#types of decompositional changes

[magnus-marmot]

Transmutations in TMAGP

Since most of the incidents deal with change and transformation, I'd like to collect my thoughts on their nature in one post. So I'll be explaining some ideas on the alchemical processes taking place. First I'll explain a (relatively) simple Tria Prima model, and then I'll try to break down some processes and symbolism we see in the show. This will be really long, like excessively long. Look, I'll throw in some nice alchemy pictures to make it more palatable. Feel free to skip the Tria Prima part if you've been reading my previous theories, I'm not really covering anything new in that.

Transmutations broken down with the Tria Prima

I think the most simple way to view it would be with the Tria Prima. Many of you are probably aware of the Body/Mind/Soul division, and while it's extremely simplistic, it actually works for us here.

From Alchymia complementum (1630)

We have the Body, or the Salt 🜔, which is the core, the physical shell, the metaphorical earth that the change is inflicted upon. In an alchemical transmutation, Salt must first be separated from the volatile components by burning or decomposition, and in the end they are brought back together. In TMAGP, Salt would be the physical, grounded part, such as a human body, a Bonzo suit or a creepy toy. You can think of it as a vessel.

Then we have the Mind, or the Mercury ☿. This is trickier to break down because the alchemists saw it as so many different things, but you can think of it as the essence. Not just the essence of the subject, but of everything. It's the malleable and volatile part of the subject, but it's also the intangible thoughts, concepts and archetypes in the collective unconscious, the metaphorical water or air that flows through everything. It's both the prima materia and the dissolving principle. In TMAGP, this would be the the changing ideas and beliefs around a concept, most recently demonstrated in how Henrich Unheimlich came to be, but you can see it in a lot of the cases. It's why all the supernatural phenomena reflect not only fears but also expectations and other strong feelings. Why the lack of clocks and purpose creates timeless liminal spaces, why the fear and reverence given to Bonzo made him what he is. It's what the Archivist uses as a fuel for its human transmutations and what the Magnus Institute tried to tap into for their Magnum Opus.

And finally we have the Soul, or the Sulphur 🜍, which seems to confuse people the most because of what we usually think of as the "soul". It's not the entirety of a human psyche, just the active, conscious and feeling part. But it's also the soul of all matter, in that it gives them life and allows active change. It's the metaphorical fire. Alchemists thought that Sulphur can be used to coagulate Mercury, to give it form. In TMAGP, Sulphur would be the catalyst that initiates the transmutation. It can be literal fire (like what possibly created Heinrich Unheimlich), or just a metaphorical fire, such as the violent act that gave birth to Bonzo.

From Hermaphroditic Child

There are also clearly two types of transmutations in the show. First we have the active ones, caused by fire or intent. Then we have the passive ones, caused by slow dissolution and characterised by coldness. These mirror the active (Celestial Nitre or Sol) and passive (Celestial Salt or Luna) principles of alchemy. It also evokes solve et coagula, where all matter is constantly dissolved and coagulated. As alluded to before, Mercury is what dissolves and Sulphur is what coagulates, and their purified counterparts in Luna and Sol form a harmonious unity when brought together. Which brings them back to their Salt.

A lot of the cases can be broken down into Salt/Mecury/Sulphur, but it's not an entirely clean model because many of the transmutations go wrong or are incomplete. Next I'll try to break down the actual processes based on some common symbolism and what we're given in the show.

Transmutation stages and common symbolism

For this I'll assume the most basic version of the Great Work, which consists of three stages: nigredo, albedo and rubedo. There are loads of different stages and processes, but they generally fall under these three. The cases in TMAGP rarely involve the entire process, and some are clearer than others.

From Pretiosissimum Donum Dei (1475)

Sealed vessels

First of all, I've noticed that a lot of these transmutations take place in a sealed vessel of some kind, much like they do in alchemy. This can be anything from a Bonzo suit to a closed Victorian carriage, a coffin, a locked room (such as a prison cell, a lock museum, a room in a reptile emporium, a virtually made zoom call room, the Archivist's office), a closed off liminal space (like a secret garden with no exit, a pier enveloped in fog, a brutalist building trapped in a void), or even a human body (like in Alice's dream, like alnewman's thigh, or like Herr Schmidt's brain).

Nigredo (blackening)

The stage where matter is broken down, burned or decomposed. Transformation can only occur once the old has been reduced to ashes so that something new can be born from it. Spiritually it involves ego death, stripping down the conscious thought and dissolving into the unconscious. Common symbolism/imagery include death, corpses, skeletons, dismemberment, rot, toads (ie. the decomposing prima materia), crows, ravens, Saturn/lead, darkness/night, indistinguishable black mass (massa confusa), flooding, drowning (especially of the king), eclipse, the green lion (=mercury) swallowing the sun.

From Philosophia Reformata (1622), coloured by Adam McLean

Here are some examples I've found in TMAGP:

Calcination or decomposing matter with heat (either open fire or a more subdued, natural heat). While there are cases with proper fire, heat seems to be the important factor here. In her dream, Alice describes the unbearable heat that envelops her when she's stuck inside her heart. We also get the exterminator at the reptile shop complaining about the heat when she's stuck in the room with an infection (=decomposing flesh), Lady Mowbray's caterer is cooking with high heat when his experience begins, Magnus mentions the unreasonably warm weather when he encounters the carriage, Menke was "sweating buckets" in the Bonzo suit, Mrs. Locke keeps forgetting to get someone to turn the heater off, and so on. Heat is what begins the transmutation process in these cases.

Dissolution into the mercurial waters. This is usually what drowning signifies in the alchemical imagery, and also what I think it signifies in TMAGP. Especially the drowning of the old king, which we're straight up given in the lock museum. Bonus points to the pest control lady who was about to be drowned in snakes, an extremely common symbol for Mercury. We also have the tech review guy speaking about the screen dissolving, and one of the transcripts has an instance of the Archivist dissolving into the wind. (No one can convince me that these word choices are coincidental.) And then we get some dissolving egos. The guy with his cursed dice seems to be losing his identity and starts seeing himself only as an archetype of a stranger who tricks people into rolling the dice, and poor Kyla's ego was dissolved into the emergent mind of Liverpool. We also have several cases of people who get lost in liminal spaces (such as the pier or the service station, even the custodian at Hilltop) and then get their identities dissolved. I don't think it's a coincidence that this happens at liminal locations, which are very aligned with the concept of Mercury. Especially if there's an element of water present. These themes are also usually accompanied by mentions of coldness, which tracks with Mercury's properties being wet and cold.

From Splendor solis, coloured by Adam McLean

Descending or entering a dark space, both of which align with the idea of descending into the collective unconscious or the "dark night of the soul". The darkness is pretty straight-forward. It's the violinist getting lost in the dark woods, Doctor Webber entering the dark garden, Patricia repeatedly talking about being in a dark space/world with her baby. The descent is more incidental, but I'm keeping an eye out for patterns. For example, the old couple had to descend to enter the lock museum, the food critic descended the alleyway to Hungry Man's Grill, a lot of descending into basements. It's a recurring theme but could be meaningless.

Infections or putrefaction, or the literal decomposition of living matter. We've got our fair share on the account of this being a horror podcast, but this should be seen as a transitory stage in a transformation. Some good examples include Dr. Webber's body breaking down and decomposing to give way to his new plant self, or Alesis's body becoming paralysed and moldy to allow the coral to grow. Magnus's colleague being ingested in the carriage, Bonzo's victims putrefying inside the suit, Alice/Sam's rotting corpse in her dream, the rotting food in Hungry Man's Grill (this one seems interesting, because the restaurant seems to be stuck in the putrefaction stage and the food refuses to decompose even when the guy leaves).

Sunset as a manifestation of the green lion devouring the sun (gold dissolving into mercury), which symbolises the onset of ego death or the beginning of the blackening (or the night). This has been emphasised in two cases. Firstly, the crypto bro from ep. 13 looks at the sun setting behind the sea (=Mercury) twice when making decisions on the trading app, and secondly, Lady Mowbray's hunt begins when the sunset colours everything crimson. Both of which are pivotal moments for these characters' personal transformation.

From the Rosarium Philosophorum

Albedo (whitening)

This stage marks the purification of matter through repeated washing, distillation and the like. It's where we begin to see the true essence of the prima materia and will be able to separate it from the rest. This stage is often associated with Luna, silver, or the White Elixir/Tincture. In psychology, it's where you discover and reconcile with your Shadow (or Animus/Anima) in the unconscious. Common symbolism includes doves, swans, lilies, whiteness, vibrant colours and eyes (known as the peacock's tail stage, though it's technically the transitional stage between nigredo and albedo), water of life, bathing, dawn (as in "always darkest before"), light emerging from the darkness, the queen, the moon (Luna), Anima (in the Jungian sense).

From the Mellon Collection

Some examples in TMAGP:

Purification or washing as an intentional attempt at removing impurities. Daria making adjustments to her painting in an attempt to perfect her own body. The violinist washing his hungry violin with blood in order to purify the music it produces. Alesis attempting to rid herself of her own impurities by growing a new self out of a coral (a lot of water and moonlight in that one, which fortifies the connection for me). Since purification is also often attributed to mercurial water, a lot of the water symbolism fits here too.

Colours, as seen in Daria's vibrant tattoo. Also the colours rushing into the liminal service station and the odd colours seen in the fog surrounding the pier. It's fitting, but not a very prevalent theme. Unless you count all ink, in which case it's very prevalent.

Encountering one's Shadow, which is a big theme in both TMA and here. Coming to terms with your inner darkness, fears and desires is what purification is about in spiritual alchemy. I think this is what the Archivist is doing. It's an embodiment of the Shadow, covered in eyes, here to distill and purify your fear and then project it back to you (killing you in the process). Although it's up to debate whether it feeds on the purified, distilled fear or the impurities left behind, it does leave something to be coagulated into the physical manifestation. (It's also worth noting that the compulsion has a lot of water imagery attached to it in the transcripts, things like "the dam breaks", "words gush out", "pouring out of her unstoppably like a river". And just to be extra clear, rain, dew, seas and rivers are all common symbols for Mercury.) Other than that, there are plenty of doubles or reflections in the show. We've got Darrien and his alternate darker self, the Millenium Dome construction worker's clone, Herr Schmidt's actual Anima crying to be let out of his brain, the horror blogger seeing his traumatic memories projected onto the big screen, Dr. Webber encountering his late wife in the garden, Alesis meeting her Piece in a dream, the list goes on. The important part for purification is the acceptance or healthy integration of the Shadow, which usually takes a twisted turn in TMAGP.

Dreams are often attributed to Luna, and they function as a link to the subconscious. In TMAGP, many of the dreams are linked to an epiphany, though it's not always a purifying one. Especially on the TMA side. Though I think the tech reviewer's meditation in the locked room could be seen as a form of purification. I think dreams and meditation have a wider metaphysical effect that I won't go into here.

The queen or the mother would go more into discussions on characters than processes, but I'll mention it here anyway since the albedo stage is most often equated with Luna and the emergence of the queen. We've got a couple of mothers, most notably Patricia (probably not Rupey's real mother but anyway) who's feeding her baby with her own blood (this is often symbolised by a pelican which were believed to bite their own chests to feed their young). Alesis is also very nurturing, and her entire case screams lunar symbolism. And the most obvious queen would be Lady Mowbray, who's described as a matriarch. But the most interesting one of all is our very own Celia, who fits the lunar archetypes of motherhood, secrets and deception to a T.

From the Ulrich Ruosch Manuscript

Light in the dark is pretty straightforward. Patricia describes Rupey as bringing light to her dark world, in the Hilltop custodian's memories there's a sudden light coming from one of the shops in the dark shopping centre, the computer monitor sheds light into the dark zoom room, the ritual Sam witnessed radiates yellow light into the dark. (Though the yellow makes it more in line with the citrinitas or yellowing stage, which is specifically the solar light shining through instead of the lunar reflection. It's a frequently forgotten stage with little direct symbolism so I thought it would make more sense to omit it, but just know that depictions of sunrise or yellow light might lean towards the citrinitas stage between albedo and rubedo.)

Rubedo (reddening)

The final stage marks the completion of the Work and the emergence of the Philosopher's Stone. It includes the conjunction of the opposites and the coagulation of the ultima materia. In psychology, it involves the integration of the unconscious and the ego into a singular self. Common symbolism for the reddening includes a phoenix, the king, a crown, the sun (Sol), gold, red or purple dye, red roses or poppies, blood, trees (specifically the Philosopher's tree) and lions. The union of the opposites (Sulphur and Mercury, silver and gold, Animus and Anima etc.) is symbolised by a marriage of the king and queen, sun and moon, red and white flower, two lions fighting, a lion (sun) devouring a serpent (moon), procreation, and so on.

From The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine

Examples in TMAGP:

The union of opposites is a continuation of encountering one's Shadow, and sometimes this part is counted into albedo (or citrinitas) as well. But the conjunction can only happen once you've separated and purified the components, or made peace with them. Dr. Webber is unified with his late wife (queen) in the garden, and the two are coagulated into one tree. In Alice's dream, she's also unified with her late husband (king) into the same body, though the process is incomplete and has to begin again (probably because she's not able to perform the separation, which is thematically fitting and painful for my soul). The conjunction is also present in the union of Sulphur and Mercury (or their purified versions Sol and Luna), which I discussed in the Tria Prima section. And I currently think it's also what Fr3-d1 or the entity inhabiting it is trying to do with the data it's collecting.

Blood and dye, which are symbolic of the liquids that give the Stone its crimson color. Lots of blood to go around, but the most relevant case would once again be the violin and the blood that purifies it. Purple dye reminds me of one case alone, and it's notable that the more purple paint there was on Bonzo's cards, the more present he became. It's not entirely clear to me when Bonzo actualised into what he is now, so it's difficult to say whether that was intentional. Though the episode was written by Alex, which means I'm much more willing to read intentional alchemy symbolism into it.

Devouring is big in alchemical iconography, and it's big in TMAGP too. We've got masses of people biting into each other (the violinist's audience and the hungry non-people in the service station), obviously Bonzo eating people (and letters), Lady Mowbray's cannibal party, little German kid eating a mum sandwich, demon baby eating his "mum" just cause (bringing us back to purification with blood), and Hungry Man's Grill which we can't prove isn't serving human meat. Either way, it's often used as a metaphor for the conjunction.

Trees have also only popped up twice (as far as I recall), but in compelling cases. First is Dr. Webber, who by now has gone through all the stages. Second is Newton's Arbor Philosophorum, which is usually formed with Mercury or Silver. He feeds its fruit to his dog (another act of devouring and union), who begins to grow into a tree itself. Newton truly was on the precipice of something.

From the Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine

Conclusion

Whew, I'm never writing something like this again [bzzt]. If you read this far, wow. I'm impressed, and I appreciate you. Did the pictures help? Or make it worse? Let me know.

PS. I recognise that I might be drawing parallels where there are none, but that's what I do. I hope you got something out of it. Also do not ask me what's up with Needles. I have no idea what to make of him.

[thedomesticanthropologist]

Astarion never felt full. Vampires tend not to, unending blood thirst being a well known aspect of their condition, but he wasn't JUST hungry due to his condition

He was starved. Then, through "food", he was tortured.

You cannot die from being starved when you are undead. Starvation cannot kill a corpse. We see this in his year of isolation. We see this in the 7000 Spawn locked in the dungeons without a drop of blood fed to a single one of them since their capture.

What Astarion WAS fed, was putrid rats and bugs. Lets stsrt with the rats. Putrid.

"Putrid" refers to something that is decomposed, rotten, or emitting a foul and unpleasant odor. It is often used to describe decaying organic matter or anything that has undergone significant deterioration.

This would have taken effort to produce on Cazadors part. Rats are easy to come by, with his labyrinthine temple beneath an expansive estate. To gather a rat is an easy thing. He has many servants. To gather a putrid, rotten animal is another. This would require gathering the animals via trap, letting them rot for days, and then providing them to Astarion. They could have been caught in droves, or a few at a time and laid out in the kitchens or pantries or within the closets to be gathered as a treat-meets-torment for the Spawn, but it required FORETHOUGHT and TIME. Animals do not /rot/ in a day.

Then there is bugs. The type of bug you'd expect to find within the kennels of the mansion would be your fairly typical selection of Ants, Spiders, Beetles, Flies, Silverfish, Mosquitoes, Centipedes, Cockroaches.

Each of these has up to a few MICRO LITRES of blood, which would be accessed by biting them and sucking on their entire corpse until you've got what you can get out of them. the amount of blood in these small insects is typically not enough for a human to taste. Vampire Spawn? Hard to say.

The feeding of these creatures to Cazadors Spawn would be for the purpose of torture alone, in my opinion. There is no way that they would provide relief or sustenance in any meaningful way. The rats, depending on their freshness (which I would argue was sometimes more or less fresh depending on when it was caught) would be the primary source of "reward/hunger suppression", and the bugs something eaten due to sheer desperation.

Let's look at rats and decomp now!

The blood of a decomposing rat undergoes changes as part of the decomposition process. Initially, bacterial and enzymatic activity breaks down the blood, and its nutritional content diminishes. The precise timing can vary based on environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity.

As decomposition progresses, the breakdown of organic matter continues, and any remaining nutrients in the blood become less accessible and less nutritious. It's challenging to pinpoint an exact timeframe, as it depends on various factors influencing the decomposition rate.

This means that if served a particularly rotten rat, Astarion could very well face the reality of its poisoned, rotten blood providing him with NOTHING beyond disgusting flavor. Keeping in mind this is all based on guesswork about how Vampire Spawn can obtain what they need to sustain themselves based on nutrition alone, when there's evidence its also *life force* that they absorb from their victims, which also would not be available in a dead victim/animal

And then suddenly, after 200 years of this, 200 years of having to fuck the food he cannot have, pressing his face against flesh that throbs and POUNDS underneath his touch from him administering pleasure that sets his targets hearts to THUDDING, veins pushing litres of sustenance through them in ways he would be incredibly attuned to but unable to access,

After 200 years of rotten, unsustainable dead blood

He's free. Surrounded by living animals- that boar, which he drained dry in one night, for example. Total blood volume of a swine (couldn't get boar on Google, but it's comparative) is 60 ml/kg or 6.0 % of total body weight. The average weight being from 60kg-100kg depending on sex and size. So let's say he drained a 75kg boar.

That means the night he snuck off, he exanguinated (completely drained) an animal of roughly 9 POUNDS OF BLOOD

Impressive

Let's go to the Bear, now. Cave bears are actually extinct, so I'm gonna go with grizzly bear but feel free to do your own math. He took down between 130kg-270kg of bear depending on its sex. Let's say 200kg for ease. As roughly 6%-8% of any mammal is its blood, I'm gonna use the Boar 6% from before to average the blood Astarion would have drank.

Total in pounds: 26.455

HE DRANK

26 POUNDS OF BLOOD FROM ONE ANIMAL IN ONE NIGHT

All my research on these numbers is from Google and a calculator so forgive me if I'm off. But I'd say this is evidence of binging after starvation, as well as solid evidence that Vampires absorb blood differently than humans drinking fluids, so I'd HAVE to assume it evaporates within him or is consumed in its entirety and converted to energy magically cause there's NO way a body could absorb all of that and just "get drunk"

Anyways thanks for coming to my Ted Talk about vampires, Astarion, starvation, and blood volumes in your average mammal. 🫡

[semisomnosres]

I'll try to throw in a little bit of lore

A mysterious disease that only the Norisu clan could resist at the cost of their lives. Unfortunately, it was not possible to completely eradicate it and it terrorizes the city to this day, and only a ninja, thanks to the mask, can fight monsters without being absorbed by this filth. The disease is called the “Sorcerer’s Curse”; in ancient Japan it was believed that all illnesses and misfortunes were the fault of demons/yokai/punishment of the gods and other evil spirits. It all started with the fact that one of the first infected was mistaken for an evil sorcerer who cast a curse on everyone, which was completely wrong, but rumors spread like wildfire, and somehow, imperceptibly, this name stuck. (The First already has a shitload of things to do, he is one of those people who, if he could, would not blink so that he could work more, but coming up with an adequate name and then accustoming people to it is clearly not what he wants to spend his time on.)

Mutated beasts appeared just as unexpectedly along with the infection. Ugly, evil, hungry creatures, wreaking chaos and eating everyone they find. They usually live and hunt in their own territory, but at the same time they have the audacity to sneak into the city to hunt. The curse had a strong impact on the environment, poisoning the land for years and changing it over so many years so that some places resemble nightmares. (For example: Trees that look like a trypophobic hell, boiling swamps where even the steam burns to the point of pain, living pieces of meat growing straight from the ground and other delights that an adequate person would not want to see in person)

It’s relatively safe within the city, except for moments of monster attacks (which a ninja can handle) and shitty weather: hail of icy needles, acid rain season, etc. This is already common and people have adapted to such conditions over so many years. But there are also truly dangerous places where only a ninja or a complete idiot would go. (the level with the swamp from Dark Souls says hello)

From time to time, Randy has to go there voluntarily (forcibly), because only there can he get ingredients for some drugs (like those cones for creating smoke bombs) Infected people - It is quite easy to distinguish from animals - by preserved human features, personal belongings, hair, and the ability to speak humanly (but usually it turns out something incoherent, or the infected person repeats the same word) Over time, their consciousness and body will change more and more: they will begin to forget about themselves, become more aggressive and experience constantly incessant pain from body deformation and insatiable hunger (The speed of development of the virus depends on the person, some can retain their sanity and control over their actions to the last, while others They immediately break down and begin to attack those around them)

Although there are difficult situations, it will be possible to reverse the transformation, but there is an exception. - if they eat a person, or simply taste blood, then they are immediately classified as beasts and belong to extermination. (there is another point of infection, which I will talk about a little later). As in the canon, they are also called Abominations, but for a slightly different reason. In origa, their breath simply stinks, here the unpleasant odor appears due to the decomposition of cells by parasites. They smell like rotten meat in swamp soil and metal.

Logically, I decided to make changes in the approach to battles. (combat medics) They also use weapons/magic, etc., but in the original the ninja has a choice of how hard and how deep he will push the nunchucks into someone’s insides, there are more choices of poisons and types of heals.

Another idea is that it depends on the character of the ninja whether the treatment will be painless or even the feeling of an injection will be the same as being hit with a knife

And I will mention a person who has an important role in the city - McFist. As a true smart-ass capitalist, he managed to make money from the epidemic. (And more precisely, selling all sorts of devices for home protection, umbrellas against acid rain, alarms, etc. And his second profitable industry is the funeral home) Not to say that he is a straight-up villain here, he rather has the vibe of an annoying neighbor. It infuriates him that a ninja, in the heat of fulfilling his duties, can (accidentally) ruin some of his stores, and the ninja is annoyed that it’s up to him to clean up the consequences of some of his awesome ideas (for example, he will build a plant right near the borders of the city, where in the end the pipeline became for monsters highway directly to the city sewer system.)

[broodwoof]

davg spoilers

talking with @skip-the-clumsy-dragon about this has led me to really thinking it through, and i want to explore how dragon age can be viewed through an ecological/environment lens

particularly with respect to the actions solas has taken in the far-distant past and what he wants to do in the present

the veil as an inciting factor for a trophic cascade... the removal of the veil as an inciting factor for another trophic cascade...

the dissonance between a desire to restore and a desire to preserve. how sometimes preservation can mean maintaining the status quo; how sometimes restoration can mean destroying much - or even all - of what has supplanted what was

how complex the morality is in either situation. how the whole system needs to be analyzed, and how unethical it is to analyze the whole system, come to a conclusion, and implement it. the brutal mathematics of it all. the no-good-answer, only degrees of bad

restoration in dragon age means one thing for sure, but has many other possibilities

what it means for sure:

the veil and the 'waking world' will be connected again

what it might mean:

magic restored to the elves

magic restored to the dwarves (possibly?)

the titans could reawaken

spirits/demons are safer and less likely to be altered

what it will damage for sure:

the present world (the how remains unclear)

what it may damage:

mortals - both people and animals

landscapes

built environments and societies

existing cultures

as an example of this on a much smaller scale: a pond.

a pond is a habitat, teeming with life. many things are reliant upon it. but over time, nutrients build up in ponds until they become overwhelming. this leads to algae blooms, yes, but also to lower levels of oxygen in the water, lower levels of light penetrating the pond, and a further process of decomposition/nutrient dumping as the algae decays

on top of making the pond itself uninhabitable for some things, certain types of "algae" blooms - especially "blue green algae," or cyanobacteria - can make the water unsafe for non-aquatic creatures. it can be very dangerous for animals to drink from or go into water that has a cyanobacterial bloom

so sometimes, to preserve a pond as a habitat, one needs to get in there and destroy a lot of it. remove a lot of the algae, for one, but it's difficult to do that without destroying or harming some of the life that exists right then and now

the bugs, the tadpoles, the little near microscopic invertebrates you can't see but are definitely there... and you are of course destroying plant life

so do you let the whole pond die, become uninhabitable to anything and everything, or do you restore it, and know that in doing so, however hard you try to preserve the life currently there, you will inevitably end up destroying some of it?

so, am i comparing people with near-microscopic invertebrates? no. but this is a simple example of what i think solas' whole pov boils down to: does he let the world cycle into a slow death, with significant harm done along the way, or does he - doing his best to limit the damage - change it all at once, believing that it can be stabilized this way, that it is inherently more sustainable?

i don't know which way is more sustainable. none of us do. that's part of the underlying conflict of the game, that uncertainty, but i never got the impression that he's just out there trying to restore the glorious city of arlathan or whatever. he's out there specifically trying to restore the entire world to what it once was, and what he feels strongly that it should be. he is trying to preserve its inherent nature

and of course, this is not my discovery and i don't know who first figured it out or shared the information so i can't credit, but it's worth pointing out:

Solastalgia is a term coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht to describe the emotional or existential distress caused by negatively perceived environmental change.

as a final note: i said i am not comparing people to near-microscopic invertebrates, but i don't think solas is doing the equivalent, either. perhaps at first, but that is dispelled as he spends time in the inquisition, as he gets to know the people of this age

yet the complexity remains. and it isn't clear-cut; there is harm to both sides, and good to both sides. it is painfully, gloriously complex, a narrative that has no single clear answer

[turing-complete-eukaryote]

An Interesting Fact About Chemical Equilibria

The rate of a chemical reaction is the speed at which it proceeds. It is primarily affected by the concentration of reactants. So, a chemical reaction will start out fast because the reactants are still abundant, but the reaction will slow down as it proceeds, because the concentration of reactants decreases.

A reversible chemical reaction is one that can occur in both the forwards and backwards direction. Consider the formation of carbonic acid, and the decomposition of carbonic acid.

CO2 + H2O => H2CO3

H2CO3 => CO2 + H2O

Carbon dioxide can react with water to form carbonic acid, and carbonic acid can decompose to form carbon dioxide and water. Each of these reactions have their own rates, which depend on the concentration of reactants. If there is a lot of CO2, but little H2CO3, the formation of carbonic acid will be fast, and its decomposition will be slow, so the total amount of carbonic acid will rise. If the there is much carbonic acid but little carbon dioxide, the formation will be slow and the decomposition will be fast, so the total amount of carbonic acid will fall.

But if the concentrations of carbonic acid and carbon dioxide are just right, the rate of the forward reaction will equal the rate of the backwards reaction, and the amount of carbonic acid formed will equal the amount of carbonic acid decomposed. There will be no net change in the amount of each chemical species, and the system is said to be in equilibrium.

Now I will propose a new chemical system, with hypothetical reactants A, B, and C.

A => B

B => C

C => A

If all three reactions were to proceed at the same rate, the system would be in equilibrium. A would turn into B just as fast as C turns into A, which is just as fast as B turns into C. There would be no net change in the amount of each chemical species. This is an unusual type of equilibrium because it consists not of one reversible reaction, but of three separate irreversible reactions.

But is such a chemical system possible? As it turns out, no! The reason why is thermodynamics.

Thermodynamics is the study of energy, and chemists use the concept of Gibbs free energy (G) to describe the amount of energy in a chemical system. If a chemical reaction would cause the amount of energy in system to increase (∆G > 0) it must use energy. If it causes the energy to decrease (∆G < 0), it produces energy. For a chemical system in equilibrium, there is no change in the properties of the system, and therefore no change in energy, so (∆G = 0).

An irreversible chemical reaction always has a negative ∆G, otherwise, it would not occur. Some reactions have a positive ∆G values, for example protein synthesis, but they only occur because they are combined with reactions with negative ∆G values, for example ATP hydrolysis, so they have a negative ∆G overall.

The chemical system outlined above is in equilibrium, so the overall ∆G should be zero. However, each of the reactions is irreversible, so they should each have a negative ∆G. The total ∆G is equal to the ∆G of each reaction, so this would mean that three negative numbers must add to equal zero. That's impossible. Therefore, a chemical system in equilibrium must be formed only of reversible chemical reactions in equilibrium, not of multiple irreversible reactions.

So, I introduce a fundamental law of chemistry:

In a chemical system in equilibrium, all chemical reactions are in equilibrium.

In other words, equilibrium systems don't have time directionality. Their reactions happen backwards in the same way as forwards.

[thesilliestrovingalive]

Updated: June 20, 2025

Reworked Character #9: Tequila

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to death, torture, suicide, child abuse, cannibalism, crime, alcoholism, and divorce.

Real name: Godefroi Bracquemond-Kagamihara (he legally changed his name to Severiano Titouan Kanikoja)

Alias: Maestro of a Thousand Skirmishes

Occupation: Lieutenant General of the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S., Brigadier General of the Regular Army, Army Chief of Staff for the Rebel Army (formerly), florist shop cashier (formerly), grill cook (formerly), sniper and spy for the Theophylaktos Union (formerly), and member of a cartel (formerly)

Retirement plans: Open a florist shop, become a philanthropist dedicated to supporting child welfare and war veterans, and establish a company that designs and manufactures affordable, electric vehicles

Special skills: Coordinating covert missions and training programs for new recruits, proficiency in tactical planning and the operation of heavy machinery, mastery of disguise, and rescuing hostages

Esper abilities: He can teleport short distances, allowing him to instantly vanish and reappear in locations within his direct line of sight. He boasts flexibility rivalling that of an octopus due to his extreme hypermobility, and agility nearly identical to that of a cheetah. Furthermore, his senses are incredibly acute, featuring eyesight as keen as an eagle's, hearing as sensitive as a bat's, a sense of smell as discerning as an elephant's, and touch sensitivity as refined as a star-nosed mole's.

Whenever he suffers a debilitating three-minute headache, accompanied by a brief, cryptic glimpse of the future, it signals his sensitivity to global events and cosmic anomalies that will significantly impact Earth. Furthermore, he possesses a passive ability to sense environmental changes, allowing him to predict weather patterns, earthquakes, and other meteorological and geological events within his immediate region. This precognitive awareness is limited to a fifteen-minute timeframe before the event occurs.

He has two black half-orbs, one in the centre of each palm, which possess a red-violet lustre and serve four distinct purposes. Firstly, they enable him to absorb memories and knowledge from the recently deceased and bodies in various stages of decomposition. Secondly, he can conjure balls of radiant blue fire, precisely directing them at his enemies. Thirdly, by tapping into the energy of shadows and nighttime darkness, he can forge obsidian-handled scythes with glowing bluish-white blades that inflict severe burns even with the slightest graze against skin. Once he's finished wielding the scythes, the orbs disintegrate them, reducing their physical forms to nothing but a pile of ash. Lastly, by touching someone's heart, he can absorb their emotions to heal minor wounds and partially mend major ones. However, this leaves the individual emotionally numb, stripping them of their emotional depth forever.

Hobbies: Playing underground poker games, watching demolition derby events, tinkering with and customising his own vehicles, cultivating deadly plants and sweet-smelling flowers, and engaging in friendly fire incidents during covert missions

Likes: Gourmet grilling, the innocent curiosity of children, enjoying a drink after a long battle, the symbolism and cultural significance of flowers, and exploring exotic destinations and natural wonders

Dislikes: Troublemakers, bureaucratic red tape, having to blow his nose in the middle of battle, being stuck in tight spaces during an escape, and witnessing comrades and children being oppressed and caught in situations of gratuitous violence

Favourite food: His own gourmet grilled food

Favourite drink: Tequila (preferably tequila sunrise)

Sexuality: Biromantic graysexual

Gender: Male

Age: 50 (in 2022), 56 (in 2028), 58 (in 2030), 60 (in 2032), 62 (in 2034), 69 (in 2041), 71 (in 2043), 72 (in 2044), and 75 (in 2047)

Blood type: A-

Weight: 109 lbs. (49 kg)

Design: He’s a 5 ft (152.4 cm) Canadian-Guatemalan ectomorph of French and Japanese descent with a lean, semi-lanky build, subtle softness around the midsection, and a weak yet surprisingly stocky musculature. He has sloping shoulders, beige skin (it was pale ivory during his younger years), and a small black mole on the right side of his chin. His face shows noticeable signs of aging with forehead lines, frown lines, tear troughs, and nasolabial folds. He has a missing second premolar on his lower jaw and heterochromia eyes: his right eye is a medium sky blue and his left eye is a deep cyan. Tequila sports a brownish-black spiky crew cut dyed a light auburn, which is paired with sideburns, semi-bushy eyebrows, and a slightly dishevelled five o'clock shadow. On his right outer thigh, he has a tattoo depicting a seven-horned Lamb of God, its legs bound, holding an olive branch in its mouth. The lamb is set against a backdrop of a gilded Chi Rho symbol (☧), which is encircled by a radiant, flaming aureola.

He bears numerous battle scars from past encounters, including: half of his upper back being heavily burned; a series of jagged cuts on his left arm caused by shrapnel; a deep, curved scar on his temple; a thin, horizontal knife scar on his chin; a slight cut on his left cheek from a bullet that flew past him; and a bullet wound below the right side of his diaphragm. Tequila also has a series of deep stab wounds on his right shoulder and right lumbar region, a severed tendon (flexor carpi ulnaris) in his left forearm, and a partially cut left thumb.

After being experimented on, his body underwent significant transformations: his muscles have a coppery hue with bronze streaks, his bones are gilded and steel-hard, his fingers and toes are tipped with razor-sharp claws and talons, and his eyes glow a deep crimson in the nighttime. His back is covered with blotchy, necrotized flesh that bears a resemblance to the starry night appearance of the Avatar of Evil's skin.

Tequila's military gear consists of brass-plated night vision goggles with yellow-orange lenses, a bone white tank top, and greenish-black gloves. He wears army cargo pants in a camouflage pattern featuring brown, beige, and olive green, which are tucked into spike-soled liver brown combat boots. His pants have two crudely stitched patches: a triangular Cambridge blue one on the right knee and a rectangular burgundy one on the middle of his left outer thigh. Tequila wears a metal dog tag necklace with his name, black elbow and knee pads, a bronze-buckled leather belt, a sheath for his combat knife, and a drop leg holster for a handgun with a silencer. A rust-coloured waist pack is secured to the back of his belt, containing a bronze-finished flask filled with his tequila cocktail of choice for the day.

He wears a linden green flight jacket, often left unzipped, featuring a brown wolf-fur lining, a metallic silver zipper, and gilded epaulets. The jacket has four pockets and boasts the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. logo emblazoned on the back. His jacket has a concealed compartment on the left side, secured with a strap, holding the latest rolled-up newspaper. Additionally, he wears an earthy green Lightweight Helmet (LWH) and a reseda chartreuse armband on his left sleeve, adorned with the Regular Army insignia. Slung over his right shoulder, he carries the scoped bolt-action rifle he retained after leaving the Theophylaktos Union.

Over his tank top, he dons a Soldier Plate Carrier System (SPCS) with a brown, beige, and olive green camouflage pattern, which carries around his walkie-talkie and ammo for other firearms. He wears three dark grey bandoliers: one draped over his right shoulder holds flashbang grenades, another over his left shoulder holds smoke bombs, and a third wraps around his waist above his belt, holding ammunition for his handgun. Tequila carries around a steel blue load-bearing backpack that contains camping equipment, tactical explosives, portable ammo boxes, a canteen full of water, a brown bear fur blanket, a grappling hook, and a disguise kit that adapts to the specific requirements of each mission. It also contains a Grenade Gun, mechanic and lockpicking tool sets, a tissue box, and a photo album filled with Polaroid pictures.

The pockets of his flight jacket carry around a metallic blue-green lighter, the key to his motorcycle, noise-cancelling earplugs, and a hundred-eyed cowrie shell, a gift from Gimlet. Tequila treasures a collection of cherished photographs, which are carefully stored in the pockets of his flight jacket. One shows him with his ex-wife, Margaret, and their late son, Thomas, enjoying a spring day at a Quebec park. Another captures a moment with his former team in front of the old Joint Military Operations Headquarters in Andrew Town, where a teenage Gimlet stands proudly beside him, beaming with a thumbs up. Other cherished photos include: a Swiss brassy ringlet on a yellow mountain flower; Red Eye playfully placing an orange tabby cat on a sleeping Donald Morden in his former office; a mountain hike with Clark; and a triumphant pose with Marco, Tarma, Gimlet, and Red Eye standing before a destroyed Tani Oh.

He has a stash of cigars and a half-empty pack of cigarettes tucked away in the right pocket of his army cargo pants, while his left pocket is occupied by a burgundy instant camera, a digital recorder, a silver engagement ring featuring a princess cut diamond, and a golden wedding band. He wears two distinctive necklaces: a black cord with a teardrop-shaped nazar charm and a gold chain holding a pendant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary impaled by a longsword.

His custom-made motorcycle is a glaucous BMW R75, adorned with forest green cheetah spots outlined in sandy beige. The motorcycle comes with a sidecar, which serves as storage for extra supplies and his load-bearing backpack. The sidecar features an intriguing design element: a Swiss brassy ringlet on the antler of an elk skull, proudly displayed on its side. The sidecar is outfitted with a greenish-black rocket turret, while two rotating miniguns are mounted on either side of the front wheel of his motorcycle.

Character summary: He's a cunning, wise, rebellious, and skeptical individual with a strong aversion to being bossed around unjustly. He has a tendency to bluff and revels in the raw power and adrenaline rush that comes with high-intensity situations, which makes him feel alive. He has a strong sense of camaraderie with those he considers comrades and close friends, going to great lengths to ensure their happiness and safety. Tequila is especially devoted to Marco, Tarma, Red Eye, Gimlet, Clark, Eri, and Fio, holding their well-being in the highest regard due to the deep affection he feels for them. Depending on the situation, he can be very blunt, believing that people need to quickly learn that the truth is often a hard pill to swallow. Whenever his patience is running thin or he deems it necessary, he isn't afraid to speak his mind, though his words can be abrasive and unsettling.

Despite his perpetual weary expression, he’s a fundamentally kind-hearted and morally upright leader. Tequila is a tough-as-nails and hypervigilant individual that has a tendency to engage in occasional reckless behaviour. He has a cynical, pessimistic outlook on life, which he occasionally masks through social drinking, reading the newspaper or immersing himself in his hobbies. As an introvert with exceptionally high intellect, he finds it challenging to connect with others, often feeling like a societal outcast burdened with knowledge that nobody should have to bear. Whenever he faces death accompanied by intense mockery directed at him or unsavoury comments about those he's loyal to, he always finds the strength to fiercely push back and make them pay for their disrespect. He has a deep-seated compassion and strong protective instincts towards children who are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Tequila views it as a moral obligation to safeguard them from harm and foster a secure environment that allows them to thrive.

He battles alcoholism, stemming from guilt over not helping his adopted sister during her darkest moments, the accidental loss of his first love, and the devastating death of his son. Despite these painful memories, he's actively seeking help and working to improve his mental well-being. Remarkably, he's also willing to support friends struggling with similar alcoholism issues, using his personal experience to help others. When drunk, he exhibits clumsiness, boisterousness, sorrowfulness, physical aggression, and increased insulting behaviour. Additionally, he's even more likely to make awkward attempts to flirt with anyone who catches his eye.

He's particularly self-conscious about his height and extremely hates being teased about it. When someone teases him about his height, he tends to respond in one of two ways: either with sarcasm, pretending to find the joke amusing, or by lashing out with rude insults, often targeting their appearance-related insecurities. When he's feeling scared or furious towards someone who has visibly angered him, he has a habit of jumping on their back, which may follow up with an attack. Tequila has zero tolerance for cowardice and incompetence, viewing them as lame excuses for people to avoid putting in effort and failing to contribute meaningfully to their roles in society. He dislikes people who are overly pesky or slimy, individuals with a bratty and entitled attitude, unnecessary trouble, political corruption, and duplicity.

As a devout Catholic who also believes in the evil eye, he abhors war and can't help but feel a pang of sympathy for new military recruits, knowing their innocent worldview is likely to be shattered. Nevertheless, he recognizes that everyone has their own reasons for enlisting and refrains from criticising their choices. Although he once devoutly followed the Avatar of Evil and still respects the principles the deity represents, he now sees them as a primarily malevolent force, akin to the Devil, with a destructive influence on human life. He wants to believe in the singular, all-powerful deity of his Catholic faith, but he's aware that this conviction is challenged by the confirmed existence of multiple deities and the possibility of attaining godhood.

He takes pride in being regarded as a living legend, thanks to his distinguished reputation as the Regular Army's top covert agent. He can be somewhat tough and slightly strict when interacting with military rookies, teaching them valuable life lessons as well as combative and strategic skills. He only considers someone a rookie if their military abilities don't measure up to top-notch soldiers and covert agents. He can be quite harsh and openly dismissive towards rookies who deliberately cause trouble, consistently push his buttons or display a rude and disrespectful attitude. He becomes vengeful when he encounters people who have been unreasonably hurt or when he feels betrayed and devastated after losing something he deeply cares about. He’ll only betray someone or a cause if he senses that they’re crossing into morally reprehensible territory.

He lives with sleep paralysis, atypical depression, and PTSD. He has mild borderline personality disorder, which often leads to sudden outbursts of anger, resulting in yelling and occasionally breaking things. He engages in novelty-seeking behaviour because he tends to get bored quickly. Additionally, he has a tendency to view the world in extremes, perceiving people as either entirely good or entirely bad with little recognition of a middle ground. During episodes of sleep paralysis, he often experiences anxiety and helplessness as he's unable to move or speak and feels as though he's suffocating. His hallucinations include shadowy figures that appear demonic and dangerous as well as distorted, violent scenes of war.

When seeking solitude and contemplation or grappling with doubts about his faith, he withdraws to a secluded natural haven, wrapping himself in a fluffy blanket and using earplugs to shut out the world. Whenever he encounters a pair of glowing red eyes, a creeping sense of unease settles in, leaving him questioning his grip on reality. He becomes visibly upset when he learns of suicide cases or attempts. In such situations, he promptly offers comfort and support to those affected, providing valuable guidance and a listening ear. He's devoted to being a loyal friend and mentor to all, going out of his way to politely share the impressive global knowledge he has retained over the years whenever the opportunity arises.

He harbours a deep-seated hatred towards his former friend, General Morden, stemming from his subsequent betrayal when Morden's megalomaniacal desire for world domination consumed him. He's a good friend of Hyakutaro, and they often hang out together after missions, talking about how crazy their day was, sharing vacation plans, and discussing a wide range of random topics. He's a really good friend to Red Eye and is very patient with her, especially considering that she has dissociative identity disorder (DID). The sudden shifts in her personalities can be quite jarring for her. He always makes it a point to help her calm down and alleviate her anxiety or confusion by guiding her through simple breathing exercises and carefully explaining what's happening.

He perceives Margaret as promiscuous and attention-seeking, disapproving of her flirtatious behaviour as a means to cope with loneliness. Despite their divorce, he remains deeply invested in her well-being and still harbours lingering romantic feelings for her. As a result, he has been gradually rekindling their romantic connection, alleviating her loneliness and showing her she’s still loved and valued. Through this process, they're also working together to heal from the profound loss of their son.

They sometimes bicker like an old couple, but they often make up by grabbing a quick bite to eat or having a round of rough intimacy. He believes that Margaret is quite obsessed with him because she frequently shows him physical affection that's slightly raunchy, boldly flirts, and finds excuses to help him. Tequila gets easily flustered by her shameless compliments, often affectionately saying that he's her "Super Devil". Despite their somewhat estranged relationship, he treats her with gentle kindness and occasionally flirts back. He isn't afraid to put her in her place when she causes problems for Sophia and her other colleagues, especially when he notices that those around her are feeling uncomfortable or frustrated.

He has a strong affinity for Vasser, whom he sees as a surrogate son, striving to educate and guide him on the right path. However, he often finds himself disappointed by Vasser's ill-tempered bully attitude, his excessive thirst for blood and action, and his tendencies to cause mischief and make unwanted advances towards women. He also feels deeply disappointed when Vasser disregards his advice and falls short of the standards he envisioned, which were modelled after his deceased son Thomas—an exceptionally well-behaved child with a keen mind and an eagerness to learn. He becomes extremely frustrated with Vasser's antics and consistently reprimands him for his poor behaviour, urging him to take responsibility for his mistakes and learn from them. He's consumed by guilt, feeling that despite his best efforts, he's failed as a father and wonders if he could have done more to prevent Vasser's bad behaviour.

Backstory: Godefroi Bracquemond-Kagamihara was born on December 23, 1972 in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. His biological parents were Jean-Louis Bracquemond, a French-Canadian construction worker from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada, and Tsukiko Kagamihara, a Japanese-Canadian entrepreneur who owned an open-air market selling homemade Japanese craft goods. He had an adoptive sister who was six years older than him named Ximena, who had been abandoned by her alcoholic father.

As expected, he had inherited Tuatha Dé Danann DNA from his parents, which became noticeable when he frequently mentioned seeing a pair of glowing red eyes watching him. Godefroi's parents had also noticed that his intelligence grew at rapid speeds, which they greatly encouraged. Between the ages of 1 and 4, he read numerous books on various subjects, including mathematics, engineering, sociology, psychology, architecture, ancient history, geography, political science, and world religions. By the age of 5, he had taught himself to speak Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and German, and learned about their respective cultures.

Before Godefroi's 7th birthday, his father was assassinated by a hitman in retaliation for killing the right-hand man of a prominent Québécois organized crime family near Montreal. Jean-Louis had previously worked for them but realised that a life of crime was unfulfilling after meeting Tsukiko. When he unintentionally got her pregnant earlier than intended and they had a shotgun wedding, he knew that his position in organised crime would put his family in danger. Before he had to flee with his wife and unborn child to Guatemala, his boss refused to let him go because he was skilled at his job as a weapons manager, trafficker, and builder. In a fit of anger, he killed his right-hand man and attempted to shoot his boss at point-blank range before guards were sent in to stop him, but he swiftly escaped from capture. The crime family, seeking revenge and viewing Tsukiko and her children as potential assets, planned to force them into hard labour and prostitution. Out of fear, Tsukiko made the difficult decision to put Godefroi and Ximena up for adoption, hoping they would be safe. Shortly after, Tsukiko mysteriously vanished, leaving behind only speculation that she had fallen victim to the sinister activities of the Québécois crime family.

They were adopted by an organ harvester named Tecuani, who took pity on them after learning about the fate of their parents. Despite his illicit profession, Tecuani went out of his way to ensure that Godefroi and Ximena were well-fed and properly educated. He even taught them essential survival skills for navigating the dangers of the streets, giving them a better chance at thriving in a challenging world. However, their time together was short-lived, as Tecuani was promptly arrested after one of his employees reported him to the police for operating an illegal organ harvesting business.

As a result, Godefroi and Ximena were placed into the foster care system, where they experienced a tumultuous journey through four different foster families. The first family was neglectful, frequently failing to provide basic necessities like food, and instead, leaving Godefroi and Ximena to fend for themselves. Additionally, the foster mother struggled with alcoholism, while the foster father was battling a prescription drug addiction. His second family harboured hardcore conspiratorial beliefs and were intimidated by Godefroi's exceptional intelligence. They suspected him of being a government-trained spy or even an extraterrestrial. The third family, although initially kind and lenient, had an uncle who would secretly subject Ximena to sexual harassment and Godefroi to physical abuse. Ultimately, all three families lost interest in caring for the siblings. The third family even went so far as to claim that Ximena and Godefroi were a bad influence on their young son.

Tragically, their last foster family was a source of immense pain and suffering. The foster father, a business executive named Clifford, was controlling and abusive, lashing out physically and emotionally, especially when Godefroi dared to stand up for himself. The foster mother, a psychiatrist named Magdalena, failed to provide a safe and nurturing environment, neglecting their needs and belittling them with hurtful words that preyed on their insecurities. During this period, he struggled to connect with his sister, their vastly different intellectual abilities driving a wedge between them. Additionally, he would occasionally get into altercations with children from more stable homes at the local park, struggling to manage his frustration. Ximena, who had always been dear to Magdalena, struggled with depression, PTSD, and body dysmorphia, which ultimately led to her eventual suicide when Godefroi was just 12 years old.

At age 15, Godefroi joined a newly formed cartel that promised him refuge and financial assistance in exchange for killing and cannibalising his foster parents. Initially hesitant due to his disgust at the idea of consuming his abusers, he was motivated by the prospect of exacting revenge. He followed through on the cartel's demands, completing his initiation and rapidly rising through the ranks thanks to his street smarts. He played a key role in gathering valuable intelligence for the cartel's boss and devising strategic plans for financial management and tactical attacks.

To cope with his emotional pain and seek excitement, he turned to drinking various tequila cocktails, eventually leading to an alcohol addiction and a particular fondness for tequila sunrise. His struggles with addiction led to him being dubbed "Tequila" by those around him, a nickname he unexpectedly embraced as part of his identity and later adopted as his codename for military operations.

The circumstances of his departure from the cartel are unclear, but rumours suggest that the cartel was either absorbed into or annihilated by a relatively obscure cult-like guerrilla group from Venezuela known as the Theophylaktos Union. However, it was confirmed that he joined the Theophylaktos Union at age 19, becoming a skilled sniper and tactical spy for Zoilo and his operations. He zealously embraced the depraved, militaristic faith that Zoilo had constructed and many others had fully adopted because it made him feel validated and welcomed, fully aware of the harsh ridicule and physical beatings he would face if he denied the existence of the Avatar of Evil. He confesses that during his time in the Theophylaktos Union, he had a boyfriend, but their relationship was tragically cut short. His partner was inadvertently killed in a friendly fire incident, a devastating consequence of his own actions while infiltrating the Argentinian police to gather firearms. This was also when he began exploring mechanics and constructed his first custom-made motorcycle.

At the age of 21, during a raid on a Brazilian town, he encountered a frightened child clinging to her dead mother and her severely injured younger brother. Initially, he callously shot her, believing her to be an obstacle to fulfilling the Dark Lord's supposedly twisted desires. Yet, upon reflection, he questioned his actions and his allegiance to the Theophylaktos Union, ultimately realising that this path was not for him. He subsequently retired from the group, which greatly infuriated Zoilo, who saw him as a traitor to his brethren and the Darwinistic faith of the Dark Lord. As assassins were sent after him for his perceived treachery, he feared for his life and made the difficult decision to leave South America. In total secrecy, he managed to evade his would-be assassins by changing his legal name and relocating to Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. He also sought rehabilitation to address his escalating alcohol addiction and converted to Catholicism in search of new purpose and direction in life, desperately wanting to break free from the beliefs of Zoilo that he had once firmly embraced. To financially support himself, he took on two part-time jobs: working as a grill cook at a bar and grill, and serving as a cashier at a local flower shop.

During his lunch break at the bar and grill where he worked, he met Hyakutaro, fresh from completing a gruelling mission for the Regular Army. They quickly formed a strong bond after sharing their personal struggles and aspirations. Hyakutaro encouraged him to join the Regular Army, hoping it would give him a sense of direction and purpose. Inspired by their conversation, he made a drastic career change, leaving his Quebec-based jobs behind to enlist in the Regular Army at 25.

He then went on to specialise in high-stakes hostage rescue missions. He also developed expertise in camouflage, secret identities, and intelligence gathering, earning recognition as the Regular Army's top covert agent. His exceptional leadership skills, tactical planning, and recruitment abilities further propelled him to the rank of Brigadier General. However, his experiences soon exposed him to the harsh realities of war and corruption, witnessing the brutal deaths of many friends and comrades. These traumatic events would haunt him, fuelling recurring nightmares and night terrors.

Four years after joining the Regular Army and Intelligence Agency, he was among the first to be transferred to the newly established S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. special forces unit, becoming one of its founding members, alongside Red Eye. He met Margaret Southwood shortly after the S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. was established, encountering her at the Combat Academy section of the Intelligence Division during a visit to ensure everything was running smoothly. He immediately fell in love with her and assisted her in teaching important military strategies. Although he would never admit it, Margaret often teases him about the time he nearly physically confronted a recruit who made mocking jokes about his short stature. She had to intervene to prevent him from escalating the situation and temporarily removed the recruit from class.

After that class was over, Tequila asked Margaret out on a date, and she eagerly accepted. Their first date took place at Margaret's home, where they tended to the orchids in her greenhouse and discussed their shared passion for gardening. On another occasion, they enjoyed slow dancing to smooth jazz tunes with Margaret teaching him how to dance. Over the course of ten months, they went on several dates, allowing their love to blossom into a full-blown romance. As their relationship grew stronger, Tequila proposed to her during a nature hike in the rural Canadian wilderness, and Margaret gladly accepted, having been eagerly awaiting that day. They got married shortly afterward and spent their honeymoon in Hokkaido, where they enjoyed passionate intimacy in their hotel the day after they arrived.

Margaret became pregnant and eventually gave birth to a son they named Thomas on January 6. Although he was uncertain about wanting to be a father, Tequila believed it was a blessing in disguise. He was overjoyed to have a son and felt immense happiness in his new role, which helped him forget his past sorrows for a while. He and Margaret made sure to give him all the attention he needed while sharing wise words that he could understand. As Thomas grew older, Tequila noticed that he hadn't inherited his special genes, but he proved to be quite smart and very curious, showing a talent for completing difficult word puzzles.

A month after Thomas turned five-years-old, tragedy struck when he attempted to cross the road on his bike after spending the day with his best friend, who lived a few houses down. Tequila was driving home in Margaret's borrowed car after an afternoon of drinking at the bar with Hyakutaro and his comrades. He was very intoxicated and ended up running over Thomas, leaving Tequila disoriented as he mistook his son for a strange speed bump. Tequila crashed into a nearby tree but fortunately sustained no injuries.

Tequila is reluctant to discuss what happened next, but he remembers all of his former neighbours deemed him a reckless drunk and an irresponsible father. He ultimately ruined his marriage with Margaret because she had a very hard time forgiving him for what he did, deeming him a murderer. As they both struggled to cope with their grief, Margaret turned to promiscuity while Tequila sought solace in alcohol. Unfortunately, these coping mechanisms created an insurmountable rift, leading to their divorce. After a few years, they would eventually make amends, acknowledging the pain they had caused each other.

At age 39, after exiting a pub and heading back to a nearby Regular Army base on his motorcycle, he noticed a malnourished teenage boy lying in an alleyway with a bruised and bloodied face. He took great pity on the boy and promptly aided him, noticing the boy's eerie silence and uncanny resemblance to Thomas. He decided to head back to the base later and instead tended to the boy's wounds with the medical supplies he had on hand. After that, he took him to a restaurant that served delicious sandwiches and bought him lunch.

After a couple of minutes of trying to encourage the boy to speak, he finally introduced himself as Vasser Gutenschiff-Wolstenholme and shared his story of taking to the streets to escape his abusive father, Kanan. Moved by Vasser's situation and seeing it as a duty to protect children from harm, he vowed to enact vengeance. With the assistance of Vasser, he ambushed Kanan by breaking into his house, then adopted Vasser through the Regular Army's orphan program.

A couple of years after Vasser's adoption, he met Morden unexpectedly while serving with the North American Garrison, which was assisting the European Garrison and Middle Eastern Garrison in thwarting an Oceania military organisation's attempt to spark a full-scale nuclear war. Following the successful completion of this mission, they forged a bond over drinks and shared stories of their challenging childhoods. Morden also expressed his admiration for Tequila's courage in his espionage work and leadership abilities within the North American Garrison.

He would eventually become a revered mentor and friend to many, including Clark, Red Eye, Tarma, and Marco. Notably, he encouraged Vasser to join the Peregrine Falcons Squad, but this guidance had an unexpected consequence: Vasser began to reveal a more attention-seeking and bloodthirsty side, indulging in troublesome and lecherous tendencies that led to several issues. In addition to rescuing hostages, he consistently went above and beyond to save children who were in imminent danger or at risk of harm, making their safety a top priority regardless of the mission. One mission that remains etched in his memory is when he rescued a group of children being trafficked and sold on the black market, while his team simultaneously took down the criminals responsible for this heinous crime.

He played a key role in the Arms Deal Barrage and defeating the remnants of the Serapion Fellowship. He was primarily responsible for leading rescue missions for prisoners of war, gathering and providing crucial intelligence on enemy positions, and leading his team in combat operations. He's the primary reason the event bears the name “Barrage”. He orchestrated an artillery bombardment on the fortress housing a critical power facility and a massive space rocket, significantly weakening the Serapion Fellowship's defences. He almost had the chance to kill Ptolemaios for good, but he was struck by insurmountable fear, leaving him frozen like a deer in the headlights, trembling violently and panicking slightly. As a result, Ptolemaios managed to escape, which became a massive regret for Tequila. He feels intense anger whenever he thinks about this missed opportunity and Ptolemaios, disgusted by his heinous actions and how he allowed the Ptolemaic Army to become so cruel and perverted.

However, the mission would uncover a shocking truth: the Regular Army was secretly involved in an illegal arms deal with the Serapion Fellowship. This revelation was shared by him, alongside Gimlet and Red Eye, with Sagan, Logan, Hyakutaro, Morden, and Allen O'Neil. This moment opened his eyes to the Regular Army's secret corruption, but he remained silent, fearing that speaking out would make him a target for swift assassination as a whistleblower.

Three years after the Central Park bombing, Morden secretly approached him at a bar and convinced him to defect. Believing it was a good opportunity, he quietly resigned from the Regular Army and S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S. to join the Rebel Army. Tequila soon learned that Sagan and Logan had been secretly working as double agents for General Morden after the Central Park bombing. Despite his displeasure, he vowed to keep Sagan and Logan's secret, promising not to reveal their duplicity to Gimlet. However, he added a warning: if they ever harmed him, he has the right to expose their deceit to Gimlet.

He excelled as a top-notch spy, often disguising himself as a Rebel soldier in a woodland military uniform for land troops. He rose to become Morden's right-hand man, serving as the Army's Chief of Staff. However, after nearing one year of service, he discovered General Morden's true intentions and how he had fully succumbed to his megalomaniacal desires. Horrified, he promptly left the Rebel Army and defected back to the Regular Army, warning them about the impending rise of the Rebel Army. However, despite his inside knowledge, they were unable to prepare in time as General Morden successfully launched a surprise attack, overpowering them and rapidly consolidating his global dictatorship.

During the Great Morden War, he aided Marco in leading the governmental resistance against the Rebel Army. Although he held a higher military rank than Marco, he allowed Marco to take the initiative, recognizing his great potential to become a truly charismatic leader. After being ambushed by Morden and his forces, he was brutally tortured and forcibly killed in front of Marco and Tarma. However, Morden promised to bring him back in a greater form, sending his deceased body to Doctor Amadeus. Doctor Amadeus successfully revived Tequila, but as a semi-clone of Hyakutaro, significantly altering his existence. Unlike Gimlet and Red Eye, he was the sole recipient of a small infusion of godly DNA.

[dr-octavio-kalev]

"Jesus loved everyone, but the insects loved me more..."

ANM №: ANM-627

Identification: Hive Man

Danger Level: Snit 🟡 | Contained ⭕️

Lead Researcher: Dr. Öctavio Kalev

Type of Anomaly: Human, insectoid, historical, military

Containment:

ANM-627 must be housed in a temperature-controlled containment chamber in Department-05, designed for insect-based anomalies, with an internal temperature maintained between 22-26°C and humidity levels between 50-60%. The chamber must be equipped with an air filtration system to prevent the escape of any insects from the subject. All personnel interacting with ANM-627 must wear full-body protective suits to avoid insect infestation. The chamber should be regularly inspected for structural integrity to ensure no cracks or gaps allow for a potential breach.

ANM-627 should be fed nutrient paste through an intravenous tube once every 48 hours. Interaction with ANM-627 is restricted to research personnel with Level 3 clearance or higher. No personnel should physically contact ANM-627 without prior approval. Any abnormal behavior or changes in insect population density must be reported immediately.

In the event of a containment breach, Subject P personnel armed with flamethrowers will be mobilized to neutralize all escaping entities. Recontainment efforts will focus on incapacitating ANM-627 using high-frequency ultrasonic devices to disrupt communication with the insects.

Description:

ANM-627, known as "Colony Man," is a humanoid male (formerly known as █████ ████), approximately 1.7 meters tall and weighing around 25 kg due to the skeletal state of his body. ANM-627 is in a constant state of decay, having undergone a remarkable and anomalous transformation wherein his body has become a living hive for insects, currently housing thousands of insect species, primarily beetles, ants, and wasps. Despite the extreme decomposition and mutilation, ANM-627 remains alive, though in a state of severe physical deterioration.

ANM-627's body is largely devoid of skin, muscle tissue, and internal organs. Most of his organs have been consumed by the insects inhabiting him, except for the brain, eyes, and a significant portion of the nervous system, which remain intact, though heavily deteriorated. What remains of his body is calcified bone, with the structure appearing fossilized and coated by a brittle, spiny substance similar to an exoskeleton secreted by the insects. Pockets of insect colonies are embedded within ANM-627's skeletal structure, notably in the ribcage, pelvis, and femur bones.

ANM-627’s mouth, now perpetually open, serves as the primary point of entry and exit for many insects, and his nasal cavity has similarly been hollowed out and repurposed as a conduit for insects. His appearance is deeply disturbing, especially to individuals with trypophobia (fear of holes or pitted surfaces) due to the numerous openings and cavities in his body where insects are constantly seen entering and exiting. Additionally, ANM-627’s insect-infested exterior is a source of extreme discomfort for those with entomophobia (fear of insects).

ANM-627 was first discovered in ████, Cuba, living in an improvised shelter within a garbage dump, subsisting in a semi-immobile state. Local reports indicated that ANM-627 had been seen wandering near urban waste disposal sites for years, but attempts to approach him failed due to the overwhelming swarm of insects that constantly surrounded him. Task force "Sewer Worms" was dispatched to handle ANM-627's retrieval after local authorities failed to relocate him safely, resulting in multiple fatalities caused by insect swarms.

Subsequent investigations revealed that ANM-627 is the former Cuban revolutionary █████ ████, a guerrilla fighter who assisted Che Guevara during the Cuban Revolution. Historical records indicate that ANM-627 was captured by Batista’s forces during the revolution, subjected to brutal torture, and used as a living host for insect-based torment over several months. His captors reportedly introduced colonies of carnivorous beetles, larvae, and other insects into his body as a form of enhanced torture. However, after a mass escape orchestrated by revolutionary forces, ANM-627 escaped captivity.

It is believed that ANM-627, severely disfigured and traumatized by months of insect-induced torture, developed anomalous abilities that allowed him to survive despite his grievous injuries. These abilities appear to be directly linked to the insects infesting his body, which now sustain his vital functions, using his skeletal remains as a hive.

Although ANM-627 exhibits constant physical pain, as evidenced by his hollow groans and occasional erratic muscle spasms, he has largely become desensitized to his suffering over time. ANM-627 is capable of limited speech and appears to have some degree of control over the insect colonies residing in his body. He has been observed giving subtle vocal or physical signals to the insects, which then respond by adjusting their behavior, including forming defensive swarms or retreating into ANM-627’s body cavities.

ANM-627’s ability to communicate with the insect colonies is still under investigation, but preliminary research suggests a form of neurochemical signaling or pheromone-based interaction. ANM-627 can also release insect swarms as a defense mechanism, overwhelming any perceived threats with sheer numbers.

Despite his grotesque physical state, ANM-627 has demonstrated a high level of cognition and retains fragmented memories of his life before the transformation. ANM-627 has referred to the insects inhabiting his body as "companions" and expressed a reluctant acceptance of his current state, claiming that the insects "saved" him and allowed him to continue the fight, though his understanding of the passage of time seems distorted.

Addendum 627-1: Interview Log

Interviewer: Dr. Ortega

Interviewee: ANM-627

Dr. Ortega: Can you tell us your name?

ANM-627: (in a distorted, raspy voice) ...█████... I was... that... once.

Dr. Ortega: Do you know what happened to you?

ANM-627: (pauses) The insects... they kept me alive. I didn’t want... but I needed them. They made me one of them... hollowed me out. Now I’m... a hive.

Dr. Ortega: Why did they choose you?

ANM-627: (shaking) I... fought. They tortured me... insects, crawling inside... eating me from within... but I fought... I got out. They stayed with me. (groaning in pain) Always with me.

Dr. Ortega: Do you control the insects?

ANM-627: (slowly, deliberately) They listen... they hear me. I... ask. They do what I need. They... protect me... they need me.

Dr. Ortega: Do you feel pain?

ANM-627: (long pause) Yes... but now it’s mine... we live with it. Together.

Dr. Ortega: One last question: Do you remember the revolution? Che Guevara?

ANM-627: (shaking, coughing) ...Che... we fought... for something... but now... all I fight for is them... and the silence. I know Che was killed... we failed... all together...

[End of Interview]

Addendum 627-2: Incident Report 627-A

On ██/██/20██, ANM-627 exhibited unusual behavior, with a significant increase in the insect population within his containment chamber. Several species of predatory wasps, not previously observed in ANM-627’s colony, emerged from his body and began attacking research personnel. After the initial swarm, ANM-627 was observed vocalizing loudly, causing the insects to retreat. This event raised concerns about the long-term stability of ANM-627’s containment.

Final Note: ANM-627 represents a unique and disturbing anomaly, merging human suffering and insect adaptation into a singular entity. Although the subject remains contained, further research is necessary to understand the full extent of ANM-627’s control over the insect colonies and how this relationship has allowed him to survive in his current state. The remains of a rebel may not want to attack, but his insects do. We hope they continue to obey him; we do not want another infestation issue like we had with ANM-284.

[storyowls]

The Study

A college, pre-embrace Anna drabble! This one looks at her disserataion work.

Warning: While it doesn't go into detail, this writing talks about people who have passed away and science being done with their bodies.

The experiment is going a lot better than I hoped.

It’s always an odd turn of events that can lead one to getting the perfect dissertation set up. For me, three people dying in hospice who were friends got me here. Their eagerness to be part of science, my science specifically, really spoke to me. Not a lot of folks were interested in what a corpse would do to dirt, to plants. But these three were curious to the end.

I made sure not to take too much of their bodies so they could be buried and remembered by loved ones.

One of them went from natural causes, old age you could say. The second was taken by cancer, which spread to the whole body. The third passed from Huntington's, his neurons shot years ago. A death sentence no matter what. 

From the second two, I took small samples from the most poignant parts of their disease. Get as much into the dirt as I could, short of having synthesized cell samples from the medical building. Three samples from each, and the anticipation was almost crippling.

Each type of dirt had four samples; one control, and the other three with a flesh sample in it. There were three types of dirt in total; pure dirt, a dirt and sand mixture which is common in my area, and pure sand. Constant monitoring each night to see how decomposition was going, not held back by body preservation.

I studied how the samples affected the dirt they lied in. The PH, the acidity, everything down to how the color of the dirt may change. It’s been about two weeks, and progress is steady. Once the samples are fully gone, and the dirt seems to stabilize, I will add the plants.

One must study everything, after all.

Luckily the campus has a small, private lab for my studies. It’s locked up when I’m not there, and the janitorial staff is told not to touch things marked off. I do, of course, leave what needs to be taken care of in a certain area so they don’t have to search for it.

Even the trash can, which is constantly full of paper coffee cups. I should invest in those refillable cups welcomed by the campus’ coffee shops, but I don’t trust myself to keep the damn things clean when I’m so focused. Between my courses, the experiment, and sleeping in naps, I resort to having as little to clean as possible.

Especially for my roommate’s sake.

Sitting at the tiny desk that’s pushed into a corner, I sip at my second coffee as I graph my progress. Naturally I will put my gear back on after I clean myself up to not contaminate the study area, but for now I must eat and work. Besides, there’s not much change since the night before, so it’s not like I’m missing anything. Flipping my graphs over, I put them side by side.

Week one is looking vastly different than now. Exciting.

I remember classmates talking about their dissertations, how excited they were. A lot of them, dedicated as they are, are doing open field research. See how things one can’t really control in a lab shake things up. What threads of nature they can weave together with their knowledge, what they can tell the world of our work.

I am one of the view who’s turned their eyes to the dirt, and how nature reacts to things that people can’t control in ways outside of the weather.

I don’t remember what everybody is doing, and I don’t really expect them to remember what I’m up to. We’ll find out during our defenses, and I’m excited to see what they’ve discovered. What they have weaved, the knowledge they have found.

And I’m sure they’re eager to know what I have found. 

I finish my late meal, cleaning up. I then go back to my graphs and drawings, making visuals for my paper. Flipping back and forth between the graphs, I double and triple check to make sure nothing’s confusing. Sure, the folks grading this know what is going on, but I’d much rather know that it’s all clear.

It’s just for my doctorate degree after all.

Humming to myself, I turn and clean up. Goggles and lab coat on, I wash my hands before pulling on the gloves. I look at my samples, my studies, and think of the people who donated their bodies to my cause.

I silently thank the three of them, and go back to work.

[bustedjaws]

I like how pixy ghost changed types, because in a way it’s similar to how traditional folklore depicts fae as sensitive to their environments.

It’s also interesting how he now kills plants. In nature it’s natural for things to die and decay to make room for new growth and to provide nutrients.

It’s like Ghost’s loss of Roach revived a fairy type that had gone “extinct”. Couple that with the fact he grew up with Roach bringing life to the island, then watched Roach die and bring death to the hollow, and then brought in new life with Johnny, his new nature has come full circle.

Oooo I really like this viewpoint, I haven’t even thought of it myself but it’s so important to have this cycle of death and rebirth in nature.

Tho Ghost’s new trait of killing nature under his touch is very unnatural, it’s as if the plants he creates are innately poisoned, and their decomposition is accelerated as he is further and further from his natural talent.

When Soap comes into his life and Ghost falls in love with Soap way too quickly for his own liking, and the gentle pining he has after this peculiar tinker fairy starts to make Ghost’s talent revive itself, suddenly he’s growing sunflowers and dandelions without realizing it and gets flustered because of it, slowly his talent grows back because he once again has motivation to keep on going.

[inspofromancientworld]

Leather Working

By Pinhasi R, Gasparian B, Areshian G, Zardaryan D, Smith A, et al. (authors of source article) - Part of figure 1 from: 2010 First Direct Evidence of Chalcolithic Footwear from the Near Eastern Highlands. PLoS ONE 5(6): e10984. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010984, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10609502

Preparing animal skins for use as clothing or to carry things is a many processed operation that changes animal skins into something more stable and less prone to decomposition. The oldest indirect evidence of leather production we have are stone tools resembling scrapers from the Oldowan period, which was from 2.9-1.7 million years ago. Direct evidence, though, appeared around 400,000 years ago based on the studied wear of tools from that time period. Bone awls that show evidence of being used on soft materials date to between 84,000-72,000 years ago in South Africa. It's also known that paleolithic hunters targeted animals that had dense fur as well.

source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/stone-age-bone-scraper-tools-animal-skin-leather-pelt-cave-morocco

With the advent of animal husbandry, there was a steady supply of hides, so there were also set places for animal hides to be processed. The oldest places that we have found that were for tanning leather date to between 7000-3300 BCE in Mehrgarh, which was part of the Indus Valley Civilization and was located in modern Pakistan. These areas were isolated from the rest of the settlement because the process of tanning hides is an 'odoriferous trade'.

Tanning begins with removing the skin from the animal, which is then typically dried out before being soaked in water. This softens the raw hide and removes dirt and gore. The skin is then processed by scouring and pounding to remove any remaining flesh or fat. Hair is removed through soaking the skin in urine, allowing it to putrefy then running it through a salt mixture, or painting a lime mixture over it. Scraping the skin to remove the hair was the next process. Once the skin was dehaired, it would be softened, or bated, by beating dung, especially dog or pigeon dung, into it or soaking it in a solution made with animal brains. The next step is called 'pickling' where the skin is stretched on a frame and soaked in a solution that has tannins, which are found in gallnuts, sumac leaves, acacia leaves, or the outer green shells of walnuts for several weeks. After this process, the leather is finished by waxing, oiling, or dying, depending on the use intended.

Leathers tanned this way are less flexible than leather that is tanned by modern techniques that use chrome based chemicals, but it can be softened some by a process called 'tawing', which is when a hide is soaked in a potash solution, then air dried for several weeks to stabilize.

Leather was used for clothing, footwear, to carry water, for other types of containers, and even shelters. Tanned leather is much more durable than untanned skins and were one of the many things that allowed humans to spread into areas that were less hospitable, such as Siberia and into the Americas during the Last Glacial Maximum.

[syn-synn3rs]

Some short of my Au lore (Hecatomb)

Notice of reference to sensitive topics such as death (you don't have to read it if you don't want to)

First, the shapes can die

Can be for:

•old •accidental • killed

•intentional • Provoked

The basic deaths I mean

But there are ways to tell if a form is dead and for how long:

-If their color changes to a grayer one, they die a few hours or days ago

- If this is not the case and they are completely gray in color, they have been dead for 1 year or more.

× Shapes with a dark or fairly close color are not dead, but have a different way of distinguishing them

- Predator shapes (red, and pinks) and normally the preys (purple, blue, orange, etc) don't have much difference in the color when they die (at least once after a year since this) / don't mind me of this, this other thing I explain later, exactly the predator and prey part

×There is no way for a living shape to be gray or minimally gray without being dead

-Clearly the dead shapes have no way of moving since their systems (nervous and muscular) can no longer function. It can also smell very bad.

Now some examples of these cases..

First light color shapes ( One pink and one blue)

PINK shapes:

Using my form of Fox for the example of light pink shapes during decomposition

You can see in the first days of death, they present a slight change of color and go for one more gray

And in more than one year of death they are now totally grey and now there's no more pink color in the skin

OTHER shapes (I used Blue in the two):

The same thing happens in this one as in the bright pink one, so let's skip that explanation

Using my form of logic gatekeeper for this too

Now, dark color shapes (one red and one blue)

This is a bit of the reference of one of my OC's

You can see he has light lines but that doesn't matter in the example, that lines disappear when is dead that's why I'm going to skip them

The dark tone of the skin in the first days of dead get in a saturated bright color that is not even normal in a bright shape too

And then, it again turns to a gray color but in this case this process is longer, it is after 2 to 3 years that they take this color due to the large amount of melanin in their body, it will take a long time for all traces of this to disappear.

The same with the other dark colors:

In this case the bright color of the death gets a little more natural but you can assume it is dead because he's not moving and has the eyes open in an unnatural expression

Yeah, another level form

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

And yes, the blood in all shapes are like...

-If is a type of pink(red, blue, orange, yellow, green, white) the blood is pink (red, blue, orange, yellow, green, white)

In theory it is the color of its race

Well that's all, I wanted to put this before starting to continue with page 8 and finishing the prologue (there's still a little bit left for that)

Yes, a lot of text, I know

[dokuchi-twin-tails]

✧ Name— Spring-Ear ✧ Species— Kitsune ✧ Pronouns— She/Her ✧ Color Identity— Blue / Black ✧ Height— 165cm | 5ft. 1in. ✧ Weight— 52kg ✧ Age— 127 Years

✧ Plane of Residence— Kamigawa ✧ Plane of Origin— Kamigawa ✧ Affiliations— Dokuchi Reckoners; Imperial Court (Former) ✧ Allies— ✧ Companions— Whisper-Fur, Koshiko

✦—————✦

✧ Likes— Soft clicking sounds of mechanisms, especially locks; dancing; ✧ Dislikes— Asymmetry; not matching with her sister; ghost stories (especially the "Tale of 100 Lanterns");

✧ Grimoire— When the room before her is locked, it is no bother. The door's lock is nothing before the careful pick of her magic. The enchantment guarding the handle is dispelled easily. Careful decomposition of every mechanism between she and her prize is her specialty. ✧ Combat Style— Disorientation and retreat. Spring-Ear engages in violence only from a distance. Thrown items are her specialty— often long spikes(Bo-Shuriken) held in the long sleeves of her many outfits. Items such as smoke bombs are also within her arsenal. ✧ Signature Spells— Break Ties

✦—————✦

✧ Bio— The lockpick to Whisper-Fur's blade, Spring-Ear is the sister that makes things vanish.. right into her employer's pocket. Growing up in the Imperial Court together, the sisters didn't quite take to the whole "order" business. Switching places constantly left anybody but themselves unaware of who was the 'real' one of each twin.

And then they themselves forgot. The line blurred so hard that they became comfortable— no, dependent on switching places with one another. A need to be close in ways that were barely logical, let alone possible. The line between each of them blurred the more they took to learning how to be each other. They deepened their individual skillsets together, learning everything the other did.

And they left much of their feelings for their family behind in the process. They disapproved, but the sisters were fine with this. They kept up their mischief, sneaking out to live in the city while one sister would take the place of both in the eyes of the family for a brief time.

Nobody ever knew when one was gone.

Spring-Ear in particular chose to delve into theft. Beaking and entering, cracking open secure storerooms and lovely little closets full of skeletons to sell or use as blackmail. She takes trinkets to pawn off and documents to leak. She does not kill, she may be witnessed, but the mask she and her sister each painted keeps their identities safe for now.

✦ Name— Whisper-Fur ✦ Species— Kitsune ✦ Pronouns— She/Her ✦ Color Identity— White / Black ✦ Height— 165cm | 5ft. 1in. ✦ Weight— 52kg ✦ Age— 127 Years

✦ Plane of Residence— Kamigawa ✦ Plane of Origin— Kamigawa ✦ Affiliations— Dokuchi Reckoners; Imperial Court (Former) ✦ Allies— ✦ Companions— Spring-Ear

✧—————✧

✦ Likes— Symmetry; Matching with her sister; grim things such as cursed items; ✦ Dislikes— Loud noises such as the sound of steel on steel, or thunder; leaving a job too clean;

✦ Grimoire— None..? ✦ Combat Style— Whisper-Fur uses soft weapons. Kusarigama, Rope Darts, and especially Meteor-Hammers. Their nature as weapons without sturdiness brings low defense, but they're also hard to block properly. They pose a certain level of reach, and the latter can be easily concealed as a belt of rope with an accessory attached or separate. She can also use wire type weapons in a pinch, but dislikes the lack of weight to them. ✦ Signature Spells— Change of Plans

✧—————✧

✦ Bio— The blade to Spring-Ear's lockpick, Whisper-Fur is the one you call for when somebody needs to disappear. In their youth, Whisper-Fur and her twin sister became so close and so used to acting as the other that the line became blurred enough to disappear entirely. Their separation now is facade. They know they're pretty much just one person in two bodies. But they play their role as a matter of comfort, and amusement.

They're immature relative to how one might be expected to act at their age. They still find joy in the age old 'prank' of swapping places. Still trade roles even in their daily lives now, filling one another in but being able to carry on even without knowing everything. They know each other well enough to know all the same.

Whisper-Fur trained herself in the art of a Ninja, self styling after the elegant and deadly shinobi of Kamigawa's legends. She learned how to use many traditional weapons, including some rarer and less practical ones. She chose the family of soft weapons to become her specialty. When she later snuck out of the safe walls protected by the Imperial Soldiers to test her skills.. and made a killing, killing for Towashi's underworld. She is the one who first made contact with the Dokuchi Reckoners, and later brought her twin sister into the fray as well.

They left their family and lineage behind, abandoning the Imperial Court. They say it's because they didn't agree with the laws and the attitude towards those below them... but really, it's more likely they just wanted a reason to cut loose for real. No more worries about their family finding out, about getting caught and reflecting poorly on them.

Just them.

Acting as they please for a cause they deem good enough not to question too much further.

✦ ✧ Cards —

[labourmarketanalysis]

Wage Inequality and Labour Market

By Sraddha R

In this blog post, we'll look at three compelling studies that shed light on wage disparities in Europe and India, as well as the critical role of labour market institutions. Take a seat, and let's get started!

INTRODUCTION

The labour market serves as a barometer for trends in employment, economic well-being, and the broader societal challenges posed by wage inequality. Our investigation begins with an acknowledgement of the modern global economy's profound impact on globalisation, technological advancements, and evolving work structures. These seismic shifts reshape industries, redefine skill requirements, and, as a result, affect wage structures. Wage inequality, which reflects the unequal distribution of earnings across gender, ethnicity, education, and occupation, is at the heart of this complex issue.

Study 1: The Structure of the Labour Market and Wage Inequality in European Countries

This study focuses on France, Germany, and Italy, meticulously analysing changes in wage inequality from 2005 to 2013. The findings show distinct patterns, such as a decrease in wage inequality in Germany, a decrease in France with explicit job polarisation structures, and a significant increase in Italy. Using a decomposition approach, the study considers variables such as gender, marital status, health, experience, education, contract type, economic status, and job categories.

The study emphasises the role of national labor-market protections, historical policy spending, and broader socioeconomic and political factors in shaping wage inequality trends. Tailored policy recommendations are emerging, urging France and Germany to implement policies that promote women's participation and improve job-related careers. In contrast, Italy faces challenges such as a lack of a legal minimum wage and political instability, necessitating specific policy responses.

Study 2: Recent Trends in India's Wealth Inequality

Using data from the Annual Income and Expenditure Surveys, this paper investigates wealth inequality in India using decomposition analyses. The study differentiates contributions from within and between group components, identifying sources of wealth concentration and drawing parallels between wealth and consumption inequality trends.

According to the study, increasing wealth concentration in India is linked to neoliberal growth, emphasising the failure to address employment and earnings disparities. While the study provides valuable insights, it is suggested that a more explicit discussion of policy implications and interventions be included. A complex policy framework is required to guide future research and inform effective policy decisions.

Wage Inequality and Low Pay: The Role of Labour Market Institutions, Study 3

The impact of labour market institutions on low-wage employment in OECD countries is investigated in this study. It seeks to comprehend the impact of trade unions, collective bargaining, and wage regulations on wage distribution, particularly in low-wage industries. The study distinguishes between different wage distribution segments, recognising variations in the analysis through the use of bivariate correlations and incorporating various control variables such as minimum wages and unemployment benefits.

According to the study's findings, labour market institutions account for more than 60% of cross-country differences in low pay. According to the study, strong unions protect against low pay, whereas centralised bargaining systems effectively limit wage disparities at the top. Minimum wages and welfare systems have varying effects across wage distribution segments. Governments, according to the study, can address rising earnings disparities and low-wage employment by supporting effective labor market institutions.

Comparative Evaluation

Our comparative analysis reveals the distinct perspectives provided by each study, shedding light on various dimensions and dynamics in different countries. The in-depth examination of economic inequality ranges from changes in wage inequality in European countries to wealth dynamics in India and the impact of labour market institutions on low-wage employment in OECD countries.

Conclusion

Taken together, the studies emphasise the interconnectedness of factors influencing income distribution and the importance of nuanced, context-specific policy decisions. The journey has shed light on labour market dynamics and economic outcomes, emphasising the complexities of addressing wage inequality in our pursuit of an equitable future where the benefits of economic growth are shared by all.

[unnervinglyferal]

My new obsession right now is Columbo

My mom finds this very odd

I don’t understand why

I have a curio cabinet with dead things in it but she’s weirded out by my current obsession with a 70’s tv show

Although is it really a 70’s show when the first pilot episode was aired in 1968 and the last episode was aired in 2003?

That spans from the late sixties all the way to the early two thousands

If you want to include the first time the character of Columbo was seen that was the early sixties but I don’t really count that one because it was for a completely different show and he was played by a completely different actor and now Columbo is just very intwined with Peter Falk

Anyways Mom finds my obsession super weird

I can’t tell if it’s because the show was started before she was born or because both my parents have said that it was the type of show kids only watched if their grandparents were watching it

I mean like last month we had a conversation about making me a decomposition box for road kill but she’s weirded out by the 70’s show obsession

I literally walked into a water filled ditch to grab a frog today, I had to hose off the bottom of my pants after that

But somehow the fact that I know how many years it was until people knew if Columbo had a glass eye like Falk did is odd

(25, and yes the character does have a glass eye like Falk did)

This is the lady who admitted to spending hours try to figure out what type of wetland the Frog Pond is

Oh also I realized I have a screen recorder on my computer so I don’t have to fuss around on like fifty different sites trying to find good quality video files of the episodes and then fuss around for like thirty minutes trying to find good subtitles online

I can just record them from my screen

tbh weirdness is relative. There's people who would think that keeping chickens and grabbing random snakes recreationally is weird, but if something's normal in your region, it is. Nobody in my girlfriend's family considers it odd or unusual that she had a baby at 16 (despite of the average age to do that around here being almost twice that), the part they consider weird is that I'm still in the picture and actually changing diapers.

There's no such thing as normal, so don't worry about that. Also I've never seen a single episode of Columbo and have only learned about it through people making "I've been watching Columbo for some reason" posts a lot online. Which on its own is fascinating.

[christinescupofcoffee]

DAY 6 — Dead Characters — Yes, oftentimes people die in our works - but there are metaphorical deaths, too! Tell us about a character who dies, literally or figuratively; or, tell us about characters/things who were cut!

(I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a story from me that doesn’t include death in some aspect, either literal or in a metaphorical sense)

Quarter After Twelve

Everyone undergoes a major transformation of sorts, but especially the ones who have been sick (John and Jeremy). You don’t walk away from cancer/metastatic cancer without scars.

The threat living downstairs from Jeremy and Zero. Then their friend Spanakopita gets involved—

Allison gets shot in the chest and loses a lot of blood. Though he’s still alive, he describes himself as a former shell of himself.

Andy’s father. His whole arc is launched by that.

Mr. Graves, the banker in the marsh. How exactly did he die and how and why did he end up in an area where five boys could find him?

As the Seasons Grey series

Chris and Ann, Christine’s best friends (love of her life in the former sense). There are whole scenes dedicated to the graveyard where he’s buried.

Christine herself undergoes a few transformations, from her relationship to Alex to her uncovering her own broken memory.

Throughout the Dark Months of April and May

Richard’s mother. If you survive blood clots (and she does, just like how my mom survived hers), you’ll be eternally changed.

Richard himself. There’s also truth to that as Richard’s known for, among other things, his terrifying and near-fatal accidents.

I won’t give away too much but that weird smell from the forest is the smell of death, the smell of decomposition. And no, it’s not from Jeremy’s farm, either.

Midnight Oil

What exactly happened to Alex for the ghosts of relationships past to haunt him?

(This will come up in the next chapter) What exactly is going on in Christian/Falk Maria’s life for him to sleep in a literal coffin?

Love is Not Enough

Q’s illness and the scars she has to prove it.

Jay’s aunt and the fact that she can’t really talk about her lifestyle to her family.

“Tevye” exploring himself and his sexuality. Take this from me: that whole process will change you to the point you will not recognize yourself.

Blood & Chocolate

Eric exploring his kink. Alex exploring his kink.

Eric hit Elle with his car but I won’t say if she lives or croaks, though 😉

The Skeleton Key

The title itself implies death. Find the skeleton key to the man’s broken heart.

The Confectioner’s Tale

More of a parody of death as Hannah is often depicted as a cannibal and a Mrs. Lovett type of character.

Time is Coming

The Headless Boy.

Tilly.

The Jaguar. (It’s not a jaguar.)

Joey and the fact he nearly died. He’s still shooketh from it.

[gurokichi]

I love a lot of random ass music. Could be listening to Frank Sinatra then all of a sudden Mitski is playing. Or Malice Mizer. Love Malice Mizer. Stan Mana-Sama. *Prays with hands clasped together*

And by corpses… yeah I did mean dead people. I love learning about the human body - be it psychology or biology, from psychopathy to the decomposition process!! If you need a morbid fact about dead bodies, I’m your guy *winks with a thumbs up and smirk*

Love Gardevoir & Weezing <3 I specialize in poison & fairy types in every game - a personal challenge of mine!! I have a Galarian Weezing plush and a Gigantamax Snorlax plush!!

Personality manipulation as in I can manipulate another’s personality, thoughts, memories, etc!! Change a person from one to the next for the funnies or cuz I wanna hehe *wiggles fingers maniacally*

VIVA LA PLUTO!!! BRING MY BABY BACK!!! I am. A Pluto apologist. Bring him back.

I plan on getting my teeth sharpened in the future hehe. Shark like chompers >:3 *Gnashes teeth*

I’ll check that book out, I just got done with one tho so I’ll need. A little down time… Thanks pretty Dolly… *lays down on floor and passes out*

- Your Mortician💉 (Who definitely does need to go to bed but… that’s boring and stupid >:3)

Giggling, me too. I lovelovelove Mitski. Two of my friends also really like Malice Mizer! I haven’t listened to too much of their music, any songs you’d recommend?

I don’t know why I assumed otherwise when you’re called my mortician… of course you like corpses. I’m not too into biology, but I love psychology! And feel free to give me morbid facts about dead bodies anytime, I am very interested in knowing!!!

Gardevoir is cute! I like weezing too, but not enough to be called a favorite of mine. Fairy types are a good pick, I like their designs a lot. …I’m going to steal your Snorlax plushie, YOINK

Oh dear, I am definitely going to avoid getting bitten by you if you’re getting your teeth sharpened… get your chompers away from me!!

AND GO 2 BED GRRGRGRGR