#Unexplained Coma Incidents

[fogaminghub]

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[tatisources]

𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓𝐒

𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐥𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 - a group of friends wake up one morning after some particularly vivid nightmares only to find strange marks on their bodies and realizing they all saw the same killer in their nightmares. from then on, they became afraid to sleep, discovering that people were being killed in their sleep by some strange entity.

bonus: make one of them be able to walk in dream and team up with the dream to fight back the entity.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 - one year after the gruesome murders of all the residents of the house, a family move-in with their children. over the following weeks, their domestic life begins a sharp decline, family members being uncharacteristically volatile and abusive, strange incidents happening to the children, one of them having an imaginary friend who seems malevolent. incidents escalate and information about the house is found, revealing the long terrific history within its wall.

𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 - a group of friends rent a remote cabin in the woods. one of them ventures out to hunt and accidentally shoots a hermit that had been infected by a mystery illness and says nothing to his friends. when the hermit shows up at the cabin, he's refused help. one by one, they start to show signs of the illness and discover that their source of water has been contaminated.

alternative: two children take water from a source that has been contaminated and sell lemonade to town folks, propagating the illness further.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 - it's the last operating week of a once grand hotel and only two employees remain, both fascinated by the haunting history of the hotel, particularly by one bride who hung herself in her room and the fact that her body was hidden in the basement by the owners. only a few guests remains, all of them stranger than the others. After an unexplained incident, one of them starts to record paranormal activity in the hotel, leading to a series of accidents and deaths among the remaining guests.

𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 - a couple has recently moved into a new house with their children. one day, one of the children ventures into the attic and where he mets a mysterious entity. the next day, the child slips into a coma. after months and still no explanation, the family brings back their child home and soon after, strange incidents start to happen, leading them to declare the house haunted and moving out. however, the paranormal activities follow them to their new home and a team of parapsychologists and mediums are called, leading them to discover a malevolent entity close to their comatose son. it's discovered that one of the parent once had such events happen to them and they use his abilities to bring back their son from the further, where he's being held by the malevolent entity.

𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 - decades after a group of children defeat some evil in their small town, some disturbing event happen again. only one of them remained in their hometown and following the return of the entity that traumatized them years ago, the others are called back to honor the promise they once made to kill the entity if it ever came back.

bonus: one of them has visions of their deaths if they ever fail to fulfill the oath they swore as children.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 - having recently moved to a small town, muse a becomes fascinated with a biker gangs and muse b, a member. muse a is being introduced to the gang and start to get tested by them in order to become trustworthy. muse a starts to undergo a transformation where the smell of food repulse them and starts to be attracted to blood and it becomes clear they are changing.

alternative: muse a and muse b are both humans and one of them wants to become part of the biker gang and the other tries to save them.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭 - following a severe thunderstorm, muse a and muse b notice a thick fog slowly creeping over. while buying grocery, a neighbor quickly enter the shop and warns everyone that something is in the fog. they watch as someone else gets taken over by it and stay inside the store with others for a day. religious folks within the store takes this opportunity to recruit people to their belief and a cult slowly organize, deciding that sacrifices must be given to the fog to appease it.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 - following the stillborn birth of their son, muse a is encouraged to adopt an orphan newborn while muse b is unconscious, replacing their stillborn child by this one. as the child grows, disturbing events start to happen around the family and they are eventually contacted by someone who had been involved in their adopted child birth, declaring them the antichrist. muse b start to think that their son is evil and fears them.

alternative: writing one of the parents and the outside person involved in the birth.

𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐧 - after their daughter is stillborn, the parents of two children decide to adopt an orphan. one of their children embraces her but the other is hesitant toward them. slowly, their adopted child starts to show disturbing behavior, scaring the children and making one of the parents doubt the other.

𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭 - a family living in small community starts to experiences strange incidents following their youngest child issuing a warning that they are there. the incidents seems benign at first but soon grow in intensity leading to injuries. a parapsychologist is called to the house and reveal that it's under attack by many different entities, eventually discovering that they are drawn to one of the children's life force, even going as far as using her to stop other spirits from crossing over.

alternative: writing the parapsychologists and mediums investigating the house instead of writing the family.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 - following an economic collapse, a new political party is voted into place, and instated the purge, a yearly event where all crime is permitted by 12 hours. decades later, crime is practically gone and the purge night has become a a celebrated event by many. muse a and muse b are just trying to survive the night.

𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 - muse a, a true crime writer, moves into a new house with muse b and their children. unknown to everyone but muse a, the house was home to a tragedy that killed all family members decades ago, in the hope of writing a bestseller about the event. one night, muse a finds a box of gruesome family movies. muse a notices strange symbols and begins to research each event, discovering that a child went missing at each killing.

𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐝 - one day, ten women wake up pregnant despite none of them trying. all ten children are born at the same time, five boys and five girls, except one is stillborn, making his pair partner alone. all the other children act the same, as if ruled by one entity, and show no personality. as they age, they start to show signs of paranormal abilities that are being used only to harm others. muse a and muse b could be parents or one of them could be the lone child grown up.

[consumeronionbulletin]

Still 17 / Thirty but Seventeen (2018)

Overall, I liked this melodrama / romcom though I had some quibbles.

The premise is basically: "what would it be like if you went through a coma and skipped all of your late teens and twenties and woke up 30." I've seen this in a few movies (Big, 13 Going on 30, etc.).

Those movies used unexplained magic to cause the inciting incident. But the people who made this show decided to use a horrific accident where their best friend gets killed, their family abandons them, and the main character starts the first episode confused and homeless.

This is a pretty good example of the differences between Hollywood and K-drama-land...

What Worked

There were strong performances here, but Shin Hye-sun really carried this show. The premise could easily have turned maudlin or overly cute but Shin Hye-sun kept things grounded when they needed to be, while still making you empathize with the character.

The other characters were also pretty interesting (especially Jennifer!), and the writer and actors put alot of care into making them seem real when they could easily have been boring or flat. Even the antagonists (the jealous former rival, the handsy son-of-a-client, etc.) were mostly interesting, or at least fun to hate.

What Didn't Work

They shot this by splitting the (usually) hour long episodes into 35 mins, for commercial break reasons. This caused some issues with pacing / plotting. They also liked to tease the audience by dropping clues about connections that would move the plot forward, only to have the characters suddenly turn away from the "clue" and bury it for 4-5 episodes (or more). It makes sense for them to do that, in that it keeps the audience hooked and was much more common before binging / streaming became popular, but it still annoyed the crap out of me.

I also disliked the inability for the "adults" to have a serious conversation in the first half of the drama. Again, this was mostly for plot reasons, and had some justification with the past trauma aspect of the show, but it was frustrating. Another thing I disliked was the attempted love triangle thing between Yoo Chan and Seo-ri. They did a good job of handling the arc overall, but it just didn't land for me.

The Performances

Shin Hye-sun as ("still 17") Woo Seo-ri. I loved this performance. The overall arc for the character, which is basically "poor little orphan makes good" isn't groundbreaking, but Hye-sun managed to keep the character fresh and fun to watch. And that made the moments of sadness hit even harder.

Yang Se-jong as ("poor trauma boy") Gong Woo-jin. Another good performance. I liked the chemistry he had with Hye-sun's character, but what made this work was the way Yang Se-jong managed to portray the slow change from weird mountain man shunned by society, to hardworking family man, while still keeping the core goodness of the character intact.

Ahn Hyo-seop as ("the good nephew") Yoo Chan. This guy was fun to watch, and made a great foil (comedic and emotional) for the two leads. I especially liked the way they showed his differences in language (from living overseas part-time) and his upbeat attitude overall. The show would have been much more depressing without the lighter moments that he brought to it.

Ye Ji-won as ("the housekeeper") Jennifer. This character was straight out of a Wes Anderson film, and I loved the decision to play her that way. I liked Ye Ji-won in her role as the quirky mom in Introverted Boss but this was much more fun and memorable. I don't know that kdramas really need more housekeepers with martial arts skills and an encyclopedic memory of weird facts, but I for one would enjoy more characters like that.

Jung Yoo-jin as ("noona boss") Kang Hee-soo. I liked her in Romance is a Bonus Book and it's nice to see her in a more laid-back role. Enjoyed her interactions with Seo-ri and Woo-jin.

Lee Ah-hyun as ("absent mother") Gong Hyun-jung. Not in very many episodes, but I really enjoyed the scenes she was in. Just a cool character.

Ahn Seung-gyun as ("quirky coworker") Jin Hyun. He was fun to watch, but I never understood what his deal was, other than just being young and quirky.

The Rowing Crew. These guys were fun to watch, but kind of interchangeable.

Yoon Sun-woo as ("the doctor") Kim Hyung-tae. The actor did okay with what he was given, but it was basically another fake love triangle which I didn't like, followed by some minor character stuff which was only kind of interesting.

Wang Ji-won as ("the rival") Kim Tae-rin. I have mixed feelings about the character. I liked the sort of flashback / arrested development thing, but I feel like the resolution to this was maybe too fast. But the actor did a good job and I felt some real feels at times.

The Bad Client. I hated this guy, which shows that he did a good job. A little bit of a stereotype, but (like with loansharks and fascists), I never get tired of seeing this type of guy get what's coming to him.

So-ri's Family. Not really memorable, but they did a good job for the most part.

TL; DR:

It's billed as a romcom, but it's at least equal parts melodrama. Frustrating and endearing at times, but it's worth watching just to see Shin Hye-sun and Yang Se-jong at work.

[middleagerunblog]

X.

Week 1 Recap

Exercise:

Sun Dec 10 - walked 30 minutes on the treadmill after dinner

Mon Dec 11 - 6:07a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 31:19, 10:25 pace

Tue Dec 12 - 6:04a, think I did it wrong, 5x400m in 8:00 to 8:40 pace range, walking in between, then I did a 5k in 27:58, 8:59 pace, will figure this out for next time

Wed Dec 13 - 6:05a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 31:08, 10:20 pace

Thu Dec 14 - rest, maybe too much? only walked 6,508 steps the whole day

Fri Dec 15 - 6:09a, outdoors near home, 3 mi, 30:59, 10:18 pace

Sat Dec 16 - around 11a, 5 mi on hotel treadmill, 51:13, 10:15 pace

Diet:

Not terrible weeking eating-wise for the first week. I still need to figure things out, i.e. preferring a 16/8 noon-8p low carb eating strategy which doesn't really go with running. I allowed myself some carbs after lunch this week. I allowed myself some mid-morning snacks too when I was hungry after a run. We've been on a good routine cooking at home lately, so that helps.

The week ended with a bang though, Saturday at the hotel for a soccer tournament wasn't the greatest eating, but I didn't too bad considering the weird eating times and limited options. Did drink too much though because other dads kept buying me drinks. I had 2 beers and thought that'd be that, but then 4 more drinks were delivered to me over the course of the night.

Alcohol for the week - 6 drinks total, averaging just under one per day, but that was zero Sun-Fri, then 6 on Saturday, let's make this the high water mark and taper down from here.

Grading my diet...

Sun A-

Mon B+

Tue B+

Wed A-

Thu B

Fri B

Sat C

EGPA for the week of 3.14, a B/B+ average

Weigh-in:

I did my first official weigh-in on Friday at 190.9, so there's no loss or gain to report.

Music:

New song I heard this week and liked - "Numb" by Have Mercy (2023)

The more that I speak, the more I feel so numb And when the words just get in the way, how do you want ‘em?

Old song new to me I heard this week and liked - "The Energy Story" by College (2008)

It's all started when he was kid

Old song I listened to the first time in a while this week - "Back on the Train" by Phish (2000)

When I jumped off, I had a bucket full of thoughts When I first jumped off, I held that bucket in my hand Ideas that would take me all around the world I stood and watched the smoke behind the mountain curl It took me a long time to get back on the train

Rereading:

I feel more disconnected from the book because I'm not reading it every day. The first time I read it in 3 weeks by reading ~25 pages per day. In some way I can't explain, it motivated me to run another half marathon and start this blog. But now I just reread until there's a quote I want to post here and then stop. So I've read 46 pages over the course of week 1 and I'm not sure how I feel about going this slowly.

I've reread the first 5 chapters. The Boy Name Crow has convinced Kafka to run away. Kafka packs his things, takes some money and a cell phone from his dad and takes an overnight bus to Takamatsu. On the bus he meets Sakura and wonders if she's his sister. He finds his way to the Komura Libaray and meets Oshima and Miss Saeki. He reads Arabian Nights. Maybe I should read that too to mix in some more reading to this blogging process.

There's been two flashbacks to the unexplained Rice Bowl Hill incident where the school children fall into brief comas toward the end of WW2. They all recover quickly but for one boy named Nakata.

The thing that stands out to me upon reread so far is the battle between fate and freedom. I mean, maybe that's what this whole book is about. But I didn't catch how clearly that's setup from the jump.

One thing I didn't notice or think about the first time through is the location of the Rice Bowl Hill incident. Could it be in the same place as the forest cabin that comes later in the book?

[textheslightlymorelimited]

A few months have gone by since The Peace Walker incident.

MSF is preparing for an upcoming UN inspection, that will be conducted after Huey arranged for it, despite Objections from both Miller and Big Boss. In order to hide the Rebuild ZEKE and the Nukes, they throw them into the Ocean.

Thats when an MSF agent arrives at the Base, with news that the US fished Paz out of the Ocean in Cuba and is detaining her in Camp Omega, a Blacksite that is not officially owned by the US.

To complicate things further, Ricardo "Chico" Valenciano Libre, a Child Soldier working at Mother Base, was captured during his own attempt to free Paz.

Paz has information on MSF and Cipher, and Chico of the internal workings of MSF. They could both compromise MSF, so they must be either exfiltrated or confirmed Dead, and any info they may have given their Captors must be destroyed.

As Big Boss infiltrates Camp Omega, he witnesses a mysterious Unit named XOF depart. Big Boss finds Chico in a Cage, and frees him. Chico believes that Paz is dead. He gives Big Boss a Tape that was given to him by Skullface, the Mysterious Leader of XOF. He plays this Tape on his iDroid, a Portable Tape Recorder with Holographic Technology (Unexplained, obviously). Using this Tape, they figure out that Paz still lives, and her location.

Once Big Boss finds and Exfiltrates with her, Chico realises that there is a Bomb operated into Paz. Big Boss and a Man known as The Medic quickly remove and get rid of it. They do not use Anesthesia.

As they arrive at Mother Base, they see it under attack! There never was an UN inspection, and XOF is attacking MSF! They were set up. They land their Helicopter and manage to save a few members of MSF, including Kaz Miller, but have to escape as Mother Base sinks into the Ocean.

Paz regains consciousness, but tells them that there is a Second Bomb inside her! Without the Time to operate again, she jumps out of the Helicopter, exploding mere Seconds after! The Medic pushes himself in front of Big Boss, but both are hit by the Explosion anyways. It also causes the Pilot to lose control over the Helicopter, and they crash into a Pursuing XOF Helicopter.

The US is downplaying MSFs Destruction, and it and all of MSFs Clients are trying to hide their associations with them. Apart from Big Boss, Miller and Huey, there are no known Survivors. We also learn that Paz told Skullface the location of Cipher (The Person), and that Chico told him about the Weaknesses of Mother Base, both only after intense Torture.

Big Boss is in a Coma, and Miller and Ocelot are in hiding.

To be continued in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain…

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[talk-it-out-outsiders-smp]

While I take a small break to be mad about perspective on my art I have some Au details I wanna talk about so long post of head canons and ideas I have

-Mohwee’s armor had two tally marks carved into it from Oeca as momento to the fact that he got lost in two of the four mazes for months at a time

-After becoming an official clearing leader Magic put up a “It’s been this many days since our last disaster” sign. Disasters can range from someone being hurt in the maze to realizing there’s no more coffee depending on whose changing the sign.

-Guts and Krow still had their deal about eating each other, which lasted about two weeks before they were both confronted by serval different clearing members worried about the unexplained injuries

-everyone was surprisingly cool about the eating each other thing, but everyone was pretty insistent on breaking Krow out of the habit. This just lead to people constantly bring it food so Krow unwillingly hosted many dinner events just to get rid of all the food it has.

-Before peoples memories started coming back Apo hosted theory nights where people would come to share there most ridiculous or outlandish theories.

-Since returning to the clearing Beks and some of the others put on plays to entertain the rest of the clearing hits include, the Ballade of the Griever and an Oeca-mas Tale

-After getting his memories back Owen’s chip, which had been damaged during the fight with Ori, short circuited and Owen spent some time in his coma state reconciling the Owen who existed in the maze and who he was before.

-After things settle down and Krow ends up becoming a Runner leader Acho milks the fact that Krow almost killed him for all it’s worth to not only tease it but guilt it into doing things he wants

-Apo didn’t cut off his own horns but got severely injured in his attempt to get back to the clearing after he ditched Bek, this is the same incident that busted his chip

-Because of how much Ori sits in his tree and watches the clearing people climb up there all the time to leave him stupid signs or gifts since they know he’ll find them there.

-Squidney and Spidey continue to sell Sussies to everyone, making everyone in the clearing a custom one (ie an orange one for Owen, Red and Black for Krow, Purple for Ayngel)

-Gracie and Magic try to run more competition and stuff for fun but have to put very strict rules on what’s allowed because everyone starts getting a little too competitive after Red starts having people bet on winners and losers.

-Red does the same thing for the sparring matches Owen sets up to teach people to fight.

-Soup plays doctor a lot in the clearing but people also tend to go to her hoping for potions to solve even the most mundane issues but since she doesn’t charge for potions people just bring her things they think she’ll like so her whole house is covered in shiny bits and bobbles and her bag is covered in pins people make for her

-No one really likes talking about their lives outside of the Maze outside of the occasional heavier conversations but Rasbi especially hates talking about it because Spidey, Kyle, Oeca, Krow, Mohwee, Bek, and Ori all start calling her your majesty (some jokingly but some seriously)

-Ayngel’s certainly not the oldest in the clearing she can’t help but mother hen most of the others like she did her siblings, admonishing them for getting hurt or cheering them up when they’re having a bad day.

-Everyone forgot to mention the Evil Oeca thing to Kyle and Acho so one day Oeca is showing Acho how to throw knives and just stops talking for several seconds, then he just randomly gets tackled by Ori which scares the hell out of both of the newbies. Ori struggles to explain what’s happen while sitting on Oeca whose’s hissing and spitting about killing Acho

-Gracie or Rasbi usually cut everyone’s hair

-Since the whole lever thing was cleared up Guts wants to use the prison to hold a watcher if they can catch one to hopefully get some answers about getting out of here

-After Getting out of the Maze (all alive, but not in one piece) the Outsiders do split off from each other but keep some contact and visit often

-Apo and Owen have no one else left in their lives and head off into the woods together, they make a nice cabin by a lake where Apo can fish and Owen can farm. Owen needs a cane from all the strain he’s put his body under and Apo makes the most of his missing horns and gets an array of different colored prosthetics so he can have fancy horns. They have lots of extra rooms so any of the Outsiders can stay whenever they want or need to

-Krow and Ayngel stick together, Krow needing to finish it’s unfinished business with its old cult and Ayngel wanting to see her siblings but being nervous about facing the rest of her family. Krow is more than thrilled to give Ayngels family a piece of its mind about them sending away Ayngel and Ayngel wants to help Krow get it’s closure so it can move on with its life. After everything settles down with there unfinished business they also settle down, pretty near Owen and Apo’s house

-Oece, Gracie, and Ori stick together because they’re not fully sure what they want to do and Oeca is afraid of slipping without at least one of the angels around and Ori wants to stay with Gracie. They do what Gracie never got to do before , they travel. It’s lots of fun, even if they’re technically wanted criminals. They retire eventually settling down somewhere near one of the others but there’s lots of the world to see first.

-The weirdest group to end up together is Soup, Reddons, and Guts for no other reason then after saying their tearful goodbyes to each other both Red and Guts walked away in the same direction and when they started to argue about who could go that way Soup just walked past both of them and told them to keep up with her or she was ditching them, naturally they followed her. Red wants to capitalize on Soup’s potion making skills and they settle down in some small no name town and open up a store that becomes well known to common people as a place willing to help you even if you have no money

-Mohwee, Squidney, and Spidey don’t even think about splitting up, they’ve never been very good at making friends so they travel together and don’t take a break for even a day to start causing issues. They dive head first into becoming Robin Hood figures, stealing from the rich and cruel and leaving the wealth for those who need it and running off before anyone can catch them, after all they have plenty of practice of both running and fighting why not put it to use on something.

-Magic, Bek , Kyle and Acho Magic has her memory back but she’s not ready to let go of everything she went through and she really doesn’t want anyone to have to go thorough what she did and Bek wanting to make up to Magic for those she hurt her, and she still wielding her big sword, decides to help her try to take the whole maze thing down. Kyle hears the plan and though he tries to deny it he wants to help. At first he denies it because he doesn’t want to leave Acho or drag him into more problems but Acho is the one to insist that they help since they wouldn’t want the other to have to fight the whole system alone.

-Rasbi goes home after leaving the Maze. She wants to go back to her family and her kingdom and even though they can’t publicly welcome her back her remaining family is happy to have her back. She does end up splitting a lot of her time between home and the rest of the Fruit trio, though she never tells her family that’s who she’s going to see when she leaves the kingdom (they may find out one day but that’s a house fire for later)

-After leaving the Maze all the Outsiders try to meet up at one place to at least once a year to hang out all together again and talk about how life’s been, it’s usual Christmas/Oecamas time

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: The answers lie within.  Boarding school student Talia Morris has no idea her boyfriend, Nathaniel, is a Mystic, let alone second in line to the throne of a secretive, aspirational magical community—one no mortal has ever been allowed to step inside. Until now. Nathanial’s cousin is about to be married in the biggest wedding the magical world has ever seen, and Nathaniel is allowed to bring a date. Talia is the lucky recipient of the golden ticket every Mystic wannabe in the world would kill for—only she doesn’t want it. Talia thinks Mystic worship is lame and stupid and unnecessarily aggrandizes people for being born a certain way. When she finds out Nathaniel is “one of them,” she almost jumps ship. But Nathaniel loves her, and she loves him. So when he begs her to give his family and their community a shot, she reluctantly agrees.Enter the most fantastical world any mortal has ever seen, and the coolest magical wedding ever. After a few days of bonding with Nathaniel’s family on the island, of seeing how beautiful their magic is and how peaceful their community, Talia’s about to be won over���until the entire wedding party suddenly falls into an unexplainable coma and the community goes on lockdown. Talia, the outsider, is pegged as the culprit and has to do everything in her meager non-power to prove her innocence. As she embarks on a journey to find the truth, Talia soon discovers reality is not all it seems, and her past may put her in more danger than she ever imagined.In this captivating YA fantasy, Talia must solve a multigenerational mystery and break a curse, all the while being torn between making her family proud and regaining the trust of the boy she loves.

Review:

A dark curse, revenge, secrets, betrayal, and so much more lie inside this story about one girl’s mission to cure her family curse and save herself... but is she willing to pay the ultimate price? The story follows Talia Morris, a girl who has hated Mystics ( magical users) after her mother died being conned by one and when she herself was conned by one when she went to have herself cured by magic for her heart problem. A year after that incident she is dating the boy of her dreams, the handsome and popular Nathanial... who just happens to reveal to her that he is Mystic himself and wants to invite her to his family’s home and his cousin’s wedding. Talia is reluctant at first but he wins her over, except at the wedding reception 14 people fall into a mysterious coma and there is message left from the hex user : find the person who cursed my family and the cure or in 7 days those people die. Yet Talia’s memories are unlocked.... the person she has been has been a lie created by her family and that her father and her were the ones to create the curse in order to get a cure for her since she is dying.... and that Nathanial and his family are the enemy... yet now Talia is locked on this island and being accused of the crime... and if she doesn’t find a cure she’ll be sentenced to death... so now it is up to her to find out who really cursed her mother and her, who the strange ghost boy who haunts her is, and what truly went on between her family and Nathan’s before it is too late for everyone. This was a pretty interesting story snd I loved the twist and turns of the story, there was so much revenge and magic and it was a fun ride. I do wish at times the characters made different decisions and that the final ending had an added epilogue or something to give the ending a bit more of a finish but overall I did enjoy this book. This is a story about the bonds of family, just how far we are willing to go for those we love, mistakes and forgiveness, and atonement. This was a great read that would definitely keep you intrigued until the end.

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[translations-by-aiimee]

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 40

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 40

(T/N: This chapter was so sad omg. I translated this with tears in my eyes so I hope you enjoy)

"That's great, that's great!" The older woman rubbed her hands together. She pushed Lin Yan onto the chair, rambling off a long list of things, and Lin Yan finally understood what he needed to do.

In Room 607 of the Cardiovascular Ward, a blind elderly widower named Liang had been hospitalized with heart failure and had been in a coma for more than two weeks. The old man was in a very bad financial situation and was barely able to maintain his treatment with money from different charities. Previously, his partner came to the hospital every day to take care of him, but the several days of heavy rain put a serious strain on his partner's already poor health, and they died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital five days ago. Since then, the patient was cared for by a community volunteer organization on a rotating basis.

"Young man, when you arrived, the uncle just woke up and was in need of someone. I was in a hurry, so I took you for a student who came to take care of the patient." The older woman said. "The patient in this room had a good relationship with his wife. If you know the news of his partner's passing, I'm afraid there's no avoiding it. Just pretend to be his partner. Give the man whatever he wants. Don't reveal anything."

Lin Yan forced a smile: "How can I pretend? Blind people can hear voices even if they can't see. Won't it be hard to not say anything at all?"

"Hey! His partner is mute and can't speak at all. When they were still alive, they would listen to Mr. Liang ramble on by himself. One had what the other didn't: One of them couldn't see and the other couldn't speak. Their relationship was very good. All the nurses looked envious." The older woman lowered her voice and leaned closer to Lin Yan. "The old man is still in good spirits. Just now, he asked to have some oranges. The doctor is anxious because most of those bedridden with long-term illnesses seem to have a sudden and unexplained improvement. It's only for a short while before his energy burns out and then that's that."

Lin Yan played with the small bag of oranges that the older woman had given him. He nodded and agreed. He stood at the door of the room, glancing in through the glass. He asked in a whisper: "He doesn't have any children? He looks older than my grandfather."

The older woman suddenly smiled ambiguously and made a silent gesture: "I told you to be quiet. Mr. Liang's partner was a man. We'd call him a clay rabbit* in our local dialect!"

*(T/N: 兔儿爷 is a clay rabbit used for the mid-autumn festival. It's also slang for a gay man)

Lin Yan reflexively jerked his head up and hurriedly turned his face to hide his expression.

"Tsk tsk, I heard that the two of them never got married their entire lives. They were often looked down upon when they were young. It's not easy. Once his partner left, he was left all alone."

"Wait to go in. Walk and pick up things slowly. The old man can't see, but his ears are sharp. Don't let him hear the movements of a young man." The older woman said with a look that indicated to him to get ready. She uneasily instructed: "Someone sick and groggy is less likely to recognize others. We can pretend for a day. The old man doesn't have much time left."

Lin Yan originally just wanted to leave after helping, but at this point, he was touched by the whole incident. He nodded and said seriously, "Don't worry, leave it to me."

There was a special "old person's smell" in the room. The smell of medicine, cotton cloth, faint dampness and old wooden furniture reminded Lin Yan of his grandfather's old house in the countryside. The room had been cleaned and tidied. On the bedside table was a white enamel jar with the words "Long Live Chairman Mao" next to an old green plastic thermos. An old black soft leather book was covered by a worn-out cattail-leaf fan. People have a bad memory when they get older and often rely on writing things down to remember them.

Other than that, there was nothing else on the table. He was old and frugal, and it was obvious that this patient's financial situation was very middle class.

An old man in his 70s was lying on a hospital bed. An oxygen tube was inserted into his left nostril. His wrinkled face was serene. His hands were folded on top of the covers. When he heard someone enter, he called softly, "Hong Sheng is here."

The old man did not turn his head when he spoke, looking straight ahead. Lin Yan observed it as he walked around the end of the bed. He had no signs of cataracts. Except for his lack of spirit, the old man's eyes looked the same as those of anyone else except for the fact that he had optic nerve problems and had been blind for a long time.

The sky outside the window was covered with cotton wool-like rain clouds. The whole room was grey and drizzly, the rain falling non-stop

Lin Yan didn't dare speak. He slowly pulled out a chair and sat down beside the hospital bed. He put the bag of oranges on the bedside table and picked up a large one.

"It sounds like it's going to rain for a while. Bring a raincoat when you come. Don't get wet."

Lin Yan nodded silently. His eyes circled around the room, resting on the back of the old man's bark-like hand. He waited.

The old man didn't expect to receive any response and went on talking to himself: "The bedsheets at home need to be dried. The heavy summer rain will get them mouldy in the house."

"Has the cat been fed? We've been stuck in the hospital every day. I don't know if it's hungry or has gotten thin."

"I seem to have slept for a long time, and I dreamed that you came to see me. Just like when you were young, you stood by my bed in that suit for a long time, not making a sound. So many nurses looked at you yet you didn't leave. The older you get, the less embarrassed you get."

There was a shy look on the old man's face. The wrinkled face seemed younger, the waxy yellow colour of his sickness had faded. It was probably the soul of his dead partner who came to say goodbye. Lin Yan felt like his heart was in a vice grip and his vision was growing misty. He turned his head and looked out the window.

After pouring some water for the old man, Lin Yan began to peel the orange, carefully plucking off the white veins of the orange slice. He collected the orange peel and placed them on the windowsill to dry and block out the room's smell. Lin Yan carefully brought an orange slice to the old man's mouth. The old man froze for a moment before he opened his mouth and took it. Because of his bad teeth, he slid the piece into his cheek and slowly chewed it.

"It's very sweet. You can still buy oranges this season."

He peeled the slices and handed them over one after another. The old man couldn't chew the thin skin around the orange slices, so Lin Yan carefully peeled it off. The old man was very obedient and ate slowly. Lin Yan felt that this morning was extraordinarily quiet and warm. He couldn't help but imagine an image of himself, decades from now, lying on a hospital bed, his own old lover hobbling in. He bought him a bag of oranges and sat next to the bed, peeling the oranges for him to eat. The years may have worsened his vision but not their companionship. . . Silent time shared together, silently looking out for each other. . .

Love should be like this. Two young and wild teenagers meet in the wilderness under the sun, one saying to the other: "Let's face this world together." So they walk together, hand in hand, through the long journey of life, seeing endless flowers blossoming and sceneries, laughing and complaining about each other all the way, but always supporting each other and never giving up. . . Until the faces of the beautiful young men were filled with wrinkles, their tall and straight figures bent over by the years, their elderly shadows dragged out by the setting sun. They can no longer walk, so they dress themselves in some clean clothes and lie in bed hand in hand. They say let's die, and then they die together, like a pair of geese returning from the south, following each other the whole way from the beginning to the end.

He didn't realize that his eyes were red again.

The ward was extraordinarily quiet. Only the regular sound of rain and the fresh scent of oranges remained. After eating a whole orange, Lin Yan took out the bag to grab another one. Hearing the rustling of the plastic bag, the old man suddenly spoke up and quietly said: "He's gone."

Lin Yan raised his head. He covered his mouth and didn't speak.

"Stop pretending. I've been with Hong Sheng all my life. You can hide it from others but not from me."

"Who are you?"

Lin Yan dejectedly put the orange back into the bag. He thought that he had done a flawless performance, and he hadn't spoken a word this whole time. How did he know?

"My name is Lin Yan." He whispered. "Your partner can't come for the next little bit so I'll be here to help you and come back in a few days."

The old man smiled calmly. He "looked" at the ceiling for a while, and slowly said: "Don't lie to me. I know that he's never coming back."

There really seemed to be some kind of sixth sense between lovers who had been together their entire lives. The old man turned his face towards him. He knew that he couldn't see, but Lin Yan still felt that two sharp eyes were fixed on his face. After a long silence, he finally relented and said: "How did you know?"

"I woke up and he didn't come. I found you pretending to be him, why else would you do that unless. . ." The old man said slowly. His face showed a strange calm in the gray light, like a pool of stagnant water. No great emotions and no sadness, as if he was just quietly stating a fact that had nothing to do with him. Lin Yan couldn't understand it. He always thought that there would be strong emotions like grief, pain, being unable to restrain themself and so on, but the silence in the room was alarming.

"Did he suffer? When he passed?" The old man said calmly.

"No." Lin Yan said. "I heard from the doctor that it was a sudden heart attack."

The old man was silent for a while. "I must have missed my time to go. He said that he would die after me, but in the end, he went before me." After he spoke, he smiled. Two streaks of cloudy tears flowed down his cheeks as he smiled.

Lin Yan was at a loss. He felt that he should say something to comfort him, but all words were in vain in the face of life and death, so he awkwardly grabbed the plastic bag and said, "Do you still want to eat some oranges? I'll help you peel them."

The moment was lonely and silent.

The old man didn't answer. He quietly lay back on the bed in a daze, and said after a while, "You can go. I'll be fine by myself."

Some sadness can only be endured and digested alone until it fully sinks in. Lin Yan tiptoed out of the room and gently closed the door. He put his ear against the door and listened for a while. The room was very quiet, as if there was no one staying there.

    The next day, Weiwei was successfully discharged from the hospital and was taken home to recuperate. Yin Zhou helped to pack her things, while Lin Yan accompanied her father to go through the discharge formalities. After finishing, he returned to the room. Weiwei had changed out of the hospital gown. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs back and forth, slippers knocked on the bed rails as she did. Seeing Lin Yan enter, she turned her face away. Her father was a little embarrassed, and reminded her to thank Lin Yan. Weiwei just gave him a cold look and asked if the ring was still there.

Lin Yan was stunned for a moment, thinking of the box that had been crushed by Xiao Yu, and shook his head.

When Weiwei left with her bag on her back, she didn't look back once, and she didn't say another word to him. This story was over now.

Lin Yan still came to the hospital every day. He bought some fresh oranges when he passed by the supermarket, and headed directly to the old man's room in the ward on the sixth floor. The old man named Liang liked him very much, and, after slowly accepting the news of his partner's death, he began to chat with Lin Yan. Lin Yan felt that the old man's health was improving. After a ward round, he chased the doctor out to ask about his condition. The doctor took off his mask and asked Are you a family member? Prepare a funeral for the old man.

Lin Yan was a little lost. He walked into the room and tried to smile. He told the old man that the doctor said that he was recovering well and should be discharged soon.

The old man was very quiet that day. Lin Yan tucked in the blanket for him. When he was about to leave, the old man suddenly stopped him. He was facing the window behind Lin Yan with a tired face as if he was carefully listening to the sound of the rain. He said softly: "If you're not in a hurry, sit down a little longer and I'll tell you about Hong Sheng."

Memories were like old photos, stained with a dull brownish-yellow by time. The old man's name was Liang Qing. He was born blind and was abandoned by his biological parents at the gate of an orphanage. When he was eleven years old, the old orphanage director saw that no one would adopt him and sent him to a school for the deaf in the town to learn Braille. It was called a school for the deaf, but it actually brought together many disabled children; mentally handicapped, blind, autistic, and deformed 'unable to jump and run like others' children gathered here to express and communicate in different ways, isolated from the world. Without discrimination or exclusion, they licked each other's wounds, proving warmth and hugs to each other.

Liang Qing was an introverted kid who liked to sit on the only swing at school and contemplate the colours of the sunset. Although he had never really seen colour. To him, the world was nothing more than day after day of darkness, until a man named Zhang Hong Sheng appeared.

Hong Sheng was a new young teacher hired by the school. He was gentle and handsome. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and always smiled softly at the children. He was born unable to speak, but he was proficient in sign language and Braille and he had read a lot of books. Seeing that Liang Qing didn't like talking to people, he looked for opportunities to approach him, trying to bring this child out of solitude.

He showed Liang Qing many stories in Braille. Liang Qing said that Hong Sheng was his eyes and he was Hong Sheng's voice.

In the third year since Hong Sheng came to the school, they were together. They sneak around, carefully avoiding everyone's eyes, using their incomplete bodies to indulge in complete love and subtle sweetness, until one day, after class, the principal passed by the classroom and accidentally bumped into the two kissing. Unexpectedly, Hong Sheng was expelled for his misconduct, and Liang Qing chose to drop out of school.

"That year I was sixteen and Hong Sheng was twenty-four. We didn't have any relatives, so we simply rented a house and lived together. Because of his affair with a student, and a male student at that, there was no school willing to hire Hong Sheng again. We were very poor. The house often leaked and we slept on planks he picked up because we couldn't afford a bed. One meal often had to be slipt up to make three meals. He said that he had to support me. He worked wherever he could, collecting scrap, picking up garbage, doing the most tiring and hardest work. He earned so little but never let me help. One time I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I secretly went out to find someone to teach me how to massage. He couldn’t find me when he got home. He was so worried that he went from house to house, knocking on every door."

The old man gently closed his eyes and immersed himself in the memories of the past. "When he found the store, he saw me washing feet with my master and he dragged me out without saying a word. It was New Year's Eve and it was especially cold. I was afraid that he would get angry. I was shivering from the cold, crying while I walked. No amount of coaxing from Hong Sheng worked. So, with all the money he had on him, he bought me a bag of oranges."

"Candied oranges are expensive in winter, but he didn't want to eat any of them."

"He kept asking me to tell others that I was his younger brother, but no matter how well we concealed it, the neighbours still found out. When we went out, the children threw stones at us. They gathered on the side of the road and called us clay rabbits, Hong Sheng was never confrontational but he would fight to the death for me. People would scold me and he couldn't speak, but sweat would drip down. When I touched him, my hand would get wet, covered with sweat and blood, and even now there's a long scar."

"I don't know how I got through it now, but at that time, no matter how hard it was, I was really happy. I was happy from the bottom of my heart. After we closed the door, nothing that had happened outside mattered anymore. He made congee and gave me rice to eat. He thought I couldn't see it, but I could hear it."

"He would take my hand in bed and write in the palm of my hand, saying he wanted to live like this for the rest of his life."

"I laughed at him and told him how long his life would be. If things got boring, he'd be gone in a hurry. He had to be serious with me."

"Afterwards, life got better. We were able to have enough to eat, and no one was chasing and harassing us when we went out. We both lived and lived and, before we knew it, we grew old." A satisfied smile appeared on the corner of the old man's mouth, as if his young lover was still standing in front of him and had never left. "A lifetime is actually quite short. It's not forever, it'll be over in a hurry."

"He always said that he would die after me. If he died first, he was afraid that no one would take care of me." The old man raised his head and whispered into the air. "Hong Sheng, don't think that I won't take it personally if you only lie to me once in your life. I'll deal with you when I get down there, we're not done yet."

The old man spoke quietly. Lin Yan listened silently, his hands shaking slightly. He lost his grip on an orange and it rolled to the ground.

Without asking about the cause of the noise, the old man continued: "Do you know how I guessed you weren't him the day you arrived?"

[hereticalsoulsarchive]

biographical information // for // jordie rietveld

canon compliance ;; up to jordie’s death and kaz's survival. 

alternate universe ;; 

jordie is sick unto the point of death, in a coma state barely breathing / to an untrained eye ( particularly that of a younger brother ) is presumed dead. when kaz sets off he leaves his brother behind on the barge. days / hours later, jordie awakens with a sickening sense of awareness. coated in the stench of death, blood, human waste, and pus -- his senses flare and he reaches out. feeling life and death. the power within him he’s been trying to push down and ignore, to hide that the villagers who’d chased him out of town when their parents died -- had been right. he was a grisha.

  when he searches the barge he cannot find his brother, bodies either too far decomposed or too severely disfigured from the firepox. cannot feel that life he’s known so well. he assumes the worst. assumes his little brother is dead. and it’s all his fault.  penniless and destitute, he tries to swim to shore, only to be picked up by a ravkan ship sailing for os kervo. jordie tries to hide his status as a grisha, but the accelerated rate of healing, along with unexplained incidents. a squaller noticed him. an old woman, her days in the second army long past. she told him when he got to ravka to run. to hide. to disappear. because the army would eat him alive. because the grisha were fodder as surely as the first army was. because being a grisha was not a real life. 

  jordie didn’t get a chance to run. the ship was taken by shu-han pirates. and jordie was taken to koba where he was sold.  it was five years that he worked in jurda fields for a scientist, the researching was kind and taught jordie a great deal. but when the old man died, the son wanted a better life for his family. so he sold his grisha, it was then that jordie was taken to bhez ju to be used in experiments concerning jurda parem. at first relieved that his days of seeming hard labor were over, jordie was interested in living in the city. always a curious and inquiring mind, he’d spent his time reading and learning. healing came easy to him, but with the knowledge of the human body he gained -- so did ending life as well as extending it.  it was when his cell mate was brought back after the parem had run through his system that jordie realized just what his fate was. 

  the next day he was free. he tried to not think of the bodies he left behind. he tried to think of the anything but that. so he ran. and this time he ran back to where his troubles had begun. ketterdam.  penniless, hiding his grisha nature, and surviving off whatever he could get via stealing he managed to get enough for passage there. frugal where he had once been extravagant, he gets a job. working at a club in the east stave he attempts to keep his head down and focus on his studies. within a month he’s accepted into a medical program at ketterdam university. his papers are forged, his goal simple. learn to help people. begin to atone. for the death of all those he’s left in his wake. 

  for the little brother who he took to his death in this city of decadence. for the old man who bought him and taught him -- killed in a fury when he lost control of himself. for the guards and the inmates who’d stood in his way as he’d raced to survive. 

  jordie didn’t know why surviving was so important. he didn’t want to live. but somehow, scrabbling for life was all he had left. if he didn’t try to live.   but this plan is thrown to hell when he’s cornered one night in an alley leaving the east stave and heading to west for his room and board.  their fists rain down, they call him brekker, they call him cripple, they call him bastard and dirtyhands.  and bit b y bit the careful armor he holds around his powers breaks, the shield around his rage that he bottles in -- and they are beneath him. their blood singing in his veins.  that night there’s a new demon in the barrel it seems. cut from the same cloth. yet an entirely different man.

[writingmyheartsout]

So i don’t have a full fic to give you for this end of the year but...have a sneak peak to it.

This is part of the post war/fluff series...

A special thanks to @plexflexico​ since it’s her fault that, this time i’m writing so much. Thank you, i can’t describe the love i have for you, but it’s a lot...

Title: We Are Lost Stars ( trying to light up the dark)

Words: Sneak peak 515 - Full fic 4k+ (still in development)

Pairing: Fox x reader

__

Summary: You were a freelance news reporter and when a rumor of several troopers and nearly as many senators disappearing into thin air started spreading, the next thing you decided to do was to check directly at the source. This had the potential to become your next big story.

But then you meet Commander Fox.

__

....

All of this led you out to Commander Fox's office one more time, now with more solid proof in hand and an official appointment courtesy of Commander Stone.

"Come on in..." he ordered immediately after the first knock on the door.

Just like the last time, you found him hunched over yet another report, his helmet forgotten on the couch to his right among other things you didn't quite recognize. On a closer look, his office looked messier, forgotten cups scattered all over and trays of food still untouched lying around, as if he hadn't been out for days.

"Good day Commander, I'm here to ask you a few questions, this time with an official permission" you quickly stated, in order to avoid being shushed before you had the chance to further explain yourself.

He muttered at first, then stood up and walked over to you only to stop short when he got closer.

"I'm a very busy person, so let's make this quick" he harshly replied, his gaze fixed on you while motioning you to sit down and then returning to his position behind the desk.

"No problem, I hope this conversation will be beneficial to both of us" you confidently told him as you sat down.  

"If I understand this correctly and as Commander Thorn also explained to me, you want to write an article about some unexplained events that happened in the Senate? So tell me, exactly, why this worries you other than being your, let's say, job" he began without missing a beat.

"The thing that worries me the most is how this incident doesn't seem to worry you at all, since it's supposed to be your department," you snapped back, ready for a potentially unhappy remark.

"Allow me to disagree with that..." he said in reply as he moved forward and rested both elbows on the table, his tone still cold but behind his apparent composure there was an underlying hidden feeling, as if something was holding him back.

His head was down and his eyes closed, as if he was trying to muster the courage to keep talking, so you considered stepping in.

"Commander..." you quietly spoke to him... "I'm only here to help if I'm allowed to. Besides, I have the duty of confidentiality, no one will ever know you, of all people, talked to me”.

At those words, he cleared his throat and started speaking again…

You kept talking for hours, you gave him the information you had gathered and he showed you the reports of the last month. More people were missing or were physically injured than you thought. Troopers, Guards, simple delivery personnel who were missing or who had slipped into a coma and never woke up, suddenly the story was becoming much more complicated and slightly intriguing.

But you were also amazed at the change in the Commander's behavior, still professional for sure, but now more willing to discuss such sensitive subjects with someone else outside the other Guards and oddly relaxed.

You could only hope that things would continue to stay that way.

...

__

The rest of it will be posted soon (1st-3rd of January), in the meantime, my best wishes of a positive new year, hoping for the best.

[fogaminghub]

🌟 Ready to unlock the mystery? Our latest guide for Infinity Nikki covers everything you need for the Unexplained Coma Incidents quest! 🎮✨ From where to start to the beautiful rewards you’ll earn, it’s all inside. Don't miss out on this gaming adventure! 🌌💕

[sarkos]

The neurologist with Moncton's Dr Georges-L-Dumont University Hospital Centre says doctors first came across the baffling disease in 2015. At the time it was one patient, an "isolated and atypical case", he says. But since then there have been more patients like the first - enough now that doctors have been able to identify the cluster as a different condition or syndrome "not seen before". The province says it's currently tracking 48 cases, evenly split between men and women, in ages ranging from 18 to 85. Those patients are from the Acadian Peninsula and Moncton areas of New Brunswick. Six people are believed to have died from the illness. Most patients began experiencing symptoms recently, from 2018 on, though one is believed to have had them as early as 2013. Dr Marrero says the symptoms are wide ranging and can vary among patients. At first, there can be behavioural changes like anxiety, depression and irritability, along with unexplained pain, muscle aches and spasms in previously healthy individuals. Frequently, patients develop difficulties sleeping - severe insomnia or hypersomnia - and memory problems. There can be fast-advancing language impairments that make it difficult to communicate and hold a fluent conversation - issues like stuttering or word repetition. Another symptom is rapid weight loss and muscle atrophy, as well as visual disturbances and co-ordination problems, and involuntary muscle twitching. Many patients need the assistance of walkers or wheelchairs. Some develop disturbing hallucinatory dreams, or waking auditory hallucinations. Several patients have presented with transient "Capgras delusion", a psychiatric disorder in which a person believes someone close to them has been replaced by an impostor. "It's quite disturbing because, for instance, a patient would tell his wife: 'Sorry ma'am you cannot get in bed, I'm a married man' and even if the wife gives her name, he'd say: 'You're not the real one,'" Dr Marrero says. Despite patients showing no trace of any known prion diseases, it hasn't been completely ruled out as a cause, he says. Another theory is chronic exposure to what's called an "excitotoxin" like domoic acid, which was linked to a 1987 food poisoning incident from mussels contaminated with the toxin from the nearby province of Prince Edward Island. Along with gastrointestinal upset, about a third of those affected had symptoms like memory loss, dizziness, confusion. Some patients fell into a coma, and four died. Dr Cashman says they are also looking at another toxin - beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) - which has been implicated as an environmental risk in the development of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. BMAA is produced by cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae. Some researchers also believe BMAA is linked to a neurodegenerative disease documented in an indigenous population in the Pacific US island territory of Guam during the mid-20th Century, and found in seeds that were part of their diet.

Doctors investigate mystery brain disease in Canada - BBC News

[wickedlehane]

Random Faith Headcanon Drop #3

More Faith headcanons, this time specifically about the relationship I envision she had with her first Watcher, her real Watcher. This is entirely personal to my portrayal of the character. For the first random headcanon drop, go here. For the second random drop, go here.

Faith’s first Watcher, Fiona Archer, was a woman from Sheffield, England. She was living overseas at the time of Faith’s activation, and came out to meet her about three days following the death of Kendra Young. She encountered Faith while posed as a social services worker, coming to Faith’s high school after the girl was being detained for (aided by her unexplained newfound strength) breaking another student’s nose and knocking another unconscious in a schoolyard fight. Faith made the decision to drop out and travel with Fiona before they passed her expulsion notice.

Faith almost exclusively called her “Fee” although at first, Fiona insisted on being called Ms. Archer. That lasted about a generous three weeks.

Based on the time that she was called following the death of Kendra Young to the point she arrived in Sunnydale, Faith and Fee were a pair for only about four or five months before Kakistos slew the Watcher. (Faith was in a coma longer than she had a healthy relationship with a maternal figure!)

Fiona’s Watcher Diary was lost after Faith fled towards Sunnydale. There were quite detailed accounts of a number of Slayer experiences that only someone like Faith could have. (I fully intend to write these entries someday, including the naked arrest and the gator wrestling.)

While nowhere near the legendarily affectionate quality of Giles and Buffy’s relationship, Faith and Fee were a solid duo in the short time they had. Fee recognized in Faith a need for protection and discipline, the willingness not yet entirely beaten out of the girl that she could perhaps mold, given enough time. Faith, naturally, adored the idea of having the attention and guidance of a competent maternal figure who really had no other purpose than to focus on her. Someone she could seek structure from without fear of harm. Fee, however, did take issue with some of Faith’s more lax attitudes about her destiny, and they weren’t simpatico 100% of the time. Still, Faith respected Fee and Fee genuinely seemed to care about Faith’s personal well-being in addition to her Slayer strength and preparedness.

Faith studied what material the Council had on Buffy, and Fee spoke somewhat highly of Rupert Giles, though there was always an underlying, unspoken air of competition between the pairs of Watchers and Slayers as the pair headed west.

Fee’s intention was for Faith to serve as the primary Slayer of the Sunnydale Hellmouth- they requested preference over the Cleveland Hellmouth given the activity and urgency in Sunnydale.

“They don’t have a word for what he did to her.” Faith didn’t see everything, but saw just enough of the sadistic, drawn-out torture that ended Fee’s life at the hands of Kakistos. It concluded with her blood (what hadn’t already been spilled) being drunk so voraciously that the elder vampire physically ripped the woman’s throat open. Faith doesn’t remember Fee’s last words- the Slayer was screaming too loudly. This incident was Faith’s first real encounter with the reality that even as a Slayer, she was not unstoppable. In a fit of fearful rage she blinded Kakistos but was severely outnumbered and outclassed, unable to stake his thick hide, and fled. (This was also the first and last time Faith ever felt she really had something in her life to lose.)

On the run, Faith felt conflicted- angrily blaming Fee for giving her something worth fighting for, and then dying. Of course, she then blamed herself for failing, and feared what the Watchers Council might do to her because of it. So she decided not to confront that mess, laying low until she reemerged in Sunnydale.

Her smoking and sexual habits were highly discouraged (well, rather forbidden, but as forbidden as Fee could make them with a rebel like Faith on her hands) during her time training.

Faith’s favorite part of training with Fee was, as the girl called it, “getting medieval”- she liked weaponry exercises.

That’s all for now, but I’ll leave you with a terrible joke to sum it all up- What did it cost Kakistos to traumatize Faith for life? Oh, just a small Fee.

[missielee]

Passion

Day 1&2: Fish & Wisp

Fish – such a fascinating creature

It was Olivia’s first passion as well as pet

When she was seven, her dad took her and her sister to the aquarium downtown.

It was magnificent, she said

It was like a different world, she said

Engulfed by a singular color blue, she was mesmerized by all the moving little diamonds around her

Colorful scales glimmered in the tank lights, felt like thousands stars on the sky

They moved oh so gracefully, bubbles curved along their fins

It was like a water dance.

That was at least ten years ago, little Olivia has already turned into a beautiful young woman who is passionate about the ocean life, specifically sea creatures. Fascinated by them, she indulged hours in books on her dad’s shelves and pursued her dream to become, well, quoted on quote “Fish”.

Fish is a peculiar animal. They live in water and absorb oxygen through their respiration system which is the gills. Their body is covered in scales worked as camouflage, protection and swimming aid. Their fins flutter through the current as they sway their body elegantly. What could possibly better than being a fish, swimming freely in the water blue?

“I prefer whale better” Janet voiced her opinion out loud

“What? That swimming elephant? No way!” Olivia eyed her friend in disbelief “That’s not even a fish!”

“It’s a sea creature too so it sorta counts. Also, FYI, that is super mean. That’s probably equivalent to pointing out someone is obese in fish language.” Janet rolled her eyes, continued eating her lunch

“Whale and dolphin are mammals, so not a fish. Beside, would you really want to be a whale? Big, giant blue whale?”

“Uh, whale is my spiritual animal, therefore, yes I’ll be the big giant and BEAUTIFUL blue whale” a glare was directed right back to Olivia “At the very least, I won’t get eaten by other species”

“Other than human, sure!” Olivia sipped her water “You do know that a fair amount of whale was hunted for meat and oil in the past right?”

“Whale hunting was a thing?”

“Yeah, it was like a thing back in 1800s. Products made from whale, mainly oil, are incredibly valuable. A barrel of sperm-whale oil can even went up to 1500$ per barrel” Olivia shrugged “But it wasn’t used much nowadays because many better resource appeared: like Kerosene, vegetable oil, petrol”

“Uh huh, you know a lot about whale for someone who just insult it” Janet smirked upon her “You like whale too, don’t you ~”

“Said the one who have their nose in Moby Dick like twenty times or something. I only know some of the basic thing about whale”

“Hey, that book is a masterpiece! Brave men against the nature! Battling fearlessly! Unlike you and you’re fish tank obsession.”

Olivia couldn’t bother to say back. It’s true that she’s have an itsy bitsy infatuation with fish, but she couldn’t explain it why she adores them that much. Some have told her she could become mermaid like those performs in aquarium shows but Olivia refused. Even though it was her dream to become of them, she absolutely hates mermaid/merman in generally because mermaid doesn’t swim like a fish does, according to her logically research. Since mermaid have different anatomy, their swim movement is up-and-down, which isn’t the normal side-to-side like fish does. In addition to that, mermaid eats fish, explained her dislike towards becoming one. She understood that it’s normal to pray on one to another in the animal kingdom but she cannot stand the idea of feasting on such pretty shiny thing. ‘I mean people might have evolved enough to even eat gold but not diamond, right?’

It’s not the first time she realized turning into a fish is practically impossible. Despite her fascination of the marine life, she apparently have Thalassophobia, which prevents her from any activities near the open water. It was upsetting to Olivia, having to spend her life in pictures capturing a small part of the vast water part. It’s like try to play puzzles with endless pieces and they all have the same shade of color. No amount of therapy could help her reach the board of the ship, the closest she could ever get is the lightly wet sand shore. Moreover, there’s an unexplainable feeling when she reaches the ocean, she hears it whisper her name in sad serenity. And on a more frightening term, it always seems to seep closer and closer to her.

“Livvy? You’re spacing out again. Come on, we’ll be late for class” she snapped out of her daze, turn to see her friend already finished packing her belongings

Checking her phone, 2:45 and her class started at 3, she needed to hurry.

“Oh I almost forgot. You’ll come to the Jake’s party this evening, right?”

“Beach party? Not so sure, you know how I feel about it”

“It’s just on shore. I’ll be there too. Don’t worry, if anyone tries to drag you near the water then they’ll have to go through me” Janet smirked. Three years in Aikido is enough to take anyone down, not to mention she was a three times champion of the city, as if that isn’t intimidating enough but it ensures Olivia enough to have a good time by the sand.

“But this evening already? I thought it’s on 13th?”

“Today is the 13th, Goldfish. Did you fall head over heel for Jake so far that you forgot to check for the actual date?”

“I might have mistaken a Friday for a Saturday. But that doesn’t make me a goldfish! And goldfish have good memory! The five seconds attention span is a myth!” Olivia exclaimed

“I guess your attention span is probably so filled with Jake that you can only remembered that he has invited you~”

The two kept bickering as they walked each other to class, like all the other days.

  It was around eight when Olivia and Janet arrived at the party, and it sure is a lively one. The torch lit up the area but it was no match to the people’s dancing along the live music band. Sound of chatters mixed with the awry waves of the sea like a symphony. Olivia immediately spotted Jake in the crowd by the barbecue, greeting newcomers and grilled the ribs with his cheerful expression bright like sunlight. Janet could guess what millions thoughts going through her bestie’s mind as she pulled her over to the food court.

“Hey Jake, nice buns you got there. Mind if we have a taste?” Jake laughed wholeheartedly  

“Why I wouldn’t mind you two lovely ladies to have a taste of my delicious buns, of course!” A wink sent towards them as Olivia reddened

“I-I-I brought some cakes from Rosie’s! A-And I think it’s a great party!” Jake took the box from Olivia and gave both of them a small dish

“I love Rosie’s cake! This is great for desert! Thanks Olivia!”

And needless to say, Janet had to play the waitress and lead a very blush female to a table while holding two dish of steak.

“Oh Janet! Did you see him smiling at me? He’s so nice!” Janet have a gulp of soda after settling down and listening to her friend’s love rant.

“Eat your steak Olivia or I’ll help you know how it’s like to be fish”

“Alright, no need to do that. I’m not some toddler, you know” Olivia sulked and cut a piece

Olivia notice a newspaper left next to her seat, seemed like it was today’s news. Curious, she decided to have a look since Janet had went to get a second plate.

“BREAKING NEW:  SUCCESSFULLY FOUND THE ONLY SURVIVOR OF THE S.S HARVEY INCIDENT

Olivia Breston, eldest daughter of the Breston family and a bright student at Morrington University, was discovered barely breathing and unconscious on floating remains of the unfortunate ship by the fishermen of Devonne port. Lifeboat was sent immediately to revive and take Olivia to the closest hospital. 17h28 of 13th October, we received news …”

‘No way. Olivia… Breston… That’s… that’s my name!? I… I am dead?’

Janet returned back with a joyful meal in hand.

“Man! Jake sure have a knack for cooking! You’re a lucky one, Olivia!” Olivia didn’t respond, still deep in shock “Olivia?”

Olivia handed her the paper. Janet frowned before realization hit her. Surprisingly, she’s quite calm to react.

“So you found out. Any memory came back?”

Olivia shivered, shook her head.

“I survived, did I? So why… am I here? On this day, I was supposed to be found? But no?”

Janet moved next to her, sat down and comforted the confused girl.

“Do you want to know? Truly want to know?”

A silence between made the air thickened before Olivia gave a nod, reluctantly. Janet rubbed her shoulders soothingly.

“What you read is true. You are the only survivor of the S.S Harvey ship, a research ship directed by your father. You accompanied him on a field trip on 19th June when the ship got caught in bad weather, which later escalated into a sea storm. There was no news from the ship until…”

Janet pointed at the date and then at what supposedly to be warehouse, rather than what’s beside it. Needn’t to guess, Olivia could tell what Janet was trying to show her. But it didn’t explain everything that’s happening at the moment.

“I assume you’re wondering what’s happening right now. Care to take a blind guess?” Janet lighted a cig, savored that nicotine taste on the tip of her tongue before let out a wisp of white smoke.

“I died?”

“Eh, close enough. A coma. If you died, you wouldn’t be here to chit chat Livvy”

“Coma? But then, where am I?”

“Well, some might say it’s your subconscious so let just assume that it is. You didn’t die from the incident but drowning left you stranded in your brain, that’s all I could say.” Janet led her to the water. It seeped up close to their feet but it didn’t frighten Olivia no more

“I’m the fish of my own tank” Janet chuckled

“So you do remember”

“Yeah, I just got bits and bits of it. I chose to stay here, because there’s nothing out there for me, no one is waiting for me. At least I achieved my dream here, well, in a way” Olivia stepped back to clean sand, heart ached as she turned to Janet “Because in here I can see the one I held dear”

Janet tossed the burnt butt cig into the cool sand “Old habits die hard. You know, yet you still want to stay?”

“There’s no point going out there. I rather stay here”

“Alright, don’t keep Jake waiting on the dance floor.” Olivia headed back, blushed to the ear “After tonight, it’ll all be a bad dream”

“Wake up anew right?”

“Totally, Goldfish” Olivia’s shadow faded as now only Janet stood alone, water raised above her ankle. The way the ocean surging was unusual than before. There were whispers, cries lingered in the air. Moaned in pain. The thunder struck faraway on the surface warned the upcoming omen.

 “Time’s running out, Olivia”

--- Missielee ---

[mizzy636]

Things found in the Hogwarts Staff Room of @shanastoryteller’s survival is a talent, as thought of by @kerov and me:

Countdown Until the Weasley Twins & Co Graduate (Begun at the end of their first month when it became obvious the Marauders had found their spiritual legacy)

Countdown Until Quinn Graduates (Separate from the Weasley Twins despite being the same number because zir antics require it, begun mentally by Snape but has since become one of the most updated by the entire staff)

Countdown Until Potter & Co Graduate (Begun after the troll in first year because it was the first sign of the chaos to come, now updated religiously by at least half the staff each day, with everyone who can attend the update arriving)

Countdown Until Malfoy Graduates (Begun in 4th year due to Draco’s crazy becoming more obvious to more than just Flitwick, Lupin, and Snape (who had already had mental countdowns) and worrying the professors that he’s going to put himself in an exhaustion-induced coma with how much he’s trying to do, and it’s only getting worse)

Countdown Until Ginny Weasley & Co Graduate (Only added in their second year (Harry’s third) when it slowly became obvious which of the youngest two Weasley children was more like the Twins)

It Has Been __ Days Since a Weasley Twin Prank (The highest number it ever reached was 5, and that was due to them being so busy between detentions and, more importantly, Quidditch practice in their 5th year (Harry’s 3rd) to win the Cup that year that they were too exhausted to plan any pranks – the professors celebrated that number for a week straight)

It Has Been __ Days Since Quinn Blew Something Up (Begun by Snape well before it was put in the Staff Room due to zir love of blowing up cauldrons)

It Has Been __ Days Since Quinn Fucked Something Up (Yes, it needed its own countdown, the staff realized; there was a major difference between the two)

It Has Been __ Days Since Malfoy Did Something that Should Have Been Impossible Even With Magic (Begun during 4th year when he continually did what should have been impossible throughout the year, to the point they were resigned to it rather than shocked)

It Has Been __ Days Since Potter & Co’s Last Nonsense (Begun by McGonagall after she caught them out of bed due to Norberta in first year, since it reminded her of the Marauders, and the others joined in as they caught on that they had already done way too much nonsense for simple first years and it wasn’t a good sign)

It Has Been __ Days Since Potter Ended Up in the Hospital Wing (Madam Pomfrey began this countdown during his second year, and others were quick to follow it; the only reason Draco doesn’t have his own is because he has yet to end up in the hospital wing, but there are most certainly bets going on about when he will end up in there and gain his own count in the Staff Room)

It Has Been __ Days Since Finnegan Blew Something Up (Begun within a month of him entering Hogwarts as he quickly became notorious for his love of fires and explosions)

It Has Been __ Days Since a Quidditch-Related Fight (This has been around for as long as Quidditch has been at Hogwarts, and its numbers are always smallest before a match, especially the Gryffindor-Slytherin one, and highest during the off-season, but even during the off-season it gets reset occasionally) 

It Has Been __ Days Since a Couple was Found in a Broom Cupboard by Staff (Begun before any current professors could name, it was a simple way for professors to tell the rest of the staff that yet another couple was stupid enough to be caught in a broom cupboard, rather than having to actually mention it to one another)

It Has Been __ Days Since Gryffindor Caused School-Wide Rumors (Notorious for having one of the smallest numbers, most years, though apparently in 1768 they went an entire school year without it being reset; there’s a plaque for that year)

It Has Been __ Days Since Slytherin Caused School-Wide Rumors (Often competing with Gryffindor for most often reset, especially since Voldemort began to rise in the 70s, though even before then resets were common) 

It Has Been __ Days Since Hufflepuff Caused School-Wide Rumors (More often reset than some may guess, but they also hold the title for some of the most insane rumors that float around that were actually proven true, like the time they made a tunnel out of Hogwarts and ran the smuggling ring of the castle for over a decade back in the 1850s-60s)

It Has Been __ Days Since Ravenclaw Caused School-Wide Rumors (Least commonly reset, but almost every single reset occurred due to experimentation with magic that caused either an amazing result or destruction)

It Has Been __ Days Since a School-Wide Disaster (While recently this most often coincides with either Harry & Co’s Last Nonsense or a Weasley Twin Prank (or the Marauders before them), it has historically been reset due to events such as the Chamber of Secrets being opened, an epidemic of a disease, Peeves causing a huge mess (with student assistance), the house elves going on strike and not cooking for over a day straight, creatures from the Forbidden Forest trying to invade the castle, the giant squid finding its way into the Black Lake, etc.)

It Has Been __ Days Since the Last Unexplained Phenomenon (The origin date of this count is unknown and likely goes back to near the time of the Founders; it is just constantly kept in the Staff Room and updated when necessary)

It Has Been __ Days Since the Defense Professor was Hired (Begun when the curse on the position was noticed, it became a source of amusement for many professors to see which Defense professor survived the curse the longest before a new professor took over; this is one count that is usually charmed to be hidden from said professor, of course)

__ Days Until Potter’s Annual June Bullshit (Begun after second year when they realized this was going to be an annual event and there wasn’t enough alcohol in the castle for them to be dealing with this)

List of the Most Insane Pranks Pulled by the Weasley Twins

List of the Worst Fuck Ups Quinn Managed

List of the Insane Situations Potter & Co Found Themselves In

List of Impossible Magic Malfoy Pulled Off

List of What Sent Potter to the Hospital Wing Again

List of Unique Quidditch Injuries (Harry’s broken arm to no bones at all made this list)

List of Insane Quidditch Stunts (Harry’s first match definitely made this list)

List of Unique Hospital Wing Visits (Hermione’s Polyjuice Potion incident is on it)

List of the Worst Student Fuck Ups (In the Classroom and Out of It)

List of the Most Unique Places Couples Were Found Together

List of School-Wide Disasters

List of the Most Insane Reasons for Gryffindor School-Wide Rumors

List of the Most Insane Reasons for Slytherin School-Wide Rumors

List of the Most Insane Reasons for Hufflepuff School-Wide Rumors

List of the Most Insane Reasons for Ravenclaw School-Wide Rumors

Lists From the Past (Stored in a cabinet of the Staff Room for anyone curious to look at):

Countdown Until the Class of 1978 Graduates (Begun early in their first year due to the Marauders but then gaining even more followers of it as more and more of the year caused problems such as Snape and Evans and their friends; that class couldn’t graduate soon enough for the professors’ sanities)

It Has Been __ Days since James Potter Asked Lily Evans Out (Because really, it got to be a way too common thing and the staff were curious to see how high it could go before they reset it; that number was actually 64 in their 6th year near the end when he began to finally calm down and mature)

It Has Been __ Days since James Potter was in Detention (This number remained ridiculously low until his 6th year, with the record being 14 days and that only due to Quidditch)

It Has Been __ Days since Sirius Black was in Detention (His and James’ lists were usually reset at the same time, to absolutely no one’s surprise)

It Has Been __ Days since Remus Lupin was in Detention (Of the Marauders, his count reached the highest numbers, but even his was reset at least every other month for most of their time at Hogwarts)

It Has Been __ Days since Peter Pettigrew was in Detention (Somewhere between James/Sirius and Remus, Peter’s record was just shy of a month at 27 days before their 6th year)

It Has Been __ Days since Severus Snape was in Detention (A large majority of his detentions were caused by fights with the Marauders, but some were due to experimenting with potions with Lily and blowing something up)

It Has Been __ Days since Severus Snape and/or Lily Evans Blew Up a Cauldron (They were the Quinn of their era, constantly experimenting with potions and blowing something up, hence his exasperation with Quinn and why the professors that had taught him were subtly and not-so-subtly laughing their asses off at how ze was what he deserved, until they realized ze got progressively worse each year and it started affecting them too)

It Has Been __ Days Since a Fight Between Slytherins and Gryffindors (Influenced by the fighting due to the war occurring outside of Hogwarts between Voldemort and Death Eaters and those who opposed them, this was much more common in the 70s than it is in the 90s, so it was retired after Voldemort’s “defeat” in 1981)

It Has Been __ Days Since There was a Magical Creature Running Loose in the Castle (Begun during Newt Scamander’s time as a student, it was retired after he was expelled, believed to be unnecessary, only for Hagrid to become a student and require its resurrection; the staff didn’t realize it until after he was expelled and could then have his creatures near him on the grounds by his hut, finally revealing the source)

[puppyexpressions]

5 Most Common Puppy Illnesses And Emergencies

Puppies can suffer many of the same health conditions as adult dogs, but because of their age, some of these should be considered more serious. Here we list the most common illnesses and emergencies in puppies, ranging from puppy diarrhea to hypoglycemia.

1. Sickness and diarrhea in puppies

Sickness and diarrhea is the most common reason puppies are seen as an emergency. It’s very common in newly rehomed puppies for a variety of reasons, including the stress of rehoming, parasites including worms and amoebae, bacterial infections, viral infections (including the deadly parvovirus), dietary indiscretion and rapid changes in diet, vitamin deficiencies, toxins and congenital problems.

Small bouts of watery diarrhea or a small amount of regurgitated food can often be treated at home by feeding a bland diet little and often, withholding all rich treats and titbits. Tepid water can be offered but should not be gulped. Puppies with vomiting and diarrhea should still appear bright and normal at home. As puppies are a lot quicker to show dehydration than adult dogs, it is always much safer to get them checked by a vet if there are any concerns.

Puppies with vomiting and diarrhea should be seen by a vet if any of the following apply:

They are lethargic, not acting normally or not wanting to play

The abdomen seems bloated or painful

There is a large amount of fluid being lost through vomiting or diarrhea

There is blood in the vomiting or diarrhea

Puppy being sick is not responding to a bland diet

They have not yet received a full course of vaccinations

They are receiving medication for a different reason

There is a suspicion of an infectious cause (more than one dog is affected, or a member of the family is also displaying symptoms)

2. Puppies eating things they shouldn't

Puppies explore the world with their mouths — licking, mouthing and chewing virtually everything they encounter, and this behavior can lead to a lot of trouble! Chewing electric cables can be life-threatening if they chew through the plastic and get electric shock. Any animal receiving an electric shock should be brought to the vet as soon as it is safe for them to be moved.

Poisons, toxins and drugs can all be more dangerous if ingested by a puppy as their liver and kidneys have not fully matured. Particular ‘favorites’ include slug pellets, anti-freeze, chocolate, raisins, human medications (e.g. painkillers) and other pets’ medication. Please contact your veterinary surgeon for advice immediately upon ingestion as prompt action may be required to prevent long term health problems.

‘Foreign bodies’, or non-food materials getting stuck in the gastrointestinal tract, are more common in puppies. Symptoms often include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and abdominal pain. Hard objects such as pieces of bone or stones may be possible to be felt in the intestines by a vet, but objects in the stomach or soft objects such as socks may require an x-ray or an ultrasound to diagnose. While some objects may pass through, surgery is often required to remove the ‘snack’.

3. Other gastrointestinal problems such as worms

As their immune system isn’t fully developed, puppies require more frequent doses of wormer than adult dogs as they need to get rid of worms acquired while in the mother’s womb and through the milk. Large numbers of worms can cause intestinal problems including vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and weight loss. Worms are extremely common in puppies and a vet will be able to recommend wormers suitable for puppies.

Intussusception is a term meaning that a portion of the intestines has slid into an adjacent section and got stuck, much like sections of a telescope slide into each other. It is often very painful and may present as severe abdominal pain and collapse, along with vomiting and diarrhea. Puppies suspected of having this condition should be seen immediately by a vet.

4. Head and trauma injuries in puppies

Due to their size, puppies are a lot more prone to being stepped on or squished beneath falling objects, and are more likely to be seriously injured. Puppies feel pain more easily than adult dogs. We would always recommend that a puppy showing any signs of pain, breathing difficulties or behavioral changes after a traumatic incident should be seen by a vet.

5. Hypoglycemia of toy breeds

Very small breeds, such as Chihuahuas and Miniature Yorkshire Terriers, have extremely tiny stomachs and when young cannot cope long intervals between meals. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can be life-threatening and manifests as lethargy, weakness and wobbliness (ataxia) with a ‘spaced out’ demeanor or a glassy-eyed appearance. In severe cases, this can progress to collapse, coma, seizures and even death. Small puppies should be fed at least every 4 hours, and if displaying the above symptoms, should be given a small amount of honey or powdered sugar straight into the mouth before being taken to a vet for assessment.

This can also be seen in all puppies with severe sickness and diarrhea, very young puppies of all ages, or very cold puppies.

What changes should I look out for as my dog ages?

Ensuring your dog has regular health checks with your vet will often pick up problems in the early stages (which is always better) but it is important to know what changes you should be looking for in your dog. If you notice any of the following symptoms then it’s best to make a quick trip to the vet:

Drinking excessively for more than a couple of days

Regular vomiting or persistent diarrhea

Unexplained weight loss

A persistent cough

Behavioral changes

What else should I do to maintain my puppy's health?

Regular worming and flea treatment are still required, along with yearly booster vaccinations. Your vet may also recommend a senior diet for your dog.