Editing Questions/Question 587

{{Question
	|QuestionFaqPage=Log - February 2026/Pre Event FAQ
    |Link=https://kelesis.dreamwidth.org/10698.html?thread=12230602#cmt12230602
    |Topics=
    |AskedBy=feistro
	|DateAsked=2026-02-01
	|QuestionText=So if someone has an Imprint with Patho-Gen because of all the experimentation a while back (and the fact she got her head blown off), and would be easily compelled to side with them during the Kelesis event, could someone who is Pair-Bonded with her break that Imprint somehow with their own? Does the Patho-Gen Imprint lessen over time with exposure to their other Imprints? How much cuddling does Pom need to do, or is it kind of up to us? Just making sure there aren't hard and concrete rules for this sort of thing.
    |DateAnswered=2026-02-02
    |AnswerText=Recovering from head displacements and additional brainwashing is some hard work, but it's good that there's folks like Pom around to help....<br><br>While Patho-Gen has certainly been <i>committed</i> to the understanding and harnessing (for questionable good or very unquestionable bad) of imprints, their ability to artificially create and maintain one remains limited. In certain cases, the sort of 'wound' they've left behind is particularly deep and lingering- but that doesn't mean it can't heal.<br><br>A lot of cuddling, a lot of exposure and time spent around true imprints/pair bonds will do a lot to 'resettle' a character forcefully imprinted to Patho-Gen. Active emotional vulnerability with their partners and friends also encourages this healing. The Patho-Gen imprint has no natural ground, it's built on nothing; filling that void with trust and affection with real people will stabilize the character in a better place.<br><br>(Weaker versions of the false imprint will simply fade over time. The equivalent of a light sunburn, or a scratch- something that may sting, but can heal on its own without complications.)<br><br>For Augmented who've suffered a deeper imprint to Patho-Gen: a susceptibility to their influence is likely to remain even after healing from it, but the degree (and when/if it comes into play) would be left up to the players. But the company of natural imprints (and especially pair bonds) would work as a protection from being controlled (by making it easier for the character to recognize the compulsions as irrational, unwanted). Were the character caught alone and compelled, imprints/pair bonds intruding on the scene would also have a better time at breaking them free of it.<br><br>But for the passive/everyday level, a Patho-Gen imprint can be successfully recovered from given enough time and love.
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