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prasadmedicals · 7 months

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Do Nursing Students Practice Doing Procedures on Each Other in School? | Prasad Medical Center

In nursing schools, students do indeed practice various procedures to gain hands-on experience and develop their skills.

However, it’s not as simple as practicing on each other like you might see in some medical dramas!

In most nursing programs, students first learn the theoretical aspects of procedures through lectures and textbooks.

They then move on to practicing on medical mannequins and simulators to get a feel for the procedures in a controlled environment.

These simulations are incredibly realistic and help students build confidence and competence. When it comes to practicing on real individuals, it’s usually done under strict supervision, and it’s not common for students to practice on each other.

The emphasis is always on patient safety and ethical considerations. Instead, students typically have opportunities for clinical rotations in healthcare settings, where they can work with real patients under the guidance of experienced nurses and healthcare professionals.

This is where they get their true hands-on experience.

So, while nursing students do get practical experience, it’s generally in a structured and controlled manner to ensure the best care for patients and the best learning experience for the students.

Keep in mind that every nursing program may have its own specific approach, but patient safety and ethical standards are always a top priority. Good luck with your nursing journey! 😊

Prasad Medical Center is a Multi & Superspeciality Office Providing Services in Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Cardiology & Gastroenterology.

Dr. Ankineedu N Prasad, MD, FACP, FASN is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.

Currently Dr Prasad is the chief of nephrology at Brooklyn Hospital medical center located at 121 Dekalb Ave Brooklyn, NY ,11201.

Dr Prasad also is the dialysis medical director at Brooklyn United Renal Care located at 1485, Dumont Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11208.

He has over 33 years of experience in the medical field. Please check our location on the map. We have grown to become an excellent multi-specialty clinic.

All Our Specialists are board-certified and highly regarded in their own field. We provide different types of best treatments and ultrasound services.

Many of our physicians are listed as top doctors in New York. More than 250 students have done rotations at our prestigious place in 2022.

WHY PRASAD MEDICAL CENTER FOR ROTATIONS?

Providing Clinical Rotations at Affordable Price

Providing Accomodation with limited slots

Providing Letter of Recommendation on Brooklyn Hospital Letter Head for Nephrology/Internal Medicine.

Guaranteed Hands-On Experience

Contact Information 📞🏥

Prasad Medical Center 📍 Address: 894 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY — 11213 🌐 Website: Prasad Medical Center

☎️ Phone Number: +17187746060

📧 Email: [email protected]

In conclusion, embarking on Clinical Rotations for International Medical Students in USA is an exciting step in your medical journey.

By choosing Prasad Medical Center and carefully planning your accommodation, you can make the most of this invaluable learning experience.

Enjoy your time in Brooklyn, and may your clinical rotations be both educational and fulfilling!

Book Your Appointment to learn well about the accommodation details.

#clinicalrotations #medicalstudents #clinicalresearch #prasadmedicalcenterusce #internalmedicine #medicalassistant

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eduminatti · 1 year

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST MUSIC SCHOOLS IN CHENNAI

If you're like most people in the twenty-first century, you probably smile and nod when someone claims they go to a conservatory or music school and have no idea what they're talking about.

Perhaps you envision people singing and dancing on tables and in stairwells. Perhaps you see lonely pianists practising frantically in windowless chambers till their fingers bleed.

As per research conducted by schools in Pune we twist the fascinating lives of "the other" into overblown vignettes in pop culture. You may not know someone who is seeking a medical residency, but owing to series like Scrubs, you can imagine the drama and excitement of their daily lives.

In the same way, we all harbour romanticised notions of "the artist" in our heads. While music students can agree that the fanciful situations we see on television do occasionally occur (albeit in less film crew–ready shape), they will also encourage you to look at the reality of their daily instruction through a more realistic lens.

Another survey done by schools in Mumbai shows that music students join in conservatory programmes, just like medical students, to master the practical skills they'll need to succeed in this highly specialised field.

We don't merely pass the time via pas de bourrée! There are lectures and seminars to attend, homework assignments to put off, and tests to dread. Practicing Your Trade (Technique)

Many of the obligatory courses in conservatories are geared toward developing great technical abilities. Technique is vital because it helps pupils avoid injuries that can jeopardise a musician's career.

It also gives musicians complete creative freedom by equipping them with the tools they need to convey even the tiniest nuance. Technique-based classes might be challenging, but they can also be a lot of fun.

Consider your favourite class in high school. Maybe it was the gym, your only opportunity to be active during the day.

Perhaps you enjoyed that French seminar because you were fascinated by Parisian culture's particular je-ne-sais-quoi (but more likely because your professor was an angel who brought in croissants every Monday).

Private lessons are their gym or French seminar for many music students - the hour or two they look forward to each week. Students have one or two hour-long private lessons with their primary instrument teacher per week.

These instructors act as athletic coaches, directing and ensuring that pupils perform in a healthy, long-term manner.

Warm-ups are frequently the first part of a lesson, and they are designed to wake up the body and emphasise specific technical abilities (an athlete wouldn't go into a meet without a few stretches!). Lip and tongue trills assist singers get their breath moving and match their voice's various registers, while other exercises focus on characteristics of singing like dynamics.

Following a warm-up, the focus usually shifts to sharpening repertory – music by composers such as Mozart, Bach, Brahms, and Stravinsky — and discussing technical and stylistic issues.

Whether your child enjoys singing or dancing to popular tunes, music can be very beneficial to him or her. According to research, learning music in school can help students achieve in ways other than the basic ABCs.

Participating in music provides a one-of-a-kind chance for literacy development. Teachers lead children to listen and hear in various ways, which exercises their aural discernment, whether they are singing, playing, or listening.

Children gain greatly from a music-rich experience that includes singing, listening, and movement as they progress into more formal learning. While children are born with the ability to decode sounds and words, music education aids in the development of such talents.

The effect of music instruction on language development can be detected in the brain, according to the Children's Music Workshop.Children who learn music have broader vocabularies and better reading skills than their peers.

Children who learn to play a musical instrument are more likely to excel in all of their academic subjects, perform better in groups, and have improved critical thinking skills.

Music lessons could be extremely beneficial to children with learning problems.

Secondary pupils who are members of a school music group do not use any substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs).

Children who learn music improve their physical abilities.

WHY CHENNAI

The Madras Music Academy is one of the oldest music schools in South India. It was a gathering of outstanding musicians simply termed (and is still more generally referred to as) Music Academy before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s.

It is largely responsible for supporting and promoting Carnatic Music, an Indian art form. It was instrumental in the resurrection of Bharatnatyam, an Indian traditional dance form, in the 1930s, when it was on the verge of extinction due to a bad connotation imposed by strict cultural standards.

They also manage a music school called the Teachers College of Carnatic Music, which has a faculty full of notable performers. Tiger Varadachariar, Appa Iyer, Valadi Krishnaiyer, and Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer were among the musicians who graced the Principal's College chair.

#educatiojn #study #parents #schools #student

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builder051 · 2 years

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89 and 98 for the asks :)

89. Do you think of yourself as attractive?

Attractive... Well, that's kind of a broad category. I know this is asking for my own opinion of myself, but let's put it like this: way back in the day (2015-ish), I was finishing up college, dancing full-time with the ballet company, and doing some other work on the side (sort of like bodybuilding/sculpting MLM, but not really. More like... low-level sponsorship?).

I saved a bunch of money and had a major procedure done at a private clinic, one that specializes in cosmetic surgery. That was in May 2015. I did not do paid or published photoshoots until at least June 2015, because I did not want my face associated with any portion of a (clothed!) full frontal. I found my pre-surgery body so distasteful that I didn't want anything photographed, except shoes.

(And in case you're wondering, I was still on with a personal trainer and nutritionist and pas de deux coach to be at peak performance when I started this blog in 2017. I retired in 2018 when I needed foot surgery.)

As of now, I think I look fine. I had my measurements taken recently (for a medical thing), and I'm absolutely a paper bag with torso length = shoulder width and 1 arm length = 1 leg length. Total wingspan = about 2 inches over my whole hight (5'4" and a smidge).

I used to have long rock-n-roll hair, but when I first got sick, it started falling out, so now I have that "regular guy" (think Kevin Jonas) haircut.

I look like a human. My clothes fit me. It's all good.

98. What genre of film or literature do you think your life is? Comedy, romance, action, horror, etc.? Alternatively, if you were written into a fictional universe, what genre would you be best suited for?

Well, first I have to brag and say that I wrote a book, Battle of Troy, which is available on Amazon (search my author pen name L.L. Cupp). It's a sort of angsty coming-of-age-story that deals with teens learning to shuffle around their relationships as they get older--such as disagreeing with one's parents, drifting from siblings, having a love interest, and the dangers of withdrawing too much into oneself. I guess it's best categorized as LGBT coming-of-age fiction.

My life... Are any of you familiar with the animated film Belle? It's a Japanese film from 2021 that almost made the shortlist for the Oscars 2022 animated film category and international film category. It swept Cannes of its feet with a 14-minute standing ovation, and I've gotta say, it deserves it. This is NOT studio Ghibli,and though the animation resembles Miyazaki style, it leans more toward classic anime, like Sailor Moon et al.

Anyway, if you haven't heard of it, it's a very loose take on the original fairytale of Beauty and the Beast, except that it brings in the concepts of Ready Player One, Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, and The Masked Singer (pardon the strange disconnection among those examples, but I'm doing my best here) to create the characters' highly ordinary lives in small-town Japan juxtaposed against a thrillingly detailed online world they can enter anytime, anywhere, just by using a smartphone.

The audience is definitely meant to be older teens and young adults, like Ready Player One, though completely minus the 80s easter eggs. Details harken back to realistic Japanese life and classic anime (I've lived in Japan, though haven't watched much anime). And the genre? Drama meets mystery meets major h/c meets plot twist (is he the villain? the victim? etc.?) The characters are very typically-acting 16-19 y/o kids; so much so that viewers will probably feel secondhand embarrassment (I know I did) in some of their conversations/situations.

#sorry I wrote soooo much #starbucks sunday #ask game #ask meme

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killerandhealerqueen · 2 years

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Hi. I have a question.

Do you mind ranking all the forensic/medical drama that you have watched till date on the basis of the accuracy of the science used in them?

No, I don't mind at all

Most/Relatively Accurate

Truth

Talking Bones

Talking Bones 2

Bodies at Rest

Annatsuraru (Unnatural)

Danger Zone Season 1

Danger Zone Season 2

Rasen no Meikyu: DNA Kagaku Sosa

Through the Darkness - this is more behavioral analysis but from the episodes I have seen (I haven't finished it but I seriously need to), it's very much so accurate to what I learned in my behavioral analysis class in grad school

Light On Series: Under the Skin - this focuses a lot on forensic sketch art and I'm not in the field of forensic sketch art...I can't really speak as to how accurate that part is or not.

As for the rest of the dramas, they're all modern dramas, so the science is relatively realistic. Now, of course, it's not going to be completely accurate because these are dramas and people get bored when they have medical/science jargon shoved in their faces. But for accuracy sake, these are pretty good (and the science isn't too...sciencey. And most of the times, they explain the science in a way that people will understand)

Relatively Accurate (for the time period)

Killer and Healer

Couple of Mirrors

Checkmate

These are all republican era dramas, so for the time period, as the medical and forensic world isn't as advance as now, the science is pretty good. Though I wouldn't watch these for the science, I'd watch it for the plot and the chemistry between the characters (highly recommend Killer and Healer)

Not Really Accurate

Pandora no Kajitsu: Kagaku Hanzai Sousa File

Pandora no Kajitsu: Kagaku Hanzai Sousa File 2

This drama is definitely a sci-fi drama and is more of a drama that warns against humans...advancing science too far and the repercussions of what happens when science gets out of hand. It's a fun drama but science/forensic wise, it's not really accurate

For me...when I watch crime dramas, I'm really not watching for how accurate the forensics/medical aspect of the crime drama is...I watch for the cases and the investigation (and trust me, I will bitch about quality assurance/quality control of evidence collection/crime scene investigation. It’s something I’m passionate about and if a drama gets it wrong, you will hear me scream about it). I don't really bitch about the science because I know a lot of people a) don't really care about the science and b) sometimes don't understand the science.

But I hope this helps! You can also find a list of all the dramas I've watched (because there are some really good crime dramas that I haven't mentioned here) over on my Drama/Movie Masterlist

#sass answers

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intheheartofcinema · 2 years

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House is always high on sarcasm

House (2004 - 12)

Created by: David Shore

#tv show #tv series #series scenes #series quotes #drama #medical drama #house #house md #gregory house #hugh laurie #one of the greatest character ever written #highly realistic medical drama

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rpbetter · 3 years

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PTSD or C-PTSD?

Hopefully, you’re not one of the muns out there who has slapped a “PTSD” label on your muse(s) for drama only. You are, instead, treating this topic with respect and the realism that comes with that, not only having it accurately impact your muse when it’s convenient and “fun” for you. Well, that respect and realism includes actually knowing and applying the correct diagnosis and symptoms as well.

In your defense, if you have misdiagnosed your muse, common terminology in media and even among trauma sufferers is often just the blanket-statement of PTSD. Also, as the abbreviations imply, they do have things in common.

To help, I’m going to break down their differences and similarities, then provide some research links including personal accounts to help you get started.

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder most often comes from a single traumatic event.

What can be a traumatic event can differ widely, and reasonably so; we’re not all the same person, processing events and emotions the same way, or with the same formative life experiences. What might cause PTSD to develop in one person might be processed by another as a frightening or painful incident, but not one that has left them with PTSD. The symptoms, individual, and incident have to all be taken into account.

That being said, some examples would include:

having a severe accident

being mugged or in a store that is robbed

physical or sexual assault

being involved in a shooting, in any way

death of a loved one

an unexpected explosion or sudden, natural event like a mudslide or tornado

a severe natural or man-made disaster (building collapse, mass flooding)

events outside of oneself like witnessing a violent assault, murder, deadly car accidents, terminal illness or injury

Again, it is important to remember that individuals react in individual ways, and as such, their symptoms can express with some variation. Don’t just mimic the same presentations you’ve seen in media, research a variety of real experiences.

However they manifest, key symptoms of PTSD include:

Re experiencing the event by way of nightmares, flashbacks, and repetitive, intrusive, and intensely upsetting images, thoughts, and sensations. This is the most common symptom of PTSD, in which the person involuntarily and vividly relives the trauma.

Avoidance and emotional numbing, going to extremes to avoid not just potential triggers, but also finding any way possible to push memories of the event out of their minds. When the latter occurs and is extreme, the person is trying to feel nothing at all, seeking a path to emotional numbness. That can include substance use and abuse, self-harming, and other harmful behaviors.

Feeling on edge (”Hyperarousal”) is the ultimate inability to relax, constantly looking for threats, perceiving threats that are not to be found, and being easily startled. Some of the common issues with being locked into this state include difficulty sleeping or even insomnia, severe irritability and irrational seeming aggression, angry or aggressive outbursts, and finding concentration difficult to impossible.

Some other things that might develop with PTSD are:

Other mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, and/or phobias

as said above, harmful behaviors like self-harming and substance abuse

physical symptoms like headaches, stomach and digestive upsets, dizziness, and generalized pain

Like all disorders, PTSD is complex. I, again, implore you to research not only information put out by psychiatric professionals but also the experiences of real people.

C-PTSD

Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs when a person experiences repeated, consistent trauma, especially at an early age.

That doesn’t mean that adults cannot and do not develop C-PTSD, they do, and for a variety of reasons; adult sufferers have the same points of origin in the diagnosis as children do. Additionally, it may take years for someone to seek help, feel their symptoms are severe enough to need to, or be able to extricate themselves from the situation in order to receive help of any kind. They may be an adult by the time this happens.

The important thing to remember about C-PTSD is that it isn’t a single traumatic incident, and you are more likely to have this form of PTSD if the trauma occurred early in life, it was inflicted by someone close to you, and/or was inflicted by someone you still see on a regular basis.

Some good examples to give you the idea include:

ongoing domestic violence

child abuse and/or neglect

being raised by a parent with a severe disorder like Narcissistic Personality Disorder

repeatedly witnessing violence or abuse

torture

kidnapping

being a part of a cult

being a victim of human trafficking or slavery

It isn’t “complex” because it is always across the board “more severe.” This isn’t simply “even worse PTSD,” and shouldn’t be treated like that. Its source is more complex, the development and embedded varieties of its impact are, and the ongoing treatment is.

Particularly when C-PTSD occurs in childhood, there are lasting effects on a person’s development. They have developed in an environment that constantly has them highly stressed both physically and psychologically, and in which they learn many ways of coping, lessening or negating harm, and so on, that leave them less than optimally functional and integrated in life outside the situation.

While the person has the symptoms of PTSD, they will additionally exhibit:

difficulty developing and/or maintaining relationships of any sort

intense, consistent feelings of worthlessness, shame, and guilt

problems managing and even understanding their own emotions

suicidal thoughts

dissociation

increased risk-taking behaviors

Those who have had their actual development rerouted to deal with the situations that generate C-PTSD have a higher incidence of physical symptoms, suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, and are at higher risk of repeat victimization.

They might go for some time without realizing that their daily experiences are neither the norm nor something sustainable, or how atypical their traumatic experiences were compared to those around them. It can sometimes take a serious life-event (suicide attempt, drug rehab, losing too many jobs, homelessness, or finding themselves in a genuine, loving relationship) for them to fully recognize something is wrong, and even then, their feelings of worthlessness, ingrained lack of self-confidence, and belief that they don’t deserve any better can prevent them from seeking help outside of themselves.

They may also believe that something is just “wrong” with them, that they are innately messed up, or that they have a different mental illness. And the unwillingness to open up to people, relieve events, etc. can additionally leave them unwilling to seek or continue care when they believe they have a different, underlying problem. Again, choosing to deal with this themselves through self-isolating, self-medicating, and seeking only relationships and jobs that will work within the framework of the disorder as it effects them.

Additionally, many sufferers of both C-PTSD and PTSD experience the same sense of societal shaming surrounding mental illness. They may struggle with denial, and refuse to seek assistance due to the stigma and all it entails.

Shared aspects of PTSD and C-PTSD

They’re both, obviously, severe, life-altering trauma experiences and resultant disorders. They both easily make the sufferer feel like the trauma and disorder is impossible or undesirable for others to deal with, that they are not worthy of being in close relationships, among many other similarities in experience living with either disorder regardless of widely varying traumas.

They share psychological and physical impacts, and there is a lot of overlap.

The core symptoms of PTSD are shared with C-PTSD:

relieving the trauma(s)

avoiding and emotional numbing

hyperarousal

The shared physical symptoms can include:

headaches

nausea, stomach ache, and digestive upsets

difficulty sleeping and insomnia

sweating, clamminess

chest pain and difficulty breathing

manifestations of low-grade to severe pain

dizziness

Shared behaviors can include:

difficulty concentrating to outright dissociating

self-harm

substance abuse

being hyper-vigilant, easily startled

may seem to be over-reactive to/in situations that others are perceiving as normal or not that big of a deal due to lower perception of personal emotions and lower emotional regulation

including explosive anger or defensiveness

development of anxiety and depression disorders, the symptoms thereof

Again, both PTSD and C-PTSD are serious disorders caused by trauma, and they both need to be treated with respect and accuracy when written into a character - be that an OC or a canon character. It is unfortunate, but these symptoms and the realities of life with either disorder are often portrayed badly in wider media, and the RPC often imitates what it sees.

PTSD and C-PTSD, like the incidents of trauma that created them (rape, child abuse, domestic violence, miscarriage, etc.), are not a plot-point, other point of interest, or a character trait, let alone a “character flaw.” They’re not something you only bring up for attention, to get your muse out of a bad spot, or to add dramatics when you’re bored in a thread. Neither are they something you need to attach to your muse simply to give them A Label. These are, I cannot stress this enough, serious topics, and they deserve to be treated that way.

You can do that by defining which variety of PTSD your muse may actually have, then adding research of both the disorder and how it impacts a variety of real people. Making your muse more realistic and being dedicated to sticking with it.

Below are some links to get you started on research! Please note, the real stories, as well as some information, may be graphic or triggering. Read responsibly.

C-PTSD

Out of the Storm - Personal Stories of C-PTSD

-Contains real stories from those with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Their experiences have a huge range; bullying, childhood neglect and abuse, and sexual abuse and assault.

I Have Post-Traumatic Stress and Didn’t Know It - and You Might, Too

-Personal story of living, unknowingly, with C-PTSD. An especially great read for writers who have muses who hold a lot of responsibility in their daily lives, who may not realize their experiences are C-PTSD related, etc. Contains discussion of parental emotional abuse, mental illness and childhood trauma, and rape.

What is C-PTSD?

-Excellent resource for detailed breakdowns of C-PTSD giving without a clinical, impersonal tone. The definitions of the disorder itself, symptoms and how it manifests and impacts daily life, and much more. A highly recommended source, and one with further resources on-site.

11 “Habits” of People Living with C-PTSD

-Short breakdown of C-PTSD, followed by snippets of specific experiences in the words of those living with the disorder, a relatively short article.

PTSD

Rebecca’s Story: Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

-Personal story of a woman living with PTSD from, in short, being stalked by a co-worker. It’s an excellent article, particularly for how mental illnesses sufferers are treated and portrayed, and how that adds another layer of difficulty to their lives. Obviously, this may be triggering to those who have been stalked, and includes mentions of graphic threats.

My experience of PTSD

-A personal story of medical trauma resulting in PTSD. Many of the PTSD stories you’ll find are from women and involve sexual trauma or harassment, in trying to find a variety of stories, I’ve found this one. By this point, you should be noticing many similarities in these stories, regardless of specific trauma.

Leaving the Battlefield: Soldier Shares Story of PTSD

-So many muses experience PTSD through battle-related incidents, and those depictions are not always accurate in media. This is a personal story about one soldier’s experiences. His perception of PTSD, denial, and shame at having the disorder is something that echoes throughout the previous accounts. So do the similarities of daily struggles to maintain to regular life. Before anyone wants to get Tumblr Nasty about it: there isn’t any “war propaganda” present in this story, the location of it is irrelevant to what you’re supposed to be learning here. It’s literally this man’s experience, don’t.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

-Breakdown of symptoms and causes from Mayo Clinic, so obviously, this is more clinical-minded. Particularly useful for its lists of things like “symptoms of negative changes in thinking and mood” and increased risk-factor for other disorders.

I hope this helps you to assess and write more accurately your muses with C-PTSD or PTSD, and to consider these things more fully when having your muse experience a traumatic event in your plots.

-------

Please, remember when you are reading these accounts, and anywhere you might encounter PTSD sufferers; these are REAL PEOPLE. Treat them and their stories with respect. You’ll note that, unlike other posts on this blog, I didn’t advise you to approach the source. Many trauma sufferers won’t be comfortable sharing their experiences for the sake of your creative hobby. You may, at your respectful discretion, discuss this with close friends you know to be impacted by PTSD, just keep in mind that respect, discretion, and only bringing the topic up when they are comfortable with it, with specific questions, is necessary here. These are not fictional characters! Do not write someone’s real experiences into your character, thread, etc. verbatim, that’s...fucked up. Thanks in advance for being responsible, respectful adults, from a real life PTSD sufferer. -Vespertine

#rp help #rp advice #muse development #character development #writing advice #muses with ptsd #muses with cptsd #cptsd and ptsd post #muse inspiration #diverse muses #neurodiverse characters #rp better

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tenthgrove · 3 years

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An (Incredibly Loose and Unfounded) Analysis of Dolcio Cioccolata

Content Warnings: Typical Cioccolata behaviour such as murder and manipulation. One mention of suicide. Discussion of child abuse.

(A/N: I do not know much about psychology, nor do I pretend to. Instead, I'm essentially going to be listing out headcanons of educated guesses about his motivations and behaviours based on his canon actions.)

Cioccolata is one of the most rightfully despised villains in the entirety of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Beyond his egotistical, rotten behaviour around other characters, the reason for his notoriety arguably lies in the disturbing reality of his evil. He isn't motivated by a cartoonish desire for world domination or an explicable feud with our protagonists that could really only arise in fiction, but a simple, sadistic desire to observe the suffering of others and revel in the power it gives him. Although he is in possession of a highly lethal stand, his weapons of choice are natural tools. Medical tools. He scares us, because his evil is grounded in reality.

One of the most perplexing things about Cioccolata's behaviour is the inconsistency in his demeanour. Despite initially appearing to be a flat, one-dimensional incarnation of pure sadism, he has a number of highly distinct moods that, despite their diversity, are all recognisably his. There's the manic joy that usually comes to mind when you first think of the character, but there are also moments of uncontrolled anger, fear, and even calmness.

It's the fact his emotional exterior can change very suddenly that makes it so unnerving. Notice how calm he initially appears when he carves into one of his victims during his backstory segment. Until the point he breaks into a sickening smile, there's not even a hint of a twitching lip to indicate his usual sadistic joy at doing what he loves.

There are other similar instances, such as occasions where he suddenly bursts into emotion during his fight with Giorno, or interacts very inconsistently with Secco.

One possible explanation for this behaviour is that he treats his life like a grand piece of drama in which he is the star actor. You know that trope of the actor character who's just a bit too full of himself and takes his performances to an obnoxious level of serious? That's how Cioccolata treats his whole life. It pleases him to turn every word, every expression, every movement of his limbs into the work of an intellectual genius, something the audience in his mind will clap and cheer for as he enters the scene.

Unlike Kira, a more major villain who follows the similar role of a serial killer who at least some of the time follows 'realistic' urges and methodologies in his crimes, we don't have anything in the way of an explanation for Cioccolata as to how his murderous urges arose. Nonetheless, I believe there are most likely some similarities between the pair.

Some might assume that the sheer brutality of Cioccolata's crimes would point towards a highly traumatic childhood, with abuses to rival the fates of some of his victims. In real life, while it is common for serial killers to have had such childhoods, they don't usually create the behaviour patterns seen in Cioccolata. Such killers often lash out against specific groups, women being a common target especially if the killer was abused by a maternal figure. As far as we know, Cioccolata has no specific target demographic other than the incredibly broad category of 'the weak.'

Additionally, we know from canon that Cioccolata was able to seek voluntary work at a home for the elderly at the tender age of 14, and judging by what he got away with, was clearly trusted by the institute's staff a lot. This would point towards Cioccolata having a family life that at least externally appeared respectable, and left Cioccolata stable enough to hide his deviancies where necessary.

The backstory I have created for Cioccolata is a middle-ground between a childhood of abject misery and trauma, and a childhood of perfect normalcy (in which Cioccolata's evil would have arisen purely from nature).

It begins with Cioccolata's birth to a teenage mother, hailing from a wealthy conservative Italian family, and a foreign tourist who had already made his getaway months ago. The circumstances of the birth brought about great shame that caused the mother and child to be severely chastised by the rest of the family. Within a few years, the shame brought the young mother to a breaking point and resulted in her suicide, beginning Cioccolata's fascination with death.

After this, Cioccolata's life continued roughly the same. He did not mourn his mother as the pair never properly bonded and his grandparents continued to treat him with the same coldness. That was until, around the age of 10, it became undeniable that Cioccolata possessed a profound innate genius, and would likely go on to be incredibly successful. Suddenly, the boy was showered in praise and encouragement, teaching him the crucial lesson that love is conditional, and only owed to those who are strong.

On this subject, we arrive at the most tantalising question of Cioccolata's psychology, that being whether he is truly capable of love. The short answer is: yes. His love for Secco is genuine in the context of his own behaviour, and if he were to have lived a full life it can't be ruled out that he would have experienced love of some form again. Everything we see of Cioccolata's relationship with Secco points to a genuine love, from the way he apologises for throwing one of the sugar cubes too far to his heartfelt goodbye over the phone. Even if their relationship is unhealthy, Cioccolata has goodwill towards his companion.

The issue that then has to be reconciled is how Cioccolata is capable of this kind of companionship when the vast majority of the population are nothing but lab rats to him. In short, Cioccolata's morality is whatever he wants it to be. He is the ultimate worthy being and hence, if he cares about someone, he can break the rules of his philosophy to do so because, if they weren't deserving of it, why would someone so important as him have feelings for them?

You can take this back to the point about Cioccolata's life being a performance to him. We already know the fascination he experiences with fear, so perhaps he has similar curiosities about other emotions, like love? Perhaps having someone like Secco fills him with a grand sense of poeticism, as though he is the misunderstood hero of some acclaimed play, playing out the scene of a beautiful romance against the backdrop of a bloody tragedy.

If there's one thing to be taken away from this, it's that Cioccolata's entire existence, his whole world-view, is built around his self-importance. A fairly moot point, now it comes down to it, given everything about the character's actions, but it's interesting to see how this profound egoism plays out in his more subtler interactions. Perhaps it's not only the realism of his crimes that makes him so terrifying, but also the realism of the particular way he regards his fellow humans like dirt. If you survive him, it's for his pleasure.

#cioccolata #child abuse cw #suicide cw #jjba #jojo vento aureo #jjba part 5

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purple-dahlias · 3 years

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to the clinical skills tutor who was talking about medical dramas in our class this morning and mentioned chicago med as “highly accurate and realistic” do you want us all to be committing malpractice on the daily??? what does this mean???

#i am concerned #but also #he watches chicago med 👀

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goodmemoriesstuff · 2 years

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Kdramas watched in 2021 & January 2022:-

1. Run On....Liked it . Not gonna lie but found it slow while watching it for first time .Seo Dan-ah stood out for me for some reasons . Currently trying to watch it 2nd time in between..still finding it slow😅

2. Oh My Ghostess...A good show and pretty entertaining to watch .

3. Mr.Queen & Mr.Queen: the secret. ...Loved it. But this show absolutely needed to kill grand queen Dowager , minister and scarface.

4 Hospital Playlist....Must watch. Totally totally loved it. ❤️❤️Bidulgi Couple 😍😍

5. Welcome to Waikiki.

6. Her Private Life

7. Its okay to not be okay❤️❤️ I have to completely forget about this drama in order to re-watch it.😅

8. My love from the star

9. Vincenzo❤️ Episodes could've been shorter but this was a hella entertaining to watch their tom & Jerry kind fight . One show where I kind of liked the villain 😅

10. Do you like Brahms?❤️❤️ This one too is slow and I was completely uninterested in the 2nd lead/2nd couple story..so🙄 But lead couple is fab😍😍 Kim Min Jae became my bias😂

11. Legend of the blue sea

12. She would never know...Liked most of it except the Mother of FL as she was intolerable for me .

13. Crash landing on you

14. 18 again.❤️ Watched the movie and the show . All good.

15. So I married an anti fan

16. Doom at your service

17. Hospital playlist 2❤️❤️ This season felt more like a medical drama which it was and They had lesser group scenes as compared to S1 . But the group Dynamics was fun to watch. Special Mention to Jun Wan - Jae Hak and Rosa - Chairman friendship . Bidulgi still holds the favorite spot though ❤️❤️Do hope they make a Season 3 of this. 🤞

18. The tale of the nine tailed

19. Hometown Cha Cha Cha❤️❤️

20. Yumi's cells ❤️❤️The lead, the animation everything is great... waiting for Season 2 and after that hopefully season 3 .

Takeaway : You are the main character of your life and that's all that matters😊

21. Dali and the cocky prince❤️❤️ Moo-hak was hilarious 🤣🤣 This couple actually communicated well. The Villain got off easy but somehow realistic given his hold.

22. Go back couple.... finished it in 2 days so will say that it's good.

23. A love so beautiful .

24. Hotel Del Luna ...I know why I didn't watched it earlier bcoz i scare easy but it was worth it(Still got pretty scared though) Should I say I became a IU fan after this🤔 the girl is cute😍 Now will try to watch Beyond evil for the ML😁.

Started and gonna finish :-

Prison playbook...watched till episode 4.. Glued😃 as the episodes are so gripping/entertaining that I didn't realized that its 1 hour 42 mins long .(Looking at Vincenzo where I struggled because of episode length even though I liked the show)

Our beloved summer❤️❤️... Totally Loving it. Another show after HP2,Hometown Cha Cha Cha, Yumi's cells and Dali & the cocky prince for which I eagerly wait for next episode to come 😍😍

Edit : Finished it...now in process of re-watching because this show is flawless for me , even their pin drop silence is 😍😍

Move to heaven ..till episode 6❤️❤️ A major tearjerker but Absolute Gem of a show😍😘. Please watch if you haven't already.☺️

Edit : Finished .. Highly recommended ... totally worth it😊☺️

*Tried to watch Happiness but it creeped me out with the first murder culprit itself bcoz i am too chicken hearted . Will restart someday .

Lost interest :-

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung...till episode 12/13

Pretty noona who buys me food

Just between lovers

The king's affection...till 13.

Now, we are breaking up..till episode 8...might finish this in fast forward only to watch the hwang siblings story arc.

My roommate is a gumiho...Not interested in lead characters from get go so dropped it. No offense to ML fans but I saw him in other shows like Go back couple, The boy Next door, sweet and sour and now we are breaking up and found him tolerable only in The boy Next door.

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rabdoidal · 4 years

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i know you listen to a lot of podcasts and ive found some of my favourites from hearing you talk about them! do you have any favourites?

under the cut! my top 10 podcasts at the moment:

Alice Isn’t Dead Genre: horror, thriller, drama, Lovecraftian, Americana Episode count: 30 (completed) Description: A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead. In the course of her search, she will encounter not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman. Thoughts: This podcast is, to me at least, completely flawless in every way. I would consider myself a person that listens to a lot of horror podcasts, but Alice Isn’t Dead takes the cake for its depictions of liminal middle America, the horror that is capitalism, and the most tender, realistic depiction of lesbians in any podcast. Anything else I could say would spoil it and for this, I don’t want to spoil it because I want every person alive that can stomach horror to listen to this.

Archive 81 Genre: horror, comedy, sci-fi, Lovecraftian Episode count: 35 (ongoing) Description: Archive 81 is a found footage horror podcast about ritual, stories, and sound. Thoughts: The latest podcast I’ve tried, and it’s definitely one that grows on you. The audio mixing is some of the best I’ve heard in any podcast, and every bump and scratch and hum of frequency weaves to form moments that are truly and viscerally gory. Season 3 and Left of The Dial are my favorites because again, I love Americana horror, and anything that involves family!

Artificial Ghost Radio Genre: non-fiction, discussion, comedy Episode count: 75 (ongoing) Description: Our Sisyphean music recommendation challenge with hosts Miles (he/him) and Jupiter (she/they) challenge each other to find songs based on arbitrary themes and to spin the WHEEL OF DISCORD to talk about a random song from their library! They can be found on twitter @artghostpod. Thoughts: Gotta plug my own podcast! We’re still small, but the people I’ve met from doing AGR has made my life richer and fuller, even through the ups and downs. I recommend starting with #58: Songs about Aliens ft. our friend Liz (@thescaryjokes)!

EOS 10 Genre: medical drama, comedy, sci-fi Episode count: 34 (ongoing) Description: Doctors in space, a deposed alien prince, a super gay space pirate and a fiery nurse who'll help you win your bar fight. Thoughts: It’s been a hot minute since I listened, but as someone that inherently loves things like Star Trek and procedural comedies, EOS 10 is a quick and hilarious listen! Fair warning some of the earlier stuff is a little bit ignorant when it comes to their LGBT characters, but it gets a lot better over time.

King Falls AM Genre: horror, comedy, Lovecraftian Episode count: 100 (ongoing) Description: King Falls AM centers on a lonely little mountain town's late-night AM talk radio show and its paranormal, peculiar happenings and inhabitants Thoughts: I’m a bit behind, but again, gotta love some Alpine American horror! King Falls AM perfectly captures the feeling and sound of listening to a small late night radio show with two bros, but it really goes from typical dude dialogue to heart wrenching found family alien conspiracy real quick. Same as EOS 10, fair warning for some ignorant language and LGBT stereotypes, but they address it and it gets better as it progresses.

Not Another D&D Podcast Genre: actual play Dungeons and Dragons, TTRPG, comedy Episode count: 128 (ongoing) Description: Welcome to the campaign after the campaign! Three unlikely adventurers attempt to right the wrongs caused by a party of legendary heroes who screwed up the world while trying to save it. Thoughts: I’m only like 40 episodes in because they’re thick, meaty ‘sodes, but god is NADDPOD fucking hilarious. I’ve tried a fair few TTRPG shows, but the chemistry and care that the cast has together is unmatched by others in the genre. I’m a complete sucker for shows that are so funny and so tragic in equal measures, and the entire concept of a D&D game set after the world has been so drastically changed by a different D&D game is so unique!

The Faculty of Horror Genre: non-fiction, horror, philosophy, sociology, feminism Episode count: 86 (ongoing) Description: Tackling all things horror with a slash of analysis and research, horror journalists and occasional academics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West are your hosts for brain-plumping discussions on all things that go bump in the night. Thoughts: A little non-fiction in this list of fiction podcasts! The Faculty of Horror is a concise and educated intersectional feminist podcast, and it’s a breath of fresh air to listen to anyone that isn’t a cishet white guy talk about horror. I highly recommend the episode on Cabin in The Woods or Jennifer’s Body!

The Magnus Archives Genre: horror, office comedy Episode count: 180 (ongoing) Description: The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organization dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team. Thoughts: TMA is, similarly to A81, a bit of a slow burn to get into, but I think once you listen to a few episodes you’ll know if you want to continue. It’s a pretty standard prompt for a narrative, but the sheer amount of individual short horror stories they’ve managed to write is insane! And I love the slow break down between recording statements and the stuff happening within the archives. Also one of the best redemption stories in a character that starts off as such a grumpy fuck!

The Penumbra Podcast Genre: sci-fi, neo-noir, romance, comedy, found family, magic, medieval fantasy, adventure, mystery Episode count: 75 (ongoing) Description: At the Penumbra, you might follow Juno Steel, a brooding, sharp-witted private eye on Mars, as he tangles with an elusive homme fatale, tracks dangerous artifacts of an ancient alien civilization, and faces his three greatest fears: heights, blood, and relationships. Or you might enter the world of the Second Citadel, where the merciless Sir Caroline must corral a team of emotionally distraught all-male knights to defend their city against mind-manipulating monsters...even the ones they’ve fallen in love with. Thoughts: On god TPP was a life changing podcast for me. Having creators that are genuinely concerned with accurately representing minorities with care and dedication makes me feel spoiled when I try listen to anything else. The two main universes are so different with their own set of histories and cultures, but I love them both so completely. If you want LGBT+ representation, this is the seminal podcast for everything non-binary, trans, queer, and people that aren’t afraid to change and have that change be known! I haven’t listened to another podcast that actually depicts transitioning like they do, absolute king shit.

Wolf 359 Genre: space drama, comedy, action Episode count: 61 (completed) Description: WOLF 359 is a radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows. Set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the dysfunctional crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought Thoughts: Wolf 359 is like if you fell down the stairs and at the bottom of the stairs was a bear trap, and then after you step in the bear trap someone helps you take off that beartrap, but then they kick you in the nuts. Just replace physical pain with emotional pain. It can be so funny but also so fucking stressful and sad – w359 isn’t afraid to kill its darlings, and it will break your heart but you will still say thank you.

#personal #podcasts #podcast recommendations #long post #Anonymous

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calzona-ga · 3 years

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[Spoiler's] departure marks only the fifth time (and first since Patrick Dempsey) that the ABC medical drama has said farewell to a series regular via character death.

[This story contains spoilers from the March 11, "Helplessly Hoping," episode of Grey's Anatomy.]

Grey's Anatomy said parted ways with a beloved member of its cast during Thursday's midseason premiere and it did so in a relatively rare fashion for the ABC medical drama: with a character death.

Giacomo Gianniotti's Dr. Andrew DeLuca was killed off following a heroic battle to stop a sex trafficker in a storyline that stretched back to last season and ultimately capped the actor's seven-season run on the Shondaland favorite. DeLuca, who was stabbed and ultimately died in surgery, became only the fifth series regular in Grey's Anatomy history to have their storyline end in a fatality and the first since Patrick Dempsey's shocking exit nearly six years ago.

In a fitting end to his storyline, DeLuca winds up on Meredith's (Ellen Pompeo) magical beach and is able to have a farewell with his former love interest before walking into the sunset. DeLuca joins George (T.R. Knight), Derek (Dempsey), Mark (Eric Dane) and Lexie (Chyler Leigh) as series regulars (per Wikipedia) to leave the show in death. Of the 33 total series regulars in 17 seasons of Grey's, 13 characters have left alive. And it's of course worth noting that several other characters have been killed off of Grey's, though those actors have either been guest stars or recurring players.

Below, showrunner Krista Vernoff and star Gianniotti talk with The Hollywood Reporter about how DeLuca's death factors into a season that has put COVID-19 at the top of the show's call sheet and what's next.

Meredith is on a vent and that was the last beat until the show's return tonight. Why was it important for that to be the image viewers had of this iconic character for three months? She's still on the vent in the midseason return.

Vernoff: That happened to be the midseason finale. Sometimes stories tell themselves and things happen in very powerful ways. As an image, that works on people's psyche and helps them understand that this pandemic is ongoing and profound and impacting communities in really painful ways. It's a powerful image to help people remember why staying they're home. If this thing can hit Meredith Grey, it can hit anybody.

This season has put COVID-19 at the top of the call sheet, with realistic portrayals of everything from infected doctors, others struggling with the emotional gravity and, in the midseason finale, hospitals reached capacity. When it aired, that episode was sadly prescient. How does the rest of the season play out in terms of how close it has been to what's happening in the world now?

Vernoff: What's so interesting about it being prescient is that we were telling the truth in that episode of what was happening in May 2020 in Washington state and it was happening again in Los Angeles in December, when the episode aired. We weren't prescient; we were telling a story that happened in the early stage of the pandemic. It's been amazing how when we thought when we were breaking the show, we thought we were going home for two weeks and now it's a year later and we're looking at this in this way. It's still staggering to me. We are not jumping forward to some imaginary future where covid is a thing of the past. We are still set in the past in the back half of the season. That was one of the decisions when we decided that Meredith has covid and that that would span a fair amount of the season. We didn't want Meredith in a bed with covid for 11 months. We are still in like May/June of 2020 creatively. We're not jumping forward so we don't have to try and keep up with what's happening now; we're looking at what was happening then.

In a season exploring covid, why was the first major character death of the season unrelated? Was this supposed to be the season finale last year?

Vernoff: There was no plan to kill him at the end of last season. I very much did not want to kill DeLuca last season because he'd been through a mental health crisis and he'd come through it. I wanted to show that a person can go through a mental health crisis and come out the other side and be a functional, contributing member of the hospital staff. This story of DeLuca seeing that sex trafficker again and following her out of the hospital and refusing to let up and it becoming a part of Station 19 and following it and right when you think he's got her, somebody punches him. You think he's been punched but you come back and realize he's been stabbed and then he's on the beach with Meredith. My reaction to [the story idea] was, What?! Fuck! No! Really!? This is what I'm doing?! No! Many times after I pitched it to the writers and we designed the season around this story, I started to chicken out and second-guess myself. Can we save him?! Can he live?! He can't. We've done a lot of near-deaths and saved them since I took over the show. So now people are expecting that. This was the story. It was as shocking to me as it was to you.

Giacomo, what was your reaction when you got the call that Andrew was being killed off?

Gianniotti: Krista and Debbie Allen, our exec producer, called me into an office said they've tried it different ways and keep coming back to the trafficking storyline from last season. The storyline was so highly received, and because of that, they knew they had to continue to explore it. They saw an opportunity to tell a beautiful story that highlighted human trafficking and for DeLuca to go down as a hero and make this really noble act to stop this perpetrator but would unfortunately cost him his life. I've been on the show for seven seasons thought it was a great way to exit. Krista running Station 19 as well had the idea to make it a crossover so we could tell it over two episodes and spend time with DeLuca. I'm a storyteller and the best story always wins and I thought this was the best story.

What was the larger point you wanted to make with DeLuca's storyline? He dies a hero, which is a bit of the ultimate for a Grey's death.

Vernoff: I was processing [grief] myself when this story came. As we were going through this shared trauma of covid together and quarantine and being away from the people we loved, I wanted all the other tragedies in the world to just stop. It didn't seem fair. The Alexandria House, a charity I support in L.A. that shelters battered women and their children — so people who have already been traumatized — the first week of the shutdown, the Alexandria House caught on fire. It was like, What?! Isn't covid enough? But everything else didn't stop because of covid and we were all having to process other things, too, and horrible tragedies that come with life. That's part of where this story was born. All these people are going to die of covid but also sometimes other people just die. And it's f—ing awful. Part of DeLuca dying in this way … watching this episode, watching his mom greet him on the beach and feeling that grief, I cried harder watching this episode than I cried since George O'Malley died. I thank Giacomo for playing this character so beautifully and powerfully that through the death of DeLuca I believe there is an opportunity for us all to release our collective grief.

Will DeLuca re-appear on that beach again this season?

Vernoff: No. I thought him walking away with his mom was the most powerful closure for that character. But you will see him again, just not on the beach.

Gianniotti: Even though his life has come to an end, there's many ways to show our characters who have passed. I look forward to tell some other stories in those ways. Maybe there's flashbacks or other scenarios where we can see DeLuca. That's about all I can say. But it's not a drill; he's definitely died.

What was filming on that beach like given how much those scenes have meant to viewers?

Gianniotti: Ellen and I kept pinching ourselves. To be able to shoot on a beach was amazing. It was nice to be a part of that and have DeLuca have his moment and say his piece with Meredith. There was a lot of unfinished business between them. Maybe if Meredith hadn't gotten covid, the first part of this season could have been them picking up the pieces of where they left off in their romances. But circumstances didn't allow for that. It was nice that DeLuca got to at least thank her for everything she'd given him.

How do you think Meredith will respond to DeLuca's death?

Gianniotti: It's tough to say because you think of the dream and what happened at the end of the episode and wonder if Meredith would correlate that with the metaphor: if he's joining his mother that must mean he's leaving me and passing on. Maybe that would translate to her waking up? Who knows? Or it will be a massive surprise when she wakes up. There is a very obvious, glaring comparison with reality in that so many health care professionals have lost their own due to covid. It's a direct representation and reflection of that. It's helping people in the industry feel seen as well. It hits different and it's going to send a shockwave through all the characters at the hospital — and maybe Meredith the most.

Knowing Meredith is battling covid, it feels like there's one of two outcomes there. How does the covid story that you're telling impact the different finales that you're crafting considering the show's uncertain future?

Vernoff: More will be revealed as you watch the show. (Laughs)

Without spoiling anything, how would you describe who else will visit Meredith on that magical beach?

Vernoff: There are some really fun surprises coming up. It's one of the things that I have enjoyed as rays of light in the darkness of the storytelling necessitated by covid. That beach is a ray of light and the surprises of who you see there are rays of light. And I don't want to take that away.

Can you confirm there will be others who appear on that beach who viewers haven't seen there yet this season?

Vernoff: Yes.

Giacomo, you got to make your directorial debut on Grey's this season. After seven seasons, was there anything you wanted to do on the show but never had the chance?

Gianniotti: This felt like a gift. They rolled everything I wanted to do into two episodes, they wrote my dream exit storyline. I got to have an action movie told on Station 19 chasing a perpetrator and not wearing scrubs. That was fun and not something I'd gotten to do on Grey's for obvious reasons. All the scenes where we got to take our time and be together with Ellen and Meredith on the beach was a good way to tie up the loose ends. As far as the mental health storyline, it was an honor and privilege to tell that story. Ultimately, it's about representation and for people to see someone who is bipolar can be an attending and command a whole department at a hospital is huge.

Did you keep anything from set?

Gianniotti: I didn't! Maybe I'll go steal my stethoscope next time I'm there!

What's next for you? Any plans on returning to Grey's as a director?

Gianniotti: Definitely investing a ton of time in directing and hoping to continue to do that here and abroad. I'm seeking a lot of opportunities in Italy and Canada as a director and actor and have a few things coming on the horizon that I'm excited to share

#grey's anatomy #krista vernoff #17x07 #andrew deluca #giacomo gianniotti #spoilers #THR

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silver-rings-and-rabbits · 4 years

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Open Heart: Second Year

I don’t think I’m saying anything that hasn’t already been said before but this is bugging me like crazy. I don’t use Tumblr very often but I don’t know anyone else who plays Choices, so here I am (I guess spoiler alert for those who haven’t played Open Heart).

Open Heart book 1 is one of my favourite books, possibly even my most favourite. I genuinely couldn’t decide between Bryce, Raf and Ethan. I switch between the male and female MC and I’ve been able to give them different personalities. The book had strong writing and a coherent plot with probably three main storylines: Patient X, Panacea Labs, and Mrs Martinez, which all tied together beautifully at the end. Even all our patients came back in the last chapter.

And then Open Heart: Second Year. Where to start.

Obviously Ethan is our boss, mentor and colleague so he will have a vital role in the story, but why push the other LIs aside? Why can’t Bryce romancers steal a few minutes in the hospital corridors where Bryce gives you a flirty wink and a pat on the butt? Why can’t Jackie romancers sneak into her room every so often?

And let’s get started on Rafael. First of all....what the fuck?

I love a little bit of angst so I wasn’t initially too mad when Sora was introduced (actually I think it made me want Rafael more, because apparently I only like men I can’t have...and I’ve gone off Ethan because he would be too easy). But there was none. Sora appeared in chapter 2, where it’s described as ‘stings a little to watch’, but doesn’t appear again until the baseball game in chapter 8 where they cheer for Edenbrook a couple of times. The only kind of ‘angst’ Rafael romancers got was dancing with Raf at the music festival where Sora is briefly mentioned and MC closes their eyes and listens to Raf’s heartbeat (which was a sweet moment, to be fair). Are you seriously telling me that none of their friends acknowledged that he and MC used to date? That they wouldn’t have asked if MC was OK at least once? That they would have invited Rafael over to the apartment without giving MC a heads up? And when PB was asked about this they gave some crap about making things realistic and exploring the mature themes of a medical drama. If Open Heart were realistic, MC would have been fired halfway through book 1 (one of the dialogue options with Ethan in book 1 chapter 6 actually leads him to say ‘consider yourself lucky you’re even getting a next time’) but NO, we get ‘realism’ by losing a beloved love interest and character that people have grown invested in and spent money on, and then completely waste the opportunity for drama.

And then there’s chapter 10.

And going back to realism, they couldn’t think of anything else apart from vengeance and terrorism? Not, I don’t know, just a highly infectious patient which is probably more likely to happen within a hospital?

I do think that chapter 11 is one of the strongest chapters of Second Year, and the book has got stronger since then. But knowing that it might have ended with the death of Rafael leaves a VERY bitter taste. I’m very glad they rewrote it...but what on earth was the thought process behind that?!? Going back to realism again, if they wanted drama and emotions, why not have Kyra die of surgical complications? At least we’d have been somewhat prepared for that as she was introduced as being a cancer patient, and there would have been more angst (especially for Bryce romancers) as he would have had the guilt of not being able to save her when he promised MC he would, even if it was out of his hands. But sure, have Rafael caught in an assassination attempt, that makes sense. And it still doesn’t really excuse Sora, I mean, imagine the pain if he was still an LI and he and MC were saying their last goodbyes in that room??

I was happy with the rewrite to chapter 11 and the kiss between Raf and MC in chapter 12 was beautiful. And PB have actually made something of an effort to include Raf in the rest of the story; I was half-expecting to not see him again until the obligatory 30-diamond scene in the last chapter.

Chapter 12 was so emotional and it was so clear that each character and LI was struggling with the events. And the end of chapter 12 and the beginning of chapter 13 made it very clear that MC was terrified of returning to work. MC has butterflies in their stomach as they walk in to Edenbrook and then...nothing. That was that. As if they just needed to face their fear and they’d be alright again. Now I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure PTSD isn’t as simple as that? It would go far deeper than ‘Oh, I’m alright, just taking it one day at a time’. And the narration specified that MC was uncomfortable at the idea of going back into the diagnostics room where the attack happened, but chapter 14 we’re back in there without batting an eyelid.

Someone (I don’t know who...if you’re reading this let me know!!) pointed out that Danny and Bobby could have been mentioned at the gala...there could have been some kind of ‘in memory’ and donors could have been guilt tripped by MC. But no, not a peep. I keep thinking that we could have had Baz, Zaid and Inez (I miss her) catching up with MC and asking how they’re doing and how worried they were. If you’re going to the gala with Raf there could have been a highly emotional scene between them about what happened in the room. Raf alludes to it in a line of dialogue but there was potential for so much more.

And how about the fact that a group of doctors cured the incurable OVERNIGHT and it worked without proper testing? NO ONE has mentioned that since! Surely there would be papers being published and deeper research being conducted now that lives aren’t on the line? We had a whole chapter about how a research grant would save the hospital but now...nothing?! Ed Farrugia hasn’t been mentioned since chapter 12. No one in the team is talking about how it was June’s idea to convince him to switch to Edenbrook. Surely that would be a huge elephant in the room? Wouldn’t she at least say something like ‘I never wanted this to happen, we went too far’? Something?!

The fact that there has been no follow-up to the attack suggests to me that it was purely for shock value. They just wanted drama and didn’t care about keeping it grounded. And assuming that Rafael died in the original, that’s more upsetting. I can’t believe that he was the least profitable character in the history of Choices ever. And even if he was, was it because no one bought his diamond scenes, or because he didn’t have diamond scenes to buy? I romanced Bryce in my first playthrough, but I remember choosing to assist on his surgery without even thinking about it, I didn’t even look at the diamonds it would cost. So a beloved character would have been killed, and it would have brought nothing to the story.

Furthermore, Sora would never have been explained. Rafael almost explained in chapters 2 and 12 but both times MC cut them off. If Rafael was originally going to die in chapter 11, Rafael romancers would never have got that explanation, unless they were to hear it from Sora themselves afterwards (doubtful). And it’s highly unlikely it actually will be explained. PB will probably say ‘it’s up to you what happened!’ like they’re doing us a favour by creating our own headcanon, but to me that’s just lazy writing; they wanted to write off Rafael and they didn’t care how they did it.

If Second Year hadn’t opened with a funeral scene we might never have been clued into what was going to happen and demanded a rewrite.

Aside from that, there’s Esme. She’s introduced as breaking Dr Thorne’s hand and then has to diagnose and treat him in chapter 10. Depending on your choices, he gets surgery and thanks Esme for saving his life and apologises for the bar incident. Otherwise she doesn’t run further tests and he messes up a surgery which eventually forces him to resign. And then Esme gets her plotline with Levi. If Dr Thorne wasn’t her main plotline, what was the point in introducing him? It’s another storyline that had huge potential--sexual harassment in the workplace, for example--but had little to no payoff and fell off the radar. If PB wanted to introduce MC and Esme the night before they both started working then MC could have just literally walked into Esme and either apologised, asked if she was OK, or told her to watch where she was going, and that would have affected how she greeted you in the hospital the next day. But no, we get this storyline hinted at which is then written off and replaced. Maybe it was a rewrite, I just don’t see why it would have been.

Like I said before, the main storylines of book 1 all tied together in the end, but the storylines we’ve had in book 2 have just felt like completely separate events, just a bunch of stuff that happens and is quickly forgotten. I think the balance of the LIs has been better since chapter 11; even when the gang went to Vegas, Raf romancers got a quick phone call with him. As a Raf romancer, I appreciated that, and it only goes to show how PB could accommodate for all LIs whilst having Ethan integral as our boss (see before, bonus scenes for Jackie romancers sneaking into each others rooms, bonus scenes for Bryce romancers having flirty interactions in the corridors).

There is such a difference in dialogue if you’re playing Ethan’s romance route or not. I had him stay behind in chapter 11 and I thought it came across as a sweet conversation between a mentor and his protégée. But the other LIs don’t have anything close to that level of detail. Ethan romancers get pretty close to being official in chapter 17 but I’ve heard Jackie and Bryce didn’t get that. And Raf romancers didn’t even get caught sneaking back into the gala. I’m still holding out hope that book 2 will end with all LIs saying ‘I love you’ and being official with MC, but the inequality makes me sad.

I might have had some more to say, but this post has been longer than I intended and I don’t remember what that might have been. I really wanted to like Open Heart: Second Year. Book 1 will always be a favourite, but book 2? It’s like going from the classic era of The Simpsons where Homer was a lazy dumbass but genuinely loved his family, to the modern era of The Simpsons where nothing makes sense and Homer is a straight-up jerk. I just hope that, if we get book 3, they would have learned from their mistakes and Open Heart can be saved. It doesn’t deserve this.

Well, that’s my two cents. Sorry for the long post. If you got this far, thanks for reading.

#choices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #open heart #open heart second year #ethan ramsey #bryce lahela #jackie varma #rafael aveiro #casey valentine #rant #long post

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fyeahwaywardvictorians · 4 years

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Alternatives to Emilie Autumn, Part 6/?: The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls

If you liked the asylum story itself (or just felt like it didn’t live up to it’s potential) try:

American Mc’Gee’s Alice/Alice: Madness Returns:

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I actually got into the Emilie Autumn fandom because her music reminded me of this game. Also--that whole incident where she changed her last name to Liddell and told everyone that her parents died in a fire?--my theory is that she was lowkey kinning the protagonist of this series, and quite frankly I can’t blame her.

Be forewarned, however, that the fandom has no shortage of drama--to the point that I avoided any involvement with it altogether for a few years. Still, a beautiful series of games that I highly recommend.

A Series of Unfortunate Events:

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I’m a little biased because this is my other obsession, but in many ways it’s exactly what the asylum book was trying to be: a darkly comedic satire about the experiences of abuse victims and the societal conditions that allow abuse to happen unchecked.

I’d recommend the books first and foremost, although the Netflix adaption is pretty faithful, aside from the wonky pacing. As for the movie... well, the costumes are kinda neat (although the last time I said that on tumblr i totally got vagued lol).

The Knick:

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A hospital drama set in turn-of-the-century New York, centering around the scientific innovations of the time, with my favorite subplot focusing on the struggles of a talented Black doctor to establish himself in the medical community (even though he’s not in this trailer for some reason). Note that I’ve only seen a few episodes because I don’t have HBO. So far, it’s a bit gratuitous at times (really dude? did you have to inject cocaine right into your dick?), and the racism exhibited by much of the ensemble cast makes them... not entirely sympathetic. Still, it’s worth a watch if you’re half as obsessed with medical history as I am.

The Town of Light:

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A woman (ghost?) wanders the abandoned remains of the Italian asylum where she spent her youth, telling her story in cryptic flashbacks. Although something of a slow-paced “walking simulator,” it provides an unusually realistic and nuanced depiction of the abuse that often took place in such institutions, with a striking art style (I’ve included a still image because the trailer doesn’t really do it justice). Be forewarned, it’s very bleak, and left me feeling pretty bummed out for a day or two, as well as having depictions of sexual abuse.

Edward Gorey:

Writer, illustrator, queer icon, goth king. Best known for his his unsettling and very sarcastic neo-victorian picture books. His best-known work is probably The Gashlycrumb Tinies, a rhyming alphabet about children dying in various absurd ways. If you’re looking for something a bit lighter (but still very Gothic), I personally recommend The Doubtful Guest, a quirky picture book about an Edwardian family inconvenienced by a weird little penguin thing that eats dishes.

Ten Days in a Mad House:

The nonfiction account of undercover journalist Nellie Bly, who, in 1887, posed as a patient at a notorious New York asylum. There she uncovered terrible living conditions, physically and verbally abusive nurses, and utterly clueless doctors. Notably, she found it far easier to get in than out. Read it for free here.

#alternatives to emilie autumn #The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls #American McGee's Alice #alice: madness returns #A Series of Unfortunate Events #The Knick #The Town of Light #Edward Gorey #Ten days in a mad house #Emilie Autumn

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