Ice cold diareaha

i(19f) matched w a guy(21m) on bumble. we’ve been talking for more than a month now. things were going great. we used to talk all day, he used to call, tell me about his day, we went out for four times. in general it was great. i thought we’re gonna start dating soon.
so here strikes the problem, he has many childhood traumas and his three years of relation ended just four months ago but i’m not really worried about it as it was a really toxic one(he told me everything about it). so for the past few days he was going through some tough time bc of some family issues (which he told me about) and he was really down was taking sleeping pills cause he couldn’t sleep. we last met on last friday he took me out for ice cream and it was really nice. on friday night we were texting and he was sounding off all of a sudden i mean he was giving me cold shoulder but i didn’t mind just thought he wasn’t feeling like talking. on saturday morning i texted him good morning and he said “let’s stop talking for a few days” and this text literally made me panic(okay so i have this fear of abandonment, i always feel like everyones gonna leave me and he knows about it kinda) and i called him. he was sounding like an ai on the call. i asked him what’s wrong and he said he just doesn’t feel like using his phone anymore i told him that he doesn’t have to text me all day just a few texts will be enough and he said okay and we cut the call. but as a overthinker i asked again on text about what’s wrong and he said he find it painful to give time, he doesn’t feel like talking w someone all the time. now this “painful” word broke me like i got so hurt i mean why did he say he won’t leave or we’re not gonna stop talking when he knew he can’t stick around for too long? and how can you find it painful to talk w someone you like?(he said he liked me) so i told him when he knew that he can’t handle it so he shouldn’t have taken it any further and told him we should stop talking. he just said “okay” and i left him on seen. and he didn’t text again and i don’t think he will as i left him on seen but we’re still doing streaks on snapchat. i’ve been crying for the last 4days and i miss him like hell. i really really liked him yk. so what should i do now? is it over between us now? should i text him or give him some more time? i don’t wanna sound or act desperate cause what if he already started talking w someone else or he never really liked me? also his ex was the one who didn’t let him breakup, she was desperate and kept coming back to him again and again so i also don’t wanna be like his ex. but also i feel like if i don’t even try once to make it right i’ll regret it. is texting him again gonna make me self respect less? what do i do now?

i(19f) matched w a guy(21m) on bumble. we’ve been talking for more than a month now. things were going great. we used to talk all day, he used to call, tell me about his day, we went out for four times. in general it was great. i thought we’re gonna start dating soon. so here strikes the problem, he has many childhood traumas and his three years of relation ended just four months ago but i’m not really worried about it as it was a really toxic one(he told me everything about it). so for the past few days he was going through some tough time bc of some family issues (which he told me about) and he was really down was taking sleeping pills cause he couldn’t sleep. we last met on last friday he took me out for ice cream and it was really nice. on friday night we were texting and he was sounding off all of a sudden i mean he was giving me cold shoulder but i didn’t mind just thought he wasn’t feeling like talking. on saturday morning i texted him good morning and he said “let’s stop talking for a few days” and this text literally made me panic(okay so i have this fear of abandonment, i always feel like everyones gonna leave me and he knows about it kinda) and i called him. he was sounding like an ai on the call. i asked him what’s wrong and he said he just doesn’t feel like using his phone anymore i told him that he doesn’t have to text me all day just a few texts will be enough and he said okay and we cut the call. but as a overthinker i asked again on text about what’s wrong and he said he find it painful to give time, he doesn’t feel like talking w someone all the time. now this “painful” word broke me like i got so hurt i mean why did he say he won’t leave or we’re not gonna stop talking when he knew he can’t stick around for too long? and how can you find it painful to talk w someone you like?(he said he liked me) so i told him when he knew that he can’t handle it so he shouldn’t have taken it any further and told him we should stop talking. he just said “okay” and i left him on seen. and he didn’t text again and i don’t think he will as i left him on seen but we’re still doing streaks on snapchat. i’ve been crying for the last 4days and i miss him like hell. i really really liked him yk. so what should i do now? is it over between us now? should i text him or give him some more time? i don’t wanna sound or act desperate cause what if he already started talking w someone else or he never really liked me? also his ex was the one who didn’t let him breakup, she was desperate and kept coming back to him again and again so i also don’t wanna be like his ex. but also i feel like if i don’t even try once to make it right i’ll regret it. is texting him again gonna make me self respect less? what do i do now?

Has anyone gone through this or have any suggestions? ’m having excruciating head and next pain that have been resistant to treatment so far. I’m unable to do anything and have been out of work for over a week. I’m looking for any response…advice, a similar story or simply a friendly hello!
A week ago an excruciating headache came on, different from any migraine I’ve ever had (prior to the accident). I am in so much pain that I cant function and it flared all of my post concussion symptoms (writing this with the help of chat gpt and talk to text). The pain is in my temples and my head feels like it is going to explode and my neck and the base of my skull hurt bad as well.
I tried all the things for the next four days, OTC meds, prescription migraine medication, neck stretches, lidocaine patches, ice packs, heating pads, tens, electrolytes and staying hydrated. All I could do was be in a cold, dark, noiseless room to struggle in pain. After 5 days I went to my PCP, she prescribed prednisone to calm my muscles and my headache, it’s not helping at all. I went back to my PCP yesterday she gave me hydrocodone and said to finish the prednisone (that didn’t do anything) and after my last dose I was to come back and get an injection of toroidal. I’ve taken the hydrocodone and it’s not helping at ALL!
I’ve been laying in my dark room for over 7 days straight in pain. The pain is similar to the excruciating pain I felt the days after the accident when all I could do was sleep. I’m worried that it’s not a “headache” although I don’t know what else it would be. I’m scared the toroidal is not going to help and I’ll be left in pain again. Work is getting angry I’ve been out so long.
Any suggestions on what to do? Has anyone had this happen? I’m 6 months out of my accident/concussion and this pain is new.
I’m feeling lost and this pain needs to go away!
Thanks for reading.

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Searching for a song by a female singer in an area that is extremely cold. The area looks very wintery or as if it's always cold. She is walking around in this area with different ice sculptures/glaciers/igloos and singing. I believe there is an aurora borealis in the video too.
I don't remember what the song was quite about but I believe it was a singer with an angelic/light voice similar to the singer Lights or Ellie Goulding.
I'm wondering if the video was somewhere in Russia or even Greenland. Maybe even Canada?

hey y’all, so i work in a coffee shop in an area heavily populated by spanish speakers close to the Mexico border and i just feel awful when i can’t get them the drinks they want since i only know english. i took a couple years of elementary spanish so i’m pretty good at pronunciation, just don’t actually know the language. i would be forever grateful if someone wants to help me make a little cheat sheet! :)
here are some common things i have to ask/say:
-what size? small/medium/large
-hot, iced, or blended?
-whole milk, oat milk, or half and half?
-what flavor?
-would you like any whipped cream or cold foam?
-would you like any whipped cream or boba?
-would you like espresso? how many shots?
-have a good day
-have a good night
some drink names i don’t know how to say:
-chai
-matcha
-smoothie
-hot chocolate
-peanut butter explosion
if you’re still reading this you’re awesome have a lovely day :)

I'm going to use a DEX/INT build with a lot of different weapons for new game plus and right now the only thing I'm unsure on is how I should level up. My current weapons are the Wing of Astel, Cold Ice Spear Clayman Harpoon, and the Carian Regal Scepter. If I want to use Night Shard I will also run 2 Staff of Losses. I want to run the Howl of Shabriri for the bonus damage on bosses also so I need 33 faith.
My current planned stats are
32 Vigor
30 Mind
30 Endurance
17 Dexterity
12 Strength
60 Intelligence
33 Faith
I'm thinking maybe I can cheese the game by using the 2 Finger Talisman, Rune of Godrick, & the Faith-Knot Crystal Tear for +20 to Faith so I don't need to dump any levels for Howl of Shabriri. If I do that I can almost bring my Intelligence to 80 and hit the hard cap but I'm not sure if that's worth it over increasing my health or stamina. I don't need to increase Dexterity or Strength because those are the minimum requirements for my weapons. Alternatively I could go for an all or nothing build and put nothing into my HP and use the Red-Feathered Branchsword

So when the Andals began invading Westeros there were more than humans on the continent. The Andals declared the non human races demons, and began slaughtering them and the non humans fled to the North to safety. Eventually the North was the only region with Non Humans living in it, and the non human races helped the Northerners repel the Andals.
When Aegon and his sister wives came to Westeros, the North was backed by the non human races. Along the years the non humans got Lorships also. The North is the only place to see non humans, as the South is very hostile to them. Many Northern Lords have married non humans, and eventually some people forgot there was a time the non humans weren't apart of the North. Races idea
Snow Elves (Taking this from elder scrolls): a race of elves that can live up to three centuries, are set apart from the other races for their pale skin, pure white hair, and icy blue eyes, they are completely immune to the Cold and rumors have it that they're capable of ice magic. Bran the Builder is believed to have married a Snow Elf. The easiest way to tell apart the Snow Elves are the fact that the females of the race usually have their hair grow to their waist, while the males prefer short hair and clean shaven faces. Ned Stark is rumored to have a snow elf great grandmother. Evidence supports this, as the Starks ears are more pointed than normal humans, Starks are paler than other Northerners, and live longer than normal for most humans, a Stark ancestor apparently living to 180 before dying of old age.
Lizard Men: A race of humanoids that are only found in the neck, this race is completely immune to disease, can breath underwater, and are said to be masters of stealth. Many believe the humans in the Neck have interbred greatly with them, to the point every human in the Neck has a non human ancestor.
Viga-maðr: the deadliest of the non humans, this race greatly resembles bears, towering over humans at 9-11 feet, this race has to have their armor custom made, and though some use weapons, many prefer using their claws and teeth to rip apart enemies. These bears have fur that can be as black as midnight to being pale enough they blend into the snow. Whenever a Viga-maōr goes into a life of crime, the other races are encouraged to contact the Viga-maðr, as one of them could easily slaughter dozens of humans and other races. This race sticks around the Wall, and are known to be the Night Watches greatest ally besides the Starks of Winterfell. Rumors say that Ned Stark sent a Viga-maōr to Kings Landing to protect Elia Martell and her children, and Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch wore torn apart when the Viga-maðr saw Gregor attempt to kill baby Aegon. Elia and her children disappeared that night, and the Northerners refuse to discuss with non-northers what happened to them, Ned and Robert Baratheon having a huge fight over it that lasted until the Greyjoy Rebellion, where Robert declared the hunt for Martell and her children over. A Viga-maōr rules over the dreadfort, his ancestor having slaughtered the last Bolton centuries ago, and was rewarded the fort for his loyalty, and the Bolton Lordship was passed down to his descendants, The Snow-Paw family being the most respected and feared in the North, known to have extremely loyalty to the Starks
dwarves (taken from the lords of the rings and the hobbit) they would reside inside The Northern mountains

A friend and I decided to do a road trip test with our two vehicles - Ioniq 5 and XC60. Technically the XC60 is a PHEV, but for road trip purposes it's pretty much 100% petrol.
We left on Friday afternoon at 1pm. It's a 450km trip to our destination. The XC60 driver did a straight shot with a 12 min petrol and snack stop, arriving just after 6pm. A typical road trip where getting to the destination quickly was the main goal I guess.
The Ioniq 5 had a slightly different time. They took a total of 3 charge stops. They had planned two stops at superchargers but the first was out of order, and they didnt have enough juice to make the second without a pit stop so had to grab a bit of charge at two separate spots at 50kW before they reached a 350kW charger. They eventually arrived at 8:30pm, having grabbed a decent dinner and enough charge on the way to get to and from the ski fields for the next couple of days. The driver was fairly frustrated by the broken charger and unplanned stops, but the family still had fun, had plenty of time to stretch their legs at places they wouldn't normally visit, and they had the better dinner. We called it a tie, both families were happy and rested that evening.
We left on the return trip on 5:30pm on Sunday evening. Both families stopped for a leisurely dinner about an hour into the trip, and hung around eating and chatting while the EV party recharged there. It was a cold evening and the charge was much slower than expected. We probably would have preferred to eat in the restaurant rather than back at the charger (which was slightly out of town) but we had a good time hanging out. We eventually left at 7:20pm, and everyone was keen to get home. The XC60 stopped briefly to refill and arrived back home at 11:40pm. It was a pretty slow trip with some traffic but not too bad, and they were happy to get back to bed.
The Ioniq 5 stopped twice more, including a 40 minute charging stop at 10pm at another 350kW charger. We made it home at 12:25pm, not too much later than the ICE as we missed most of the traffic. This one we called a narrow win for the petrol car, the kids didn't cherish the lengthy break on a cold night in a deserted country town.
Honestly the experience in the Volvo was less stressful overall. But it was a close thing. We agreed that a few more charge points on the way would be nice. We did look a little enviously at the Teslas plugged in to their supercharger stations which we couldn't use! And we couldn't fully replicate the "get there as fast as possible" trip in the EV, the time taken to recharge means we need to enjoy the journey a little rather than obsessing about the destination. But we both agreed this was not a bad thing.
Has anyone else made a similar comparison trip? Interested in your experiences!

I think I feel one starting. I can only get some relief if I keep my eyes shut and stay still, but even my own breathing sends shocks through my skull. For added fun, I can’t lay down flat most times due to vomiting associated with reflux, and the migraine makes me more nauseous too, so I’m kind of just fucked. I’m on my couch leaning on the arm of the sofa with an ice pack to my head and one to my chest.
What helps you when you have a migraine? I am going to take ibuprofen and acetaminophen as soon as my stomach settles a little bit. I got the cold packs, and I’m trying to keep my environment low-stimulus. Thank you in advance. I am going to go insane if I spend another week battling the competing interests of a hernia/reflux and a migraine.

Hello everyone! Very long post ahead…It’s been 3 months since last D-Day. We’ve had multiple D-Days over the span of 8 years ive lost count how many. Why so many? Because the first 7 years he would confess to things but it would be soo watered down I never truly realized he was a Sex addict as well as a PA. The full 8 years he would mix it up between frequenting massage parlors, bringing call girls to his hotel on work trips, visiting strip clubs and paying for lap dances, and eventually the latest- finding phone prostitutes to chat with and develop an “emotional bond” as well as phone sex. I almost left him but he begged for a last chance and it’s been three months since last D-Day, and he’s finally been putting work into recovery- he has admitted how bad the situation is, admitted he’s an addict, and started going to weekly SA group meetings, and weekly CSAT therapist. This time, I can see actual change because he initiates conversations and constant check in’s as well as daily evening check ins. He has become way less irritable and annoyed in all areas, and more patient and helpful and loving. He has willing put heavy restrictions on his phone and accountability apps, as well as removed Instagram, telegram, Snapchat. He has been very conscious and proactive about how he spends his time- he has developed new habits like absolutely no phone in bathroom/on toilet/in shower. He doesn’t pick up his phone first thing in the morning and has made a “morning routine” of ice bath plunge as well as meditation and prayer, and Bible reading. He is finally fully present with our family and wants to do things as a family, and initiates family bonding activities. He’s stopped chasing his bosses, coworkers, friends, and his parents approval, and focuses on his inner balance. I’ve seen an immense change in him like I’ve never seen before as a person and as a recovering addict. He is doing everything right. However….
I’ve been extremely supportive and loving and his shoulder during this whole time. But now I’m terrified because I’ve been having unexplained rage episodes. We can have a small misunderstanding and it will just throw me into a fit of extreme rage, where I will throw whatever objects are near me, or try to hurt myself for example I slammed my hand shut in between a door on purpose. It’s just this overwhelming sense or hatred and anger just bursting in me and it seems it just burst right out of me. I have never ever in my life felt like this, I’ve always been a meek and kind and sweet person and taken pressure with stride. I see myself from the side after my fits of anger and I think… He really broke me this time didn’t he? I begged him to stop in his addiction and he didn’t, until I was finally broken. I am not the same person I was before, and I know all you partners of PA/SA can relay to this. I see the world now through an addicts eyes- every single woman is a threat, and every single man is not safe, and every child/teen/woman is either in threat of becoming a victim or is already a victim. I’ve also become more cold and cut off people whereas before I would believe in the good and people and was a warm accepting person. However my main concern is the intense fits of rage I feel. Has anyone else felt something similar? What helped or what did your therapist recommend? I’m scared and just feel soo broken 😞

"You sure I can't convince you to share that recipe?" asked Kord. He was digging into his breakfast with Trixie seated next to him at the dining table. 'Molenoid Pancakes' were one of Kord's favorite dishes, even though he had no idea how Pronto made them.
"A chef's greatest tools are his recipes, giving them out freely is completely out of the question," replied Pronto dramatically.
Next to Kord sat Trixie who had stopped eating her own usual breakfast, cereal, and was looking around the room. "I'll go try waking up Eli," she said as she began getting out of her chair.
"I wouldn't bother," interrupted Kord in between bites. "I already tried, he's pretty much out cold."
"It's only natural, we were up late yesterday helping out with the Frostcrawlers, and it didn't help that Eli accidentally fell into their glacial water," said Pronto.
"Accidentally," said Kord sarcastically. Remembering how a certain someone misfired and hit Eli in the back with a Flatulorhinkus slug, sending him off the ice pathway he was standing on.
"Morning," interrupted Eli as he walked shakily towards the living room.
"Hey, sleeping beauty, though it's not really the morning anymore," joked Trixie. "Want some cereal?"
"No, I'm alright," he said as he grabbed a seat on one of the couches.
"Good, I never understood why you two enjoy that stuff anyway, let me make some pancakes for you. Kord can attest to their deliciousness."
"Sure can," said Kord happily as he took another bite.
"Thanks but it's fine, I'm not really in the mood for breakfast anyway," said Eli as he switched from sitting to lying on the couch.
Trixie, Kord, and Pronto shared a concerned look with each other.
"You feeling okay, dude?" asked Kord.
"I'm fine, I...just gotta get some coffee in me," he replied as he slowly got up from the couch.
Just then, the hideout's distress system activated, and footage showing a scuffle involving Blakk's men popped up on their holodisplay. It showed ghouls flying in all directions and citizens fleeing...
[COMPLETE BELOW]
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I’ll keep this short, but I visited my dentist to fix a cavity in my molar. I haven’t been a fan of my dentist for some time now, as it seems like she keeps messing up on my teeth. She said that my cavity was “a very deep one”, and that I might need a crown in the future. However, I can no longer chew on the side of my mouth where she fixed the cavity. It’s not painful, but it surely is uncomfortable. Anytime I drink something cold, it feels like someone placed an ice cube on that tooth. Do I need a crown? Should I ask them for an x-ray to make sure it’s not decaying on the inside? Please help!

So about half a year ago while I (27 AFAB at the time) was at work my arm began tingling. It happened while I was crocheting so I attributed it to poor posture but took note of the time (just after 3pm) and continued working until 5pm. By the time I got off work my pinky and ring finger on my right hand became difficult to use. I drove home (hindsight this was really stupid of me to do) and an hour later when it hadn't gotten better I asked my brother to take me to the ER.
While there I told them that given the symptoms I was having (numbness on one side, and partial paralysis) and that I had started a new birth control a month prior that I was worried about the possibility of a stroke. They checked for the more obvious signs of stroke (facial droop, delayed eye dilation, blood tests, etc.) and noted that I had weakness in my right arm as well as tachycardia. They asked my brother about my behavior and if I was acting off, which he said I was not.
When the blood tests came back they informed me that my d-dimer was elevated. I wasn't told how much it was elevated. They referred me to CT to check for a pulmonary embolism. CT showed a normal healthy chest and I was sent home with a diagnosis of pinched ulnar nerve.
Over the next two days I proceeded to be incapable of eating or drinking anything, if I slept it was not for more than an hour at a time and I woke up in a cold sweat. My arm went from tingly and partially paralyzed to dead meat attached to my body. I could not move it, and could only lift at the shoulder. I woke my brother up at 3am to take me back to the ER. I informed them of the new symptoms, as well as the worsening of the previous symptoms.
This time it felt very dismissive. I was not being heard. I got sent to MRI to check again for a pulmonary embolism which again showed nothing. I told them I felt like I had really bad brain fog and my arm felt like it was in ice water. I was told this was normal for a pinched ulnar nerve. They gave me nerve glides to do, a prescription for 600mg of ibuprofen, and a referral to a neurologist. I asked them before I left if it was a good idea to fly as I had a vacation starting the next day, I was told it was fine.
So I went on my vacation, flying from one coast of the US to the other. It was 7hrs after I landed and was picked up from the airport where it started to go downhill and rapidly.
I still couldn't eat, and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep so I bummed a gummy off a friend and started getting ready to go to bed. After this is a complete haze for me but I will list the events as I was later told:

• While walking to bed I blacked out. This was me dropping while I had my first tonic-clonic seizure of the night. My friend miraculously caught me and made sure I didn't hit my head, while my other friend took charge of the situation.
• My seizure lasted approximately 2 minutes, and when it looked like I was coming out of my postictal state pretty quickly they decided to drive me to the ER
• At the ER I had another seizure while they were taking me to get a CT scan of my brain. After this I was taken to MRI. I was considered medically confused and was incapable of staying still. I was given two doses of Ativan to try to keep me still long enough to get something from the MRI
• MRI was sent to a neurologist at another hospital who was able to see on the VERY blurry images that I was having a stroke. She teleconferenced in to assess my state, asking the nurse to essentially check if I was brain dead. My friend who was with me the entire time was the one to actually wake me up.
• I was then transferred to a bigger hospital's ICU for care when I was stable.

I dropped on Tuesday night. I remember bits and pieces of Tuesday night, and the following Wednesday, but I was not conscious and aware until Thursday morning. I woke up, realized I had a catheter, and I was PISSED.
In the few hours after the medical staff learned I was actually with it. I was informed not only that I had a stroke, but that I had a rare form of stroke. It was a Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis. They were shocked that the previous hospital had not continued to look for something and dismissed me. I was then informed that my d-dimer was 1.03 (where a 0.50 was the maximum threshold for a normal d-dimer), my glucose upon being admitted was severely elevated, and they didn't know how bad it was because they had not yet been able to get a clear image of my brain.
Throughout my ICU stay I learned I was extremely lucky to be alive, you can't trust every doctor, and to always be accompanied by someone who will advocate for you. Also birth control sucks and my friends are amazing.
I spent my 28th birthday in the ER.
I now live in the state where I was finally diagnosed properly and I am communicating with a lawyer for a malpractice lawsuit. I have had up to 20 appointments a month just for things related to my stroke and am coming to terms with things that just might not get better. I'm taking 4 different medications for the after affects of the stroke, and I might just have to remain on 3 of them as it's possible I now have an epileptic disorder. We wont know for sure until my brain is given more time to heal but my recent EEG still shows abnormal brain activity.
I think overall I have a pretty solid case, especially given the shock of the paralegal as I explained what happened. But sometimes I second guess it and it worries me.

I’m a survivor.
Waking up in the morgue after shooting myself in the head was the worst experience of my existence.

When the illness was first reported, they called it The Burning.
The first few hundred thousand cases followed the same pattern.
Day 1-3 were a mild fever that did not respond to any medications and simply kept the temperature around 100F/37C.
Every one to three days after, the person’s temperature would increase by about 1F/.6C while still not responding to any treatments meant to reduce it.
Seizures, convulsions and death happened within 12 to at most 72 hours of temperatures reaching 108F/42C.
Some places tried ice-baths.
This lead to the first, and only, effective treatment for The Burning.
If the body responded to the ice-baths, the person's raising temperate could be arrested, slowed and even halted.
If it held at or under 106F/41C, the person had a chance to survive.
This worked in less 10% of persons who caught The Burning.
The majority died when they were unable to slow or halt the fever before it hit 105.
Anyone who survived 24 days after showing symptoms could recover, but only if their temperature was kept under 107 until at least day 30.
Once that happened, the body naturally normalized, reducing by about 1F/.6C every 24-36 hours until stabilizing around 99.5F/37.5C.
Patient Zero had been confirmed as symptomatic on October 3, 2030.
As we were only a decade past the C-19 virus, most countries reacted with quarantines, masking guidelines and social distancing.
But nothing stopped The Burning.
The problem was that we did not understand it until over a year into The Burning Pandemic, by that point there were 120 -150 million new infections worldwide every month.
We had that term wrong; it was 120 -150 million newly symptomatic persons every month not new infections.
The Burning did not have a 24-72 hour incubation period as was first reported and believed.
It had a 300 day incubation period.
A mathematician figured it out during the second year of the The Burning Pandemic shortly after developing symptoms.
By the time Patient Zero was identified, at least 40% of the world had already been infected, we just didn't know it.
When The Burning finally ran its course, less than 2 billion people were left alive.
About 1.3 billion people never showed symptoms, but they are Asymptomatic Carriers of the virus, even now.
The remaining 650 million people are the Survivors of The Burning, but the virus still lives in our veins.
No vaccine or treatment has worked to remove it from the population.
By 2055, the global population had increased by less than 150 million.
The Asymptomatic Carriers are nearly infertile.
The Survivors are completely sterile.
Additionally, all newborns experience a milder version of The Burning, but the survival rate is still very low.
Where the original Burning had over 90% fatality rate; the new Burning still claims about 55% of newborns.
What remained of the world powers were concerned by the abysmal birth rate but then in 2060 as a fractured, but globally united society, we figured out the other side effects of The Burning.
Those of us who survived had not aged in the 26-30 years it had been since our symptoms ended and our base body temperature stabilized around 1F/.6C degrees higher than prior to The Burning.
And none of us had developed any other diseases, while those with issues like diabetes, heart disease, cancer or other degenerative diseases saw them fade by 2040. We also never suffered annual colds or flus even when unvaccinated.
The Asymptomatic Carriers were aging much-much more slowly, yet were still just as prone to colds or flus as before but not degenerative diseases. Any degenerative disease they had prior to 2030 halted progression but did not fade.
Most of the world has re-labeled The Burning to “The Rebirth” or “The Immortality Virus” or “The Rapture,” the last mostly by the ultra-religious among the Asymptomatic Carriers.
We Survivors still call it The Burning.
Those of us in worse circumstances also refer to it, or the now we live in, as Hell.
We have managed to communicate without allowing those in power to know of the communication; it was painful.
We have confirmed, collectively, that we cannot die.
We also cannot stop the mental voices of the other survivors.
Once within 5 yards/meters of a fellow survivor, with a widening circle of affect the more survivors are nearby, we cannot help but hear every thought of every survivor within range.
The echoing reverberation is maddening.
I tried to silence it with a gun; this failed and it took several days for the brain matter to be completely cleaned out of my carpet when I got home.
Waking up in the morgue after shooting myself in the head is not really the worst experience of my existence.

Where did the kid go?
The kid that had that light in his eyes. The kid that had unbounded hopes, dreams, and aspirations.
The kid that got butterflies in his stomach when he talked to the girl he liked. The kid who was proud of himself when he worked up the courage to do that. He tried to hold eye contact with her. He was stunned by how big and dark and beautiful her eyes were. The kid that could barely sleep because he was so excited to see her, even though he knew the most he would ever get from her was a smile and a laugh. Where did he go?
The kid had absolutely zero clue what love was or what it felt like. None. Yet somehow, he managed to feel it stronger, deeper, and more often than he ever has since.
Where’s the kid who felt like he was in a movie, driving through the countryside on summer evenings? The kid who would drive home exhausted on an ice cold pitch black December night, listening to football on the radio, just . . . existing? Enjoying the moment? No, he didn’t enjoy it. He didn’t have to try to. It was just reality. And to him, it was perfect. It was beautiful.
He saw such a colorful world, even on gray days. Long stretches of winter without seeing the sun didn’t faze him.
He took risks. When people laughed at him, he didn’t care. He didn’t carefully consider every sentence that came out of his mouth to make sure it didn’t sound stupid. He made mistakes, and he forgot about them. He missed opportunities he should not have missed, and he forgot about them. He moved on. He just lived.
Time was an unlimited resource for him. Days ticking off the calendar meant nothing.
He never let himself down, because he never had expectations. He didn’t know what failure felt like. Sometimes he failed, but he never experienced failure. That was something that just didn’t exist.
I write all this, but I know where the kid went. He grew up. They all do.
He still has hopes, dreams, and aspirations. But when he gets lost in those ideas, there’s no longer that shimmer in his eyes. Instead, his eyes go narrow and expressionless, and the emotion behind them is no longer blissful. It’s angry and fearful. It’s fear that he won’t be good enough. It’s fear that he’ll let others down. It’s fear that he’ll let himself down. It’s fear that he’ll let the kid down.
If I could pick one word to describe the kid, I’d say he was delusional. That sounds bad, but it’s not. That’s what made him great. That’s why I want him back.