My boyfriend’s pit bull/cane corso mix has a rash on his skin that is obscuring the fur on his body. It’s been there for 9 months. What could be the cause? Please advise. Some pics of it:
https://imgur.com/2P2ujlW
https://imgur.com/IU2JJdi
https://imgur.com/sdbWi2C
Species: canine Age: 4 Neutered: No Breed: cane corso/pitbull Weight: 75 lbs History: rash Clinical signs: itchy rash, bumps on skin, hair loss around rash. Itches more at night. Recently treated for fleas. Duration: 9 months Location: Houston, Tx

Hi!
I (23F UK) was diagnosed and treated for endometriosis via ablation during a laparoscopy performed by the NHS in February 2024. Since the surgery, I've been struggling with medical trauma due to the way I was treated, and unfortunately, all my symptoms have already returned.
I'm reaching out to see if anyone has experienced something similar and can offer advice. Also, I'm wondering if I have grounds to file a complaint or if this is more of a personal issue.
Here is what happened:
After years of waiting, making numerous phone calls, and experiencing several referrals mysteriously falling through, I finally had a phone appointment with my surgeon to discuss my symptoms. During the call, he kept trying to dismiss me and dissuade me from pursuing a diagnostic laparoscopy. I tried to remain calm, but after years of being dismissed and seeing my health decline daily, I broke down in tears explaining this to him. This seemed to help because, although hesitantly, he did agree to book a diagnostic laparoscopy.
For context, two ultrasounds had found limited mobility in my left ovary, suggesting possible adhesions.
This was the only interaction I had with my surgeon before the actual surgery. On the day of the procedure, he asked about my symptoms but kept cutting me off and being dismissive. He said the surgery would take at least 45 minutes to investigate and swap my copper IUD for the MIRENA coil. He mentioned that if endometriosis was present, I would be under anesthesia for 1-3 hours, but he would close me up and refer me to a specialist hospital if he found stage 3+ endometriosis. Following the advice of women from my endo support group, I asked my surgeon if he could perform excision surgery if endometriosis was present. He said excision is only for severe cases, that he didn't perform this procedure, and that ablation was just as effective. Despite my research and advice from others, I trusted his opinion since I am not a doctor.
The anesthetist then came in, briefly looked through my chart, barely spoke to me, and seemed very dismissive. I have low blood pressure normally, and vasovagal syncope episodes everyday (depending on day often multiple times). On the day of the surgery, it was even lower than usual (80-70/60-50), so my mum, who is an NHS nurse, brought it up since he hadn't. He kind of laughed in a snarky way and said "You're young, it's fine." then left.
In the surgery room, no one spoke to me, and I was very anxious, on the brink of a panic attack. A lovely nurse tried to distract me by chatting, which helped immensely (thank god for NHS nurses). The anesthetist inserted the cannula without telling me, asked the surgeon how long he needed, and the surgeon said 30 minutes. Without any warning, the anesthetist put me to sleep.
This was very distressing for me, and cranked up my anxiety. Hearing the surgeon say he needed less time than he had told me made me feel like he didn’t really believe I had endo or that my pain was real. Seconds later, everything started spinning, and that was the last thing I remembered as I went under which felt horrible.
I woke up in severe pain, foggy, with an oxygen mask on, two nurses monitoring me, and a rash all over the arm where the cannula was inserted. I felt like I was about to have a panic attack, severely anxious, and overwhelmed by the oxygen mask and other monitoring devices. The nurses said they were worried since I took a long time to wake up, and the rash indicated an allergic reaction to either the anesthesia or the medication I was given. My blood pressure was around 60/40. They did remove the oxygen mask as soon as I was more awake, which calmed me down a bit. Despite a few IV morphine shots, I was still in a lot of pain, so they gave me fentanyl, which helped briefly. I had surgery in 2018 under general anaesthesia and didn't have any of these issues,(different hospital).
Since it took me a long time to wake up, my surgeon couldn't speak to me after the surgery. I still don't know exactly how long it took me to wake up; my mum didn't keep track, I was too foggy to keep track, and the staff avoided my questions about it. However, he did speak to my mum and told her they found stage 1/2 lesions that were superficial and concentrated on my left ovary, on and behind my uterus, as well as severe pelvic inflammation and congestion, which he expressed is more typical in moderate endometriosis. He said I would probably need further hormonal treatment on top of the MIRENA because of this.
I had the option to go home, but I asked if i could stay overnight because my entire body felt extremely itchy to the point where I couldn't sleep, I had a fever, and it was incredibly difficult and painful to urinate. The itchiness improved slightly around the 8-hour mark after many doses of antihistamines, but I was still very uncomfortable and had a slight fever for days after. They said light bleeding was to be expected but I was bleeding heavily, I left a trail of blood walking to the bathroom and pads couldn't keep up with how much I was bleeding. They kept offering morphine, but since it didn't help with the pain and I suspected it was causing the itchiness, I asked for buscopan instead.
The only thing included in my surgery notes was "moderate endometriosis on uterus and left ovary." My hospital discharge notes claimed "no vaginal bleeding, suspected unknown allergic reaction which subsided entirely with antihistamines, no need for further investigation' and' no issues emptying bladder." Since I left a trail of blood all over the floor, it was very painful to pee, and my full body itchiness lasted for days, I don't feel my notes were accurate ? I don't understand this
I had three incisions; they said they used dissolvable stitches, but one stitch was black while the others were clear. The clear stitches dissolved within a week, but the black looking stitch took over a month, and I had to fiddle with it when it was coming off. I'm not sure if this is normal.
Four months after my surgery, I still experience severe deep pain when emptying my bladder and need to urinate constantly (wasn't a problem before). My symptoms are all back, and I am pretty much bed-bound again like I was before the surgery. I still haven't spoken to my surgeon, and the surgery notes left me wondering what he meant by pelvic congestion, severe inflammation, further hormonal treatment, and about the staging of the disease. I've tried reaching him via his secretary a few times and left a voice message once, but I haven't heard back.
Now, every time I have to see a doctor, I find myself trying to suppress panic attacks. I have nightmares related to my experience and struggle to talk about it without crying or having a panic attack.
I started seeing a therapist in March 2023 to help with PTSD symptoms after being in an abusive relationship. By the time of my surgery, I was actually in a great place mentally and hadn't had any PTSD symptoms since October 2023. I also have ADHD, so with all this in mind, I know that I am more likely to process trauma more negatively.
Advice:
Is it reasonable for me to submit a complaint about my experience? I am not seeking any legal outcomes or compensation. My reason for submitting a complaint would be to encourage the staff to be more mindful of future patients.
Even just informing me of what they were doing ahead of time (e.g., "I am putting in a cannula for your anaesthetic; you will feel a slight pinch but don't worry. I am putting in the anaesthetic now; this might feel funny going in but don't worry, you'll feel a bit dizzy and be asleep very quickly after. We need 30 minutes; we may need longer if we find endometriosis (name of patient).") would have avoided a lot of distress. They could have also discussed anesthesia duration before I went into the room, which would have helped avoid a lot of anxiety, but I'm not sure this would work protocol-wise.
Any advice on how to handle this situation, and heal emotionally? Clarifications?
Thank you for reading and for any support you can provide.

TO CONFORM WITH THE RULES, I AM NOT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE WITH MY QUESTIONS. I AM SEEKING INFORMATION THAT I CAN THEN DISCUSS WITH MY MEDICAL TEAM.
I am a chronic pain patient. I have been prescribed Hydrocodnoe in the past and recently, Roxicodone. Even though I had tolerated opioids well in the past, they are now causing a rash that can spread all over my body. The rash is unsightly, but not painful or itchy, thank goodness.
Dermatology is treating the skin flare ups with kenalog injections. So far I have received 3, going in for my 4th later this week within a 5 month span of time.
I'm guessing I can't just keep getting kenalog injections to manage the flare ups. I'm thinking I should have a convo with my pain doctor about an alternative option to opioids.
I am afraid he will d/c the opioid and prescribe a less effective med. The opioid has worked wonderfully and it allowed me to regain my life after suffering debilitating pain. Except for the rash, everything else has been great.
What opioid alternatives are there that I can discuss with my doctor that work as well as the Roxicodone?
Is there an oral med that I can take in addition to the opioid that will resolve the rash while continuing with the opioid?
If there is no such animal, I can't go back to having that pain. I'd rather stay on the current opioid dose and keep popping in every so often to get a kenalog shot.
I'm looking for information only so that I can discuss with pain doc at next visit. TIA
BTW, I am not open to any medicinal marijuana options including edibles, smoking, or vaping. I do not like how it makes me feel. We've already tried different sativas. tx

Psychic/Normal: Lab Rat (Lab Mouse that can detect and locate anything )
Species: Animutarae Musculus
Planet: Splissengenetic
Appearance

• White Mouse-based
• Large Rectangular Object growing out of back
• Black-opal eyes

Powers and Abilities

• Enhanced Intelligence
• Enhanced Memory
• Able to locate the exact distance of objects in mind
• Able to Detect every the component and composition in nearby objects
  • This Includes Emotion Detection from speech
• Omnilingual

Weaknesses/Drawback

• While able to detect components of an object, doesn’t automatically mean they know what the components are/what the object is.
• Small Size/Fragile Body

Species/Planet Fact: There are different Animutarae subspecies on Geneticore all of them some form of rodent or rodent-like species from various planets mutated with their intellect and the organ on their back that allows them sense the components in all objects. The Animutarae Musculus were the first ones granted this mutation on the planet, and came from the common mouse species on planet earth.
Psychic/Grass: Ultimate Bioburst(See Original in Grass Types)
Appearance

• Cosmic Latte Glowing Color
• Universe Spiral Symbol On Stomach
• Lack of plant/animal features on body

Powers/Ability

• Able to absorb multiple objects within a “biosphere”, and can absorb up to the entire Universe
• Objects Inside will experience regular time until the end of the universe, which will take place in seconds to outside observers
  • Will instill an end to universe
  • Afterwards will blast the biosphere with larger range and force equivalent to the Big Bang
  • Rapidly and perfectly recreates the objects absorbed during impact, relocating them as their original state when absorbed
  • Levitation
• Stronger Body

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Takes more concentration and time to absorb objects into biosphere
• Needs more mass to create biosphere
• Living organisms do not re-evolve, and are recreated exactly as they were before absorption

Psychic/Fire: Ultimate Superstar(See Original in Fire Types)
Appearance

• Visible body outline
• Body switches between glowing like a red sun or having skin consisting of a dark space themed texture with multiple mini stars, and planets along the surface.

Powers/Ability

• Able to control Rotation of planets and planetoids
  • By extent, able to control the season and climate of current planet
• Gains the ability to accelerate or slow growth/metabolism of living organisms

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Loses ability to emit solar flares
• Can’t control solar heat directly
• Unable to emphasize biological solar light
• Noticeably Slower

Psychic/Water: Xenozar Nemetrix predator of the Psyoniarti (See Anemone in Water Types)
Appearance

• Komodo dragon-based body
• One eye in the center
• Square Protrusible Jaws with four giant fangs
• Black Leather Skin
• Metal-like Chitin growing on Head and Limbs
• Long Retractible Claws
• Spear like-tail

Hunting Method

• Temperature based vision
• Sharp Claws
• Superheated Breath
• Voice Mimicry
• Able to launch eggs from tail
• Vacuum Adaptation
• Able to move at high speeds in space
• Limited Flight
• Eggs thrive in the pocket dimension shared by Psyoniarti, eventually hatching and consuming the species from inside

Planet/Species Fact: The Xernozar spend their lives flying through space and looking for prey, initially they’re seen hunting apex predators but not their planets dominant sentient species. Initially they’ve been feared and hunted by different alien societies though some have noticed that the Xenozar could be rather affectionate towards them. Eventually Xenozar have been found killing various Psyoniarti and other hostile Alien invaders, whilst protecting their planets people. Since then, universally the Xenozar are seen as honored guests or even pets in various planets. Though the Psyoniarti and other alien colonies give warning about them in vain.
Psychic/Elctric: Yonous Nemetri predator of the Neurocnidarian (See Nervezzz in Electric Types)
Appearance

• Varies due to species
• Unique glowing parts of body

Hunting Method

• Unique for each species of Anatomo
• Shapeshifting
• In the case of the Neurocnidarian:
  • Nervous System activity hypnotizes prey, eventually absorbs the energy/consciousness inside self

Planet/Species Fact: This alien is widely believed to be the remnants of the formerly alive plane Anatomo out to collect the remaining parts of its former body on a mission to recreate the living planet. How it happened remains to be seen, though a wide number of theories suggest that it was the soul of Anatomo split up and sent out to rebuild itself supported by traces of magic located on Anatomo before its death. Curioisly they aren’t as intelligent as the other species created from the planets remains. Younous can’t even talk or form advanced conscious actions despite their shapeshifting. Their hypnotizing ability comes more from a reaction in their prey’s brain rather than deliberate messaging.
Psychic/Flying: Horavore the nemetrix predator of the Areali (See Unadfo in Flying Types)

• Pure Black
• Round stone-like body
• Three-fold mouth
  • Multiple Sharp teeth
• Larger than a planet

Hunting Method

• Invisibility
• Camouflaged Skin
• Intangibility
• High speed consumption of planets in second time
• Able to sense the entirety of a planet

Planet/Species Fact: The Horabar are able to sense Areali flocks lightyears away. They consume planets whole in less than a milisecond, but it will only digest it if there’s at least one full Alkali left on it, otherwise it will spit the planet out intact just as fast as it swallowed, with little to no of the inhabitants noticing. Strangely though they’ll think there’s an Areali on a planet marked with a specific marking the Areali leave. If it eats a planet with this marking it’ll causes a poisonous reaction sickening them for a while, slowing them down preventing them from catching up to the Areali The Areali don’t know why exactly they leave those marks on the planets they visit, but enough stories about Areali and planets disappearing who fail to continue this mission, has them convinced to continue this tradition.
Psychic/Ice: Ultimate Snow Heads (See original in Ice Name)
Appearance

• Multiple minds the size and appearance of snowflakes
• Clustered in a large clouds able to be cover a city

Powers/Ability

• Bodies able to live in different states of matter and refold themselves into ice
• Extreme Heat resistance
• Multiple bodies cools down temp of objects around it by snowing on them to quickly freeze their targets
  • Able to completely control frozen targets, even animate frozen objects

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Heat can release control of targets
• Unable to freeze targets in a non-solid form
• Takes a while falling and controlling targets, limited movement while snowing, can’t chase targets for a long distance control like base

Psychic/Ground: Phanticada Nemetrix predator of the Murncy (See Oraclay in Ground Types)
Appearance

• Cicada Based Body and swings
• Long Trilobite Like-tail
• Buzzsaw like Jaws

Hunting Method

• Flight
• Material consumption
• Burrowing
• Regenerates when remnants interact with psychic energy created by the Murncy
• Able to resurrect and call other Phanticada from buried remnants in a long radius

Planet/Species Ability: Since the Phanticada are generalist feeders that consume multiple types of animal found naturally in multiple planets in Olog’s solar system. The Murncy chalked up the first couple of fatalities caused by this species found in their clay sculptures as unfortunate accidents. However upon further studies as well as the help of other alien researchers, they realize their own mysterious abilities somehow resurrect even the slightest remains found in the soil they gather. Not only that, it’s discovered Phanticada from the first planets the Murncy inhabited. Theorized that the species remains were incidentally spread across the solar system when the Murncy explored other planets. Some even theorized the existence of the Phanticada as a form of divine punishment to the Murncy that had their god given powers abused.
Psychic/Rock: Ultimate Caststone (See Original in Rock Types)
Appearance

• Vines on Body
• Wood-Like Appendages
• Large Wizard-Like Cloak
• Metal Attachments for Helmet and Gauntlets
• Digital Screen-Like eyes

Powers/Ability

• Omnilingual
• Knowledge of all Magical Languages
  • Instaneously learns any new magical language
• Able to enchant texts of any language on any material
  • Like Turning a regular book into a spell book
• Able to remove text off any material
  • Objects with removed texts cannot have text replaced
• Enchants objects to hold/expell the magic from enchanted texts
• Able to manipulate perception of speech/writing of targets in a city wide radius
• Enhanced Magical Capabilities

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

• Needs magical texts physically to be read to perform spells
• Can’t remove or enchant texts off of digital objects
• Needs to learn a consistent code
• Spells varies depending on the material the text is removed and the text removed
  • Generally the older the object and the more texts/languages used the more powerful the spell
• Doesn’t initially start out with runes/texts on body
• Enchantment on texts can be exhausted
• Loses text/characters when knocked out
  • Gathered text comes back to their origin
• Less durable and weaker than original form

Psychic/Bug: Ebulphibian nemetrix Predator (See Hive Matter in Bug Types)
Appearance

• Red and Cyan Coloring
• Small frog based body

Hunting Method

• Extendable tongue
• Leaping
• Color Changing Skin
• Regenerates when remnants interact with psychic energy created by the Murncy
• Discretely implants large transparent venomous orb in prey’s body via tongue
  • Able to sense location of orb
  • Orb is not rendered an immediate danger and isn’t expelled out of the prey’s body
  • Orb slowly rises or decreases in temperature over time causes the prey’s body to slowly adapt and expend effort into resisting the changing temperature
  • At it’s highest/lowest temperature the orb will immediately freeze or burn the prey’s body in a drastic and sudden change that the target’s body can’t adapt to fast enough, quickly killing the target

Planet/Species Ability: Ebulphibians are one of the few species on Hexasocal that do not have instant adaptation abilities thanks to their stealth capabilities and passive nature. Ironically this is most effective despite most of their prey being aggressive predators. Eventually the non-predatory species of the Darwasp would start recognizing the threat of the Ebulphibian and would hunt them down and extract an anti-adaptive poison. The process has ended with more fatalities than the times the number of times the poison was used let alone successfully. Now the Darwasp are developing a cure for the Ebulphibian venom, progress has been rocky so far and the Ebulphinous venom started become more potent with each sample gathered
Psychic/Fighting: Ultimate Muscle Memory (See Original in Fighting Types)
Appearance

• Stronger layers of Muscle over body
• Head becomes a more bulbous brain shape with less
• Circle-shaped markings on body
• Bright Cyan Color

Powers and Abilities

• Near omniscience intellect
• Applies knowledge to navigate environment and react with near precognition-like skills
• Able to open skin up to expose brain and senses everything on a world-wide radius, gaining complete knowledge on everything it senses

Weaknesses/Drawbacks

• Brain vulnerable when exposed
• Cannot see or speak
• Limited hearing
• Can only sense new objects in depth by exposing brain
• Brain takes a few seconds to learn as opposes to the base form’s constant learning from sight

Psychic/Poison: Spit Lie (Placebo Spitting Devil)
Species: Placebean Planet: Psychotaushen
Appearance

• Humanoid Body
• Scaled
• Snake eyes and tongue
• Purple and Black coloring
• Long Forked whip-like tail.
• Short Horns

Powers and Abilities

• Neutrotoxin Saliva
• Large amounts of saliva is spewed when talking
  • Spit is generally odorless and colorless
• Omnilingual
• Neurotoxin on skin causes the victim to believe physiological effects said by (Species).
  • Examples being “You gain a Rash when touching Wood” “The Ground makes you slow” “My Stare can but you to sleep” Things that effect the target’s body and mind.
    • Voice able to trigger neurotoxins even through technology
  • Can even simulate death.
  • Even affects target that know of the poison.

Weaknesses

• All effects are reversed once toxins are removed
• Toxins are removed after time
• Usually can only create one or two effects at a time depending on how physiologically demanding the effect is
• Effects can be ignored by force of will
• Effects are ignored by species too unintelligent to understand effects
• Psychological effects usually require an audio trigger, and can’t be immediate
• Effects cannot be physiologically impossible

Planet/Species Fact: Placebeans are an often aloof people that don’t want to be bothered, using their toxins on alien visitors they find bothersome. Despite this as interplanetary travel became more common, Placebeans have found themselves getting jobs as interplanetary translators and even mercenaries. They even bonded closely with a new immigrant species due to their ability to produce a useful substrate for them. In exchange Placebeans used their toxins on them for positive effects in unlocking the potential for their body. Many Placebean scientist has worked on genetic modifications to unlock more potential.

Psychic/Ghost: Mind Hopper (Goofy Mind Swapping Frog Skeleton)
Species: Spectanura
Planet: Kaneesus
Appearance

• Legged tadpole based body
• Translucent Skull like head
• Human Spine for a tail
• Two bent legs akin to a Human Skeletons

Powers and Abilities

• Invisibility
• Leaping
• Able to implant tail inside target’s head
  • Mind reading.
  • Memory Reading
  • Mind Swapping with target
  • Able to remove and encase brain/mind from target and hold onto body
  • Able to swap the encased minds of target with another target
• Specific knowledge on how to swap minds with other Spectanura.
• Mindswap targets usually poorly operate body, and can’t go invisible.

Weaknesses

• Can only hold one mind at a time, and can’t voluntarily let go of absorbed mind
• Targets may be able to swap minds with a connected Spectarua depending on knowledge and training
• Mindswap reverts to normal after omnitrix transformation

Planet/Species Fact: Spectanura is a dangerous planet, with the Kneesus having to swap their minds with more mobile predators in order to make strong migrations. Many die before they swap or lose their main bodies in the process becoming trapped in their new body. Small groups of different kinds of bodies have been formed out of this though. But when not using their skill to enter the bodies of strong predators facing dangerous perils, they enjoy using the bodies of safer species, especially ones they’ve never seen before in a safer setting.
Psychic/Dragon: Psygancic (Lovecraftian Dragon)
Species: Acshh’huppie
Planet: Carfletrov
Appearance:

• Large Dragon body
• Multiple spider-like eyes
• Tentacles growing from body
• Enlarged head
• Disorganized Body dhspr
• Gigantic Size

Powers/Abilities:

• Gigantic Body
• Gargantuan Strength
• Flight
• Vacuum Adaptation
• Acidic Breath
• Untouchable body on another plane of existence
• Able to make eye contact on selected targets
  • Telepathy
  • Mind Control, Possession, Induced Illusions of targets made eye contact with it
  • Able to project images of self stronger from bodies of possessed targets
• Able to make contact with those deeply under its influence or close by that target

Weaknesses

• Can’t normally make bodily contact with targets out of its plane of existence
• Total possession/control of target is a gradual process
  • Targets can fight influence out of its head

Planet/Species Fact: An entire system was created from a different plane of reality. From massive amounts energy of a magical source according to researchers. The planets have developed into the Milky Way universe and many alien civilizations were formed most of them practicing some form of magic. However, before any of them would make contact with the world outside their own solar system. A council of all other species have decided to banish the planet Carfletrov back into the plane that birthed them. Never to be seen again for both their and others protection. Centuries later they would manage to make contact with other aliens attempting to create rituals to summon them.
Psychic/Steel: Dial Driver (Time and space traveler MCU-like time rules ) Species: Chronobile
Planet: Cycrone
Appearance

• Single wheel like-limb in center for legs
• Light blue body and head
• See through organ holding a space based liquid
• Large pupils

Powers and Abilities

• Vacuum Adaptation
• Unaging
• High rolling speed (Comparable to a motorcycle)
• Able to teleport into a specific time and place by using specialized internal fuel
  • Can transport others, by excreting fuel on objects

Weaknesses

• Fuel requires energy
• Their “time-line” is not affected by time travel
  • Interactions made after returning from a previous time will not have happened, nor would future effects from returning to a future time will happen.
• Fuel can be depleted, leaving the stranded on their point in time until fuel is replenished which can take years or centuries

Planet/Species Fact: Cycrone are artificially exists far in the future where the Chronobiles haven’t existed until then due to their time travel being more of a dimensional travel. The Cycrone spend their time exploring all of time in space, but eventually the organ that produces the internal fuel to travel will eventually run out and they’ll spend a point in time for the rest of their lives different Billions of Chronobiles have spent their end points in different timeline “dimensions”. Their creators have implanted a tracker in them that can reach into these time space dimensions and use this to map out a multiverse for true time travel.
Fighting/Dark: Desevil (Genie Devil Monkey’s Paw)
Species: Yadjin
Planet: No Planet of Origin
Appearance

• Gorilla Body
• Goat Head
• Usually wears Golden Bracelets
• Smoke Based Bottom tied to an object (Usually a lamp or bottle)

Powers/Abilities:

• Shapeshifting
• Reality Manipulation/Wish Granting
  • Able to Reach levels equivalent to a Celestialsapien
• Relic Shelter
• Immortality

Weaknesses/Drawbacks

• Can only grant one wish per person
• Can only reach high levels of Reality Manipulating when given a wish
  • Must grant the wish on a technical term
• Wish must be manipulated to cause distress/misfortune onto the user
• Malevolent personality
• Restraint to the object their connected to

Species/Planet Fact: Legend has it that there were two histories of the universes before this one. Both of which were rewritten to never have happened. One where the Yadjin ruled above all, and all other species were seen as playthings. Ending with a greed and chaos fueled civil war that tied the species to the relics they’re connected to for all history to come. The second one was similar to the current universe but Yadjin were found granting wishes for their masters while also plotting to rule the universe like it once did. They were near successful until one selfless Yadjin and his allies tricked the upcoming rulers of the universe, and reset it while dooming the species to failure. Now the Yadjin’s numbers are small and any attempts they make at control through their reality manipulating powers are fated to fail and be reversed.
Fighting/Fairy: Emojo (Wonderland themed Mantis from Marvel)
Species: Lysergian
Planet: Troulapin
Appearance

• Swirl Tie-die pattern rainbow fur
• Mushroom-like cap
• Long caterpillar like body
• Furry Cat-like head
• Masked pattern on head

Powers/Abilities

• Empath abilities
  • Emotional Manipulation
  • Emotional Sensing
  • Light Hypnosis
• Telepathy
• Able to induce hallucinations or a state of delirium in targets

Weaknesses

• A bit mentally slow
• Low Camouflage
• Lower Athleticism

Planet/Species Fact: Lysergians live in hard to find biomes underneath the crust of Troulapin, which hold a very precious mineral highly sought by the species that live above them. Entire military forces tried invading these biomes through force to gather this material but have left empty handed and without motivation to continue the mission. This was incidentally done by the Lysergians who didn’t know the threat they faced when the military units approached, nor their motivations to use their abilities for redirect them. Ironically enough they don’t know how important their minerals were nor could they find any use for them. By the time they considered throwing it out to the surface, the people there considered halting all efforts to enter the Lysergians domain and the Lysergians forgot about discarding the minerals.

I originally wrote this for a friend, but it ended up getting so long that I wanted to share it. Extremely long post ahead. Spoilers for 2077 and for Cyberpunk Edgerunners!
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best written open world games I’ve ever played, and perhaps even in history. It’s simply fantastic.
Ig I should start with the setting, Night City itself. Night city is almost its own character with the way that it affects and dictates the fate of the characters in it, and it’s also lowkey the reason why most characters make their really bad decisions, ygm. The City has a sorta disgusting allure, as it’s said to be “the city of dreams” in the 2077 universe, and to its credit, the city has birthed some of the most legendary figures in the cyberpunk world (that we know of). Morgan Blackhand, Rogue, Johnny Silverhand, Robert Weyland and Adam Smasher are the most noteworthy legends that I care to mention, and lo and behold they all come from the imfamous Night City. Despite it’s reputation as the “city of dreams” (lmao) NC is plagued by plenty of gangs, from the cyberpsycho Maelstrom gang to the implant robbing, human trafficking Scavs, to the netrunning Voodoo Boys that try to breach the blackwall (and if they are successful and fuck with a rogue AI literally all of humanity is finished). So basically, NC is home to some baaaad niggas, and the police force really aint that much better. Night City, like most other places in the Cyberpunk world, is home to a decadent crowd of corporations, with the biggest (or at least most relevant) being Arasaka. Don’t get me wrong tho, there are still other corp presences in the city, like Trauma Team, Millitech and Kang Tao (and maaaaaybe Biotechnica but u don’t really see much of them in game). Plus, corpos are arguably worse than the gangs, as they regularly partake in not so legal operations (like Meridith Stout getting fucking murdered if you tell Royce about her bugged money). So yeah, much like real life, corporate pricks are rarely better than the scum on the streets of NC.
Night City is a commentary on “the American dream” and how it’s a fucking lie. The idea of starting from the bottom and working your way to the top and everything being just peachy is, to be completely honest, a fantasy in both NC and in real life. Not one of the legends that you see ingame could be said that they have a better life (if they didn’t fucking die lmao) after they hit legend status. I’ll elaborate more later, but a base theme of Cyberpunk (or at least 2077) is that becoming a legend in Night City is worthless and always comes at an immense cost. Notice how the only truly happy and content characters in the game don’t really chase glory or a legendary status, but rather they’re just happy with their lot. Hell, V literally says those exact words to Viktor when they first leave his clinic. TLDR: NC is NOT a city of dreams.
Our initial group of main characters (V, Jackie and arguably T-Bug) have been completely hooked by the lie of Night City, with all of them dreaming of becoming a Legend. Jackie is the biggest perpetrator of this mindset, as he was the one that influenced V’s desire to become a legend in the first place (This next section will be about Jackie btw).
Jackie, imo, was a bit underutilised in the actual game, but nevertheless he’s an excellent character. He’s an ex valentino merc with a pretty good life by Night City standards. He has a girlfriend who loves him, he has his mum still alive, he has Viktor and he has his best friend V. Pretty decent lot, but not one that lasts long. Jackie’s fatal flaw is, unfortunately, his ambition, as if you remember he’s the one that took Dex’s job and encouraged V to do the same, and as we all know, Jackie ends up dead in a Delamain by the end of act one. Jackie is the embodiment of the “being a legend in NC doesn’t mean shit” theme, as he pretty much sacrificed his life (and V’s life too, although unknowingly) in the pursuit of glory, leaving his loved ones behind to mourn him. Worst part is, in his final act, Jackie slots the Relic into V’s brain, and although it was an act of love for his friend (remember, from Jackie’s perspective, the Relic job would have set V up for life), he unknowingly condemned V to death, pretty much ruining their life. I think that it’s worth mentioning Misty’s tarot readings too (ion believe in that shit but it lowkey works in the themes of the game). I would say Jackie is represented by The Fool card, representing new beginnings, a free spirit and endless enthusiasm, whilst V is represented by The Fool Reversed, that represents risk-taking, uncertainty and the idea of stepping into a situation that you don’t fully understand. That’s probably why you can find The Fool graffiti in front of V’s apartment. This brings me onto Dex and the actual job.
Gonna come out and say it, Dex is a bald bastard, and a far cry from the “fat ass black Jesus of the Afterlife” that Jackie describes him as. We don’t get much information about him, but we can piece together that Dex was a decent fixer until he botched a job somewhere in Pacifica, making very powerful enemies in the process (this could either be the Voodoo Boys, Mr Hands or even Hansen), and forcing him to hide out for two years. The Relic operation was supposed to be his triumphant return, but lowkey I think that he was gonna double cross V and Jackie from the moment they took the job. I mean, what fixer picks up two completely unknown mercs and gets them to rob Arasaka on their first job? Not to mention the lowkey shady shit that he does regarding the pay. A real fixer would already have a buyer ready for the Relic before the job even started, AND if Dex had any intention of actually paying V and Jackie, their cut would have been non-negotiable, have at least a reasonable estimate pay, and not just meaningless fucking percentages. I’m telling you bro, the deal fucking STANK, but V and Jackie were too blinded by Dex’s rep and the promise of glory to notice. Fucking gonks. But I guess they didn’t have the luxury of hindsight like us.
Before I forget, imma quickly mention Evelyn. Yk how earlier I asked you why she even risked her life for the Relic job? If you bring Judy in the Panam ending (SPOILERS IF U CARE) Judy says that after the Relic job, she and Evelyn would’ve left NC with the resulting cash and started a new life together. Unfortunately, Ev, just like V and Jackie, was in waaaaay over her head, as there was no way that she would walk away with both the Voodoo Boys and Arasaka breathing down her neck. Interestingly, Evelyn’s associated tarot card, The Magician, can interpreted as a spirit of resourcefulness in tough situations, as well as knowledge. However, I believe that The Magician Reversed better describes Evelyn as a character, with it representing getting manipulated and poor planning. Don’t have to be Einstein to connect the dots there 😭. Still tho, it was truly awful what happened to her. Fuck Scavs, all my niggas hate Scavs 🗣️🔥🔥🔥.
So that brings us to the end of act one. In summary, V and Jackie were completely fucked the second they took the Konpeki Plaza job, as even in the best case scenario they would end up A. Ghosted by Dex if the job was successful and hunted down by Arasaka, or B. Go with Evelyn and irreparably destroy their reputation as mercs by betraying their fixer AND having both Arasaka and the Voodoo Boys hunt them down. Either way, no matter how V and Jackie played their cards they were cooked regardless.
Anyway, I believe that Act one represents the bubble that most mercs live in in Night City. The idea of pulling off one big job and being swept up from the shit stained streets to the lavish life of riches and clout. What a bunch of horseshit. V and Jackie placed their self worth and their lives on that dream, and unfortunately they chose the wrong dream to bank on. In Night City, everyone seems to know what they want, but nobody knows what they need, which is another pretty big theme in 2077.
Alright time to talk about my favourite part of the game, the characters.
I’ll start with the one I have the least to say about, River. River is a pretty cool dude if you play as Vincent, but lowkey a bit of a creep if you play as Valarie. Ignoring that, I appreciate that he’s just a good guy in the pretty shitty system that is the NCPD. He’s like a foil to Takemura and Reed, because unlike them he doesn’t prioritise neither his position or the good graces of his authorities over doing the right thing. Hell, he’s willing to get suspended from the force for his nephew, AND he stands up to Detective Han when he finds out about the Mayor’s murder. Overall, he’s one of the only characters in a government/ corporate organisation with a fucking spine in the entire game, and he gives me hope that one day the NCPD won’t be such a shithole.
Speaking of corpos, Takemura. I’m pretty sure you already know my thoughts on the guy, so I’ll keep it short. Takemura is a good dude trapped by his ideals, a good dog to a cruel master. He’s loyal to a fault to Arasaka, yada yada yada. His endings are interesting, as he curses V and damns them to hell in every ending except for the Arasaka and Phantom Liberty endings. Although it’s implied that Takemura contemplates suicide (yk, cuz he’s reading samurai death poems) I like to think that he doesn’t kill himself, rather he takes his time to work through his problems and comes out a better man due to V’s influence, maybe even growing a pair of balls and leaving Arasaka. It’s a pretty optimistic interpretation I know, but I don’t think that Takemura would kill himself after any of the endings, especially since in the Phantom Liberty ending he’s still alive after two years, despite him being a fugitive and Hanako being dead (i.e. he has nothing to live for). If he didn’t kill himself then, why would he kill himself in any of the other endings? Or I could be completely wrong and V’s betrayal would have pushed him over the edge, turning him into a soulless Saka soldier. But I don’t think Goro would do that. “BETTER BUCKLE UP!!!” Takemura’s associated tarot card is a bit hard to pin down, cuz he appears around numerous graffiti around the city throughout the game, however I believe the first card we see him with is The Chariot, which represents self control, determination and rising action, however, when reversed, it can also mean self discipline to a fault and a lack of direction. Sounds very Takemura-ish to me.
The Arasaka’s themselves are pretty interesting to me as well, particularly Yorinobu. Saburo and Hanako are the worst kind of corpos, people that stand at the very, very, very top in a world of their own making, yet they choose not to benefit the lives of others that are suffering by their own hand. Often I hear people calling Adam Smasher the most evil character in Cyberpunk, but I personally disagree. Smasher is a horrible, deranged psychopath but he’s not the reason why the 2077 world is so shitty, rather he’s just one of the many, many symptoms of the corporate greed that is perpetuated by corps such as the Arasakas. To be so above everyone and everything and being capable of changing billions of lives for the better, yet choosing not to for no apparent reason other than to maintain your lifestyle of comfort, that is what I would call truly evil.
Whats funny is that the name “Hanako” means “flower child” because that’s what she is to Saburo; an ideal child to him, loyal and willing to preserve his empire. Yorinobu, the most moral (or at least least evil) Arasaka that we know of, is Saburo’s problem child, cuz he rebelled and shit with his gang the Steel Dragons. His name translates to “To depend on” or “to rely upon”, reflecting his nature of a less corrupt Arasaka under his control, which you can see take shape in every ending bar the Arasaka ending. Saburo roughly translates to “third born son”. At first, his name didn’t appear to have any meaning, however I thought about it for a while and I lowkey think I got something out of it. You might remember Mista’s repulsion to the number 4 in Jojo part 5, as in Japan, 4 is considered an unlucky number. Similarly, the number 3 is considered a lucky number (not just in Japanese culture, but also ancient Greek and Roman culture), and is, ironically, considered a number of sincerity and understanding. This might be a reach, but I think that Saburo’s name holds significance, as Saburo is everything that his name is not. He is conniving, ruthless, and cold, even to his own family, and his pursuit of immortality through Mikoshi is just the cherry on top. Lowkey, I’m probably thinking waaaay too deep into it, there’s no way the niggas that named the Arasakas thought this hard about it 💀. But idrc that’s part of the fun.
It’s also worth mentioning that Hanako’s associated card is The High Priestess, representing divine femininity and important knowledge when upright, and secrecy and withdrawal when reversed, obviously referring to Hanako’s relationship with V and her concealment of her true intentions to resurrect her father. Speaking of Saburo, his associated card is The Emperor, exhibiting authority and fatherhood when upright, and obsessive control, domination and inflexibility when reversed. It’s a tad bit on the nose if you think about it lmao.
The final Saka scumbag I’ll talk about is the legendary Cyberpsychotic merc, Adam Smasher. Bro needs no introduction. Killed Rebecca and David Martinez, allegedly killed Johnny Silverhand, kills Rogue and Saul in their respective endings, and has been said to have a kill count literally in the thousands. Smasher represents a lot. He’s a cautionary tale of what selling yourself and your ideals to corps can do to a person, as well as what it takes to become a “legend” in Night City. He’s also the result of the worst of Night City and the type of people that the city rewards. In fact, he begs the question “If this is type of person that deserves to be treated as legend, is that status even worth pursuing?” I would would say no, because, comically, Adam Smasher is the best case scenario for becoming a legend in NC. He loves what he does, and he loves the sense power it gives him. He doesn’t give a fuck about anyone around him, nor does he have any current relationships when we see him. In a way, unlike most other NC legends, he is pretty happy and content with his life, at the expense of literally everyone he meets and his own humanity. If you didn’t know already, Smasher was a punk from New York until his body was obliterated by a missile, and Arasaka saved his ass under the condition that he works for them. He accepted, blah blah blah, did a lotta bad things, blah blah blah, I’m sure you knew that already. Like a twisted Takemura, Adam Smasher is like a rabid pitbull being released into a daycare by its owner. How fitting is it that in almost every ending, Smasher gets his brains splattered on the floor by a lone merc, ending his 90 year (rough estimate) life with a fizzle. Put down like a rabid dog. That’s what Adam Smasher deserves to be remembered for.
Anyway, enough about Arasaka goons. Let’s talk about our glorious queen Panam. I actually don’t have a lot to say about her, as she pretty much wears her character on her sleeve, if that makes sense lol. Panam’s interesting as she’s pretty much the only main character that is an outsider to Night City, being a Nomad and all, and that shows in her questline and her interactions with V and the city. Throughout her questline, Panam’s major struggle is deciding whether or not to rejoin her family or to continue to work as a merc in Night City. When you first meet her, she seems really pissed off after her car was stolen by Nash after she botched a job for 6th Street, clearly an indication of her unhappiness in Night City. It’s also important to note that Panam is introduced the the Strength tarot card, representing strength (duh), courage and compassion when upright, as well as lingering self doubt and raw emotion. Very Panam. You know how the story goes after that, she reunites with the Aldecaldos, finds a true friend/lover in V, blah blah blah. In my interpretation, Panam represents how there is much more to life than chasing empty dreams in Night City. In act one before meeting Panam, V and Jackie might as well have been surgically attached to NC with their determination to become legends in it, and the game INITIALLY (keyword) presents becoming a legend as the be all end all, the absolute pinnacle of a merc’s career. However, Panam is different to pretty much every other merc we see in Cyberpunk. She never once shows a desire to be the best in NC, even tho she’s clearly got a good reputation already (as she works for Rogue, a luxury not even V gets), and if she wanted too, she probably could climb the social ladder and get to at least Kid Weyland’s level. But it’s clear that Panam values other things over her reputation and status in NC, with the most obvious being her family. What Panam wanted at the beginning of her arc was some semblance of independence and the ability to live for herself and herself only, but what she needed was to be reminded of the family that she had left behind, yet would still do anything for her. I think that Panam is probably the most optimistic character archetype in the entire game, as the message of her character is literally that one fucking Vin Diesel meme; Family really does matter. Having people behind you when shit hits the fan is important, and there’s no shame in relying on others when you’re at your absolute lowest. This is even more evident in her ending, which is, imo, the absolute best ending in the game by a long shot. Even though Saul, Teddy and Bob did indeed die for V in the raid, they absolutely had no regrets, and if they really didn’t want to raid Mikoshi they could’ve stayed behind or backed out. After all, they would “walk through hell and back for you, brothesister”. Even though Johnny is disapproving of the whole Aldecaldo plan, by the time of the game’s ending he still hasn’t learned how to fucking rely on people, so his opinion is lowkey invalid. “You never stop learning hard lessons, but you don’t have to learn them alone” - dude from a random sidequest in Dogtown. It’s no wonder that the tarot card that Panam’s ending is associated with is The Star (jojo reference lmao), a card that represents hope, renewal, and the finding of a new purpose. One more thing, I think Panam ghosting V after the PL ending was super out of character, Panam would never do that, not after all the shit they went through together. Lowkey I think Panam could be dead in that ending, but then again, she said herself that she has trouble processing her emotions, so maybeeee she would call back at some point. Idk I’m just theorising at this point. TLDR Panam is the goat, love your family and friends, and I love bad bitches. 2 bad her fanbase are all gooners. Nobody seems to gaf about her actual character, even tho she’s one of my favourites 😭😭😭😭
Kerry time, baby. Lowkey, I really like Kerry, bro grew on me alot. I also think he has the most under appreciated arcs in the whole game. Long story short, Kerry’s an insecure ass dude that’s still stuck in the past, unable to separate his success as an artist from Johnny’s. Or at least he was. You already know what his deal is, washed up rockstar meets a friend/lover that he drags along to sabotage the UsCracks, he then meets said UsCracks, opens his mind a little and gains new friends and reignites his passion for music. But that’s not why I find Kerry interesting. Kerry’s central conflict that drives his illegal escapades is his fear of living in Johnny’s shadow, even 50 years after his death. V only goes to meet Kerry at the request of Johnny after he finds out about Kerry’s alleged suicide attempt. Kerry, of course, denies it, but I think that he didn’t want to appear weak in front of Johnny, both because he’s still lowkey not over him (like get a grip bro, it’s been half a century 💀💀💀) and also because his ego couldn’t handle being vulnerable in front of someone that he subconsciously perceived as being so much better than him. Kerry’s insecurities bleed into his actions way more than you might think, as Johnny always criticised him for “tying himself to a corporate leash” after he left Samurai. This singular line lowkey fucked Kerry’s perception of his career up, even though he never admits it until the rooftop scene. It’s the reason why he was so upset at his corpo manager making that deal with the manager of UsCracks behind his back, and it’s also the reason why he wanted to play one last gig as Samurai. Basically, Kerry was petrified of proving Johnny right, that he is just another corporate puppet and that he doesn’t actually believe in the shit he sings. I personally find that pretty relatable, as I’m man enough to admit that constantly being surrounded by people that you perceive as better than yourself really fucks with your perception of your own achievements, causing you to sell yourself short. Kerry’s arc is really great, as he realises that everything that he’s accomplished was because of him and his effort, and that he didn’t need to be subconsciously “competing” with the people around him, and once he finally realised that, he could actually enjoy his rockstar life. TLDR Kerry’s awesome, I love him and lowkey he just like me. More time should’ve been dedicated to his character rather than his romance, cuz it’s the second least impactful one imo.
Time to talk about my personal favourite long sidequest character, Judy Alvarez. Underneath her aloof attitude, Judy is really an optimist at heart, always wanting and using everything in her power to do the right thing. Her mindset shines through her entire questline, with the whole Clouds rebellion happening just because Judy wanted to do the right thing. Unfortunately, Night City does NOT like idealism, and Judy arguably goes through the worst trauma of any of the long sidequest characters (apart from maybe the Peralez’s). First her GF (maybe?) gets sexually assaulted and sold off to Scavs, then kills herself. Then, Judy rather healthily channels her anger and grief towards doing something good for Clouds, but unfortunately, she doesn’t think about the long term consequences of temporary liberating the club from the Tyger Claws, ending up with Tom getting killed and Clouds going down under if V chooses not to take Maiko’s side, or nothing changing in Clouds if V does take Maiko’s side, meaning her efforts were all for nothing. Judy has it fucking ROUGH, especially for a character that we know for certain is genuinely just a good person. It’s pretty fitting that her tarot card, Justice (found in the mission where V and Judy save Evelyn from the Scavs), is associated with her. The Justice card represents justice (obviously), fairness and truth when upright, and unfairness, shortsightedness and getting fucked over by situations out of your control when reversed. Getting fucked by situations out of her control is probably the best way to describe what happens to Judy throughout the entire game, hell, even her childhood home was washed away by some corporation without a lick of her input. Judy’s also the only notable character in the game that is completely alone in Night City, only having Evelyn as a true companion (until she… yk). Panam has the Aldecaldos, Kerry has his business and the UsCracks, and River has his family, but Judy has nobody. Similarly to V, Judy’s another character that Night City has taken everything from, and inbetween her love life with Maiko, Evelyn and debatably V (bro, she has DOGSHIT taste in women btw), her home that’s stuck underwater, and her friends at Clouds, it’s a wonder how she even gets up in the morning.
Judy has a lotta reasons to just crash out and integrate with the rest of morally bankrupt Night City scum, or at at the very least lose her optimism, but she chooses to still believe that there are people out there that want to do good. She also assumes the best in people, evident by her plan with Maiko having Evelyn’s suicide as the inciting factor (she thought that Maiko would have the same moral responsibility to at least try to do something about the safety of the dolls in Clouds). Some may call this trait naïveté or just plain stupidity, even Judy herself asks herself that question after the meeting with the Tyger Claw bosses, but the game shows otherwise. There are a myriad of characters in 2077 that choose to do good things purely because they were the right thing to do, with the biggest examples probably being Panam (helping Saul even though they constantly butt heads), River (getting to the bottom of the Mayor’s death, even getting suspended for it) and V themselves, and even Johnny if you have a high enough friendship with him. Throughout the game, V has many opportunities to do good things purely for the sake of doing good and helping others, and pretty much all of the character questlines in the game result from V just helping others out for seemingly nothing in return. In fact, this part of Judy’s character is best described by a line V can say after the Tyger Claw meeting; “There’s a difference between being a gonk and having faith in people”. Johnny once said that there are no good people, only good choices and shitty ones, but I think that Judy disproves that way of thinking. After all, if Johnny were right, then what the hell would you call someone that can still bring themselves to try and do the right thing despite being handed L after L? Interestingly, if you spare Woodman, you get to kill him with Judy later in her quest, and even after the deed is done Judy says that she feels “unsatisfied”, and will continue to say that she thought his death would make the world a better place. V can choose to either say “revenge rarely makes you feel better” or “the world is a better place now that Woodman’s gone” (both paraphrased). V is technically right in both outcomes, as Woodman’s death would most likely have saved a lot of dolls from his sexual abuse, but getting revenge on someone in an attempt to clear your conscience rarely, if ever, works. After all, Judy still had to deal with Evelyn’s death after Woodman had died, was still miserable (for at least a while), and still had no idea what her place in the world was. Getting revenge on Woodman didn’t magically make her problems go away, nor did it make her feel better, similarly to Clair admitting that she didn’t feel any better after killing the guy that murdered her husband.
I quickly want to mention Judy’s relationship with V. Regardless if you either play as Vincent or Valerie, Judy clearly cares a great deal about V, considering that V is one of the only “good” people that Judy knows (I put good in quotations cuz V is the player character, and can be as evil as the player wants them to be, but you can chock that up to ludo-narrative dissonance. Look that up). It’s also probably why she’s the most torn up if V kills themselves or dies during Don’t Fear The Reaper. I mean, her only and best friend or lover fucking dies right after her last friend (gf?) killed herself? That’s so rough it would be funny, but Judy’s reaction is so raw and visceral that it’s kinda hard to watch. Valerie and Judy’s relationship is also the most interesting imo, albeit a bit unhealthy, as they pretty much completely rely on one another through their respective struggles. V is the epitome of Judy’s worldview that there are good people in such a shitty world, and Judy is the positive influence that V needs to finally escape that shithole of a city. I said earlier that V was Judy’s rebound, and whilst that may be true, I like to think that by the Panam ending that their relationship became more than that.
Anyway, enough about love, ewww. The final aspect of Judy’s character that I want to discuss is her relationship with Night City and how it differs from other characters. Although she was born and raised in the City, Judy doesn’t hold it in high regard, quoting “this city either makes you an asshole or you get offed by one” in The Sun ending. And tbf, who could blame her after NC destroyed Ev, Clouds and almost destroyed her worldview and ideals too. If you complete her quest, Judy will leave NC in every single ending apart from the suicide ending, finally escaping the toxic ass environment of Night City. It’s no surprise that she’s a whole lot happier after leaving, moving to Oregon with her grandparents if V isn’t in a relationship with her, or joining V in the Panam ending. Even in the Phantom Liberty ending (that I fucking hate, mind you), she gets married, ditches NC and is finally happy. And you know what, good for her, god knows she deserves it 😭. TLDR Judy proves that even in a shithole dystopian world, there will always be someone trying to good, and that’s not a weakness, rather it’s a great virtue. She’s my second favourite character, and her romance route has the most depth and is the most interesting. Judy is peak character writing (except in Phantom Liberty). Anyway, enough about these frauds, let’s talk about the real star of the game.
🗣️🔥JOHNNY FUCKING SILVERHAND‼️💥💪 Can you believe that it’s taken this long for me to get to him??? Boy, oh boy where do I even begin? Ig I should start with his backstory. Johnny Silverhand (born Robert John Linder) was a musician and “revolutionary” of his time, being the lead singer of his band Samurai and also being the perpetrator of the Arasaka tower bombing in 2023. He was defeated by Adam Smasher and died after having his consciousness sucked into Mikoshi by Arasaka. This is the version of events that Johnny claims to have happened, but the game leaves subtle hints that he’s either lying or he may not know the whole story. This may enter theory territory, but it’s implied that the real Johnny (i.e. The non construct Johnny) actually died in his first encounter with Smasher, and the memory that construct Johnny has of getting Soulkilled is either a lie or fabricated. Furthermore, the lead narrative designer and creator of Cyberpunk, Mike Pondsmith, has stated “Johnny's recollection of the events that day are scrambled from the rad damage his body took and the process of recording his engram (CDPR and I have both agreed that Johnny is an unreliable narrator at best)” In this (https://www.reddit.com/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/lheqvn/comment/gn0g87h/?context=3) reddit post, if you care to read it. Bottom line is Johnny is an unreliable ass narrator, and a lot of what he says and recalls is either a lie or he just doesn’t remember correctly. Returning to his backstory, Johnny signed up for the army as a teenager and served in the second Central American war, got his left arm blown off and replaced with his iconic sliver hand, and finally he deserted the army, fucking off to NC in that shitty hotel that V wakes up in 2077.
Before I continue, I would like to quickly talk about cyberpsychosis and how it relates to Johnny. Basically, cyberpsychosis is the process of slowly losing your mind as you get more and more cybernetic implants, eventually resulting in the afflicted crashing out and going cyberpsycho, usually resulting in a lot of deaths. We don’t see much of the effects of cyberpsychosis in 2077, so I’m gonna bring up Edgerunners. In said anime, the main character David pushed his cyberware tolerance to the absolute limit without losing his humanity, and even he sorta lost it by the ending. Same with Maine, another major character. But basically, mild cyberpsychosis has been known to cause symptoms of lacking empathy, rash thinking and a loss of self preservation. Sounds a lot like a certain rockstar that we know, right? Johnny has been confirmed to have suffered from at least a mild form of cyberpsychosis from his primitive silver arm. Confirmed by Pondsmith (https://www.reddit.com/LowSodiumCyberpunk/comments/xklzsx/comment/ipffmf4/), knowing that Johnny is a high functioning cyberpsycho lowkey re-contextualises his entire character, as his cyberpsychotic tendencies perhaps led to his mistreatment of his friends and his almost deranged obsession with Arasaka. With that being said, I don’t think that Johnny’s cyberpsychotic tendencies can justify his destructive behaviour, as Regina’s fixer quests prove that cyberpsychos can be rehabilitated and return to society safely and effectively. So really, if Johnny ever seeked out help, he probably could’ve turned himself around and perhaps even prevented himself from fucking up every relationship he had.
To say that Johnny has a fiery, gung-ho personality would be a massive understatement. Unsurprisingly, due to his background of serving in a corporate government war, Johnny fucking hates corporations, citing why in his lengthy speech to V after they interrogated Hellman. “Corps've long controlled our lives, taken lots... and now they're after our souls! V, I've declared war not because capitalism's a thorn in my side or outta nostalgia for an America gone by. This war's a people's war against a system that's spiralled outta our control. It's a war against the fuckin' forces of entropy, understand? Do whatever it takes to stop 'em, defeat 'em, gut 'em. If I gotta kill, I'll kill. If I need your body, I'll fuckin' take it!” It’s clear that Johnny hates corporations in an abstract sense, hating the way that they’ve got the entire world in a chokehold. He even acknowledges that corporations are like hydra, and even if you destroy one, two others will inevitably take its place. Johnny’s main goal was to get people to “wake up” as he puts it. He wanted to inspire people to rise tf up and actually do something about the corps treading over them, and in that sense he’s right. After all, corps are only as powerful as the people allow them to be. Compared to most other motivations in NC, on paper Johnny is quite heroic. Too bad the way he goes about things borderlines on completely psychopathic. That brings me onto my next point.
Johnny was highkey a narcissistic hypocrite. He raved on and on about standing up to corporations for the good of the people, but he only ever directly challenged a corp when Arasaka kidnapped Alt, and even then he didn’t give a fuck about all of the innocent people that would most likely be killed with the bombing of Saka Tower. Also worth mentioning that he was convinced that Arasaka kidnapped Alt just to get to him (bro was so up his own ass goddamn 💀). Probably worst of all is that Arasaka tower’s bombing changed absolutely nothing in Night City. Smasher survived, every Arasaka survived and corps still ruled the city long after the bombing. The only things that Silverhand accomplished was murdering a shit ton of people and cementing himself as a legend of Night City, quite possibly the most meaningless legacy ever.
This brings us onto the 2077 timeline, when Johnny awakes inside of V’s head. I’m sure you know the story from there. They bicker, Johnny slowly warms up to V and vice versa, he sacrifices himself, blah blah blah. Throughout his time stuck in V’s head, Johnny slowly but steadily develops empathy and compassion for people other than himself, and by the end of the game he finally realises how much of a shit he’s been. I believe that there is no better quest to showcase his development than the grave quest “Chippin In”. In said quest, Johnny asks V to find and visit his grave, hoping that there was at least something that marked his death. Alas, he is disappointed, as when V finally finds the location of his body, there was nothing there. Just a pile of old scrap and garbage. When V asks what he expected to find, Johnny simply replies “I dunno. A marker? Something. Anything…”. This is Johnny at his most vulnerable you ever see him throughout the entire game. Even though Johnny had achieved legend status, not one person had bothered to track down his grave and pay their respects by giving him at least something. Just to know that he mattered to someone. Unfortunately for him, by the time he died, there was nobody that he hadn’t completely destroyed his relationship with. “Chippin In” is Johnny’s wake up call to finally stop abusing and abandoning his relationships, and the first one that he makes an effort to mend is his friendship with V. “Is it too late to ask for a second chance?” From this point onward, Johnny notably makes more of an effort to make up for the shitty ways he had treated his friends. For some, like Kerry and V, Johnny is able to reconnect and ultimately help them become better people, but for others, like Rogue, he finds that he can never really re-integrate into her life. This is because that Rogue, just like Johnny, had changed over the past 50 years, and she genuinely could not face Johnny after she sold out to Arasaka, viewing it as a betrayal of both Johnny’s and her own values. The tragedy of their romance is that by the time that Johnny learns that information, he doesn’t care, because he has changed, and put his love for Rogue over his hatred of Arasaka. Too bad that if Johnny lives, Rogue either hates him and thinks of him a coward in DFTR, bids him a less that tender farewell in any other ending, or just straight up dies in her ending 💀.
Johnny also happens to be the only character other than V to have multiple tarot cards associated with him, with the first one being The Hanged Man, also found in the “Chippin in” quest by Johnny’s grave. The card depicts a man hanging from his feet, a rather untraditional way of hanging. Perhaps the man is hanging upside down from his own volition? The Hanged Man represents resistance and indecision when reversed, and letting go and new perspectives when upright. Hmm… letting go of a lifelong obsession? I wonder how that relates to Johnny 🤔?
The next card that Johnny is associated with is The Lovers, found in the movie theatre after Rogue and Johnny’s date. The Lovers depicts two figures intertwined by their tongues (or a traditional embrace in most other tarot cards), with a bright background behind them. Behind one figure lies a serpent coiled around its neck, almost choking it, whilst the other has a wreath of burning branches behind it. The serpent whispers in lover one’s ear, guiding them to hedonistic pleasures and the easy way out, while the fire of the branches are representative of lover two’s determination and passion, both for lover one and perhaps for more. The Lovers upright represents the purest form of love and harmony, however I think Johnny’s relationship with Rogue fits The Lovers reversed better. The Lovers reversed represents a misalignment of values, that being that one lover’s priorities is not the same as the other’s. It can also represent unrequited feelings, representative of Rogue cockblocking Johnny after their date. I also think that The Lovers can apply to every relationship that V has available to them, but I really cannot be bothered to write all that shit out. You think about it. Johnny’s final associated card is Temperance, but I’ll talk about that in the endings section.
Basically, the message behind Johnny’s character is that no matter how badly you fucked up, no matter how cooked you may think you are, you are always capable of changing yourself for the better and helping others. By giving Johnny a second chance, V made him a better man capable of caring for others, eventually storming Arasaka tower for V and sacrificing himself just so that V can get their body back. An act that selfless coming from the same guy that told V kill themselves in the beginning? I believe that Johnny is absolutely worthy of a second chance. TLDR Keanu is my glorious king, fuck corpos and I need to buy some sweet ass red aviators.
Unfortunately, that’s the maximum character limit hit for this subreddit 😭.

I feel so weak even saying it. It’s just a man he’s 36 and I’m 23. He cheated on me 3x over text to my boundaries. One sexual message with his ex roommate who’s also my age. He trashed my whole style to bring hers up and compliment her. One message to his ex, platonic and she didn’t respond (to my knowledge I guess he technically could’ve deleted them but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt) and one only fans subscription that was a lot of money in my opinion. Especially for someone who can’t afford therapy. Said he never slept with anyone but messages say he’ll hit her up when he’s in town. The town he visited while his dad was in the hospital. He was sending sexts at the same time. I knew they had a rough start, him and his dad, but he forgave his dad and became close with him again. His Dad was dying and eventually did die so I feel like a piece of shit for making a big deal out of cheating. But my whole life has been a series of me being the doormat. There’s a list of people I could name that wronged me in the worst most inhumane way possible. Like 10. I suffered 18 years of the worst abuse possible by my mom, and the US Justice system and the courts failed me my whole life. I was starved. Beat. Emotionally abused. Nobody helped me. My family actually shunned me for escaping my abusive mom. Told me to “get over it”. She’s not just emotionally abusive either she’s next level scary, like Physcopath level. Therapy told me not to care about what they have to say or where they’re at in life. I’ve been on antidepressants, adderall. I’ve smoked medical marijuana to take the edge off. I used to max those out to be numb and painless but now I think I’ve found the balance amount to make me high functioning depressed. I have a high paying job for being a single woman with no dependents or pets and even an opportunity to move with my long distance best friend to a new city. He said he’d come with me in months but can’t afford couples therapy right now (even with financial aid and his military disability) and I need an answer for this right now. I can’t wait months to get help. I don’t have any interests in my hobbies or art. I’ve never been codependent on a man. I still am not. It feels much bigger than just him cheating to be honest. The reason I want to die is because I’m always misunderstood and miserable because of it. I was molested as a kid so that’s my trauma, I’ve been cheated on by 2/3 of my partners I’ve ever had. I’m neurodivergent or inherited as my therapist says. So I’ve never been loved by a man for me. I guess maybe my looks or that it looks good on paper. My 2nd ex boyfriend who never cheated still stole 3k from me slowly over time. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. I used to be so passionate about food and wanting to start my own business. I’ve been told by “girlfriends” to forgive my mom, and had them feed information to her about my whereabouts which made me a victim of stalking. She made a huge nasty ugly end in front of my whole graduating class on my graduation. Everyone saw me hyperventilating and panick attack mode because my mom had my brother physically assault my boyfriend at the time, and ADULTS around us couldn’t read the situation and actually lessened their actions and said “can’t we just get along?” When people were actively trying to kidnap me. I have no love for life. It’s not just him. It’s that I thought he was one of the good ones and every single person fails me in a major way and expects me to forgive. I’ve been nothing but used my whole life besides by my one girlfriend in another city. I’m changing my beneficiary to her, because she deserves it. I just hope she understands why I did it. Because she’s the literal 1 in 100 that stuck by me when things were bad. And the other 99 saw me as a target since I was abused as a kid. I’ve been bullied at work, sexually harassed and had to lose my job to it. I’ve had money stolen from me from my mom. Up to 10k in 2018. She took me to court as an 18 year old in high school when I left her house. It cost me at least 12-13 Fridays missed from my senior year. The max amount allowed by the school, so I couldn’t even have a sick day or mental health day, and actually had to return to class after the most training trails of my life. I have tried for justice and was even ridiculed by a judge since she has money for lawyers and knows the system since she’s a piece of shit and has been to court many times and I was just an “18 year old runaway” the judge said no to a restraining order and she harassed me for months. and I don’t have any more fight left in me. I have so much more, enough to write a book. I just hope my best friend can forgive me and move on. And my “boyfriend” can forgive me. He went to war, so I feel my complaints are miniscule. I have trauma but definitely haven’t seen someone die trauma. I don’t think he even did that bad of a thing. It just all adds up to me being everyone’s second choice, or scapegoat. I feel like people can see my trauma on my face. The way I interact with people, and I’m in sales. They know I’m vastly different from others and either bully me or sexualize me which triggers me. I just want to be loved for me. Stopped wearing makeup. Wear business professional clothes. I don’t have any work done or nails or hair done. I’m so traumatized I can’t change my personality and love I had for this world. It’s just gone. I don’t feel anything and I don’t want to become bitter or misdirect my anger towards these women who always seem to “win”. If I wasn’t so fucking morally autistic I could play the game and win. But it feels like selling out. I’m already making money my own way and without compromising my morals. But to network and to socialize in this world means I will get retriggered and maybe blacklisted or typecast as a prude and villainized and I can’t do it all over again. I hope I find peace in my dreams and my friend can use my money to do good in this world and change things slowly. I hope she stays with her boyfriend and they get married and have kids in the future. I didn’t ask for much, as a former people pleaser. Please don’t think it’s rash, I’ve had these thoughts for eternity, I just didn’t think my alleged future husband would do it to me. He says he’s not worth it but it’s not just him. I have been used my whole life. That is my legacy. They’ll spin it and make me seem selfless. My family will fake cry, after causing a scene a denying blame. I know I can’t live with such radical thoughts on humanity. I feel like I’m the crazy one and everyone else is right.

I am nearly three days away from a fifth FET (scheduled for Thursday), and since about yesterday around noon, I’ve been dealing with extreme fatigue, mild headache and low-grade fever. Then, today, shortly after my PIO shot, I developed a red rash on my chest.
I’m currently doing a “mini-stim cycle” - so stimulated the ovaries to produce a dominant follicle (which, because I have PCOS, meant one very dominant follicle and at least 5-8 large ones that caused abdominal discomfort, bloating, and gastrointestinal side effects) and triggered with Lupron. I started PIO on Saturday PM, then switched to AM Sunday with progesterone suppository nightly.
FWIW: I’m also on 20mg prednisone, daily lovenox injections, baby aspirin, vitamin D, prenatal, Coq10, magnesium and calcium. I’ll also be starting SQ neupogen injections tonight.
Clinic is aware of all side effects and what’s going on, and they want me to continue monitoring. My biggest struggle has been trying to work when I feel like utter crap. Plus, both sides of my ass are tight from injections because I’ve been unable to do the physical activities (yoga and walking) that I’ve found alleviate that.
I’m trying to be kind to myself, but I’ve already broken down once today. Anyone out there have advice on how to suffer through this? Maybe someone who can sit with me in this misery?
Background: I’ve had 4 FETs thus far, all failures. The last was a year ago doing a similar mini-stim protocol that resulted in a ruptured cyst 3 days before transfer. I went ahead with the transfer then, and it failed. I’m trying to remain positive for this go around, but damn I’m tired and sad!

I'm heading into a rainforest for some work soon. The conditions aren't very good for loggers or any type of cloth or leather boot. I typically bring crocs, but I'm tired of bugs crawling in the holes or stepping on pointy sticks and jabbing myself. The pit vipers are aggressive and easily agitated, and their venom causes stroke in humans, so I'll like a boot that'll at least snag a snake bite and potentially protect me, but the moisture and heat makes the risk of overheating, fungal infection, and rash associated with thick protection potentially worse than the risk of a snake bite. The boot needs to be easy to slip on and off for wading and dumping critters that sneak in. Most workers around here wear what looks like a very light weight rain boot. If anyone has any experience with rainboots in the forest I'd appreciate recommendations.

I have an appointment tomorrow with my doctor to take a look at my scalp as I suspect it's psoriasis. But I'm not sure what to do with my hair day-of.
I have very wavy/curly hair so I only wash it about once a week. Tomorrow is technically hair wash day, but I'm unsure if a freshly washed scalp will remove too much of the flakes/scabs/rash for her to be able to clearly tell what's happening. But also I'm not sure if my hair is "dirty" if she will blame my issues on that. I also don't want to wash my hair without products and potentially cause damage to my hair and "waste" a wash day. Should I straighten my hair so it's easier to see my scalp? I just want this appointment to go as smoothly as possible.
What do you all recommend??

I need help identifying what drugs a loved one of mine is abusing and how to help her.
She has become severely obsessed and paranoid about several things, mostly things that she is convinced are making her sick - particularly around her house. Heres some of what she claims: there’s fiberglass from old insulation stuck in her skin, dust mites in the walls and on her clothes, burs all over the house and on her dog, a new allergen in the air, bed bugs, mold, fungus growing on her toes, the list is endless. She tries to show me “rashes” on her skin that aren’t there and shows me (normal) dirt on shelves and in the seats of her car saying how abnormal that is and that it’s making her sick. And she doesn’t have any clear answers on what she means by “sick.” She’s also paranoid that people are out to get her constantly; for example she claims the people who sold her the house were “in kahoots” and tricked her into buying the house. What people and why, I’m not sure. This exact obsession has gone on for months and is progressively getting worse. Several people have reached out to me to express their concern regarding her odd behavior. Sounds somewhat like stimulant abuse to me, given the paranoia and constant obsessions.
But then there’s this - today I found her extremely sedated, I could barely wake her up and she was breathing very shallow and extremely slow. She had very slow, involuntary movements of her arms. This one sounds like an opioid or benzodiazepine overdose, however im not sure this causes the odd involuntary unconsciousness movements. Then on top of this I found her later the same night obsessively cleaning at 3am, she swept the floors for over 2 hours.
Could this be a combo of an upper and a downer overdose? Like a stimulant and benzo or opioid?
I’m also not sure how to help her when she refuses to me and everyone in her life that she’s abusing something. I’ve tried to approach it with the most understanding and least judgmental manner possible and expressed my genuine concern. I got her permission to access her medical charts, I don’t see any prescribed narcotics that could cause this so I can’t call her doctor with my concerns. I’m not sure who to call or how to get help.
Any ideas on what this is or how to help her? I truly appreciate any advice or insight you guys have.

STDs can affect nearly every part of the human body. Syphilis rashes may appear on the soles of the feet. And STDs like chlamydia can even cause eye infections. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, there are several STDs that can cause abdominal pain. What’s the STD that causes cramps and bloating most often? Typically, the two STDs most commonly associated with abdominal pain are chlamydia and gonorrhea. It’s worth noting now that men are unlikely to experience cramps or bloating as a result of an STD. This is a symptom that happens almost exclusively to women.
Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Risks
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are two extremely prevalent, extremely similar STDs. In fact, it’s often difficult to tell the difference between the two. Plus, you can even have both chlamydia and gonorrhea at the same time. Though these infections are widespread, they are not harmless. For one, they both can cause pain and discomfort on their own. Women with either may experience pain during urination, sexual intercourse, or vaginal itching. Worryingly, chlamydia and gonorrhea can also contribute to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
STDs & PID
When left untreated, STDs can lead to PID. PID, in turn, will often cause abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, chills, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Beyond these unpleasant symptoms, though, PID can have long-lasting effects. PID can cause infertility or ectopic pregnancies. As mentioned above, both chlamydia and gonorrhea are common catalysts for PID. And it may only take a few days after the initial exposure to bacteria for PID to occur.

STDs can affect nearly every part of the human body. Syphilis rashes may appear on the soles of the feet. And STDs like chlamydia can even cause eye infections. Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, there are several STDs that can cause abdominal pain. What’s the STD that causes cramps and bloating most often? Typically, the two STDs most commonly associated with abdominal pain are chlamydia and gonorrhea. It’s worth noting now that men are unlikely to experience cramps or bloating as a result of an STD. This is a symptom that happens almost exclusively to women.
Chlamydia & Gonorrhea Risks
Chlamydia and gonorrhea are two extremely prevalent, extremely similar STDs. In fact, it’s often difficult to tell the difference between the two. Plus, you can even have both chlamydia and gonorrhea at the same time. Though these infections are widespread, they are not harmless. For one, they both can cause pain and discomfort on their own. Women with either may experience pain during urination, sexual intercourse, or vaginal itching. Worryingly, chlamydia and gonorrhea can also contribute to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/Beginning_Date1924
AITA for rejecting the worst name ever for our offspring?
Originally posted to AmItheAsshole
Original Post March 24, 2024
So, my husband (38M) and I (36F) are expecting our first child, a bouncing baby girl due in a few months. We were both over the moon when we found out the gender, but now things have gotten . . . complicated, to say the least.
See, when we first started talking about names, the “boy name” was immediately decided: Stuart Jr., after my husband. No problem there, it’s a classic name and carries family meaning. But, for a girl, things got murky.
My husband suggested Stuarta. No, you’re not having a stroke. Apparently, his logic is that since Stuart ends in “t,” we can just add an “a” to make it feminine. I tried explaining why that doesn’t quite work, how it sounds more like a furniture brand than a human name, how she’d be endlessly correcting people and explaining its origin. He’s adamant though, says it “honors” him while giving our daughter a unique name.
I’ve suggested alternatives: feminine names that maybe share a similar sound or meaning to Stuart, names he’s mentioned liking in the past, even just going back to the drawing board entirely. But he’s fixated on Stuarta.
Now, I love my husband dearly, and I understand wanting to honor family. But I can’t imagine subjecting our daughter to a lifetime of awkward stares and endless questions about her “unusual” name. I also worry about potential bullying and the impact it could have on her self-esteem.
So, Reddit, am I the jerk for refusing to budge on Stuarta? Is there any compromise I haven’t considered? Help a soon-to-be mama out!
TL;DR: Husband wants to name our daughter after himself; in a really, really bad way. I think it’s terrible and will set her up for a lifetime of awkwardness. AITA?
Looking forward to your thoughts and (hopefully) some sanity checks!
Edit: Please, no suggestions for other “-ta” names. The man clearly has a theme, and I need to gently steer him away from it, not fuel the fire!
VERDICT: NOT THE ASSHOLE
TOP COMMENTS
Pollythepony

NTA. Naming a child is a two yes and one no situation. Means you need two times yes for a name to be it and one no to make sure that name is not the name you choose. Works both ways if you’d ask me.
Also, I am not a fan of naming the first name of a child after a parent. Because then the child will always be compared to their parents and need to fight harder to be their own person. I have less problems with the middle name being connected to someone else (parents, grandparents) because that is only a formal name and not used in everyday business.
Why is he dead set on Stuarta? I mean, there are so many beautiful names but he only wants to name his daughter after him? Why not after the mother? Like junior. It is a bit misogynistic to only want to name the baby after the father. Whose last name will the baby get? His as well?
Maybe you could find a way, like name the baby with the same first letter as your husband (Stella, Sally, Sanne, etc). Make sure the baby has a middle name (if she shares the same last name as her father). Because it will be annoying for simple things like mail and stuff.

~
princess_ferocious

NTA
Tell him he only gets one kid named after him, so if he goes with Stuarta now, he'll never get a Stuart Jnr.
And how come it's so important that he be honoured, but not you? See how he feels about naming a future son a male version of your name.
Remind him that baby names need a yes from both parents or it's a no. You both need to be able to live with whatever you go with. Even if that means both of you missing out on the one you want most.

~
TemptingPenguin369

NTA. Stuarta sounds like a pharmaceutical product. (I can hear the commercials now. "In some cases, Stuarta can cause headaches, rashes and even death.") It doesn't have a decent nickname. And no, adding an "a" doesn't make it feminine in all cases; this is one of them. I'd go for Stuart as a middle name.

Update June 3, 2024
First, the good news: We have a beautiful, healthy baby girl! She weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz and already has the most incredible head of dark hair (seriously, where did that come from?). Labor was a marathon, not a sprint — 18 hours of “fun” — but the amazing nurses kept me fueled up on ice chips and cheesy encouragement.
Now, for the not-so-good news: The name situation. Buckle up, because this might take a minute.
Right before pushing started, things got a little heated between me and Stuart. Apparently, the stress of contractions made him even more attached to “Stuarta.” He was pacing the room, muttering about “family legacy” while I was doing some very impressive Lamaze breathing exercises.
Suddenly, my water broke with a rather impressive pop. Let’s just say it startled everyone in the room, including Stuart. The nurse, bless her heart, took advantage of the distraction and very calmly started prepping for delivery.
Everything after that was a blur of pushing, encouraging words, and the most amazing head of dark hair emerging into the world. The second our daughter was out, screaming her little lungs out, a wave of pure, primal love washed over me.
It was in that moment, staring at this tiny, perfect human being, that the name debate completely evaporated. There was no way I could call this beautiful little girl “Stuarta.”
So, what did we end up with?
In the haze of post-partum bliss, I blurted out the first name that popped into my head — the name of the incredible nurse who’d coached me through labor: Ella.
Yes, Ella. Not exactly the most adventurous choice, but in that moment, it felt perfect. Strong, steady, kind — just like the woman who’d helped bring our daughter into the world.
Stuart, bless his confused heart, just looked at me, then at our daughter, then back at me again. Finally, he let out a shaky laugh and said, “Ella it is.”
Thanks for all the support and hilarious “Stuarta” comparisons. Here’s to sleepless nights, endless diaper changes, and the incredible journey of parenthood!
THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP
DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP's OR COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS, REMEMBER - RULE 7

I dont know exactly the question im trying to ask tbh We were together 6/7 months before she got pregnant and 2 months into the pregnancy she broke down in tears and said she thinks she doesnt love me anymore?, everything was great up until that point even just 2 weeks before she told me she didnt know what unconditional love was until she met me.We agreed she should take a couple of weeks to think about it and have her own space, but i also asked at the very least she let's me know how shes doing.
After she told me she doesnt love me she started to slowly fade out, no GM/GN ,no asking how im doing, and wouldnt tell me she loves me or even send as much as a heart(if she did accidentally she would delete it as she said "it would give me the wrong idea"?). Every time i asked her during pregnancy if she was ok? feeling fine? She can tell me anything?etc she always say shes ok. Everytime i asked her after she decided to tell me she had the thought she doesnt love me, i asked her why every week or 2 to which shed just say "idk, i dunno how to tell you?" Until eventually after 4 months her excuse was that me and my mum made her felt boxed in like we were controlling everything that was going to happen? All i can think of was the one time i said id rather not have pacifiers? I didnt say it aggressively i said we should try it without first if it doesnt work then we can try with them.
She told me throughout the whole relationship she would move here(scotland) and then changed her mind when that came out, so i was willing to sacrifice everything i have here to move to her(iceland) to start a family together, but im forcing her to do stuff? I dont understand, she wont explain further than that and she doesnt want to try make it work or try anything couple wise, she just says "i need to look after my mental health", i understand that but i dont think she can see the impact itll have in the bigger picture?. I always tell her i love her and tell her how proud i am of what shes going through for us, always asking how shes doing even after she told me all this. Is she making a rash decision, she also has ADHD and is off her meds while pregnant and probably while breastfeeding. Do you think that and a mix of pregnancy hormones could be causing the problem? Or do you think shes 100% certain what she wants? I dont want her making this huge mistake, she only wants me over for the first 3 months then ill have to come back and as she said " we'll see how it goes ".
My opinion would be to stay together and ill still give her space but just try the best we can to love each other, go the first 6 months to a year after birth living together with the child and if she stíll felt the same way the so be it. I think during pregnancy with everything going on its a little rash to just call it quits.

AITA: Backstory: I had a rough relationship with my mother in middle/highschool and eventually ended up sleeping in parks, outside or any friends house in the surrounding area for as long as I could. Eventually I met my boyfriend and started going over to his house for the majority of the day and leaving as late as they’d allow me. Eventually they noticed something wasn’t right and allowed me to stay until 10pm almost every day. One Xmas eve my mother and I really got into it and she started choking me out to where my Necklace cut my neck. At this point I left not planning to return. I snuck over to my boyfriends and spent the night in the outdoor basement on a metal chair with the spider crickets and stray cats in the middle of winter. Their neighbor had a camera that caught me sneaking in and alerted my boyfriend’s parents that some “homeless person snuck into their basement.” at this point they let me stay there, and I slept on the couch, went to every family party for 6 years. His family started to feel like the only family I had.
I lived here for about four years. A lot of drama. His mother is some form of a narcissist alcoholic with no ability to ration or have a normal conversation. She made my life a living hell and everyone else in that house. She’d constantly tell him to grow some balls and get rid of me if he seemed upset and she assumed we were arguing. He was punished due to her resentment for me. She’d tell him to do something simple like the laundry and if he didn’t do it fast enough somehow it was my fault. She expected us to clean more than anybody else in the household and She expected me to clean up after everyone in the household. And I was still in my boyfriend was still reamed because I never did enough. When I started keeping tabs. I realized I did more than everyone combined. I kept videos and pictures and she was not happy about that.
She would scream loudly from downstairs telling him how I ruined him, how I have him by the balls and how much less of a man he is. That we’re just friends with benefits. If we ever have a kid, it’ll be an asshole. She wouldn’t let him drive me to see my father who is in hospice because we had to take her car and she said that he couldn’t use her car for anything related to me and then retracted that statement the next day and said she never said it.
She would talk crap about you loud enough to where she knows u can hear it but to ur face you are her favorite and she never say anything bad about you. It only got worse and worse and worse the longer it went on, and I couldn’t defend myself because if I challenged/ questioned anything, she thought/did/said I was threatened a bed and a roof. Their “generosity” was used against me in every way shape or form. Not to mention, I was mainly referred to as twat/twatface. Almost always called out of my name. This is was a very dehumanizing experience. I felt like a stray animal stuck. Obviously one will snap eventually, and when I did, I lost it.She was yelling at my Boyfriend to spontaneously fix something on her car she had never mentioned before because he started helping me do my oil. When he didn’t stop what he was doing immediately she started throwing out more tasks and yelling we do don’t do anything around the house. This started a fight between the two of them which somehow like always became about me. She had thrown out that I have “done enough” to her and now I started defending myself. I asked her what I do? I’m respectful even when I don’t deserve to be, I keep my mouth shut and I do what I’m told even when I’m being disrespected. She said she has been praying I disappeared since the day I started coming around and I out of a fit of rage told her to croak. I didn’t mean it, She shoved me around in the bathroom just prior so I was in fight or flight already. Especially being that this is already a traumatic environment for me and having come from a traumatic environment prior I wasn’t my healthiest most stable self.
She then preceded to “throw us out” and we had one day to pack and leave. Now the family I’ve spent the last 6 years with won’t speak to me and it’s very awkward.
Everyone says it’s best to not even bother with the situation and to forget about it but this is very much awkward uncomfortable and in a way traumatizing for me and me and my boyfriend have been together now almost 7 years and I’m very close with his family, I feel almost as if I’m reliving the abandonment from my own family and not one person believes she will accept any form of apology, nor would it do any one any favors. I have a huge letter written out for her that I was encouraged not to send so I’ll put it here for more context- I know its a bit rash but I’m very emotional - please let me know am I the asshole?
Letter to his mom:
I’ve had enough of u pretending like you didn’t do anything wrong. Boy do I have years worth of shit to say to you. I know this is probably pointless, you have mocked every single time I have tried opening up to you. But all of what I am about to say needed to be said years ago. I am sorry I said a terrible thing, it was out of anger I didn’t not mean it and I do not wish that upon anyone. it is not my character to pretend I didn’t say it. But The way you all treated me was disgusting. The way you treat your kids and your family is disgusting. You literally brag about not reaching out to your elderly parents. You complain whenever somebody in your family calls or texts you. But they get mad when nobody texts you or keeps u in the loop.
Tomina You have drained me. You have been terrible to me for the entire time I’ve known you. maybe not to my face but I’ve heard it all. I didn’t flip out and for no reason it was bound to happen sooner or later. I snapped. A person can only handle so much psychological abuse. I have done nothing to you except date your son and lose my home. I agreed with you even when u were dead wrong, I stayed away every other time you argued with cole, I walked away. I kept my cool even when I had my name thrown in the dirt for no reason other than your own resentment and hatred. And I know you must really hate me because you couldn’t even be bothered to come to my father’s funeral. And every time I tried to talk about it to you, you somehow made it about yourself.
What do u get from being angry all the time? You create a very hostile environment. You’ve made it so that I never felt comfortable to open my mouth about anything. If anyone in the house said anything that disagreed with you, especially if you are wrong. it’s a fight. That’s not healthy. The one time I ever spoke up to you was to deescalate a fight between you and cole because I thought scream fighting about nuts was unnecessary and I was told I had to move out. How nice! You cannot admit u are wrong ever
I’m sick and tired of every single argument you have with cole actually being about me. You yell at him for literally anything and everything except for the real reason you are mad. Me. You have dreaded my existence since I’ve been around. But we’re always too scared to say it to my face. You talk a lot of shit like you are bold but you are not tomina. I’ve heard you say some terrible things about me then smile in my face the next day. That’s not bold that is a coward. You do the same to your kids. You say some terrible things to them and then instead of apologizing as you should, you buy them a bag of chips the next day. Real mature parenting. Teaching your children apologies aren’t important. Don’t own up to what you say. I’ve literally heard you tell Billy to stop being nicer to me than his own kids all because he offered to pay for my fucking school pictures because no one in my family would. How is that being nicer to me than his kids? That to me sounds a whole lot like jealousy. What are you really mad about? Me!
I feel like you and Billy forget why I ended up there. I genuinely feel like you think I wanted to sleep in the basement with the spiders in the middle of winter. You pretend to care about me. you pretend to understand the situation, but I genuinely do not think you knew the extent of what I went through with my mother. You bitched at me for months telling me to be nice to her then I’d start trying to be nice to her and you use it against me. Mocked me for it. Still do. You may not strangle your kids by the throat like my mother but you do your own damage by calling your child names mid argument like you are the child. You throw tantrums because you don’t get what u want. Who’s the adult? Why can’t you act like one? I can’t imagine how you spoke to them as children.
You were never nice to me not even good at faking it. Every day I lost more and more respect for you hearing the way you spoke to and tried to control your children and me included. It’s honestly about time you got the same treatment. You are genuinely not a nice person. i just finally have the balls to say it.
You will most likely never have a good relationship with ur kids as adults If u don’t realize how you treat people will reflect on how u get treated. You’ll haven’t even even harder time finding someone who’s gonna kindly take care of you. It would probably of helped out in your marriage too. Maybe then you wouldn’t be blaming that on ur kids too when ur mood and how u act is all your fault.
The way you act pushes people away. This will get you nowhere in life with people if you haven’t already noticed. Especially your kids. You act like you know everything and that your better than everyone when really your a very anxious, sad depressed individual who has no friends no social life no hobbies, skills or talents and a failing marriage all of which you literally blame on ur kids-that is psychological abuse btw. Speaking of psychological abuse….
It’s not normal to feel that you cant go to the bathroom in the place that you live. It’s not normal to feel that you can’t eat or make food in the place that you live. It’s not normal to walk on eggshells to avoid shifting your mood one way or the other. This is the environment you create. You are an abusive person. That is the definition of abuse in multiple forms. You may not have ever said u can’t use the bathroom, but nobody wants to do anything to set you off in any way so if Me going to the bathroom or making food it’s gonna cause you to huff and puff and throw a fit. I’ll just hold it til everyone’s asleep. Same thing happened with cleaning. I used to clean all the time when I first moved in. but you started complaining that you couldn’t find anything. You wouldn’t say it to me, but I hear you yelling downstairs that you can’t ever find nothing so I stopped. With the amount of hoarded junk in the house it is impossible to actually get anything clean. You literally told us to just clean around boxes of junk on the floor. You wonder why there’s mice and ants when ur headboard in ur bedroom is covered in food, food gets left out overnight, and ur bathtub is full of boxes. That’s disgusting. Good luck with the house checks doing that.
Did you know there are studies that prove that getting yelled at can literally lead to physical health issues like cardiovascular diseases? You can literally weaken somebody’s heart and immune system by screaming at them nonstop. If you’re genuinely worried about your husband’s health. You should work on yourself there. Maybe he’d want to be home more.
FYI It’s not your child’s job to talk to you because you don’t have friends. It’s not your child’s job to clean every square inch of the house after you because you didn’t clean up after yourself before you went to bed the night before. You put that on them like it’s completely their responsibility. 90% of the messes cole and I clean were everybody elses mess. I can understand wanting to help out, clean up after yourself but you expected us to do literally everything and u expected no one else to clean up after themselves. I kept track for over a month of what Cole did what I did what you did and what Bailey did in a day. I’ll show you that if you’d like. It’s actually crazy how much we “didn’t do” Since all but one person in the house works, Why is it that some people are required to do more than others? Why is it that some get to do less but they do enough?
I’ll tell you why Because you resent me so nothing I do is enough. Cole just gets punished by association
Btw Letting a toddler have free roam of the house while you sleep in the middle of the night isn’t great parenting. Best believe if I ever have a child that is related to you it will never be there alone like that with you. And u continue to act the way u do I promise you it will never be. You’re the one who said that if me and Cole have a kid he’s gonna be an asshole. Good thing you won’t have to meet it. See how there is consequences for what you do and how u treat people!
I have said this to you before. I speak up when I believe things are wrong and you have kept my mouth shut for about four years too long because I wasn’t allowed to have a say. if I spoke at all, cole had to hear it, I was threatened a place to sleep. I was told to go live with my mom. If living with my mom was as easy and simple as you guys make it out to be. I never would’ve lived there in the first place. I never wanted to live at ur house. Me and Coles relationship struggled for years due to it. I didn’t enjoy a single moment. I didn’t feel safe I didn’t feel welcome and I never felt cared about. I’ve been through more than I could handle in the past seven years, you have put me through more than enough, You have put Cole through more than enough.
Btw If you want to continue to go around telling ur whole family how much of a bitch I am, I’ll gladly show them my side of the story. Your actions have consequences and you can’t just go around talking crap about everybody because it makes you feel better. I will clear my name if I have to. I play petty games too.
I have hundreds of videos of the way you speak nasty to everyone in the house over small things like garbage. I have a video of you telling Cole he can’t use the car for anything related to me the day before we were going to go see my dying dad then immediately retracted your statement the day after because of how fucked up it is was. You literally tried to keep me from seeing my dying father because you were mad that he was going.
I’ve recorded almost every argument you’ve had with cole. Every literal pigsty that I had to clean up that everyone decided to go to bed and leave for the next day. So please try and tell me I’m wrong I will prove myself to whoever the hell i need to.
You love telling your side of the story , but you never tell the whole story. Or anywhere near the truth of the situation. You never mention how you act, or what you say that caused the situation to happen how it did. You had no reason to speak to me the way you did to begin with.
I have been nothing but respectful and grateful to you. I’ve been nothing but patient and given what u have put me through I have been exceptionally forgiving. I am no longer keeping my mouth shut with you. I will say what I need to say. You no longer have that control. I really don’t care what you think of me. You don’t think nicely of anyone. You hated every single one of coles friends until now. I have nothing but love for you Billy Bailey and everyone in Cole’s family but I will not however continue to be abused, taken advantage of, and controlled by people who anrent even related to me. You already drove your kids away. You barely see one grandkid. Why would you wanna make it so that you never see another? I’m not one to play childish games with grown people, and I do not respect mean girls that shit talk like they are in highschool that are well over 20 years of age.
Me and cole are very happy. So you are going to have to grow up let go and accept that. If you don’t that is u and Cole’s relationship that suffers. Not ours. If you can’t be friendly you will 100% get what you give. That’s life.

This is probably a long shot but I'm out of options.
I am a white 34F 5'9" 270 lbs and losing. Over the last 3 years, my body has struggled to keep itself well. Constant sinus infections, yeast infections, extremely slow healing injuries, etc., but I'm also having hypersensitive reactions to everything. Bug bites/stings, medications, foods, weathe temperature changes, and UV rays. I have had what I call "episodes" - systemic reactions with fluid-filled blisters and widespread lesions with necrosis (sloughing) over 5-10% of my body, including mouth, nose, eyes and genitals. This was originally caused by medications on several occasions, but I've been hospitalized 4 times in the last 2 years because of this reaction to UV rays. At this point, I can't have ANY UV ray exposure. That means the sun or fluorescent lights. Since I am so sensitive to mediations, treatment is difficult. I can't have Ibuprofen, Amoxicillin, Steroids, Benadryl or Sulfa because they all cause major systemic reactions ranging from heart palpitations and rash to another episode. I have had 8 episodes in my life, and with every episode, the UV sensitivity got worse. Now, UV alone will cause the reaction. Every episode has been worse and more widespread than the one before. The lesion scars reactivate, and new ones come up as well. With every new episode, my immune system takes another hit, and it doesn't come back from it. It's just getting worse.
A car accident would kill me - not specifically the trauma of the accident, but the amount of UV exposure I would get between the car and the hospital would cause a massive lesion outbreak all over my body. On top of the trauma from the accident, my body would not survive. It would not be able to fight everything at one time.
I have had a HORRIBLE experience with doctors - most treat me like I'm the problem, but I didn't ask for this.
I tried to get into Mayo - they've denied me 3 times. I've lost my job over this and have no income. If I leave my house, it is for doctor appointments and I have to wear full UV protection clothes, head to toe.
I'm just looking for answers. Has anyone seen this before? Any help is appreciated.
Information for medical professionals: Always positive ANA - usually 1:320. Always high C-Reactive protein. B-12 and Iron deficiency. Genetic testing shows mutation on SCN9A gene. Biopsy of lesions showed necrosis and separation of the dermis, but it just left the doctors arguing over what to call it (SJS, FDE, EMM, etc.). Other than that, my bloodwork is "within the normal range". I have had random hypersensitivity symptoms my entire life but it was never alarming enough for doctors (or my parents) to take it serious. Then I got Covid in March of 2021, and everything has blown up since then. This isn't long-Covid, but Covid definitely woke up whatever was inside me that my body had been fighting to keep suppressed. In the last 3 years I have also been diagnosed with Hashimoto (with nodules), Fibromyalgia, Erythromelalgia, Ehler-Danler's Syndrome and POTS. (Doctors have already ruled out MCAS). The only things my doctors can agree on is that I have an underlying auto-inflammatory autoimmune disease that is causing everything. I take Levothyroxine 75mcg for my thyroid and my Rheumatologist just started me on Enbrel to try to calm my immune system down, but this is experimental (and we're starting at 1/4 dose because of my history). I also take 10 mg Buspirone 2x daily, for obvious reasons. I have been cutting everything out of my diet that causes any sign of inflammation in my body or my gut, including alcohol, gluten, dairy, legumes, and several other things, and I've lost 85 pounds in the last 10 months. I vape nicotine and THC, no cigarette use ever.
I just want to know what is going on in my body. Every time I get sick, it's another hit to my immune system, and I am not coming back from it. This is going to kill me.
*Pictures at the link below*
https://imgur.com/a/1rIFURX

I'm on mobile, writing this brought back a lot of emotions. So if it's sloppy,I apologize.....
I've debated about posting this, but it's been a year now. So I should be ok. I've posted on Reddit before, asking about situations at the company but changed some things. So here we are, and here's a full run down of my time there
I started in May, 2019. Part time and straight out of highschool. By November, I was full time and had store keys, training to be a closing manager (RSS)
In 2020, we had a coworker stalk a new hire, as he really wanted to date her, she felt uncomfortable but since he was a manager, she felt inclined to do as he wanted. She came to me as we were close in age. I helped her talk with our boss. He was soon let go.
Then we hired another girl, and she was.... Something.
She decided that she was going to get the boss to fall for her, and be the favorite. Boss was annoyed by her, and she found it funny to walk up behind me when I was on a phone call, reach around and grab my chest. She did this in front of customers as well. Our store had no cameras.
Even after I told her to knock it off, she kept on. Soon the customers were trying to treat me the same. Trying to touch me, asking if they can "Rent me" and other gross things.
I'd told my boss, SM. But at the time, we had a very.... Slow to act DM. So nothing was done.
One day, I was training a new hire. I was on the phone with a customer, and he was beside me at the counter with a customer. She walked up behind me, reached around, but this time, one hand went up, one went down and she was telling our new hire "it's ok to do this cause there's no cameras" and slowly started undoing the buttons on my shirt.
I'd gotten permission from my boss at the time to react in anyway I had to to get her off me, as our DM didn't want to get involved but wouldn't allow him to fire her.
so I kicked her as hard as I could. She fell, and started laughing. After she left, I explained to him what's been going on. He understood but was upset and uncomfortable, not that I blame him. She'd been written up for this before.
The next day, DM was there. New hire had called tips, and told them if they didn't do anything about this he would go public, forcing the DM to do something. Well, we found out this day, that we had a new DM. As the company "had decided due to so many complaints under this DM, that they needed to take him from DM, and make him a SM again for awhile"
This one took swift action. She was canned. After this, the new hires we got were so much better. But unfortunately, the system we used, showed our phone numbers and addresses. So this, now ex coworker, started stalking me. Sending me threatening messages and following me home, company said just block and ignore. Police wouldn't help til she did something threatening my life. I'd come outside to my tires all flat, my car scratched, I'd be followed home, it was a mess. A few times I'd be followed, run off the road, one morning on the way to work, I called the store and told them I was being followed. Everyone knew by now what was happening, and they watched as I pulled in, my SM went outside to tell the girl to leave, as she tried to slam her car into mine. I'd Changed everything by then, moved, new number, new route to abd from work. Hadn't seen her in awhile.
I left that store in Feb of 2021, and went to a bigger store to be trained as a ASM and as a safety precaution, to create more space in case the chic came back. (As she still circled the store time to time) Once there, I helped run the store. I was there til August of that same year, I was "loaned" out to help a different store, but still was expected to run my second store. As the SM was out due to family issues.
So now I'm running two stores, one store where no one respects the store manager, and one store where there is no store manager. So I'm training people at one location while running this other store as the store manager is sleeping off a hangover In the office.
During this, I was training some guys from the second store, and on October 19th, 2021. I had been at store #3 getting stuff ready for the upcoming inventory, so I got home around 12AM. My phone was dead, I was tired and I had a husky needing to go outside. When two of the guys I was training pull up. They had gotten my address off of the computer and were here because "they were sick of the management and needed me back there" they knew what apartment number I was so they ran up the stairs and beat me to the door. I was tired and not in the mood to get into it that night, so they passed out on the couch and next morning, I'm being called due to them not coming in. So I answer and told them that they are currently passed out on my couch, I got in trouble for them not coming into work.
It went smoothly for awhile, then December 13th, 2021 comes along. At this time, my relationship with my mother was rocky. I had gone low contact with her. I also never told anyone my business, as I figured it wasn't anyones need to know. My personal life stays personal. Well, two store managers take it upon themselves to integrate me. It's their day off, so I'm running the store, only have one delivery driver that day, short staffed, they pull up and have me go into the back of the store, which has no walls. So everyone can hear what's being said.
And they lay into me. For 3hrs til I'm in tears and have told them everything that went on with my mother and why we're low contact. The store manager decides she's going to be my hero and go confront my mother, have her husband beat my mother up and have this show down. They told me to not worry, return to work and they'll handle it. And left. Leaving me crying, shaking and still trying to run a store, get people to lunch and my teams now more focused on me, what they heard in the conversation and some are calling the DM to report what just happened. This made a very awkward month, as now DM is involved, the SM's got a talking to and I had to relive this twice more. Once with the DM, then HR. Tho HR labeled this a "in house issue" and weren't willing to help.
After this, it calmed down. The SM's were now out to get me for "getting them in trouble" but otherwise, it seemed fine. Tho I was working with the store managers daughter, so she kept her mom updated, and made sure to mention my mothers abuse towards me and tell others about it as well. She liked the gossip of it.
Then on March 5th, 2022. The store managers daughter had been slacking. Big time. On her phone in the office, taking "favors" for reduced product, or just ignoring her job and making others pick up the slack. I was spread thin, mentally and physically. Trying to help with training a new store manager, training staff at my second store, and keeping this third one up. So when I was catching up on freight, and found she was off in the back on her phone watching TikTok, I got on her about it. She got upset, and said "you've been really moody lately. I think you're pregnant" to which I told her I'm stressed trying to get stuff going, I haven't had a break in awhile, and you aren't helping at all.( She also has this mindset that I slept with my first store manager. And that I was still with him and pregnant by him. )
She rolled her eyes, and on her break, she went out and bought a pregnancy test. When she returns, she hides my clipboard and paperwork, and had blocked my car in. Then, in front of the few staff I had that day, announces that I'm to take this pregnancy test, or she'll destroy the paperwork, and tell the SM that I wasn't actually in store, didn't do my paperwork and have been flaky. She had the DM and SM's wrapped around her finger. So I told her this isn't appropriate and that I'd rather not. This went back and forth, to the point of her getting in the way of me answering phones and helping customers, she'd physically take the phone from my hand and hang up, or tell the customer that I couldn't help them at this time.
So I told her, if I do, I'm going home for the rest of the day. I had 2 hours left of my shift. She said fine. But she needed to be in the bathroom as I took it, so I don't "cheat".
After that, she moved her car and I left. For the day. Went home, called HR. They told me it's an in store issue, and unfortunately they rather not get involved with it. So I told the DM. He had already received reports from the other staff, telling him what happened. She was talked to, but that's it. For the rest of the week, she talked about how cute it would be if I had a baby with my first SM, asked about what he was like in bed and if we did it in the store - this SM and I were close, he was a father figure/role model to me. If I couldn't figure something out, he was my first call. She ruined the friendship I had with him, as we both felt awkward when we worked together due to her. As she told her mom and the gossip spread like wildfire.
March 15th, 2022. I requested a week off. I needed a break, my car needed maintenance and I figured I would head to the ocean with my husky for a couple days. So the first day off, the 12th, I drop my car off at the dealership so they can replace a recall. They say it'll be 5 hours so I walk around town, just relaxing. Then they tell me that unfortunately, they found a new issue and are going to keep my car for a month, and have no way of giving me a loaner. I try to figure out why and it's the runaround, my buddy comes to my aid and helps me get my stuff from my car as they wouldn't let me back there to get my stuff. Then we go to my mother's house to try and get the spare car I have. But the rack and pinion blew on it the same day. So next day I spend trying to tear it apart. I get halfway through when work calls, and let's me know my vacation request ends early as the SM's daughter had an emergency and I need to cover for her. I tell them I'm without a car, in a city an hour away, and the SM says "not my problem. Figure it out. I need you in. If you aren't in, I'm writing you up and firing you"
So I rush to get the car going, and on the 14th, Im stressed, tired, sore and anxious. I push a tool a bit to hard and it slips on grease, comes flying out of the wheel well and hits me in the head, hard. My mother comes back an hour later to find me knocked out. My first concussion. (By this time, we'd had a better relationship/understanding and were working towards building it)
So that night, she drops me off at my apartment. No rental places had any cars, so that morning, I grab my scooter, my husky, and walk the 4hrs to the store. Two hours in, I start to have an asthma attack. My body's shaking, my heads killing me, but we get there. Almost falling in the parking lot. We get in, I sit by the door catching my breath. A driver who used to volunteer at the fire station, comes over and checks my pulse, gets worried and recommends I go to the ER. I tell him I'm okay, the SM has already left for the day. So I need to be here to close. I get cleaned up, and the DM calls. Saying the SM called to tell him I hadn't shown up, and to ask where I was. I told him I just walked there, im wheezing and he's concerned too. I tell him she threatened to fire me if I didn't get here. He said he'd talk to her. Nothing ever came of it.
July 6th, 2022. The DM decided to move me permanently back to my 2nd store, as the store manager was going through personal stuff and I was needed there. So I went. It had been a couple weeks before this, but on the 6th, my shifts were 7am to 7pm. Or til 9:30 if the closer didn't come in. So I come in on time, start working, and go into the back of the store to get hose for a customer. I'm still feeling the symptoms of the concussion from March, but power through. I'm not sure how, but I managed to slip on a piece of paper, fall back and hit the base of my skull on the shelf, then when I was getting up, hit my forehead on it too. A coworker came looking for me. And found me, in his words "in a puddle of blood". He gets me up and takes care of the customer, and gets me to the bathroom and cleaned up. Then we go to the SM and let her know.
She says "You're standing up. You can work. Clean yourself up and get on the counter" I had a two week vacation scheduled, starting the next day. So she thought I was trying to get off work early. Something I had never done. So I go the front after cleaning myself up, the nasty gash on my head swelling up and getting attention. The store is hot, it's 90 outside, and I'm in my jacket shivering cause I'm cold. This happened at about 9AM. I went to her at 12PM and requested a break so I could go out to my car, grab some pain pills and come back. She said no, as I might not return. So I worked through it. I tried calling a couple people to see if they could cover me, as I was feeling worse and worse. But nothing. By 3, a coworker comes in and sees me. His shift didn't start for another two hours, but he immediately told me to go home.
By how, the SM has sent two others home early as we were " slow" and didn't need them. She also wanted to leave, which would mean I'd be the only manager there. He was a manager in training. But he counted my til down and the SM said as I left "since you don't feel good, maybe you shouldn't go to your sister's and just relax. But if I see any pictures of you on vacation after this, I'll know you lied to get out of it."
I went out to my car, which was a 2019 base model Sentra, I left at 4pm. I didn't get home til 8:30/9pm. A drive, with traffic takes an hour. My car had no lane deparcher or blindspot monitoring. When I pulled into my spot at my boyfriend's apartment, as I had moved in with him after coworkers kept finding out where I lived, or gave my address out to random people. My car was scratched up, the rims had curb rash, the passenger side had scratches. I don't know where I went or why it took so long to get home. I remember getting into my car, turning it on, turning on the A/C and that's it.
I went inside and passed out on the bed, my boyfriend couldn't wake me up for dinner, next morning my mother came and got me, taking me to the ER. I had yet another concussion. The doctor told me to stay away from screens, loud noises, drink water and just relax. Refrain from hitting my head again.
After my vacation, I returned with a letter of resignation. As I did some thinking. I couldn't stand the job anymore, the gossip, the crap... The random guys who would get my number and say "someone gave me your number at the store." And I'd have to change my number again. I have a folder of some of the weirdest ones.
I gave my resignation to the SM I currently was under. She denied it. Said no, she needed me to run her store while she took care of stuff, but this was the same SM who believed that I slept with my first SM, denied my raise and SM training as "according to the 3rd store I was sent to. I didn't do anything of what I was supposed to do, got the SM and her friend and the daughter in trouble, I took my vacations without thinking of anyone else"
I went to my first SM, he faxed the paperwork in. My last day was scheduled for August 18th, 2022. Clearly stated on my resignation letter. I gave my two weeks notice on Aug. 4th. 2022.
Everyone started freaking out in management. My DM tried getting me to stay, as it was a shock to him. But I couldn't. On my last day, she scheduled me for a closing shift. With nothing on the following days. She put me on for that Saturday. She calls me, asking where I am. I tell her my last day was Thursday. She tells me no. That she decides when my last day is, and I'm needed there right now. She thought we had talked it out, and that I would "come to my senses" and see reasoning. I told her I was firm on no longer working there, and I had already turned in all my keys. She blew up. Calling me every name in the book, degrading me, she called other stores and a lot of my friends there, turned on me. As she told them straight lies.
I blocked everyone as I started getting hate messages, people commenting on my social media, saying awful stuff. It was hell. I blocked everyone, and for awhile. I had to block accounts or deactivate my stuff. Finally, it all stopped.
I thought I was going to be with that company forever. I missed friends events for it. Family stuff, and events I wanted to go to, cuz of the job..,.. but in the end, those who were assholes to me, got placed in higher positions. Praised for "dealing with everything" and took credit for everything I did. I still get messages asking how to do something, but those go unanswered.
I miss the challenges, the interactions with customers and cars. But I don't miss how HR worked. How tight some are, that they can easily sway things to benefit them just cuz they know each other outside of the company.
It was fun. But I'm glad I got out, and it's burned me... I miss certain people there. But I can't ever be positive about that company again

Healthcare providers…. Mid twenties female with fever, headache, from Friday evening, bought cefuroxime, got tonsillitis with the white stones on Saturday, today on Sunday, very mild fever however rashes have just appeared on my skin… still not feeling the best especially at my throat…. What else can I do before resorting to a hospital visit?
I have been babysitting a child who got the same exact symptoms 3 days prior to me and was admitted for high fever, but he was told his infection is bacterial… so that’s why I wasn’t as concerned, but the parents have no symptoms. Now that it’s contagious, I’m worried of spreading it around as I have to interact with many people and they will have to see the rashes on my face and hands😢
What is the exact disease going around in Nairobi to the point of causing rashes around mouth, neck, hands, legs and tummy? Please help, before I waste my time and my money to just be told it’s a bacterial infection which will clear up in a few days.

26 y.o. AFAB 5”5 155lbs

TLDR;

In November 2023, I started being unable to keep food down. I also was experiencing diarrhea, itchy skin, restless legs, and nausea. I went from 190lbs to 160lbs in a couple of months. I had previously dealt with this in 2020. All the exact same symptoms, including drastic weight loss. I am still unaware of the cause or reasoning for this but have an upcoming doctor’s appointment to hopefully find out.

Question:

Based on symptoms, is there anything in particular I should ask my gastroenterologists, general practitioner, or rheumatologist to look into?

Medical History:

CREST, GERD, IBS, Endometriosis, Asthma, Depression, Anxiety, ADHD

Medications:

Albuterol Inhaler, Prozac, Prazosin, Adderall, Nexium, multivitamin, Vitamin D supplement As Needed: Dramamine, Rolaids, Tylenol, Excedrin Migraine, Midol

The Issue:

Starting in November of 2023, I was unable to keep food down. I weighed 190lbs at the time. It didn’t matter the type; it could be low in fat and sugar, not have a lick of seasoning, or even be apart of the BRAT diet. Sometimes I would even throw up water. Usually within 10-20 minutes of ingesting food, I would start to have a reaction.
First, I would get a full body sweat and break out into goosebumps. Then, I would start belching uncontrollably. Finally, within minutes of all this, I’d be puking up whatever it was that I had just ate. Occasionally diarrhea would accompany this, but that tend to hit later.
I was able to get some nutrients from meal replacement smoothies and Pedialyte, but they only stayed down about 50%. Around the end of the 2nd month, they began to stay down. After a week of keeping the smoothies down, I slowly worked the following into my diet; unseasoned scrambled eggs, bone broth, and occasionally, unseasoned baked fish, such as tilapia or salmon. I would occasionally have the same reactions as before, either puking or diarrhea, but it seemed to lessen for some reason. Regardless, I still have a tremendous stomach ache every time I eat, doesn’t matter the contents.
Along with all this, the skin on my arms and legs would flush pink, almost like a rash, and itch uncontrollably. It felt as if my skin was extremely dry, probably due to the lack of nutrients. I tried numerous eczema creams, thinking that would be my safest bet, but nothing helped. On top of all this, I was having restless legs, sometimes affecting my arms or entire body, almost nightly. Magnesium sprays, creams, and capsules didn’t make a difference.
Due to all this, as you can imagine, I lost a significant amount of weight, even though I was mostly bedridden. Currently, I weight 155lbs. I went from a US size 16 in pants to a size 8 in under three months.

History:

This exact same thing happened to me once before in 2020. Couldn’t keep food down and lost a tremendous amount of weight in a short time period. My gastroenterologists was perplexed and wasn’t sure what the issue was. I had an upper GI done, and he had found undigested food in my stomach. Which, I personally find very strange considering I had last ate at 8pm the night before and my scope was done at 11am the next morning. Could my stomach not be digesting food properly and taking longer than it should to do so for some reason? My mother and I both stressed that I hadn’t eaten past midnight but he didn’t believe us. Due to my stomach being full of food, he was only able to see a very small portion, but still took a biopsy. He could find nothing abnormal and diagnosed me with GERD, recommending I take Nexium daily.
The issues finally seemed to subside by summer of 2021, only to return once again in 2024.
Cue Stomach Issues Part 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Notes:

I finally saw my general practitioner about this in February, she was concerned about the weight loss and recommended a new gastroenterologist. It’s taken me so long to seek treatment due to depression and fear that there wasn’t anything actually wrong with me since my previous gastroenterologist couldn’t find anything back in 2020. It made me feel like it was all in my head; especially since things seemed to go away on their own. My loved ones urged me I was not and to finally seek treatment once again. In preparation for my upcoming appointment, I thought I would post here to see if my symptoms ring any bells for anything in particular. I genuinely really appreciate anyone whose taken the time to read this far.
Thank you for your time!