#technically he does receive special treatment

[eternity-death]

I would like to give out some technical cyborg tips for people who write Boothill!!!

Cyborg ≠ Robot. Robots are entirely machine (SCREWLLUM is a robot)… a cyborg is part human part machine. And when I say part human I am SPECIFICALLY talking about the brain. A cyborg is literally a human brain encased in a mechanical body. There could be nothing organic in the body— no skin, bones, veins, nerves, etc— but as long as there is a human brain running it, it is still a cyborg. Boothill’s head is almost entirely organic— but his eyes were probably tinkered with and given enhancements.

Do cyborgs need sleep? Yes. A human brain is still a human brain, and the brain NEEDS sleep to function. However, they may not need to sleep as often as a normal human does.

Do cyborgs need to eat? Yes (Kind of)!! Again, it’s a human brain, and the brain needs nutrients or it will begin to eat itself. Now, HOW the nutrients is acquired is subjective. Some cyborgs may eat normally, while some might have other ways to receive the nutrients they need. How? Not sure. Maybe they have a reserve somewhere in their body that supplies nutrients to the brain.

Do cyborgs need to bathe? Also subjective. It probably depends on how much of the cyborg’s body has been altered. If it’s still mostly organic then yeah, probably. But in Boothill’s case he might just need to spiff it up every now and then (kind of like washing a car), there’s probably special treatments for bodies like his. He does have to wash his hair regularly, though. “Can he get wet?” I think he can handle a few splashes/travel in the rain, but I’m not sure if he can submerge himself in a body of water.

Can cyborgs feel physical touch? THIS is subjective, but honestly, I don’t think they can. We have receptors in our body that allow us to feel things— I don’t think you can replicate that in a mechanical body. I do think he has special sensors that can perceive the closeness of a foreign object/another person, but I don’t think he can FEEL them.

Anyways, that’s all for now. Hope this helps!!!

[ethansluvbot]

hotch unconsciously favouring new bau!reader and she doesn’t even notice 😭😭 she just thinks he’s super sweet and everyone is like 🤨🤨 where’s our special treatment aye?

WHERE DO WE GO NOW | A. HOTCHNER

warnings: mostly fluff, but a kiss?

an: SORRY I TOOK SO LONG HOPE YOU LOVE IT, ignore how bad im at writing like technical fbi stuff lol

as he returns to his seat on the jet, hotch gives you a pack of food and some water. you put your earplugs back in after grinning and thanked him. morgan smirked at his boss's strange actions, but he remained silent.

"all right, let's briefly review the case's facts. while morgan and prentiss travel to the M.E., jj and reid head to the crime site. y/n and i will head over to receive a briefing. okay, everyone, let's get going."

you smooth your dress down and collect your belongings, trailing hotch in the process. as soon as you enter, he opens the door for you and goes inside for a briefing.

"the victim's boyfriend last spoke with shelby at 9:02 p.m. we spoke with the bartender at jack's bar, where she was around for the majority of the evening at 9:30. we are currently obtaining the security footage from her. tell my staff or me if you need anything."

spencer said as he left the room, "i'm going to call garcia and ask for access to the security cameras sooner rather than later."

"how's jack doing?"

"he is doing well! he does, however, truly miss you, especially your homemade chocolate chip cookies."

"does he miss the cookies or do you?" you chuckle.

Thinking to himself, "I will not answer that question," you smile and wondered who else he let his guard down for. we was always open to you, even though he never discussed his past with others.

"what would you say about you, jack, and I visiting the aquarium? ever since you got him that ipad, he has been telling me about dolphins, and i get texts all the time."

as he takes a sip of coffee, reid enters the room and says, "garcia has found the camera footage. what did I ruin something?"

1 HOUR LATER

"as of right now, it appears that the unsub prefers women who are between the ages of late 20 and early 30. Every victim carries a huge risk, and I think he enjoys the possibility of exposure. kidnapped from bar parking lots despite the fact that his face is constantly hidden. he has a dark-colored van and it's clear by the signature he injures the victim, since he has a long-term damage of his own.

"y/n i would prefer if you would lay low on this case, you fit the profile and i don't want anything to happen to you."

"are you certain? given the profile, it could be the greatest option for us."

he nods while leaning back in your chair, knowing that he thought too highly of you to see you be in harms way. you have no idea how much more than you realized he cared for you.

"fine, do not put yourself into a situation where you know it will end bad."

the remaining members of the team carrying on the discussion regarding the unsub's actions. garcia chiming in with men who match the description. you gently brush your hair away from your face and glance at the hotch. even though you quickly avert his gaze, you can still feel his eyes on you.

"i'm sorry to break this terrible news, but I believe there is a match for this suspect. i'm sending you travis's records and the last two address on file." the group leaps up and sprints towards the available cars. together, you and hotch jump into the car navigating your way to his address.

you get out of the car as soon as you get there. as you search the house, some of the team arrives, and you head upstairs. Your mouth is grabbed by a hand and you are slid into a room. you fall as a result of your head slamming into the wall.

you were able to get up and cause him to lose his balance by kicking the back of his knees. your body reverts to its limp form. travis limps his way back toward your body. there's a shot, and you reach for your gun. You turn to face the hotch, who is gripping his gun.

You say, "thank you," as he helps you leave the house. doctors are rushing to your side right away. hotch stays by your side throughout the whole thing. It is a blessing to have someone who is as concerned as he is.

He asks in jest, "so you still up for the aquarium?"

TINY BONUS

With your earbuds in but the volume down enough to hear the entire conversation, the team continues to tease you on the flight back. "Where's our special treatment?" you chuckle to yourself in private.

[cerastes]

So is Specter proof the seaborne can evolve to survive oripathy, or is there another reason she's still kicking with a small country's worth of it in her spinal cord?

Ok, let's get something right first: Specter is not a Seaborn, she's Aegirian, specifically one from Aegir (as opposed to, say, Thorns or Weedy, who are Aegirians from Iberia). The Seaborn are deep sea creatures that have incredibly high and advanced adaptability capabilities, making them evolve at a staggering rate, and cannot really be understood too well from a human perspective, as their moral compass and behavior are completely alike those of humans (remember that we're using the Terran definition of human here). Specter herself is an Abyssal Hunter, that is, an Aegirian that underwent a special treatment in order to attain immense strength and durability. This treatment involves using something of the Seaborn (we don't know the specifics) in the process and it becoming part of the subject, turning them into a Hunter. This is practically a supersoldier program, made specifically to fight the Seaborn without having to use advanced Aegir technology, instead using good ol' metal like swords, spears, and buzzsaws. The reasoning behind this, as Gladiia explained in Under Tides, is that this is so the Seaborn don't evolve based on their supertechnology and thus become actually unstoppable; the Seaborn cannot evolve much from fighting adversaries using antiquated technology they already have accounted for in their evolution. In other words, instead of fighting the Seaborn with technology, the Abyssal Hunters bring raw stats to the table: Strength and durability from their Hunter procedure, and combat skill from their intense, grueling training and conditioning.

With that in mind, let's move on to the ask proper: We don't know yet, as Specter's case doesn't provide an answer to that. While it is true that the Hunters have some Seaborn in them, they are still fundamentally Aegirians, and Specter herself is an exceptional case aside from that: She is exceptionally durable even by Abyssal Hunter standards. Gladiia's talent suggests that Abyssal Hunters can tap into a regenerative factor naturally, but no one does it better than Specter, who naturally has the highest HP and strongest regen possible out of the Hunters. Gladiia's special skill is her speed, Skadi's is her strength, and Specter's is her durability, to the point where gameplay reflects this by giving both of her forms the best Immortality skills bar none and by a high margin compared to others (Guard Specter's lasts for 15 seconds, Unchained's lasts for 20 seconds).

As you said, there's enough Originium in Specter's spine to infect a small country if it were broken down (and this is no hyperbole, this is explicitly stated by Bishop Quintus, the one who did that to Specter in the first place). Even Quintus himself is impressed that somehow Specter has survived it, suggesting that her surviving it at all was not, in fact, part of the plan. In part, there's Rhodes Island to thank, as Kal'tsit herself saw to it that Specter received the best care possible, with only herself (and presumably Gladiia, Warfarin and Doctor) having clearance to enter her room (and technically, Skadi, but that's only because Kal'tsit reluctantly gave her permission after Skadi would just go in anyway), but besides that, there's also just the simple fact that Specter is just built different and is quite literally the best at not dying.

Incidentally, the experiments inflicted upon Specter might have had the aim to answer your question in the first place. We're still not sure what exactly it was that Quintus was hoping to achieve, but as he's Church of the Deep personnel, it definitely involved the Seaborn in one way or another.

Long story short, Specter in particular is really bad at dying and that's predominantly why she's still kicking.

[fancyshooting]

thoughts on ocelot’s time in the navy(?) - based on that analysis of his uniform

cushy!

if his conceited attitude is anything to go by, he was treated very well in russia. he has an inflated ego but is sorely lacking in skill. he becomes indignant at snake's criticism, as if he has been used to constant praise. I think the KGB would've congratulated him for defecting, then in the GRU we know he gets special treatment from volgin due to his background. his youth would get him a lot of adulation too. so young! so clever!

I was struggling to find any irl battles or idk events ocelot could've been involved with but then I realised that his whole thing in mgs3 is that he doesn't actually have a lot of combat experience. a lot of that is likely due to the leniency afforded to him on account of being a very special boy. he does wear a ribbon bar though, suggesting that he achieved something of note at some point within those first four years in the soviet union (although judging by his epaulettes, he was promoted not long before the start of the virtuous mission, so maybe the ribbon bar is related to that)

since he was only sixteen when he defected, he probably wasn't enrolled into the military straight away. he and EVA had NSA secrets to spill first, so he must have had meeting after meeting where that information would have been recorded by KGB officials. then, he would have to be taught the russian approach to espionage and the political climate etc. etc., which would take some time. I'm not sure if he would still officially be with the KGB by the time he joins the military... we're never told exactly what kind of work he was doing for the KGB other than acting as an informant and secretly passing on intel from the GRU. the KGB also had their own spetsnaz (spetsnaz literally just means "special forces" so you can get GRU spetsnaz and KGB spetsnaz - both totally different groups), meaning that ocelot might still have been operating in a military environment rather than focusing on civilian matters, which I think is what you tend to think of when you hear "KGB"

the soviet naval infantry was disbanded in 1947 and remained as such until 1961 (there was still a soviet navy but no naval infantry, the branch that the west would call marines). I personally believe ocelot was sent to join the GRU when he was eighteen, so I'm trying to fit everything around that. apparently the cuban missile crisis was a factor in prompting the ussr to strengthen its navy and that was in october 1962, meaning (according to my headcanon) he would already be in the GRU. this could be why he ended up in the naval infantry and not, eg. the air force

there's no way that, as the son of two legendary war heroes, ocelot wouldn't have received any combat training in childhood. the philosophers would have been pushing him to meet the standard set by his parents. russia isn't supposed to know about all that training though, so he would have had to have pretended to be nothing more than a cryptographer (maybe his skills dulled and he's just rusty in mgs3...?)

regardless of the exact years and specific organisation he was working for, I think little captain ocelot probably spent more time hanging out with the high-ups learning about military strategy while the other men his age were out in the field doing the taxing, dangerous work. if he was pretending not to have had any prior combat training, maybe he was put to use working on a radio team or something. idk signals, communication, all the skills that he would be expected to have as a known former NSA agent

he could've trained with the naval infantry while already being part of spetsnaz. apparently navy spetsnaz were accommodated with regular recruits and went through pretty much the same training so that they wouldn't be marked out as SECRET SPECIAL FORCES. that means he could technically still be doing navy stuff in mgs3, even though he's stuck up a mountain

he's definitely trained in jumping stylishly from aircraft into water at least. naval infantry conduct operations mostly by amphibious assault... hey wait. what if the croc cap was..... omg thank you ADAM...

um... he got to go on boats and maybe a submarine. cats generally don't like water but ocelots do so swimming is fine. he travelled around the coast and saw a whale one time. he read lots of secret documents about submarines and developments in the world of sonar and radar and underwater weapons. torpedoes and um... um... idk I wish I had more to say about this but idk anything about the navy, let alone the cold war soviet navy sorry :( I hope it wasn't terrible B) ty for the ask!!

[hesitantvampirealien]

realizing that one reflects the treatment their parents give to them is a gut wrenching pain

kind of a vent under cut

(content warning for abuse, not detailed but multiple forms of it are mentioned)

i find my relationship with my family something a bit funny sometimes, and remembering how much i'm a reflection of both of my parents is so agonizing to me, specially the parts that i got from my dad.

I come from a fucked up family. As i already mentioned, i'm autistic and i have ASPD, as well as having started treatment for PTSD despite not receiving a diagnosis for it so i'm unsure if i have it, but unfortunately it was interrupted for reasons that were out of my control. My mom is autistic and my dad is also neurodivergent (unsure of specifications). My mom and i have a bit of a complicated history as mom and son. Same thing with my dad. Both of them fucked up a lot while raising me despite the ratio in that matter, and i think at least my mom can see it a bit, even though she never apologized directly, she fixed a lot of things in her behavior. My dad on the other hand? nothing.

We fought a lot, the 3 of us with each other. Well.. the 4 of us, considering my dad's other wife who had beef with a 9 year old because that fucking cunt thought of me as a memory of my dad's past relationship and not as a whole different fucking person and abused me for years.

For so long, my mom was so neglectful and none of them would actually accept a disabled child. They didn't see me as a child, a human being in formation. I was a robot for them, i should be following their orders perfectly without asking questions, and if i had "technical difficulties" there were 2 possible results

my dad and step mom - spanking and torturing until i learned to be "decent"

mom - forcing me into the psychiatric hospital because to her, if i was upset at her for hurting me it meant i was out of my mind and was having a psychotic breakdown (to her, "psychotic breakdown" meant me as a child crying and asking "why are you saying this to me?" because she said something horrible to me).

i'm still bitter about it. Very bitter. I can't help it.

My childhood was taken from me in multiple aspects by multiple people. I don't know what it is like to be a child. I was forced in a room, forced to constantly act like a perfectly functional adult, i was stripped away from privacy, dignity, i was treated like i was less than human. I had no right to have my own things, my own thoughts, my own will, they were the ones that decided what i was allowed to want and think if they were in a good mood and allowed me to want and think anything at all. I still wonder how me trying to kill myself at 9 didn't mean that maybe something was wrong.

But at least my mom got better. She stopped, she's trying to help me go after the things i need to fix the shit that she helped to break in me. Well, she didn't make as much of a damage as my dad but i can't completely ignore her part either.

As for my dad? fucking gone because i couldn't stand the abuse anymore and ran away and demanded that i stayed with my mom because at least she wouldn't spank me and torture me and neither the people in the hospitals she forced me into. But i admit that for so long i thought there was something wrong with ME for being sad in both environments, i thought that i was being picky and i was a bad child and that everything bad happening around me was because i was asking for too much when in both environments i suffered some sort of abuse. The only difference is that at least my mom sees now that i got fucked in the head and she's learning to listen. But my dad does not give a shit.

I forgave him because i thought he cared for me, specially after he told me that he was neurodivergent too, and after i noticed that there were many things that he genuinely had difficulty seeing the problem in that created so many issues in my head. It was like that fucking person he married completely destroyed his head along with mine.

no.

all of that, it just ended in the second i heard that she had a stroke. He just discarded me. I meant nothing to him and i was his first fucking child, but he didn't give a shit. Everything was always about how he felt like his life was shit with her being away and he came with some nihilistic and suicidal-sounding shit. My 9 year old sister was depressed with everything and that was when she needed my dad the most, my brother? no news from him whatsoever, and my dad was just discarding the 3 of us. HE HAD 3 FUCKING KIDS TO TAKE CARE OF AND ALL HE COULD THINK ABOUT WAS AN EXTREMELY ABUSIVE JERK THAT MADE FUCKING TORTURE SESSIONS FOR A 9 YEAR OLD AND HOW MUCH "HIS LIFE MEANT NOTHING WITHOUT HER". But everything regarding my siblings as always was in my hands to solve. I was always the one who actually had to take care of my siblings, even if my brother hated me because my step mom made him and her whole family believe i was some "perverse filthy slut who wanted to destroy the family" even though i was 9

If my dad ever loved me, i don't know. I think he didn't. Regardless of that, all that i saw was how much he's just a fucking dog just like i am.

Both of us are losing dogs. He just complies to shit, he never stands up for himself, he just lets people do whatever they want with him and then discounted it on his own fucking child because he was so sickly obsessed with other people approving him, so having a not socially acceptable child to him was worse than hell itself. In general he was a dog with no bite.

and me? i'm just as much of a dog. A dog that bites? yes, but in a muzzle so i can't bite. Because unlike him, i'm not "socially acceptable" in ANY aspect, no matter what, i will never fit in, i will be ostracized. I can't choose to force myself to comform to society's suicide-inducing standards to have everyone's approval. I have to stand up for myself and i will when i have to while being aware that if i do it, i'll be punished severely for it. Because people look at me and they don't see a person, they see a problem. A problem, somehow, burdening THEM, even when i do nothing and i'm just there, existing, and that's forever gonna be the general opinion. And most of the time i'm completely unaware if i even did anything wrong at all because i'm never told anything, i'm just suddenly kicked over and over again and given shitty excuses. In general, meaning that i have to endure abuse from every corner with no real right to defend myself without being kicked much harder by so many more people. A dog in a muzzle? it must be rabid. Do i get to choose? no. I have to at least bark or i die.

as for my mom? we got on good terms. She listens to me now and i try to help her as much as i can, and vice versa. And ironically enough, her "type of autism" is compatible with mine in certain ways and she tries to help me get back on track as a functional adult, and as funny as it might be that this coincidence happened, both her and I are aroace spec. I got the "best" from her and the worst from my dad, and that feels so weird when i stop to think that, really, at the end.. i guess that those were the things they gave me. My mom gave me the "less worse" treatment compared to my dad who turned a blind eye and even participated in active abuse and torture. One gave me bad, one gave me horrible. I reflect that bad and that horrible.

If i'm honest, i guess sometimes i vent out in the open in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, someone that also gets it, who also went through the same or similar things and is also trying to be a better person everyday despite everything sees it and tells me that i'm not the only dog in a muzzle here.

i know i use the dog parallel a lot, sorry.

[kaileyistrash]

I sure do love having this blog that maybe two of my personal friends know about 💕 therefore I can vent a little bit into the void instead of annoying the very few people who have to listen to me obsess everyday!

OKAY SO HERE’S THE THING!!!

I have had a crush on this guy at work (cliché, I know). In my defense, I have had a lowkey crush on him for a few months now. Problem is !!!! I got a promotion about a month ago and now I’m technically an authority figure of his 🙃🙃🙃🙃 EVEN WORSE!!!! My best friend may have discovered that he also has feelings for me 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 the moral dilemma that I now face is horrendous. Like an actual movie scenario nightmare. On one hand, he might quit very soon for unrelated reasons. On the other hand, I’d hate to take advantage of his quitting for my own personal gain. So now I am stuck in this purgatorial loop of trying to put my feelings in a box and send them downstream just for them to come rushing back and smacking me in the face. This would all be so much easier if our manager wasn’t also the least professional busybody that has ever walked the earth. Because then at least I could go about my life pretending like it isn’t happening without her knowing and evil gaze upon me at all hours of the day. Because of her, I have become ultra aware of every single thing I say to every single person I interact with all day long. Does that mean I have started being even friendlier to everyone I see?? Absolutely lol. Gotta level the playing field and throw her off.

(Just an FYI, I do not manage the employees there lol. I’m just in charge of programming). Either way, I treat every person the same! I do not go out of my way for anyone in particular. I know that for sure. Certain people go out of their way to seek me for help over our manager and I guess that means they are receiving “special treatment” from me. Ugh. If I didn’t need this job and the experience it comes with, I would be gone by now.

Anyway!!!! Thank you to the void of tumblr for listening to my rant and letting me feel like I actually posted this for people to see!!

[vishnuuuuu]

Best Sports Medicine Doctor in Trivandrum | Sports Medicine doctor

Discovering Excellence: Best Sports Medicine Doctor in Trivandrum – Dr. Arun Jyothi

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[ininjaproxyvpn-blog]

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Innovative Techniques and Technologies

Staying at the forefront of the industry, Dr. Motykie is dedicated to integrating the latest advancements in plastic surgery into his practice. He continuously updates his skills and knowledge, ensuring that his patients benefit from the safest and most effective techniques available.

Minimally Invasive Procedures

In recent years, there has been a significant shift towards minimally invasive procedures. Dr. Motykie offers a variety of non-surgical treatments, including injectables like Botox and dermal fillers, laser therapies, and skin rejuvenation treatments. These procedures provide patients with effective results and minimal downtime.

State-of-the-Art Facility

Dr. Motykie’s practice is housed in a state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest medical technologies. The clinic's modern amenities and serene environment contribute to a positive patient experience, ensuring comfort and safety throughout the surgical journey.

Patient-Centered Care

What truly sets Dr. Motykie apart is his patient-centered approach. He believes in building strong relationships with his patients, founded on trust, communication, and empathy. From the initial consultation to post-operative care, Dr. Motykie and his team are committed to providing a supportive and nurturing environment.

Personalized Consultations

During consultations, Dr. Motykie takes the time to understand each patient’s desires and concerns. He provides detailed explanations of potential procedures, expected outcomes, and recovery processes. This personalized approach ensures that patients are well-informed and confident in their decisions.

Comprehensive Post-Operative Care

The journey with Dr. Motykie does not end after surgery. He offers comprehensive post-operative care, including follow-up appointments and recovery support. This ongoing care is crucial for optimal healing and long-term satisfaction with the results.

Contributions to the Community

Beyond his surgical practice, Dr. Motykie is dedicated to giving back to the community. He is actively involved in various philanthropic endeavors, using his skills to help those in need.

Charitable Work

Dr. Motykie has participated in numerous medical missions, providing free surgical care to underprivileged communities around the world. His charitable efforts reflect his commitment to making a positive impact beyond his practice.

Education and Advocacy

As an advocate for patient education, Dr. Motykie frequently shares his knowledge through public speaking engagements, webinars, and media appearances. He strives to raise awareness about the benefits and risks of plastic surgery, empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their health and appearance.

Recognition and Accolades

Dr. Motykie’s contributions to the field of plastic surgery have not gone unnoticed. He has received numerous awards and accolades, recognizing his expertise, innovation, and dedication to patient care.

Industry Awards

Over the years, Dr. Motykie has been honored with several prestigious industry awards. These accolades serve as a testament to his skill, professionalism, and commitment to excellence in plastic surgery.

Media Features

Dr. Motykie’s work has been featured in various media outlets, including television shows, magazines, and online platforms. His expert opinions are sought after by the media, further establishing him as a trusted authority in the field.

Testimonials from Satisfied Patients

The true measure of a surgeon’s success lies in the satisfaction of their patients. Dr. Motykie’s practice is adorned with testimonials from individuals whose lives have been transformed by his expertise and care.

Transformative Results

Patients consistently commend Dr. Motykie for his ability to deliver transformative results. Whether it’s enhancing facial features, sculpting the body, or reconstructing after trauma, his work has helped countless individuals achieve their aesthetic goals and boost their self-confidence.

Exceptional Care

Beyond the physical transformations, patients appreciate the exceptional care they receive from Dr. Motykie and his team. The supportive and compassionate approach ensures that every patient feels valued and understood throughout their journey.

Conclusion

In the competitive world of plastic surgery, Dr. Gary Motykie stands out as a premier plastic surgeon in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. His journey of excellence, comprehensive expertise, innovative techniques, and patient-centered care have earned him a stellar reputation. With a commitment to giving back to the community and a passion for education, Dr. Motykie continues to make significant contributions to the field. For those seeking outstanding results and a compassionate approach, Dr. Motykie is the surgeon of choice.

[mistfallengw2]

1, 5, and 7 for whoever you'd like!

Inquest (or former Inquest) ask game

You know what? I'm gonna do both Iotta and Flom :3

1. What is their title and what are their responsibilities?

Iotta: Her childhood was spent being trained by Xud to be a covert operative in the Order of Whispers, so nothing was expected of her besides excellency during training. After returning from her mission, she was a high ranking operative for a couple of years. During that time, she patrolled important Inquest bases, took care of "nuisances" and did all that was required to keep the labs secure, as well as occasionally leading Xud's personal team during special operations (usually to remove individuals from the organization). While not an official title, she was the de facto bodyguard and right hand of her mentor, who had since become Executive Security Officer in one of the major secret bases of the Inquest. Once Xud got promoted to Executive Overseer of the newly-built Rata Primus, she was given the chance to prove herself for a big promotion of her own, and begrudgingly took the role of Supervisor at the Rata Arcanum site. She despised it regardless of how good she was at giving orders and keeping things in check, but thankfully it was a short-lived position, as the Commander and the Pact disrupted operations at Draconis Mons soon after. Still, she was praised for the work done until then and her cold nerves in calling for backup in spite of the "targeted attack" on her. A few weeks later, she was promoted and became the Lead Executive Supervisor of Rata Primus, once again becoming Xud's right hand... which meant even more paperwork and dealing with irritating people, between supervising labs, approving requests, reviewing reports and doing all the tasks Xud passed down to her. She heavily missed active field work, and more. Then, she was killed in the awakened invasion, and continued that role in Kourna until she was mercy-killed.

Flom: He was just a generic researcher in a krewe that focused on portal and teleportation tech, which was assigned to a larger team that continued the work that was being done at Gate Keno Decca Five. Great technician with potential, he was technically more of a lab assistant and bottom feeder of the team, and any of his ideas that could lead to recognition was quickly claimed by his krewemates.

-

5. How do they feel about the morally questionable goings-on in the Inquest?

Iotta: Detached. She's not a fan of some of the things she's seen, but as long as she gets to be on the side of the handle, it's not her business to get hung up about what the knife does.

Flom: Back when his krewe joined the Inquest, he had followed them without really questioning the decision, trusting their judgment and especially not wanting to be abandoned. He felt terrible real quick about the morality of what surrounded him, and tried hard to compartmentalize his feelings out of fear of even worse consequences, turning into an increasingly more anxious mess of a doormat during his few years in the Inquest. After the catastrophic failure of one of their experiments that killed his whole krewe and left him infested by a demon, he was then free to have quite a few existential crises about having become a test subject and the treatment he was receiving from former colleagues and the organization that allegedly had "their best interest in mind". Once he was rescued, he avoided the topic whenever possible, but he does wish the Inquest would quietly stop existing.

-

7. Assuming they had the necessary approval, what experiment or project would they work on?

Iotta: Nothing. Research wasn't her field of interest, and she actually made it a point not to ever work in it due to her parents' behavior towards her.

Flom: He never really allowed himself to think about it, be it because he thought himself too inept or because he knew the Inquest would turn it into something morally terrible.

[drsurenderdabas]

Who is considered the best surgical oncologist in India, and what distinguishes their expertise in the field?

Introduction:

Welcome to the pinnacle of surgical oncology excellence in India, where expertise meets compassion, and innovation intersects with care. Dr. Surender Dabas stands as the beacon of hope and healing, recognized as the best surgical oncologist in India. With an unwavering commitment to delivering world-class healthcare, Dr. Dabas combines cutting-edge surgical techniques with a personalized approach, ensuring each patient receives the utmost attention and superior medical care.

Description:

Dr. Surender Dabas — Redefining Excellence in Surgical Oncology

At the forefront of cancer treatment, Dr. Surender Dabas has earned a stellar reputation for his exceptional skills, profound knowledge, and compassionate care. As the best surgical oncologist in India, he brings forth a wealth of experience, having successfully treated a myriad of complex cases with a focus on precision and patient-centric care.

Dr. Dabas leverages state-of-the-art technologies and adopts innovative surgical approaches, staying at the forefront of advancements in the field. His dedication to staying abreast of the latest research ensures that patients receive the most effective and advanced treatments available.

Why Choose Dr. Surender Dabas?

Expertise: Dr. Dabas is renowned for his unparalleled expertise in surgical oncology, consistently delivering outstanding results and improving the lives of his patients.

Compassionate Care: Beyond technical proficiency, Dr. Dabas is known for his compassionate approach. He understands the emotional and physical challenges that accompany a cancer diagnosis, providing unwavering support throughout the treatment journey.

Innovation: Embracing the latest advancements in surgical techniques and technology, Dr. Dabas pioneers innovative approaches to ensure optimal outcomes for his patients.

Holistic Treatment: Dr. Dabas adopts a holistic approach to cancer treatment, considering not only the physical aspects but also the emotional and psychological well-being of his patients.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q: What makes Dr. Surender Dabas the best surgical oncologist in India?

A: Dr. Dabas combines extensive experience, cutting-edge surgical techniques, and a compassionate approach to deliver unparalleled care. His commitment to excellence sets him apart in the field of surgical oncology.

Q: What types of cancers does Dr. Dabas specialize in treating?

A: Dr. Dabas specializes in treating a wide range of cancers, including but not limited to breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and gynecological cancers.

Q: How does Dr. Dabas ensure personalized care for each patient?

A: Dr. Dabas believes in a personalized approach to treatment, tailoring each plan to the unique needs and circumstances of the patient. This ensures the most effective and individualized care for every individual.

Q: What role does innovation play in Dr. Dabas’ practice?

A: Dr. Dabas is committed to staying at the forefront of surgical oncology advancements. He embraces innovative surgical techniques and utilizes state-of-the-art technology to provide the best possible outcomes for his patients.

Q: How can I schedule a consultation with Dr. Surender Dabas?

A: To schedule a consultation with Dr. Dabas, you can contact his clinic directly via phone or email. The dedicated staff will assist you in securing an appointment at your earliest convenience.

[goddamnwebcomics]

*Desert Fox

It’s a fantasy adventure webcomic by Matt Springston (AKA SageStrike2).

*Note: Because there are three (or technically two, as both share connections with the prequel story) versions of this comic, I’ll have to summarize each of them as clearly as possible.

Desert Fox Origins is a prequel story existing to explain events prior to the start of the pre-reboot and reboot of the comic (which the latter version quickly summarizes). It focuses on Des being kidnapped and experimented on by a scientist named Denkou, who wants to strip the boy’s magical talents from him to further the mad doctor’s dangerous experiments. Needless to say, he gets stopped by Des’ friends and releases one of the scientist’s experimented subjects, named Fulvus, in the process, who will probably become a problem in the future (she doesn’t).

It’s a pretty basic and vague start to the series, with less than stellar writing and below-average to mediocre writing to boot. The most I can say is that it at least does an okay job setting up the story prior to introducing the real main conflict.

The pre-reboot version of Desert Fox (which can be read here or on DeviantArt when you want access to all of the pages) takes place six months after the origin story, where Des and the gang are charged with scouting and getting information on a crisis with the wolves. The reason being that the guild hasn’t received an envoy from them for weeks, and since Eld’Eari (anthropomorphic animal people) like them aren’t comfortable speaking directly with humans, sending a group with an Eld’Eari of their own as a representative, like Des, could make the negotiations more peaceful. He also has to deal with having his magic suppressed due to him using his abilities irresponsibly too many times as a way to be closely monitored and controlled by the guild and the city council. A possibly terrible decision considering the mission the group will be going on, especially with some darker plots and characters happening in the background unnoticed. We also see a side story with Fulvus meeting and interacting with a troublesome but friendly girl named Dea, just hanging out and getting the tiger-fox girl acquainted with human civilization.

The writing and story are okay, while the art looks like this refined version of Thomas Fischbach’s TwoKinds art style from 2011–2014. Many of these ideas and characters are recycled for the reboot, with very minor differences slapped together.

In the reboot version of Desert Fox, it starts 52 years ago, when the humans and the Eld’Eari lived in relative peace together. It all changed when the humans decided to go to war with the Eld’Eari for some unexplained reason, and when the humans were backed into a corner by the Eld’Eari’s growing resistance, they decided to build a dangerous weapon to use on their animal enemies as a contingency plan known as the “Change Protocol”. 

It predictably goes wrong, as expected.

When the weapon blew up, it spread recycled radiation and magical energy across the land called “Change Energy”, which ended up poisoning and killing the Eld’Eari by the dozens while giving humans growing magical and mutated talents, which somehow ended their conflicts with each other. The humans even decided to make up for their transgression by promising to develop a cure for the Eld'Eari, which, while not being effective outside of basic treatment, caused the animal race to slowly come out of their borders and settle around human borders and its guild to the point of developing a community.

In the present, we meet Des, a young Eld’Eari fox kid who works for the human guild in Shyder City. He’s got some special powers, such as being the only Eld’Eari that’s immune to the effects of Change Energy, being the first of his kind to have a naturally grown talent, and having the ability to essentially cure any mental corruptions or insanities caused by side effects from failed experiments to make some Eld’Eari test subjects, such as one subject named Fulvus, immune to Change Energy.

Now it’s up to Des, his team, and the rest of the guild to find a permanent cure for the Eld’Eari, save any of the troubled test subjects affected by these failed experiments, stop any other evil machinations from a millennium ago that are happening in the background, and maybe figure out more information on Des’ abilities and how he’s connected to those sinister background plots happening around everything.

I won’t lie to you. The story is weirdly convoluted and annoyingly spackled together. As I said, it uses many characters, ideas, and parts of the origin story (summarized and shortened down) for its premise, but adds some noticeable differences. The art looks like a mixture of Chalo and Mastergodai’s art styles, the overarching conflict is more defined in the story than the pre-reboot ever could offer originally, and Fulvus gets more screen time and connection to the story compared to before. It does, however, suffer from similar tropes and problems you’ve most likely dealt with before: stock and sometimes mediocre to basic backgrounds, fanservice, that one medical professional with a questionable sense of responsibilities, occasional chibi visual gags, and comedy sometimes clashing with the tone in certain moments of the story. These issues aren’t as major, but they do lead to a pretty dull reading experience, personally.

You’ll probably find more to talk about in this comic than I ever could whenever you get to it.

Well, I certainly won’t make a post THIS long about it!

I think this is another flawed furry comic with some good ideas and a lot of bad ideas, half of those bad ideas having to do with comic’s presentation and other half having to do with the same goddamn “animals become another race for humans to worry about” premise. So it’s perfect for this blog. I’m probably gonna riff it in the order you suggested, with Origins -> Pre-Reboot -> Reboot.

[riyab12]

Exploring Excellence in Angiography: Unveiling the Expertise of Dr. Rahul Sawant in Pune

Advancements in medical technology have paved the way for accurate diagnostics and precise interventions, especially in the realm of cardiovascular care. Angiography, a crucial diagnostic procedure, involves the use of X-ray imaging to visualize blood vessels and assess the blood flow within them. In the vibrant city of Pune, one name stands out in the field of angiography — Dr. Rahul Sawant. Renowned for his exceptional skills and compassionate patient care, Dr. Sawant has emerged as a beacon of expertise in the world of cardiovascular health.

A Distinguished Professional Journey:

Dr. Rahul Sawant embarked on his medical journey with a dedication to make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals suffering from cardiovascular ailments. After completing his medical education from prestigious institutions, he honed his skills in various facets of cardiology, eventually specializing in angiography. With an unwavering commitment to learning and staying updated with the latest medical advancements, Dr. Sawant has become a name synonymous with excellence in his field.

Expertise in Angiography:

Angiography is a pivotal tool in diagnosing various cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and congenital heart defects. Dr. Rahul Sawant’s proficiency in performing angiography stems from his deep understanding of both the technical aspects of the procedure and the intricacies of cardiovascular health.

His adeptness at interpreting angiograms, coupled with his ability to communicate complex medical information in an understandable manner, sets him apart as a healthcare provider who values patient empowerment and informed decision-making.

State-of-the-Art Facilities:

Dr. Sawant’s commitment to delivering top-tier healthcare is further accentuated by his association with leading medical facilities in Pune. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and a dedicated support staff, these facilities provide an optimal environment for accurate diagnostics and effective interventions. Dr. Sawant ensures that his patients receive the highest quality of care in a comfortable and reassuring setting.

Holistic Patient-Centric Approach:

Beyond his technical proficiency, what truly distinguishes Dr. Rahul Sawant is his patient-centric approach. He understands that navigating cardiovascular health concerns can be emotionally and mentally taxing for patients and their families. Dr. Sawant’s compassionate demeanor and willingness to address patient queries and concerns contribute to building trust and rapport with those under his care.

His holistic approach to patient management involves not only accurate diagnosis and treatment but also comprehensive counseling on lifestyle modifications, risk reduction strategies, and ongoing care plans. This approach underscores his commitment to the long-term well-being of his patients.

Contributing to Medical Advancements:

Dr. Sawant’s dedication to the field of angiography extends beyond his clinical practice. He actively engages in medical research and academic activities, contributing to the ongoing advancements in cardiovascular care. By staying involved in academic pursuits and collaborations, he ensures that his knowledge remains current and that he continues to contribute to the collective knowledge of his field.

A Vision for the Future:

As the medical field continues to evolve, so does the practice of angiography. Dr. Rahul Sawant envisions a future where angiography becomes not only more accurate and efficient but also increasingly personalized, catering to the unique needs of each patient. His commitment to continuous learning and his ability to adapt to new technologies position him at the forefront of this future evolution.

In the bustling city of Pune, Dr. Rahul Sawant shines as an angiography specialist who seamlessly combines technical excellence with compassionate patient care. His dedication to improving the lives of individuals grappling with cardiovascular conditions serves as an inspiration for both his peers and his patients.

In conclusion, Dr. Rahul Sawant’s journey from a medical student to an acclaimed angiography specialist is a testament to his unwavering commitment to medical excellence and patient welfare. As he continues to make strides in the field of cardiovascular health, his legacy as a compassionate healer and a pioneering medical professional remains deeply etched in the heart of Pune’s medical landscape.

[akatsuki-shin]

Review: 在黑暗中 In the Dark by 金十四钗 Jin Shi Si Cai

My first ever Jin Shi Si Cai novel!

It has been officially licensed in English with two volumes. You can find both the physical print and e-book at the publisher’s website: Peach Flower House.

Note(s):

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience

Summary:

Xie Lanshan was an officer from a special drug enforcement team who was sent to infiltrate the Golden Triangle, a notorious armed drug syndicate led by a ruthless man named Mu Kun. Having spent six years on this undercover mission, even climbing his way to become the drug lord's right-hand man, he successfully allowed his comrades to tear down the syndicate; the only flaw being that Mu Kun still managed to escape despite suffering severe injuries.

And yet upon his return to the force, Xie Lanshan found something different in himself. All his friends and comrades said he came back an entirely different person. He began to suffer from splitting headache and experience bloody nightmares where he saw himself murdering a stranger. Despite his massive contribution to cracking down the Golden Triangle, he received no considerable promotion and even got temporary suspension after an unintentional misconduct when handling a local case. Rumors were also spread among the police force that he was secretly a traitor who let the dangerous Mu Kun escaped at the last minute, costing the lives of many of his comrades.

When a murder case costing the lives of an entire household took place in the city, a mysterious man arrived to join their team—Shen Liufei, a forensic sketch artist who came from the States. For an unknown reason, Xie Lanshan found himself drawn towards this man, but at the same time the two shared a complicated relationship tilting between the balance of like-minded individuals and mortal enemies.

Then there was also a strange feeling frequently haunting Xie Lanshan, as if someone was secretly watching him somewhere in the dark.

STORY: 7/10

"In the Dark" is a captivating mystery-crime detective/police drama where a lot of points from the start are actually connected to one another, only being revealed gradually towards the end. The author is especially skilled at foreshadowing where a seemingly unimportant and forgettable scene or character that appeared in the beginning could turn out to be a significant point at a later part of the story.

To put it into words, reading this story from start to finish is like standing surrounded by black clouds, then having those dark clouds being parted little by little, only to reveal a storm hiding behind it. But after braving through the storm, we'll find that the sky is bright and the world is full of light. Conflicts and conspiracies plagued every part of the plot. The further we go, the more complicated the problem becomes and the situation around the main character only become increasingly difficult. However, when we finally reach the end, the conclusion of the story was both relieving and satisfying, that all the hardships experienced by the main character from the start was all for this moment of peace that he so very deserved.

I feel that the author is also good at playing with emotions. Regardless of the story, character, and/or technical flaws that I'm about to mention below, it was hard not to feel emotionally disturbed by the treatment received by the main character. It was hard not to cheer for him and wish that he could find happiness as soon as possible.

All that aside, I feel that all the plot twists could've had a much bigger impact if only the delivery had been better written. The narratives often took an easy way out to introduce and describe the emerging issues, finishing it "right then and there" when the explanation could've been better spread out in dialogues and in latter chapters.

Description of characters reactions to certain issues were also sometimes unnatural, a bit too much, even borderline cringe, even if this gets better in the latter half of the story. Though, for this one I'm not sure if the original is really like this or if the translation wasn't able to convey the original context. Nevertheless, while the overall story itself isn't bombastic or mind-blowing, it was still a well-written crime/mystery-solving story that could keep us gripping the edge of our seat throughout the journey.

CHARACTER: 7/10

Every character has a solid portrayal that makes them memorable, including the minor/side characters. Personally. I don't find it hard to recall if a character was mentioned again during a latter part of the story when they have only appeared in the earlier parts.

There was no character redundancy, meaning that there weren't many use of mob characters. All characters that appeared in the story, no matter how minor, each have their own role to play.

I also like Xie Lanshan and Shen Liufei's "Alpha x Alpha" vibe. The chemistry between them was strong from the start and remains so until the end, both in the passionate and emotional aspect.

Kind of spoiler-ish here, but I love how the whole story revolves around how Xie Lanshan, who was originally considered as a good and kind person by everyone, had that very goodness and kindness of his being questioned over and over again throughout the story, to the point that even he began to question himself. The novel was not only about an enemy lurking in the dark, but also how Xie Lanshan kept wandering further and further into the darkness since he returned from his undercover mission, until he finally got lost in it completely. And then in this darkness, Shen Liufei was the one single light that could pull him out of that darkness, giving him warmth and comfort.

And while it could be annoying to read, the other characters who doubted, and even trapped Xie Lanshan to make him fall, played their role so well. Everything they did to him serve to emphasize the significant bond between Xie Lanshan and Shen Liufei.

I also mentioned this earlier in the "Story" section, but characters reactions sometimes feel unnatural, even if I couldn't be sure if it was originally like this or if it's because a translation issue. The thing I find most irking is that some characters' reactions contradict their initial character introduction and impression. For example, said character was introduced to the readers as someone tough, but then they would act emotional when faced with unexpected things, which feels inconsistent with how they were portrayed in the beginning.

TECHNICAL ASPECT: 7/10

Visualization of setting and scenes are great. It was easy to imagine how a scene was taking place and unfolding, what expression the characters are wearing. Action scenes are captivating to follow and while some emotional scenes might feel a bit over the top due to the issue with character reactions I mentioned above, overall the narrative could capture the emotions well. It was even quite heart-wrenching to follow Xie Lanshan's story near the end, which was why the resolution really allowed us to let out a sigh of relief.

The pacing was enjoyable to follow. Scene transition was also pretty smooth and didn't leave us confused as to what scene was taking place at the moment. There were some issues I found with the translations, mainly typos and punctuation errors. I wish it could've received better proof-reading prior to the publication. There was even one section of a plot in Vol. 1 that got repeated twice, as if someone accidentally copy-paste the text twice.

Also, I'm not sure where to put this particular comment, but I just find it unnatural to have like 80% of the casts to be described as extremely handsome/beautiful. It wasn't exactly a flaw per se, but it's hard to believe that there will be a situation where the majority of the people involved are all distinguishably good-looking.

OVERALL SCORE: 7/10

I wouldn't say it's the best danmei I've read so far, but it's a great crime-mystery police/detective drama. If you're fond of this genre, I believe you will enjoy reading "In the Dark". ^^

[astoryinred]

"Trese" and the truth in the fiction

In short: why the actual monsters in Trese don't have horns, wings, or summoning rituals

Finally the Netflix anime adaptation of the Filipino graphic novel/comics series "Trese" has dropped. It is available in several languages such as English, Filipino, Japanese, Spanish...just to name a few. It is not a perfect work, both in technical terms as well as an adaptation of the source material, but it is worth a watch. Go watch it. Please.

That being said, there is so much to unpack about the series, and I do not mean in terms of the voice-acting and the ethnicities of the persons involved, or just how crunched together the writing is. I will leave that to the critics. What I am writing here is a view as to the real life truths woven into the horror/supernatural threads of the "Trese" episodes, and why these are important. It's because for a lot of people encountering "Trese" at this point, the actual every day monsters of the tale (or at least of the first 4 episodes) are even more distant than the aswangs, tikbalangs, nunos and other supernatural beings that populate the anime.

This will go into spoilers below the cut

Episode 1: The series opens with a train stopping right near the "Guadalupe Station", and some of its passengers being attacked by aswang as they walk along the railroad tracks. During the course of investigating this and another case (that of a ghost murdered on Balete Drive), Alexandra Trese learns that other spirits using this train line have recently perished in a fire or have also been murdered by aswang in league with a politician.

The squatter/informal settler community mentioned in this episode is based on a real one. That area has gone up in flames from accidental and not so accidental fires over the past few decades. Some of the settlers have moved on, but a good many have stubbornly stuck around despite the land being eyed by a large property developer. That area is a symptom of the inequality that plagues that particular part of the metropolis, since it is only less than a mile away from some of the country's swankiest gated subdivisions. While the powers that be are (probably) not involved in selling anyone for meat, they still have a long way to go to address the woes of that community when it is not election season.

As for the other murder in the episode? There have been several cases of women associated with or married to prominent politicians who have died in mysterious circumstances, with some of these deaths ruled as suicide. In many cases, the truth has been hushed up, or simply swept under the rug.

Episode 2: While Alexandra is pursuing the trail of a tikbalang running wild in the city, she also is called to investigate a mysterious series of electrocutions in a gated village. Along the way she discovers that this is a form of human sacrifice to the bagyons manning the electricity providers of the city.

As reprehensible as the bagyons are, what is truly sickening is the seeming indifference of the people in Livewell Village. It's mentioned more in the comics (but also given a line or two of exposition here by the Nuno) that the people regularly offer an outsider, usually a skilled worker in charge of maintenance, to ensure that the bagyon will bless them. In real life there is the callousness that some people exhibit towards essential workers such as yes, repairmen and electricians who have to endure heights and storms just to ensure the "comfort" of consumers. Although the Philippines isn't a country crawling with litiginous folk and "Karens", there are enough of this sort to make essential workers' lives miserable on a daily basis.

Episode 3: This is a difficult one, both in the comics and the anime. One of Trese's cases leads her to cross paths with an actress named Nova, who is later revealed to have had her child left to die (hence making her a target for a specific type of monster). Nova's story is admittedly not easy to deal with and may be considered incredulous, but there are two important contexts to remember when watching it.

The first is that abortion is still illegal throughout the Philippines. It cannot be legally offered by any clinic or medical practitioner. There are clandestine alternatives available, but at a steep price.

That being said, most Filipinos regardless of where they stand on the abortion issue will still consider the abandonment or murder of an infant to be beyond the pale. Yet this does happen. Every month one can expect to read a story or two of babies being tossed in the trash or left in bathrooms---and those are just the stories that make it to the press. There have been exposes about mothers who have sold off their infants to "adopters" willing to pay thousands of pesos or dollars for an under the table transfer of custody. These happen because of desperation, poverty, and lack of resources to support mothers. Maternity leave is only up to 120 days here in most cases, and there are few resources to support mothers with PPD, mothers abandoned by their partners, or those with just too many mouths to feed. Questions of "bodily autonomy" are not first and foremost in the mind of many women who do the worst to their newborns; the question is food on the table for the next day or the day after. Survival is key. Not independence or empowerment.

With these in mind, it is not surprising that Nova is considered one of the most disturbing and reprehensible characters in this episode. From what we see, her choice of abandoning her child stems from vanity and pursuit of a glamorous career. We can see that this is not because she would be out on the streets if she had a child to care for, or because she was escaping something. It's just portrayed as pure selfishness.

It is interesting that Nova is introduced here almost as a juxtaposition to another mother, Ramona. Ramona, the mother of Crispin and Basilio, is an armed insurgent who engages in a ritual to avenge herself on the military men who forced her to murder her own comrades. It is also implied earlier in the season that it was not just murder involved, but that Ramona had also been a "prize" given to the soldiers who captured her. And yes in this context, it can also mean rape. The Armed Forces of the Philippines does not have a shining record when it comes to its treatment of women dissidents and prisoners. This backstory does not justify what Ramona does for the remainder of her screentime, but it does show why she has absolutely no sympathy or mercy to give to anyone outside of her two children. She is part of a cycle of killing that makes any peaceful resolution of the insurgency in the Philippines so difficult to achieve. Both sides behave abominably, and civillians do get caught in the crossfire (or explosions).

Episode 4: Much of this episode revolves around the events in and surrounding a certain police station located near a large public cemetery. We see that the police chief Captain Guerrero has his hands full with cases and keeping his subordinates in line. The cops in the precinct range from the innocent apparent newcomer Tapia to the more stereotypical "asshole" cops Reyes and company. Later it is discovered that the bodies apparently "stolen" from the graves are resurrected zombies who are being directed to attack the station for a specific reason...and it has to do with how the police run their often bloody operations.

The real life neighborhoods surrounding the cemetery have seen their share of violence and "extra judicial killings". In some houses there are still candles and placards calling for justice for family members killed in raids or accused of having been drug suspects (almost a death sentence in the Philippines 2016 onwards). Eyewitnesses and CCTV footage show members of the police force taking part in these raids and clandestine operations. The worst part? The neighborhoods surrounding that particular cemetery haven't even seen the worst of it. Other disadvantaged communities in the north of the metropolis have seen even more deaths of this sort...with some of the deaths being those of children. Google the name of Kian delos Santos as a test case. Kian's case was one of the few to have extended media coverage, and even then the resolution has been rather wanting.

It is tempting to go into the "all cops are bastards" line of thought with this episode, but I do like how Captain Guerrero is forced to interact with someone who he is trying to save in the station, since as it turns out this person has recently lost a family member to this form of senseless murder. Captain Guerrero and the audience are led to remember that these victims have names. They had families. They had lives. They are more than body counts and statistics. That scene is one of the most humanizing of the series, and shows that while not all cops are bastards, there is enough rot in the institution to make it a problem.

Episodes 5-6: I would go more into Episodes 5 and 6, but those deserve a whole new treatment into the nature of truth, compromise, and even gaslighting (even I am not sure how much of a certain character's narrative is true, and how much is just meant to confuse Alexandra with regard to what she knows of her father). The context she does face before those harrowing revelations is a very real one though: things going wrong in a penitentiary.

The penal system of the Philippines is alarmingly punitive and full of inequities. Privileged inmates like politicians do receive special treatment (including media coverage and becoming leaders of factions) while less privileged inmates languish and must struggle to survive the brutal social hiearchy in some institutions. And yes it has happened that inmates have been sent out to do "jobs" of murder and arson in the outside world, often being snuck in and out. A movie that tackles this aspect better is "OTJ (On the Job)" directed by Erik Matti. That one will keep you up at night.

The ending of Episode 6 is rather ambiguous, and it remains to be seen what Alexandra really experienced during her trials prior to becoming a detective, and what her father really did to her and her sibling. We'll have to wait for another season to get to the bottom of that. But if the anime will continue to draw from the comics themselves for stories/case files, we can count on seeing more societal demons and baddies alongside the supernatural ones. And those are the villains that Alexandra Trese cannot just readily beat; it will take a heck lot more than a babaylan na mandirigma to handle those!

[its-snicket-here]

If request are open, what is the general hc for being Momogan/Ainz mother in overlord, wile also in the new world with them?

( and can mom be something similar to elf but have those large ram horns and a long lion tail? )

Yup! Requests are open since now I'm back from my break!

And of course you can request how the mom looks, because since to be blunt. I still hadn't figure out how the mom looks in my fic bwb. ~~~~~~~~

Being the beloved supreme leader, Ainz Ooal Gown, you must certainly be stronger than Ainz-Sama, no? Though somebody would beg to differ cough cough Albedo cough cough

You would be treated a bit more extensively as a Goddess because you were the one who birthed/created Ainz, no? So why don't you get the same treatment as Ainz-Sama?

This goes with the same with Albedo, despite her... AI being tinkered to love Ainz by a certain someone. Although, she would see you in the same light as being a merciful supreme leader because you came along with Ainz to bless them with your presence forever.

Due to your elven appearance with animalistic features, ram horns and lion tail, many humans would believe you being a very powerful Wyld Elf. As most commonly, Wyld elves would have either one animalistic features or have one nature like features that enhance their capabilities and such. Seeing an elf that has two features makes you like some sort of powerful elf, even a goddess if they believed hard enough.

But don't tell them that your race isn't actually an Wyld Elf, because you didn't knew all the race terms fully when creating your character lmao. Those features came from a blessing from an event that Ainz carried you in

Of course, even though you were transported into the new world. Ainz is very worried about you, due to your very little game knowledge. You were the only last biological parental figure he had that kept him sane from the outside world and inside the game.

All the guardians would see you as the Virgin Mary equivalent from the biblical book, birthing the Jesus/Prophet that would turn the world upside down with this birthing.

Before the whole 'transported inside the game' shenanigans. I would see that before the guild was slowly dying, Ainz would implemented some butlers for you, functioning fully like the Pleiades Maids but butlers. The head of the group would be designed to look like your husband and named after him to honor his death, or at least to give you some joy on remembering your husband.

So yeah, you have now a butler harem-ish. With the lead butler being sort of a male equivalent of Albedo.

People from Carne Village still treat you as the same as Ainz, their lord and savior of saving their peasantry lives from the Baharuth Empire.

Mainly the younger children over there would be high fascinated with you, due to your Wyld Elven look.

You often would come over to the village to either play with the children, cook, chat with the women of the village, and do many things to do.

This lead the people love you more for this. Especially with your cooking skills.

Enri and her little sister would see you like a secondary mother with how you would often look out for others, wishing them well and many other things.

When Ainz began to have himself to pretend to be Momogan, you insisted to come with him incase something went bad.

This of course, lead him to be hesitant to say no. As for starters, you were still unfamiliar with 90% of your skills and using them properly. On the other hand though, you were his mother. Man still scared of your high endurance of stubbornness. Once you set your mind on something, you're not stopping.

So, he just sneaks out when you're not expecting it.

Of course, this ends up you being upset and starting to have everyone in the Tomb trying to convince you to stay back. Aura and Mare being the tump card if all fails.

Of course, you being an Wyld Elf. You would expect yourself having a harem within some of the male characters that isn't inside Nazarick.

Jirvniv at first thought you were the wife of Ainz, due to your young and trophy wife/MILF looks and had an idea to steal you away from Ainz to secure more power/pawns for his plans.

But afterwards after learning more of the truth of Ainz and the tomb of Nazarick, he lost all ideas of wedding you, and began to rather give you more respect than seeing you as a woman to be used for power and as a trophy wife.

(Although I've only read/watch the anime in my personal opinion) I see that the elven king would catch word that there is another strong elf in the new world, and he would be 1) dead set on capturing you to make some god tier babies and 2) Wage a war

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Due to you still having troubles on fighting because your limited knowledge of using your skills. I would see that you would sometimes use your auto-pilot to do your work with multiple enemies, but turns it off when there is only like few of them. Once arriving to the new world, you kinda... act like you know what you're doing, additionally act like you are indeed really strong with your knowledge of using your magic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although additionally, due to your status of being a mother of Ainz and being a p2w player (because Ainz technically owns your character account) your set of titles/items/skills would be:

'Family - Mother:' Due to having a connection with other player via linked e-mails/numbers, you have now gained a special title when joining in the game and special skills.

'Mother Nature:' Due to your deep bonds with nature; you have now been blessed with understanding the geographical areas and nature like beings, additionally having certain power skills would be enhanced to be much more stronger depending on the area currently. Healing is enhanced.

'Blessing from the Wyld Elves:' Blessing from the Spring Elves event. Wearing the ring now gives you 200% agility, 145% spell power, the ability to look like an Wyld Elf, and gifted the title 'Mother Nature.'

'Ram's wraith:' Due to your choice of animal equipment, your skill 'Shield Bash' has now been replaced with 'Head bash.' Anyone who unsuccessfully dodge this attack will suffer staggering if it does not crit, or be KOed from a crit. Crit Chance: 2.5%

'Leadership:" Due to your choice of secondary animal equipment. Your leadership on controlling summons is strengthened, especially your presence of persuading NPCs in a dialogue battle.

'Mother's rage:' Due to your connection with a player, within a 145 meter radius with your connector. If they receive damage inside the radius, you become filled with rage and have your ATK power increased by 200+, ATK speed increased by 200%, and gain immunity for 20 seconds.

'Nature's Healing:' Due to your starting class bonus, your connections with nature blessed you having your healing skills raise up highly.

'Deadly forces:' Although nature can be kind, nature can be also deadly with many other things. Using this skill will unlock multiple magic that can cause natural disasters that can kill millions depending on your MP.

[enbylesbianism]

ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS: Simon Snow trilogy wrapped! (review)

Hi, there! It took me a while to finish this post, as I could talk about it for... a long time (not necessarily a good thing), but I got it! I like praise, so if anyone wants to tell me I did a good job... Also, I might edit this post later on. I don’t remember anything else I’d like to add, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I did after posting. My brain does not obey me. Anyways, off to it! By the way, I won’t give this book a real rating.

While this is a review on Any Way the Wind Blows, I intend on analysing some points of the overall series too. The book starts where Wayward Son left off, the end of the road trip, Simon and Baz having problems in their relationship, Penelope helping Shepard with his curse... and the whole situation of the NowNext vampires. Rainbow Rowell only seems to remember the first part. That leaves us with the second book of the series ignored almost completely, with the exception of Simon and Baz’s feelings as well as Shepard’s existence.

Don’t get me wrong, aspects of the book are mentioned, but never in a truly important way. Lamb, the Vampire King, is mentioned by Simon, but only focusing on his and Baz’s relationship, never about the fact that there are a bunch of vampires (supposedly ‘evil’) in the U.S. but I guess what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? I could count on one hand the times the NowNext vampires were mentioned (like, literally, this isn’t an exaggeration, I looked up ‘NowNext’ on the e-book and only got five results), all of them either being one of them considering telling someone else about it, then not following through with it, or dismissing it as a concern for Lamb. Which makes the plot of Wayward Son completely useless for the trilogy. Now, that wouldn’t matter as much if everything else had been properly developed, but we definitely can’t say that.

We are introduced to a brand new, poorly developed villain, Smith-Smith Richards, whose character arc is as ridiculous as his name. He’s one of the fake Chosen Ones that started appearing after the events of Carry On (and the only one to be mentioned and/or defeated, for that matter). It becomes clear that presenting as Simon Snow-ish is part of his brand, especially when Baz describes him as looking like the Netflix adaptation version of Simon, and that he was raised and guided by his uncle, who’s just... there. I don’t think it would’ve been hard to make him manipulating Smith-Smith into believing he’s the prophetic savior of the Magickal World, which would not only make both of their characters more interesting, but it could also serve as a parallel of Simon’s relationship with the Mage. Richards also has some special powers such as increasing a mage’s magic for a limited amount of time, but taking it away afterwards, as well as making someone immune from spells. It’s worth saying those aren’t skills that are usual in the Magickal World, or else there wouldn’t be so much confusion and shock from people (specially Baz and Penny, who would definitely have heard of something like this before), but we get no explanation on why or how Richard has them.

Then, we have the Salisbury’s. We, as readers, already know Lucy and Davy are Simon’s parents, making Ruth his grandmother. It’s noticeable that Rowell builds up to that discovery, by making Simon get along with Ruth instantly, him thinking about Lucy a lot etc. It makes us excited to read the part where they actually figure it out, to know how Simon would deal with that, him dealing with the fact that he’s the Mage’s son and the fact that, technically, he killed his father. I suppose that’s the point, but actually getting to that part was incredibly underwhelming. The way they discovered about Simon—being able to lift a family sword—hadn’t been mentioned or hinted at before. One would’ve expected Simon, who’s particularly interested in swords as it’s mentioned many times throughout the series, to notice a freaking Excalibur at the Salisbury’s place before. 

And speaking of noticing things: when it’s finally revealed that Simon is Lucy’s son and the Mage’s heir, Baz pointed out the uncanny similarities between his boyfriend and the deceased Watford principal. “Those narrow eyes. That tilt of his head. I thought... I thought he’d learned it. Was imitating it.” + “Merlin, Simon, you even look like him.”  (Any Way the Wind Blows, chapter 86) Simon was the Mage’s protégé for years and I assume the Magickal authorities knew that he was the one to inherit all of his money and personal belongings, but no one, in the whole British Magickal community, thought about them being related? I refuse to believe there were no conspiracy theorist teachers at Watford or that Mitali or even the Pitch’s alongside everyone who was against the Mage didn’t at least check to know if there was something behind those characteristics. Baz literally said (chapter 88), “I think it’s undeniable. I’d cast ‘Flesh and blood’ on them, but it would bounce right off of Snow (...)”, so there is a spell for that. Plus, we didn’t even have one whole chapter of Simon dealing with this information! The chapters (no more than five, out of ninety-one) were divided between Simon, Baz and Lady Ruth’s POVs. He’s the main character, so one would think he’d get more development.

Another point that felt rushed was the romance. While Simon and Baz’s relationship wasn’t, as it’s been a topic Rowell has explored for three books (we’re not counting Fangirl here, as their ‘participation’ on it was minor and their personalities weren’t as consistent as in the trilogy. Not that it is that consistent there), the others just felt like she wanted everyone to finish the trilogy with a pair. I’ll start with Shepard and Penny. There were fans who liked them together before Any Way the Wind Blows, but it wasn’t hinted at—it was more like a fandom thing. I personally like them as a couple, but it could have had development and, maybe, foreshadowing in Wayward Son. I mean, they did fight monsters during a huge part of a road trip together.

The next one I’ll talk about is Agatha and Niamh. I love them, don’t get me wrong. Actually, it’s precisely because I love them that I wish they’d gotten a better treatment. Niamh wasn’t introduced before Any Way the Wind Blows. I get why she wasn’t introduced in Carry On—it was interesting to see a character who wasn’t caught up in Simon and Baz’s drama during the school years—but a hint of her existence could’ve been left in Wayward Son. Agatha is an important character on it, and a mention of her father training an aspiring veterinary could’ve fit somewhere, as a hint, maybe. (Also, Lucy, the dog, being absolutely forgotten during this book when a lot of Agatha’s time is spent in a veterinary clinic...) Besides, we could get the vibes from them, but after they kissed, there was barely any content. We didn’t get them calling each other ‘girlfriend’ (or if they even like that label at this point), or the aftermath of the kiss, or a POV from Niamh. Or Niamh appearing the epilogue? If Agatha was taking care of the goats, I’m sure Niamh would have a part in that too. Still on Agatha’s character, but not on Niamh’s, it felt like Rainbow Rowell was setting up for aromantic and asexual Agatha, specially because of this quote: “It was like she'd pulled the feeling right out of my heart. I could have kissed her. (I still wish sometimes that I wanted to.) (That would feel like an answer to... the question of me. Then I could say, 'Oh, thats who I am. That's why I've been so confused.')” (Wayward Son, chapter 4).

And I was leaving the best (I need to be sure everyone knows I mean this sarcastically) of the romance topic for the end: Fiona and Nicodemus. It’s just... so forced and undeveloped. Not even because, to me, they’re both gay as hell. There was just... such a lack of development! I don’t think we had any interaction between the both of them before Any Way the Wind Blows. There was no foreshadowing or why would Fiona, a vampire hunter from a family of vampire hunters, would marry... a vampire! I’d already find it weird to see fanfiction of them as a crackship, but it’s canon?! Like, canon as in they’re going to get married and use Fiona and Natasha’s mother’s ring? Seriously, nothing will take from me that this is a lavender marriage (as I’ve already discussed with my best friend, which inspired this post of theirs.)

I’d also like to speak about a topic that’d been hinted throughout the series, especially post-Carry On, which is the criticism towards the Magickal Community in the U.K.. That criticism is very much embodied in Shepard’s character. It’s explicitly said that the British mages have some kind of supremacy towards other supernatural beings, such as vampires for example, gatekeeping literal magic. Up until relatively recently, mages with weak links with magic couldn’t attend Watford (and that’s a major plot point in the final book) and there’s a denial towards any other kind of magic except the ones that are part of their craft. Even within the Magickal community itself, there are more important families that are more likely to succeed, like Natasha receiving criticism for marrying Malcolm, as a Pitch. It felt pointless not to tackle the issues you’ve set up yourself in your own universe. Penelope has very strict morals related to magickal law and beliefs, something that she could’ve deconstructed, especially considering Shepard, her love interest, symbolises that. Another point related to that is, the trilogy is very clearly heavily inspired by Harry Potter, where many of those points are very clear (e.g. wizard supremacy in relation to other species, such as werewolves and domestic elves and the status quo that makes some traditionally magical families more influential than others, like the Malfoy’s vs. the Weasley’s), so it’s not an easily forgettable concept.

The series also had a lot of inconsistencies. The one I’ve seen talked about more often is Simon and Agatha’s... intimacy status, let’s call it that. Simon’s whole thing in the first book was that he struggled controlling his magic when experiencing intense emotions, which makes it hard to believe that he managed to have sex withount an... accident. Besides that, though, there’s this quote, “She (...) presses a kiss into my temple. No one has ever kissed me there. No one has ever kissed me anywhere but on my mouth” (Carry On, Chapter 27), but in Any Way the Wind Blows, when Simon’s about to have his wings cut, Agatha says, “It’s a strange feeling to look at someone’s chest and know it’s nothing to do with you anymore, but still to remember kissing every inch.” (Chapter 14)

So, we have established that Rainbow Rowell’s work, both character and plot driven, is flawed. “But we got the characters interacting for the closure of the series, at least!” Well... we got interactions between the canon romantic relationships, yeah. But besides that, we didn’t get much. There were no interactions between Agatha and Penny, or Shepard with Simon and Baz. Or Penny and her mother figuring stuff out. Or literally anyone with a therapist. And not gonna lie, the interaction we got between Baz and Dev was underwhelming, to say the least. Niall is nowhere to be seen, too.

Rainbow Rowell’s writing is beautiful: she writes poetic lines that make the book seem perfect at first glance, if you don’t think about it for too long. Her words are very shiny, but once you get use to that light and see what’s behind them, what’s between one shiny quote and another, it has so many flaws and plot holes that it reads like a first draft. There are many concepts in there that are genuinely good: the rest of the trilogy focused on the protagonist dealing with the trauma of being a child soldier instead of being entirely an adventure, Simon being unlabelled, a fake Chosen One that gives mages fake hope... Those are all good ideas, but so poorly explored that, despite being an entire book/trilogy, it still feels like a writing pitch or something among those lines.

I felt iffy about other things during my reading of the series, but they aren’t exactly plot points, so I’ll just list them below:

Mitali, Penny’s mom, including ‘discovering your bisexuality’ as a mid-life crisis thing 

As I’ve seen people talking about biphobia/bi erasure in the books, I’ll be including this post that features both unlabelled and bisexual individuals talking about the topic (it isn’t my place, as a lesbian, to talk about this, that’s why I decided not to do so.)

Romanticising of Baz’s suicide (a.k.a. chapter 61) in the first book. If you’re not in a good place mentally, like I was when I first read Carry On, I hope you know that a kiss or romance doesn’t help any mental illness you or others might have. Don’t let anyone use your guilt to manipulate you. Paraphrasing Alice Oseman in their graphic novel Heartstopper, love can’t cure a mental illness.

Any Way the Wind Blows was... very horny. I can’t point out how this makes the book bad exactly, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed. One of Rainbow Rowell’s strongest skills is that her quotes, when loose, are good. They tend to be poetic and just beautiful, overall. But in the... explicit scenes, these skills were barely used, and I felt like I was reading NSFW tweets off of someone’s private account on Twitter. Besides, the first two books of the series weren’t written like that, so the change was very sudden.

The older people could’ve been more explored. Penelope and Mitali’s relationship and how similar the both of them are compared to each other, Daphne and Professor Bunce’s insecurities and why they believed in Smith-Smith, Fiona, Nico, and Ebb... Also, the Mage and Lucy. We could’ve had more on them, y’know. 

The pop culture references. They made the book read even more like Twitter’s feed. Honestly, if I wanted to read prompts and nice ship content alongside memes from Twitter with some horny thoughts sprinkled all around, I would’ve opened the Twitter app. Or Tumblr, Instagram, whatever.

The POV switching felt lazy to me at times. It’s nice to know how different characters are experiencing that situation, yes, but sometimes, like during the discovery that Simon is a Salisbury, it read as if Rowell wanted to create tension, but couldn’t think of any other way to do it except the switching around.

Narrative wise, I think Simon and Baz should’ve spent more time broken up.