#that people who are vaccinated can now be in public without masks

[vague-humanoid]

Just a few days before our interview, Jill’s (Ed: not her real name) immunologist sent her to the hospital to rule out pulmonary embolism, which happens when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery of the lung. In Jill’s case it would be a Long COVID symptom amongst many others she had been battling over the last year: including swelling around the tissue of her heart, memory deficits, sudden heart-rate surges, fatigue and abnormal kidney test results.

By that point, she’d had COVID four times, despite taking stringent precautions. She was born with a primary immune deficiency. And, without a fully functioning immune system she needs weekly injections of human immunoglobulins from plasma donations. A very small viral load can make her sick and she’s at a much higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID than most people.

“Every time I catch it, it adds new layers to my disabilities,” she says. “COVID is slowly killing me.” Her haematologist believes the past COVID infections have further damaged her immune system. She is looking at a possible lupus diagnosis.

Her voice is raspy and soft over the phone. She pauses when I ask how she is doing.

“Well, I got COVID,” she says. “Again.”

At the hospital appointment several nurses were not wearing their masks properly, and one kept pulling it down to talk with Jill, who had to remove hers to get her lungs checked. As someone who is very isolated with her family — everyone works and goes to school from home — Jill believes that the appointment led to her most recent infection.

She’s always been careful with her health but in the past, she worked in the school system. By 2020 she moved to a remote position and at that time still had many options for safely connecting with those around her and she could attend health-care appointments without concern. About a year ago, nearly all restrictions were lifted in Alberta and that’s when she got her first COVID infection.

Three years in, nearly everyone she knows has moved on including — most bafflingly to her — many of the medical professionals she sees. But, Jill says, moving on is not a privilege afforded to people like her.

Recently, PCR testing became inaccessible to health-care providers, who, in the past, were able to test regularly. And while Alberta Health Services (AHS) still requires masks, any health-care settings outside AHS can make their own rules. So, once masking was no longer mandated in public settings, many dropped requirements — this includes many of the specialists seeing immunocompromised people, including those Jill now sees due to Long COVID.

“The variants have been left to run rampant and I have really become more and more scared,” she says.

“Governments are saying: Oh we can re-open because we have all these tools. But they are not available to the immunocompromised population. So, the monoclonal antibodies are no longer effective against the current variants. Because the variants are so immune-based, the vaccines were never particularly effective for immunocompromised people because of the nature of our immune systems.”

As well, Jill says that there are many contraindicated drugs that cannot be taken with Paxlovid, the drug which is used to treat COVID patients in specific circumstances. According to Health Canada, Paxlovid “is used in adults to treat mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients who have a positive result from a severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 viral test and who have a high risk of getting severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.”

She still takes the vaccines with hopes they will help, and while she believes Paxlovid is saving her life with this current infection, she says it is not a guarantee against more Long COVID symptoms. And, for the infection prior to the current one, the drug was not available due to a kidney infection caused by the virus.

“I have to access my medication, my health care. And by people not masking around me, I have no way to protect myself,” she says. “If you don’t want to wear masks as a society then you are going to leave the immunocompromised people behind.” And she says many high risk people are not able to work from home, or have their kids in online classes or maybe struggle to afford masks or air purifiers — many social and financial issues make individual protections far more challenging or impossible. She is currently in a court battle with her ex.

“He wants increased access, in-person school and group extracurricular activities. All things that put me at higher risk of infection,” says Jill.

Recently, she went to her cardiologist to find that no patients or staff were masking.

“I really realize now I have to be my own advocate,” she says.

She has to constantly think ahead. So, she now calls beforehand to see if the appointment can be done remotely or if the staff can mask. She’s also decided to start carrying around a laminated sheet that explains her medical condition as it is often something she needs to repeat at each appointment or in the emergency room. 

Like many others, she’s found ways to navigate her way around a harrowing array of risks. And yet, even with all these precautions, she can not control the actions of others which can directly affect her health.

Holly (Ed: not her real name), is retired and lives in a small community just outside Edmonton. She’s currently thinking about her next visit to her doctor, who hasn’t been taking precautions from the beginning.

“It’s exhausting always trying to get around how there is no protection for us anymore,” she says. “I’m thinking why am I made to feel crazy when my own doctor won’t wear a mask? Won’t acknowledge that it’s airborne?”

But the worst part, she claims, was that he minimized the effects of COVID, saying it was rarely an issue and only affects a certain demographic. Holly does not believe that is true, but regardless it is of little comfort when her husband, who’s in his 70s, has chronic health complications.

“I think patients are rightfully concerned, particularly when they go in for health care,” says physician Neeja Bakshi. “I think the medical community should be doing whatever we can to protect those who are coming in.”

It’s true, she says, that hospitals are no longer overwhelmed, and fewer people are dying; there is less of an acute emergency. But COVID is still circulating, people are still dying, and Long COVID (aka post COVID-19 condition) should be on everyone’s radar.

Recently, the World Health Organization announced an end to the global health emergency. But it also said earlier that “one in 10 infections result in post COVID-19 condition suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need longer term care.”

COVID can cause organ damage — particularly affecting the heart, kidneys, skin. Plus, there’s risk of brain and immune damage, along with increased risks for cancer and autoimmune disease.

And, while no one knows yet how long that damage could persist, a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine says 59 per cent of Long COVID patients had organ damage a year later.

In 2022, Bakshi started a Long COVID clinic at her health facility Park Integrative Health, treating patients from across Canada. Every week she completes upwards of 20 disability forms for people who need to take time off work due to the debilitating effects of Long COVID.

While certain health complications make Long COVID more likely, anyone can be affected regardless of the severity of their infection or the state of their health. The indiscriminate nature of COVID is one of the things that’s been most shocking to Bakshi. She’s treated a number of elite athletes who went from performing at a professional level to struggling to have enough energy to brush their teeth.

Many patients struggle with stigma not just from medical professionals but from family, friends and employers. It’s an invisible illness, says Bakshi, so patients may look fine and are often misdiagnosed as something psychosomatic.

“I’m immersed in the world. But I don’t feel like you can deny it exists. And I think it’s a bit of ignorance on the medical community’s part if they say they don’t know anything about Long COVID. There are very specific disease patterns and symptoms,” says Bakshi.

There is also a lack of support. The most proven management strategy for Long COVID or even any COVID infection is recovery and rest, says Bakshi. But that’s not possible for many people. Initially, in 2020, there was forced rest through quarantine periods, but that time off has become shorter, as employers don’t have to pay for employees to be off at all.

“We are not a society that is built on support. We’ve already set ourselves up to fail from a recovery perspective,” says Bakshi.

Jill has found validation in Bakshi’s clinic as one of her patients. But that experience stands out amongst a sea of specialists who have given up on precautions.

“Instead of recommending upgraded masks, air cleaners and UV, or working from home, immunologists that manage my condition recommend wearing a mask if you want and enjoying your life—as short as that may be. I am not sure if this is complacency, or giving up… Either way, education and change need to happen or far too many valuable lives will be lost and disabled unnecessarily,” says Jill.

Savvy AF.  Blunt AF.  Edmonton AF.

[fortuna-et-cataclysmos]

This episode was a manifesto on post-truth society and I DIG IT.

I'll go ahead and overanalyse.

First, on the radicalising role of social media. We, as the watchers, know that the Monarch is the villain, right? It should have been obvious to the Parisians with all the akumatisations too? Well, apparently not. Here are the translations of some of the in-universe social media comments and why they are problematic within the context of the show (the show isn't problematic, in fact, it is brilliant for incorporating them!)

The Monarch only wants the Miraculouses to make a wish, and many people think that he wants to wish world peace. But Ladybug and Chat Noir don't want that because then no one would need them.

This one is wrong at three counts: first of all, the whole argument is based on an opinion, not a fact ("many people think that"), but also, just because "many people" agree on something, it doesn't make it right (looking at you, Nazi Germany). In addition, we see a good example of echo chamber here: in Strike Back, thousands of Parisians took the streets to show support to our heroes. So we know that the "many people" here aren't as many as they claim to be (not that it would have made them right in any case). Lastly, we, as the watchers, know especially well the superhero role is an immense burden on Ladybug and Chat Noir. The recognition on the hardships of being a superhero comes from Lila of all people in Multiplication, when she says somewhat condescendingly that Ladybug is young and we shouldn't put so much responsability on her. Moving on to the next.

Who is Ladybug really? Why does she wear a mask? If she had nothing to hide, she wouldn't hide behind a mask.

This one seems to refer to the discourse used by groups who want to favour "security" and state control over personal rights and privacy. Personal rights (and privacy) are, rights. Doh, you say. What I mean by that is that, they are supposed to be non-breachable: every human being has a right to live their own life without someone continuously monitoring them or breaching into their peaceful existence. Ladybug included. You can say that her case is different because she is, in a way, a civil servant (she isn't: technically she is a vigilante, but her and the heroes' monopoly over the superpowers are recognised by the public authorities). But that also makes her unveiling her identity even more dangerous: one must acknowledge that the heroes are still humans, and if the Monarch knew their true identities, he could easily monitor their private life and attack their weaknesses, a no brainer really. Besides, the argument can go both ways: if the Monarch is so benevolent, then why is he hiding behind a mask?

So we see that there is a toxic social media culture in the ml universe which antagonise the heroes despite all the good they did. Here is a post I made specifically expanding on this antagonism by drawing upon similarities between Ladybug and Joan of Arc.

But to continue with post-truth: now let's take Jalil more specifically. The lexicon he uses when arguing with his father is very much associated with alt-right discourse.

Jalil: Ladybug enlisted [Alix] in a crusade that's not ours.

-> Speech with military and religious terms.

Jalil: Alix got brainwashed by Ladybug.

-> I guess this one goes without saying.

Jalil: Don't you see that it doesn't hold?

-> Admittedly, this one doesn't sound too loaded when translated. But it is basically along the lines of refuting other narratives. Think of it this context: "if vaccines make you immune to illness, then why do vaccinated people still get ill? It doesn't hold!"

Jalil: Father, open your eyes!

-> "Wake up, sheeple!"

Jalil: people are talking about this! Listen!

-> Again, argumentum ad populum. Others say so too so it must be true.

And his father's reaction to these:

Mr. Kubdel: social media is affecting your judgment!

It very much is.

And how does Jalil get deakumatised? By getting convinced that he had been tricked, and not by force: Ladybug and Chat Noir don't break his akuma, Jalil frees himself. Because you cannot counter hate speech and extreme narratives by force, it will only give them more legitimacy. In this sense, Ladybug's Lucky Charm is extremely fitting: a pen. "The pen is mightier than the sword" is even implied when Joan of Arc refers to Ladybug's pen as a "ridiculous sword".

In the end, the Miraculous universe has something that completely refutes all the post-truth narratives: the Book of Truth. When Jalil realises that all the social media arguments in favour of the Monarch were unrefutable lies, he deakumatises himself.

Unfortunately in the real world, we have no Book of Truth. Even the most trustworthy sources can be wrong, new information may emerge and prove our previously checked facts wrong. That's why we can't as simply bring the extremist people in our world to their senses. Our only way is critical thinking and judgement based on our moral compass.

But I love that the show is tackling all these manipulation techniques and toxicity of social media in a critical light. It implicitly informs the viewers on the dangers of social media.

#I feel like I'll lose some followers because of this post but I don't care #miraculous ladybug #ml season 5 #ml spoilers #ml reunion #from fortuna #ml meta #ml analysis

[gravidtopiary]

HRT update 0146 September 17th 2023

almost four (4) months of estradiol patches and ~ten (10) months of spironolactone AND:

- i'm shooting blanks or squibs (TMI)

- i asked my family doctor (who doesn't know much about trans health but is 100% behind it but adorably awkwardly) to poke my boobs and he did and said "well that's definitely breast tissue now!" and i did not expect it to feel so fucking validating, to take that angry little lump of impostor syndrome lurking in my soul and just step on it like a bug 🥰

- my left titty is like two/three times bigger than the right one but i've spent a few weeks yelling at the recalcitrant boob and i think it's starting to get motivated, i can feel the weird meaty stuff behind the nipple getting swole

- speaking of breasts i started having to wear a sports bra when i'm doing stuff because it hurts otherwise when stuff thumps are my nipples

- i've started cooking my own food (vegetarian mostly) and scheduling meals and keeping track of basic nutrition and boy do i feel better 👍

- i've spent the last few weeks doing intensive construction/physical labour and i'm getting muscles back again but they are NOT testosterone puffy muscles and that's mind-blowing. i like 'em!

- emotionally i've done a complete 180, the mood swings and crushing depression are 95% gone and it's so hard to say if it's hormones getting into equilibrium or my increasing physical activity or my improved diet or my improved sleep or an admixture of all of those things

- i like who i see when i look in the mirror :)

- i was following r/MtF on Reddit but oh my god those people need some mandatory lessons in feminist theory and the dangers of the beauty myth 😖 i haven't found a trans space where i seem to fit in yet but i'm patient (lazy)

- the leaves are changing colour and the geese are flying south it's gettin' autumnal out there and i'm so down

- i was working on the roof of my mom's house last week and got a sunburn without even knowing it. i miss the ozone layer 😮‍💨

- played Baldur's Gate 3 some and it's really good, i haven't enjoyed a western RPG like this in years

- kind of getting fucking TIRED of wearing an n95 mask whenever i'm in public so can we just invent a sterilizing vaccine for the stupid little coronavirus already >:(

- my hair's getting hellish long and i need to do something other than "straight brown white girl hair" but also i'm cheap as fuck and have cut my own hair using YouTube videos for the past three years so who knows

- i still slip into talking in a deeper register when i'm speaking to strangers which is annoying but everything takes time 😌

okay back to winter proofing my mom's house before the snows fall bye!

#transition #mtf trans #trans #spironolactone #estradiol #trans women #middle aged trans #trans pride

[anyroads]

This collection of articles on Long Covid popped up in my browser this morning. Please read at least one of them.

I don't even know where to start putting all the frustration and anxiety caused by knowing how much vulnerable people and disability rights activists begged everyone not to forget them when Covid protections started getting rolled back. Everyone wanted to get back to normal and didn't care who got left behind. And now people are still getting left behind because most people don't want to observe basic safety measures that would take so little effort (masking in public places like supermarkets and public transit! vaccine availability! I'll pay! just let me have one every six months!). Which means people are still getting infected with Covid, and many of them are still developing Long Covid, except now so few people are even aware of it as a condition (some have actually forgotten about it even though they heard of it a year or two ago) that many aren't seeking help, and many who do simply don't have access.

Vulnerable people are worse off now than a year ago, because most countries have rolled back the safety measures that protected them, and they aren't receiving compensation for the fact that every day life is dangerous for them. This limits access to work opportunities, not to mention social lives.

So, in the interest of general safety, here's a brief primer on how Covid works that can inform your own safety steps:

Ventilation is your friend. Covid travels best in enclosed, unventilated spaces and is the most limited in its ability to infect outdoors. Outdoor events and gatherings are safest for your vulnerable friends, as long as they aren't too crowded. If you aren't infectious then it makes little sense for you to wear a mask outdoors unless you're in a crowded space. I still see people wearing masks on the street and then taking them off when they get on a bus. This is the opposite of what you should be doing.

Masks protect others from you more than they protect you. Which means that it's not enough for vulnerable people to wear a mask in enclosed spaces to protect themselves, others need to wear one too.

Viral load is a huge factor in infection severity. The less of the virus a person is exposed to, the more of a chance their immune system stands. This idea that "you're going to get covid anyway, so you might as well not worry" doesn't take into account that viral load matters. If an infectious person wearing a face mask breathes on someone, they'll shed much less virus than if they stick their tongue in that person's mouth or even just breathe on them without a mask. Basic safety measures can make the difference between a low-level infection and hospitalization for vulnerable people. It can also make the difference between low-level long covid symptoms and debilitating long covid.

Covid has a 48 hour incubation period. This means the virus takes 48 hours to settle in before you become infectious, once you've been infected with it yourself. If you think you've been exposed, start testing and masking after this period ends (this means if you went to a party where someone had covid, you start the 48 hour count from the beginning of the party, not from the time you left).

If you think you've been exposed, test and mask for 5 days once you start to do so. If you keep testing negative and don't have symptoms at the end of the 5 days, most research indicates you're safe and not infectious. This means it's been a full week since your potential exposure because 48 hrs + 5 days = 7 days.

If you test positive, even if you have no symptoms, test, mask, and try to stay away from others until you test negative. If you test negative but have symptoms, take a few days to keep testing, masking, and stay away from others. Covid can take a few days to show up on a test even if you have symptoms.

One vaccination isn't enough. The covid vaccines are effective for 4-6 months. After that, you need a booster. Please don't tell people you're vaccinated and safe if your last vax was more than six months ago, you're misleading them, even if unintentionally. Vaccination also doesn't mean you can't still pass on the virus if you get it, even if you have no symptoms (this is true for the flu as well).

Please keep protecting vulnerable and disabled people and advocating for them. Happy disability pride month.

[growtiredofpublicvulnerability]

uhhhhh that covid post!!

ok i do not have the energy to dig into that covid post bc overall the thesis wasnt clicking but that harry potter comparison was weird specifically barnes and noble part... actually all of it LOL like why did you even include that. anyway i do think we can absolutely exist in the space between people claiming 5000 people are dying from covid every week in the USA (not true!) and people claiming that any remaining info coming from tests (minimal!) is accurate when extrapolated to a population of 330million people.

atp we know masks help, we know vaccines help, we know clean air helps. just because someone’s sick doesn’t mean it’s covid but most people will never know because they are not ever testing. and i think if you’re the one with no mask coughing and sneezing all over the place it’s actually fine if i have negative thoughts towards you because why did you think it’s ok to get on public transport and get sneeze everywhere. people don’t even cover their mouths and noses when they cough that’s disgusting and gross and it does bother me a lot and that’s fine. (and it bothers me even more bc like so many times I’ll be out and about and people will see me in a mask and say “oh i should probably be wearing a mask”

ok mini rant over idk I’m tired and i just feel like … you can respond to misinformation without the “And also being angry that the health systems/authorities didn’t do enough is useless” … also i dont think covid is endemic. Yeah just googled it the WHO says its a pandemic but not a worldwide emergency anymore (as of last year) and the CDC is wishy washy on the exact wording (I’ve seen different health orgs in the us say ~we’re shifting out of the pandemic phase to endemic covid~ for like 2 years now). so that’s just like literally not true idk that post had a lot of graphs and did say some true things but overall not a good post imo. but hey it’s not my blog 🤷🏿 they can post whatever they want i guess 🤷🏿

And like … ykw i have to stop thinking about this!

ok going to unclench my jaw and get back to my important work of watching the tv screensaver and falling asleep

[clatterbane]

You could see Covid-19 as an empathy test. Who was prepared to suffer disruption and inconvenience for the sake of others, and who was not? The answer was often surprising. I can think, for instance, of five prominent environmentalists who denounced lockdowns, vaccines and even masks as intolerable intrusions on our liberties, while proposing no meaningful measures to prevent transmission of the virus. Four of them became active spreaders of disinformation...

If environmentalism means anything, it’s that our damaging gratifications should take second place to the interests of others. Yet these people immediately failed the test, placing their own convenience above the health and lives of others.

But instead of taking simple and effective actions – proper (N95) masks in public places, filtration in shared spaces – we have steadily normalised a mass disabling agent. It’s likely, eventually, to reduce the number of quality years for almost everyone. Those who suffer the extreme version of this disablement, long Covid, are treated as an embarrassment we would prefer to forget...

“Move on”, “get over it”: these are the incantations of people who seek to shed responsibility for their actions. It’s what Tony Blair said after the Iraq war. It’s what Boris Johnson said after he was caught repeatedly breaking the rules. Of course we urgently want it to be over. But it isn’t. The virus is now embedded, and will continue to mutate to avoid our defences, grinding down – unless we treat each other with respect and demand universal standards of clean indoor air – our immune systems and our health, until everyone’s life is a shadow of what it might have been.

Do we really mean to sit and watch as this infection encroaches on our freedom to be well, brutal winter after brutal winter? Or do we step in where the government has failed, and normalise concern for the lives of others once more? Like all the other moral challenges we face, this is now on us.

#covid-19 #plague madness #ableism #politics #george monbiot #decency #respect #depraved indifference

[dosesofcommonsense]

(From Brian Cates on Telegram)

Election interference to ensure Biden ‘won’ and Trump ‘lost’ is only the tip of the Censorship State iceberg.

The US government censored its own citizens in direct violation of their 1st Amendment rights to drive politicized narratives that turned out to be LIES.

Our ‘public servants’ put their boots on the necks of millions of Americans and pressed down…HARD…because they were TELLING THE TRUTH.

About stollen and rigged elections.

About laptops.

About virus origins and nefarious and illegal bio weapons activity by our own government officials in the Alphabet agencies in Ukraine and elsewhere around the world.

About vaccines,masks and lockdowns.

About the war in Ukraine.

About Biden being competent.

Seriously, I could make a very long list of ‘The Official Big Brother Narratives of the Past 4 Years’ where federal bureaucrats working illegally behind the scenes were censoring millions of Americans for saying the ‘wrong’ things.

In case you hadn’t noticed, Big Brother runs on lies, and bothersome citizens who just can’t seem to take a hint and SHUT UP and stop challenging their government’s official narratives when they are ordered to need to be ‘managed’.

And so a shit-ton of very helpful NGO’S like Stanford Observatory were created to surreptitiously help the US government successfully ‘manage’ citizen’s speech on social media platforms and elsewhere.

A lot of people in this nation under direct and ongoing threat by an out-of-control vindictive and corrupt federal bureaucracy still don’t grasp just how bad this is.

And the great thanks they owe to those who exposed this evil Censorship State and are currently fighting the Hydra to restore to all Americans the constitutional right to free speech they had illegally taken away from them.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1721743484116169032?s=20

ADDENDUM:

Of course, the people who are enthusiastically in favor of all the illegal censorship activity by the State and its ‘private sector’ allies currently getting exposed are very unhappy these days.

See, they thought their ‘side’ was ‘winning’ the Great National Conversation when that conversation was rigged in their favor. They knew it wasn’t a real conversation at all.

They were HAPPY that social media discourse was being rigged and tightly controlled by political hall monitors.

They thought this meant they would win the ‘game’.

But this isn’t a really a GAME.

This is life and death.

A people that are not allowed to speak freely to their government or each other many be many things, but they are not a free people.

I meant what I said at the end of the previous post. As a people, as Americans, we have had our free speech stolen from us. We have been the targets of a massive crime committed by our own government , and the issue is still in doubt as to whether two things will happen:

1. We get our free speech, especially on social media, returned to us so we can once again exercise our God-given rights without State interference and…

2. The people in our government who violated our speech rights in dead of night using corrupt and illegal means to hide their having done this are all dragged out into the light of day and held fully accountable in such a legal manner that no one shall ever in the future attempt a repeat of such a crime.

Keep your eyes on Missouri v Biden in the courts. We won’t know if the government bastards will have to hand back our speech rights until that case is decided.

The Biden administration is currently fighting to keep The Censorship State going.

After all, over the past decade or so, the Commie Marxist scum embedded in out federal government & agencies spent an awful lot of time, money and passion in constructing their precious Censorship State apparatus.

Salivating and having wet dreams at night over the sheer amount of total speech control they were gonna have in their hands once they were done tinkering with it.

And now?

Now they risk losing it all. They can’t have that. They’re desperate to get back to the kind of rigid speech control they had just a year ago.

Well I’ve bad news for The Censorship State and all the goombahs out there who just LOVED the censorship regime because they thought this meant they were moving the ball down the field and we’re about to score.

“PERSONAL FOUL, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TEAM, BOOT ON THE NECK OF CITIZEN TEAM, AUTOMATIC EJECTION FOR THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT TEAM, BALL SPOTTED FOR TEAM CITIZEN AT THE 1 YARD LINE, 1ST AND GOAL!”

You weren’t winning. You cheated and created an illusion based on illegal deception and brute force.

And now you’ve been caught. The flag has been thrown.

There will be no going back. You LOST.

#common sense #truth #msm is the enemy #globalist playbook #donald trump #censorship #feds #stolen election #2020 election fraud #2024 elections

[talenlee]

GDQ Is On, Masks Are Off

Sigh.

GDQ is happening! Excitement, yay!

But now I gotta talk about masks! Boo!

Games Done Quick is a speedrunning marathon, held on Twitch Dot Tee Vee Slash Gee Dee Kyoo, which has been running since 2010. It’s a live speedrunning marathon where people who specialise in finishing videogames very quickly show off their craft. If you’re not already familiar with speedrunning, you can know it’s a thing I think is cool, it’s a thing I do, and it’s a deep type of performative, competitive play that has a whole host of ways to engage with it. It can be a sport, it can be an athletic display, it can be a performance art and it can be a politically defined intersection of competing ideologies. The speedrunning event across its thirteen years has raised over $46 million Eagle Bucks which have been donated to charities like the Malala Fund, Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Fund.

It is, largely, an unalloyed good in gaming, and its controversies include things like ‘banning people for being open shitheads when asked to avoid controversial topics.’ There’s a choice to frame this as the ‘no fun allowed’ kind of thing, but it’s really a lot simpler when you remember the policy is ‘avoid provocative topics,’ and people deliberately didn’t. The convention avoided hosting live events during COVID, going above and beyond restrictions to protect people with medical needs, ran remote events during the pre-vaccine period of the COVID pandemic, and even moved the event when the state they were holding it in became unsafe for marginalised speedrunners to travel to.

I have watched GDQ for years now, I think maybe as much as a decade. Since getting access to money, I have been buying the patches and stickers and shirts to participate, to do some kind of donation of a sort, and Fox does contribute to specific donation goals and the like, playing the game of participating in the charity event. I rewatch videos from GDQ and I’ve been promoting it on this blog for years, too. It is an institution I like and which I tend to think of in terms of being ‘the good ones.’

Hence the next thing being a bummer.

COVID isn’t over. The World Health Organisation declared an ‘end to the Pandemic‘ which was more ‘this is no longer an emergency where we have no tools to address it, and now just an ongoing, constantly evolving threat that will kill people for the rest of our lives, probably.’ This was seen by people who don’t finish reading beyond a headline as a sign that ‘the WHO says everything is fine now,’ and then got mad in their own direction. Either they got mad because then clearly the WHO were overdoing it beforehand, or clearly the WHO have just given up on all of their responsibility in trying to keep people healthy under COVID. This is, again, a byproduct of not reading the statement in its entirety. It describes the idea that people can ‘largely get back to normal,’ in that you can go out of your house and go to the store, but you should still be taking precautions and be aware of the constant variants of COVID.

The disease is still and permanently present and it will probably be so my entire life, which means that I will probably always be Masking in public events, including when I teach classes. This is a type of personal calculus for me. I do not find a mask a zero-impact part of my life. I live in a hot country and when it is humid talking for two to four hours in a mask, then spending another two hours in commute with a mask on is not a thing that doesn’t inconvenience me. I tell myself stories like how rarely I get ill now as a byproduct of this but that is just a fringe benefit of the fact that I am now probably always going to be inconveniencing myself because I can in order to do right by a nebulous, permanent population of anyone else.

So I mask everywhere, even though I don’t have to. Nobody’s making me. I am making a personal choice for the benefit of other people who I will never meet and may never help. It is awful to think about like that because it makes me feel like I’m doing something that inconveniences me for the fantasy of helping people. Am I in a hotspot area? Probably not. Am I actually protecting anyone by what I do? I hope so. I have to hope so.

The GDQ event this year does not require participants or the crowd to mask. It is the first event where that’s a thing. And I don’t … like that.

But what’s more, I don’t feel like this is a thing where I can like, wag a finger about it. It’s not a thing where I feel like I can say, unequivocally, that this is a bad decision. Requiring masking presents potential problems for hosting and event rules – I know there are places that might not allow you to require masking because of the potential financial impact on them. I know GDQ allows for some remote participants, which might be the safest way to allow access for at-risk people. And the thing is, I can’t make a case for ‘this is wrong, GDQ should be masks-only, this choice can only be bad,’ because I know at least from where I stand I am not making the choice of turning a big bus like this.

I hope people will mask. I hope we’ll see some masks in the crowd and see people who are still taking the job of masking seriously. I hope people are doing the best practices now they’re not required to.

But I don’t think they will.

It would be so much easier if this was just a decision where I think they did the wrong thing and I could take an easy stance against it. I want them to do things differently, but I also understand how complicated this is right now and how much that sucks and how it sucks that it sucks and ultimately I can’t leverage a stronger argument than…

Well…

This sucks.

I don’t like it.

I think they should do things differently. I would like it better if they did.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Games #Politics

[blindedbythedarkness]

Dear future me

It's New Years Eve 2023 right now, and I feel sad thinking about all the NYEs that have come before. For a few years, I saw in the new year via zoom with 2 close friends and we chatted well past midnight. This year, I haven't spoken to one of those friends in 6 months, and the other seems so distracted with their own things. And I know I certainly won't be able to stay up until midnight, I'll be pushing it after 9pm.

This year has been long and hard. I'm proud of myself for everything I've achieved, but it's not been without almost constant struggle. I smashed my med school exams, lived at the hospital for 6 months whilst on placement, and then was ultimately infected with SARS-COV2. That left me with worsened autonomic dysfunction, CCI, generalised hyperinflammation and neuroinflammation. And that sucks.

After making the most of Christmas, yesterday I spent the day horizontal in bed all day, save for eating and going to the toilet. I have a list of things I need to do, and a longer list of things I want to do, but I had to write off the whole lot. Again. Today, though there's a little improvement, I'd still say I feel like shit warmed up.

The world right now doesn't feel much more positive either. Covid JN1 is surging, and despite renewed recommendations from the WHO for healthcare facilities to bring back masks, the UKHSA is dragging its feet. There's no doubt anymore that they're not following the science. They get away with it though, as no lawyers are willing to fight the case (as I have found, time and again).

Everyone is ill with "the worst cold ever". There's so many stories about young people dropping dead. But people refuse to connect the dots, or connect them wrong and blame the vaccine. Public Health has abandoned us all to eugenics.

The final result? I dread going to visit my nearly 90 year old gran next month as either one of us could infect the other and finish them off. I know if I don't go though, I'll feel endlessly guilty (and be endlessly guilted). I live in a constant state of high stress.

This time last year, I don't think I had high hopes for 2023. I figured it would get worse before it gets better, but 2024 might see improvements. I was certainly right that it's got worse, but I'm less certain next year will be better- the world is so stubborn and unwilling to open its eyes. I think maybe by 2025? But who knows, maybe that's what I'll say now for every year of my life. Always "maybe the next year, maybe the next year".

Either way, I hope for me personally I'm in a better place by next New Year's. I hope my long covid is vastly improved and that I'm back on placement and coping well. I also hope I haven't been reinfected and I'm managing to stand my ground on any issues people take with me keeping myself safe. I hope that I am more hopeful.

That's all I will say for now, as honestly just writing this has tired me out! But me, I love you, you're doing the best you can and its a damn sight better than a lot of people. You can do this. Keep going. It's a marathon not a sprint.

C

#long covid #covid #new years #new years eve #new year #2023 #2024 #pasc #pandemic #wear a mask #fuck covid #covid is airborne #covid isnt over #depressed #depression #mental health #mental illness #chronic illness

[squishmelo]

Hey, apologies for the long message. I wanted to share a (hopefully friendly) note about some of the info on nasal sprays in your post. I’m a staunch advocate for public health, but some of the sprays’ evidence doesn’t seem right. Flipping all the way down to funding sources and competing interests section in the papers about Xlear and the covyxil, both studies are sponsored by a Raphael Labs LTD, which appears to be a “inventor of novel prophylactic nasal sprays which target SARS-CoV-2” according to a venture capital web listing about them.

This isn’t to say the studies are flawed - pharma companies should publish the results of their trials - but the covyxil study is baffling in that it says “authors declare no competing interests” then subsequently state the vast majority of the authors are shareholders in Raphael.

This isn’t also to say the first study is up to snuff either, as it’s published by Dove Press. Dove Press is on a famous list of predatory academic journals (Beall’s list) which simply require writers pay the journal fee in order to publish, causing much consternation in peer-reviewed academic research because it’s difficult for the average person to sniff out rigorous studies from shoddily performed - or at worst - fraudulent experiments.

In all, I really do want to support some of the interventions that could work to reduce spread of Covid, but it’s difficult to sort what’s effective in the absence of a full, non-EUA based FDA approval, in which independent scientists and disease epidemiologists have verified the study design and results of these treatments.

Hey, thanks for this information!

As a person with brain fog, its really hard for me to fully make those connections when just finding/reading the studies is difficult, (i never would have caught that about shareholders!) but i'm really happy that people ARE reading the studies and ARE taking an interest.

It is definitely difficult to sort what's effective, especially when in my opinion, things aren't discussed. I'm glad people are discussing and reading the literature and making their own decisions.

My fear personally, is that these studies might be harder to continue and come by, since governments currently have a vested interest in pretending things are fine. People who have the funding for such studies - might be trying to sell you something.

Right now we have a covid treatment that's been so incredibly overpriced as to be impossible to pay for without insurance, but costs only a few dollars to make! UGH! (Sorry i'm in a hurry and can't look up the link on that right now, but I think it's remdesivir)

Myself, I'm just a chronically ill person who sees some studies that suggest people could protect me and my loved ones across the world better - even when they refuse to wear a mask :(

If you, or anyone, do not feel comfortable with the measures I have stated: THAT'S OKAY. I'm glad that you looked at the research and made your own decision for your own body.

However, please mask, vaccinate (where possible), use air purifiers, get lots of sunshine in the area, wash your hands, and limit extraneous interactions. I think we can agree that those at least are safe and effective and have been proven at this time.

#this is an ask

[tartlette1968]

It's 2023, and we're not post-covid, we're mid-covid,

Nearly 2 weeks ago my sister, in Perth, on her Facebook feed posted something to effect of...

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck faaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrkkk..."

So something was not right.

In actual fact something was very fucking wrong...

My Brother-in-law had covid. My fully vaxxed brother-in-law who is on immunosuppressants to control lupus, has a low functioning thyroid, and diabetes HAS FUCKING covid, from somewhere. He needed hospitalisation in very short time, because of small clots in his lungs, and was released, after being immediately prescribed anti-virals. Then back in hospital again, then released. He is now back in hospital, again, with pneumonia. Now, let me explain this slowly. Lupus is an auto-immune disease, and to control it, you have to suppress the immune system. What they have to do, now, to fight the pneumonia, is to lessen how much they suppress the immune system, which won't be fun for his lupus.

Meanwhile, Huntress and I contracted covid over here in Adelaide. Officially our positive RATs didn't come until Wednesday and Thursday. The RAT I did on Tuesday (when I felt completely shithouse) was negative. There I was sleeping more often than not, smelling literally every bloody smell there was, and finding those smells really awful, my head feeling like it would burst, and the RAT was negative. Huntress did a RAT Wednesday, and Thursday morning showed me the faintest of red lines that showed her to be covid positive. I did another RAT then, and as soon as the fluid from the test dropper hit the line, it turned bright red, for me, no waiting for 15 minutes. I was feeling about 50% better by then, save for my sense of smell being very dull; I still felt like crap, but I wasn't surprised. While I was obviously improving, after Tuesday, Huntress was slowly feeling worse.

But Thursday was the 26th of January, and a public holiday, so there was no calling her GP. We called Huntress' Doctor Friday, and they were eager and insistent on Huntress attending a Respiratory Clinic, to organise a script for the anti-viral meds very quickly. Then the nurse urged us to call the ambulance to monitor her SpO2. That was done, and they were here for hours, but the end result was a script filled for the anti-viral by 6 o'clock that day.

It is day 5 or 6 now, on our own covid journey, and Huntress is improving faster than we hoped after two days of the anti-viral course. I'm smelling things again, and sleeping without waking up coughing every 20 or 30 minutes. Huntress, so far, has managed to avoid an ear infection, and pneumonia, which would cause all sorts of problems, as she is seriously allergic to all antibiotics, save some that really aren't useful at all. She is sleeping, and only experiences the odd coughing fit.

But my Brother-in-law is in a life or death battle, now.

Look, our Government has been defending their slack approach to covid, by trying to reassure us that "Most people are vaccinated, now."

Huntress is vaccinated, with one booster, but the last dose she had, unfortunately, brought on anaphalaxis, which required a day in the ED, and adrenaline shot, and a worry, now. She can't risk another dose, at least not of an mRNA vaccine.

So it's this simple. I was walking around, with covid, breathing this stupid virus... into my mask, because this is exactly the reason why I wear a mask. I get runny noses after one sneeze, all the time. That was no different to what happened on Monday, when I already had covid. My throat feels a little scratchy regularly, and my nose gets blocked weekly, thanks to just stuff in the air. Even if it was just the flu, on Tuesday, I wasn't going anywhere, because I was sick, and I didn't want to infect someone.

People need to remember, we're super infectious before we are even feeling sick, and there are people walking among us who, while they are doing everything they can to prevent being infected, we need to meet them halfway. My sister caught covid a few months ago, and moved into their caravan to completely isolate herself, and keep my Brother-in-law safe. But we need to wear masks, keep washing our hands, get vaccinated, and avoid crowded events and places. Because for some people, even doing all they can do, it isn't enough, and they need us to be brave and step up to do our bit, too.

#covid #covid still kills people #covid is not over #the pandemic might be over but covid isn't done with us

[sasquapossum]

So, you might have heard that a draft opinion in a Supreme Court abortion case has been leaked. This opinion is supposedly supported by at least five justices - all of the conservatives except Roberts, which is not to say he’s opposed but that nobody knows and it doesn’t matter. The opinion was written by Sam Alito, probably because he’s the the only one of the Filthy Five who can write about abortion without making it obvious how much he wants to turn the US into Gilead. There has, predictably, been a lot of outcry about this (not yet official) decision, but I think a lot of people are still failing to apprehend just how bad this decision is. It’s about far more than abortion.

First of all, the decision negates the concept of rights to privacy and bodily autonomy, because those rights aren’t explicitly in the US constitution. There are a couple of ironies here. First is that, even as these five justices are preparing to spit on a woman’s right to privacy in a very intimate and life-changing situation, they’re also likely to have a tantrum about their own “privacy” (some would say transparency) in performance of their public duties. Second, their reasoning here would also apply to their own allies who have brought suit regarding vaccine or mask mandates. More importantly, when it comes to sex and reproduction, they’re not going to stop at abortion. They’ll move on to letting states forbid “sodomy” and inter-racial marriage and contraception and even pre- or extra-marital sex, with whatever penalties they like.

But it’s even worse than that. While many others have made the previous point, I haven’t seen anything about how the court’s rejection of a right to privacy is based on rejecting any “penumbra” of rights (i.e. those implied or logically required by the constitution but not specifically mentioned there). This goes beyond matters of sex and reproduction. It’s attempting to make everything a matter of states’ rights, and if that phrase doesn’t send shivers down your spine you weren’t paying attention in history class. Without federal protection of rights other than those explicitly mentioned in the constitution, states can make all manner of laws restricting your freedom. Want to challenge a law about what clothes you can wear, or affecting what’s taught in schools? Sorry, they’re not going to help you. This is less of a left vs. right decision than an extreme pro-authoritarian decision. It’s a Pontius Pilate moment, “washing their hands” on a whole host of issues fully aware of what folks like DeSantis or Abbott will do with their now-unconstrained power. Anybody who lives in a “red” state right now is likely to have their lives affected in fairly significant ways. Anybody.

If we don’t eliminate the filibuster and expand the court and actually pass federal legislation on these matters, we’re going to have at least a decade of ever more restrictive state laws and even greater division between the states. And it will take more decades to recover (if that even remains possible). After all, it took half a century to make this civil-rights progress the first time. References to Gilead are not overblown here.

#long post #us politics #tw abortion #tw handmaids tale

[misterewrites]

Grim Grinning Ghostkeeper (Mirror’s Edge)

E is back with the next chapter! and I just want to thank everyone whose been reading and getting the story more views over at Ao3 and likes here. From the bottom of my heart I really do appreciate everyone who takes their time to read this story. I know original work is hard to sell to readers and everyone has their different taste and I do this for me. I love writing so much but it's hard to gauge whose actually reading you know because this is something I want to share with you all. Aside from those two methods there are very few ways I know who reads my stuff but you are out there so thank you and I hope you keep enjoying my work!

It's rough now. Like. Fucking hell one thing after another but take care of yourself. take care of your loved ones. Enjoy the little things in life and just have fun. Stay informed. Stay positive and if you wanna do something about it, go for it. and if you dont, that's okay too. I get it. Sometimes you just want to exist. The usual: Take care of yourselves, loved ones, wearing mask cuz it's not over. vaccinate if you can, push for everyone to have it because this is just a problem worldwide. and enjoy life where you can.

That's it for me! I have no idea what I'm writing next but it'll be soon! Because I want to write more without month long breaks into between! I got way too many ideas folks! Have a great week and be safe! E is out!

If you want to read this story over on ao3 where it is way more user friendly here’s the link riiiiiight here https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/100580202

if you need a refresh here’s the last chapter https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/97939368 (really it’s just the end of the last arc and the set up for this one) 

Hey look the story from the beginning  in case you’re curious or bored or need something to do! (it’s pretty decent I swears!) https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/75486005

And if none of this is your speed don’t worry fam  I got you. I also write other things (i know right?!) including but not limited to: Legend of Zelda, Arcane, Owl House, and Soul Eater! https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

Here we are at the keep reading sign. those of you getting off have a wonderful day!

Summary:  Casey is trapped in what appears to be another normal Watch meeting. But this isn't the usual meeting and Casey is about to find out their surprise guest brings news that the city is on the brink of a spiritual-lypse (that's spiritual apocalypse in layman terms.) and he'll be a key instrument in preventing it. Never a boring day in the Watch.

-----

“Hey Case.”

“Hey Bea.”

“Is it hiding in the corner till the meeting’s over time already?”

“You know it.”

Casey took a long drink of his soda, eyes downcast as not to attract any attention from the dozens other people present at the meeting. He just wanted to get through the mandatory meeting same as he did every month.

The Neighborhood Watch existed for one purpose: Supernatural folks didn’t always understand what subtle meant. To be fair to the magical community when you spent hundreds and hundreds of years living openly in the public it isn’t so easy to keep up with modern sensibilities and normalcy. It wasn’t their fault normal people have forgotten their stories but for the sake of secrecy compromises must be made.

A lot of the younger generation took to the smoke and mirrors act extremely well, pretending to be a human was as easy as a duck floating on water to them.

Much more of the older folks took to the whole disguising one’s true nature as well as rocks trying to swim. Which of course meant nonexistent regardless of effort.

There were well over a dozen magical communities hidden and tucked away in the various corners of Newton Haven, each carefully safeguarded and maintained by their own personal Watch designed to help their various supernatural/magical needs as well as provide protection and of course help them live as peaceful a life as possible in this new strange age.

Normally each Watch was comprised of several members. The average was roughly four to twelve people who scheduled their shifts with one another so no one was left overworked or forced to deal with issues all by themselves.

Except Beatriz and Casey. The odd pair ran their respective Watches all by themselves and both had long suspected it was by design.

Beatriz Maria Flores ran the East Town Watch. It was one of the smaller communities in terms of both space and population. A handful of houses in a small roundabout street but no less taxing than any other neighborhood: Mundane folk were literally a stone’s throw away and it wasn’t uncommon for some rouge element to try to spread their influence to disturb the peace.

Luckily Beatriz was small but mighty: a head shorter than Casey with fierce flaming curly hair tied in pigtails and a set of wielding goggles resting peacefully on the top of her head. Her stormy hazel eyes normally burned with a limitless passion and drive though currently they were staring at the clock, trying to speed up the passage of time through sheer will alone. She wore a forest green mechanic shirt with the name “Boss” in fancy cursive font and a pair of thick black jeans with practical boots to match. Hung round her waist was a belt with two holsters on either side: One held a hammer the other a chisel. Normally weapons weren’t allowed in Watch meetings but Bea argued that her weapons of choice happened to be tools that could be used for lethal effect. No argument could be made about her bow however.

“Case, is it me or there’s more members than usual? Most of the time half these jokers are missing.” she paused for a moment “Oh god it’s a special meeting isn’t it? Please don’t tell me it’s Francis’s birthday. I am not staying for that.”

“It’s not Francis’s birthday.” Casey spoke softly, carefully eyeing the crowd for any wandering ears.

“That’s the best news I heard all night. You know he denied my request for holy water. Again.”

Casey took another swig of his drink, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice “Shocking. How much do you need?”

“A gallon. I think one of my tenants is dating a vamp.”

“Let me guess: Pale, dark clothing, only comes out at night?” Casey rattled off the list “You sure it’s not some goth? The movies are making vampires popular again.”

Beatriz let out a heavy sigh “Is there any way to make sure?”

Casey paused thoughtfully “Reflective eyes. Regular folk eyes don’t shine in the darkness.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. Thanks for the tip!” Bea gave a grateful smile.

“Don’t thank me, Finn’s the one who told me about it.”

“How is he by the way?”

“Driving everyone up the wall. He really hates being sidelined.” Casey chuckled.

“And Jaime?”

Casey could feel his ears turn a bright red, his heart skipping a beat as his face became flushed “Good. Good. Very good. Pretty good. Umm. Watching Finn. And. Grimoire stuff.”

“You should ask her out.” Bea nudged him with a teasing edge “She’s a very pretty woman you know? And wicked smart. Could be fun.”

“How about we don’t do this right now?” Casey replied nervously.

“A bit distracted, are we Mister Remington?” a voice cut in without warning.

The change was abrupt and obvious: what was once a peaceful, playful calm between friends became icy and distantly polite. Casey straightened up while Bea crossed her arms dismissively at the newcomer.

“Miss Flores” Francis greeted indifferently before his tone turned cold “Mister Remington.”

Casey gave a tense smile “Mister Salazar. A pleasure as always.”

Francis Salazar was the head of The Neighborhood Watch program (inherited the position, not elected). Everything from funding to threat assessment went through his desk and he alone decided what was best for each individual Watch. His gray eyes were as cold and calculating as ever behind his glasses though with a hint of distaste while he talked with Casey. His black hair was short and well trimmed as per usual. Normally he wore a simple vest with a collared shirt and dress pants combo but today must’ve been important because he was wearing his three piece gray suit which he only saved for the most important occasions.

“You two are aware this is a special meeting of the Watch, correct?” Francis asked bluntly.

Casey replied honestly “No I was not made aware of that fact. I was under the impression this was to be a regular meeting. And yes.” he cut Francis off before he could start “I checked the email before I arrived today. As per your regulations. I suggest you tell whoever is in charge of passing out information to make sure to consider every Watch member. Common courtesy after all.”

Francis’s grin was strained but he opted to turn his attention to Beatriz rather than pick a losing fight.

“And you Miss Flores? This is hardly special event attire.”

“So fucking what?” Bea raised an eyebrow “I’m not here to show off, I’m here to get caught up to speed before I go protect my neighborhood. You know, the whole reason this exists? And if there’s no new information for me then I don’t really got time to stay for nothings. Sir.”

And just because she was Beatriz she gave a mocking curtsy.

Francis sucked in a breath through clenched teeth “I am aware of our duty. You asked for some holy water correct?”

Bea tightened her hand into a fist, the threat clear in his tone “Yeah but never mind. Casey is going to provide it for me.”

“It’s what we do.” Casey piped up with a grin “Help each other. Right sir?”

“Naturally.”

An awkward, tense silence filled the air for a moment before Francis clear his throat, his voice controlled and neutral once more “Well this is something. We have a special guest gracing our humble abode.”

Casey had noticed the strange woman wandering the hall. At first he assumed she was a new member, waiting to be assigned to a Watch. But the more she wandered about, with a large object strapped to her back, the more he realized she was from out of town and probably requested help from the Watch. He stopped paying attention after that realization: Knowing Francis he would be the first to volunteer his services and give no one else a chance to offer to help.

“I saw.” Casey swirled his cup absentmindedly “What’s her name?”

Francis grimaced “Yorrick. Gravekeeper of Souls whatever that means. A bit….odd.”

Casey pursed his lips “A bit rude no? Who isn’t a little odd among us Francis?”

“Of course.” Francis gritted “By your leave: Miss Flores, Casey.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Casey sighed in relief.

“He really is the fucking worst huh?” Beatriz kicked at the ground unhappily.

Casey ran a hand through his hair “You should really stop antagonizing him.”

“You first Case.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I was engaging in polite conversation.” Casey lied as he struggled to keep his face straight.

Bea gave a hearty chuckle “Bull and shite Case my friend.” she gave a tired sigh “Well since our glorious leader probably already called dibs I’m gonna head out. Want a ride? I got the sidecar today.”

“Nah I’m good. I actually some time off for once so I’m gonna stay here for a few more minutes. Maybe go to Ma’s for some late night dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan. See ya later Case.” Bea gave a little wave before heading for the door.

And like that Casey was alone in a sea of “colleagues.”

It was like this most months especially given how often Bea couldn’t make the meetings (Protecting one’s neighborhood was a valid excuse if you were on guard duty and Bea was always on guard duty with more trouble he usually dealt with.) He would come, he would stand in a corner and he would wait for it to end. Honestly Casey didn’t care he was the black sheep of the Watch for whatever reason Francis lied about. He was here to do his job and nothing, not even a petty childish man baby, would stop that from happening.

Besides he was used to it by this point. No need to sink to Francis's level.

Casey was getting ready to follow Bea out when he felt a chill run down his spine. Someone or something was watching him closely, not in a malicious way per say, but it was with such an intensity he couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved. He tried to act natural as he gave a quick scan of room but found no sign of what was spying on him.

Maybe he was overthinking it. Nobody ever paid him any attention at Watch meetings and he doubt any special guest would change that.

He turned to leave and found a pair ghostly green eyes peering at him with a curious gaze.

“SHIiiiii!” Casey awkwardly greeted “Can I help you?”

The young woman, Yorrick if he had to guess, tilted her head quizzically but remained silent.

Casey cleared his throat politely “My name is Casey Remington. I take you are our guest for the evening Yorrick the Gravekeeper of Souls correct?”

“Wow. You knew my name already? And my title! I usually have to get people to sit still long enough to tell them.” Yorrick’s eyes danced with an excited light.

“Y-yes.” Casey stumbled for a moment, a little caught off guard by her cheerful demeanor “Fran...Mister Salazar told us about you. How you need our help. If there’s anything I can do for you, feel free to let me know.”

Yorrick’s face blanked out for a moment before a smile returned to her lips “Oh right! That thing. Yeah it’s bad. Very bad.”

“How bad are we talking?”

“Total and utter destruction of the city.” Yorrick paused thoughtfully “If we’re lucky.”

Casey knew better than to drag out the what if longer than it had to be “And if we’re unlucky?”

“Every soul within who knows how far will be consumed. Or maybe erased. Destroyed? I don’t know yet but it’s bad.”

“Very bad.” Casey finished for her.

Yorrick nodded grimly “Hence the very. But yeah no I need help.”

“And help you shall have!” Francis's voice interrupted as he cut in between them.

Casey rolled his eyes behind his superior’s back while he started trying to sell his pitch to her “I can assure you Miss Yorrick that…”

“Yorrick.” Yorrick interjected “Just Yorrick. No miss.”

“I see…” Francis cleared his throat, disguising his annoyance “Well for future reference we politely wait for people to finish their sentences and then you may correct me on any mistakes I may have spoke. As a cleric of order I pride myself on many things including my manners.”

Yorrick raised an eyebrow “What manners? You just rudely jumped into our private conversation. I was speaking to Casey here.” she turned to him “Can I call you Casey?”

Watching the color drain from Francis’s face as he struggled to compose some sort of counter argument and coming up empty was well worth the price of a first name basis with Yorrick.

“Of course Yorrick.”

“Excellent!” Yorrick beamed before her face dropped into grim stare while she turned her attention back to the head of the Watch “I believe Casey is more than enough help for my mission.”

It was impossible to tell who was more shocked her declaration: Casey or Francis.

“Mi...Y-Yorrick!” Francis was the first to recover though he stumbled over his words “You said it was of grave importance that we…”

Yorrick gave a cheery chuckle “Hee. Grave.”

“Ye-es but I must insist that at the very least I should join you in your endeavor! You made it abundantly clear the city is at risk!”

A silence fell over the conversation.

Francis waited and waited and waited but the Gravekeeper remained quiet about his request.

After a few minutes Yorrick realized he was awaiting a response “Oh. You’re done?”

Casey nearly grinned at the sight at the forehead vein throbbing angrily on Francis’s otherwise cold mask.

“Yes.” he spoke with gritted teeth “I am calmly awaiting your response.”

Yorrick grinned brightly “Oh okay! No.”

“NO!?”

Evidently it was Casey’s birthday because Yorrick just kept giving him gifts. Watching Francis not only lose his cool in public but whose outburst hushed the entire hall into an awkward silence made his day. Week even!

“No.” Yorrick replied calmly, motioning for Casey to quickly follow “We’ll be fine. Besides you’re a little too...odd for my taste.”

And with that declaration alongside an utterly speechless Francis left in her wake, Yorrick made her way out of the hall. Not wanting to give his boss a chance to recover, Casey quickly followed after.

“Hey. Favor.” Yorrick whispered so only the cleric could hear “I forgot to ask you but is it okay if we start tomorrow? It’s kinda late and utterly pointless to go stumbling through the dark now. Especially if the spirits are getting riled up from all the negative spooks energy that might be in the air. Let’s not makie it harder than it has to be.”

Casey couldn’t keep the grin off his face “Sure and I’ll do you one better. You can stay in my house. I’m usually in the office anyway so someone might as well use it. Do you have any bags or stuff we need to get?”

“I’m all good. I got everything important on me already: My lantern, my walking stick, my tombstone.”

“Sounds good!” Casey beamed before realization sunk in, screeching him to a halt as he stared dumbfounded at Yorrick’s retreating form “Did you just say tombstone?”

#original story #Original Work #mirror's edge #my work

[airehoney]

So I'm sick for the first time in over four years and I am pissed about it because best chances are I picked it up here in the house as opposed to out in the greater public for the rare errands where I have to leave the house

I'm super diligent about masking and hand hygiene every time I have to go in public. Like, religiously.

Everyone who lives downstairs? Couldn't give less of a fuck. These people were out having 12+ person group lunches as soon as lockdowns lifted, pre-vaccines, and stopped masking as soon as they could.

I think I've mentioned it before but the downstairs people have been collectively sneezing and hacking all over the shared spaces for the past several months. At least one person has been sick nonstop since around new year, just passing it around between them as best as I can tell. And they just breathe their plague miasma all over the shared kitchen without so much as a hand wash, even when putting away shared items from the dishwasher like utensils and bowls/plates. And if they don't even mask in public you better fucking believe they won't do it in their house, even with nonstop coughing and sneezing.

So yeah. I'm sick. And I'd bet you $1000 I got it at home. I'm going to go chug some nyquil and be salty now.

#thankfully I think it is *just* a cold but I'm still miserable #I took a covid test to be safe and it came back negative so that's a silver lining at least #but I've heard that they can give false negatives early on even after onset of symptoms so I will probably retest to be sure sometime soon #not xiv #aire's life is bullshit

[swampy-sayin-it]

The Trans-Mutation Stations

But these people, like irrational animals born by nature for capture and destruction, revile things that they do not understand, and in their destruction they will also be destroyed, suffering wrong as payment for wrongdoing. Thinking daytime revelry a delight, they are stains and defilements as they revel in their deceits while carousing with you. Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable for sin. They seduce unstable people, and their hearts are trained in greed. Accursed children! 2 Peter 2:12-14

The time is at hand as we are witnessing the rise of the trans-mutation of humans into something totally ungodly before our eyes. We have been getting gaslighted for years now to get the world ready for the rise of the unhuman army. Many of us have sat back and allowed this to happen and not thinking much of it until it is slapping our faces and mocking our faith. What are the ways of this is happening to us and mainly the children of all ages.

The Media Prepares The Mind The media has been salting the mind for ways that the one world government will be transforming human behavior from one of normal traditional values and customs into one of the abnormal. Non-stop movies and TV shows about Zombies or Walking Dead in positive lights as to promote cannibalism. Movies about hunting fellow humans for sport and food sources giving a sheen of acceptability for young adults to make it "cool". Vampire movies to incubate the mind where it is romantic for a blood sucker from the dead and a normal human to enjoy a relationship.

Am I getting through yet? The KJV version of the Bible calls these undead and other likeminded characters "brute beasts". In other words, unnatural, uncaring and unhuman.

The World Economic Forum This ungodly outfit is working its way through pandemics, vaccines and food shortages to transform people into bug eating zombies. Unleashing a flu, calling it a pandemic, concocting experimental vaccines (along with multiple boosters), masking, and forced confinements all to warp the mind into involuntary servitude and slavery, like and army of Renfields.

Food shortages designed to manipulate the population to start eating bugs for proteins instead of meat because meat will eventually become scarce through fear and decree. All this added to trans-mutate a world population into unwilling dupes to rise up against the people of the faith.

The Gender Bender Hoax It is now in our faces, the gender identity hoax. While there is a smattering of the population that truly do have gender dysphoria, that accounts for less than 1%. The rest takes place in Trans Mutation Stations we call public schools.

It is completely normal for girls to enjoy playing sports and boys to get into home economics. Generally, after puberty the girls get into more female things and the boys find their way to male oriented things. Telling little Suzy that she is in the wrong body because she likes sports at age 8 is a nasty lie told by people that have no business being near children, let alone teaching them.

The whole purpose is to transform the children into eunuchs, many who wish they never agreed to being carved up like a turkey on Thanksgiving. The dirty secret is that many that started down the road to reassignment surgeries begin to regret and turn back. Some that have gone through the whole chance realize this is ot the euphoria they hoped it would and some commit suicide. Where are those teachers, doctors and surgeons for the families of those they ruined?

What To Do As the late James Brown sang, "get up get into it and get involved". I say those are great words to go by here. If your kids are not at stake there is a family that needs help with theirs. First pray! Second, find your groove here and make a stand. Third, get the community involved. If you can start your own food garden and buy a freezer (without the gadgets). If you can invest in a side of beef, pork, etc. and fill that freezer. It is time to learn a simpler lifestyle and become more self-sufficient. If you have already taken the jab, do not do it again. Remember this is a flu and yes you can get very sick but the vast majority recover in a matter of days. Start a vitamin D and Zinc daily regimen.

Keep your lamps trimmed and burning because the new beginning is near. Be ready.

#christianity #church

[wolfperson1]

From a new preprint out of Australia:

In a population where 94% of people were highly vaccinated and up to date on boosters, 18.2% of folks who got covid reported ongoing symptoms 90 days after.

Be careful out there, folks. If you have other risk factors or have had covid before, your risk of long covid increases.

It’s worth avoiding as many infections as possible and we’re in a nationwide surge so if you’ve stopped masking in public, now is a good time to start again!

Also, for rapid tests, the CDC now even says you need to take 3 over 5 days to confirm and they only catch 10% of asymptomatic cases, so you can no longer rely on them to tell you if it’s safe to hang out with people indoors without discussing other risk factors. If you can afford it, the Lucira tests are about ~$35 each and are like an at home PCR. Much better if you’re hanging out with high risk folks (or just want to avoid covid as long as possible).

#covid #long covid