#askafflicted

[loominggaia]

Can mermaids pass as normal humans with makeup and hair die?

I think covering those scales with makeup would be difficult, but not totally impossible. Maybe with enough of that putty stuff movie crews use for special effects, they could pull it off.

They would also have to wear contacts, because the mermaid's curse turns their eyes a very specific, unnatural shade of blue, and the whites of their eyes get a slight blue tint to them as well.

As for their hair, dyes actually can't adhere to it because of its water-repellent properties. While normal human hair absorbs and holds on to water for a long time, mermaid hair only briefly absorbs it, then quickly repels it as soon as its squeezed. This is how mermaids are able to quickly transform back into their terrestrial forms when they leave the water, by just squeezing their hair to dry it.

If they want to color their hair, they have to do so with magic potions or spells. They can also put on a wig for a quick disguise.

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[loominggaia]

Why do lycanthropes trasform during a full moon?

Even the World Athenaeum isn't sure exactly what causes this phenomenon. It's known that different phases of the moon have different effects on lycanthropes, causing symptoms (hunger, anxiety, aggression, etc.) to increase as it waxes, peaking into a full werewolf transformation when it's full. As the moon wanes, symptoms decrease again.

Interestingly, direct exposure to moon dust can actually trigger a short-term transformation, regardless of the moon's phase. This was seen in "Trial of Titans" and "The Lycanthrope's Laboratory".

Moon dust is an extremely rare resource on Looming Gaia. The only ones who can get their hands on it are pleiadae and powerful teleportationists like Courage. It does not come cheap, so research on its effects is limited. Dr. Lendon is one of the few scientists researching moon dust's effects on lycanthropes, and his work is still in its infancy.

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[loominggaia]

What would happen if suddenly commoners could get vampirism and fae could lycanthropy?

All I can say is...The Athenaeum's Disease Control agents are going to be working overtime.

Something like this would be devastating and would probably launch the world closer to a cure for these diseases. Governments would become desperate to get things under control and start throwing money at research.

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[loominggaia]

Given the kind of terrible crap that happens to Mermaids in Folkvar and Zareen, is there anywhere that would be “safe” for a mermaid, and were they can find a successful profession?

Mermaids do face legal discrimination in some Zareenite cities (mostly the coastal ones) where they don't have as many rights as other people. This is done in the name of "empire security", and it's a relatively recent development that came about when the Aquarian Alliance attacks started getting really nasty.

Otherwise, mermaids technically have all the same legal rights as humans across the Great Kingdoms. Socially though, they face a ton of discrimination because people are afraid of them. When they escape the Alliance, they typically escape with nothing to their name. In fact, they usually have hardcore amnesia and don't even remember their names either.

They're refugees without identity, they're poor, they're traumatized, they don't know how to behave in normal society, and the only skills they have are fighting and killing. There just aren't a lot of opportunities for them beyond stealing, prostitution, and mercenary work.

This is why factions like the Oceanic Resistance seem like such an attractive prospect to them. Deanne found success in this faction (depending on your definition of "success", I guess) and Alaine found success as a mercenary. I think with a good amount of luck and support, mermaids can claw their way up to a respectable position in society. It's just really hard for them because they're dealt an unfair hand.

[loominggaia]

If someone became a wrech but never had their mouth sewn shut could they feed both by eating and through their skin?

Good question! Yes, wretches can ingest blood with their mouths as well, assuming they have a mouth. But I think their ability to digest solid foods becomes impaired. Maybe some of them can deal with things like pudding or oatmeal, but their innards are so twisted and atrophied, every individual has their own situation going on. Liquids (such as blood) are easiest for them to ingest. Their bodies become more and more suited to ingesting blood the longer they spend in the agony cradle, and after enough time I think they become totally intolerant to anything else.

Mouthless wretches can also drink blood by tipping a glass of it towards the place their mouth used to be. It will slowly absorb through the skin.

However, this behavior must be taught because wretches will naturally want to eat by smearing blood all over themselves. They do this because it absorbs faster this way.

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[loominggaia]

What would happen to a Mermaid and/or Lycanthrope who was afflicted with the floraspell?

Good question! As for mermaids, they require more water than non-mermaid green puppets. They essentially become aquatic plants, and must spend most of their time in water to survive.

Lycanthropes still transform into werewolves under the full moon. However, since their muscles are infected by floraspell, their spriggan masters can control them like puppets. Having a werewolf soldier at your disposal is a big advantage!

A lycanthrope character contracts floraspell in this story. He doesn't get the opportunity to transform into a werewolf, but it is something he expresses concern over. He has a bigger appetite than the other green puppets and therefore requires more honey, sun, and water.

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[loominggaia]

What would happen if lycanthrops could not turn into werewolves

They would not be considered as much of a threat, for one thing. I think there would be significantly less discrimination against them, and they wouldn't have to hide from society as much as they do now.

I imagine lycanthrope lunacy would still be a concern though. Some might eventually go mad and turn to cannibalism, so lycanthropy would still not be viewed as a desirable thing to have in most cases.

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[loominggaia]

could the progeny of a divine vampire cure themselves by eating the heart of the divine.

That's an excellent question! Theoretically this should work, but divine bodies tend to disintegrate as soon as they die, so maybe not?

To cure vampirism, a vampire has to suck blood from the heart of the one who turned them and swallow it. Obviously this is fatal, and I think the divine's heart would disintegrate before the vampire could reap the cure from it.

So, if you get bitten by a vampiric divine, I'm going to say you are probably screwed.

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