#and it is possible to get infected by one variant then another

[unbornwhiskeyy]

gallows humor i guess but the funniest thing about the “forever plague” piece getting shared around here is that the entire text of the article has been copied and pasted into the tumblr post except for the c.s. lewis quote that opens it, which, if you didn’t notice the url suffix was “.ca,” a c.s. lewis quote would be the other most canadian thing about it

[roses-in-antarctica]

Stupid insane Monkey Wrench theory that I may or may not turn into an AU based on this ss that caught my eye

Everything here is copied and pasted from Discord because I was going OFF with this thing bro like damn

Me: Who the fuck (referring to the ss)

I’m staring at the picture frame it’s sitting on

Friend: I'm not 100% sure on the photo tbh? Might be something in the future or maybe it's a cameo I'm not sure of

Me: It apparently gets destroyed im assuming- so yeah I guess we won’t really know :(

My money is that it has to do with Scratch and Scritch, I mean why else would he of kept it? (Aside from the fungi splatter that gets caught on it)

Friend: It could also be the remains of the ship that was infected by the fungi! Maybe it's a photo of the couple there & Scratch & Scritch wanted to keep it to sell

Me: I gotta look into their backstories real quick. If it is what I possibly think it is, I’m going to go ballistic

*Theory starts here*

I didn’t get much on the wiki but i have an insane fucking theory that Scratch and Scritch are possibly just ex human scientists who have placed their consciousness in the bodies of lab created anthro like cats. That’s their old ship that they most likely abandoned, and aside from leaving a ton of things behind and having it possibly ransacked by the Space Pirates— they revisited the ship to possibly loot off whatever they could possibly find that’s left

However their little exploration was cut short due to running into the Agari who must’ve found refuge in the abandoned ship. Thus leading Episode 3 to unfold, and leave Scritch and Scratch with one less memory of their past lives they can no longer return to. The girl in the middle I have no idea who it is

But my first instinct instantly jumped to Kara

Like Kara, Scritch, and Scratch were all just a small team of scientists exploring the unknown and shit just went fucking haywire. Scratch pretends like nothing happened while taking on this punchable salesman persona (that he drops rather quickly sometimes due to his temper)

While Scritch and Kara don’t dare speak in general because of it. Scritch was already most likely mute, but his interactions with his brother are much more distant now. He doesn’t really get a second word, nor does he fight it anymore. He simply complies even if it’s unethical, he is simply doing what he is told, waiting for the day to probably get a chuckle out of Scratch’s stupidity.

This is like the dumbest thing I have come up with because my friend confirmed that Zeurel had already confirmed that Scritch and Scratch are just silly little alien cats but MAN. My brain + anything that hits at anything? I cannot resist dropping my stupid little ideas <3

Anyways Here is an au variant of an oc of mine to fit the Monkey Wrench universe :3

I shall ramble about Zane another time mwahahaha

[raintailed]

various doodles of more rot variants because these freakish slime mold things are super fun to think about :]

1. Saddy Longlegs was originally a joke but now it is real! It’s a strain that originated from the Misery. This strain eats already-dead creatures and has an excellent sense of smell. It also tends to form symbiotic relationships with other creatures.

The remaining three images are of rot strains that are descended from malware rot. They are found in Blighted Meadows, one of the regions located near Visions from Windows. It turns out that since malware rot is so virulent and fast-growing, it can mutate very quickly when exposed to the outside world.

2. Instead of actively hunting creatures, leafy rot photosynthesizes instead (though it will occasionally hunt to get necessary nutrients). Some of its tendrils have become flattened and leaf-like. Leafy rot cysts can be seen climbing up structures to get to the sunniest spot possible, then holding up their flattened tendrils to catch sunlight.

3. Another image of leafy rot. In the absence of anything to climb on, leafy rot cysts can be seen standing like trees out in the open. Their shadows are a lovely spot for other creatures to cool down on hot days.

4. Flying rot is another malware rot-descended strain. It has genes that came from rotted batflies. It eats fruit and slow-moving insects, and in the future will evolve the agility necessary to catch fast-moving insects. Flying rot is harmless to slugcats and can be killed and eaten.

In the future, leafy rot and flying rot will develop new strains that are specialized for certain roles. For example, leafy rot will diverge into large strains that prefer standing in the open and smaller strains that climb structures in a vinelike manner.

Note: both leafy rot and flying rot have lost most of their virulence. Leafy rot almost never infects creatures, while flying rot can only infect creatures with weak immune systems.

[forestshadow-wolf]

Blossoms of Love

Leaves and breath

Pairing: Soap/Ghost

Important tags: angst, hurt/comfort, hanahaki

Ao3 link here || chapter 1 here || Chapter 3

Ghost finished loading the last of the supplies into the cargo hull of nikolai’s plane, so they could fly off to bum-fuck-nowhere for roughly 4 weeks. Nik would fly them up to the first drop-point, far enough away to avoid detection. Then the four of them; Price, Gaz, Soap, and himself; would hike the rest of the way to the location on the map, gather what intel they could, then remove all traces of it and themselves after sending it to Laswell. The 7 or so extra days they were allotted to allow them time to get to the next location, they’d be traveling on foot as any vehicle they could use either couldn’t maneuver around the terrain, or remain unseen. On any other mission like this one would have two teams of at least 12 men, but this one required discretion. A feat much easier accomplished with fewer feet, and Price refused to send the lieutenant and his sergeants without putting himself at the same level of risk.

He adjusted the last crate to fit snuggly before loading up the cargo ramp, and shutting the compartment. As he walked around to the loading ramp, he finished up the last of the plane checks that Nikolai asked him to do. Finally boarding the plane, he found himself a seat near the cockpit of the plane. His throat had remained as sore as it had been the day before; if not more so; while he donned the headset, and buckled himself in. He pulled out his phone as the others took their own seats; soap directly across from him at the back of the plane, Gaz to the seat right of Soap, and Price took the other corner by the cockpit. As soon as the doors were sealed and everyone was sat, the plane began it’s taxi.

He clicked on his messenger app, flicked his eyes up to the clock, the time read 0553. It was cluttered to all hell, he hadn’t opened the damned thing in months, much less cleaned it out. What better time to do so, than an 11 hour flight. He scrolled past the starred contacts, and clicked one at random. The first message it showed was a link, and then the words “sad but interesting article I found earlier, you should check it out.” he received from G.R.S., he inhaled a breath and his hands shook slightly as he tapped on the link and it pulled up an informational website.

~~~~~~~~~

Vomere floresco ‘amo’ insanitias, commonly mistaken as ‘Hanahaki’ disease, is most commonly identified when an individual with such disease begins coughing up flower petals. Unlike Vomere floresco insanitias, which is a disease, Vomere floresco ‘amo’ insanitias is a fungus, often referred to as type 2 ‘hanahaki’ or ‘hanahaki-B’. Its damaging properties remain similar to it’s cousin, though it is a much slower infection.

Hanahaki-B stems from unreturned or unacknowledged feelings, spanning the entirety of positive emotions an individual can feel for another. The common ‘Hanahaki’ takes root due to a one-sided feeling of exclusively romantic love.

Much like the common ‘hanahaki’, ‘hanahaki-B’ causes an affected individual to cough up petals and flowers. Unlike the common ‘hanahaki’, this variant of infection causes the individual to vomit various other parts of the same plant; often relating to the sought after love. In some cases this can be especially discomforting, as some plant species may sport spines, or stinging leaves.

The infection can dissipate on its own if feelings are returned towards an affected individual. Though surgical removal is possible, though removing the infection also removes any positive affliction towards the wanted individual, it is also more difficult to perform than for the common variant. Many people prefer to let the infection run its course, rather than endure the consequence of surgery.

If left untreated common ‘hanahaki’ will fill the lungs of an individual with flowers and petals in such a way that they asphyxiate to death. ‘Hanahaki-B’ will grow roots throughout the esophagus and chest to stop the heart. While ‘hanahaki-B’ will similarly fill the lungs with petals and flowers, it will not do so in such a way that the host asphyxiates to death without outlying medical conditions.

Early symptoms of ‘hanahaki-B’ include: chest aches, shortness of breath, and a sore/scratchy throat. Onset symptoms, which appear based on how strong the feelings are, can include: heart aches, and coughing flowers, petals, blood, and other plant parts, and shortness of breath. Late stages look like sharp pain in the chest, akin to a heart attack, vomiting entire parts of plants, easy bruising on the upper dermis layer, and difficulty breathing.

*special cases have been recorded to occasionally worsen with physical proximity with the wanted individual.

~~~~~~~~~

He thumbed his way down to the bottom of the article, scanning as it passed. There wasn’t much else, it listed off several famous instances of this happening in the past, he found that tragically many people don’t survive the fungus. His hands still shook, as a sense of deja vu passed over him, and he quickly exited out of both the article and messenger app. He checked the time, 0647, before shutting his phone off. 10.5 hours left before they land, he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the call of the cabin area.

A sharp, raking stabbing feeling in his throat had his eyes shooting open. Ahead of him soap was staring at him, and all the while the pain did not let up. He was just barely able to reign in the cough he could feel building in his esophagus. He did his best to discreetly clear his throat, even as he could taste the coppery tang of red on his tongue. He tipped his head to the side a little hoping he correctly displayed, ‘you need something?’. The pain held tight as the sergeant continued to stare at him for another second, before turning his attention back to the man beside him. Then and only then did the claws in his throat slowly release their grip. It left him with a raw throat, and swallowing a full mouthful of blood.

When the pain had mostly leveled out he took stock of himself and his surroundings. He was fine, all his stuff was on him, he hadn’t dropped or broken anything. When he looked over Price was looking at him, with what he could only decipher as worry. Old man sees too much, knows something isn’t right with him. The captain gestured with his hands, ‘YOU SOLID?’, ghost immediately recognized familiar motions of BSL. he gave a thumbs up, not even looking at the man as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes again. He ‘s gonna catch a few Zs, seeing as how he’s foregone sleep in favor of reviewing the mission plans.

-----------

@checkerscharlie @halb-nichts @heyitsropi @trekkie-in-space

[ladyimaginarium]

Clem sits on her knees, preparing the syringe filled with testosterone as golden eyes flicker up to look at the most loveliest pair of blue eyes as Marlon's fingers caress her cheek and she leans into his hand, thumb brushing against her lips, and he gives her a nod. Her fingers intertwine with his and she softly kisses his knuckles and the back of his hand, before injecting the syringe into his inner thigh, feeling him slightly wince underneath her fingers. Thank God for Diana's basic medical training. Ejecting once finished and wiping any possible chance of infection off with a wipe, she rises up and kisses him as his hands cup her cheeks. They didn't even need to say anything. He gently picks her up by her waist after she discards the supplies in the trash, and he gently twirls them both around as she wraps her legs around his waist while Radiohead's acoustic variant of High and Dry play in the background of her bedroom until he lets them fall back on her bed, a surprised squeal escaping her lips. "Marlon, don't play wi' me like that." she pouts afterward, eliciting a chuckle from the taller man. "I like it, though." A moment of silence, before he's reminded."Oh yeah. We gotta see David for another round of service dog training." he murmurs into her ear as he lights a cigarette for the morning, hand tracing down her back in gentle circles, exhaling the smoke away from her face. Clem's lips press at his pulse, box braids surrounding her like a halo, "Yeah, but we need to eat brunch first tho'." she whispers back. Marlon puts his cigarette in the ashtray before he looks up at her. "A BNE, huh. Bacon and eggs. Fuckin' delicious."

Clem chuckles in agreement, nodding, "Yeah, I know that's right."

Erica's fingers slowly trace the back of Yang's hand as he rests in his hospital bed, barely awake. His skin is warm, she thinks, like the sun. One of his eyes wink open to look at her in the light of the winter dawn filtering through the window and illuminating her hair, her eyes. Yang cracks a soft smile, a breathy chuckle escaping him even despite the pain. "You look like shit... but hey, at least I'm holy... heh, get it..." he teases, his larger, warmer hand clasps around her own. Erica's breath hitches, lip trembling before her head dips, shaking her head, "You fool." He's always doing this, trying to make her laugh, even after all these years. Yang's been like this for as long as she can possibly remember, which was very little, but he never once hesitated to do so. His thumb rubs the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry." he murmurs, dropping the lighthearted act, both half lidded eyes looking up to meet her own as his gaze shifts all the way down her body. She always looked so beautiful, even now, all these years later, despite everything.

The albino woman slowly shook her head, "Stop..." she whispered, trailing off, her voice threatening to crack. None of this had ever been his fault. "If I had ever known or suspected..." Yang's tone is filled with the rage of a thousand suns, causing Erica's heart to skip a beat, "Delico and I would've fucking ended him."

The Twilight woman believed him with all her heart, but that didn't mean she wanted him to beat himself up over something he couldn't possibly control. "I'm alright," she lies through a blueberry lipstick smile in the hopes of comforting him, but that only makes him angrier. "Please don't do this shit to me, Erica." he's gentle, but firm, "no one in your position would ever be fucking fine."

"I just want you to be okay, please don't get angry." her voice is soft, hushed after a moment of silence as Yang complies squeezing her hand in support with a long sigh.

[perdrixforelle]

Yesterday I saw a comic saying that basically gen Z has a variety of hyper specific clothing styles for teens and young adults to express themselves in while millenials only had "emo" and I resented that so much for some reason? First of all it's completely false, it just so happens that emo was the most "online" style of alternative fashion and therefore the most documented imo. It also happens to be the style of later years millenials, who are the link between gen Z and millenials, thus cementing the "online" and most visible part of the trend. But please, I didn't go through all the phases I went through as a teen to be erased like that. I'm too lazy to find pics for each item of the list but off the top of my head, growing up in France I personally had these phases:

Y2K streetwear extremely influenced by hip hop and R&B with a touch of futurism in there like tinted frameless glasses and the like. This was almost always styled with a middle part for girls, and extremely flat, straightened hair. It's making a big comeback right now, mixed with elements of 80's fashion, and I love seeing it.

The whole Skater aesthetic with big Van's and Buffalo shoes, loose cargo pants, flannel shirts over t-shirts, lots of bracelets you'd never take off even in the shower. I exclusively wore bikini bottoms so that the bright color of them peeking out from my loose pants would match the rest of my outfits and it's a miracle I didn't get a yeast infection per week, somehow.

Goth, goth has always been there in all of it's iterations. There was a time when boneless corsets were so casually mainstream you could find them in many stores and you bet your ass I was getting my hands on as many as possible. I was the romantic goth with the long skirts and the corsets over mesh tops. We didn't have Hot Topic but we had Claire's, and it had a lot of goth stuff back in the days.

Punk, I would call it light punk or commercial punk, Avril Lavigne and the likes. It's kinda adjacent to the skater aesthetic but you would see a lot of tartan miniskirts over pants, and belts, and ties, and safety pins. I would DIY a lot of clothes by painting them too (with song lyrics), fun times.

Hippie: lots of "harem pants" and shawls wrapped around the waist and handmade jewelry with beads. Very music-festival-white-citizen-of-the-world cringe but hey, it was what it was. Now my siblings are 4 years younger than me and they experienced the Emo days. but never partook. They also lived through the weird "mini-adult" phase of fashion where everybody dressed super boring like jean T-shirt and ballerina flats, and were either carrying their books in their arms like they were in a teen movie, or only using longchamp bags (or fake ones) on the shoulder. Another regional variant I got, as I lived in Southern France, was the cagole (bimbo) look, but it's pretty specific to where I lived and is kinda timeless since I keep seeing women of all ages rocking it proudly: basically loud animal print, loud makeup, and fluorescent colors matching in at least two items of clothing/accessories. I cannot express how much it delights me when I seen an old woman at the beach dressed like Fran Fine enjoying her tan and not giving a fuck. It's amazing. Anyway, millenials of all background feel free to add to this post with your experience of alternative fashion as a teen.

[moderator-monnie]

Do certain entities from horror games count as computer viruses to slammer? Like Monika from Dili dojo literature, or anything from IMSCARED

Can the slammer virus infect both digital and organic entities in a world?

Mod Monnie: Thank you seriously, I know I've said that already but even having just one person sending asks and interacting really helps me! And defiantly encourages me to keep working/thinking for Slammer!

Do certain entities from horror games count as computer viruses to slammer?

1: I hate the mental image of this, but YES if it's written in any sort of code Slammer can effect it, and best part about games at least in Slammer's case is they don't have their own virus protection so it's easy to slip into their code.

I think Slammer would have a Field day in IMSCARED due to how the game itself interacts with your pc and does strange things, It's one of few times where an actual person would see Slammer and get interacted with by them.

They are more then smart enough to get out of a game before it's deleted too, and thanks to the way their code works now even if you delete and reinstall a game the damage will stay the same, so a whole new copy is needed that's how powerful the virus can become.

It has been stated in the past but once Slammer makes copies of themself, the copies will find their own hosts inside different games, though 3D Games are alot harder so it's likely they'd stick with more simple games at first.

WHICH MEANS AND THIS IS THE MENTAL IMAGE I HATE, IT'S VERY POSSIBLE A COPY OF THE SLAMMER VIRUS COULD BECOME MONIKA AND SLAMMER MONIKA FRIGHTENS ME LMAO.

Slightly unrelated to the question, but anyone has permission to make a slammer variant of whatever game character they want as long as I get to see it, and technically it will be considered canon. Each copy of the virus will have it's own host, but no Slammer would ever take the same character as another Slammer has.

So there would only be ONE Slammer sonic and that's the prime/original slammer, much like any other character a copy of the virus has. There's only one host per character from each game it infects.

Can the slammer virus infect both digital and organic entities in a world?

2: yes and yes, if it's a video game no matter what the entity is, Slammer can infect it however if a character is digital/mechanical in nature Slammer could easily infect them almost instantly.

The reason why Slammer chose Sonic as their host, is because it wanted a challenge, whenever a copy of Slammer enters a game world it becomes like an actual world, so it will start out as a small semi robotic worm just a single one and then find itself a host.

Once it finds a way to get their desired host infected, it will lay eggs in their body and slowly slither it's way into the middle of their brain and control them, keeping the infected host both alive and still completely aware... an infected host is still there still able to feel everything that happens to it's body.

But is unable to stop it, they can see the world around them but have no control of their body trapped in their own minds as their body is used like a puppet.

Each version of Slammer will have a "True Form" a "Disguise" and a "Full power mode" once they reach full power mode and no character is left in the game, the Slammer copy will then leave the game and produce more copies of it self for the cycle to continue.

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Fuse VS. Gems

Same as with other shows that had only began as FusionFall was wrapping up, I'm going to keep the events of Steven Universe with what was available around that time in-mind when it comes to these ideas. This won't give us a very big window to work with, as Steven Universe began in 2013 while FusionFall ended that same year--meaning we're largely confined to Season One. Nevertheless, since both Fuse's and the Gem's history extends much further back than the show's events, I can talk some about that, so that's what this post will mainly cover.

As both Lord Fuse and the Diamond Authority are intergalactic tyrants that regularly scour new worlds to conquer, it's inevitable that the two have crossed paths at least once in their many years of terrorizing the known universe. Maybe Fuse even tried absorbing one of the Diamond's colonies. However, fighting the Gem species was much more difficult than Fuse could've ever anticipated. For one thing, they're inorganic beings and their bodies are projections. This means that fusion matter wouldn't harm them in the same way as an organic being--if much at all. Fuse's army would need to face them head-on. In turn, the Gems wouldn't be able to do much damage to Fuse either thanks to their lack of imaginary energy or similar power.

This leads to the second issue though: Even if neither side could really harm the other, that says nothing for the world they'd fight over. I imagine that, once it was clear that the colony was a lost cause, one of the Diamonds said, "Fine then... No one gets this planet!" and completely wasted any remains of it so Fuse couldn't absorb it. The Gems have proven to be more than capable of wrecking an entire world, even if it may take them some time--be it from the Lapis Lazulis' terraforming or an experiment such as the Cluster--so I wouldn't call this impossible. We'd also have the added consideration of said planet's already unstable state from Planet Fusion breaking it up pre-absorption. Preventing Fuse from absorbing another world, even if it was still destroyed, would both be in-line with the Diamond's personalities and a strategic play to keep Fuse from getting even stronger. Furthermore, the Gems could then implement this same strategy by attacking Planet Fusion directly--splitting apart a few of the worlds he'd already claimed. Eventually, what this all ultimately led to was a silent agreement between the two forces to keep out of each other's way. There's simply more for both sides to lose than to gain by fighting each other.

While Gems can't be infected by fusion matter, the creation of Fusion copies is still a possibility. Still, the worst danger Fuse and his army can pose to the Gems is what he can do with Gem Shards. Possession through fusion matter is often extremely difficult, as the substance is deadly/corrosive to most beings and their own willpower will fight the fusion hivemind's. Gem Shards are a major exception, as they can't create a stable, physical form to fight back with and can only maintain a "powerful, partial consciousness." This partial consciousness, as dangerous as it can be when it itself possesses objects, can easily be dominated by the fusion hivemind. Since it would be fusion matter primarily supplying the physical form for these Shards, even if that consciousness can fight back against the hivemind, it is then just simply abandoned at Fuse's command, so there really is no threat to Fuse or his army by attempting to control them.

What can be created from the combination of a Shard and fusion matter depends on the strength of this partial consciousness. In some cases, it's basically just a fusion monster variant of Gem Mutants or the individual, regenerated limbs we've seen in the show. In other cases, the hivemind "stabilizes" the mental state of the broken Shard. If the Shard maintains enough of its original will, rather than be suppressed by the hivemind, it can join it. Its will is bent by Fuse, which will also affect its appearance somewhat, even if the being created appears more whole--albeit greatly disfigured or even more monstrous like a Corrupted Gem. At the same time though, the Shard will show hints of its old personality and a much higher intelligence compared to normal fusion monsters or Corrupted Gems, including the ability to speak. Granted, when they can speak, it often comes out broken, like Semi-Corrupted Nephrite's or like when Steven spoke with the Cluster.

The thing is, when a Shard is corrupted by fusion matter... it often doesn't want to fight back against the hivemind. Consider how the Gems in the Cluster screamed that they wanted to form back in "Gem Drill." With fusion matter supplying the means of a stable body and a shared consciousness to lean on, the Shard will give in to the hivemind out of terror of returning to its broken, isolated state. It doesn't matter to the Shard if it becomes a monster just so long as it can feel whole again. Chances are, Fuse has some of these Shard monsters on Planet Fusion from past battle(s) with the Gems. It will take a long while for any of these Shards to ever find freedom or hope of recovery.

While Gem society isn't unfamiliar with the idea of using Gem Shards, it was seen as a horrible, extremely utilitarian fate. It was something to fear as a punishment for betrayal or failure, something you wouldn't wish on anyone, but that nevertheless gave a fallen Gem some continued purpose to society. That is, if the use of Shards was even successful, going by Pearl's story in "Frybo." The fact that, through the hivemind, Fuse was able to utilize them successfully and against other Gems only made it even more horrifying.

Nevertheless, despite their past interactions, it's highly unlikely that it would make the Diamond Authority care about Earth's fate: They were planning on destroying it anyway with the Cluster and if Fuse tried controlling that jumbled mess of countless minds all forced together, well... good luck to him! The war could even play in their favor if the Cluster was absorbed with the planet and then erupted into its huge, horrifying form while stuck to Planet Fusion. The only thing the war would do is make the Diamonds pay a little more attention to Earth--yet another incident adding to the surprising list of activity all occurring at once on that abandoned blip in space. From hearing whispers on the success of the war, they might even pluck a couple of humans from the Zoo to see if imaginary energy is truly a threat to be reckoned with. (Though these tests wouldn't bear any fruit since the residents of the Zoo likely wouldn't use much imaginary energy at all due to how they live. Any imaginary energy born with them was likely stamped out in childhood, as they are overly content and aren't prompted to create or explore much of anything beyond their tiny world.)

As for the Crystal Gems, their behavior wouldn't change much from that of the show. They've sworn to protect the Earth and they'll fight for it against Fuse too. Still, that might just mean telling what little they know about Fuse to the Fusion Fighters and searching for Corrupted Gems and Gem Shards with even more urgency so Fuse can't get his hands on them. Other things they might help with are teleporting fusion fighters quickly to warzones using the warp pads/warp whistles and, of course, stepping into battles themselves when necessary.

At this point, Steven is still very young and the Crystal Gems are hesitant to put him in any danger due to his age and lack of experience. With the war being planet-wide, however, and little excuse due to kids like those from the KND joining in... they'll have to let him fight. This will make Steven much more experienced in combat early on compared to his show counterpart. The same can be said for Connie. Connie's mom would still be strict and protective, but also very used to seeing victims of the war as a doctor. Her father, as a security guard, would be the same. Their initial reaction would be to be even more overbearing with Connie in order to keep her safe, but there would be an even faster realization that it's impossible to do if Connie doesn't have a means of defending herself.

[earwormie]

doing some research on the current state of long covid because i'm interested. Below the cut is excerpts from the most comprehensive look at how long covid is doing right now. This was originally going to be a compilation but this article is just the best and it covers a lot of perspectives.

(January 18, 2024)

tl;dr- Long covid rates appear to be going down + recovery from long covid seems to be getting better within cases of more recent infections. Full recovery still remains uncommon+people are less likely to recognize their symptoms as being long covid, so anecdotal evidence of lower long covid rates are somewhat mute. Research results vary as to what preventative measures can result in what efficacy. More recent long covid cases are more likely to experience neurological symptoms than the initial waves of long covid patients.

"Most of the experts I spoke with for this story do think that the average SARS-CoV-2 infection is less likely to unfurl into long COVID than it once was."

"Lisa Sanders, an internal-medicine physician who runs a clinic at Yale, told me that more recent cases of long COVID appear to be less debilitating than ones that manifested in 2020. 'People who got the earliest versions definitely got whacked the worst,' she said."

[when vaccinated,] "courses of illness also tend to end more quickly, with less viral buildup, giving the immune system less time or reason to launch a campaign of friendly fire on other tissues, another potential trigger of chronic disease."

"Others have pointed to the possibility that more recent variants of the virus—some of them maybe less likely to penetrate deeply into the lungs or affect certain especially susceptible organs—may be less apt to trigger chronic illness too."

"But consensus on any of these points is lacking—especially on just how much, if at all, these interventions help. Experts are divided even on the effect of vaccines, which have the most evidence to back their protective punch: Some studies find that they trim risk by 15 percent, others up to about 70 percent. Paxlovid, too, has become a point of contention: Although some analyses have shown that taking the antiviral early in infection helps prevent long COVID, others have found no effect at all. Any implication that we’ve tamed long COVID exaggerates how positive the overall picture is. Hannah Davis, one of the leaders of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, who developed long COVID during the pandemic’s first months, told me that she’s seen how the most optimistic studies get the most attention from the media and the public. With a topic as unwieldy and challenging to understand as this, Davis said, 'we still see overreactions to good news, and underreactions to bad news.'"

"With vaccines, for instance, the more wide-ranging the set of potential long-COVID symptoms a study looks at, the less effective shots may appear—simply because 'vaccines don’t work on everything,' Al-Aly told me."

"Long COVID remains one of the most debilitating chronic conditions in today’s world—and full recovery remains uncommon, especially, it seems, for those who have been dealing with the disease for the longest." (article linked here is from 2022)

"[Hannah] Davis also worries that recovery rates could drop. Some researchers and clinicians have noticed that today’s new long-COVID patients are more likely than earlier patients to come in with certain neurological symptoms—among them, brain fog and dizziness—that have been linked to slower recovery trajectories, Lekshmi Santhosh, a pulmonary specialist at UCSF, told me."

"Long COVID can also manifest after repeat infections of SARS-CoV-2—and although several experts told me they think that each subsequent exposure poses less incremental risk, any additional exposure is worrisome."

"Even if rates of new long-COVID cases continue to drop for some time, Yonts pointed out, they will likely stabilize somewhere."

[oh-cool-a-burning-sword]

I'm bored and the Brave Banner's a few days away so... possible predictions?

First possibility I can think of (and kinda hope doesn't happen) is that seeing as 3/4 of the CYL winners primarily use tomes, Instys decides to make everyone on the banner a tome user. I hope this isn't the case cuz I want there to be some variety.

now for what I think each character could be

Robin

For Robin, I think his unit will depend on two things. If they give Corrin Omega Yato, and if this is actually Robin and not Grima stealing another slot. (Grima took F!Robin's Legendary and Rearmed alt, they could do the same to M!Robin).

If Robin gets to use a sword, then it'll most likely be a variant of the Levin Sword. If he's a tome user I can imagine he'd be blue or colorless? Same if he happens to be a dragon unit. I feel like Green'll go to either Soren or Gullveig.

As for his design, had they not given Robin a legendary alt this year I would have said grandmaster. But he has a legendary alt so it's a little up in the air what his Brave Alt'll be. Maybe he'll get a Plegian outfit to represent his past, or a Ylissean outfit to represent his found family.

Or maybe they use this variation of the grandmaster design from the Cypher cards:

Granted, this is only if Robin's not being possessed by Grima. In which case he could look like this:

I'm hoping Grima doesn't steal another Robin slot but you never know.

Gullveig

Gullveig's a weird case. Seeing as she's currently the second Feh OC to win CYL... and she was out for about a month when she won. Back then we barely knew anything about her so it was hard to say what she'd end up like. Though now that we're more than halfway through Book 7's story and we know that Gullveig's the future version of Seidr, I think we have a clearer picture.

I think Gullveig could become a green or colorless tome user. The only reason I'm suggesting Green is because one possibility for Gullveig's design could be putting together some elements of Seidr and Kvasir. Represent all three versions of herself in one?

It's also gonna be kinda interesting if Seidr turns into Gullveig next chapter. Not sure it'll happen but she DID get infected with the Golden Serpents. Imagine if Seidr turns into Brave Gullveig.

Soren

Soren's likely gonna be a tome user, either green or colorless. He COULD be a dagger unit though, as one of his class promotions lets him throw knives. But it's more likely that he'll be tome.

His design varies. I kinda want him to wear something resembling his parents, though I find this to be unlikely as he doesn't know who his parents are. So I think he'll either be a sage, wind mage or an archsage. I feel like Archsage could be more likely though, and if not, then that'll be his legendary alt... if Soren ever gets one.

Corrin

Now Corrin's a bit easier to figure out. There's a 50/50 chance that she'll be either a sword user (and have Omega Yato as her weapon) or a dragon unit (and have something to represent her father Anankos, and she'd likely be a blue unit).

Design wise, there's three possibilities. One could be a design similar to Mikoto, one could be the Hoshidan Noble outfit and the last one Valla monarch. Out of the three, Valla Monarch the most likely outfit, at least in my opinion. Hinoka's legendary design already resembles Mikoto and the Hoshidan Noble outfit should be reserved for Male Corrin should he ever get his legendary alt.

In which case, based off Cypher cards this should be the design.

[wyverian-lady525]

Alrighty! Thank you for the unbelievably fast answer<3

How abouuut. Hyoro fatally injuring the reader (who's been crushing on him and is overall still extremely kind to the antagonist trio when they went against the other characters.) by accident when they try convincing him to come back home, but end up trying to use force because he kept resisting.

Kind of along the time when he teamed up with Mille and Cheval to try and stop the Black Dread themselves? You know, when Cheval was in his long-lost sibling of Sasuke phase💀 Considering all he truly wanted was to impress and be accepted by his brother, it seems like a rather interesting idea of him harming somebody who he wasn't holding any grudges against, would he feel guilty or would his already overwhelming emotions just continue taking control over him?

Hope this request isn't too difficult!! Otherwise absolutely don't feel pressured into doing so, perhaps you making the decision whenever it would be a oneshot or headcanons could make it less challenging =)

Thank you so much! I will try my best with this! Hope you enjoy! and gosh, I am so glad they brought them back to being good❤️and I am curious with this idea with Sasuke Cheval as well XD

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

A Truly Dreadful Experience

Hyoro didn’t mean for it to happen. He truly didn’t mean to.

“Genie! Let me handle this!” You shouted at the older rider from your place on the back of your monstie.

Right now, Cheval, Hyoro, and Millie were at Dovan Volcano in an attempt to kill Ratha, who was infected with the Black Blight. It was a fight between sides. Genie and Stone went after Hyoro and Mille as Lute dealt with Cheval. You and Avinia were staying back.

That was until you saw that Hyoro and his brother were about to charge one another on their monoblos. It made your heart twist.

You see, you’ve had a crush on the timid rider for a while now. When you all were training as riders back in Hakum, you couldn’t help but find him adorable. Even now, your crushing hasn’t stopped. So, you intervened, Genie allowing you to take the reins (truthfully, he had faith in you to get his brother’s senses back).

And you felt like you could.

“Y-Y/N? Please, don’t get involved here.” Hyoro practically begged you. His white monoblos growled at your monstie, who hissed back.

“You need to come home Hyoro. Surely you know this is wrong.” You tried to convince him. The timid boy looked over at his teammates who were currently beating the crap out of their opponents.

Hyoro just gripped the saddle horns.

“I...I made my choice...I’m asking you to respect that...” He said as kindly as possible. Despite the rift that’s grown between everyone, Hyoro couldn’t bring himself to be rude to you.

However, you just couldn’t accept that as an answer.

“I can’t! I’m sorry Hyoro, but I want-No, I need you to come back!” You shouted at him, urging your monstie to sprint forward. If he wasn’t convinced by your words, you felt that force was the only other option.

Hyoro couldn’t truly want to kill monsters with Cheval, could he?

But as your monstie rushed at him, ready for you to grab at his arm, his monstie reacted. The white monoblos threw its massive head, the horn scratching at your monstie. However, you were also pierced in the process, right below the lung.

Your whole life and future flashed before your eyes as you witnessed blood drenching the white scales. Your monstie was thrown back, and you were thrown even further. Whimpers came from your monstie, but you were just struggling to breathe yourself.

Everyone, even Cheval, seemed stunned from what just happened.

“Y/N! I never meant-!” Hyoro already hopped off his monoblos variant, even scolding the beast before trying to get over to you. However, his brother and his monstie stopped him. Avinia went to tend to you instead.

“You’ve done enough here, Hyoro. Go. Just run off like you did before.” Genie said before moving to see you. Hyoro, hearing his brother’s subtle threat, just stayed where he was. The entire battle was forgotten as Stone and Lute came over as well.

Navirou, who author-chan wanted to forget, fainted.

Avinia lifted you slightly, a bit of blood dribbling out of your mouth as Stone applied bandages to your wound. Hyoro could hear mutterings of “you’re gonna be fine” over and over again from Lute, and Genie just look horrified when he finally took in the situation at hand.

Meanwhile, Cheval and Mille moved away, both feeling semi-responsible (not so much guilty) for the fatal incident that just occurred. 

“Let’s go, Hyoro, while they are distracted.” Cheval told him in an emotionless tone before hopping on Rathi. 

“B-But-” Hyoro tried to say, but Mille rudely interrupted him.

“No buts. Y/N will be fine. Things like this aren’t a priority.” She told him before getting on her brute tigrex. This was the first time in his life that he wanted to scream and shout at his companions. 

How dare they tell him that you aren’t a priority. Do his feelings mean anything to them?

Hyoro was torn. On one side he knew that he should flee with his companions when they had the chance. They had a job to do that shouldn’t be ignored because of an incident. On the other hand, this was you. His friend, his...anyway, he was responsible. He wanted to make sure that you were okay.

If you died here...the guilt would tear him apart.

As he was fumbling with his decision, his companions irritably waiting for him, he locked eyes with you. They were weak and barely opened, but there. And perhaps it was his imagination, but Hyoro thought he saw a slight smile.

Like you forgave him and understood that he needed to leave right now.

He knew that you wanted him home, and he knew that if he complied then this never would’ve happened. However, he was afraid, this he knew well, and it kills him inside. Curse his cowardness. 

But even so, he mounted his monstie and left with the others, the sight of your e/c eyes forever haunting his mind. One day he will come back to you because he will have seen the errors of his choice. That this wasn’t the righteous path.

However, at that time, it may already be too late.

Time will tell.

[yutopia-eleftheria]

My AU Species/Races Face Close-Up (part 2)

Umbrums :

The Umbrums are known as the most evil race ; pretty much all of them are evil. Almost none of them are nice people, and none of them are pacifists.

They are the Crystallings’s archenemies : they pretty much want to exterminate them, or enslave them.

Speaking of which, they don’t really care about the other races either ; if they stand in their way, they will more likely try to kill them too.

All of them have a deadly ghost look, long wavy and ghostly hair, skull-like teeth and lifeless eyes : + they pretty much acts like ghosts.

They are even said to be unable to control their power ; their power is pretty much overwhelming them.

Only a few of them are able to fully control their power ; those who are able to act “normally” were chosen by the ruler of the “clan”.

Furthermore, these people are able to blend in by taking a human appearance.

They are also able to infect other people with their magic, making them turn completely into an Umbrum, or making them able to use their ghost-like magic. Though everyone can learn their “basic” dark magic, none can learn their more ghostly nature of magic apart from the “infected ones”.

Kirinowies :

The Kirinowies are known as a “mystical” race.

They are also known to follow the rules of the Egyptian mythology. Becaus of that, it is said that some people that follows the Egyptian culture and others could be Kirinowies, or could descend from Kirinowies.

They have a “split” appearance : one of their side seems pretty normal with a dark red horn and scales. The other is darker as their eye is almost empty with a flame-like purplish-red tatoo appearing on it, a purplish-black horn and multiple blackish flames all over their skin.

They have a tiny little fang coming out of their mouth.

They have a special way of celebrating a young’s bapteme : when their hair gets long enough, they will cut it and wear it as a scarf. They change everytime they get a haircut.

They are in tunes with the artistic fields and are very talented at it ; they are the ones who gives the best theater plays, as said by other species.

Despite being overall a very calm and joyful race, you better not mess with them if they are in a bad mood : if you piss them off you might turn into ashes the next seconds.

Angels (coming from the Inazuma Eleven Universe / Reimagined by me) :

Angels are the race that looks the most like humans (apart from Earthlings, but it actually depends for some of them).

What makes them recognizable from humans are their two pair of wings : they have little bluish-green wings, and a big pair of white wings underneath them. We can also spot them by their shining halo floating above their head.

They are also immortals ; they will never die, at least of old age and diseases : we don’t know if they can get slaughtered.

When battling, they have an “armor” (see Inazuma Eleven’s Sky Team for understanding). Otherwise, they wear beautiful white clothes with charming accessories.

Another race, the Nightwalkers, wants them. Maybe for their power ? Nobody knows the exact reason for this...

Vastayans “Vesani” Tribe (coming from the League of Legends Universe) :

One of the Vastayan variant : these chimeras reunites the dogs and cats races (foxes, wolves, tigers, lions, etc...).

They all have fluffy ears and tails. Of course they can be completely different from one another.

All of them have various marks on their faces. They also have a dominant instinct.

All of them have a sharp tooth, but it’s more proheminents on cat races.

They all possess digitigrade legs as well as claws on their feet and hands.

Sharp eyes are a thing in this race, but again, it’s mostly on cat races.

A great rarity of them are “mystical” beings. As seen above with Ahri, who is a Kitsune.

Strandeads *also known as Undeads* (coming from the Death Stranding Universe) :

As their names suggest it, they are the “dead” race.

Following this, they were people of all possible races that eventually met their demise sooner than what was supposed to be, and they sort of came back from the dead ; they will be stuck forever in this deadly look of them.

If they came back, it’s for a reason : revenge, a goal to complete, something that only them can achieve, etc...

They all have black marks on their eyes and on their face.

No matter what kills them, they will always keep a scar of what have killed them, or a mark if it’s something like poisoning, which means everyone could guess what they died of.

They all have at least one physical traits that makes them inhumans.

Some of them can even control dead bodies to battle with them.

It’s really rare for a Strandead to not be in a relationship with another Strandead, but it can still happen.

Nightwalkers :

As their names suggests, they are the race of the night. Some even say that they could be a demon race, since there are Angels but no Demons.

All of them have sharp eyes, mostly yellow, red or pink. They also have sharp teeth and tongue.

We can recognize them for their “spiky” hair, bat-like wings and ears. Those makes them very sensible to high sounds, pitch or loud.

They have slight fluff on their neck, shoulders and belly. They also have cut out eyebrows, but it’s not always the same for any of them. That’s a sort of recognition sign.

They have a way of showing that someone is theirs so, let’s say they have a claiming kink : they claimed them by bitting them, mostly on the neck.

[12nb34]

📆 Apr 2021 📰 How Novel Coronavirus Variants Could Complicate Our COVID-19 Vaccination Drive ✍️ Dr Vipin Vashishtha

Some of my peers working in the bigger COVID-19 hospitals in metropolitan cities have also observed that those who received vaccines and tested positive for COVID-19 within two weeks are both outnumbering those who haven’t been vaccinated and are running a more severe course of the disease. India’s health ministry hasn’t shared any such data thus far, however.

Could these apprehensions be true? Let’s find out.

Speculation that vaccines could paradoxically increase the risk of infections possibly originated following the 2009 influenza A (H1N1pdm09) pandemic, when 4 Canadian studies suggested that getting the seasonal influenza vaccine increased the risk of laboratory-confirmed infections. This led to 5 additional studies, each of which substantiated these initial findings.

One proposed mechanism for this phenomenon is called original antigenic sin. It was first used to describe how one’s first exposure to the influenza virus shapes the outcome of subsequent exposures to antigenically related strains. (The antigen is the part of the object that provokes the immune response – like the novel coronavirus’s spike protein.) This specific immune phenomenon explains the failure of the immune system to generate an immune response against related antigens.

When an individual is infected by an evolved strain with a new dominant antigen, slightly different from the original strain against which the person has been vaccinated, the immune system produces antibodies against the original strain. This happens through high-affinity memory B-cells that inhibit activation of naïve B-cells, resulting in a weak immune response against the newer strain. So the risk of infection paradoxically increased in vaccinated individuals compared to unvaccinated individuals.

This phenomenon could be at work when different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are in play. As you may know, most existing COVID-19 vaccines are based on the wild strain that was circulating around the world last year. However, towards the end of 2020, many variants with mutations in the spike protein have emerged. These new variants have replaced their predecessors in most countries. In India as well, one or two key variants (B.1.1.7 and B.1.617) are feared to be circulating around the country.

So a vaccine may mount a strong immune response against the original epitopes contained in the ‘original’ strain due to preformed B-cells. (“The antibody recognises a particular part of the virus, called the epitope, and forms a bond with it using a part called the paratope” – source.) These preformed committed B-cells outnumber naïve B cells and prevent them from mounting a strong response that is specific to the epitopes contained in the new mutant.

As a result, the immune system becomes unable to mount a faster, stronger secondary response. The implication is that when the epitope varies slightly, then the immune system relies on the memories of the previous infection (with the wild variant) rather than mount another primary or secondary response to the new epitopes present in the new variant (B.1.617 or B.1.1.7).

As a result, the immunological response may be inadequate against the new variant – because the immune system depends on a memory instead of launching into a fresh response.

[kayayeteae]

If you got to write re4-part 2, what would you do?

This might get long so u get a read more lol

To preface—I’ve never played RE beyond playing bits of RE4 and then watching my brother beat it (I am a jumpy person with anxiety leave me be 😩). I don’t even consider myself an RE fan, I am in the most basic sense, an RE4 fan. So everything I say will likely get subverted because of some canon event I’m unaware of. ANYWAY.

I love RE4R because it’s overall a better narrative that lines up with current canon (I’m aware of some RE lore lol). It’s also just a better told story than RE4 in so many ways. So whatever I say will relate to remake.

Let’s say anything after the events of 4 have yet to happen, here’s the possible routes I’d take

The obvious—get plaga in different hands that’s not umbrella

The cliche—have Leon relapse with plaga

Not so cliche but pushing suspension of disbelief—have someone who is a carrier of plaga/asymptomatic carrier of plaga leave the island

Lastly, because I’m insufferable—Luis survives (some fucking how) and has a duplicate superior plaga with him (some fucking how)

Leon relapsing can be the most emotionally driven narrative if RE was no longer an action game. Like RE4, I imagine he’s struggling to control himself and it would be a race against time once again. Without the machinery that helped him cure it the first time, he’d kinda be be shit outta luck and it would be up to…idk Claire because she’s cool…or Ada because…it’s Ada lol to help Leon before he turns. Essentially, ur controlling anyone but Leon to solve it. But part of the gameplay is Leon surviving and being controlled and it gets slowly harder and harder but if u give into plaga controlling Leon gets easier. Then boom ur back in Spain, u learn that umbrella europe team left paper trails. Another branch is still researching plaga blah blah big bad is trying raise another cult bc cults are interesting. Marketing for this game would be painting Leon as an enemy like they did with Dante in DMC4 LOL.

Having another carrier is easy. Idk u learn that someone survived the village and is roaming some city as a refugee. Like idk maybe this person has plaga version 2.0 that can idk self breed and spread by contact. It’s pretty straight forward. Plot twist is that patient 0 didn’t know they were infected and no else did either. God that’s so cliche, you’d have to make a really good story for that to work. Either way they should end it by having a choice to kill the carrier/patient 0.

NOW IMAGINE IF LUIS SURVIVED (I do this everyday because I am unwell)—this would be very emotionally driven knowing damn well that Luis was involved with plaga (I think he’s involved with RE3 too which is cool). Idk he has another version of plaga because idk he was researching 2 different strains, and like it’s almost a war between two variants because Ada gave hers to someone. So like whatever Leon is fighting and shit and they’re like, the only way to beat this is with a stronger strain (and science). AND THEN, someone keeps dropping hints (it’s Ada cuz she be doing shit like that) like a trail to follow and then they’re like chasing this trail, but whomever is at the end realizes they’re being followed, so theyre hard to catch. Anyway like 3/4 into the game they catch them and it’s no one other than LUIS. And then drama ensues like “bitch I thought I were dead, wtf ur working on a different strain still??” and like u learn he’s still trying to make amends and has a new name and identity given by idk the US government because that’s just the kinda environment they’re in lol. Also Luis deserves to be petty, he should try and kill Ada. I would lol. She got the fuckin plaga anyway, sure I know it was not thru Luis but it’s SO UNFAIR he died and she got what she needed.

I stand by what I say about Luis that THEY CERTAINLY GAVE HIM A PHENOMENAL BACKGROUND FOR A SIDE CHARACTER. Idk his death was that more gratifying but also painful—that’s another essay I can write about

I’m not a writer so my ideas are really flat. But part of RE4s charm was its simplicity and stellar gameplay.

[atlanticcanada]

Many Canadians can hold off on getting another COVID booster for now: NACI

We've been sharing the planet with SARS-CoV-2 for more than three years now, but the science and recommendations for how to best protect against the virus and its variants are still constantly evolving.

In the latest major update to those recommendations, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) said last week it no longer "routinely recommends" follow-up COVID-19 boosters for people with a medium or low risk of developing severe illness from the virus. Canadian health officials are, for the most part, echoing that message.

COVID-19 Brief newsletter: Sign up for an informed guide on the pandemic

“Updated to reflect that much of the population is either vaccinated or previously infected with COVID-19, or both, the revised roadmap re-emphasizes the importance of vaccinating those still at risk of severe disease,” SAGE chair Dr. Hanna Nohynek said in a media release issued March 28.

“Countries should consider their specific context in deciding whether to continue vaccinating low-risk groups, like healthy children and adolescents, while not compromising the routine vaccines that are so crucial for the health and well-being of this age group.”

SAGE defines three priority-use groups for COVID-19 vaccination – high, medium, and low – based on a balance of cost-effectiveness and risk of severe disease or death.

The high-priority group includes seniors, younger adults with significant comorbidities such as diabetes and heart disease, adults and children older than six months with immunocompromising conditions, pregnant people and front-line health-care workers.

According to Canadian immunologist Matthew Tunis, the new SAGE guidance is similar to spring booster recommendations the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) made several weeks earlier.

"Our assessment is that there's a high degree of concordance or overlap between what the WHO is recommending that every country considers and what NACI has been recommending for COVID-19 boosters," Tunis, who serves as NACI's executive secretary, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday.

NACI recommends that high-risk Canadians receive booster shots this spring, even if they were boosted in the fall.

That group includes all adults 80 years of age and older; adults 65 to 79 years old, especially if they have never been infected with COVID-19; adults living in long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors or those with complex medical care needs; and people over 18 who are moderately to severely immunocompromised due to an underlying condition or ongoing treatment.

Healthy, fully vaccinated individuals who have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine booster can skip the spring vaccination campaign. Those who have received a primary course of a COVID-19 vaccine but haven't received their first booster dose should get boosted as soon as possible.

As for when low-risk Canadians should get their next boost, Tunis said they can technically do so six months after their last dose, according to the Canadian Immunization Guide, but that it's better if they wait for further guidance from NACI or consult their provincial booster recommendations first.

For now, he said, the committee is still trying to determine whether COVID-19 boosters for the general population should be rolled out as a seasonal, annual or as-needed program in the future.

"What we are seeing…is that hybrid immunity, which is achieved by vaccination in those who have a history of infection as well, is proving to be very stable to prevent severe disease," Tunis said. "But everyone is watching closely to see how long all of this immunity lasts, and if there's continued waning, there may be a need for continual boosters."

Even as highly contagious Omicron sub-variants have continued to spread within Canada, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths have stabilized for now. During a federal COVID-19 update on March 10, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said the virus has reached a relatively steady state in Canada.

"While uncertainty remains about the seasonal patterns for COVID-19, the current trend suggests we may not see any major waves in the coming months as we prepare for a potential fall and winter surge," Tam said. "Together with international partners, we will also continue to monitor the situation closely." 

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/kdJCqpl

[fmp2mt]

Humanity is the idea that we, as humans, have ideas that we see as just and humane, and so, we are also knowledgeable when something goes beyond and becomes inhumane. This was another word that is derived from my mind map, such as dynasty was and I also wanted to go further in depth with it. This also overlaps with Human Nature, and that we, while human and seemingly above others, can fall prey to animalistic natures that are hardwired into our very soul.

Humanity is linked to Altruism, the act to care about other humans and animals and to see them to be as happy as possible, it’s a virtue that we, as people, can exhibit. This is not to be messed up with human nature, while the two are closely related, they aren’t the same. Humanity is more similar to a moral code one learns and upholds while our nature is a set of instructions that we follow without always realising it. If backed into a corner it's human nature to fight or run, like any animal, but when presented with an unnatural situation, we can use our humanity to help others. Some people, like pasaphists uphold their humanity above their nature, they disregard their nature to fight and to create conflict and rather try and do all in their power to lead anything to a peaceful ending.

A weird thing I like to look into is bullying. Bullying is a universal concept, everyone knows about bullying and its harsher variants like abuse, because nearly everyone has either experienced it or has been one to have dealt it to others. This is seemingly due to it being a part of human nature, just a thing that humans know how to do, what is quite weird. One might bully for a plethora of reasons, such as in an attempt to get something, validate themselves or petty revenge. It infects everything, and seemingly is used to further their motive, likely similar to a survival feature from the past, one our ancient brethren used to continue to survive by weeding out those they thought were useless or unnecessary.

One way some people show humanity is through donations to companies who are trying to achieve a goal, such as protecting animals from extinction in reserves, assisting in helping those in third world countries who are in dire need of help and other that desire to try and vanquish diseases such as the plague that is cancer. By donating, you can show your support to a cause while also allowing it to help others. Usually, these donations get you nothing other than a feeling of fulfilment, but many send small gifts in the mail such as pamphlets and cards to use.There is also smaller instances of charity, such as when clerks at stores ask for a donation that is sponsored by the store, such as McDonalds and their Ronald McDonald House charity, a nonprofit organisation which supports other charities that are directly linked with the well being of children around the world, usually asking of you to pay a price that would round your price up to a full integer.A charity I want to look into is My Black Dog, a charity that helps those that are struggling with mental health what has become a far more versed topic that is more widespread than ever in the modern climate of the world. My Black Dog, named after the expression of a black dog, one that is a physical manifestation of depression, hence the name, is a nonprofit that assists those who need help. Founded by Niki Clarke, who has herself suffered through depression, made the organisation to help others like her after thinking that she was alone in her condition and believed she was unable to talk about it, as she states, “I went through some VERY dark times, which are hard to describe or even talk about- For a long time I felt very ashamed of my mental health, I thought I was the only person who felt this way, that there was something deeply dark and wrong with me.”

 She is not alone in helping others who have and are still suffering as she has, Eddy Temple-Morris who had worked with CALM, a suicide based charity, for over a decade joined My Black Dog to help them grow after CALM became self sustaining. I think the quote that accompanies him on their main website is a solid example of Humanity, as he talks about how they “couldn’t raise funds the normal way because the traditional funders were too short sighted to see the very real benefit of talking to someone like you. A non professional. Someone who’s been there and can really empathise with you if you’re struggling. My Black Dog is powered by volunteers and that means it’s powered by love. They don’t get any money for what they do and neither do I. And when you chat to our volunteers that’s what you get and that’s what you feel. Love. Empathy. Understanding.”Eddy Temple-Morris quote is, to me, a perfect example of humanity, the stride to do something completely un-beneficial to yourself out of the sole desire to help others as your payment, and it seems that others agree, as the company is still helping those in need.

Another charity that I look into is Cancer Research, a company located in England, Wales, Scotland, etc, that is a charitable organisation focused on Cancer, being the largest independent research organisation on cancer. All their work is nearly entirely funded by the public, with 40,000 regular volunteers, with other deals with corporations and fundraisers aiding them in their developments. They also air ads to help bolster donations and to spread positive information about cancer awareness. Originally, the company was two separate entities, The Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the British Empire Cancer Campaign who would merge in 2002 to become what it is known as today.

Another interesting theme I got from my mind maps was Memories that I believe could be a really interesting area to look into. Memories are not uncommon in media as they inhabit a very similar area to dreams, usually they are used to progress a plot forward by discovering something within them, usually through creative and diverse mediums, as due to the ethereal and unhinged nature of the idea they are not restricted by reality.

Inside out, a film by Disney Pixar following Riley, a girl who had just moved home to the city, has the main plot follow her emotions, Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Sadness, who are able to contain memories relating to their emotion that are stored within spheres. The plot follows Joy and Sadness as they press through Riley's mind in attempt to return to their station that they had accidentally been vacated from and return her core memories before she wakes up and becomes distressed. While lots of the film takes a look at the film crews imaginative ideas about how our mind works, the main idea is about memories and how that the strongest memories are made of multiple emotions instead of just one, and that Joy and Sadness, two character who juxtapose one another are stronger together, not separated.

I wanted to look at this film due to its good reception, what is no wonder due to the track record of the company, and due to its plot focusing on memories and their importance to the plot. I remember watching it back after it had been put onto DVD and I really enjoyed watching in it, and while its not their best film, it definitely deserves praise for how fun and charming it is. I really liked the key message of the film that Joy had to learn that Sadness was a necessity and norm when before she did everything in her power to exclude her from anything, as we all have tried to do ourselves, seeing that the brightest memories are first cast in shadows.

Gravity Falls, another product made by Disney is a cult classic, receiving only a two season run, it has cemented itself as a favourite of many as Alex Hirsch's characters feel real in such a twisted world. One episode in particular and the one that first introduced the main villain in the series is [insert name], where the pine twins and Soos enter their uncles dreams and memories to fight a dream demon, Bill Cipher, who was looking for a password to a safe so they could help Gideon steal the Mystery Shack.

This episode presents memories being contained within the mystery shack, now twisted and warped by their uncles comatose state, where doors littered everywhere open up into the past. A cool detail about these are that they can be interacted with, with the cast affecting the memories, what is an interesting idea as memory manipulation is usually untapped in western media. This could be a really cool mechanic for something like a detective based game where the protagonist can actually enter the crime scene as it's happening through the use of memories.

One of my favourite recent examples was in Destiny 2’s main expansion, The Witch Queen, where the player crusades into the aforementioned Witch Queen’s (Savathun’s) domain in search of how she stole the light, a paracausal power that gives the player nigh immortality. Throughout the plot you become wise to the fact that the light was bestowed by the Traveller, your silent god, and you only found this out so that Savathun could retain her memories, memories that were lost when she attained the light.

This plot while simple is powerful, linking the game-play and story into one. Since the beginning of the game, during Destiny 1 nine years ago, this idea that guardians, (the main players) lost all semblance of self from the past was installed, and to see that even the Witch Queen is not invincible to it is a fun mini twist that some probably did see coming, but it also lets open the flood gates to a major reveal, that we are able to discover ourselves as she herself had forgotten all about it, when we use the Enclave, an artefact of darkness, to reveal the memory of trickery that re-contextualises nine years of the games lore and history. It is also a fun idea that this mechanic of memories is used as a game-play feature, being used to draw past instances of locations forth to help you traverse the map and is also used in weapon crafting, where your character bring faint memories of forgotten weapons, new and old, back to the present to craft them. I would be cool to see more games use memories in more interesting ways like this, seeing them as something more physical and present rather than vague and untouchable.

A very small tangent I wanted to go on is about the song 19 by Paul Hardcastle. This song have a relation to do with memories, as the song follows information about the Vietnam war, where the age of conscription was 19. A segment in the song goes:

“According to a Veteran's Administration study

Half of the Vietnam combat veterans suffered

From what psychiatrists call

Post traumatic stress disorder

Many vets complain of alienation, rage, or guilt

Some succumb to suicidal thoughts

Eight to ten years after coming home

Almost eight-hundred-thousand men

Are still fighting the Vietnam War”

At the beginning of writing about memories I had for some reason overlooked conditions that relate to memories such as PTSD, what is seen in this song. The power insinuated by, “eight to ten years after coming home, almost eight-hundred-thousand men are still fighting the Vietnam war” is powerful, giving off this eerie feeling that truly makes PTSD scary, the idea that these men, who barely have gotten through a quarter of their life could still be fighting a war that had already ended by merely living is intoxicatingly horrific.