Small scaly red spot on skin

Does anyone here have experience dealing with clover mites in and around their home? These microscopic, red mites pop up every spring around the windows of our bottom floor. The windows are level with our backyard outside. I can see the mites from the outdoors, but there's no obvious hole or crack in which they are entering. Luckily they are not harmful to people, pets, or the home, but they're trickling inside more and more. I find them on walls, ceilings, and even some in the carpet.
We already had our seasonal pest control preventative done last week, but I'm waiting on a second assessment to determine if they missed a spot or if anything else can be done. Although they pop up each spring and eventually disappear with the warming temps, these mites seem much more difficult to control this year. In the meantime, I wanted to check here for any advice or similar experiences.

Basically I'm thinking about making a story set on a ice world imagine dune but instead of extreme heat it's cold so artic or siberian landscapes with one milder Area about twice the size of the UK where the climates less horrific on the equator. It was a colony world a very very long time ago so the descendants of colonists are present and many earth species used to cold climates. The humans have split into two species one sticking to the harsh parts of the world while the other are more similar to standard humans sticking to the relitevly small green spot. That's just the basic idea if anyone can help with ideas about the wildlife cultures etc that whoud be great this idea just popped into my head a while ago seems fun.

It's been about a year since I joined this sub, and wow, everyone here really helped me when I was in a panic last year.
TL;DR, I used acyclovir for 10 days and did a couple of tanning bed sessions to get rid of my PR, and it disappeared within 2 weeks.
This time about a year ago, I was 7 weeks out from my wedding, where I had an open-back gown purchased and ready for me to wear on my special day. Over the past few weeks, I had gotten ugly red splotches all over my stomach, pelvis, and back. I am fair skinned, and these red splotches looked terrible and were obvious from 10+ feet away. I was mortified that I might be walking down the aisle with this rash and would have them haunt me in my wedding photos forever. (A little dramatic, I know, but a bride that's within a couple months of her wedding is hardly rational.)
It started with one 1-inch patch of red, dry skin. Within about a week, that became 3-4, with the original one still there. Within another week, 15 splotches. They were oval in shape and were on my stomach, back, rib cage, and hips. They weren't itchy or painful, and hydrocortisone did nothing to slow them down or shrink them,
After doing heavy research on Google and Reddit on what I might be dealing with since I wasn't able to get in to see my primary care doctor anytime soon, I put it together that I might be dealing with Pityriasis Rosea. The prognosis was not looking great, with some people saying they had been battling it for years on end, with best case scenario being about 8 weeks to go away.
I read hundreds of posts from this sub, and the most common tips were to ask for Acyclovir and short exposure to UV light. I have a good relationship with my doctor and was able to get him to send a prescription for Acyclovir without an in-person visit (he asked for photos of the rash, confirmed it was probably PR, then sent the RX that day) - and I spent about 10 minutes in a tanning bed 2 times, with one day between the sessions. I started the Acyclovir the same day I went to the tanning bed the first time, and by the time I finished my 10 day RX, the spots had all turned a darker brown (signs of healing) and no new spots had come up! Within another week, everything was gone. My skin was clear and perfect. It hasn't come back over the last year.
I was able to feel beautiful on my wedding day, and I had almost completely forgotten about the whole PR experience. If anyone is worried and doesn't know what to do, this might work for you! Of course, use the tanning bed very sparingly since it has its risks.
THANK YOU to everyone on this sub for sharing your stories and experiences! If you're still dealing with PR, you will get through it!
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roster construction. Obviously, there’s Tobias and all the mess Morey inherited. But other than draft well, and sign Oubre for the minimum, Morey hasn’t made the right choices either.
A minor thing: Letting Isaiah Joe go was a mistake. A guy like him could swing this series.
Star hunting for Harden in retrospect was a mistake. But so was trying to go half-in, half-out at the trade deadline. Although they were going to be expensive, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam were available. I know some guys wanted one of the CHI players but none of them were traded, so we can only assume CHI didn’t want to move them or the price was too high.
Again, this is hindsight, but Morey should have realized that Buddy Hield was being played out of the rotation in Indy, a team that can generate tons of open looks for him, and was likely playoff bound. They didn’t seek any rotation pieces in return. Big red flag for a team in their spot. Buddy is just not the player he used to be and also has never played in high leverage games.
We all know that Embiid needs shooting around him, that the team has lacked length and athleticism, but it has also lacked smart, savvy vets, with high basketball IQ and character. Look at how much more we have gotten out of guys like Lowry and Batum.
Even if we missed on Anunoby and Siakam, we should have explored whether the Raptors would do a secondary deal to send us Bruce Brown in my opinion, although expensive.
But going half in half out gave us too little margin for error this year and puts all the pressure on next year. Maxey will likely improve further still, but will Embiid? And even if he surprises us and improves again, can he stay upright for the first time and also a year older?
This is all but over, but it isn’t over. Still gotta see if the Sixers and Nurse can pull off a miracle and we have Tobias leaving to look forward to. I just hope Morey has learned some lessons from the above.

The time has finally come! After months of adjusting inputs and waiting and more adjusting inputs, I can post my final RB and WR rookie grades for the 2024 class. If you're not familiar with what I do here, you can find my historical grades for WR here: grades. The grades are posted there class-by-class as well as all together so you can see how these guys stack up historically. This will be a long post but, if I can say so, one I think worth giving your time to. You can just scroll down to the grades but you'll get more out of it if you take the 15 minutes.

Normally I'd wait and post the strongemore interesting of the classes between running back and receiver, but this time just gonna get straight to the one everyone wants to hear about the most. Also, for those that have been following along for a while, you'll see I've added the 2016 class. This was previously unseen data for my process and I'm happy with the results.

Before we get to the rankings a couple notes on process and some justification for the grades: The grades cover almost every WR drafted since 2016 and a small selection of other guys I've been randomly interested in grading. They use a combination of competition and experience adjusted production metrics, size and athleticism inputs, professional film grades, and NFL draft capital. The grades are technically out of 4 though it is possible to exceed 4 though nobody has ever done it. I do not include any analysis of landing spot in the grades. I only include things I can quantify and repeat year over year. These grades correlate with fantasy PPG across a player's first two years in the league more strongly than both NFL draft capital and rookie draft ADP. They do not correlate as well as RB but it's close. I have a little less certainty about projecting WRs for fantasy and so this is built into the grades. WRs tend to score a little lower than RBs because of this. The tiers are historical tiers (not class by class) break down like this:
These tiers are meant to be used in conjunction with ADP to provide rough guides on how to approach exposure each year. This is a crucially important point. If you miss this, you've missed much of the power of the grades. 1* are generational WRs. These are 98th percentile and up. Across all the WR's I've graded only Ja'Marr Chase, Amari Cooper, Calvin Johnson have reached this level...until this year. These are essentially perfect prospects. You should be prioritizing drafting these players any chance you get at market value during rookie drafts and then keep your ear to the ground for any decrease in value going forward through the first half of their rookie season. I've done some work on how early you should look to cut bait on rookie WRs and the data suggests that it's a lot earlier than most would think. For players of this quality, I would break that rule and look at a miserable first 3-4 games as a signal to buy rather than sell.
1 are elite WRs. They are everything you could reasonably ask for in a WR prospect but lack the over-the-top profile of the generational guys. Over 50% of these players have hit at least one WR1 season (PPG, I always use PPG). With a couple more (Garrett Wilson and Drake London), I suspect it's only a matter of time. These again are priority buys who you're always targeting at cost in rookie drafts and want as much exposure as possible when ADP places them in the late 1st, early 2nd especially. I don't know if I'd look to buy given a very poor first 4 games, but would at least kick tires to see if the price had sufficiently dropped. Usually it does not. 2 are upside WRs. These are still players you usually target in rookie drafts but typically are flawed in one way or another whether it be relatively poor draft capital, incomplete production profile, relatively limited physical traits/abilities, or a bit of multiple things. This is where we see the first hit rate cliff but there are still multiple multi-year WR1s here. Sometimes guys in this tier end up going mid-2nd or later in rookie drafts. When that happens, you want an enormous exposure. 3 are draftable WRs. These are the players you look to take dart throws on in round 3 and 4 of rookie drafts. "Draftable" does not mean "draftable at any price" and these guys often do end up overpriced (Laquon Treadwell, Henry Ruggs, Terrace Marshall, Denzel Mims, etc.). That said, the best use of this tier is to identify your late round dart throw types. 4 are avoid WRs. These are poor WR prospects who in some cases have enough going on in their profile to get pushed into the 2nd or even 1st round of rookie drafts (Dante Pettis, Mecole Hardman, Parris Campbell, Kadarius Toney, Andy Isabella). These are always avoids at that price and are not favored as late round dart throws compared with previous tiers. There are very few hits in the history of this tier.

5 are ignore WRs. These are players that you just do not bother with at all. They are deeply flawed prospects that have very few hits since 2016. If you want to try finding the next Puka Nacua, I would suggest looking in the tiers above.

Now on to some generalities about the class:
You may have seen my post about this class in historical context here here where I glowed about this class. Well that was before the NFL draft, film grade adjustments, and a final sweep of the math to make sure everything was correct. After all of this, I ended up lower on the class overall. This is a fine class of receivers overall though not at the historic level from top to bottom that you may have seen touted. In historical context it is tied for the highest average grade of the top 3 since 2016, is fourth over that time in terms of average of the next 5, and is third over that time in terms of average of the top 12. The class is highlighted by 2 1* tier "generational" prospects in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. In this sense alone, this class is historic as from 2016-2023, only one receiver (Ja'Marr Chase) profiled at that level. These two alone are a big reason whey this class comes in 3rd since 2016 in average grade of the top 12. Some would have a third in Rome Odunze at or near this level, but that's not how things ended up for me. More on that later.

Where the class falters compared to expectation is in it's depth. There are good players don't get me wrong but losing Troy Franklin from the upside tier hurt quite a bit and the adjustments for most players in at least draftable tier and up were mostly to deduct from their grades.

Now for just the grades. Remember, you can (and very much should) check out where these guys sit historically in the link I provided above. Putting these players into historical context is really a big part of what these grades are all about. Here is that link again. If you skipped the intro stuff a reminder that these grades are out of 4 and that the tiers are historical tiers. They indicate where a player fits in with almost every WR drafted since 2016 + a few here and there.
Finally, again note that these grades are meant to be used in conjunction with ADP. "Draftable" for example only literally means "draftable" if the price is right. I am considering releasing a supplementary kind of "draft guide" sketch this year to really make sure I get this point across.

Rom	Grade (x/4)	Historical Tier
Marvin Harrison Jr.	3.85	1* - Generational
Malik Nabers	3.75	1*
Rome Odunze	3.1	2 - Upside
Xavier Worthy	2.9	2
Brian Thomas Jr.	2.9	2
Keon Coleman	2.7	2
Rickey Pearsall	2.3	3 - Draftable
Troy Franklin	2.25	3
Adonai Mitchell	2.1	3
Jermaine Burton	1.85	4 - Avoid
Ladd McConkey	1.8	4
Devontez Walker	1.8	4
Xavier Legette	1.75	4
Jacob Cowing	1.7	4
Ja'Lynn Polk	1.55	4
Roman Wilson	1.55	4
Malik Washington	1.5	4
Malachi Corely	1.4	4
Anthony Gould	1.4	4
Javon Baker	1.3	4
Bub Means	1.25	4
Luke McCaffrey	1.2	4
Jalen McMillan	1.15	4
Jamari Thrash	1.15	4
Cornelius Johsnon	1.15	4
Ainias Smith	.9	5 - Ignore
Johnny Wilson	.8	5
Devaughn Vele	.75	5
Tejhaun Plamer	.65	5
Brendon Rice	.6	5
Tahj Wilson	.6	5
Jha'Quan Jackson	.55	5
Jordan Whittington	.55	5
Casey Washington	.45	5

Now a few quick notes on some players I find particularly interesting.
Troy Franklin
Oh how the mighty have fallen. If you look at my post-combine grades, you'll notice that Franklin is much, much lower here than he was there. It shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that his fall in the NFL draft is the main driver of his likewise tumble in my own rankings.
I'm not out all the way out though. He still ends up as an at least draftable player due in large part to a very strong production profile and decent professional film grades. When you spend as much time looking at this data as I have, you start to notice little eccentricities jumping out at you. One of these "themes" that interests me the most is the little cluster of players from grade 2.35 to 2.25 historically who got to that range despite draft capital outside the first 3 rounds.
This is the qualifying list of guys:

• Pharoah Cooper
• Equanimeous St. Brown
• Amon-Ra St. Brown
• Stefon Diggs
• Gabe Davis
• Antonio Brown
• Troy Franklin
• Demarcus Robinson
• Malachi Dupree

This is a much better little group of players than it has any right to be given how they all grade out and where they were selected in the NFL draft. This list contains 3 massive, league-winning, kind of hits and another guy (Gabe) that had a moment in the NFL strong enough to drive a top 15 market valuation at one point.
Every name in this list had a strong production profile including an early breakout. Every name in this list declared early. Historically there's data now within my process to I think meaningfully say that 2.35-2.25 is where these elite production+early declare profiles that for whatever reason are faded by the NFL tend to populate. I'm not saying he's going to end up Antonio Brown but there is a lot to like still when you look at him holistically.
Long story short, I will have a lot of Troy Franklin assuming his NFL tumble ends up making him available anywhere near late 2nd. There's still a lot to like, he fits into an interesting "archetype" historically, and he got drafted to a spot with a depth-chart open for the taking playing alongside his college QB.
Rome Odunze
I am not low on Rome Odunze.
I think about a third of the people that see all this work will essentially boil it down to "lol he's low on Odunze". That's not the case.
He's a 91st percentile prospect for me historically. He's rubbing shoulders with the likes of Devonta Smith, Chris Godwin, and Brandon Aiyuk historically. That's very good. It's just not Malik Nabers good. I think this probably isn't a soapbox I need to get on much anymore now that it seems the Odunze = Nabers talk has died down a bit after the draft but I would say that more than anything my point here is to implore anyone reading this to not draft Odunze over Nabers.
He's a fine prospect. It's, in my estimation, malpractice to draft him over Mailk Nabers specifically. It's a lesser crime to pay a large price to jump up from BTJ or Worthy to sang Odunze but not something I will be doing personally. I imagine my exposure to Odunze will be fairly small and that it will come in exactly the spots where it's he and JJ McCarthy available and I can't trade the pick.
Ladd McConkey, Malachi Corely, Ja'Lynn Polk, Xavier Legette, Adonai Mitchell
Now these players you can say I'm low on. Their holistic profiles are just not very good at all.
Again, this is all relative to cost. I'm never paying a 1st for these players. In the likely ADP range where these guys end up, I'm going to be favoring Keon Coleman, trade backs to grab Troy Franklin, or maybe Trey Benson if he's there.
It's wise to bake in the possibility that you're wrong on a player by getting exposure to players you are low on when ADP allows. In instances where I'm on the clock and one of these guys has slipped significantly and there are no players I massively prefer, I will grab a share to account for some likelihood these guys end up better than how they grade out. Usually those situations are so rare that I end up with just about enough to satisfy that "hedge".
Jermaine Burton
I want some despite what the grade says. That's it lol. Nothing having to do with the grades obviously but a there's enough stuff outside what goes into these that I'm intrigued and the price should be right where I'm not having to pass on anyone that's clearly better very often. Maybe I'll sacrifice one Troy Franklin in a spot just to satisfy the curiosity.
Well that's it! If you read this far, thanks as always. As usual I love to answer comments and questions so ask away.
Next up, running backs!

chapter 1: As Elise and Atlas navigated the dense forest, a sudden tearing noise sliced through the air, chilling them to the bone. Startled, Atlas grasped Elise's shoulder, his expression filled with curiosity. he suggested investigating the source of the disturbance. Pushing through the underbrush, they stumbled upon a peculiar tear in the fabric of space, revealing a group of otherworldly creatures.
One of the creatures emerged fully, its gaze fixating on the two children. With dread sinking in, Atlas acted swiftly, shoving Elise out of harm's way as the creature lunged towards them. The impact sent Atlas reeling, and he found himself being dragged towards the tear. Frozen in fear, Elise watched helplessly until a surge of determination coursed through her.
Ignoring her trembling hands, she seized her basket of berries, smashing it over the creature's back. In response, the creature turned its attention to her, striking her with a forceful blow. As Atlas regained his footing, he armed himself with a sickle, positioning himself defensively between Elise and the creature.
Their desperate struggle continued, with Atlas narrowly avoiding the creature's attacks. However, a moment of distraction proved costly as the creature struck Atlas, sending him crashing into a tree. Elise's cries pierced the chaos as she witnessed her brother's fall, her heart pounding with terror.
The creature, undeterred, focused its aggression on Elise, inflicting a devastating blow that fractured her leg. With a firm grip on her, it began dragging her towards the rift, leaving Atlas helpless to intervene. In his final moments of consciousness, Atlas glimpsed a glimmer of hope as an arrow pierced the creature's neck, and darkness descended upon him.
Saved by the hunters from their village, Elise and Atlas survived the harrowing encounter, the echoes of the tearing sound fading into the night, leaving behind a haunting reminder of the dangers lurking in the shadows.
chapter ?: As the fight against the mages raged on, Atlas could feel his body weakening. He had already taken down three of the giant ogre-like mages, but he could feel his magical reserves dwindling. Meanwhile, Elise was holding her own against her three opponents, but the mages were proving to be formidable adversaries.
Suddenly, one of the mages broke away from the fight and flew towards the party members, preparing a powerful magic artifact. Atlas knew that he had to act quickly, but he was blocked by the second mage, who used wind magic to throw him back towards Elise. But Elise was quick on her feet and used her own wind magic to redirect Atlas into the blind spot of the third mage.
Atlas took advantage of the situation and decapitated the third mage with his sword. But before he could make his way to the mage with the artifact, it had already activated. Atlas knew that he couldn't stop the attack, so he threw himself between the artifact and his party members.
As the attack hit, Atlas felt his body disintegrating. But he could hear a voice in the back of his head, urging him to get out of there. It was the voice of his sister, who had always been protective of him. But Atlas ignored her plea and instead imagined all of his strength flowing into her.
As he closed his eyes, he saw a dim golden aura surrounding him. The aura mixed with the red and black light from the attack, and Atlas's spirit absorbed the massive spell. He defied the laws of the universe and directed all of the power into one thought: "Elise better make it out of this alive."
In that moment, Atlas sacrificed himself for the sake of his party members and the world. But his spirit lived on, infused with all the love and compassion he had for his sister.
chapter ?: Elise walked slowly towards the pile of dust where her brother once stood. She kneeled down and reached out, picking up a small metal plate with an inscription from Atlas. "I saw death yesterday on my watch, I know I won't make it out of this fight," Elise read out loud, her voice breaking slightly. "I know you will hurt for a long time, but I don't want you to get lost. Become the pillar for the future, find a husband, and please carry on. I love you - Atlas."
Elise closed her eyes and held the metal plate close to her chest. Tears didn't come, but her heart felt shattered. She stood up in a daze and began walking with a blank expression, passing through the many battlefields that had taken the lives of her party members.
As she walked, a small gremlin monster suddenly jumped out and stabbed her in the shoulder, the point of the dagger poking out the Front, its tip glistening red. Elise turned slashed the creature's throat, still with the dagger lodged in her shoulder.
For three days and nights, Elise walked without stopping until she finally arrived at the capital, dagger still in her shoulder. The guards at the gate tried to stop her, but they froze up when they met her eyes and let her pass. Elise then made her way to the palace where the royal guards tried to stop her but also let her pass when they realized who she was.
Elise finally stood before the king and explained what had happened in the fight and how the others had fought honorably. Only after her audience with the king and when she returned to her and Atlas's room did she finally let her emotions out, falling to her knees and crying uncontrollably.
Days passed, and Elise didn't leave her room. She remained isolated, feeling the pain of losing her brother and the others. However, one day, she decided to leave the room and go for a walk around the city. As she walked, she heard someone calling her name.
its still a work in progress, my ADHD mind jumping from scene to scene without properly finishing any the story focuses of Elise and Atlas as there world changes, the "main" world is like our medieval age knights kings and farmers and another world with the slight change that it has magic, and the creatures from that world studied magic instead of science and are now having issues with resources and land, instead of looking up to the stars and going to other planets they use magic to find another earth and are trying to invade it
all thats gets explained in 3 or so half finished chapters, but the main storys is gona be Elise and Atlas learning to make use of the limited magic that seeps into their world when the rifts open and trying to stop the creatures from destroying their world, creating adventurer guilds and teaching magic/ how to fight these creatures, in a fight to defend the capital Atlas intercepts a massive spell, and through a way i have yet to properly explain grants his sister immortality,

I've been on the same hormonal birth control pill (tri-lo-milli) for about a 4 or 5 years now, since I've been on it my periods have always come on the sugar pill week and they're usually very light, I hardly notice them.
Last month the period showed up towards the beginning of the sugar pill week so it ended before I was done with the sugar pills but I finished the sugar pills before starting the new pack. I don't know if that was a mistake.
My period is due on the 30th, but I noticed some spotting on the 25th. It surprised me because I wasn't expecting to see that brown/red color that early. As the days went on it increased in amount and started to look like how my periods have been while on BC. I don't think it's breakthrough bleeding, I've never had that in the entire time I've been on the pill. I have been experiencing a considerable amount of stress so maybe that's the culprit of it coming early. In my current pack I have 2 more days of hormone pills left (for tomorrow and the day after) and then a whole week of sugar pills.
My question is, should I start a new pack of the pill when the period (if it is one) ends? Or should I continue with the sugar pill week? If it's actually my period it should end tomorrow.

I sat in my stationary car, my knuckles clenching the steering wheel with a grip so firm I thought it might crumble in my fists. My phone was somewhere on my lap, on loud speaker to the emergency services.
'Ok sir, they're on their way to you now. I need you to try to calm yourself down and describe to me what happened...'
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My wife Angela and I had been having a "lovers tiff" all evening over every little thing, but the argument came to a head at bedtime. I was laying in bed in my pyjamas quietly watching a movie while Angela silently completed her nightly routine, making a great effort to not acknowledge my existence. A soft tapping sound from above my head pulled me from the movie. I practically dove out of bed when I looked up to find the cause of the noise. A large black spider slowly made its way along the wall, each movement of its long coordinated legs giving off a slight brushing sound.
Angela glared at me. 'What are you doing?' With wide eyes, I point to the eight legged intruder.
'Could you take it outside, please?' I asked her softly. Angela laughed. 'Pathetic,' she said coldly. 'A man of your age and size squealing like a little girl over a spider.'
I'd always been scared of spiders, it's a fear I just can't shake. Angela knows I'm ashamed of this phobia, and is usually very understanding. But tonight, she chose to be mocking.
'Could you get it for me please, I'll go get the cup and-' My pleading was cut off by Angela suddenly throwing her hairbrush at it. The hairbrush sailed through the air, bouncing off the wall and falling behind the bed, taking the spider with it.
'There was no need for that.' I told her. Angela glared at me once again. 'What? I killed it, you can go back to bed now, you big brave boy.' She smiled sarcastically. I looked towards the bed. 'But the spider's under there now, you only knocked it down by throwing things at it, maybe we-'
'Shut up!' Angela suddenly boomed, with a tone so full of rage I almost flinched. Angela took a breath, instantly looking remorseful for her unwarranted outburst. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.
'I'm going to sleep downstairs tonight.' I told her, as I pulled on my robe and slippers and headed for the door. I left the room before Angela could say another word. Switching on the living room TV, I made myself a little camp on the sofa and continued watching my movie.
I woke up at 7 in the morning, a small ray of sunshine lit up the room from a slight gap in the curtains. I stretched, turning off the TV which was now playing some random early shows. I felt a mild frustration that I'd fallen asleep before finishing the movie I'd been watching, but soon got up and decided to make coffee. 'I'll take a cup up to Angela so we can talk things out,' I thought to myself as I poured in the boiling water. 'She's an early riser so she'll be up by now.'
Armed with my beverages, I began to make my way up the stairs to our bedroom. I try to open the door with my elbow, making a lot more noise than intended. Finally, after a struggle, I managed to crack it open.
'Angela?' I called into the dimly lit room as I slowly entered. 'Ange, are you up? I've got a coffee, I thought we should talk about-'
The sight I was met with made me stop in my tracks. My eyes widened as I realised what I was looking at.
A large, silky, bloody cocoon was strung above our bed, levitating my wife within. Crimson blood dripped onto our once white sheets, and flecks of skin and hair littered the bed. The only part of Angela visible was the top half of her head. Her crystal blue eyes, once shining with life, now stared desolate back at me. I dropped both mugs of coffee at my feet and began to back away, my legs shaking uncontrollably.
Then, through the thumping of my heartbeat in my ears, I heard it. That familiar brushing sound, but this time much louder and more frequent. I forced my head to turn to the direction of the sound and I nearly fell out the door as I laid eyes on the cause. A hole in the ceiling around the size of a snooker ball, with multiple large black spiders slowly scuttling out. It was then I saw something more. From the hole, a large, grey, hairy leg the size and width of a candlestick emerged and began feeling its way around the opening in the ceiling. The creaks emitting from the floorboards above told me all I needed to know about its size, and I turned and fled. I almost tripped down the stairs as I sprinted for the front door, snatching my car keys off the counter in the hallway as I did so.
I ran across my driveway and flung my car door open before diving inside fumbling for my phone in the pocket of my robe. Hands shaking uncontrollably, I managed to dial the emergency line and hit loud speaker before my phone slipped out of my sweaty hand. I gripped the steering wheel, trying to get myself under control as I bellowed barely coherently into the phone my address and pleaded for help.
​
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I'm currently staying with my sister and her family in their spare room. My first therapy session starts next week. Every slight brushing sound or crinkle of a bag has me bolting upright and the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. The police found Angela deceased in a woven cocoon as I'd described, and found evidence of an abnormally large spiders nest in our attic. No spiders were found. The coroner stated Angela had been fully drained of blood.
One evening, I was sat in my sisters living room with her family, watching a movie on TV. In my peripheral vision, I saw a small, dark figure scuttle across the other side of the room. I leapt from the couch with a gasp, heart pounding and eyes wide as I began to lose control of my breathing, pointing in the direction of the dark mass on the carpet.
'I got it!' My brother in law assured me, as he ran to the kitchen to get a cup to remove the uninvited guest. My sister sat with me and held my shaking hand to console me as her husband rid the house of the unwanted creature. Her six year old daughter, too young to be informed of the horrific event which took place, looked up at me with a toothy smile and gave me an innocent giggle.
'What's wrong, silly? It's just a spider...'
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I am 26F, 110lbs and 5’5”, not that it matters for this.
I am not on any other acne medication. I have been using clindamycin benzoyl peroxide every single night or every other night for the past 10 years or so. I apply it all over my face. Is this safe to do long term?
I use it once a day at night. During the day I now wear sunscreen, but I didn’t as a teen. I’m wondering if this could have impacted my skin without me realizing it. When it was administered to me all those years ago, I honestly can’t remember if she gave it to me as a spot treatment or if she said it was ok for the whole face, but I’ve been doing the latter anyways.

Hi all- I just need to rant for a second and need a bit of support/hope… I’m a CAT-LP (art therapist- limited permit) in NYC. I’ve actually had all the requirements to become fully licensed for almost a year, but I haven’t pushed the paperwork through for a few reasons: 1) LCATs can’t take BCBS in NY so I would most likely lose most of my clients. (I’m working under the supervision of an LCSW so I’m able to take BCBS) 2) LCATs (to my knowledge please correct me if I’m wrong) can only accept Cigna in NYS because of a bill passed by the governor which apparently gets flip-flopped constantly. 3) I feel stable at my current job (I work for a small NYC based private practice) though there are some major red flags. One of which is 4) my boss has told me many times to “hold off processing my licensure” because I won’t be able to take the practice’s insurance.
Here’s where my vision becomes extremely blurry and I may need some guidance/suggestions/any help at all:
I’m making $30/client at the practice I’m currently at. I have a 32 client caseload. I also work a second job on weekends because cost of living in NYC is outrageous so I have no days off. I do have OOP clients that pay $125+ per session and was told I would get more than $30 “eventually” for said OOP clients I’ve managed to bring in on my own. I was also told to “not get my license because it would be a pain” to list me as OON from BCBS at the practice. I have no benefits, no PTO, no sick days. I can’t keep going like this… I’m absolutely exhausted. My boss had told me I would get a raise once I hit the year mark at this practice but that never happened. I’ve been here 2 years now. His reasoning is “I wish I could pay you more, but it’s just not an option right now”. I haven’t bothered asking for a raise at this point because he says that pretty much every meeting we have.. which I find strange and kind of bizarre he’s just volunteering that information unprovoked.
My colleagues who also chose to hang on to their permit and not go through with the license due to insurance restrictions are getting around $40-$45/client. Those who went through with their LCAT license are averaging around $55-60 a client.
I’m losing hope with the LCAT. I’ve been looking into going back to school for an LMSW (eventually an LCSW) for careefinancial stability. At least all states in the US recognize the LCSW… if I ever plan to leave NY my LCAT would be null I’d need either an LPC or something equivalent. I’m hoping some of my credits from my masters program would carry over if I choose to go back to grad school for a different masters degree, whether it be an LCSW, LMHC, LMFT… I just can’t even think about student loans.
I’m so lost and losing hope. I am so tired. I truly don’t know what to do. Do I go back and pursue a different license? Do I go through with the LCAT and see what happens with finding OOP clients? Do I leave the field entirely? These thoughts keep me up at night honestly. I love being a therapist. I don’t want to leave the field.. I just don’t see a hopeful horizon.
Thanks for reading, all. I really appreciate it.

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Saw a post of someone else who as a similar job to me working in the medical field. I have a 100% travel job and fly literally every week. Fly out on Monday back home on Thursday.
https://imgur.com/rgKRkQ2
The map pins due have some logic to them:
Big Red Pin - Have not been to this state at all.
Big Black Pin - I have technically been in the state, probably just drove through it or my work site was right on the border of 2 states (Omaha - Nebraska and Iowa for example).
Small White, a location I've been for vacation.
Every other pin, a place I've been to for work.
Crazy travel experiences, was in 3 states in one week, airport I flew into, hotel and hospital site were in 3 different states. Benton, IL, (work site), Evansville, ID (Airport I flew into), Morganville, KY, (hotel).
It also happened again with Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania
Worst travel day, in short, I'm supposed to be at a hospital by 2pm on Monday, or at the bare minimum in the city by that time. One week I didn't get to my site until 12pm on Thursday. Departure and arrival airports were Tampa,FL to Reno, NV had to take 3 planes. Tampa to Dallas, to Phoenix to Reno. Every flight was delayed or canceled due to maintenance and I had to stay in every city overnight. On the last leg, I had no flight options to get to Reno from Phoenix, so I hopped into a rental car and drove 13 hours to Reno. Left at 4pm, arrived at 6am the next day. All to then find out the equipment was not on site.
Another bad day, trying to fly from Portland back to Florida, I spent 26 hours either in a plane, car or airport. Massive delays trying to get home, ridiculous flight changes to different airports and on one of the flights someone got kicked off the plane, but in order for the police to remove them, everyone had to deboard the plane. It was a Boeing 777 which can hold 300+ passengers. No one was happy.
Feel free to ask any questions!

Tonight my insecurity is hitting me so hard. I knew that I gained a little bit of weight and I haven’t been feeling great about that but I’m fixing it and have stopped binging for a week straight which has made me feel good.
This weekend I was out with my bf’s friends and there were some group pictures and I feel just terrible, I feel like I look just awful. I keep looking at myself and thinking how red my face always looks and how big I look. I really feel insecure and I have so many thoughts entering my head which are making me feel so bad about myself.
Like I am just huge. My body isn’t attractive, my posture is bad, my bf is so much more attractive than me. People probably thinking that I’m not skinny or pretty enough to be with my bf or that he deserves someone less fat than me. I look so bad because my skin is always red and it’s really noticable. I usually wouldn’t think like this but something about looking at the group pictures makes me feel so negative about the way I look and I feel bad about putting on some of the weight.
My eyes are stinging I just keep feeling the tears trickling out I feel so horrible about myself and it’s not nice to end the weekend this way when I was so happy when we were all hanging out together.

She had been walking for days. The forest was at its thickest here. Intricately weaved briars, brambles, and berry bushes lined her path and rose just above her head. It made it almost impossible to see the forest floor on the other side. The leaves acted as a sort of barrier, deadening the sounds of small forest creatures as they foraged. She focused intently on the sounds around her listening for anything that might be out of the ordinary. If it weren’t for the trail laid out in front of her, she’d have a hard time keeping her bearing. Hell, she already was.
The forest was one of the largest and most ancient in the kingdom. Huge branches, riddled with age, twisted above her and down over the path. The smells of snapped branches and leaves rotting silently on the forest floor filled the air. Massive trees stood like watchful guardians, her silent sentinels of her path. Huge roots spread across the ground in front of her, cresting the surface like the backs of giant sea creatures.
After hours of walking, the path gradually became wider, and the forest began to open its ceiling. It revealed a brightening sky. It was obvious that this part of the road was much more traveled than from where she had come. She moved off the trail and climbed the steep hill flanking the pathway. When she reached a large oak near the top of the hill, she sat down for a rest. Its trunk was three times her width and she sat with her back against it. It would be almost impossible for someone to spot her this far up. It was the perfect vantage.
She chewed on some berries she had picked earlier in the morning. Suddenly, she heard them. Foot falls and getting closer. Her eyes darted left and right along the path trying to find the sound. She saw nothing.
“Nice spot.” A voice from behind her called, forcing her heart into her throat.
She stood and wheeled around, drawing her dagger as she spun. As it raised, it was pulled from her hand and tossed some 20 feet away.
“How did he…?” As she looked, she couldn’t believe what she saw.
Hello everyone!
Thanks for taking a moment to read an example of my writing! We can use this to build off of or come up with something fresh and new! Either way, I hope to find new and inspiring writing partners!
Are you interested in writing fantasy stories? I'm talking elves, dwarves, goblins, and dragons; high-fantasy at its finest. Do you prefer writing on Discord where the organization is second to none? How about really meeting new friends? Not the superficial stuff, but a real connection? Then let's talk more!
I'm looking for someone female, assigned that way at birth. The only age requirement I have is that you be 18 years or older (preferably 21+). I am looking for someone who is excited to get to know a new person. Someone who enjoys out of character conversations and, dare I say, spoken communication. I'm looking for connection and friendship. I am very much a part of the great friends make great roleplay camp. If you've read this, and are looking for the same, include the word octopus somewhere in your message.
I'm looking for good conversation and new friends and not just a story. I'd like to establish something and really get to know someone's likes and dislikes, their writing style, and a real good idea of what they're looking for. I guess I've kind of realized lately that those willing to put in the work make far better partners than those who don't. It's a matter of quality over quantity for me.
I've been roleplaying in some form or another for over 20 years now. From the AOL days to Discord and everything in between. I don't typically label my writing and it's usually done in third person past. I'm not overly critical and am very laid back both in and out of character. My favorite settings are high-fantasy, but I'm very much interested in others. Post-apocalypse, science fiction, history, and even modern day settings can be wonderful with great story tellers! Just because I haven't listed it doesn't mean I won't be interested. I’d LOVE to hear your ideas!
I understand people have jobs, families, lives. I'm looking for someone who understands the same. Replies take time to craft. Some days we'll be firing them back on all cylinders. Others, we'll wait. That's alright.
Thank you for making it this far. If you've read it, and think we could potentially be a good match, please don't hesitate to reach out. It, by no means, has to be the prompt I've started!

This script is part of my lich partner series. You can find the other parts in my masterlist: My masterlist : u/Virtual-Grade592 (reddit.com)
I put the script in scriptbin for ease of recording (I heard some VA's prefer reading it from there): Virtual-Grade592: [A4A] [F4A] [M4A] It turns out your partner is a lich [fantasy] [magic] [undead] - scriptbin
It's okay to fill this script and make minor adjustments. Please give me credit for writing the script and put a link in the comments so that I can find your audio. It's okay to paywall, but send me a copy of the audio then.
​
(The listener begins their first lesson in learning magic with their partner. For some reason the speaker brought the listener to the middle of a desert)
Aahhh here we are. The perfect place to practice some magic.
[pause]
Why are we in the desert? Because there is nothing out here. There are no people who could spot us doing magic. There is no collateral damage you could cause here. And most importantly, there is peace and quiet. The perfect environment to concentrate.
[pause]
Yeah, this is basically our playground. Here you are free to experiment with magic to your heart’s content. Your magic lessons will take place here.
[pause]
*sarcastic* Aw is the sand too rough for you? Do you find it uncomfortable standing on all this sand? If only there was some mystical power that could help.
[pause]
*teasing* No honey, I won’t do it for you. You’ll have to do it on your own. How else are you going to learn to cast magic?
[pause]
Sweetheart, a demonstration is hardly going to help. I doubt you’d learn anything by just watching me cast magic. You would only see the effect it has, not the process of the magic itself. I’ll show you why it wouldn’t work.
[crack of thunder]
There, a bolt of lightning leapt from my hand. After my amazing demonstration, can you repeat it?
[pause]
No? That’s what I thought. It’s not easy to cast magic honey. You can’t just wave your hand and it happens. It’s like learning to walk or talk. Right now you are stumbling and blabbering, but with time and guidance you can run. So let us begin with a small step at first. The sand is too hot right? It’s not quite a comfortable temperature?
[pause]
Yeah I’ll teach you how to cool it down. First visualise what you want to happen. Imagine the sand getting cool, like when night falls in the desert. The heat seeps away and the grains of sand get nice and cool. Now picture which part of the sand gets cold. Look at your meet. It’s the sand beneath you that you want to cool.
[pause]
Okay, keep that image in your mind. Stay focussed on the cold sand. Now breathe in. *speaker breathes in as well.* Feel the magical energy build up in the back of your mind. Now let the energy flow through your mind, absorbing your image of cold sand. And finally breathe out, letting the magic leave your mind. *speaker breathes out as well.* That’s it, it’s working.
[pause]
*laughing hysterically* Honey, you certainly created something magical. I just didn’t expect you to turn the sand blue. *teasing* Just a bit more practice and you’ll be the greatest painter known to man.
[pause]
*speaker tries to hold their laughter in.* Okay, okay sweetie, I’ll be serious. I won’t laugh, even though you look ridiculous standing on blue sand.
[pause]
*gradually getting serious again.* What went wrong? The frequency of the spell changed. When the magical energy moves through your brain, you change it to a specific frequency, so that it will do what you want it to do. This is why you need to keep imagining what you want to happen. Your brain changes the energy to the frequency of the image you focus on. I think you got distracted or associated cold with blue for a moment. That changed the spell from cooling the sand to changing it’s colour.
[pause]
*uplifting* Oh sweetheart, don’t be discouraged. Magic is genuinely difficult. You already did great by creating any magical effect. Usually when a magician doesn’t have a clear enough image in their mind, because they get distracted for example, then the spell doesn’t work. The frequency is too messed up to do anything. But you still made it clear enough to have an effect. So you did well for your first time. Just keep trying and you’ll get the hang of it.
[pause]
Yeah I mean it. For a first attempt it was good. And I know you’ll get better if you keep trying. So please give it another go.
[pause]
Good honey, picture what will happen in your mind, breathe in, let the magic float in your skull and breathe out. Let the magic float out.
[pause]
Nothing happened? That’s okay. When I try to learn a new spell, it can take hours or even days before I get it right. It’s frustrating trying over and over again with no results, but that is just part of being a magician. This is simply part of the learning process.
[pause]
You want to try again? Wonderful honey, go ahead.
[pause]
Oh you want me to be quiet? Okay, I won’t disturb your concentration.
[longer pause]
Sweetie, I know it’s frustrating that nothing happened again. Just relax.
[pause]
*reassuring* No, you’re not doing anything wrong. It simply takes practice. But I can see you’re getting frustrated, so I think a break is in order. Let’s get your mind off failure. And I have the perfect way to do it.
[the speaker picks the listener up.]
Here you go, you’re snugly in my arms. Now let me show you how amazing magic can be.
[sound of wind as the speaker begins to fly.]
Yeah, you’re not seeing things, we’re really flying. I know this has always been your favourite superpower. See that tiny blue spot down there? That’s where we stood a few moments ago.
[pause]
It’s amazing isn’t it? Being so high up? Feeling the wind in your hair? All this is possible with a little magic. And you can learn this as well. For now it’s too difficult for you, but in a year or two you’re ready for this.
[pause]
*jokingly* You can’t wait for it? Birds learn to fly by jumping off a tree. Would you learn it if I let you go now?
[pause]
*laughing* I’m kidding. You’re safe with me darling. I’d never let you fall. And when you’re down, I’ll pick you back up.
[pause]
You’re feeling better? You’re ready to get back down and try the spell again? Okay, I’ll fly us down.
[wind noises as the speaker flies down and lands on the ground]
Here we are, back on terra firma. Take a moment to breathe. Relax and feel calm. When you feel ready, then begin casting the spell.
[longer pause]
*surprised* Huh? Honey why did you jump back?
[pause]
It’s gotten too cold? Hang on let me feel the sand.
[speaker pulls hand back in shock]
Oof that’s freezing. Congrats sweetheart, you certainly nailed it. In fact you did a bit too well. You’ve made it far too cold for comfort. But that’s a minor problem. You’ll get more self-control over the temperature the more you practice the spell. We can work on that another time, now I think we should celebrate your first success as a mage.
[pause]
*fake pondering* How to celebrate? I wonder. Perhaps like this?
[snaps fingers and fireworks go off.]
Congratulations my dear. You’re officially a spellcaster. And in my opinion you are the most handsome mage in the world. How do you feel?
[pause]
Tired and hungry? That’s understandable. Your first time with magic is intense. Now that you’ve succeeded your first spell, I think we can call it a day. I’ll teleport us back to town and we can enjoy our dinner in peace. Here, hold my hand.
[teleportation noises]

Choosing the right sunglasses isn't just about spotting a style you like - it's also about finding sunglasses that fit your face shape perfectly. Today, we're diving into how to select the best sunglasses that not only look great but also complement your facial features beautifully.
1. Oval Face Shape

• Characteristics: Balanced proportions, gently rounded, slightly narrower at the jawline than at the temples.
• Best Fit: Lucky you—most styles work well with oval faces! You can rock anything from aviators to butterfly shapes. Just avoid frames that are too large or too heavy for your features.

2. Round Face Shape

• Characteristics: Circular shape, wide forehead, full cheeks, and a rounded chin.
• Best Fit: To add definition to a round face, go for square or rectangular frames. These create an illusion of a slimmer face by adding lines and angles.

3. Square Face Shape

• Characteristics: Strong jawline, wide forehead, and broad cheekbones.
• Best Fit: Round or oval sunglasses will help soften the angularity and give your face a more balanced appearance. Thin, neutral-colored frames can also lessen the visual impact of the face's natural angles.

4. Heart Face Shape

• Characteristics: Broad forehead and wide cheekbones that narrow to a small chin.
• Best Fit: Frames that are wider at the top than the bottom work well, such as cat-eye styles and some aviators. These balance the width of your forehead by drawing attention downward.

5. Diamond Face Shape

• Characteristics: Narrow forehead, high cheekbones, and a narrow chin.
• Best Fit: Highlight your cheekbones with rimless frames or cat-eyes, which accentuate your delicate features and elegant jawline.

Tips for Everyone:

• Proportions: Regardless of shape, ensure your sunglasses are properly scaled to your face and don't overwhelm or underwhelm your features.
• Color: Choose colors that complement your skin tone and personal style. Don’t be afraid to experiment with bold frames or unique patterns!

We Want to Hear from You! Do you have a go-to style based on your face shape? Maybe a personal sunglass win or a style experiment that didn’t turn out as expected? Share your stories and photos in the comments!

Throwaway since I (21M) don’t want my family or anyone I know stumbling across this.
I honestly don’t know if I’m the asshole here.
So to start, when I was ten years old I was babysitting my little sister, we’ll call her Sarah, while my mom was out running errands. I was an idiot kid and got distracted by cartoons on the downstairs TV, leaving Sarah upstairs. I still feel so bad about it even though I know I was only ten at the time.
I’ll spare you the details, but Sarah ended up getting herself tangled up in a quilt and couldn’t free herself. She suffocated and her death has been on my mind every day since. My parents and I have both gone through a ton of therapy since it happened. They say they don’t blame me, and my therapist says I shouldn’t still be blaming myself, but I still think I do. I don’t know, in a way being hard on myself makes me feel better about it.
We still have the quilt. I didn’t know it at the time but it’s apparently been in our family for generations. My mom said she remembers her mother tucking her in at night with it. Both my parents couldn’t bear to bury my sister with it and I’m glad they didn’t. I hate the thought of Sarah being buried with the thing that smothered her.
Actually, the quilt is technically mine. I was the first kid my parents had so I guess I was the one to inherit it. It’s got a unique pattern of vines and pheasants sewn into it that used to make me really nostalgic, but I can’t bring myself to look at it anymore. It sits folded away in the hall closet of my parents house and I only ever glance at it from the corner of my eye if I ever have to grab a towel or a coat or something.
So here’s where I might be the asshole: for my 21st birthday I decided I was going to burn the quilt. My parents strongly objected but not only is the quilt technically mine, I feel it will give me a lot of closure. I thought that maybe if it were gone I could live my life without having to be so hard on myself all the time. It would be this little symbolic ritual just for me to sort of start my life over from the guilt that’s been weighing on me for over a decade.
A few days ago I paid my parents a visit and snuck the quilt out of the house while they were on the back porch. It felt so weird to actually touch it. I had forgotten how it smelled. I was instantly transported back to the bedroom Sarah and I used to share. I remember her crib disassembled and the pieces propped up against the wall by the door. I realized Mom might’ve been out shopping for a big girl bed for her the night she died.
The thought made me tear up, but luckily my parents weren’t around to see. I quickly stuffed the quilt into my backpack and left for my place.
I’m in college right now and share a house with three other guys. Two of them were visiting their families for Christmas but one, we’ll call him “Ben” stayed in town for the holidays since his family lives fairly close by like mine does. One thing you need to know about Ben is that he’s a prankster. All of us sort of are, but Ben is particularly good at it.
Anyway, that night I left my backpack on the floor by the door. I planned to burn the quilt in the early morning and set my alarm for 4am. I figured there was a lesser chance of anyone complaining about the smoke that way. Plus, I wanted to be alone when it went up in flames.
My alarm went off at 4am the next morning. I fumbled around my room a bit for my lighter that’s usually reserved for the house bong. Once I found it on the floor under my desk I swung open my bedroom door and nearly shat myself.
Ben was sitting on the couch facing me with the quilt draped over himself like a cartoon ghost. His lanky form wrapped in musty vines and birds. He nearly gave me a heart attack.
I was surprised that he didn’t start laughing when I yelled “FUCK” and jumped back, but if he wasn’t laughing yet that probably meant that there was more to the prank and we hadn’t reached the final punchline yet.
I was done, though. I wasn’t in the mood for pranks. I called him a piece of shit for going through my backpack. Maybe I’m an asshole for that too.
But Ben didn’t respond. He sat still for a few seconds while I glared at him. I thought maybe I had really hurt his feeling and started to apologize when he slowly lifted himself from the couch and starting walking toward the front door.
I turned the corner to follow him and saw that he had walked out the door and was moving swiftly over the front lawn toward the street. I sprinted out after him and yelled at him to give the quilt back.
Ben started gaining speed so that I could barely keep up. We looked like idiots playing an angry game of tag in the dark street at four in the morning but that was probably all part of Ben’s plan. He probably had someone close by filming the whole thing for TikTok.
I had no idea how he was outrunning me. He was wearing the oldest looking pair of leather shoes I’d ever seen, and I had no idea how he could even see where he was going.
Maybe I’m just monstrously out of shape. In any case, he was absolutely booking it down the dark freezing street, popping in and out of the beams of the street lamps.
I couldn’t keep running after him. The cold night air was tearing my lungs to shreds. I yelled one last “Fuck OFF, dude!” into the night before doubling over to catch my breath. After a minute or two I turned around and pathetically started walking back to the house. I could hear the wet slaps of those gross looking shoes on the pavement getting farther away.
I assumed Ben would turn up at the house shortly after I got back but he didn’t. I waited around for a few hours, checking social media periodically, but he hadn’t messaged me or posted any videos of me flailing after him in the dark.
Just then, I noticed that it was STILL dark. We always kept the curtains drawn but usually you could tell when the sun was up. I got up from the couch and pulled the curtains aside and saw nothing but black. I couldn’t even see the light from the street lamps. I closed the curtains again and flicked the light switch on to make sure the power hadn’t gone out. The harsh light from the one ceiling light that we never used flooded the room. For some reason it was only the street lamps that weren’t getting power.
Curious, I opened the front door and stepped into the freezing night air and immediately walked right into something soft.
I hastily turned on the porch light. I had walked right into the quilt. It had been draped over the low covering of the porch for me to stumble into. I gave it a tug to try and pul it down. I figured Ben had nailed it to the roof and it would probably tear, but that didn’t matter since it was going to burn anyway. After dealing with Ben’s dumb pranks all night I would enjoy seeing it go up in flames just a bit more.
It wouldn’t budge. I pulled as hard as I could and put all my weight into trying to tear it down but whatever was holding it to the roof wasn’t giving way. As I was clinging to it I realized that it seemed a lot bigger than I’d remembered. It actually draped around the whole front porch.
I was going to have to go under it. I lifted the heavy fabric above my head and walked carefully down the front steps.
And, I don’t understand this part at all, but there was just more quilt. I kept walking and the quilt kept going. I made it to the middle of our lawn, almost tripping over a tree root as I got farther away from the light of the front porch, still holding my hands above me supporting the wet musty fabric. It was as if someone had made a thousand ancient family quilts and sewed them all together, only to then drape the across the entire front yard of the house.
I turned back to the house. I could see the porch light still on but it was a faint glow bouncing off a sea of concave fabric. It was getting hard to breathe, probably because I was breathing a lot faster now. I made my way back to the porch light, walking my hands along the fabric above me as I went and trying not to break into a run. Running felt like the first step to panicking.
I got to the house and slammed the front door shut behind me. I drew back the curtains again, this time flicking on the living room light before I did. Pressed against the window was a maze of ruddy vines and ornate birds stitched into a sea of musty yellowing fabric. The birds stared at me with black beady eyes through my own terrified reflection.
I tore through the house. I ripped back the curtains on every window. Same thing. No view of the street outside or the trees in the backyard, just flat lifeless birds trapped in a tangle of vines.
I have a vague memory of being a kid and watching a movie where a house had to be fumigated for pests. The house had been draped in striped fabric like a circus tent. I had never seen that happen in real life and would occasionally wonder if it was a real thing. Anyway, I figured that was what my house must look like from the outside.
I was freaking out at this point. I checked all the windows and doors several more times and left all the curtains open so that I could prove to myself that this was really happening. That somehow the quilt that had strangled Sarah when we were kids had spread out like a giant amoeba and enveloped the shitty house with me inside.
The quilt’s edge had to be somewhere. The house had a large front yard but beyond it was a road.
I grabbed a bread knife from the kitchen and headed back out the front door. Leaving the porch light on I tucked the knife into my belt and started out again, walking my hands along the wet fabric as I went. I passed the tree root I had tripped over on my first excursion. I could only faintly see it as the porch light was growing farther away behind me. Soon it was swallowed up by quilt as I got closer to where I knew the road would be.
The quilt got heavier as I walked. It was soaked and I wondered if maybe it had been snowing. Where was the road? I really felt like I should’ve reached the curb by now.
I dug into my pocket for my phone. Still no messages from either my parents or the other residents of the house. I turned on the phone’s flashlight and then tucked it under my chin so that I could at least see where I was going. The quilt’s vines crisscrossed above me like a net.
The quilt soon got so heavy that I had to crawl on my hands and knees. I decided that I would go just a bit farther before I decided to say “fuck it” and just cut myself out. I held the phone with my left hand and inched myself along the ground with my right as the wet fabric slid across my back.
And then I felt it. Something was tugging at the quilt from all sides. It felt like the quilt was a fitted sheet that someone was trying to stretch over a mattress and I was trapped underneath. It was pressing me into the icy ground. Somehow I managed to flip myself over. I fumbled at my belt for the knife.
When I was a kid, before Sarah died, a commercial for Space Bags would play in between the cartoons we would watch on Saturday mornings. After we lost Sarah I became terrified of that commercial. My imagination turned against me and I would wonder what it would happen if you put a human in one before sucking out the air. The idea would sometimes strike me unexpectedly, and I would see visions of skin and muscle collapsing as quickly and effortlessly as a stack of soft bath towels. My dad would come into my room and comfort me, thinking I had a nightmare. I could never find the words to tell him that I hadn’t been asleep, just lying awake. Thinking.
Those visions snapped back into my mind as I felt the quilt begin to press me into the icy ground. I wrenched the knife free from my belt and flipped over onto my back.
I stabbed wildly above my face. It wasn’t easy. The quilt was so much thicker than I remembered and was rapidly closing in, but by stabbing and slashing downward I finally felt the knife break through to the other side and quickly shoved my head through the small opening.
I took a few huge gasps of fresh air before setting to work freeing the rest of my body. I stuck the blade toward the sky and sawed downward toward my feet until I had made a hole big enough that I could just squirm out of.
I sat panting with my knees to my chest. When I finally stood up I was shaky and tripped over something big and bulky. My hands flew out in front of me and found a smooth hard surface.
It felt like I had stumbled into a wall. Feeling around further, I found a light switch and turned it on.
I was back in the house. Back in the living room. In the middle of the room, in front of the couch was a huge gash in the carpet.
I had come up through the floor.
And I did so again. And again. Violent gashes in the floor now snake across the living room carpet. A few run across the ugly linoleum of the kitchen. A few even run up the walls. It’s getting so hard to breathe, and I don’t remember what air tastes like without the spice of mold and rot. The house lost power a few hours ago, and I can’t stop thinking about Sarah, and nets and trapped birds and Space Bags and how this knife is getting so dull and how I’m getting so cold.
So Reddit, I need your help.
AITA?

After a disaster of a trip back in February complete with family drama, the flu, and a trip to Advent Celebration’s Pediatric Emergency Room via ambulance, booking a quick “redo” for my wife, my 16-month-old son, and I was an easy thing to do. We went during the second week of April, which ended up being perfect, for a quick three-day visit.
Really, with one exception our cast member interactions were incredibly positive. I’m not going to go into the negative one because it was such a fantastic trip. My wife had tokens made up that we gave out to some cast members who were particularly over the top friendly and accommodating and everyone was very appreciative of that.
Happy Limo – Our car service of choice when we go to Disney is Happy Limousine. They’re affordable, friendly, and they provide car seats so its one less thing that you must travel with. Since our son is a lap child, we were able to do this trip with 100% carry-on. No checked baggage!
Scooterbug – For a stroller we used Scooterbug. When we got to Pop Century we just went to Bell Services and there it was waiting for us. Once we were ready to leave we just dropped it off on our way to our ride to the airport. I think for the three days it cost us about $70.
Pop Century – Our resort of choice this time around was Pop Century. It was affordable and its right on the Skyliner route which is our favorite way to travel. My wife is an amateur pin trader and she put up a nice display on our door with pins to trade and posted it on a Pop Century group on Facebook. It got A LOT of traffic and we saw a lot of pins traded. I’m not sure if anyone here got a chance to take advantage of it in the short time the post was up on this sub but if you did I hope you got something you like!
This is our second time at Pop Century and in my opinion the Skyliner is an absolute game changer for this resort. There’s really no better way to get around the Disney Parks. The best thing that they could do, in my opinion, would be to extend it to the front entrance of EPCOT so you could get to the Monorail. That would make three of the four parks accessible by something other than bus from that side of the resorts.
Day 1: EPCOT! – After we got in at 11am we went and got settled at the resort and took the Skyliner over to Epcot. It was a beautiful day of about 70 degrees. We grazed on some festival food, got some character pictures in, and went on a couple of age-appropriate rides for our little guy. He was ready to call it a day by about 5pm so we called it, got some dinner back at Pop Century and spent an early evening in our room watching Bluey.
Day 2 (breakfast): Topolino’s Terrace – Again: the Skyliner gave us a quick ride over to The Riviera to a spot that my wife has wanted to do since it opened. The character meal here is awesome. You get a lot of face time with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisey. Also, their coffee was on point, a must for me in the mornings. The food was good, but unless you get the steak and eggs I think the price is a little steep but you’re paying for more than the food, obviously.
Day 2 (park): Magic Kingdom – When we were there in February my son spiked his 102 degree fever during the morning that we were at MK so we lost that day, lost a family photo shoot, and lost the chance for him to get his first haircut at the park so we wanted to recreate that. Again: the crowds were light. We were able to do Pirates twice, Haunted Mansion (he loved the stretching room), It’s a Small World, Peter Pan (Lightning Lane), Winnie the Pooh, and Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor (a family favorite). The main event though was scheduled for 1pm…
To try and fully make up for February’s busted trip we had my son’s first haircut scheduled for 1pm at the Harmony Barber Shop and let me just say, they blew our expectations out of the water. Doug, our barber, was so incredibly patient with our son who was calm and enjoying his bubbles but of course not able to hold still etc. He got an awesome haircut, a certificate for his first haircut, and an old school Mickey Mouse Club style hat.
After that we got some pictures with Mickey on Main St (again, Lightning Lane), and walked around a little more, took advantages of photographers, and did a few of the above listed rides before dinner. Side note: the family in front of us for Mickey pictures had an older son with autism, I know because he was wearing an autism awareness shirt. We were so impressed with how accommodating and patient that the cast members were with him. It was very heartwarming to watch and you could tell that the family and their son REALLY appreciated it.
Day 2 (dinner) Tony’s Town Square Restaurant – Back in 2018 we did Tony’s for dinner and were kind of overwhelmed. We’d seen a lot of positive reviews and additions to the place, so we decided to try it again and it was worth it. We got garlic bread (topped with cheese), and the foot long mozzarella sticks with one of the greatest cheese pulls that I’ve ever seen as appetizers. Beyond that it was pretty simple, basic Italian fare. It was nothing incredibly special, but it was a nice way to finish the day. We did an early 4:15 dinner, and my son promptly melted down and fell asleep, so that was our cue to call it a night.
Quick note on my son: he is a great napper as long as he’s home. When we have him out he doesn’t want to miss a thing. He was engrossed in the trip and an absolute trooper both days.
Day 3 (breakfast) Cape May Café – This is my favorite breakfast on property. Unfortunately, we were at the ER back in February when our family had it scheduled. We both had delicious food and my son devoured his breakfast.
From there it was back to the resort to gather up our stuff, drop our stroller off at Bell Services which, again, was painless, and then we were off to the airport.
Wrap-up – This was an intense trip for us but we kind of agreed that at his age we would have needed a Resort Day to do anything more than what we did. The week that we were there was the week after traditional Spring Breaks were done. In all of the trips to Disney that my wife and I have taken we have never seen the crowds so reasonable. Wait times were low, transportation usage was sparce, and the weather could not have been more perfect. I think the high temperature was somewhere around 78 and I think for the first time we didn’t see a drop of rain.
Welp, that’s our trip. If anyone has any questions feel free to fire away!

I’ve been on accutane for 1 and a half months 30-60 mg and have been doing well so far. I get folliculitus on my butt and it has consistently been almost completely clear for the past few weeks. I switched houses bc my parents are divorced. This resulted in me used a different body wash which was the charcoal native body wash instead of the costal oak and amber. My butt was clear until I hopped in the shower yesterday which resulted in one red spot popping up on my butt. Then today I hopped in the shower used the same body wash and two more spots popped up on my butt and there have been other spots on my body. I just switched to an unscented native body wash but i’m not sure if it will have any affect on the creation of these red dots. I am wondering whether this is purging because they only appear an hour or so after i get out of the shower which leads me to think it’s caused by something in the shower. Any help would be appreciated thanks.