I just need support I guess. My in laws are kindof infuriating, and my partner has never like had therapy or worked on her relationship with them on her own. I’ve pointed out ALOT to her and she has slowly grown to understand some of their patterns but she regresses really hardcore sometimes. She does a really good job of protecting me and being the one to set boundaries. She for the most part does so whenever I ask. And lately has really been seeking therapy.
But they’re just making me upset anticipating their upcoming move and how hard holidays and family trips to visit are going to be to navigate. They kindof freak out if I even mention my family- like bring whatever I was adding to the convo back to THEM. But being at my family’s house for a holiday? Too many holidays? That’s gonna make something pop off
I personally think they’re narcissists. Very manipulative, image-focused, and self centered. They also have the literal worst marriage and have threatened divorce like at family dinners and are always venting about one another and fighting. This dynamic has made her mom very dependent on us at times which I think took some years off my fucking life.
Not to mention they are Fox News ultra conservative and were the opposite and lesbians.
But they are very very controlling of my partner and demand her time and guilt her to high hell. Boundaries=never ending sarcastic comments and the cold shoulder at best, blowup at worst.
They like me right now bc I’m a cute bump on a log and just go along with everything to avoid more conflict and honestly barely speak. but I can’t do this forever. I’ve begun throwing fits to my partner to get her to be slightly lower contact with them, and I do not go to every event.
I’m a very chill person, maybe even too gentle/ quiet sometimes. But being around them absolutely drains EVERYTHING out of me.
I’ve been extremely nervous about them moving away to retire bc I’m worried about having to visit them/ or navigating hosting them. Right now I see them like once a month which is still met with ‘I never see you’ which ??? Seeing them as often as I do is my limit
We went on a trip with them once, and I was thinking that would have to be a NEVER again. But now with them moving- there’s already talks about having to stay with them MULTIPLE nights? Im stressed just thinking about navigating being guilted into staying with them??? Or them staying in MY house and not having a place to leave to, oh my god 😭
Like honestly my partner and I cater to them and they take advantage of that and love that. I do not speak one thing about myself for entire days around them. I’m getting my partner into therapy bc I mean there’s even more. But I need help like dealing with my own emotions worrying about the visits.

It's a lot of fun to experiment with different types of Japanese noodles. You can always eat as many noodle meals as possible whenever you visit Japan since they are tasty and enticing.
This page will provide important information about some of Japan's most famous noodle dishes. In Japan, macaroni is a staple cuisine.
There are thousands of varieties of noodles that differ from those found in the West, both in terms of pasta composition and dish ingredients. We'll look at various types of Japanese noodles in this article.
Despite mentioning several noodles, Japan is known for manufacturing its pasta in restaurants. Thus the flavor and type vary by location and restaurant, providing unique and inexplicable varieties.
Furthermore, if you love good meals, read on as we talk about some of the different types of Japanese noodles.

1. Ramen

Ramen is a clear noodle soup with various ingredients and flavors. Restaurants typically produce their pasta for the meal, similar to ramen noodles (only in appearance).
There are hundreds of distinct types of ramen, and some chefs spend their entire careers perfecting their original recipe; some ramen, also called lamen, can take up to 12 hours to prepare.
You can find thousands of ramen restaurants throughout Japan. We have diverse preparations such as tsukemen and tantanmen in addition to the traditional shoyu lamen, shio lamen, and misso lamen.
Furthermore, Some chefs take it further and make ramen with black stock, on fire, or packed with meat; the sky's the limit!

2. Soba- Buckwheat Noodles

Under the is a typical Japanese buckwheat noodle that you can eat cold or heated. They are widely available throughout Japan, and they are a popular dish that replaces the traditional rice and meat lunch.
There are various sorts of Soba, ranging from the most consistent industrialized to the most delicate artisanal Soba prepared from pure buckwheat. Also, the pasta frequently blends with the dish's sauce, resulting in a delicious flavor.
Furthermore, Soba's crunchy texture, the noodle, and sauce mingle and meet on the tongue, and its aroma is all features.
Kakesoba, tenpurasoba, zarusoba (cold noodles), sansaisoba, and many more are among the most traditional. This is one of the different types of Japanese noodles.

3. Okinawa Soba

Okinawa Soba, which originated in Okinawa Prefecture, is another type of Soba. On Okinawa, it's simply known as "Soba." The origins of this Soba variant remain a mystery.
However, you most likely made it before 1902. It was initially known as "Chinese Soba" (Shina Soba).
Okinawa Soba uses flat noodles that are nearly as thick as Udon. People make them with flour instead of buckwheat, for example. The accompanying soup is similar to Ramen noodle soup.
Pork, Konbu (seaweed), and Katsuobushi flakes make up the broth for this Soba. Scallion, stewed San-Mai Niku (pork belly), Kamaboko (fish cake), or Soki are popular toppings (boneless pork ribs).

4. Udon- Macaroni Grosso

Udon is a wheat flour-based thick pasta. This noodle is thicker and whiter than risotto, and it comes with dashi, mirin, and shoyu broth. The same meals are usually served with Udon noodles in a Soba restaurant.
Just as there is soba, there are zaru udon, kake udon, kamaage udon, chikara udon, kare udon, kitsune udon, and many others. Udon has a milder flavor influenced by the sauce and the ingredients used to prepare it.
However, Udon noodles are dazzling white, spherical, and thick, whereas soba noodles are brown, silky, and thin. Also, the flavor and density of udon noodles vary depending on where you eat them in Japan.

5. Somen- Cold Noodles

When you look at the name of this noodle, you can probably predict how it's served. It was always a hit with the crowd, whether it was served chilled or frigid. It's a fantastic summer dish.
Some folks, however, serve it heated in the winter to stay warm. "Nyumen" is the heated form of Soba. This is one of the different types of Japanese noodles.
Wheat flour is used to make something. It's light and airy. The strands are first boiled and then cooled in ice. They then dip them in a traditional sauce known as "Tsuyu." Myoga, onion, Katsuobushi, and ginger are all present in this sauce.
Furthermore, Nagashi-Somen is a well-known variation of Somen. It's a summertime delicacy found in select Japanese restaurants. Also, the strands are placed on bamboo fumes, which are very cold water.

6. Harusame- Transparent Noodles

Harussame, often known as glass noodles, is a type of transparent starch and water noodle. They're customarily sold dry and utilized in soups, fried foods, and spring rolls.
Bean sprout starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, and canna starch are common ingredients in harusame. In the case of the Japanese variant, potato starch is generally used.
Salads with translucent pasta are popular, as are hot pan dishes with translucent pasta. They're also frequently utilized to prepare Japanese versions of Chinese and Korean cuisines. Shirataki is another similar option.

7. Hiyamugi- Cold Wheat Noodles

Hiyamugi is another cold Japanese noodle. It is similarly made of wheat and has a diameter of 1.3 to 1.7 millimeters, making it thicker than Somen but not as thick as Udon. Hiyamugi is usually a basic white tint. However, it can also come in shades of green or pink.
Hiyamugi, like Somen, is a light and pleasant summer noodle. It's usually served with ice or in a glass bowl of water. "Tsukejiru," the accompanying sauce, is made of Mirin, dashi, and soy sauce.

8. Shirataki- Pasta Without Calories

Due to its low-calorie content, Shirataki, also known as Konnyaku, has acquired favor outside of Japan as a weight-loss food.
Konjac yam makes thin, translucent pasta high in nutritional fiber, low in carbohydrates, and soft in calories. Also, this is one of the different types of Japanese noodles.
Furthermore, Sukiyaki, nikujaga, and other cooked foods frequently include noodles. Pasta can also be drained, dried, and roasted to minimize bitterness and give it a consistency commonly used in soups and sauces.

9. Wafu Pasta

Wafu Pasta is a Japanese pasta that is similar to Italian pasta. Although it's called "pasta," it's essentially a noodle. Between noodles and pasta, there are some distinctions.
Wafu pasta is made from durum wheat or other types of flour and cereals or grains. The flour is mixed with water or an egg and shaped into stands. It all started in a Tokyo restaurant called Kabenoana in 1953.
Wafu pasta is stirred with sweetened rice wine, Dashi broth, soy sauce, butter, and mushrooms such as Shimeiji and Shiitake after it has been cooked. So, if you want to create it at home, feel free to use anything you have on hand.

10. Yasikoba- Fried Noodles

Yakisoba is a beautiful noodle dish that is stir-fried—pork and vegetables such as onions, carrots, cabbage, salt, pepper, and Yakisoba sauce. Beni Shoga, Aonori, mayonnaise, and Katsuobushi can all be used as toppings.
Yakisoba is made by sauteing a form of Chinese noodles known as "Chuukamen," pork, vegetables, and a special sauce. The noodles are made of wheat flour rather than buckwheat, despite the name.
Furthermore, You can find yakisoba throughout Japan at food stalls, fairs, and festivals (matsuri). It's also known as "Yakisoba Pan" and may be found in convenience stores. Also, the vendors frequently serve stir-fried noodles in bread or hot dog buns.

11. Tokoroten- Seaweed Noodles

Tokoroten is an agarophytic algae-based pasta that the Japanese have consumed for over a thousand years. Also, Tokoroten was frequently consumed in the Edo region after being introduced to Japan by China during the Nara period.
Furthermore, Traditionally, the pasta was created by boiling tengusa and served immediately. You can identify the appearance of kanten, jelly, or agar-agar through freezing. Tokoroten noodles were made as a result of their strong resistance.
Moreover, Tokoroten can be served either warm or cold. It's finest served as spaghetti with a blend of vinegar and soy sauce and nori, pepper, and sesame seeds.
Tokoroten is done as a dessert with kuromitsu in the Kansai region. Without a doubt, this is one of the different types of Japanese noodles.

12. Instant Noodles

Instant noodle is a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Also, Instant noodles appear to be available in every country.
Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin, was the first to invent this noodle in Japan. They come in a variety of tastes and varieties.
There are two types of instant noodles based on price. Some of them are inexpensive, costing between 100 and 200 Yen. Instant noodles will be more expensive if they have additional toppings. Their costs vary between 200 and 350 Yen.
Furthermore, the flavor of instant noodles is excellent. Everyone loves them since they simply take a few minutes to prepare.
They do, however, contain a significant amount of sodium, fat, and other unhealthy ingredients. Also, this is one of the different types of Japanese noodles that are not highly recommended for consumption.

13. Chanpon- Pasta Cooked in Soup

Chanpon is a noodle dish from Nagasaki. In Japan, Korea, and China, there are several variants. Chinese cuisine was the source of inspiration for this meal. Pork, shellfish, and vegetables are fried in fat and served in a bone broth.
Furthermore, the chanpon is served with noodle soup. Because the pasta is cooked with the soup, only one pan is required, unlike other ramen recipes. The components and the flavor vary depending on the season, place, and situation.

14. Shirataki- Konjac Yam Noodles

It's fantastic to be able to eat noodles without worrying about gaining weight! If you enjoy that type of experience, I recommend Shirataki. "Ito-Konnyaku" is another name for it.
Because the konjac yam is very low in calories and carbs, it also contains a high amount of fiber.
Furthermore, Shirataki is available in both dry and moist forms. In a liquid, wet Shirataki simmer. If you acquire this variant, deodorize the noodle by washing them before cooking. You can keep it for up to a year.
Sukiyaki (hot pot), Nikujyaga (meat and potato stew), and other dishes are made using this noodle in Japan. After draining and drying the noodle, they also roast them. Noodles lose their bitterness when they are roasted. They then serve it with sauce or soup.

15. Sanuki Udon

Sanuki Udon is a Kagawa Prefecture Udon variation. It was given that name because Kagawa's previous name was "Sanuki."
Sanuki Udon is distinguished by its noodle strands. They're square and have a chewy texture. Dried infant sardines make up the broth.
In addition, this is one of the different types of Japanese noodles that we use two methods to serve. Also, they can directly pour the broth into the boiling strands and eat it like regular noodle soup. Alternatively, they can dip the strands in a broth-based dipping sauce.

16. Toshikoshi Soba- New year's Eve Noodles

Every Japanese person eats Toshikoshi Soba on New Year's Eve. It is a symbol of endurance and strength. This is a classic Soba noodle. It is made with the essential ingredients of Soba noodles.
Eating soba on New Year's Eve dates back to the Edo Period. People eat it to wish for a happy, tranquil existence.
Because the noodles are easy to break apart, they give people the impression that they have overcome adversity during the year.
Also, Dashi broth is used in the soup. Only chopped scallions are used as a garnish. You can also add raw eggs, Tempura, and Kamaboko fish cakes to make them tastier.

Hi all. I'm a bi male who had two recent encounters with two other males. One was three weeks ago and the last one was 12 days ago. I am an absolute idiot. I was the insertive partner in both occasions. Of the first encounter I don't know their HIV status and of the last encounter they said they were HIV negative and on PrEP. I know the likelihood is still small in spite of my needlessly stupid risky behaviour (0.04-0.2% of contracting HIV with a HIV-positive partner if you are the top), but I can't stop shaking the idea of having HIV.
I started developing symptoms 4 days after the last encounter, which was a zit on my chest. I started spiralling thinking it is HIV, so I booked a an appointment for a HIV RNA test (14 days after first encounter, 6 days after last encounter) and it came back negative.
However, I started developing a mildly sore throat, a mild headache, got two more zits on my chest/nose and experience itchiness over my arm, legs and chest (no rash). I have no fever (37.0 with an ear thermometer). My roommates caught a cold and have sore throats as well. The zits could be acne and I notice the itchiness mainly acting up when I stress about it.
I booked a new appointment for an HIV RNA test two weeks after my last encounter, but I have such a hard time dealing with the anxiety of maybe having HIV. I also booked an appointment to test after 30 days with a combination test.
I just can't stop spiralling into the anxiety. I vow to never do stupid unsafe shit like this ever again. Especially around the stigma of having it and having to take a daily pill.

My friend got married recently to a man she didn't know for very long. We were a bit concerned but he seemed absolutely lovely and treats her very well. We're in our early to late 30s, the vast majority of our group of friends are married, and she really wanted to settle down. So she did.
When they first got married, I noticed him staring at me from across the room on one or two movie night occasions. I did my best to ignore it and stare at the screen instead because I didn't want to start anything. I told myself that he was looking for an opportunity to get to know me better on behalf of my friend and that maybe I just wasn't ready to open the door on those occasions.
Whenever I see him, he gives me a really intense hug that basically has all my lady parts squeezed up against him. This is super inappropriate to me because, like I said, I barely know him. There are very few men I know who I hug like that, and those would be family or friends I've known since I was a teen. But it could just be me being a prude?
He's also started messaging me privately. I only have one male in our circle that I regularly message, who I've known from high school and who is married to my sister. My BIL. We exchange animal memes and humorous things. Again, I can't tell if I'm being unduly cold but I just find it weird that my friend's new husband messages me directly when I barely know him.
To be fair, he tried to organise a date night with them and my husband and I but my husband is forever busy so I had to cancel.
I feel uncomfortable but know I can't say anything about it without my friend getting defensive. I don't want to imply anything or insult anyone. Am I being unfair in my assessment? Do I need to chill? Could someone talk some sense into me?

Hi all. I'm a bi male who had two recent encounters with two other males. One was three weeks ago and the last one was 12 days ago. I am an absolute idiot. I was the insertive partner in both occasions. Of the first encounter I don't know their HIV status and of the last encounter they said they were HIV negative and on PrEP. I know the likelihood is still small in spite of my needlessly stupid risky behaviour (0.04-0.2% of contracting HIV with a HIV-positive partner if you are the top), but I can't stop shaking the idea of having HIV.
I started developing symptoms 4 days after the last encounter, which was a zit on my chest. I started spiralling thinking it is HIV, so I booked a an appointment for a HIV RNA test (14 days after first encounter, 6 days after last encounter) and it came back negative.
However, I started developing a mildly sore throat, a mild headache, got two more zits on my chest/nose and experience itchiness over my arm, legs and chest (no rash). I have no fever (37.0 with an ear thermometer). My roommates caught a cold and have sore throats as well. The zits could be acne and I notice the itchiness mainly acting up when I stress about it.
I booked a new appointment for an HIV RNA test two weeks after my last encounter, but I have such a hard time dealing with the anxiety of maybe having HIV. I also booked an appointment to test after 30 days with a combination test.
I just can't stop spiralling into the anxiety. I vow to never do stupid unsafe shit like this ever again. Especially around the stigma of having it and having to take a daily pill.

I posted this in the CFS sub, but I read here sometimes, in case anyone has any improvements themselves or to learn what worked for people.
I'm not claiming to have long-covid, but I do have ME/CFS, which I think many people do have here so I'm posting it here too for those people. I had no gut related issues / I have no experience with pain or neuropathy or any other long covid symptoms that are not ME/CFS.
Given that my situation and the situation of many people here are pretty much the same, I'm sure there's some benefit to posting. After all, I sometimes gain from reading posts here.
22M
Slow onset, which started hardly noticable when i was 20 years old. Came on over the span of 6 + months. At the time, I was exercising 15 hrs / week, working 40 hrs / week and doing a degree at the same time. It's possible my body accumulated so much stress that it just shut down, and that onset my CFS. I believe I had a preventable case if it was caught early, something 1 - 3 months of rest could've corrected, but I was experiencing some form of symptoms for almost a year before I recieved a diagnosis and by then it was far too late.
I read this subreddit a lot, mainly looking for recovery information more than anything. Sometimes I comment, but I never post, so I may aswell join in.
I've heard many things out there, that if I prevent crashing, I actually have a good shot at recovery or improvement. One thing for sure, is that the PEM keeps you in it, or can even make you worse. So what if I just stay perfectly within my energy envelope?
Of course, that's easier said than done, it's not an easy task to perfectly avoid PEM, it requires a strict adherence to many things, and not much room for error.
Back in the middle of February 2024, I set out on a mission to do exactly this. My goal is to go 1 year straight without PEM, and to see if I can regain my life back.
I believe I'm milder than many people here, but hopefully my personal experience can induce some thoughts in people here. Any hope is good, after all.
A full history of my symptoms, from my worse days probably last summer, to now are as follows. (some not present anymore, some only in PEM.)
Fatigue Insomnia (I went up to 3 days at a time unable to sleep) Brain Fog Muscle Weakness Breathlessness Headaches Sore Throat POTS Tarchadyia after eating Carbohydrates Dizzyness Light-headedness Tightness of the chest / unable to take a full deep breath Night sweats / constantly hot Wired feeling / inability to relax Sexual Dysfunction (If someone else suffers from ED please tell me because nobody talks about it, it can't just be me)
My starting baseline at the start of the year, in which I had to do to avoid PEM was as follows: 16 hours laying down / in bed to some degree, ~ 3000 steps per day. Unable to work, university from home. Although if I ate particularly garbage food it could be even less than that.
4 months later, avoiding PEM completely:
Today, 11,500 steps, 8 - 9 hours a day in bed. Regular sleeping pattern. Still doing university from home, no work. At baseline, I feel 80% - 90% normal. I tire out quite easily still, and if I do activity too close to bedtime, eat too close to bed time or break from my strict schedule, I can tell. I'm still far from being able to do what I want. I can't be careless at all.
My number one pacing tool without a doubt is my Garmin watch. It's scary how accurate it has been for me at avoiding PEM, and without this, I don't think I could have done it so perfectly.
The changes I made in my life, which has reduced the stress on my body, and improved my HRV according to my Garmin was:
Building my life around sleep. Sleep is the priority. I sleep at the same time every night, no exceptions. Blue-light glasses No technology within 1 hour before bed time Vagus nerve stimulation before bed with TENS device, basically some cheap bootleg neurosym because I can't afford neurosym. 1 hour of stretching each night Not eating at least 3 hours before bed, but generally the further i eat from bedtime, the deeper the rest I get. Keto diet, my body handles carbohydrates so terribly that this was a gamechanger. Acupressure mat Keeping my room as cold as possible I tried ice baths, which at first made me crash. Now I can use them without a crash, but they suck to get in and im not sure how big the benefit is. I think there is some, but perhaps I'll use it again in the future.
All of these things have one common goal, which is to maximise my parasympathetic nervous system, and give me as deep of a rest as possible. It's been very successful so far.
Medications & Supplements I use:
Diphenhydramine 50mg, which I use sparingly for sleep. If I'm concerned a crash is coming or some insomnia develops, I use this. It's addictive and not meant for long-term use so I can't use it all the time. I've dodged some PEM episodes with this though i'm 100% sure of that. It definitely works.
The most impactful:
Magensium Fish Oil for Omega 3s Ashwagandha Vitamin D
Secondary (Not sure how well these work, but I'm using it anyways): Vitamin B12 Vitamin C High Dose Vitamin B1
I was going to wait either 6 months or one year to make a post like this, but I may aswell make it now.
I know this improvement isn't just some luck, because before I stopped getting PEM, and made these changes, I was actually getting progressively worse over time. So this last 4 months is the first time I've actually changed my trajectory.
Any questions below are welcome.

About 2-3 years ago, I started experiencing pain in my back right around where my sciatic nerve is to the right of my tailbone. This pain would cause issues with my legs - numbness, tingling, the works. Per a family members recommendation, I went to a chiropractor for adjustments.
Before I got started, he brought me in and examined by back - we found a lump sitting right in the spot where the pain was coming from. He decided to do an X-Ray amount other general examination procedures. He recommended me some stretches that focused on my neck and back and sent me on my way. A week later, he had me back in and showed me the results.
In hindsight, I should have seen the red flag waving the day he sat me down in a room, and did what felt like a sales pitch over a copy of my X-Ray. He explained that the way I used my neck was causing stress on my lower back - essentially because I was looking down at my phone so much, I was unintentionally putting a lot of pressure on my lower spine. This made some sense given that he had given me stretches and exercises that checked out with what he was saying. Oh how naive I was. Before he sent me on my way, I asked about the odd lump by my tailbone. He looked me dead in the face and told me it was my bone jutting out due to being so out of alignment. Fast forward to the front desk, and now I'm booking weekly appointments. Keep in mind, I had no referral from a medical professional, they got no record of my medical history, only my name and card number to charge me.
For nearly 3 months I found myself in weekly - sometimes twice a week for adjustments. I always left the office a little dazed and a bit sore, but thought nothing of it. Over the residing weeks I started to notice my pain actually getting worse. My lower back made no improvements, and I began feeling pain in my neck that radiated up to my skull. After a few weeks of on and off appointments, I met with another doctor, who brought my in for what they called "physical therapy screening" - something along those lines.
I sat in an office as this man talked down to me - implying that if I stopped attending my appointments that I would see my pains come back (even though they never actually went away). After using what I recognize now as scare tactics, he tried to get me to pay for the entire length of my treatment in one go, when prior I had been paying per visit. Red flag flying high at this point. After leaving that appointment, I turned tail and never went back.
Following my appointments I began getting migraines. At first, it was maybe once a week. Then twice a week. Soon, I had migraines that lasted days on end. I found myself living in what felt light twilight - I was simply existing between my headaches. It got so bad I would throw up from them, and end up delirious, unable to function at times, things like opening drawers, holding utensils, or moving my mouse on my computer. After a few months of this partnered with my back pain, I decided to confine in my practitioner. They sent me to a spine specialist. I told her my issues and she did a thorough screening of my lump. When I told her my story about the chiropractor, she gave me a look that screamed "oh shit". She sent me to get an MRI.
I go through the works, get my MRI. It takes a few months before I can get in and get my results. Low and behold, the lump is NOT my bone. It's a Lipoma. Sitting on my sciatic nerve. My back pain was not due to my neck. It was a damn Lipoma the whole time. Everything made sense, the nerve pain, lack of help from hot or cold, everything.
So what about my neck?
Well, this appointment was almost a year ago exactly. Due to some issues with insurance promptly following my MRI results, I have almost no coverage now, where before I was fully covered. I had to go to a clinic for a rough UTI and even the physician looked at my insurance and said she had never seen such an awful plan. Because of this, I can't afford the out-of-pocket costs for treatments I need.
I have been recommended to get the Lipoma removed - I'm just waiting for the insurance to kick in before I do so. I cannot get further screening done because I don't have coverage. I get headaches every other day still, and neck pain is a constant for me. I can't count how many days I have lost because I was completely incapacitated. My pain runs my life, and I am waiting until I get better insurance to do anything about it.
TL;DR - My chiropractor misdiagnosed me, sales pitched me, and made my pain worse. I get migraines and headaches almost daily now when I got them once a month IF THAT before.

Given that you are experiencing a wide range of symptoms associated with chronic Lyme disease, including a history of a bullseye rash (erythema migrans) which is a hallmark of Lyme disease, it is important to seek medical attention promptly.
Here's a summary of your reported symptoms:

1. Fatigue
2. Joint pain and swelling
3. Muscle aches
4. Headaches
5. Cognitive issues (e.g., memory problems, difficulty concentrating)
6. Sleep disturbances
7. Neurological problems (e.g., numbness, tingling, facial palsy)
8. Heart issues (e.g., palpitations, chest pain)
9. Mood changes (e.g., anxiety, depression)
10. Fever and chills (in the past)
11. Swollen lymph nodes
12. Eye inflammation or vision changes
13. Sensitivity to light
14. Neck stiffness
15. Digestive problems (e.g., nausea, abdominal pain)
16. Dizziness or imbalance
17. Shortness of breath (maybe)
18. Rash (bullseye in the past)
19. Flu-like symptoms

These symptoms suggest a possible Lyme disease infection that may have progressed to a chronic state. It is crucial to get a thorough evaluation from a healthcare provider who can perform the necessary tests and provide an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. If Lyme disease is confirmed, early and adequate treatment can help manage symptoms and prevent complications.

Hi all, I'm currently 21 weeks. This morning I was just chilling in bed and my heart rate randomly spiked. It spiked to 145bpm.
It wasn't a panic attack and my blood pressure was fine.
I felt a little cold and shaky, and my palms were sweaty afterwards. The episode lasted for a few minutes and then my heart rate decreased. It took about 15 - 20 mins for it to be normal.
My obygyn is informed about this since it's the 3rd time it has happened in the span of 3 weeks. He has ordered a sonar of my heart, but he doesn't believe that it is serious.
Has anyone had epsiodes like this? I feel fine after the episode, I' just wondering what this annoying symptom might be?

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It had been a few weeks since Altier was brought to the run-down shack that his black-scaled companion likely called home, and he could now comfortably say he was accustomed to the…household’s routine. The kobold typically left at the crack of dawn, returned a little after noon, and occasionally left again to forage until nightfall. When the weather was bad or there wasn’t a particular need for something, they half-heartedly chased their rabbit around for a bit, which usually ended with a bout of quiet petting while everyone got ready for the night. It was always amusing to see the energetic side of what he had come to know as a relatively lazy loaf of an animal. As for the routine of the ferrorabbit in question… Well…it was at least more interesting than expected.
Hoppit would begin his own series of activities as soon as his caretaker left—the first of which being a check of every nook and cranny in the shed. He sniffed at anything that caught his interest, varying from morning to morning, but he gave every object or corner its due attention. Once he was satisfied with that, he would eat some of the ragged plants that made up most of his diet, take a drink from his bowl, then jump onto the tro— table and plop himself down, his ears pivoting towards the door. It was hard to say if the lounging spot had been established before Altier’s arrival, but it was somewhat amusing to pretend that the little rabbit was standing guard over his core—if it wasn’t for one particular part of the morning ritual, that is.
Indeed, the ferrorabbit had a habit of licking the obsidian orb that sat in the middle of the room, which thankfully didn’t seem to perturb the system enough to give Altier a headache. He was confused when it first happened, but it was commonplace enough now that he barely acknowledged it. A part of him liked that he was getting attention as a core, even if it was delivered via a strange grooming method. The closest he got to being acknowledged as something other than ‘the dungeon’ was through an unfortunate misunderstanding that he could never properly rectify. He supposed that was hardly worth thinking about now, though; too much time had passed for there to be anyone left to correct. The little oddity of his mornings would have to suffice.
There wasn’t much to comment on as far as the rest of the day’s happenings. Hoppit would end his loafing by shaking his head and ears in a way that filled the silence with soft clacks, give the core a customary tongue bath, then jump off the table to nose his way out of the shed through a hole that was hidden by the storage cart against the wall. Where the rabbit went was anyone’s guess, but he always returned before anyone noticed he was gone, and often did so while covered in small cuts and scratches. Any blood from the lacerations was quickly licked off before it could be seen by the kobold, and in the event that the scaly caretaker happened to return earlier than expected, Hoppit would scurry over to the bundles of blankets to finish the cleanup in secret.
Today looked to be following the usual pattern. The kobold left bright and early with various gardening tools and a wooden pail, and Hoppit had since set off into the great unknown for one reason or another. Hopefully, he returned less injured than usual. It was frustrating to admit that Altier had begun to grow rather fond of the fluffy creature, and seeing the thing come back hurt was bothersome. Was it off looking for food? There wasn’t a whole lot given to it, so that was a possibility, and it could be getting into fights over whatever it found. That still didn’t explain why the animal was so thin, and Altier didn’t have enough to go off of to think of a potential solution. He wanted to help it in some way, like by summoning a creature to act as an escort, or maybe just by manifesting something edible like he once could. No, he could only stare at the ‘Synchronizing…’ that occupied his menu, wishing he had more information to work with.
He never thought he would miss the bombardment of notifications and their lingering presence that filled the edge of his mental vision; at least with that he could surmise enough to hazard some kind of action. Even knowing why the menu was acting the way it did would be a start. Yet, try as he might, there wasn’t a history for him to reference anymore, and he had nothing to work with. He was confident the last message had asked him to ‘accept’ something, then took his befuddled ponderance as an answer, but he was no closer to an explanation for what it wanted, nor why it prompted him in the first place. He just didn’t have another experience to compare against, since nothing like that had ever happened before. Not that he was ever in much of a position to allow it.
The entire purpose of having Altier inhabit a core was for him to become a dungeon of Decay, which entailed all the skeletons, poisons, acids, and whatever else came to mind when one pictured the concept. ‘Living’ creatures were something he only had the chance to experiment with near the beginning of his new existence, though he never dabbled past the first few insects before transitioning to the mindless undead. Having a thinking, feeling, breathing entity touch his core was a rite reserved only for the adventurers and soldiers that bested his trials, and that was usually a painful experience. Now, he had spent what he could only guess was hours being held by a kobold, followed by having a rabbit bump against him, and neither felt like what he came to expect. Instead, both had led to a completely novel reaction from the system. The strange circumstances put him at a bit of a loss as to what it all meant for him.
Sure, he could dismiss the deluge of errors from his companion’s involvement by pointing to the numerous ‘corrupted’ messages before it, and Hoppit was a part of mostly unexplored territory, but the lack of clarity nagged at the back of his mind constantly. Being exposed to activity after potential decades or centuries of unchanging solitude made him despise the informational dead end. If he couldn’t make sense of the rabbit’s circumstances, then he didn’t have much hope of deciphering the reason for why his system was misbehaving so terribly. He also didn't know much about the one who owned the decrepit holdings he was housed inside.
He still wasn’t sure what drove the kobold to take him from the cave. His suspicion of becoming traded goods fell flat after the first week or so, and he hadn’t noticed any cult-like behaviour, which was promising. Granted, a lack of nefarious behaviour didn’t mean there was a lack of nefarious intent, but he didn’t get the impression his companion held that either. The kobold itself didn’t seem quite settled on an opinion of his core, though it was up for debate if the hesitation was due to knowing what he was or not. They seemed to mull something over before bed each night, yet never reached a satisfactory conclusion, staring at the obsidian orb through weary grey eyes until they eventually forced themselves into sleep.
Whatever the underlying reasoning for his abduction was, he had observed enough to know that the kobold didn’t deserve to live in destitution. As beaten as the shed might be, they cared for it as best they could, and did so without a single groan or grimace of complaint. The floors were cleaned with a tattered rag and fresh water, dust was removed regularly, and any stray mess that Hoppit made was dealt with promptly. They even took the time to wipe off his core, which was possibly where the ferrorabbit got the idea to start licking him. The only time Altier had seen discontent from the kobold was when they didn’t find much during their foraging, and thus couldn’t give any treats to the excited and bouncy herbivore.
He wasn’t aware that a creature’s face could make such a painfully broken expression, and he was quick to decide that he never wanted to see it again.
Vexingly, his metaphorical hands were tied; a dungeon could only influence their Domain, and given the state of his system, not even that option was available to him. All he could do was glare at the rotting wooden beams that held up the roof and remember when such an issue didn’t exist. It would have taken a mere flicker of thought and a paltry sum of mana to mend the struts when he was a proper dungeon. He could even outright reinforce the structure by weaving in other materials, leaving the appearance as it was while making everything stronger than iron. Well, he once could. Working with other affinities was something that came to him after absorbing the coloured motes left behind by adventurers, and the accursed stone that stole his mana had taken that ability as well.
An attempt was made anyway, his will ordering the deteriorated wood to absorb any trace metals from the ground, but it was no use. He couldn’t feel the iron or stones beneath the shed like he would have been able to before, all but confirming his suspicion that his connection to the Earth element had slipped away. Nature was much the same; the only way he knew when Hoppit had returned most days was from the subtle noise and the essence of injury. The other attributes—Air, Flame, Luma, Shadow, and so on—were ones he never experimented with to any real extent, so it was less noticeable when he lost his grasp on them. Perhaps they faded early. Either way, all he had left was a waning cognizance of his own alignment, and that wasn’t of much use to him. If he had any appreciable mana income, then perhaps he could do something, but he wasn’t even sure what the upkeep of his current Domain might be. It was entirely possible that he was running on a deficit, which would offer a reason for why his system had been so—
[Do#$@n Ex@#d$%^&d! CRe@#r H-H-H-HoPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP—]
[Errrrrrr—]
[Sy$%^hroni%^$zing…]
[Creeee-tu— Hoppit ha@$ esttttb-hed terrrrrrr-ity f^#% t$e dun@&$n!]
- - - - -
“Well then,” he mumbled to himself, taking in the strange scene behind the shed. For one, he could actually view a small distance beyond the structure now, and two, there was a rather proud-looking Hoppit sitting on his haunches before a pair of significantly less prideful examples of the species. They looked quite a bit bigger than the lazy loaf Altier had come to know, yet they were more cut up and dejected than his furry friend. That answered where the injuries had been coming from, he supposed. Hoppit was probably running off to bash heads with whatever animal population existed here beforehand, and they had only just reached a consensus on who was in charge. Impressive.
One of Hoppit’s ears turned back towards the shed, his head following suit as he gave a lagomorph’s approximation of a ‘Look what I did!’ smile. Altier blanked out mentally, but didn’t have time to question anything before the new leader of the local rabbits imperiously pointed a paw towards the surrounding forest, which was equally surreal to witness. Most surprising of all, the…subordinates? The other ferrorabbits did as commanded, keeping their forms small as they took off into the foliage. Soft clacks came from Hoppit’s pleased shake of his head, then he too left the area with only a slightly lopsided bounce to his stride.
The man-turned-core could only gape at what he saw. Were animals always so…expressive? Had Hoppit heard him? What in the world was happening? Why had Hoppit’s personal conquest led to Altier’s Domain expanding?
He lamented not having fingers, nor temples to rub with them. His system was a garbled mess of errors and inconsistent messages, his residence was falling apart at the seams, his companion was someone who abducted him from the dungeon, yet never did anything past that, and his first real experience with an animal was turning out to be more confusing than he thought possible.
All of this was after an unknown amount of time spent commanding legions of undead to strengthen the very people who he would later learn had lied to and manipulated him, making him into a nightmarish entity just to bolster the power of their forces. He almost missed the days spent gazing out of a mossy window. At least then he knew what to expect.
Nothing made sense anymore.
= = = = =
The soft sound of roots ripping free from soil suddenly stopped, only to be followed by a dull thud of Ceele’s palm slapping against the ground to catch her fall before she landed on her rear. She righted herself with her tail and tossed the stubborn weed into a pile with the others. No matter how many mornings she did this, they always seemed to replace themselves faster than she could remove the pesky things. A sigh slipped from her muzzle as she set about grabbing the next one embedded in the vegetable garden.
Aches and spreading stiffness flared up, but went ignored as she neared the end of her duties, though she was well aware that they would come back with force once she tried to settle down for the day. The impending soreness was an inevitable byproduct of spending so much time working. Still, she knew that if it wasn’t for the kindly old couple that allowed her to call their shed home, she would still be sleeping beneath the stars while making sure nothing tried to get at her Hoppit. Even if it was just a part of the deal, they were owed this much in return, and she would see it done properly.
The sun bore down on her back as she did her usual tasks, which was a departure from the slightly overcast weather as of late. It looked somewhat promising when she checked in the wee hours of the morning, yet as her gardening duties dragged on, so too did the intensity of such a clear sky. A disappointed glance at the empty wooden bucket on the edge of the field was quickly corrected. She hadn’t thought to refill it at the river after watering the crops, and her parched throat was making its protests known, while also reminding her that there wasn’t much water left at home either. One more thing to take care of when she was done.
A gruff cough brought her attention towards the old kobold resting his back against a tree some distance away, safely shaded from the unforgiving rays beaming down. Her displeasure at having yet more to do was hastily wiped away. She was undecided on what to think of the detached audience, but looking so sour while upholding her side of the agreement wouldn’t reflect well on her. Hopefully, he hadn’t seen it. Not that she could tell if he did; he always had the same expression when he watched her work. The elder kobold’s arms were crossed, a finger tapping absently against his bicep, while his tail sat motionless on the grass, the muddy red colour of his scales standing out amongst the greens and browns. ‘Makis,’ was his name, assuming her memory served.
Makis had taken to observing her every so often, usually propping himself against this or that at a distance, the unwavering scowl being as unnerving as it was belying of his age. Somewhat loose skin sagged a bit around his jowls and neck, yet the rest of his face was still taut from how much time he spent examining red-hot metal, and his arms were marred with countless burns and cuts from his profession. He held an oppressive aura, though the crinkles around his eyes and muzzle suggested he smiled as frequently as he glowered, even if Ceele was yet to see the former. There was only the same judgmental expression aimed at her when he was around. She could only hope that he didn’t take offence to some unintended slight, but she didn’t know him well enough to say what might be considered one.
They hadn’t spoken since she took up residence on the outskirts of his land. His wife was the one to introduce them, but it was quickly established that he had no intention of being a chatty individual. He led Ceele to the shed hidden amongst the trees on the edge of the property, then dismissed her with only a grunt coming from the elderly kobold. She supposed that it was for the best. Her experience in socializing was centred around convincing others to employ her, and there hadn’t been much of an opportunity to expand her horizons while living a life on the road. If that had been the end of their interactions, she would have swiftly written the terseness off, but he appeared every few days, taking up residence beneath the shade as he watched her work, never speaking a single word. At least he didn’t openly protest her presence, yet she figured that would be easier to manage. He wouldn’t be such an enigma then.
There wasn’t a whole lot she knew about him besides his penchant for ‘supervision,’ and anything beyond that was what his wife had volunteered during the rare opportunity they had to chat. She was told that Makis worked the smithy out front, and although he had retired from doing so in an official capacity, she could still regularly hear his hammer as she tended to the garden, so she figured he kept himself busy most days. It made her wonder what was so interesting about a vagrant like herself, but when there was so little else to do, she could see how anything could be made worth the attention. It was just him and his wife living in the once bustling home, after all; the couple’s children had long since grown up and made families of their own.
She noticed his gaze shift elsewhere as she tugged yet another stubborn intruder from the soil, his arms falling from across his chest and the perpetually worn displeasure melting to that of curiosity. He wandered off shortly after, and she had to make an effort not to fall onto her tail as the pressure on her shoulders unexpectedly evaporated. Did something happen?
Ceele shook her head free of the distracting thought. It wasn’t her business if he grew bored with watching her work. As long as no one voiced any complaints, she could only assume that she was doing a satisfactory job. Maybe he finally decided that he didn’t need to be so watchful because she was doing well! That could be it, right?
A glance at the somewhat sloppily maintained garden erased the false confidence from her face, but she was just as quick to focus on finishing up, unwilling to allow darker musings to fester. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anything else that needed her intervention. The weeds were all uprooted, the soil was appropriately dampened, and her check for pesky insects or wildlife turned up nothing to worry about. She was free for the rest of the day!
…Or she would be free—as soon as she finished the last of her tasks, anyway.
The black-scaled kobold got up from her crouch unsteadily, shivering and wincing from the pins and needles in her legs. She would have to remember to stretch more often; it was far too easy to forgo that kind of thing just to make the overall work go slightly faster. Her hand reached out to grab the pile of weeds and put them into the bucket as she ran through what needed to be done before she could properly relax. Hoppit’s food needed to be washed, she needed to bathe, and they were running low on water anyway, so she would have to visit the river. Just the thought of dragging herself into the forest again made her muscles protest, but she wouldn’t have the energy to do it later. She forced the smile that had started to fall and took the first of many steps.
- - - - -
The river wasn’t too far away, only taking a few minutes of traipsing through the dense woodlands until she reached her destination. It was an idyllic little spot. The trees thinned out to allow a grassy bank along the water, and there was an appreciably gentle slope from shallows to depths, making for a convenient place to take care of various needs. She had discovered this place during her travels, and it was where a kind older woman found her.
Ceele was washing off at the time, with Hoppit safely taking shelter from the outside underneath the bundled blankets while he waited. The trickle of the stream brushing against rocks covered the sound of footsteps, so she was rather surprised when an aged voice called out to ask if she was okay. Her first reaction was to distance herself and apologize—the why didn’t matter, but she had learned that most people were more lenient of her presence if she seemed apologetic for it, and she usually was. The elderly kobold just laughed at her scrambling, tacking on an assurance that there was no need for modesty. The woman was blind, apparently, which explained how Ceele’s blackened colours hadn’t deterred her.
Strangely enough, there was a comforting sense of ease around the one who introduced herself as Hira. It was a sort of presence that Ceele could only vaguely remember, and it drew her close enough to speak as she finished bathing. The conversation wasn’t anything profound, of course—they hardly delved deeper than surface-level small talk—but Hira lost her smile as she listened to the younger kobold. By the end of it, the old woman posed a series of questions with a dark inflection to her voice, and Ceele struggled to find an answer.
‘Are you tired of looking for something that only slips away? Are you tired of running? Do you really want to be scared and alone?’
If the silence bothered Hira, then it didn’t show. She had simply held out a hand and offered Ceele a way of life that didn’t involve wondering where she would be spending the night, nor entailed cowering in the brush while fearsome predators roamed freely. It would be a simple existence of few fortunes, but it was safe, and it was honest. All she had to do was say yes.
Ceele denied it at first, partially because she knew most people despised Hobbit's species, and partially because she couldn’t shake the offer being too good to be true. Hira was quick to propose a compromise; Ceele could take residence in the gardening shed that had fallen from use, and to satiate the nagging sense of an unfair deal, she would be put in charge of maintaining the garden itself. All Hira wanted was to ‘see’ her favourite space bloom again, since she couldn’t take care of it anymore. The black-scaled kobold stared longingly at where Hoppit was, his little body shivering from the prolonged cold and fear that he would be hurt if he left the blankets hiding him. It was with a heavy guilt that she accepted Hira’s offer, keeping quiet about her true reason for doing so.
That was in the past, however, though she thought about it every time she stopped by and saw the smooth rocks where she and Hira first met. Eventually, she might gather the courage to admit that she was housing a ‘pest’ and beg for forgiveness. Until then, she would just work her hardest to prove it wasn’t a mistake to give her a home. That her endless efforts weren’t meaningless. That Hoppit deserved to be more than a ‘pest.’
That Ceele was more than something she had no control over being.
She cleared her head a bit and started on the reason she came all this way. Her dress was rather easy to wash in the meandering water, and the trees provided a suitable place for it to dry in the sunlight and light breeze. The weeds were fine with a thorough rinse near in the shallows, but taking care of her own hygiene required her to wade farther in, though it only came up to her chest in the middle of the rill. Still, she could scrub off the soil and grime, which was all she really needed. Perhaps some simple soaps would help rid her of the pervasive black that stained her skin and scales, but that was beyond her meagre means for the time being, as well as being mere wishful thinking.
She worked past the dreary mindset that settled in when she allowed it, focusing on how serene the river was. The soft birdsong from the trees helped make for a peaceful experience, and she could feel the somewhat chilled liquid basically pour into the aches and pains throughout her body, washing away the stiffness from spending so long under the unerring sun. It was nice to escape reality and let thoughts drift while held buoyant by calmer waters.
Yet the bliss was short-lived. Even if winter was gone, spring was still far from warming the waters enough for her to laze about for too long. She dragged herself from the soft current and fetched her dress from the low-lying branch she left it to dry on. It was still a touch damp, but it wasn’t anything a bit of time in front of the fireplace wouldn’t fix.
Ceele was only a short distance away from home when she heard a gravelly male voice, but it was the flicker of sight between the trees that made her drop what was in her arms and lunge into a sprint.
Makis stood just outside the gardening shed, a ferrorabbit held at arm’s length by rusty crimson hands placed on the scruff and haunch, the rabbit’s little ears flattened as fear filled its tiny face. Her eyes widened further when she noticed the small stains of blood in his light brown fur. They found out about him. Ephemeral claws of blackness clutched at her soul, ripping the very fabric she was made of as an unseen beast smiled, eager to take yet one more thing from her. Her Hoppit. Her baby. Her everything.
“Hoppit!” she shrieked, her words all but tearing out of her throat in desperation. Frozen blood coursed through her veins, yet poured into exhausted limbs. She broke through the treeline with no regard for the branches slashing against her flesh, panic making each sting fade before it could be processed. The grizzled glare of the older kobold snapped towards her, his usual scowl picking up an actual air of intensity that she never thought could be absent, the promise of violence lurking in his eyes. She skidded to a stop a few paces away, the lump in her throat threatening to clog her airway. “S-stop hurting him!”
“Didn’t,” he barked back, his tone even yet firm. “Cuts ain’t me. I’d’a done worse if’a had ta mind ta.”
The blatant declaration snapped her from blind panic, although his apparent anger didn’t do her fear any favours. “B-but… Then how…”
“‘Hoppit.’ Named it, did’cha?” he grunted, ignoring her confusion and bobbing the rabbit to get her attention again. His gaze shifted back to the animal, the flames of ire cooling slightly. “I was wonderin’ why yer plots ain’t dead yet. Suppose this critter’s why.”
One of her hands hesitantly reached out until she pulled it back, while the other clutched at her chest to stop her heart from hammering against her ribs. She couldn’t act rashly. Not while her baby was in his arms. “I—”
“Soft thing, ain’t it,” the elder kobold commented curiously, cutting her off.
“Y-yes?” she returned reluctantly, struggling to stop herself from lashing out to reclaim the ferrorabbit in his grasp.
“Like fine silk.” Makis tipped and tilted the animal, inspecting this and that with a deep-seated frown, all while Hoppit silently looked to her for help. The pit in her stomach grew. She needed to get him back, but how?
Ceele swallowed the dense dread as she tried to formulate some sort of plan, stumbling over her words and forced smile. “I-it’s nice! Isn’t it nice?”
His eyes snapped back to burrow into her own with hatred. “Wasn’t a compliment, girly.”
“B-but you—”
He released Hoppit’s lower half to jab a claw at the various spikes around his body, plying them with minimal force. “Look. See this? These’r suppose ta break bone. ‘Specially when he’s stiff like this. Ain’t no way I should be able ta bend ‘em. He’s barely more than a walkin’ carcass—all skin ‘n stick. He’s gonna get picked up by a wandering pecker if he keeps pissin’ about out ‘ere. It’s a wonder he’s still kickin’. What’cha feeding ‘em?” His gaze dropped from her face to the rest of her, disgust curling his muzzle into a snarl. “N’ver mind. I can guess.”
She felt the dampness build at the edges of her vision, unprepared to not only worry for Hoppit's immediate health, but also to face such harsh criticism while she was so vulnerable. “I… I try to make sure he has…”
Makis crouched to release the ferrorabbit onto the ground, Ceele dropping to her knees the moment he did. The terrified lagomorph wasted no time, bolting towards his adoptive mother and leaping into her arms, shaking uncontrollably. The rust-coloured ‘bold stared as she started soothingly stroking the animal’s back.
“Yer given’ em the weeds, aren’t ya?” he stated rather than asked. She gave a teary nod when her voice wouldn’t respond for her. The old kobold drew a breath, letting it go in an exasperated sigh as he stood back up, his expression becoming more impatient than antagonistic. “What else?”
“I— Um…”
“What. Else?”
“W-whatever I c-can find!” she sputtered out. Hoppit tried to hide against her neck, prompting her to tighten her hold. She couldn’t stop herself from shrinking, the guilt and confusion pulling her head down. “R-roots, vegetables, fruits… I give them as often as I can.”
His glare continued unimpeded, his cadence cold. “That it?”
There were a million things Ceele wanted to say. A part of her wanted to beg him not to kick them out of the first safe place she had in longer than she could remember, but she couldn’t find the words. She wanted to deny the judgmental tone that stabbed into her insecurity surrounding how good of a job she was doing with Hoppit, but the deadened void in her chest swallowed her pride whole. She knew he was right to critique her. That she was failing in the only thing that mattered anymore. That the feeling of loss would return.
“I try,” she whispered through the beginnings of a sob. “I try to find more, but he needs someone around, and I have to work the garden, so there’s only so much time I can spend looking. He won’t even eat all of what I bring back…” Tears dripped off her cheeks as she aimed a desolate smile at her furry friend. “He wants to make sure I have some too.”
“Yer killin’ em,” Makis pointed out plainly, crossing his arms. “He’ll be dead ‘fore the summer at this rate.”
“I know!” she shouted, forcing back the memories of insidious murmurs that lurked in the back of her mind, eager to creep into her ears again. The hate-filled stares that followed her, the rumours that arrived in towns before she had the chance to make an impression, and the guilt that loomed over her like an executioner's axe… “I know I am… I just… I don’t know what he needs. I don’t know how to make him happy…but I try. I’m trying…”
“…Yer an idiot, girly.”
She looked up to see the elder kobold walking away without another word. Her eyes fell to Hoppit, the ferrorabbit pressing himself against her as much as he could. He was small, thin, soft, and growing weaker by the day, but he never let it keep him down for long. No, he always showed his best for her, giving her joy that wasn’t provided anywhere else. She saw the thin cuts and dried blood, though she didn’t know where they came from, nor how he got out of the shed in the first place. But that was okay. Hoppit was okay, and she had Hoppit, so everything was okay, right?
…But how much longer would everything stay okay? How much longer until her efforts weren’t enough, and she was left desperately reaching for fading memories of what once was? How much longer until she killed her baby too?
How much longer until she was alone again?
Soft footsteps drew near, pulling her from the spiralling thoughts that threatened to gnaw at her soul. Damp, blurry eyes fell on Makis returning with a small wooden crate, the older kobold stopping a few steps away. He dropped the box, a deep, rattling thud produced as it impacted the ground, making Hoppit flinch in her arms. Ceele blinked as she kept him calm, then blinked again, looking up at the man for answers.
“The name, girly,” he spat in irritation. “Ferrorabbit. Ther’ Earth aligned creatures; they need metals. They don’t care where they get it, but they need lots of it. Iron, copper, tin, lead—raw crystal, if they can find it. You name it, they’ll take a chunk out of it. It's why they bother farmers so much; the best soil’s usually top’a gem deposits, ‘n the little bastards have no issue burrowing deep to get it. Dries up the element’s energy ‘n makes the crops weak.”
Ceele’s mouth opened and closed, each unsuccessful attempt to speak making her feel smaller and smaller. More and more lost. Why was he telling her this? How did he know? What was in the—
He kicked the crate with the side of his foot. “Scraps. Don’t’cha look at me like that. I’m a smith, girly. I might be old and retired, but I still work a forge. Now, this ain’t anything pure—it’s just slag and hunks—but I’m sure the critter won’t mind. Your little gardenin’ project pays off, ‘n I’ll see which of my contacts can get in some better ore.”
She ripped her eyes away from the box and met the perpetual scowl of the old kobold, seeing a warmth behind the hostility that she had never noticed before. “…Why?”
He scoffed in amusement, which looked somewhat menacing on such a hardened expression. “Yer a touch stupid, girly, but the missus adores ya, ‘n yer a good worker.” A shadow of a smile formed on his face. “Hira spent more evenings asking ‘bout how the plots are doin’ than I got time in the day. She’d bite my head off if I noticed a critter like that sufferin’ and didn’t lend a hand. ‘Specially when it’s obvious you ain’t tryin’ ta hurt the thing.”
“B-but the garden… Isn’t he a problem?”
Makis rolled his eyes, turning with a dismissive wave of his hand. “If he was, he’da killed it by now. I’d say he’s been keepin’ the others clear ‘n got scratched up for the trouble. That’s more reason to feed ‘em right in my eyes; pay the poor bastard his dues.” He paused after a few steps, shooting her one last incredulous glance. “‘N the rabbit’s right. You’re not much better off than he is. Eat. Before the missus takes my head, preferably. I ain’t need ta hear her worryin’ over you more than I already do.”
And with that, he walked off back to the house, leaving Ceele to sit stunned on the ground with Hoppit quietly nuzzling into her.
“Hoppit…?”
The ferrorabbit perked an ear and gently licked her collar. Fresh tears ran rivulets down her face, yet they didn’t weigh her down. They felt freeing. She adjusted her hold on the rabbit and held him out, taking in the small cuts and numerous other injuries she had never noticed before. He stared back at her with worried eyes.
“You’ve been busy, huh?” she cooed quietly, doing her best to keep her voice from cracking. He shrunk in her hands. “I told you to stay home, baby. What if something happened to you? I wouldn’t know where you went, and…”
Her protests died out as she saw what was unmistakably guilt on his little face. She brought him back to her chest and cleared her throat.
“It’s alright, Hoppit. If… If you want to help momma, then we can work together, okay? Just…please don’t go off getting hurt… I don’t know what I’d do without you…” The rabbit didn’t reply, and she was pretty sure she had never heard him make any sounds that weren’t his happy little ear clacks, but she chose to interpret the nuzzling as an agreement. “Such a smart boy…”
She took a breath and wiped off the excess moisture from her cheeks, setting Hoppit down on the ground. “Let’s bring Mr. Makis’ gift in, and then I need to go get more water so we can clean you up, okay?”
He bounced his way to the door of their home, waiting patiently for her to lug the surprisingly heavy crate into the shed. He was even still behaving himself by the time she returned from picking up the things she dropped in her haste. There wasn’t a single protest from the ferrorabbit as she washed over his wounds with warm water, nor when she asked him to wait as she cut up a small salad for him using an extra portion of her rationed vegetables. Finally, once everything else was gone, she tentatively sifted through the box until she found a chunk of something that didn’t look so sharp, then offered it to Hoppit skeptically.
As startling as it was to see him bite through metal without issue, she couldn’t help but tear up again at how pleased he looked with the bizarre addition to his diet. He munched through the first piece, then stared at the box while pawing at the air, asking for more. She obliged through wet laughs, feeling lighter than she had since he first gazed at her from his burrow, alone and afraid, just like she was.
Her little baby was happy, and that made it okay.
Next
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A/N: Thank you to my Patrons, new and returning! No Thanks, Emmanuel, and Megathor join the others who get to read 1 chap ahead!

Hello everyone, 39F from a European country. My story is very similar to yours, I'm here because I need to learn how to eat again!
Since my teenage years, I have been a vegetarian/almost vegan for different periods, and then completely from 2017 until September 2023, when I started eating some fish again. In the last two years, I had noticed an accelerated decline in my physical well-being: constant fatigue, frequent headaches, dull skin, unmanageable anxiety, thinner and frizzier hair at the roots, and increased floaters. I also had a significant weight gain (I’ve never been very light in general) because I was always unsatisfied with what I was eating, so I would resort to carbs, pizza, pasta, and sweets, even though I prefer salty foods.
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, after yet another strong craving for salami, I decided to start eating meat again. I live in a place famous for its meats (both red meat and cold cuts), and I have eaten a bit of everything.
It might be a placebo effect, but in the last two days, I have noticed having much more energy, like I haven't had in years. I haven't had any stomach or intestinal problems with any meat I've eaten, nor with fresh milk (I usually drank soy milk).
TLDR: The problem is that I no longer know how to eat. A 100% carnivore diet scares me a bit because I still have a "Mediterranean diet" mindset, but I feel a bit lost.
I think I want to eat low carb, but then what? How did you relearn how to eat? Do you have any advice? Or could you suggest some YouTube or Instagram accounts for inspiration?
Thank you in advance! <3

As if in response to his words, the rain began to pour down in torrents. I scanned the area frantically, searching for shelter from the deluge. My eyes landed on a nearby gazebo, its roof providing a semblance of protection from the elements. I pointed it out to Lily and Mark, and without hesitation, we hurried over and huddled together beneath its flimsy shelter.
As we stood there, trying to formulate a plan, I couldn't help but notice the water cascading down from the mountaintop, converging into streams that flowed ominously toward the town below.
"It's going to flood," I stated, my voice trembling with uncertainty. I racked my brain, desperately trying to devise a course of action in the face of impending disaster.
Lily shot me a look of concern, her brows furrowed with worry, while Mark's head whipped around in my direction, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief.
"What? How do you know?" Mark demanded, his voice cracking with anxiety.
"Look," I replied, pointing towards the only road leading in and out of the town situated atop the mountain.
As Lily and Mark turned to follow my gaze, their eyes widened in horror. The road had transformed into a raging torrent, resembling more of a waterfall than a thoroughfare.
"Fuck," Mark muttered under his breath, his voice heavy with dread.
"We have to find somewhere elevated, away from the ground," I insisted, scanning our surroundings for potential refuge.
"There!" Lily exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards the Library, which was not far in the distance. Perched on the side of the mountain, it was accessible only via a flight of stairs. Its elevated position promised some degree of safety from the rising waters, and its sturdy roof offered protection from the relentless downpour.
"Okay, let's go!" I declared, breaking into a sprint towards the Library. The building was within reach after just a few minutes of brisk running. As I reached the steps, water cascaded down from above, creating a makeshift waterfall that made the climb treacherous but manageable. Determinedly, I ascended the stairs, each step bringing me closer to safety.
As I reached the top of the stairs and glanced back down, my heart sank at the sight of Lily and Mark still struggling to reach safety. "Let's go! Hurry!" I shouted over the din of the storm, my voice barely audible amidst the howling winds and pounding rain.
Lily dashed towards me with determination, but Mark remained rooted in the spot, paralyzed by fear.
"Mark, come on! Let's go!" I urged, my voice tinged with urgency. But just then, a deafening roar echoed through the valley, freezing us all in our tracks. It was the same roar we'd heard earlier. Still, now it was closer and had a chilling amalgamation of animalistic cries and human-like roars, resonating with an eerie intensity.
Breaking free from the spell of terror, I shouted again, "Come on, Mark! You're almost here!"
As Lily struggled against the rising tide of the cascading water coming down the stairs, I reached out to her, my hand extended in a desperate attempt to pull her to safety. She stumbled, but I managed to grasp her arm and haul her up the rest of the steps.
Glancing down, I saw Mark finally lurch into motion, his movements labored as he fought against the now ankle-deep water. With every step, he seemed to expend what little energy he had left.
"Mark, you can do it! Just a little further!" Lily's voice echoed through the storm, urging him on.
But as Mark neared the stairs, the water flowing down the steps surged with newfound force, threatening to sweep him away. With a burst of adrenaline, he pushed himself forward, his fingers grazing mine for a fleeting moment before the current overwhelmed him.
Helplessly, Lily and I watched as Mark was carried downstream, his screams of terror echoing through the valley. And then, as if summoned by the chaos, a monstrous figure appeared out of the shadows in the street.
Standing tall and menacing amid the storm, it was like something out of a nightmare. A grotesque fusion of man and beast, its black fur matted and patchy, its human-like face contorted into a snarling, canine visage.
As the creature locked eyes with Mark, it lunged forward with terrifying speed, its massive form crashing down upon him in a flurry of claws and fangs. Mark's screams pierced the night air, a haunting symphony of agony and despair that sent shivers down my spine.
Unable to bear the horror unfolding before us, Lily turned away, her face twisted in anguish as she fought back tears. As the creature dragged Mark into the darkness, I felt a cold chill run down my spine, a chilling reminder of the darkness within the heart of the Raven's Nest.
As I watched in horror, the creature tore into Mark's body with savage ferocity, reducing him to nothing more than a bloody mass of flesh. Its eyes met mine for a fleeting moment, sending a chill down my spine as it snatched up what remained of Mark and vanished into the darkness.
With trembling hands, Lily pulled me into the Library and hastily barricaded the door with a bookcase. My mind reeled with shock and disbelief, unable to process the gruesome scene that had just unfolded before my eyes.
"Rory, Rory, snap out of it!" Lily's voice pierced through the fog of my mind, her words a distant echo as I struggled to regain my composure. Her soothing touch and gentle words slowly brought me back to reality, the weight of what had just transpired crashing down upon me like a tidal wave.
I found myself hyperventilating, gasping for air as panic threatened to overwhelm me. Lily held me close, her arms a lifeline amid the chaos, calming my racing heart and guiding me back from the brink of despair.
It wasn't the first time I had experienced such a paralyzing reaction to trauma. The memories of our parents' passing flooded back, the pain and grief still raw after all these years. And now, faced with the brutal reality of Mark's demise, I felt myself slipping into that familiar state of shock once again.
Lily's tears mingled with mine as we huddled on the cold library floor, seeking solace in each other's embrace. The distant sounds of the monster devouring its prey served as a grim reminder of the danger that lurked just beyond our makeshift barricade.
In that moment of despair, all we could do was hold onto each other, finding strength in our shared grief and determination to survive. But deep down, I knew that the nightmare was far from over and that the horrors of the Raven's Nest had only begun.
Lily drifted off into sleep relatively quickly. She needed the rest; despite being twenty-seven, she was still young, and the day's events had taken their toll on her. I couldn't help but reminisce about our childhood memories when I used to affectionately refer to her as "Lil Sister." Those memories brought a sense of comfort amidst the chaos, and as I dwelled on them, I felt myself being pulled into the embrace of sleep.
Before long, I, too, succumbed to exhaustion, the weight of the day finally catching up with me. As I drifted off into slumber, memories of simpler times danced through my mind, mingling with the events of the present in a surreal dreamscape. And as the tendrils of sleep enveloped me, I found solace in the fleeting moments of tranquility amidst the chaos of the Raven's Nest.
I bolted awake at the sound of crashing, instantly alert and searching for Lily in the darkness. My eyes hadn't yet adjusted, so I fumbled in my bag for a flashlight, my heart pounding with anxiety. As the beam of light pierced the darkness, I swept it around the room, desperately seeking any sign of my sister. Then, another crash echoed from the direction of the basement stairs, labeled ominously in the dim light.
Normally, I'd have hesitated to descend into such a foreboding place, but with Lily missing, I had no choice. Slowly, cautiously, I made my way down the stairs, the beam of light casting eerie shadows on the damp walls.
The sound of running water grew louder with each step, and when I rounded the corner, I was met with the sight of the flooded basement. Something stirred in the murky depths, a figure moving in the dim light at the room's far end. My heart raced as I approached, the water sloshing around my ankles with each step. And then, in the faint glow of the flashlight, I saw her: Lily, struggling against an unseen force, her movements frantic and desperate.
I waded through the waist-deep water, my movements sluggish against the pressure, trying to reach Lily as she struggled against something unseen. The rustling and grunting ceased as I pushed forward, the urgency building with each step.
"Lily, what's going on?" I called out, my voice strained with concern.
"Rory?" Lily's voice came from the other end of the room, surprisingly calm.
Finally reaching her, I found Lily hidden behind a stack of boxes, her attention fixed on a metal ammunition box she'd uncovered.
"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered urgently.
"Maybe there's something in here we can use against... whatever the fuck that thing is," Lily replied, her voice tinged with desperation as she attempted to pry the box open, to no avail.
"Bring it upstairs, and maybe we can find something to open it," I suggested in a hushed tone, my nerves on edge as I scanned our surroundings for any sign of danger.
Lily's frustration seemed to dissipate into resignation as she met my gaze. Together, we began to wade back through the flooded basement, our senses heightened by the impending danger. Suddenly, the tranquility of our surroundings shattered as the front door upstairs, our only means of escape out of the building, sounded like it was violently torn from its hinges, the sound echoing through the basement like a harbinger of doom.
The heavy, ominous footsteps of the creature reverberated through the air, accompanied by the unsettling growl of its breath. It was clear that our presence had been detected, and the beast was now descending into the basement, drawing closer with each passing moment. Panic seized me as I realized the gravity of our situation - we were trapped, with nowhere to run and the relentless pursuit of the unknown closing in on us.
"Shh..." I hushed urgently, motioning for Lily to hide behind the boxes with me as the ominous sound of the creature's approach grew nearer. Despite the impending danger, Lily remained fixated on the ammunition box, her determination evident in her efforts to unlock it quietly.
"Stop," I whispered with growing frustration, attempting to draw her attention away from the futile task. However, it seemed as though she was wholly absorbed in her mission, impervious to my attempts to redirect her focus. Desperation gnawed at me as I realized the precariousness of our situation, with the creature closing in and Lily oblivious to the imminent threat, likely due to the shock of the day's events.
The monster's presence in the basement sent a chill down my spine as I peered cautiously from behind the boxes, taking in its imposing figure. Despite the water being waist deep for me, the creature waded through effortlessly, its massive form towering over us. Its keen senses were evident as it sniffed the air, detecting our presence with unsettling accuracy.
As Lily's persistent efforts finally paid off and the box squeaked open, her triumphant expression quickly shifted to one of realization and dread as the monster roared in response. The deafening sound reverberated through the basement, causing me to instinctively cover my ears in a futile attempt to block it out. Amidst the roar, I could discern an underlying tone that chilled me to the core—a human-like cry buried within the beast's primal roar, as if someone were pleading for mercy.
With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I lunged to the side, pulling Lily with me as we narrowly avoided the charging monster. For a moment, I thought we had escaped unharmed, but my relief turned to horror when Lily's scream pierced the air. Glancing down, my heart sank as I witnessed the gruesome sight—her leg had been violently torn from her body, leaving a trail of blood that tainted the water around us, a vivid crimson. The agony etched on her face mirrored the shock and helplessness I felt at that moment.
The sight before me was a nightmare made real. My mind recoiled at the grotesque spectacle unfolding as the monster tore into Lily's severed leg with savage abandon. Blood sprayed in every direction, mingling with the water to create a chilling tableau of horror. Each crunch and tear of flesh echoed in the cramped basement, a grotesque symphony of violence.
For a moment, I was frozen in shock, unable to comprehend the sheer brutality of what I was witnessing. It felt like time had slowed to a crawl, trapping me in this macabre scene of primal savagery. The monster's inhuman appetite seemed insatiable as it devoured Lily's flesh from her forcefully amputated leg, indifferent to her screams of agony as she lay not even fifteen feet away from it, screaming in pain.
As I watched in horrified fascination, a sickening realization dawned on me: we were not dealing with a mere beast but a predator driven by an insatiable hunger for flesh. And if I didn't act fast, Lily wouldn't be the only victim of its ravenous appetite.
With grim determination, I focused on the task at hand. Ignoring the nauseating sight of Lily's mangled leg, I reached for her, gripping her arm tightly. She cried out in pain as I hoisted her out of the water, her screams echoing in the basement.
"Come on, Lily, we need to go," I urged, my voice tinged with urgency. Ignoring the searing pain in her eyes, she nodded weakly, her face contorted in agony.
Together, we staggered towards the stairs, every step a Herculean effort against the overwhelming tide of fear and despair. The monster continued its grisly feast behind us, the sounds of its feasting driving us forward with a renewed sense of urgency.
I stumbled over an unseen obstacle beneath the water's surface, sending Lily and me plunging into the cold, dark depths. The shock of the fall stole my breath, and for a moment, disorientation clouded my senses as we struggled to regain our footing.
Frantically, I reached out in the darkness, my hands grasping for Lily's form as water rushed into my nose and mouth. With a surge of panic, I managed to find her, clutching onto her tightly as we resurfaced, coughing and sputtering.
As we gasped for air, I felt the weight of Lily's body in my arms, and with every ounce of strength I could muster, I began to drag her toward the stairs as she floated.
Struggling to hoist her up, I noticed the severity of Lily's injury more clearly. Her left leg was missing from the knee down, torn off in a gruesome manner. Each time I dragged her up a step, her bloody stump thudded against the hard surface, eliciting agonizing screams from her. Finally, we reached the corner of the stairs, where I adjusted her position to navigate the new angle.
As we turned the corner and I struggled to hoist Lily onto the first step of this new and longer set of stairs, the thunderous approach of the monster echoed through the basement, intensifying with each passing moment. Though I couldn't see it, the sound of its sprinting footsteps through the water and heavy breathing grew louder, signaling its imminent arrival. Fueled by adrenaline, I tugged harder on Lily's collar, the urgency of escape overriding any concerns about her injury. All that mattered now was getting her to safety before the creature reached us.
As we ascended, almost halfway now, I caught sight of the creature turning the corner. Its rapid pace caused it to collide with the wall, the force denting the cement as it rebounded. The sight filled me with a surge of terror, propelling me to pull Lily with renewed urgency. For a moment, she felt weightless in my grasp as I almost dragged her completely up the stairs, driven by sheer determination. Yet, as my grip faltered, I felt her slipping from my hold.
The moisture from the rain and flooding had made my hands slippery. Everything seemed to unfold in agonizing slow motion as Lily tumbled down the stairs, her descent helpless and inevitable. In the blink of an eye, the monster pounced upon her, its ferocious hunger driving it to begin devouring her without hesitation. Frozen at the top of the stairs, I watched in horror, my gaze alternating between the gruesome spectacle unfolding below and my wet, pruned hands, feeling utterly powerless to intervene.
The monster's gaze briefly flickered toward me as if acknowledging my presence for the first time since it began its grisly meal. Another thunderous roar erupted from its throat, prompting me to instinctively cover my ears. Again, I could have sworn I heard a desperate man screaming when the thing roared.
With a surge of adrenaline, I dashed up the final step and slammed the door shut behind me, shutting out the horrifying scene below.
As I fled through the unlit and dark town, I encountered areas still very submerged by the flooding, forcing me to swim through the murky waters in a desperate bid for escape. As I sprinted through the town, the absence of rainfall struck me. How long had it been since the downpour ceased? How long had I been asleep? Time seemed distorted, the day's events blending into a surreal blur. I pressed on, my only focus now: finding a way out of this nightmare.
After what felt like an eternity of navigating through the flooded streets, with every step weighed down by the relentless rainwater, I finally reached the end of the main paved road, where it transitioned into the dirt path leading to the mine—the sole exit out of town. The dark, murky, muddy path stretched ahead, promising a treacherous journey. The thick sludge threatened to swallow any misstep, making each footfall precarious.
As I stood there, catching my breath and surveying the daunting path ahead, the distant echo of the monster's roar pierced the eerie silence. It was a chilling reminder that danger lurked nearby, urging me to push forward despite the obstacles ahead.
By the time I reached Lily's jeep, I had lost both my shoes to the road and was caked in the thick, clinging mud. I swung open the jeep door, my heart racing with the anticipation of escape, only to be met with the realization that I didn't have the key. Frustration boiled over, and I cursed loudly, slamming the door shut in a fit of anger.
Then, a flicker of memory illuminated my mind: Lily's old jeep, a '95 Jeep Wrangler. We had discovered soon after she bought it that, true to its shoddy nature, it could be started with nothing more than a screwdriver in the ignition.
In a frantic search, my eyes darted around the muddy surroundings, desperate for any sign of a tool or implement that could help me start Lily's jeep. The sound of the monster's roar reverberated in the air, closer now, sending shivers down my spine. Every second felt like an eternity as I scoured the area, my heart pounding with fear and adrenaline.
Peering down the muddy road, I spotted the lumbering figure of the monster struggling to ascend. Its massive form sank into the mud with each step, hindering its progress as its feet and hands became mired in the thick, sticky terrain. Relief washed over me as I realized this bought me precious moments, a brief respite in my frantic escape.
I decide to look inside the car as I frantically rummage through the cluttered middle console of the car, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Every second felt like an eternity as I searched desperately for anything that could start the engine. Amidst the chaos of scattered items—a map, an old CD case, a jumble of charging cables—I felt my fingers close around something solid.
Pulling it out, I found a weathered Swiss Army knife, its metal casing worn and scratched from years of use. I unfolded the blade with trembling hands and positioned it carefully within the ignition. The familiar weight of the blade grounded me amid panic as I turned it, hoping against hope that it would work.
The engine sputtered to life after a few tense moments, its roar filling the confined space of the jeep. Relief flooded through me, mingled with uncertainty about what lay ahead. As I glanced up, I caught sight of the approaching monster, its massive form looming closer with each passing second.
With a quick intake of breath, I slammed the car into reverse, the tires spinning in the thick mud before gaining traction. The jeep lurched backward, leaving deep tracks in its wake as I raced away from The Raven's Nest.
The memories of that fateful day haunted me for years, a constant reminder of the horrors that lurked within The Raven's Nest. I tried to seek justice and warn others of the danger lurking in that cursed town, but each attempt fell on deaf ears.
As the years passed, I became increasingly disillusioned with my futile attempts to bring the truth to light. It wasn't that no one believed me; I knew too much. The secrets of The Raven's Nest ran deep, intertwined with the very fabric of the town's existence.
Authorities dismissed my claims as the ramblings of a troubled mind, unwilling or unable to acknowledge the darkness that permeated every corner of that forsaken place. And so, I resigned myself to the fact that some truths were better left buried, that the secrets of The Raven's Nest were meant to remain hidden.
In the quiet moments of solitude, I ponder the events of that harrowing day, eight years distant yet still vivid in my memory. I often wonder about those cameras we had installed, silent sentinels bearing witness to the horrors of The Raven's Nest. Do they still perch in their hidden alcoves, their lenses trained on the dormant secrets within those cursed streets?
The temptation to return, to retrieve that footage and unveil the truth to the world, is a constant tug at the edges of my consciousness. If only I could lay my hands on that evidence, undeniable proof of the malevolent forces that lurk in the shadows. But with each passing thought, a shiver courses down my spine, a reminder of the dread that still clings to the very mention of that forsaken place.
And so, the footage remains abandoned, lost to time and neglect, much like the town itself, swallowed by the unforgiving embrace of the valley. Perhaps some mysteries are best left buried, their secrets guarded by the silent guardians of the past.
I find myself consumed by a profound sense of guilt, particularly regarding Mark's tragic fate. I remember vividly the day we met at the museum, his genuine curiosity and eagerness to explore the town's history. Little did he know the peril that awaited us all. I can't help but feel responsible for leading him into that nightmare. It was a gruesome scene, etched into my memory with agonizing clarity. I watched in horror as the creature pounced on him, its razor-sharp claws tearing through flesh and bone with merciless efficiency. The sound of his screams still echoes in my ears, a chilling symphony of agony that pierces through the silence of my nightmares. At that moment, I was powerless to save him, gripped by a paralyzing terror that rendered me immobile. His death is a burden I carry with me always, a heavy weight that serves as a constant reminder of the price we paid for venturing into the heart of darkness.
I often find myself wondering about our parents' untimely departure, leaving behind a chasm filled with unanswered questions and aching longing. In the quiet of the night, I ponder how they would have reacted to my tale—of Lily's tragic end, of the nightmares we encountered in that desolate town. Would they have believed my words? Would they have comprehended the depth of my sorrow, the burden of guilt for failing to shield their cherished daughter?
In my heart, I carry the weight of my dear sister Lily's untimely demise. Her laughter, warmth, and unwavering spirit are now lost to the darkness that enveloped that cursed town. Each day, I long to see her smile once more, to hear her voice echoing in the halls of our shared memories. Yet, I know she is gone, forever lost to the merciless jaws of that insatiable beast. The memory of her screams, the sight of her torn body, they etch themselves into my soul, a painful reminder of the fragility of life and the cruelty of fate.
Lily's injury and her agonizing screams echo incessantly in the corridors of my mind, haunting me like a relentless specter. The memory of that moment is etched into my consciousness with vivid, excruciating detail—the sight of her torn leg, the gushing crimson of her blood staining the murky waters, and the raw, visceral sound of her screams reverberating through the air. Each time I close my eyes, I am transported back to that harrowing scene, unable to escape the overwhelming sense of helplessness that washed over me. Her pain, her fear, her desperation—all of it lingers like a scar on my soul, a constant reminder of the horrors we endured in that forsaken place.

Female, 31 years old. 5' 4", ~97 lbs. Entirely healthy pre Sep 2024. I don't have flares or episodes per se, just getting sicker and sicker which more signs of systemic issues.
After 10 months of seeing over 20 specialists, a misdiagnosis that put me on immunosuppressants/biologics for 6 months, ER visits, hospital stays, and almost entirely normal testing... finally received some quite out of range results. And they are... not what I expected.
Symptoms: - Edema (no joint involvement or synovitis) in fingers, hands, knees, and able with large tissue lumps/cysts around ankle bone and feet. This started in my hands only and time got much worse, spreading to other body parts. - Livedo reticularis and rashes: Vasculitis tests are negative (ANCA and biopsy), but livedo is not particularly benign. Always present in ankles and hands / wrists as well as knees. Gets worse when cold but doesn't quite go away upon warming. Maculopapular rash on chest and back. Burning red patches on mottled skin. Intermittent odd rashes that come and go. Constantly purple feet and very obvious evidence of vasoconstriction. - Severe BP fluctuations. I have been sent to the ER for 70/30 before and then once had an acute kidney injure after a period of very elevated BP. Recently, it is 150/110 whilst resting. While it does lower at times slightly in the day, the high or low levels tend to last months. - Acute kidney injury in Feb 24, but quickly resolved after 4 days hospital admission - otherwise rising but normal creatine. - Daily headaches, abdominal issues, significant weight loss. - Tender skin with what looks like small patches of lost pigment (permanent) - Clusters of blood spots, disappear within a few days but reappear elsewhere. New bruising daily. - Abnormal UAs but no infection or bacteria culture growth.
Tests: - All autoimmune, heme, cardiology, neurology tests normal for typically tested conditions. No sign of concern with vein or arteries via Dopplers, aside from diminished PVR waveforms in feet/toes and milt arterial insufficiency in upper extremities. - Very odd MRI results - suggest chronic changes in tendons / ligaments in ankles + edema around the cartilage in knee (I'm slightly underweight, have never been particularly athletic, no prior injury, and am 31 - so unlikely to be overuse) - Punch biopsy on leg (no lesion or ulceration) showed perivascular erythrocyte extravasation, increased vessels, and subcutaneous fibrosis.
Recent tests (normal): - Chromogranin A: 64 (Normal range: 0 - 187 ng/mL) - Metanephrine, Free: 32 (Normal value: <=57 pg/mL)
Abnormal ** - Normetanephrine, Free: 382, ~3x elevated (Normal value: <=148 pg/mL) - Total, Free (Mn+Nmn): 414, ~2x elevated (Normal value: <=205 pg/mL) - Glucagon: <6, low (Normal range: 11 - 78 pg/mL) - Aldosterone, LC/MS: 102, ~5x elevated - Plasma Renin Activity, LC/MS/MS: 3.44 (Normal range: 0.25 - 5.82 ng/mL/h) - ARR: ~30
I understand this suggests adrenal dysfunction / potential tumor - my dr. has been vague as I am guessing he does not want to scare me but these odd results are causing even more anxiety as I don't understand the degree to which they are indicative of such. Next step is 24 hour urine.
More confusing, my Dengue antigen test came out quite high, though antibody low so no current infection. My symptoms began 3 days after a spending a week in USVI - a dengue epidemic. I did not have a typical fever but rashes look similar to "acute phase"... though 10 months later I still have these. I don't see much research on chronic Dengue that lasts this long, but timing seems way too coincidental. I was also put on immunosuppressants within a few weeks of this, so am wondering if it's crazy to think this may have caused long term vessel issues / immune deficiency / and proliferated potential tumors??

Tequila has become a household drink for most people over the last couple of years. What exactly is it? And where did it come from?
Tequila is a distilled beverage made from agave plants (the same plant that makes tequila). People created the drink in Mexico, but today it's produced worldwide.
There are several types of tequila drinks, each unique taste, and flavor. From Margaritas to Mojitos, these drinks are perfect for any occasion.
This article has explained the different types of tequila drinks available.

Different Types of Tequila

1. Margarita

The word margarita comes from mar (sea) and aguardiente (alcohol). They made this drink in Mexico during the 1920s.
A margarita is a cocktail with tequila, lime juice, and soda water. People usually serve it in ice cold and garnish it with salt.
Don the Beachcomber invented the original margarita in 1934. The drink consists of tequila, lime juice, and salt, and it's served on the rocks or straight up.
The original recipe called for two parts tequila, one part triple sec, and half a cup of simple syrup. Today, you can find many variations on this classic drink.
The most popular variation includes three parts tequila, one-third part triple sec, and a splash of orange juice liqueur or freshly squeezed lemon juice.
We can mix the ingredients in a shaker filled with crushed ice. Then, we can strain it into a glass and top it off with club soda.

2. Paloma

The Paloma tequila cocktail is another popular drink among the different types of tequila drinks. It's like a margarita, except it uses grapefruit juice instead of lime juice.
This drink originated in Cuba back in the 1940s, and it's an authentic Cuban cocktail because it contains rum.
People also call it "palomilla," which means little dove. This cocktail is usually served in a tall glass with ice cubes.
You can add grapefruit juice to the mix and a shot of light rum. Then, we can pour a dash of grenadine into the glass before serving.

3. Mojito

The mojito is a tropical cocktail that originates from Cuba, and it's a combination of mint leaves, sugar, and rum.
In the past, they only served mojitos at bars. Nowadays, you can make them at home, and you need a few simple ingredients like mint leaves, sugar, rum, and club soda.
You crush some mint leaves and add them to a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and stir until dissolved. Next, pour in your favorite brand of rum.
Mix well and strain out the mint leaves. Put the mixture into a glass and top it off with club soda. Finally, garnish with a sprig of mint.

4. Sangrita

Sangrita is a spicy Mexican cocktail among the different types of tequila drinks. It's made with tomato juice, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, and spices.
To prepare sangrita, you start by chopping tomatoes and adding them to a blender. Next, add cilantro, jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic, and other spices. Blend everything until smooth. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth.
Next, place all the ingredients into a jar and cover it tightly. Store it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Afterward, serve chilled.

5. The Pepino

The Pepino tequila drink is another popular cocktail among the different types of tequila drinks. It combines tequila, pineapple juice, and lime juice, and we can serve it on ice.
The makers of this cocktail created it in Puerto Rico, and however, it has become very popular throughout Latin America.
To create the Pepino, you first combine equal amounts of tequila and pineapple juice. Then, you squeeze in some lime juice. Finally, you fill the glass with crushed ice.

6. The Tequini

The Tequini drink is among the different types of tequila drinks available. It's a combination of tequila and pomegranate juice. It's typically served cold.
Pomegranate juice combined with tequila and served over ice. If you want to spice up the Tequini, you can garnish it with slices of fresh pomegranate seeds.

7. Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise is one of the most famous cocktails among the different types of tequila drinks. It's a combination of tequila, orange juice, and cranberry juice.
Also, we can serve the drink over ice. The makers invented Tequila Sunrise in Mexico back in the 1980s. It became extremely popular after featuring on a television show.

8. Casa Cosmo

A Casa cosmo combines tequila, triple sec, lemonade, and ginger ale. It's served over ice. It's believed that this cocktail originated in New Orleans. However, it's been available since the early 1900s.
The original recipe calls for equal parts sugar and water. Over the years, the ratio has changed slightly, but the basic premise remains the same. Today, most recipes call for two parts sugar to one part water.

9. El Diablo

An El Diablo combines tequila, grapefruit juice, grenadine, and coconut milk, and we can serve it over ice. We can add grenadine to the mix, followed by coconut milk and grapefruit juice.
Finally, we can pour tequila over the entire concoction. This cocktail started in Cuba. However, it became incredibly popular when featured on the television show Sex and the City.

10. Bloody Maria

The Bloody Mary is a classic and fantastic cocktail, and people usually serve it with vodka or rum. However, there are many variations of the Bloody Mary out there.
One of the more interesting ones is the Bloody Maria, and this version includes tequila instead of vodka.
To make the Bloody Maria, you combine tomato juice, celery salt, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, olive oil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. You also add tequila to the mixture.
You then pour everything into an old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Further, garnish the drink with a slice of pickled jalapeño pepper.

11. Tegroni

The Tegroni combines tequila and gin, and we can traditionally serve it over ice. Tegola consists of agave nectar. Then, we can add gin to the mixture. The result is a sweet and sour beverage.
The drink started in Italy. However, it became extremely popular when featured in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.

12. Gypsy Girl

The Gypsy girl is a combination between tequila, peach brandy, and champagne, and we can serve it over ice.
People usually use Peach brandy to create the base of the Gypsy girl. Then, we can add tequila to the mixture. Finally, we can pour champagne over the entire thing.
Harry Craddock created the Gypsy girl, who worked at the Savoy Hotel in London. He named the cocktail after his wife, Gypsy Rose Lee.

Conclusion

There are different kinds of drinks out there. Some people enjoy drinking margaritas, while others prefer to sip on their favorite alcoholic beverages.
There are even some people who love mixing all sorts of different flavors. However, if you want to get the best experience possible, I recommend trying each tequila drink to appreciate what each flavor tastes like.

Female, 31 years old. 5' 4", ~97 lbs. Entirely healthy pre Sep 2024. I don't have flares or episodes per se, just getting sicker and sicker which more signs of systemic issues.
After 10 months of seeing over 20 specialists, a misdiagnosis that put me on immunosuppressants/biologics for 6 months, ER visits, hospital stays, and almost entirely normal testing... finally received some quite out of range results. And they are... not what I expected.
Symptoms: - Edema (no joint involvement or synovitis) in fingers, hands, knees, and able with large tissue lumps/cysts around ankle bone and feet. This started in my hands only and time got much worse, spreading to other body parts. - Livedo reticularis and rashes: Vasculitis tests are negative (ANCA and biopsy), but livedo is not particularly benign. Always present in ankles and hands / wrists as well as knees. Gets worse when cold but doesn't quite go away upon warming. Maculopapular rash on chest and back. Burning red patches on mottled skin. Intermittent odd rashes that come and go. Constantly purple feet and very obvious evidence of vasoconstriction. - Severe BP fluctuations. I have been sent to the ER for 70/30 before and then once had an acute kidney injure after a period of very elevated BP. Recently, it is 150/110 whilst resting. While it does lower at times slightly in the day, the high or low levels tend to last months. - Acute kidney injury in Feb 24, but quickly resolved after 4 days hospital admission - otherwise rising but normal creatine. - Daily headaches, abdominal issues, significant weight loss. - Tender skin with what looks like small patches of lost pigment (permanent) - Clusters of blood spots, disappear within a few days but reappear elsewhere. New bruising daily. - Abnormal UAs but no infection or bacteria culture growth.
Tests: - All autoimmune, heme, cardiology, neurology tests normal for typically tested conditions. No sign of concern with vein or arteries via Dopplers, aside from diminished PVR waveforms in feet/toes and milt arterial insufficiency in upper extremities. - Very odd MRI results - suggest chronic changes in tendons / ligaments in ankles + edema around the cartilage in knee (I'm slightly underweight, have never been particularly athletic, no prior injury, and am 31 - so unlikely to be overuse) - Punch biopsy on leg (no lesion or ulceration) showed perivascular erythrocyte extravasation, increased vessels, and subcutaneous fibrosis.
Recent tests (normal): - Chromogranin A: 64 (Normal range: 0 - 187 ng/mL) - Metanephrine, Free: 32 (Normal value: <=57 pg/mL)
Abnormal ** - Normetanephrine, Free: 382, ~3x elevated (Normal value: <=148 pg/mL) - Total, Free (Mn+Nmn): 414, ~2x elevated (Normal value: <=205 pg/mL) - Glucagon: <6, low (Normal range: 11 - 78 pg/mL) - Aldosterone, LC/MS: 102, ~5x elevated - Plasma Renin Activity, LC/MS/MS: 3.44 (Normal range: 0.25 - 5.82 ng/mL/h) - ARR: ~30
I understand this suggests adrenal dysfunction / potential tumor - my dr. has been vague as I am guessing he does not want to scare me but these odd results are causing even more anxiety as I don't understand the degree to which they are indicative of such. Next step is 24 hour urine.
More confusing, my Dengue antigen test came out quite high, though antibody low so no current infection. My symptoms began 3 days after a spending a week in USVI - a dengue epidemic. I did not have a typical fever but rashes look similar to "acute phase"... though 10 months later I still have these. I don't see much research on chronic Dengue that lasts this long, but timing seems way too coincidental. I was also put on immunosuppressants within a few weeks of this, so am wondering if it's crazy to think this may have caused long term vessel issues / immune deficiency / and proliferated potential tumors??

Female, 31 years old. 5' 4", ~97 lbs. Entirely healthy pre Sep 2024. I don't have flares or episodes per se, just getting sicker and sicker which more signs of systemic issues.
After 10 months of seeing over 20 specialists, a misdiagnosis that put me on immunosuppressants/biologics for 6 months, ER visits, hospital stays, and almost entirely normal testing... finally received some quite out of range results. And they are... not what I expected.
Symptoms: - Edema (no joint involvement or synovitis) in fingers, hands, knees, and able with large tissue lumps/cysts around ankle bone and feet. This started in my hands only and time got much worse, spreading to other body parts. - Livedo reticularis and rashes: Vasculitis tests are negative (ANCA and biopsy), but livedo is not particularly benign. Always present in ankles and hands / wrists as well as knees. Gets worse when cold but doesn't quite go away upon warming. Maculopapular rash on chest and back. Burning red patches on mottled skin. Intermittent odd rashes that come and go. Constantly purple feet and very obvious evidence of vasoconstriction. - Severe BP fluctuations. I have been sent to the ER for 70/30 before and then once had an acute kidney injure after a period of very elevated BP. Recently, it is 150/110 whilst resting. While it does lower at times slightly in the day, the high or low levels tend to last months. - Acute kidney injury in Feb 24, but quickly resolved after 4 days hospital admission - otherwise rising but normal creatine. - Daily headaches, abdominal issues, significant weight loss. - Tender skin with what looks like small patches of lost pigment (permanent) - Clusters of blood spots, disappear within a few days but reappear elsewhere. New bruising daily. - Abnormal UAs but no infection or bacteria culture growth.
Tests: - All autoimmune, heme, cardiology, neurology tests normal for typically tested conditions. No sign of concern with vein or arteries via Dopplers, aside from diminished PVR waveforms in feet/toes and milt arterial insufficiency in upper extremities. - Very odd MRI results - suggest chronic changes in tendons / ligaments in ankles + edema around the cartilage in knee (I'm slightly underweight, have never been particularly athletic, no prior injury, and am 31 - so unlikely to be overuse) - Punch biopsy on leg (no lesion or ulceration) showed perivascular erythrocyte extravasation, increased vessels, and subcutaneous fibrosis.
Recent tests (normal): - Chromogranin A: 64 (Normal range: 0 - 187 ng/mL) - Metanephrine, Free: 32 (Normal value: <=57 pg/mL)
Abnormal ** - Normetanephrine, Free: 382, ~3x elevated (Normal value: <=148 pg/mL) - Total, Free (Mn+Nmn): 414, ~2x elevated (Normal value: <=205 pg/mL) - Glucagon: <6, low (Normal range: 11 - 78 pg/mL) - Aldosterone, LC/MS: 102, ~5x elevated - Plasma Renin Activity, LC/MS/MS: 3.44 (Normal range: 0.25 - 5.82 ng/mL/h) - ARR: ~30
I understand this suggests adrenal dysfunction / potential tumor - my dr. has been vague as I am guessing he does not want to scare me but these odd results are causing even more anxiety as I don't understand the degree to which they are indicative of such. Next step is 24 hour urine.
More confusing, my Dengue antigen test came out quite high, though antibody low so no current infection. My symptoms began 3 days after a spending a week in USVI - a dengue epidemic. I did not have a typical fever but rashes look similar to "acute phase"... though 10 months later I still have these. I don't see much research on chronic Dengue that lasts this long, but timing seems way too coincidental. I was also put on immunosuppressants within a few weeks of this, so am wondering if it's crazy to think this may have caused long term vessel issues / immune deficiency / and proliferated potential tumors??

Content Warning: Contains themes of drug trafficking, violence and profanity
Ain’t No Fun When The Rabbit Got The Gun
“Ay yo, Mo-Mo, maybe you should be careful what you wish for. Things is basically goin’ all right now but they can get worse for us real quick I think. We can prolly smooth this shit out. We should try and talk wit them, for starters at least. Shit.”
He just looked at me with something dark and dangerous swimming through the shallows behind his gray-green eyes.
Sure, it would have been easy to just go along with the rest’a them but my pops raised me to play chess, not checkers, from a young age and I learned a few things about thinking two or three steps ahead. I aint no dumb muthafucker. "Taking the long view", that’s what they call it. I never went to college and I don’t know my IQ score (I never even took the SAT) but I like to think I aint just some dumb nigga from down the block. I don’t know where you from but out here, where I stay, you best be at least a little bit smarter than these streets.
So when Big Mo said it was time to take out Nando and Nestor - N&N’s what everyone call them - and the rest of the crew all agreed, I was obligated to disagree. There was only 6 of us but I was still "The 10th Man", as they say, and I knew about the 10th Man Rule. (My pops taught me about that shit too.) I was Mo’s top lieutenant - we went to grade school together back at P.S. 157 in the Grove Hill section of the South Bronx - and we been together for a minute but things had gotten a little shaky between us just lately so I really didn’t want to speak out, but I had to.
“Ay yo, man. If you aksin’ me? I say we let em’ have that shit for now. We got like four more empty blocks going south that we can just stretch out into without bumpin’ up against no one and if we keep on putting out that good shit in the blue Comotosa bags these junkie muthafuckers are still gonna come to us, even if it’s a few extra blocks. Ay yo, I think you already know this, Papi. Let’s try to be smart about this shit for just a minute. Bullets is cheap but pay lawyers cost money, nigga. Big money for real.”
N&N sold coke and dope in our neighborhood of East Tremont way back before we did. Nestor’s dad was slinging out here before I was even born and his boy inherited the family business when pops got sent up to The Hill on an A-1 charge like, shit, at least 15 years back. I think that was his third. I was just a kid then but he still up there and I heard he killed a nigga and he aint comin’ back. Things was all good though until recently, when they started to push down onto the corners we been holdin’ down for years, them blocks between the Concourse and Jermone Ave just south of Tremont. Not even a courtesy convo. Those blocks always been ours but lately we’ve had beef, and now we got bodies.
When Berto got shot in the leg about a month back it set things off to start with but everyone was down with Tiny - that funny fat-ass muthafucker - and they was all heated up real good when he got smoked tryin’ to run off that corner in his baggy-ass pants. Tiny couldn’t run for shit and took three in the back. We just got home from the service with his family and all, everyone cryin’ and shit. Niggas was pissed off for real, out for blood. Six dudes, nine handguns and two cut-downs on the table, everyone ready to go out and buck.
“I done been smart for a long time, Primo. I think you know, else I wouldn’t be here now, right? But maybe this is a time for muscle tho’, not brains. What’choo think, man?” Mo raised his chin towards me. It was half a question and half a challenge. They all looked at me. I knew I was out on a real thin branch to begin with so I just backed the fuck off.
“Ay, obviously it aint my call. I’m just….tryin’ to give you sumthin’ else to think on, Mo-Mo, that’s all. Options, man. I’m wit you however it go, you already know this. Shit. Where I come from? Who my peoples?” I shrugged and lit a cigarette and then just looked down at the floor.
I knew he wasn’t gonna listen.
“All right, let’s mount up muthafuckers. We on the hunt and we aint comin’ back until we drop at least three of them bitches. We gonna start at that busy corner they got on 177th and roll on from there. I know where Nestor’s grandma live and that’s where he stay most of the time. Either there or his girl’s crib down Fordham. I know where she stay too. We gonna spill some blood. Straight up. Yo Willy-Boy, go pull the truck around and we’ll see you out front in like a minute.” He threw the keys to his Escalade to the youngest kid in the room. I had a real bad feeling about the whole thing. It was too quick. They would be waiting, ready.
We all piled into the truck and I took the passenger seat, snicked a round into the chamber of my pistol and clicked off the safety. Mo had one of the cut-down shotguns in his lap - a Benelli 12 gauge loaded with pumpkin balls - as he drove. He didn’t look at me. When we got down to 177th Street and circled the corner I was relieved to see there was almost no one out there. I just assumed the 5-0 came past and business would be back up and running in like ten or fifteen minutes. We started to circle the block.
“Yo, Mo-Mo, let me out up at the corner here. I need to grab a deck of smokes and something to drink. Y’all niggas want anything?” They were all tensed-up and no one wanted shit so I stepped out on the corner and told them I’d be right back, then I walked into the bodega.
I took my time. I stood in front of the cold case for a while and looked at my phone, even though I already knew what I wanted. Then I took a can of root beer up front and made some small talk with the counter man for a while, an old Dominican dude who had been running that place since I was just a kid. We was both Yankee fans. I bought a lottery ticket and then I bought a pack of Newports, opened it and lit one, and by the time I walked back out the store the Escalade was gone, as I knew it would be. This was a real narrow one-way street and there’s no way that Big Mo could just stay double-parked out there without blocking traffic for a minute or two. Like I said, my pops taught me to think a few moves ahead. Chess, not checkers.
I stood out there in front of the bodega for a minute, smoking my cigarette, and then I heard the pop…pop…pop of gunfire and the sound of a car crash, which is basically what I expected. Big Mo was always just a little too hot. A little too quick to get involved whenever shit was jumpin’ off.
I waited to see if the Escalade would come racing up the block towards me but when it didn’t I started to jog in that direction. I heard the police sirens right when I got close enough to see Mo’s Caddilac slammed up against a few parked cars with all the windows shot out and he was slumped over the wheel. The corner was empty by then. I turned around immediately and began walking back to my crib with my head down.
I laid low for a while, “going to ground” as they say, but I knew N&N’s hangouts better than Mo-Mo did. Shit, I knew the pizza place just off Fordham Ave where all them niggas like to eat. I just chilled at home for a minute and watched some movies on Netflix and waited til’ the time was right, about two weeks later.
“What up muthafucka, you aint get a slice for me? God damn, nigga! Who pay yo bills? You know I’m hungry like a Goddamn wolf, always. What’s up? I really gotta aks?” Nando hopped out of his Lexus with his phone in one hand and looked at his man Nestor with both palms raised in a gesture of insult and offense.
That’s when I came out of the alley behind the pizzeria with my hoodie tucked over my head and put down Nestor with three shots to his chest from my Springfield .45 from less than fifteen feet away. It’s a big gun and I knocked that muthafucker straight out his shoes, sent his pizza sailing into the gutter and the rest of them young‘uns just ran off towards the Concourse. Everyone but Nando. He was just too close, which is how I planned it, and he knew that runnin’ was pointless.
He tried to get all hard with me for a minute and I saw his eyebrows scrunchin’ up but as soon as he started talkin’ I just pistol-whipped that muthafucker in the mouth and knocked out a few of his teeth. He fell to the sidewalk and then pulled himself up against the wall.
“Sup’ Nando? Aint no fun when the rabbit got the gun, right?,” I said in a quiet, scratchy voice and then smiled and chuckled at him for a second or two while pointing the barrel of my pistol directly into the center of his face as he wiped away some of the blood running down his chin.
“Shit, I don’t think your boy Nestor’s gettin’ up over there. What’choo think, man? Looks like you fresh out of muscle.” I looked over at Nestor’s dead body lying half on the sidewalk and half in the street, his white NY Knicks jersey turned mostly red at that point and I smiled some more.
“Cuz yo, with y’all gone I think I’m taking over the rest of Tremont Ave, little man. We prolly could’a worked this shit out if you just came past to talk. But nah. Not you. You too big for talk, right? Too late for talk now though I think.”
I didn’t waste no time. I just looked around to make sure no one was witnessin’ up close and then I put two in his dome. I snatched up his pocket money, his rope chain, his rings and his Rolex (I mean, you gotta be stupid to just leave all that shit behind) but I left his Glock .40 on him and then I jogged off towards Fordham Ave with my head down and my hoodie up.
Yeah, Daddy. Fuck Nando. He got his. I paid some of the little shorties from around the way to go and shoot out them street lights the night before so I wasn’t trippin’ about no security cameras. It was dark and I ain't never heard nuthin’ about it afterwards. Nuthin’. I don’t think the police round here care about this shit really. Just one street nigga killin’ another. They prolly like it that way.
I wasn't worried. I had business to tend to anyways. I had new territory to run and I knew I might need to handle up for a minute; make sure no one got no problems with the new arrangements. It was all good though. I had peoples standing with me. I know how to muscle up, for real. Shit. People always need to get paid. It’s just a matter of money, like everything else. We can hold this down. Might be a few bodies but that’s just what they call “the cost of doing business.” Ain’t no thing.
And things was working out just fine, for a while. Only two bodies got dropped, neither of them on my team, when Spring turned to Summer and then it got real hot, real quick. Not the police, but the weather. It’s like that out here. All concrete, no trees.
I was out on East Tremont two blocks off the Concourse one day in late June, just tryin’ to stay cool in the shade and collecting some dollars and paying off some of my peoples when I seen this little kid coming down the block with a grape soda in one hand, minding his own business. I only noticed the little nigga because he looked at me for a second when he got closer. I didn’t really think shit about it. I run all these corners round here and the shorties all know whassup, so kids look at me all the time. Ain’t nothing unusual. They need work but I ain’t got enough to go round for every little nigga in the South Bronx. Shit.
I was just telling Red Light - we call him that cuz he ran a red light and hit an NYPD roller from the 48th a few years back and got his ass beat for real - that my boy Shiny would come past with a re-up package for him in about an hour or two, when all’a sudden this shorty drops his grape soda on the sidewalk and pulls a little deuce-deuce auto from his pants and before I know whassup I catch three in the gut and one skimmed the side of my neck. Little shorty motherfucker tried to put one in my head too but he was already running off at that point and he only took off the top of my left ear.
It didn’t matter. I coughed up some blood and I knew I wasn’t never gonna make it to the ER up at Misericordia. That’s the only Level-1 trauma unit round here and I seen enough niggas get dropped in these streets to know it’s your only chance when you catch a few. Shit. They take you to one of these other B-list hospitals round here they might as well just leave you where they found you.
I only ever done dope a few times back when I was just a kid but Red Light was leaning over me and aksin’ what to do, so I told him to just give me a couple of them blue bags. I didn’t have no works to shoot up with (I ain’t no dope fiend) and no time neither so I just dumped that shit out on a c-note and snorted it up. Then I told Red Light to give me two more. Shit, if I was going out slow I might as well try to kill the pain, right? I couldn’t get those next two bags down though. My throat was filling up with blood by then and I was choking on it.
I remember how everything just started to fade out around then. I seen Red Light take the bloody c-note from my hand along with the rest of the cash I spilled out onto the sidewalk. He started to hustle off down the block as the sirens got closer but then he ran back and grabbed my Patek Philippe wristwatch and my gold chain, that muthafucker. I was too weak to stop him or even to reach back for my Springfield.
I guess I forgot that Nando had a kid, or maybe I just didn’t think about it at all. I don’t know. I had other shit to worry about and I thought he was just a little nigga, and he was, but still big enough to pull a trigger though. It don’t take much.
When the EMTs came rushing up to me on the sidewalk they was aksin’ all sorts of questions but I remember the pretty white lady say, “What is your name?”
I spit out the blood in my mouth and my head was starting to feel real heavy. I just told her in a half-whisper, “Ain’t no fun when the rabbit got the gun…”
Then everything just went black.
THE END

Hey all, sorry for another post, I feel like I'm flooding this sub lately, but I'm really scared and don't know where else to go.
Last night around 9pm I made these chicken tenders that come pre breaded, but raw, like they're not precooked at all. Usually I air fry them at 370F for 26 minutes. I did just that, and when I pulled them out, each tender was reading over 200F with a meat thermometer at the thickest point.
I let them sit for a half hour, maybe longer because I was doing something else. When I went to eat the tenders, one of them felt slightly warm on the first bite, but the second one that was in the center was stone cold.
I instantly spat it out, and decided to just eat the other tenders that were there instead.
Since then, I have been very scared about salmonella poisoning. I drank a big alkaline water last night, and took 2 charcoal pills as a precaution.
I felt totally okay last night, but when I woke up this morning, after only 4 hours of sleep, I was dizzy, and had a bad gas cramp in my lower stomach/waist.
I got up and moved around for a bit, and felt better, so after a few hours, I decided to lay back down and get some more sleep.
When I woke up that time, my stomach was upset again, and this time I felt like I had heartburn.
I will say, I have IBS, and get acid really frequently. I always have to watch what I eat and drink. Like I can't even drink a ginger ale without it giving me acid stomach.
So I tried not to worry too much, until I started to have to go to the bathroom over and over again, and each time, it felt like acidic lava coming out, and at one point I thought I was going to have D*, but never did.
Around 7pm I was pretty panicked about all of this, and I started to get a headache, and felt pretty cold, like I was going to have a chill or something.
I know those are symptoms of salmonella poisoning, so I got really nervous after that.
I checked my temperature, and at the time, it was 98.3F, so totally normal.
As the night has gone on here though, the headache is still here, and my temperature has risen to 99.6F.
I did read that your body temperature is usually higher at night, and that's still not considered a fever, but I can't help but still be nervous.
It says online that it can take up to 72 hours for symptoms to start, and some other places even say 6 days before they start.
I just don't know.
I did eat dinner tonight. I was hungry before, so I take that as a good sign I guess. I was a little N* on and off all day though. It was extremely minor though.
I'm just worried about the headache, and feeling like I'm going to have chills thing now.
What do you guys think here? At this point it's been like 30 hours since I ate them.

Hey guys 24 M here. Have been dealing with a lot of weird symptoms for the past 3 months but am going down the autoimmune rabbit hole etc. I’ve been convincing myself I have Lupus, celiac, Lyme, fibromyalgia, RA, Hashimotos, Sjogrens, cancer, etc. have gotten some autoimmune tests and everything has been normal so far except a 1:80 speckled ANA which can mean something or nothing. Have been having on and off extreme full body joint pain, fatigue (when flaring), headaches, dizziness, cold feet, muscle twitches, hair loss, brain fog, etc. have been trying to “hunt” the cause and am going to a rheumatologist in august but this is killing me mentally. Can’t do anything physical without paying for it later or during… I don’t know what to do I’m miserable and depressed. Any advice or if you relate that would be great! Thanks 🙏