What kinds of disabilities occur among Troceaths, and how are the disabled regarded in their society?
Thank you for your question!
Troceaths can be affected by the typical universal disabilities: blindness, deafness, limb abnormalities, amputees, mental disorders (autism, anxiety, depression, etc), and so on. But if you're looking for Troceath-specific disabilities, I've got you covered!
(Many thanks to the kind souls in my Discord Server who helped me bounce around some ideas for this!)
Hectocotylasia, aka the absence of head tendrils. The tendrils are a necessary part of a Troceath's respiratory system, and as such, a Troceath with no tendrils is one that cannot survive for long. This can be treated with the surgical addition of synthetic tendrils, cybernetic tendrils, or authentic tendril transplants from donors.
Tendril Dystonia, wherein a Troceath's tendrils twitch and move involuntarily, often becoming like whips and causing damage to both the Troceath who has it, and their surroundings. Muscle relaxation medicines help to treat this, but there is no permanent cure. A Troceath would have to be on the right medication for the rest of their lives in order to keep it under control. This is seen in Troceaths with tendrils that reach past a length of 3 ft/91 cm, so it is uncommon.
Abnormal Buoyancy Syndrome, in which a Troceath is unable to regulate their buoyancy normally. There is no cure for this, but those who have it can be assisted in the form of water weights, floaties, or assistance from a swim guide.
Orthostasis Dystrophy, in which a Troceath is unable to keep their shape well above water. Typically, when a Troceath goes above water, their innermost muscles are able to firm up enough to keep them upright with no conscious effort. However, some Troceaths' bodies lack this ability. And since Troceaths mostly have no bones (excepting teeth), they are unable to stand upright and move about regularly above water. (For a mental image, think of the way Octo Dad moves.) These Troceaths can be given wheelchairs or other forms of walking assistance.
Dehydration Dysautonomia, in which a Troceath is prone to drying out more quickly than usual. Troceaths are biologically similar to octopi or squids, and so need to stay hydrated by both drinking water and being submerged regularly. Those with DD may require constant submersion, including wearing glass helmets filled with water (much like when SpongeBob visits Sandy's treedome, for instance).
Acetabulaplasia, or the absence of suckers that are found on the hands and feet. Being without bones, Troceaths are able to squeeze through tight spaces and traverse through them with the use of their suckers. The absence of these suckers makes this significantly more difficult, if not impossible. Typically, these Troceaths need either an alternate route, or wearable suction tools whenever travel through narrow spaces is required.
Chelaplasia, or the absence of claws. The claws of a Troceath are mostly comprised of keratin and calcium, but are not classified as bones. They are necessary for a Troceath to be able to hunt and to fight. If these Troceaths cannot master the use of other types of weapons, they will need to be reliant on others around them for food and protection.
As for how the disabled would be regarded in society? It depends on a few factors.
👑 If your Troceath is a Siphallo, there are one of two options that could happen. Either they're so important/powerful/popular that they're able to get top-tier treatment and everyone just stays hush-hush about it; or they're not so important/powerful/popular that they're considered expendable, and they are cast out from Siphallo society.
💧 If your Troceath is an Osun, medical care is not as easily accessible (still an option, just harder to come by), but your community is strong and always willing to stick by your side and help out however possible, even if it means coming up with solutions that are outside the box.
💠 How does Starscream prefer his energon? Chilled, warmed, etc?
Starscream prefers his Energon close to room temperature, or slightly cooler. That is how most of the flavors he likes come out the best. There used to be a couple of specific High Grades he liked at specific temperatures, and he’ll probably discover new ones like that as Vos’s Energon artisans pick up their craft again.
He generally does not like chilled Energon because it deadens the flavors and it’s what you get in the medbay, and he doesn’t like hot Energon because it slows his systems enough for him to notice and he generally likes to stay sharp. If he’s already taking a hot oil bath to relax, he’ll sometimes enjoy one of the few High Grades that taste good when heated.
Hi! I was wondering if you had any tabletop recommendations for games that have a cosmic horror theme in a modern setting (by modern I mean like having the technology of today). I know it’s kind of an odd request but I’m looking for something that would potentially allow for a game along the same plotline as the SCP-1730 incident. Thank you for your time!
That you specifically want to riff on the SCP-1730 incident is where it gets tricky. It’s not not enough for a game to do contemporary cosmic horror – if that was the only criterion, I could easily think of a dozen games you could have a look at. What you’re looking for is a contemporary cosmic horror game that’s also amenable to old-school dungeon crawls, and that’s a rare combination!
If you don’t mind dealing with some serious crunch, you might have a look at Delta Green. It’s a Call of Cthulhu spinoff that retools the mechanics for a contemporary paramilitary milieu; it’s rather shootier than would be strictly appropriate for a more generally SCP Foundation inspired game, but since you’re specifically interested in running a meat-grinder dungeon crawl like the SCP-1730 incident, that puts you much closer to Delta Green’s comfort zone.
On the flip side, if a system with skill percentiles and page-long lists of guns sounds too much like work, you might instead have a look at The Esoterrorists. As a GUMSHOE System variant, it’s a slower paced game with more of an investigative focus, so you’d have to play your dungeon crawl with less run-and-gun action and more puzzling over the grisly aftermath to figure out what in blazes just happened; it’s not entirely without support for the occasional firefight, but pitched battles aren’t the system’s strong suit.
The story of FFXIV really picks up around Heavensward. You’re gonna love it.
[[ I am a simple gamer, I see good graphics and elaborate CC and I’m gone lmao but yeah! I’m eager to see how the story plays out at least. Not sure how far I’ll get playing solo as I am now, but I’m having fun with it regardless.
....I just loved that I could change the eye color of my character man. Not many games I’ve recently played allows for that lmao ]]
