The Comedown – The Climb #569

Sunday 13^th September 2020

I’m ill.

I’m pretty sure it’s not Covid – in this day and age, it’s everyone’s immediate thought. Whilst I am coughing, it’s to clear my throat, rather than a dry consistent cough. I also have no fever and my sense of taste and smell is normal. I had a roast dinner at Crispinator’s house today and it tasted amazing so I know that last part for sure. But it seemed to worsen from a sore throat into a head cold so I took myself home just to be safe.

I’d be more worried, but I actually did a Covid test last week. With lots of family visiting, doctor’s and hospital visits, and the burns making him more at risk, we were advised to do one. Both came back negative. Given Covid’s gestation period, it makes it likely that if this was Covid then the test would have picked it up.

And since then, the only contact we’ve had is with their family (and a little girl with a cold) so I suspect I know the origin. I’ve been religious about masks and handwashing.

Still, it just goes to show. I was only next to them for about 10 minutes and don’t believe I got closer than 2 metres the whole time I was there. I’ve always been a bit wary of indoor environments and this just confirmed it for me.

I also suspect, knowing my own body, that after all the drama and stress of the last couple of weeks, my body is now able to relax, and in doing so, lowered my immune system. It’s happened too often in the past for it not to be a thing.

So I went home and played games for the evening. I’ve been playing Tell Me Why this weekend and with it’s fantastic acting and LGBT storyline, I already want this to win all the awards… and I’ve not even completed it. The last game that had me this emotionally involved was Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons.

As a Cis guy, it’s possible that I’m completely off-base about how I feel the Trans protagonist is sensitively handled, but I think if it wasn’t, one of my friends would have corrected me. I love the diverse gameplay. I’m blessed with fantastic Trans friends but being able to actually play a game through their eyes is a wonderful experience. Of course, there’s no singular trans experience, but I hope this game will allow cis players like myself to get a better understanding.

The slow paced narrative gameplay was perfect for a night when I felt a bit ill and I completed the first chapter. Looking forward to playing more in the coming week.