horror concept of the day "most fungi are very effective at breaking down animal proteins when they are fed them in the laboratory. This omnivory is reflected in the observation that a great variety of fungi are capable of infecting the tissues of animals with weakened immune systems. Infections of this kind are called opportunistic and, in rare cases, even involve fungi that form mushrooms." - Fungi: A Very Short Introduction
@coldwave horrific because fungi are practically everywhere or because they break things down?
I find scavengers and decomposers to be really reassuring. Fungi, ants, raccoons, even buzzards are taking care of all the biomatter we discard, steadily returning the waste into useful nutrients.
(I also once remarked that "death by cordyceps" was one of my preferred ways to die to class-mates in high school. I still don't quite understand the looks they gave me, but probably I think about these kinds of things differently)
@coldwave OK, yes. it *is* body horror. I guess I'm just into that aesthetic.
@2ck because you could get mushrooms growing out of you while injured/sick but still alive? I read that as including mammals and humans.