She didn't completely lose hope that there would be a way out, but any expectation of freedom seemed very doubtful with the increased security that seemed to have begun after Dent's visit. The false kindness of his words also stayed with her. It was frightening to see the monster behind a man with such a good public image and wholesome appearance.

The flowers at her bedside were starting to wilt. She wondered if they would come and discard it, or if she should try to take care of it. She hadn't paid any attention to it, assuming it was some kind of decor that was meant to make her room more attractive for Dent's visit. But now, regarding it, she noticed it was quite an unusual collection of flowers - dark purple irises next to yellow lilies and pale pink roses - the colors clashed more than they complimented one another. She studied it more closely, noticing that there was a note in the small plastic holder. She reached out and took it, her curiosity now taking over. She opened it and read the simple message, "Wait for me."

Somehow it made sense that he would have left a message for her hidden in plain sight. She held it close to her for a moment, feeling warmed from within knowing that he was working on a way to get her out. She came back to herself and realized she needed to hide it. She placed the message in her waistband - she realized the best thing to do would be to flush it. At this point it was possible they would be going through the wastebaskets in the room.

It was late afternoon, the time that the janitors usually came around to the rooms to clean the floors and bathrooms. She often observed them working, just as a distraction from the boredom of being stuck in bed. Today she quickly realized that something was different - only one person entered the room.

He had his back to her, but she recognized him immediately from the smooth lines of his tall form. She might also have noticed it was him from the strange, abrupt way he mopped. Somehow it looked like the mop was guiding him instead of him guiding the mop. Otherwise he looked very much like anyone else in the hospital - he had his curly hair pulled back, erasing its unique texture, and there wasn't a hint of green in it.

She gasped as a nurse walked into the room, and she quickly looked away from his figure in the corner, not wanting to draw attention to him. The nurse took care of the equipment around her, noting the various readings from the monitors. "Your heart rate is high, Sarah, are you feeling all right?" she asked.

"Um, yes, just - I think I had a nightmare, like a flashback to when I was out there in the snow," Annie stumbled out.

"Yes, you have been through a lot. I'll check on it again later."

Annie closed her eyes and turned toward the wall to avoid talking further. She wasn't sure when the nurse left, but she realized there must be no one else in the room when she felt his face in her hair, his nose pressed to her scalp as he gathered the rest of it in handfuls and brought it around his face.

She would have been surprised if she could have read his thoughts. In fact, when he found her, seeing her hair strewn out on the snow had affected him in a way he didn't fully understand. He was the Joker, he personally sliced open bodies without a second thought, nothing phased him. Maybe it was some suppressed memory, or something about the contrast of the warm color of her hair on the unforgiving whiteness of the snow, but the image had stayed with him and allowed him little rest. Now he just wanted to feel it around him, to feel her warmth in the strands.

She stayed motionless, unsure of what to do and how to respond. He finally pulled back, though his face was still quite close as he knelt there by the bed. She turned her head to look at him. He had none of his usual makeup, his face naked in a way that had surprised her before on the rocky seawall. The surgical mask he had likely been wearing while cleaning was pulled down under his chin, revealing the familiar outline of his scars.

Her eyes ran over the jagged, protruding marks branching back from his lips. Here in the hospital they just looked like mundane injuries, injuries that needed to be fixed. They were old wounds that had hurt him, weakened him. She suddenly understood some small part of why he painted his face. The paint made the scars a prominent mark of his identity, something that distinguished him and struck fear into the viewer. They were no longer just a damaged echo from his past.

But the origin of his scars seemed too intimate, too personal, for her to dwell on. Despite her new understanding of her own feelings, he was still a remote being for her, hard to grasp. Her eyes explored the rest of his face. He looked tired, worn, dark circles under his eyes, his face washed-out and colorless.

She didn't know what to say, but she felt somehow responsible for the challenges he was facing in the effort to get her out of the hospital. "I'm sorry I did this…. I'm sorry I put you in this situation," she said guiltily.

"Shhh, no kitten, this is fun for me, I like a challenge," he said quietly, a toothy smile overtaking the normality of his face and making it clear he was no less than the Joker, even with the makeup off.

"What's this," he said, suddenly picking up her arm. His eyes had caught the discolored ring around her wrist, the bruise spreading black and red on her pale skin away from where Dent had held her several days before. "Have they changed medical practices recently? Is this some new treatment?"

"It's nothing, it will be gone in a week. Please, don't worry about it." She pleaded with him, knowing that she didn't want to stoke the fires between him and Dent any further. She feared that the explosion that would happen when the two met would blow them both away.

"Mmm hmmm," he said noncommittally. "Dent did this, didn't he? My people here on the inside, they told me he visited you. I guess it didn't end too well." His eyelids half closed and his expression became completely blank, in a way she had not seen before. But she knew instinctively that this must be his look when he was in his most dangerous of moods.

"Forget it, please," she repeated, and he shook off the trance he had been in for a moment. "Ok, kitten, we don't have much time. We have to go over the plan to get you out of here."

He stayed on his knees by the bed, looking at her and combing her hair back with his fingers, reordering it after he had messed it up so badly wrapping it around his face.

"It's going to be difficult, getting you out. Dent has gotten smarter, meaner."

He took a strand of hair and smoothed it back carefully behind her ear.

He quietly shared the details of what would happen, and she grew more and more alarmed. "No clothes?" she said. He nodded and continued to explain, and she was liking the plan less and less as he went. He pulled a small vial from the pocket of the scrubs he was wearing and placed it in her hand. "This will help, it will make your skin paler and will slow your breathing."

"Will I be asleep?"

"No, not exactly. You'll just feel very… sluggish. And this too" he pulled out another small container. She opened it, revealing a bluish cream. "Just put a little around your eyes and on your lips. It won't fool someone experienced, but for anyone not really paying attention, it will work." The idea of being put in this situation terrified her, and she showed it on her face.

"Listen, Annie, you know as well as me that the first thing they'll do is send you to Arkham. I don't know exactly what you've heard, but it's ten times worse than any of the rumors about it. This is our best chance to get you out of here."

She sighed. "I'll do it. I don't know if it will work."

"It will work," he said. "I'm stacking the odds in your favor."

He was finishing with the final few strands of her hair, taking them back away from her face.

"You follow my plan this time, but I'm telling you something you should remember - you should never trust someone else's plan. Next time, you make your own plan, and then you have a second plan ready if that one fails too. That's the only way to survive in this world."

She looked at him, confused. She could barely handle the plan he had given her.

It was clear that he would have to leave now that he had finished sharing the details with her. Every second he was here added to the risk that he would be discovered.

She wondered how he would say goodbye - they both knew there was something between them, but there was certainly no precedent for what to do in such a strange relationship, in as unromantic a setting as a hospital. She looked at him with wide eyes, dwelling on his face and worried that she may never make it out of the hospital at all. He began to rise to leave, but while still on his knees, he brought his face to the side of her head and came close to her ear, the ear he had so carefully uncovered while smoothing back her hair. She felt his lips brush against it, and then his teeth gently closed on her earlobe, sending a chill down her neck. He quickly withdrew and walked backwards, grabbing the mop, his smile disappearing as he placed the surgical mask back over the lower half of his face. He became anonymous again with the addition of the mask and turned around, disappearing quickly into the hallway.

She thought she had felt alone before. Now she truly did.

She was glad that only a week had passed between the time she learned about the plan and the time she woke from a nap in the evening to the nurse's aide whispering, "It's time." She had dreaded the day and simply wanted to get it over with, whatever the outcome.

She had seen this aide before, but never knew that she was working for the Joker. "Ok," said Annie, with little else that she could say or do. She had gone over the tasks she needed to complete several times before in her mind. Drink the contents of the vial, put on a little of the blue makeup… After her first experience with one of the Joker's concoctions, that time involuntarily, she was very reluctant to take it. But she recalled the reason for all this, and the threat of Arkham, and she drank it in one swallow. The mild sweet taste caught her by surprise. But she soon felt dizzy and knew she didn't have a lot of time. She dabbed on the makeup and took off the flimsy hospital gown, hesitating for a moment before she placed herself into the cold plastic of the body bag on the gurney that the aide had brought. The dizziness was becoming overwhelming now, and the nurse's aide looked down on her with a concerned expression. Annie managed to say, "Please help, zip it for me?" And the aide complied, zipping up the bag almost but not completely, as she'd been instructed, but not before she tied on the toe tag.

Annie lay in the dark inside the bag, all of her senses numbed somewhat and her powers of movement slowed. But she could feel the gurney being pushed down the hallway and into an elevator. She knew they would be heading to the hospital morgue, the transit point that the Joker's escape plan centered around. According to him, they would just check the tag and place her into a compartment, almost like a drawer. She felt completely powerless and the dizziness was now joined by nausea, making everything worse.

The gurney finally halted, and Annie heard the aide talking to someone, a man. It sounded like this was where she was being handed off at the morgue. All was silent for a while, and then she heard the man's voice somewhere at a distance, saying, "Ok, good sir, there you go. All tucked in for the night." Was there someone else in the room? Her thinking was dulled a bit just like her movements, but she finally put together that he must be talking to the bodies. Was he inspecting them before he closed the morgue for the night? He seemed to have nicknames for each one, which was quickly becoming disturbing.

She suddenly heard the sound of the zipper above her face and used all the self-control she had to stay as still as she could. He unzipped it all the way down to her feet, and she felt the cold air of the morgue hit her naked skin. "Oh, a young one, this is out of the ordinary…" the man began, immediately putting her on alert. She could feel him near her shoulder - he must have been taking a strand of her hair in his hand. "And such pretty hair." She could only guess that he must be staring at her, and she knew the gig was up. If he touched her skin, there was no way she could remain still. Her movements might be slow and awkward, but she would most definitely give herself away. The Joker's plan would be up in smoke, and she was sure the security around her would be heightened a thousandfold with this escape attempt.

She was surprised to feel a cold line under on her upper lip, like someone holding a piece of metal there. She still managed to stay motionless, but knew it couldn't bode well. The feeling disappeared and she knew the man must be gone. She didn't dare open her eyes.

The man had left her there, poking his head out into the hallway. "Hey Dr. Breall, is this one of your patients? She's here in the morgue, but she seems to be breathing." He pulled the doctor in from the hallway. "Oh my God," he said, when he saw the fog on the mirror the man held below her nose.

Dr. Breall wasn't stupid, he guessed this was some plan the Joker had to get her out. And the sooner she was out of his care, the sooner he would be off the hook with the Joker's threat. He turned his attention from Annie to the man, a decisive look taking over his panicked face. He would take a risk in an effort to keep himself out of trouble.

"Look, Ethan, I've had my suspicions about you down here in this morgue. Your job is to check the toe tags and put them in the drawer, that's it. So why is the bag completely unzipped on this body? I may be able to turn a blind eye to whatever you do down here if you listen and do what I say: you take this body, and you put it in a drawer like you would usually do, but don't you dare lay a finger on it. Just leave it be, don't pay any attention to it. My life is on the line here, so you better be sure if you do anything differently, I'll have your name plastered in the papers with whatever you do down here. Do you understand?"

"I don't do anything wrong…"

"Maybe you don't. But if the overseeing doctor of Gotham General accuses you of something, how do you think that will end up for you?"

"Yeah, I understand." She could hear the zipper being closed and she felt some relief at simply being covered again, though it was small comfort with such a thin protection.

She soon felt the hard platform she was lying on raised and placed on another surface, and then all the light she could see through the slots in the zipper were gone and she was in complete darkness, cold and silent. It was clear with the receding sounds and doors closing that the morgue attendant had finally left for the night. She was afraid of falling asleep in the cold, with the effects of the drug she had taken. She was frightened that she may never wake up. She hardly knew she was doing it, but suddenly she realized she had gone far back, deep into her mind, and she was reciting verses she remembered from her youth. They didn't hold particular meaning or comfort for her in this situation, but the simple act of remembering and keeping her lips moving refreshed her and kept her from sleep.

It would have been quite terrifying if a bystander had walked into the morgue that night. If they listened very carefully, they would have heard whispered verses, enunciated clearly and quietly, from the more unsettling parts of the Bible, from Revelation, from Job. She went through all the verses she knew that night. She was one of those who had memorized several books of the Bible, so it kept her occupied for much of the night. Luckily, no one entered to hear the muffled whispers in the otherwise still metal room.

Morning finally came. New staff had arrived at the hospital morgue for the day shift, and hearing voices lifted Annie's spirits. The drug also seemed to be wearing off, making her feel more aware and able to move freely. She would have to hope that they did not unzip the bag to look at her. The voices came closer to the compartment she was in and began to open the drawer. She made an effort to breath as shallowly as possible to avoid giving herself away. Luckily, they seemed to not be paying much attention to her.

"Huh, Langendecker funeral home? I've never seen this one," a man's voice said. Another man answered, "Well, they seem pretty anxious to get this body, they said the family wants the funeral as soon as possible."

"Ok, well, whatever." One of them opened the bag from the bottom to check the toe tag, making it clear that it was a two-way zipper. The fact that the morgue's night attendant had opened the zipper from the top became even more disturbing in her mind.

"Yeah, that matches. Ok, lets get it out there and be done with this one at least." She felt them lift the bag onto some other surface, and then she was being wheeled through some large room in the morgue. When they reached the loading dock doors and headed outside, the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the zipper and the stripe of light gave her hope that she was done with her ordeal.

She felt herself being transferred yet again. One of the morgue staff asked, "Langendecker, you guys new in the area or something?"

"Oh, we're based more on the outskirts of town, you probably haven't heard of us before," a new voice answered.

They seemed to have loaded her into a vehicle. In another few minutes, she could feel movement and knew they were leaving. She felt more relieved the more the distance grew between her and the hospital, though the deep cold that she had felt throughout the night and the strange aftereffects of the drug made also made her ill. Someone unzipped the bag over her face and the sun blinded her. Her hands involuntarily went up to her face to protect them from the onslaught of light. "Kitten, it's me," his familiar voice said. She leaned back, now allowing the shivering that had been building all night to break out with vigor. He took a blanket he seemed to have brought for the occasion and draped it over her as he unzipped the bag. She quickly picked up on what was happening and wrapped the blanket around herself, both for warmth and to cover her body. She was sitting next to him in a large van, shelves arranged on one side - it must be a funeral home's van, meant for transporting bodies from the hospital. She was thankful it was empty except for the Joker and his men.

"Here, sit up. Drink this." he said, handing her a thermos. "It's a great antidote."

"I don't know if I want to drink any of the things you mix up," she said, her teeth chattering. "Just drink," he said, smiling.

She took a cautious sip. "Is this… hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, it is. It helps, trust me. I tried that stuff you had a few weeks ago. It's awful."

The familiar warm taste did seem to chase away the remaining numbness that the drug had induced, and warmed her from the relentless cold that had plagued her at night.

He seemed to be in a delighted mood; she wasn't sure if it was because he had gotten her out or because he had fooled Dent again. She suspected it was probably a combination of the two. He must have decided the occasion was worth his full attire - he was wearing his suit, purple jacket, everything - and his face seemed freshly painted.

"The woman who helped me - will she be all right?" Annie asked.

"Well, she wouldn't be, if she was still here, but she is flying to back to her home country right now, to her family, a very wealthy woman now. It's what she wanted, for her help," he answered, giving Annie some consolation. She didn't want to be personally responsible for someone else's imprisonment.

"I brought you some clothes, kitten. You really don't have much to choose from, you know."

The trivial topic of her wardrobe struck her as incredibly out of place considering the ordeal she had just been through. She took the shirt and pants he handed her.

"Go ahead," he said casually. Her eyes roamed over to him and then to the other two men in the back of the van, and then up to the driver. He rolled his eyes. "Ok, kitten, we'll find a way."

He went up to the front and talked to the driver, who pulled over into a small, empty parking lot.

"We have to stay here in the van. We don't want you on any security cameras in the city."

"Uh, everyone look away, the kitten is going to change." The men looked confused but when they saw the Joker's face, they moved to the front and started smoking together. "Give me the blanket. Come on, I'm not looking." He turned his head and closed his eyes, holding his arms out for the blanket, looking incredibly comical in his intimidating attire in such an unusual posture. She unwrapped the blanket from around her body and placed one corner in each of his hands. She put on the shirt and pants, thankful to be covered in normal clothing again.

"Are you done?" he drawled impatiently. "Yes," she said, pulling the blanket from his hands and wrapping it around her shoulders. "Let's go, to the exchange," he yelled to the front, and the driver took off again.

They drove for a while longer, until they found themselves on one of the subterranean streets of Gotham. These places always frightened Annie - she avoided them when alone, but often saw them through the bus windows as she commuted from home to work. They came to an area that was mostly free of onlookers, except for one seemingly homeless man wandering near an abandoned car. The funeral van pulled up right next to the car, the Joker announcing, "Time to move."

The men quickly exited the funeral van, getting into the car. The Joker took Annie by the arm, guiding her into the car, and they were soon speeding away again. Looking back, Annie saw the van suddenly burst into flame. The man under the bridge must have been instructed to burn it once they were far enough away. It occurred to her that it must have taken a huge amount of planning to get her out safely and she looked at the Joker, in awe of his ability to work miracles like this. She realized she didn't have to be Sarah anymore and breathed a sigh of relief, leaning her head back in the seat and closing her eyes. He glanced over at her, a knowing smile on his face, and then resumed watching the city go by out his window.

"You're home," she heard him say, and woke up - she must have dozed off in the car.

"Home?" she said, confused.

"Yeah, your apartment…" She came back to herself, realizing they were indeed pulled up in front of her apartment building. It felt very strange to be back. He took her arm and helped brace her as she walked up the steps - she was still unsteady on her feet. "You're not worried about being seen?" she asked, looking around them. "No, kitten, we took out the security cameras around your apartment months ago. And we're in Lower Gotham now." He pointed into the distance, where a small group of young men was gathered on a corner. A couple of them wore clown masks, and it was hard to tell, but it looked like one wore the distinctive white, black, and red clown makeup. "Copycats," he said, "No one knows who the real one is now."

She let the information sink in, feeling like she had landed back in some alien world, not her own small corner of Gotham. But if there were gangs of disorderly clowns roaming the streets, it was hardly more dangerous to her than the police would be now. And the way he was supporting her gave her comfort, making her feel protected in this new world. As they finally came to her door and opened it, she realized that he and his men must have cleaned up the mess she had left here when she was ill.

He took her by the hand, the unusual gesture sending warmth up through her arm. His hands were so warm without the gloves. He must have taken them off. He sat her on the bed, and took a place beside her. He put his hand on the side of her neck, guiding her chin upward and turning her face toward him gently. His fingers touched her ear and his thumb glided over her unmarked cheek, feeling the smooth unbroken skin. His steadfast gaze and absolute concentration on her hit her deeply. Everything around them seemed to stop - she wouldn't have been surprised if the clock on her bedstand had ceased its endless ticking. "I want you to rest. I want you to get stronger," he told her, his voice wrapping around her like velvet. "I'm going to go now, you tell my guys outside if you need anything."

He began to rise from the bed, but she didn't let go of his hand.

He turned back, sitting down beside her again. She saw his eyes scanning over her face, and knew he must be realizing what a mess she had made with the makeup he had given her. It suddenly occurred to her that she must look hideous, with the blanched skin that probably still remained as an effect of the drug and her already hollowed-out countenance from her illness. She looked away, embarrassed. Her eyes darted back to him quickly though, when she felt his breath on her skin and his lips pressed against hers. They looked at one another, each wanting to see the other so close like this. The green and brown sparks danced in his dark eyes - they reminded her of the first time he held her in the ballroom. His eyes were so much more familiar now, but she still didn't understand the fire behind them.

The makeup on his lips gave them a strange slippery feel, but with the softness and warmth of them, she quickly grew accustomed to the feeling and the waxy taste that entered her mouth. She was surprised when he pulled back and reached up with his free hand, pulling down her lower lip. She half smiled, wondering what he was doing. "They're crooked," he said, running his thumb over her bottom row of teeth.

"They didn't believe in going to the dentist, where I grew up," she explained.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well… they believe that God should heal you if you have a problem. No doctors, no dentists," she said slowly, looking down, clearly remembering some unfortunate consequences of that belief. It was something more serious than crooked teeth, though it was hard to tell if her memory related to her own past or some other unfortunate soul's experience in that community.

"I like it," he said, bringing his face close to hers again. "I'm glad God didn't heal you." Their lips met and she could feel his tongue run along her teeth. They both closed their eyes this time, lost in their concentration. The hands they had been holding slowly fell to the bed as all their focus centered around the kiss. His hand surrounded hers and he pushed it down into the mattress distractedly.

The warmth of his lips, the light touch of his fingers on her neck, she didn't want it to end. It was a wonderful antidote to the numbing medicine she had taken in the hospital and the bleakness of the cold drawer she had spent the night in.

She felt so different about the way he kissed her - in her past experience, she had been kissed greedily, guiltily, as if her husband had wanted to take something away from her. This kiss was the opposite - it was warm, generous. It was as if he wasn't taking anything from her but instead giving her everything. She was completely lost in it. In some corner of her mind she recognized the absurdity of the worst criminal mastermind in the history of the city, having a kiss that was so delicate and accommodating to her. Or, the strange thought flitted across her brain, still overwhelmed by the day's events and the aftereffects of the drug she had taken, perhaps the devil's kiss is always sweet…

She curled her legs up onto the bed, drawing her knees beside him, hardly noticing she was doing it. She wanted to be closer to him, she wanted to wrap herself around him.

He drew back, his eyelids drooping, a warm breath passing out through his open lips. His expression was unsettlingly reminiscent of the look of extreme anger he had when he saw the mark Dent had left on her arm in the hospital. The intense feelings of hatred and lust both seemed to shape his features the same way - giving him a serious countenance and half-closed eyes.

He brought his hand up to smooth back his unruly hair, shifting his expression.

"Are you seducing me, kitten?" he asked lightly, turning his head and looking at her from the corners of his eyes.

He slid down to sit on the floor beside the bed and gave her a gentle push with his free hand, urging her to lie down. "Go to sleep now, I'll stay here for a while. Just sleep."

She obediently lay down on her side, allowing her gaze to roam over his hand around hers and explore the intricate colors of his hair. She felt like she was feasting, seeing him so close there. She was incredibly tired, and yet she was enjoying the free reign she was giving herself to look at him. His eyes finally rolled up to meet hers, as if he was telling her that playtime was over. She finally let her eyes close, and sleep quickly overtook her exhausted body.

When she woke up the next day, he wasn't there, but she found a white and red blur where his face had been, on the sheet hanging down over the mattress. She remembered the time she had sat in the same position all night long, when he had slept in her bed, so long ago. It seemed like lifetimes ago now. She knelt beside the bed, running her hand over the smear of makeup, wondering when she would see him again.

Additional notes: The hot chocolate is my nod to holiday cheer. :)

[spoiler alert] Sorry about the morbid aspects, but I thought there are two ways out of the hospital, and the morgue seemed more interesting than the front door.

This is fanfic, so of course I don't own any characters from The Dark Knight (Joker, Batman, etc.). The main female character is original.

[jester-lover]

hello!!! Not sure if you still do requests but could I request Tim wright from marble hornets as a father figure to emo/scene kid teens <33

(I centered this request in a post-series context)

Tim as a father figure to an emo/scene kid ( PLATONIC !!! )

CWs/ mental illness, treatment of mental illness, smoking, substances, alcohol, minor violence, bittersweet fluff (not proofread)

Firstly, Tim is surprised that anyone sees him as a paternal figure to any degree. After the shock fades, he’s kinda proud of himself and the fact that he’s got it together enough for someone to see him as a parental figure.

🎞️Most of the bonding time you and Tim have is spent out in the yard of whatever place you call home, sharing pitchers of ice cold sweet tea in the humid Alabama heat.

🎞️Tim’s life experience has proved him to be a good mentor in all things related to mental health and finding good coping skills. He’ll try his best to discourage substance abuse and encourage you to make good decisions when it comes to finding friends.

🎞️He’ll teach you some valuable practical life skills as well, stuff he’s picked up over the years and over his torment with the operator. Mostly small security measures and self defense tactics.

🎞️Starts a lot of his stories with “Back in my day…” and an overdramatized sigh because he knows you get a kick out of it. He does try to sanitize some of the more serious stuff he’s seen.

🎞️More often than not, Tim enjoys whatever emo/scene music you’re into, and gives you free rein over the aux cord whenever he’s picking you up/dropping you off at school.

🎞️You can trust that he’s perceptive towards your interests, he always remembers to get you band tees and fun stuff for your birthday and any other holiday you celebrate.

🎞️Tim would never undermine your issues as ‘teen angst’ or moodiness, because if anyone can understand emotional distress, it’s him.

🎞️ Even if he smokes, he’ll advise you against it; being a responsible adult and all.

🎞️ Maybe gets a little bit teary eyed every time he sees you enjoying your life with your friends, he’s just so happy his kid is getting everything he couldn’t.

🎞️He’s definitely the dad standing around the back of hardcore shows cheering on his kid as they pummel people in the pit, sometimes he even joins in.

🎞️The fact that you’re an emo/scene kid would also make Tim nostalgic about his own college days and the emo/scene people he hung around.

🎞️If he finds out his kid is getting bullied, Tim is the type of parent to support retaliation. He doesn’t like seeing people get kicked around, and will always encourage you to speak up.

🎞️At the end of the day, I think Tim would make a great dad/father figure, and raise his scemo spawn up to be a relatively healthy and content adult with whom he spends time with and speaks to regularly. His own mistakes ceased to define him when he had you to worry about.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for pretending to be cis online? im a trans man and have been trans for almost ten years now. i am pre-most transition even though i would like to fully transition, due to money and medical phobia complications. i do not pass irl.

a few years ago i attempted stealth (saying i was a cis man) on a discord server before ultimately admitting to being trans because i was afraid everyone could tell, and was informed that even though they even heard my voice on the server, no one there suspected i was afab, and even when i said i was trans, some people assumed i was coming out as transfem, because i had passed myself as a cis man so well. this gave me euphoria, of course, and made me regret telling anyone since i was apparently passing so well.

i held onto those feelings, and a year or so after that, quietly changed my bios and stuff to remove the trans part. a little while after that, i started actively saying i was cis male in my bios and to new friends.

i should clarify this is not out of safety or fear of transphobia, all my family and irl friends know im trans and are 100% supportive, im lucky enough to live in a very progressive area, and my online existence is small and filled with tons of trans and supportive people. it's only because i feel dysphoric when i know people can perceive me as afab, and since i don't have control over that irl, i just want someone in the world to see me as amab, even if im not and never will be.

i also am not by any means a transmed. i myself am also gnc, and many many of my friends are loud and proud queer weirdos, and i am too with everything but my agab. i love the wacky ways other trans folks present their genders and refuse to sanitize themselves for cisciety. i do not think anyone should ever have to water down who they are for any reason and i don't think being afab makes anyone less of a man, just i personally don't like facing the fact that i am afab and would rather people see me as a cis man whenever i can control it.

this might be where the asshole comes in here, because being gnc, being surrounded by so many trans people and being in many "afab dominated" spaces (such as fanfic writers, tumblr, fandom in general honestly) as well as having a lot of trans headcanons makes me paranoid people are going to clock me and even if they don't say anything they'll know im faking being cis. because of that, and to avoid the dreaded "egg" conversations (people trying to insist or imply that ill soon "find out" that im transfem) ive sometimes been telling people when the subject comes up that i had experimented with my gender before and thought i was transfem or nonbinary in the past, so i sort of fit the idea of cis+ and that might be why i feel more trans than cis even though im definitely cis.

i also tell them im intersex and have trans family (both of these are true, though obviously im intersex in a different way than i say) to get them off my scent.

i know i dont owe anyone my agab, but when all is said and done, i am lying about my gender and history with gender exploration, and i kinda feel like im disrespecting other trans folks by implying it would personally feel better to be cis, like i can't relate to other trans people saying they never want to be cis and the goal of being trans isn't to be cis. but i do. i also worry that having trans hcs (including in sexual contexts) for characters while im presenting myself as cis makes people think im a chaser.

anyway sorry this is long, but aita for lying about my gender?

What are these acronyms?

[goodobservationshirley]

Did you go into your conversations with Rebecca knowing she would be a character in the show, or was that something you were still trying to figure out? I really wanted to make her a character. She had done a few interviews where she talked about the way she dove into the world of these teenagers to write this. This woman in her 20s went and did what no journalist, no cop, and no lawyer was able to do, which is get the real truth of what happened. It was a big priority for Hulu that the show have an adult perspective, and she felt like an obvious place to start. Then we would have an opportunity to comment on the nature of true crime and what it does to somebody who immerses themselves in that.

Was she onboard with being a character in the series? I was so scared because the ask was quite personal. In an interview I read before I met her, she talked about her trauma from childhood. I knew we were going to need to delve into that if she was going to be a character in the show. She was really open to it.

She knew she was terminally ill from the time that I met her; she told me a handful of months into knowing her. I think there was an element of knowing she was at the end of her life. She was very ready to allow me to go to her most personal places and put that on the screen. Every time I turned in an episode outline to her, I’d be spinning out on the other side, like, Oh God, this is so fucking personal, and then she would send back her notes and they would just be about a line Josephine says. She never seemed to feel a real pressure to want the character to be hyper-lovable or sanitized. She taught a course on anti-heroines, so when I was like, “Hey, sometimes she’s gonna be more of an anti-hero,” she was like, “I love that.”

The character Rebecca’s feelings about her brother are an important part of the show and one of the reasons she’s able to relate to these kids so much, especially Warren, the only boy accused in the crime. Was that something Rebecca was feeling at the time and just didn’t put it in the book because she wasn’t a character herself? I think Rebecca was processing some of that during our development. In the first conversation we had about how directly the show was linked to her loss of her brother, she said that a lot of people in her life had suggested that Warren must have reminded her of her brother because she lost her brother when he was the exact same age. The final conversations I had with her right before she passed were about the fact that in the end, she realized that it was more about what she saw of herself in him than anything else. She felt that so much of his way of moving through the world would be shaped forever by guilt. I think her quest to make people understand how someone can do a bad thing came from a place of feeling like she had been capable of bad things when she was a kid.

[bokujou-monogatari]

So about this series and localization;

Ok, to start this off let me say I do not work in localization. It's not my department. I -do- work in video game development, but in production management and quality. That said, I work -with- loc teams, know people outside of my workplace that do loc, and have mad respect for the localization profession within the industry.

And, this is all a personal perspective again! I mean no ill intent in what I'm about to say. It's merely observational, and I could have an incorrect understanding and I own up to that in the circumstances!

This is probably going to get a little long, and it's a bit of a nuanced conversation. I appreciate everyone who reads to the end though!

Well, where to begin?

The 90s and early 2000s produced media in which culturally relevant aspects were largely changed to suit the audience taking in the media....but in some cases, that didn't hit the mark at all.

Are you familiar with jelly donuts? A long time example in infamy, Brock Pokemon's Jelly Donuts were a product of a time when localization efforts in western media were wholly focused on providing a digestible media experience to a western - rather, American-focused - audience. (Another example that was shown on the big screen was the original Digimon Movie!)

"But wait! Isn't the point of localization to make things relatable to the target audience?!"

Yyyyes! But there's an asterisk here.

In this case, breaking it down:

Bad localization = "Jelly Donuts", and the art remains unchanged.

Good localization = "rice balls", and the art remains unchanged.

Good localization = "Jelly Donuts", and the post processing changes the art to jelly donuts.

Bad localization in this example strips the intent of the media by pigeonholing a westernized regurgitation without respect to the origin and attempting to call it by another name -- erasing the cultural significance that it provides. Let me explain; A food item that may be a staple in many American (specifically Asian-American) households for ages... Do those households call them jelly donuts? Of course not!

90s and early 2000s media was largely at fault of bad localization with a movement based around the idea that a western audience needed those westernized concepts for the audience to be able to fully relate and immerse themselves in what they were digesting.

In essence, it was easier at the time for someone depicted drinking ramune to actually be "drinking a Coke" in dialogue, because everyone knows coke is a soda/fizzy drink. (That's only an example, and I hope it's understandable!)

On the other hand, -Good- localization either provides an equally significant replacement (such as replacing the art with actual jelly donuts) or calling things what they are outright as they represent a culture portrayed.

To reiterate, good localization does justice to the original tone, atmosphere and intent by either substituting an audience society-based equivalent that makes sense contextually OR by telling the audience exactly what is going on in the media's world context using words that can explain it to the audience while preserving that cultural significance.

"OP I'm not seeing how this relates to Bokumono..."

Well, this series was created in 1996, and localization began in 1996-7. And unfortunately, California-based Natsume Inc. was not exempt from those weird "sanitize it for the American audience" views. In their attempt to "make everyone happy...", there were many things that contributed to a less than ideal localization per game from Natsume.

For a long time, Natsume localization was done largely in part through an outsource localization company called Pole to Win. If you're in the light novel and otome venn diagram of fandoms, you'll know that Pole to Win is pretty damn infamous for its bad loc, cheaper labor based on underpaid and over exploited workers (largely based in SEA), and the heavy usage of and reliance on Machine Translation. Some loc work on games leading up to 2012 was done in-house, but a large reason why we have so many Natsumeisms is due to lack of quality and care in the localization process.

Alongside poor localization efforts and the drive to sanitize content for an American audience, there was extra effort in making the content "family friendly" by removing anything that was "out of the norm" for the time. I don't think I need to explain what that means, but it's what led to things like the removal of the Best Friends system (girl x girl marriage) in DS Cute and Julius in Animal Parade being "a man of average height" in the English dialogue. This family friendly movement applied to other media as well in the same time period, but for the sake of being on topic it largely applied to Natsume's approach in localizing the series.

"So what was lost?"

Well, in addition to what I just said above...

Names which were meant to reflect specific cultures referenced in the games based off of existing world cultures were changed.

For example, a Chinese-based character in Sunshine Islands; English Players know her as Lily. Her true name is スイレン Suiren. (Suiren is the name of a famous Chinese hero of legend, as well as the name of a species of Water Lily!) The name was derived literally, instead of staying as Suiren to reflect her heritage; Lily was the "easier" and "more digestible" translation.

I recently posted translations of Grand Bazaar characters with their true names. Grand Bazaar is VERY largely Danish, with Nordic/Baltic influence from Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and some bits of Mexico, Greece, Austria-Hungary, and France sprinkled in.

As a result, the names given to characters were from those particular regions. Ivan's true name is Juris (the J is Germanic, pronounced with a Y like You) for instance. The average American isn't going to meet someone called Juris often, however, so the name was changed to "fit".

I'm largely of the opinion that names are sacred and innate parts of the Character Core. A name was given to them for a reason, and it would be like going up to Sasuke from Naruto/Boruto and saying "hey man, I'm just going to call you Steve, ok? Cool."

Since we have changed Localization companies to XSEED, Marvelous' English subsidiary, the quality and care put into the localization has drastically improved.

Names are (usually!) 1:1 counterparts - as in romanized - or their very closest equivalents.

Examples being: Cam from Natsume's Tale of Two Towns loc, who is actually カミル and was localized properly in Story of Seasons 3DS with his true name as Kamill / Dudley from the Friends of Mineral Town remake - whose original name is ダッド (Dadd) and was Doug in the Natsume Loc.

Dialogue throughout the game now reflects original tones and intent with some embellished flair here in there, but never to remove - only to add!

I'm not going to get into a conversation about censors and ESRB ratings at this time (Blue Bar to Cafe type of example), but I'm so glad that we have reached a point where we no longer have totally misrepresented cultural aspects in the games.

[rjzimmerman]

How a Crisis for Vultures Led to a Human Disaster: Half a Million Deaths. (New York Times)

To say that vultures are underappreciated would be putting it mildly. With their diet of carrion and their featherless heads, the birds are often viewed with disgust. But they have long provided a critical cleaning service by devouring the dead.

Now, economists have put an excruciating figure on just how vital they can be: The sudden near-disappearance of vultures in India about two decades ago led to more than half a million excess human deaths over five years, according to a forthcoming study in the American Economic Review.

Rotting livestock carcasses, no longer picked to the bones by vultures, polluted waterways and fed an increase in feral dogs, which can carry rabies. It was “a really huge negative sanitation shock,” said Anant Sudarshan, one of the study’s authors and an economics professor at the University of Warwick in England.

The findings reveal the unintended consequences that can occur from the collapse of wildlife, especially animals known as keystone species for the outsize roles they play in their ecosystems. Increasingly, economists are seeking to measure such impacts.

A study looking at the United States, for example, has suggested that the loss of ash trees to the invasive emerald ash borer increased deaths related to cardiovascular and respiratory illness. And in Wisconsin, researchers found that the presence of wolves reduced vehicle collisions with deer by about a quarter, creating an economic benefit that was 63 times greater than the cost of wolves killing livestock.

“Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning do matter to human beings,” said Eyal Frank, an economist at the University of Chicago and one of the authors of the new vulture study. “And it’s not always the charismatic and fuzzy species.”

[casusvallis]

╰┈➤ ❝ [Nasyha "Yhat" Zsuu] ❞

☢☢ He/They ☢☢ 21 ☢☢ Scorpio ☢☢

Visual Arts Student Custodian

Head Protector of The Mirror

"Go fuck yourselves!"

︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦

╰┈➤[≈] Description

Nasyha Zsuu, commonly referred to as Yhat, is a sanitation worker at Casus College of International Arts. Originally he went to college for Visual Arts, though dropped out after his first year. In order to stay close to his peers, he picked up a job as a custodian.

What is Yhat Zsuu's physical appearance?

Yhat is 5 feet 6 inches, or 167.64 centimeters. His skin has an olive undertone, more cool brown. His hair is frizzy and curly, with the left side of his head shaved. The sclera of his eyes have a yellow-red hue to them due to chronic eye illness. He has a skinny build with a light amount of fat on his stomach. He has an oily skin type, making him prone to acne and ingrown hairs. He has very dark hairs on his arms, legs, mustache, and stomach. Prior to entering the Mirror World, his original hair colour was a deep brown. His eyes were a deep brown. After entering the Mirror World, his hair colour took on a vibrant green tint. The pupils of his eyes became green X's, likely referencing chemical waste. His tongue was also split down the middle when approached by a creature.

What is Yhat Zsuu's background and history?

Yhat lived in Casus most of his life, arriving to the town at the age of five. Though his exact arrival is unclear, Yhat was found in the W.W. Forest covered in dirt and malnourished. He only knew his first name and birthday, choosing his last name later in life. He was unable to speak English and struggled to trust adults, prone to violent outbursts and hiding in corners. It's assumed he was in the forest for a few days prior to being rescued and taken into a foster home.

Who is Yhat Zsuu related to? Who is his family?

Yhat's foster family was overseed for by Devon Gallagher, often referred to as Mr. Gallagher, a man who worked for Casus City Hall. His foster brother is Tobias "Tobe" Gillespie and his foster sister is Quillard "Quill" Reyfus. He does not communicate with Tobe anymore, but has a very close relationship with Quill, still living together and supporting once another. Yhat and Quill met when Yhat was five and Quill was three.

What sort of activities does Yhat Zsuu like?

Yhat enjoys art, especially in the spray painting medium. He has a huge area in his apartment dedicated to his art supplies, often spending time creating when he is at home. His main interest is in graffiti art, but carries around high quality pencils and sketchbooks with him everywhere he goes. He enjoys cigarettes, cannabis, alcohol, illicit drugs and activities. He is often seen partying or hanging out around town, sometimes getting into fights. When he isn't getting into trouble, he enjoys cooking meals for his friends.

What kind of traits, ticks, or behaviours does Yhat Zsuu exhibit?

Yhat is a brash guy, known for being stubborn, headstrong, and kind of a hardass. He likes things to be his way and have control of every situation he is in - whether to keep things easy or make himself feel safe. As a child he struggled with maintaining friendships due to his unpredictability and anger. Despite this, he was quite academic until the middle of high school. He doesn't keep very good hygiene practices, and tends to enjoy filth and grime a bit too much.

What does Yhat Zsuu want? What prevents him from achieving those goals?

Yhat craves control and stability, but often is the perpetrator of chaos. Despite his high academic prowess throughout middle school, he faced much hardship in his childhood and teenage years and lost sight of his future. Halfway through high school, Yhat was caught participating in illicit activity on school grounds, causing his expulsion from Valmous Private School and the rapid decline of his academic life. Originally, he wanted to be a famous artist, creating beautiful murals in cities all around the world. Now, he just wants to be able to survive and help his loved ones along the way.

How does Yhat Zsuu interact with his surroundings?

Yhat does not care for things around him, often vandalizing and breaking public property. He enjoys being an overall menace to authority figures and is highly disrespectful any chance he gets. He is known for making graffiti art all throughout Casus, especially the college grounds. Because he is the head custodian, he considers the college to be his giant canvas, spray painting artwork late into the night and cleaning it up the next morning. He does not care for peoples items appropriately, often handing borrowed things back broken or dirty.

What do outsiders think of Yhat Zsuu? How does he treat them?

Yhat is very popular around Casus, both as a friend and a troublemaker. He is the one people go to when looking for substances, or where the next underground party is. He is also always being watched by the Casus Detective Agency, a group of men who dedicate themselves to keeping Casus safe, comfortable, and happy. He treats the public mostly with disregard, not caring about hurting a strangers feelings - as long as he gets what he wants and where he needs to go. The only exception to that is with the people he truly cares about; his sister or friends especially. He would sacrifice everything to make sure they were okay.

What do Yhat Zsuu's friends think of him? How does he treat them?

Gwen: "He is actually pretty funny once you get to know him! We met at a club about a year ago, and have been hanging ever since. We both like to party, but I'm more into dancing than the actual partying. Not only is he really good at keeping a situation under control, he knows the right thing to do every time. Plus, he is so nice and caring to my daughter, which immediately showed me how kind he really is."

Archie: "He's pretty neat, albeit a little weird. He seems to really care about his friends and focus on them more than himself. Surprisingly considerate, he even comes to my shows from time to time! He is kind of reckless and I worry one day he will get himself hurt, but with the effort he puts into keeping his friends safe, I will do the same for him!"

Donnie: "He has been my best friend since we were children... I can't remember a time when we weren't together. He is the kindness, smartest, most genuine person you will ever meet. We had a falling out in high school when he was expelled, and he changed a lot since then.. However, I know his whole 'angry guy' thing is a facade - he does it to protect himself. He really is a big softy."

Dusk: "Ugh. He is such a piece of shit. He doesn't clean up after himself, he disrespects strangers, he does really gross things in public - I don't get what people see in him. I feel like I'm stuck with him since all my other friends like him. To be fair, he is pretty good at being a leader and eyeing a situation, but I'm not sure if I can handle his quips."

Quill: 👪💖😊

╰┈➤[🖑] Identity

Yhat is half Filipino on his mothers side, and half Irish on his fathers side.

Yhat is a bisexual, transgender demiboy.

︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦

╰┈➤[❤] Likes

Carbonated beverages

Cigarettes

Cannabis

Parties, clubbing

Dr*gs

Skateboarding

Dumpster Diving

╰┈➤[⊘] Dislikes

Vegetables

Coffee

Authority

School and working

Cheap art supplies

︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦

╰┈➤[𐙚] Backpack

Cracked cell phone

Pristine sketchbook and pencils

Metal flip-top lighter

Metal cigarette case key chain

Bottle of soda

Dirty wallet

Broken MP3 and headphones

Medication

Bag of potato chips

Spray paint in various colours

︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦︶︶꒷꒦︶︶꒷︶︶꒦

╰┈➤[☀] Powers

How does Yhat Zsuu's power manifest?

Upon tapping into the Mirror World, Yhat discovered his powers of Acids, Corrosion, and Mould. This power likely stems from his interests and hobbies tending to be unsafe and dirty, and his behaviour being overall toxic. Corrosive material is generated through the pores of his skin and palms of his hands. He is able to throw globs of waste, create toxic spores that burn from the inside, and eat away at many materials.

How did Yhat Zsuu discover the Mirror World?

Yhat discovered the Mirror World in his late teens after a bender at a party, falling through a Mirror Pool. The only reason he was able to come back home is because he read the Casus Vallis Historia with his sister, Quill. He was unaware that he was in another world and assumed he was 'tripping', and did not know it was more common for people to be stuck and unable to return home.

What influences Yhat Zsuu to protect the public and go through The Mirror World?

Yhat does not know who his birth family is, and greatly cherishes his time with his foster family. Mr. Gallagher opened his home to orphaned children in Casus, and that influenced Yhat to protect his loved ones just as he did. Despite his overall harsh behaviour, he doesn't want the entire town to experience hardship and puts himself in the forefront of danger knowing he can handle it better than most others.

╰┈➤[♿︎] Health & Conditions

Autism

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Juvenile Arthritis

Lupus

Ocular Eye Herpes (Varicella Zoster)

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP, am really really interested to read your thoughts on Seven!

*

Ask 2: Hey bpp, can i be honest?? Ive been checked out of the fandom but still keep track of any music releases. So i didnt know abt any rumors abt 7. Imagine me being kind of disappointed that it’s another english song from jk when i watched the mv😅 it feels like his most promoted songs since last year has been all eng song… idk i wanted & expted something diff… i didnt like l&r, dreamers and now 7… it’s back to back lol. Tbf i didnt like My You too and thats in korean. At least not enough to listen!again after the first listen.

Im happy that still with you is finally on spotify tho. I’ll still be waiting excited for his album whenever it comes out. Hopefully ill find something i like in it!!

**

[BPP Note: Both asks above were sent before my "I don't like it..." post. The asks posted below were sent afterwards.]

**

Ask 3:

Same here

All the hype didn't matched with the song

1. rest members songs had so much depth and substance to it while this was the cliche boy chasing a girl song. Like we always dont need deep songs but the quality could be so much better. This was like just another pop song.

I think I'll put this on same level as BAD DECISIONS. But for bad decisions, atleast the chorus was staying on my mind while for this nothing was catchy enough for us to humm. Just because it's JK it will get hype but otherwise it's so generic. I think I liked LEFT and RIGHT way better than Seven. Even the rap portion felt so unnecessary and boring.

2. MV was kinda nice because of the production but concept was too shallow, the stalking and chasing was so outdated. In my country we have like 9293928843837 MVs in this same concept that not many make the same theme songs again.

3. The choreography. We haven't seen the full version. But for tiktok they do the highlight portions if that's so mediocre idk how rest will be. It was again giving the same mediocre showing off choreography and for me backdancers ruined it with their awkward moves.

4. they wanted this song to be played everywhere around the world. But there was nothing catchy enough to attract gp or go viral on tiktok, even if we sped it up. The only way to make everyone listen is to shove it down their throat but doing payola. But idk if investing in payola is worthy for the song. I also doubt the longietivity, as for me it was boring after 2 listens. I'll rather listen Like Crazy or wildflower or closer 20 times than listening this once.

5. I HOPE he'll bring something fresh to the table for his album and don't involve this mediocre producers who uses the same formula and same superstar persona to make a song successful. He is so much talented to sing a song which is so rich in melody and lyrics. And he can produce way better songs by himself.

Prolly a 4/10 for me

*

Ask 4: troye sivan's rush (which also came out last night) is exactly what I wish Seven was. I don't mean that in a 'I expect the things JK to make to be gay' way just in the way it's a fun, very danceable, sexy summer song that doesn't pull its punches. Something about seven feels too run through a commercial sanitizer a few times, even with the explicit lyrics.

***

Hi Anon(s),

Jungkook likes to fuck.

Rather, Andrew Watt likes to fuck and thinks Jungkook can relate.

JK has been talking about wanting to show more mature and explicit sides of himself for a good long while now. So I’m glad he’s finally gotten to do that, confirming for us why he keeps getting noise complaints from his neighbours since the mattresses all over his apartment don't help.

BTS has made songs explicitly referring to sex before (though it's been mostly the rapline doing so). So it's nothing new but I guess it's cool JK gets to share with us that he too has sex.

The question I posed to my friends immediately after watching the MV is, “Do you know who's been doing A&R for BigHit since 2020? I really need to know who is doing A&R for BigHit in America because they’ve been doing an appalling job lately. I'm starting to wonder if it's an inside job cause this song is kinda ass.”

That was me ~11 hours ago.

I didn’t like the song.

I’ve streamed Seven about 20 times since then I think, took a break from the song for a few hours, watched his GMA performance, caught a few minutes of the Wlive, then listened to it again just before writing this post and…

I still don’t like it.

Jungkook did a good job on the song, Latto's verse wasn't terrible, and while the song itself isn’t bad… the song isn’t good either.

It’s painfully, and at this point it’s a pattern so I have to add, predictably, mediocre.

Reserving judgement for the album, but Anons, I agree with you for the most part. The suits at BigHit are trying but they are woefully out of touch with the reasons BTS blew up in the West in the first place. I don't even feel like spending any energy doing a review or even trying to explain what I mean. So I'll just ramble on for a bit but try to keep it brief.

---

I have to give BigHit some credit because I can see what they're going for here. Andrew Watt is a very celebrated producer in the US, he won the Grammy award for Producer of the Year in 2021, he's got A listers in his portfolio. So, he's not a cheap name to book and I can see why the suits at BigHit thought he's the genius to gift them a song clinically designed for American radio.

But that pandejo phoned it in. There isn't a lick of creativity to be found anywhere in all 3 minutes and five seconds.

It reminds me of VIBE by Jimin and Taeyang, as the closest analog to the vague dissatisfaction morphing into annoyance and then pragmatic rationalization I experienced in that same sequence when listening to it the first few times.

The song is disappointing because we've all heard it before. Too many times, and we're bored of it. We've heard JK sing this sort of song for years, as covers mostly. So on one hand, while I guess it's nice JK gets to have an American summer JB-reject pop tune of his own, it's not good enough to be the track that introduces him to the world as a solo artist.

It's fine for any white, blonde, blue-eyed heartthrob that can ride on a pretty face and implicit bias to rack up accolades, it's not good enough for Jungkook.

And BigHit needs to start using whatever leverage a US$10.6 billion market capitalization buys you in Hollywood, to insist for songs that are at least as good as the songs made by BTS members and produced by their in-house team. It's a waste of money and everybody's time to fly a battalion to LA just to record 2014's summer hit in 2023.

In my opinion.

Still With You > Stay Alive > My Time > Stay > Left & Right > My You > Dreamers > Seven

*

All that said, I can't ignore JK has a taste for songs like this, and it's not his fault the song is shit (he didn't write, compose or produce it), so technically he shouldn't be punished for it. And the song is made for radio, while it's not my personal taste a lot of people really like the song (one of my friends likes Seven the most out of all the BTS releases so far), and it will catch on with some support. So, ARMY will support it including me, just to a lesser degree than I've done so far. Fingers crossed JJK1 has something solid on it.

[mariacallous]

A 10-month-old boy in the Gaza Strip was recently paralyzed by poliovirus—the first such case in the region this century. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a limited ceasefire to allow 640,000 children in the enclave to be vaccinated against the virus. We asked a virologist to explain how the virus emerged in the region after all this time, and how it will be dealt with.

The Conversation: Given that polio was all but eradicated in this region of the world, how might the 10-month-old baby in Gaza have caught it?

Lee Sherry: The sequences of the polioviruses detected in Gaza in July 2024 suggest that these viruses may be related to a strain circulating in Egypt, with the virus potentially being introduced to Gaza as early as September 2023.

This is probably due to the nature of the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), which contains a weakened live poliovirus that can be shed by vaccinated people. This suggests the virus may have been introduced by someone traveling to the region.

The war in Gaza has also provided an ideal environment for the virus to thrive and spread, due to the unhygienic conditions caused by little access to clean water and sanitation.

Can the virus “survive” (remain viable) for long periods without a human host?

Yes, poliovirus is an incredibly stable virus that can remain infectious for long periods outside of the human body, depending on the environmental conditions. For example, polioviruses are capable of surviving in groundwater for several weeks.

Can you explain what “wild type” poliovirus is, compared with vaccine-derived “variants”?

Wild type poliovirus is a virus that is circulating naturally in the environment, whereas vaccine-derived strains are related to the weakened virus present in the OPV, which in extremely rare cases is capable of reverting to a form capable of causing paralysis.

Is the wild type still endemic anywhere in the world?

Due to the success of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, led by the World Health Organization, that began in 1988, type 2 and type 3 polioviruses have been declared eradicated. Only type 1 poliovirus is currently circulating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where there have been 27 recorded cases so far in 2024.

Why are most cases of polio vaccine-derived variants?

Most cases of paralytic polio are now vaccine-derived due to the success of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. OPV has been instrumental in the near-eradication of wild polioviruses around the world. However, in areas where vaccination rates drop and enough people are susceptible to infection, the weakened virus can replicate. Unfortunately, each round of replication increases the potential for the virus to revert to a form that causes illness and paralysis.

Why was the old oral polio vaccine shelved in 2016?

Following the eradication of type 2 poliovirus in 1999, the only cases of type 2 paralytic polio were vaccine derived. Therefore, to stop these cases, there was a decision to shift from the original trivalent OPV, which contained all three poliovirus serotypes, to a bivalent OPV vaccine, which only contained type 1 and type 3 poliovirus strains. With an additional type 2 specific monovalent vaccine available to contain any vaccine-derived type 2 should any cases arise.

Was that a mistake, as some experts have suggested?

Although this decision was well intentioned, hindsight suggests that the level of vaccine-derived type 2 poliovirus was underestimated. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative commissioned a report into this decision and the draft report, which is open for public comment, has described the switch to bivalent OPV as an “unqualified failure”.

What type of poliovirus vaccine is being used in the current campaign in Gaza?

More than 1.6 million doses of the novel oral poliovirus vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) – a new poliovirus vaccine—will be delivered to the Gaza Strip to provide two doses to more than 640,000 children under the age of 10.

Will it have the same risks as the old poliovirus vaccine? That is, might it get in the wastewater and cause more polio cases?

No, the nOPV2 is a next-generation version of the traditional type 2 monovalent oral polio vaccine that is used to respond to vaccine-derived type 2 poliovirus outbreaks. The key difference is that the new vaccine contains a weakened virus that has been modified to make it more genetically stable and significantly less likely to revert to a more virulent form capable of causing paralysis, thereby increasing the chances of stopping these outbreaks for good.

What other diseases are likely to emerge in Gaza, given the interrupted vaccination campaigns?

Other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and pneumonia, as well as diarrheal diseases, such as rotavirus, all have the potential to emerge, each with its own dangers and complications. Therefore it is really important that as many vaccines as possible are delivered into Gaza.

[hyperlexichypatia]

hey! ive been observing this account for a while as a person who is relatively new to anti-pysch, madpunk, and youth rights related stuff. and i wanted to ask something related to bodily autonomy. would someone refusing or downright saying they hate showering count as ones right to their own bodily autonomy? i see hygiene commonly weaponized against those who are neurodivergent or have mental illnesses and physical disabilities, that and i think hygiene has moved so far from protecting ourselves from certain viruses and diseases to "if you dont follow this specific skincare routine, buy these specific products, and take a shower in a very specific way (or use an alternative method/way that doesnt involve a shower in the first place) you're gross and should be shunned from society". i feel like our quickness to judge others who dont follow these things are may appear like they dont is connected to somethings related to consumerism and classism but i wouldnt know how to explain it as im still new to all this.

Needing help with hygiene is also really stigmatized, and people are denied access to it. Lots of people who don't have clean bodies and clothes are denied access to those things -- maybe they're unhoused and don't have a working bathroom, maybe they're disabled and can't get into the shower without assistance, which they don't have -- and of course anything associated with poor and disabled people is intensely stigmatized. So yeah, stigma on not having the right hygiene is absolutely classist and ableist. Even the word "hygiene" is often used to mean eugenics. We equate "clean" with "abled" and "dirty" with "disabled." There are even studies (I'm not sure how reliable they are because I haven't done sufficient research on them) suggesting that people adopt more conservative/judgmental attitudes when there's a bottle of hand sanitizer in view.

I think what really reveals the bad faith of the whole thing is that this kind of stigma is purely about social class and not actually about cleanliness from germs. The clearest example might be how in the 1840s, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis proposed the completely radical idea that maybe doctors should wash their hands before treating patients, and being widely denounced for suggesting that doctors could be the problem or could be dirty. The second clearest example might be the American political response to the COVID-19 pandemic -- people who had spent decades opposing the rights of poor people, unhoused people, immigrants, disabled people, people of color, queer people, etc. on the basis off "They're dirty/ they smell bad/ they're gross" suddenly pivoted to "How dare you ask me to avoid touching you or your food, wear a mask, or wash my hands, this is personally insulting to me."

Hygiene requirements are certainly necessary in certain contexts -- yes, you should have to wash your hands and wear a hairnet when preparing food, you should have to wash your hands and wear a mask before performing surgery -- but these should be things the employer provides and makes accessible.