#drinking juice is better than being dehydrated

[rotarywires]

i think some of the best advice i ever read was “anything worth doing is worth doing poorly” and it will carry me through the hard times of trying to take care of myself

[tddyhyck]

what’s your fantasy? [ z.cl ]

pairings ⇢ chenle x afab!reader

word count ⇢ 2.9k

warnings ⇢ 18+, smut, pee/omorashi, established relationship, dom/sub dynamics, no foreplay, kink discussion, kink discovery, spanking, riding, unprotected sex/creampie, pet names (baby/puppy), foot fetish (mentioned), drinking

playlist ⇢ smoothie_nct dream / water_ten / water_tyla

masterlist

a/n ⇢ i wrote this in less than 24 hrs pls be kind 😭😭 also i think i might do a bonus/part 2 lemme know if you’re interested

you weren’t really sure when chenle started being more obsessed with your liquid intake, maybe a month ago or so? he’d always been the first to say you were dehydrated if you didn’t feel good. he would pour you a glass of water and pat your head waiting for you to down the glass. he’d call you a good puppy and have that smug little grin when you started to feel better.

but lately. lately he’s been almost trying to drown you. he’d bring you fancy juices to try or make cocktails for you after dinner. and you didn’t mind, you definitely didn’t mind being spoiled. maybe that’s all it was, a new way to spoil you.

chenle did know when it started. he could pinpoint the exact moment the switch flipped. it was almost 4 months ago since it happened and he felt crazy for being obsessed but he couldn’t help it.

it had been a long day of shopping for christmas gifts, spending way to much time on your feet carrying bags and boxes around. finally when you had both checked everything off your lists he decided to take you to a cocktail lounge somewhere you both could relax and unwind. he mainly went because you had been talking about trying this place out. he wasn’t planning on drinking and didn’t think you would get a drunk as you did but you were slurring and leaning on him as you walked to the car together that night.

it was windy and blowing your skirt up making you giggle as you leaned into him.

“hold m- hold my h-and,” you hiccuped holding your hand to him and he grabbed it while tightening his arm around your waist as you walked.

“i think you had a little too much, baby,” he sighed, opening the car door for you. you pouted up at him with hair in your eyes and something made his heart ache with how pretty you looked.

“nope i want you,” you slurred, poking his chest. “to make me a dirty martini.” you hiccuped but wagged your eyebrows as best you could.

“how about i make you an ice water,” he grinned as you got in the passenger seat. you pouted at him your legs were spread as the wind blew your skirt showing your panties. he raised an eyebrow as you groaned about wanting a martini before shutting the door and hurrying to the driver's seat.

when he got in you were still talking about the martini and doing a poor job of begging him to make one. he let you ramble as he started the car and pulled onto the street towards home.

“pleaseee - pretty extra please make me one,” you were grabbing his arm now.

“no can do, baby i’m making you a nice big crisp glass of water and you are going to drink it all for me,” he told you, coming to a stop light. suddenly this reminded you of the overwhelming need to pee.

“i need to pee,” you whined.

“can you hold it baby, we're almost home,” he said, eyeing you from his seat.

“gotta go so bad,” you whimpered, reaching your hand between your legs to cup yourself hoping to keep yourself from going. chenle had to pull his eyes away from you the desperation in your voice made him tingle for some reason. but he couldn’t focus on that, he needed to get you home. he heard you whispering to yourself that you could hold it, you could do it. your leg was bouncing and your left hand was gripping his arm, the nails digging in.

“it’s okay baby, we’re almost there,” he soothed, running his hand over your shaking leg. he hadn’t realized that he was practically speeding but he was already pulling into the parking deck finding the closest spot to the door. he got out quickly running to your side and helping you out before dragging you into the building. he hastily pressed the elevator button as if it would come faster. eventually it dinged and he rubbed your hand as the door closed.

“i can’t i can’t i can’t,” you moaned, bouncing beside him one hand between your legs. your knees were weak and you felt yourself squatting beside chenle while you pressed your legs tightly together.

“so close baby, just a little more,” he said, pulling you back up to stand just as the doors opened. you both ran down the hall and chenle typed in the passkey as fast as he could before pushing the door open. you barreled in kicking your heels off before running to the bathroom not even worrying to shut the door. but then just as relief washed over you, you realized your mistake.

“fuck no, fuck,” you whined, holding your skirt up as hot piss dripped out of your panties.

“you okay,” chenle said before stopping and staring. your wet eyes looked up at him tears of embarrassment slipped down your hot cheeks.

“shhh, it’s okay,” he walked over to you rubbing your back as you pressed your face against him. you were still peeing it felt hot pressed against you in your ruined panties.

“it’s so,” you sniffed. “embarrassing,” you cried into his stomach.

“it’s okay baby. it’s just you and me,” he said, petting your head before tilting your chin to him. “don’t cry.” he leaned down and kissed your forehead. you had finally stopped peeing and chenle helped you up and out of your soaked panties and with the rest of your clothes before getting you into the shower.

he let you shower before taking your soiled clothes to the laundry. he felt more embarrassed by the fact that he got hard while watching you pee and knowing you wet your panties made him even crazier. he didn’t let you know he had gotten off with the image of you holding your skirt up and filling your panties.

that was when it started for him.

he wasn’t really doing it on purpose. well he kinda sorta was. he liked spoiling you but spoiling you with the chance of you pissing yourself was a bonus. and you weren’t complaining about it so it was probably fine right? he definitely wasn’t telling you that was what he wanted he wasn’t even sure if you remembered, but it was all he thought about he’s fucked you in those same panties 10 fold imagining you filling them before he presses into you getting his cock warm and wet with every thrust.

you had wondered why he had been fucking you in your panties he normally wanted you completely bare for him. you didn’t mind it though you liked how animalistic it seemed, he couldn’t even wait for you to be naked before he ravaged you.

today wasn’t any different, chenle had come home with a new fruity drink for you to try. and you didn’t hesitate to gulp it down because it was undeniably delicious. he smirked at you across the bar as he stirred food in a pan, the straw in your mouth as you casually slurped the purple liquid.

“do you like it?”

“mhmm, so sweet,” he smiled down at the cutting board.

“why are you getting me so many drinks lately?” you asked with the straw between your teeth.

“i just see stuff and it makes me think of you,” he said nonchalantly.

“you’re just the cutest,” you sigh, looking at him dreamily and he rolled his eyes playfully.

“gotta keep you hydrated, baby.”

“unhuh,” you eyed him curiously as the last of your drink bubbled through the straw making you pout. he watched you at the sound.

“what,” he said, putting his hands up in surrender.

“are you sure that’s why?”

“why else would i be buying you a drink?”

“i dunno, you just look guilty.” you raised an eyebrow feigning seriousness. but somehow what you said made him feel guilty.

you didn’t dig any deep or tease him anymore, just watched him cook before setting the table and eating with him. you did eye the large glass of water he poured you along with a glass of wine.

that night you and chenle talked, sharing the last of the wine while you snuggled on the couch.

“what’s something you want me to do but you’re too shy to ask?” you looked at him before downing the rest of your wine before setting the glass on the table.

“you do everything i like and want. but i,” you sigh looking down.

“hmm” he questions.

“i like when you use your feet on me. i’m not saying i’m a foot obsessed person. but i just like the way it makes me feel powerless with you,” you started off strong but finished shyly.

“baby just say you want me to step on you,” he laughed lightly. you whined into his neck shaking your head.

“maybe a little,” you whisper.

“you’re so naughty,” he groaned, leaning his head back as his hand slid up your ass.

“what’s your fantasy? what can i do for you?” you asked, peeking up at him while you fiddled with the hem of his shirt. chenle gulped.

“don’t take this the wrong way. but i want you.” he paused.

“tell me i wanna do it,” you said eagerly. he leaned closer lips grazing your ear.

“pee on me,” he whispered. you gawked, taken aback by what he said. you were sure it would be something less, messy. but it almost made sense for him.

“is this why you’ve been getting me drinks,” you laugh.

“maybe,” he looks away. “but i like spoiling you too.”

“what made you want me to, you know.”

“do you remember when you almost pissed yourself a few months ago?” you groaned covering your face. “nuhuh.” he pulled your hand away and stared at you. “it was so hot you were so desperate and needy, fuck. just thinking about it.” he grabbed your hand bringing it over his already hard cock. you gasped before biting your lip looking up at him innocently.

“please,” he whispered to you.

“it’s so embarrassing.”

“i like it when you’re shy and embarrassed. such a pretty puppy.” he knew what he was doing using puppy to get you to cave. and you wanted to and now talking about pee made you realize how badly you needed to. so you were shifting on him before he pulled you onto his lap. you whined feeling his cock press into you.

“you need to stop wearing these flimsy little skirts,” he said, flipping up the material peeking at your dampening panties.

“and these cute little panties.” his fingers grazed the material and you knew he could feel the wetness because now he was smirking at you.

“you know you make it seem like you don’t want to but you’re so wet, puppy.” you whimpered, bringing your hands to cover your face but he pulled them away. one hand holding your wrist and the other gripping you hips.

“feel how hard you make me,” he moaned as he grinded against you, his hard cock pressing against his zipper. you stayed quiet but moved your hands to release him from his jeans. he watched and you delicately unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans before tenderly gripping his cock letting the head poke out of the waistband of his boxers.

“need you,” you whimper, your hand still fisting at his cock as precum beaded at the tip.

“how bad,” he asked, looking up at you curiously. his fingers teased along the hem of your panties and you wanted him to shove his hand in and touch you.

“so bad.” he smirks at you, fingers dragging down to graze your clothed clit, making you quiver.

“i know you need to go. been filling you up all night for this.” you whined, looking away from him.

“hmm, gonna piss on my cock baby?” you whimpered. you did need to go but you really didn’t want to make a mess.

“lemme,” you mumbled, standing up on weak knees and pulling his jeans down his legs, leaving him in his boxers and tshirt. he looked like a god, leaning back, staring at you with this look of power on his face that made you feel so weak. he groaned when you straddled him and rubbed yourself against his cock.

“don’t make me,” you whined. “so embarrassing.”

“but you need to go so bad, baby,” he replied, pressing a hand against your tummy, making you pull your legs together around him.

“i need to but i can hold it,” you say mainly to yourself.

“just fuck me i can hold it,” you blubber tugging at his boxers ready to pull your panties aside and let him fill you up.

“you really think you can hold it while i fill up your pretty little cunt,” he teases, fingers tickling under your shirt and up your chest. you nodded harshly.

“i can i can do it.” you yelped when his fingers tweaked your nipple bending forward pressing your hands on his chest. he smirked up at you as his thumb brushed your hard nipple, his nails grazing the sensitive skin.

“so if i hold you like this,” he says, moving his hand down to press against your tummy while the other holds your hips in place. you’re squirming when he says, “ while i fuck you, you can hold it?”

“hnngh, wanna hold it. wanna be good and hold it,” you slipped deeper the need to go overwhelming you.

“let go puppy,” you whimpered. not realizing you were but when you felt the familiar warmth you sobbed grabbing at yourself to stop. and you did hold yourself back from letting it all go. you couldn’t see the large wet spot in your panties or feel the way it had started to drip out. but chenle did, he could feel the warm liquid slowly dribble onto his cock making precum pump out of his cock.

“no, no no,” you whined. chenle pressed your tummy again.

“you’re such a good puppy. let go for me.” he groaned.

“want your cock, i can - let me - i can hold it,” you whimper, pulling his waistband down letting his cock free beneath you. lifting your hips as you pulled your panties to the side before sinking down with a groan.

“fuck puppy,” he moaned, leaning his head back but keeping his eyes on you. you did your best to bounce on his cock but you were so full your legs were quivering.

“so full,” you mewled, he reached up pushing your hair out of your face before gripping your hips and fucking back into you harshly. you felt like you would burst any second you couldn’t tell if it was from the need to pee or the need to come. you held your hand over your clit rubbing circles as chenle watched you.

“so fucking good holding it for me, puppy.” he stared at you listening to the sounds of skin slapping filling the room along with your whimpers. watching your lashes flutter against your cheeks and one hand gripping his shirt the other circling your clit. you looked so fucked out so perfect for him.

“so pretty baby, all for me.” you whined down at him, your arms feeling weak from holding your body up.

“so much. can’t hold it.”

“let go, puppy,” he said, pounding into you hard and fast. you couldn’t do it anymore couldn’t hold it in so you let go. relaxing as you let the warmth pour out of you. chenle stared between you watching the hot piss gush from you onto his skin making him groan. your fingers still circled your clit making the liquid squirt onto his chest and stomach and he felt so close to the edge.

“such a good, puppy, so good. so fucking good.” he found himself gripping you tighter and fucking you harder your cunt pulsing around him.

“so close,” you whined, working your hand faster, your stomach full of pleasure instead of the pressure. the mix of release and the building orgasm was too much.

“cum for me, pup,” chenle moaned, thrusting into you faster. you groaned at his words letting your orgasm flood over you, pee still pouring from you as your legs shook and cunt tightened around chenle.

“fuck,” he cursed as he came a moment later filling you up with hot cum. your cunt still pulsing around him as he finished. he stared up at you seeing the last dribbles of pee drip onto him as you slowly continued to rubbed your clit. your hair was a complete mess and your eyes closed and he loved it and wanted it forever.

“you’re so fucking hot,” he groaned, rubbing his hands over your hips.

“it’s so messy,” you finally said, opening your eyes looking at the puddle on your couch.

“lemme see?” he asked, lifting you up off of his cock. he quickly spun you a hand on your back to bend over so he could see your messy cunt. your hands held yourself up as he leaned forward gripping your cheeks pulling them apart to see your puffy hole watching the cum drip out.

“so fucking sexy,” he smirked slapping his hand on your ass making you whine.

“it’s so messy,” you say, turning back to face him.

“but you liked it,” he grins, making you nod shyly.

© tddyhyck

[voraciousvore]

The Half-Blood Giant (40/51)

***Contains soft, safe, unwilling vore, some threat of digestion, full tour (not explicit at the end), and some nudity involving non-consensual touching***

Chapter 40: Full Tour

Hunter had originally planned to give Hannah a break and let her out when classes were done. However, being interrogated by the cops made him antsy. He was relieved that the other giants were unable to hear her cries from the depths of his midsection. He didn’t think she could hear them speaking on the outside, but she could definitely hear his own resonant voice ringing through his guts. When she heard her own name, and Hector’s, she had flipped out. Hunter had to weaken his spell and compress his stomach to subdue her. 

So, he kept her inside his stomach. From his experiment with Amber, he knew he could keep her alive in his belly while he slept. He didn’t want to risk her being discovered or running off. He could sleep restfully, even better than under normal circumstances, knowing she was secure within him. At the conclusion of the day, he laid down in bed and fell asleep with sugared dreams. 

Hannah was exhausted, defeated, and miserable. She had been marinating in Hunter’s gastric juices, with human remains and digesting food, all day long, trapped in hot, slick, pulsing flesh. She had no respite from her torture, no food to eat or water to drink that wasn’t contaminated. Even if she possessed food, hypothetically, she would’ve been too nauseated to eat, despite her deprivation. She did get some refreshment when Hunter drank water and it poured over her, as disgusting as it was to drink water that had already been imbibed by another. Yet, she had no choice, since she had become thirsty and dehydrated from sweating in the filthy heat. As Hunter’s vitals slowed from slumber, the rhythmic beats and rocking of the stomach walls lulled her into a fatigued sleep like death. 

Hunter awoke feeling wonderfully refreshed. He allowed himself a luxurious full-body stretch before poking his tummy. “Hannah? You awake?” She didn’t move or answer. He cupped his hands around his stomach, jiggling it playfully. “Hannah?” 

He couldn’t feel her in his belly. He squeezed his stomach, trying to find her, but the organ was empty. Indeed, he felt his usual hunger rumbling and gnawing at the hollow space. Dread washed over him. Had he digested her? His magic should have protected her! She couldn’t be dead! “Hannah,” he said louder, but not too loud, as he didn’t want to draw the attention of the other boys in the dorm. “Are you in there?” He poked and prodded at his abdomen, trying to find her. 

Hannah gradually roused from her troubled state of unconsciousness as she heard a deep voice vibrating through her, echoing all around her. She was still encased in shifting walls of flesh, but something was different. The walls had a sharper curve to them than the larger stomach, and the muscular contractions were dissimilar, slowly propelling her in a singular direction with ripples or waves rather than the circular stirring motion characteristic to the stomach. The texture was abnormal as well, as if the walls were covered with little fingers that tickled against her as she passed over them. 

Hannah pulled herself into a sitting position and rubbed her hands blindly over the walls, covered in those weird little rubbery sausages, with considerable confusion. The space still gave her plenty of room to move around in, but it was narrower, like a tube. Just as she tried to stand up and get her bearings, she reached a bend in the tube and toppled over into a different section with a cry. Panic rose within her and she attempted to climb back up to where she was, but she had nothing to grab onto to hoist herself up. The protrusions in the walls were insufficient to support her weight and too slippery and insubstantial to hold on to, merely sliding through her fingers. The current dragged her further through the tube she had fallen into, which leveled out and nudged her in the opposite direction. 

She was frightened and confused. Clearly, she was still inside Hunter’s body, but she wasn’t in his stomach anymore. Horror gripped her heart as she realized what had transpired. When she passed out from exhaustion last night, she had slipped deeper into his gastrointestinal system.  Now, she was swimming around in his entrails, probably somewhere in his small intestines. Hannah freaked out and began punching and kicking the walls encasing her. 

“Hunter! Get me out of here, now!” she exclaimed with alarm. 

“Oh, there you are,” Hunter rumbled back. The flesh around bent inward slightly with a grotesque squelch as Hunter pressed into his torso with his fingers. 

“Hunter, please! Help me!” Hannah shrieked. 

“Unfortunately, I can’t,” Hunter replied. “You’re too far down for me to throw you up. I don’t have as much control over my intestines as I do my stomach.” He paused before delivering the bad news to her. “There’s only one way out from there...” 

Hannah crumbled against one of the rippling walls. “No... oh God, no...” 

“Regrettably, yes.” 

“Ugh! That’s disgusting! I can’t believe you did this to me, you bastard!” Hannah slugged his innards out of pure frustration. 

“Well, sorry, but it’s kind of your fault too. You should’ve been more aware of your surroundings.” 

“You shouldn’t have left me in this hell to rot all day and night! What was I supposed to do? Just not sleep, after having no food, no respite from this nightmare?! I hate you! I fucking hate you! You revolting monster!” Hannah sobbed and kicked at the walls uselessly. 

Her words stung Hunter to the quick. He didn’t want her to hate him. “S-sorry...” he murmured. Neither of them had anything substantive to say beyond Hannah belting out obscenities, so the conversation ended as Hunter got out of bed and prepared for school. Hannah eventually stopped cursing and pouted, crossing her arms as the intestines ferried her further along. She realized there was no way for her to crawl back up to his stomach, since she couldn’t climb out when she fell down one of the countless twists and turns. She had no choice but to traverse the maze, until she eventually plunked into his large intestine. And after that... Hannah shuddered with revulsion. She didn’t want to think about it. 

She cringed in abject misery as she was dumped through another bend, and the walls undulated around her, shuttling her forward with obnoxious squishing and gurgling. She could feel the giant’s larger body walking and moving around as he went about his day. She almost wished Hunter would just digest her so she wouldn’t have to endure this torture, but she didn’t want to die. She needed to survive so she could be reunited with Hector. As she thought about him, she wondered what he was doing at that moment. Was he thinking about her? Searching for her? 

She recalled the prior day, when she overheard Hunter talking about him, and herself as well. She couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation, but she presumed somebody must’ve been asking Hunter uncomfortable questions. Was it possible they might’ve figured out Hunter was responsible for her disappearance? Her momentary hope was crushed when the horrific truth dawned on her. Hector was missing. Now she was missing. 

Hunter claimed Hector was waiting for her at the cafeteria the morning he snatched her up and devoured her. At the time, Hannah hadn’t questioned it: She was just relieved that Hector was no longer missing. But that was a lie, wasn’t it? A ruse, to get her to cooperate and stay with him without raising a fuss. Dread weighed heavily on her, an impossible burden that smashed her into jelly. Hunter had likely done something terrible to Hector. Did he kill him? Eat him? Were those bones inside the giant’s belly his?  

She needed to know, now. “Hunter!” she called, pushing her palms into the lining of his entrails. “Hunter! Can you hear me?” No answer, except the ambient gurgling consuming her. She pressed down harder with a sickening squish, adding in a few kicks for good measure. “HUNTER!!!” 

He groaned, a vocalization expressing clear irritation that rumbled through the tunnels of his intestines, but still didn’t speak to her. By now, Hunter was in class, so he couldn’t enter a conversation. Hannah began to howl and scream, thrashing around and attempting to cause him as much pain as she could, even as her fists bounced harmlessly off the villi. The giant body shuffled around her but otherwise didn’t budge. He compressed his hand into his abdomen, trying to subdue her by squishing her meat prison tighter around her, but Hannah didn’t relent. With a sigh, Hunter reduced his magic. 

Hannah suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. She panted, but there wasn’t any oxygen. The air radiated awful, suffocating heat, and every inch of her skin started to sting. She tried to cry out but the walls felt like they were closing in around her. Her vision morphed to gray. Time slowed down as the world spun in dizzying circles. Hannah lost consciousness. 

When she gained awareness again, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Minutes? Hours? Either way, her situation was the same: endless tunnels of meat with ripples and bends, pushing her along at a leisurely pace like a gondola ride through the worst hell she could imagine. She needed to get out; she felt like she would lose her sanity if she toured the giant’s innards for another second. She began to crawl forward in the blackness, sliding with disgust over the lumpy folds and thin protuberances, in an effort to speed up the pace.  

Hunter could feel Hannah traveling along the labyrinth of tubes in his gut like an internal massage. He almost felt like he could take a nap as he reclined in his chair; the small movements were very relaxing. He needed to keep a close watch over her location so he could retrieve her when the time came. He decided he would dilute the potency of his protective spell and knock her out so she wouldn’t be awake for the last stage. He didn’t want her to despise him more than she already did. 

Most of the school day was uneventful. While the police and his peers were suspicious of Hunter, there was no evidence against him, so his continued his day without incident. After lunch, Hunter’s last class was PE. Midway through the day he excused himself to use the bathroom and ditched class to go back to the dormitory. Since classes were still in session, he was alone with the privacy he needed. He dismissed his spell—maintaining just enough to keep her alive—and Hannah went limp inside him as he prepared a bath for her in the sink. He successfully rescued the unfortunate girl from his bowels and carefully stripped off her clothes, which were soaked with digestive fluids, to sanitize them. He tossed the unclean clothes in bleach and began to wash her in the sink. 

Hannah regained consciousness while Hunter was soaping her up, caressing her naked body with his giant fingers. At first, she wasn’t sure what was going on and she was too tired to care. After being in total blackness for almost two days, the bright light seared her eyes and made her head pound. The air felt too cold and she shivered. Hunter observed her trembling and wincing with pain, and a pang of guilt squeezed his heart. Despite all the horrible things he had done to her, he still loved her.  

“I’m… I’m sorry, Hannah,” he said softly, bending down so his face was hovering over the sink. He dunked her in the water to rinse off the soap and gingerly stroked her hair. Hannah heard his voice and bristled. 

“You’re sorry? Fuck you,” she spat, and began to cry again. “If you’re genuinely remorseful, then let me go and never come anywhere near me again.” 

Hunter gently encircled her in his fingers in a tender embrace. “You know I can’t do that.” Even though she looked clean, he lathered her up with more soap to be sure. Admittedly, he also wanted an excuse to feel up her nude body more. Her form was so beautiful, like a tiny angel. 

Hannah finally seemed to snap back to full reality and blushed hard with mortification when she realized she had no clothes on and Hunter was touching her. “What the hell, Hunter!” she shouted, squirming away from his fingers and clutching her breasts. 

Hunter reddened and dropped her into the water with a splash. “I-I had to get you clean,” he explained, averting his eyes. “I’ll go get your clothes ready.” He hastened over to the other sink full of bleach and scrubbed her uniform. The forest green paled to a light sage with the power of the cleaning chemical.  

As he dried the fabric under the hand dryer, Hannah used the opportunity to swim to the edge of the sink and climb out. She dashed to the edge of the counter and halted when she beheld the precipitous drop to the tiles below. If she jumped from this height, she wouldn’t survive the fall. She couldn’t escape, and she wasn’t ready to die. Hunter noticed her attempted escape and swiftly scooped her up in his fist. 

“LET GO!” Hannah screeched. “HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP!!”  

“There’s no point.” Hunter didn’t have to raise his voice to overpower her tiny screams. “We’re alone. Nobody’s coming to help you.” Hannah continued to yell at the top of her lungs, which annoyed the temperamental giant. He raised her to his mouth and bared his teeth in a threatening snarl. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll be forced to eat you again!” 

That threat silenced her. Her fiery resistance, along with all the color in her face, drained away and she wilted in his colossal fist like a dying flower.  

“There, that’s better,” Hunter cooed, petting her wet hair with his finger. She flinched, smoldering with hatred. He pulled away, his eyes soft with disappointment. Wordlessly, he dried her off with a towel and handed her the bleached uniform so she could cover herself. She threw it on, ashamed by her nakedness as he watched. 

“What about my shoes and socks?” she asked. 

“Oh, you don’t need those anymore,” Hunter stated as he tossed the miniscule footwear in the garbage. “You won’t need to walk anywhere, I’ll carry you. Can’t have you running away from me, after all.” 

“Hunter, please… let me go. You can’t keep me prisoner like this,” Hannah pleaded. She tried to keep her voice calm and steady, in the hope that she could reason with him, appeal to any pathos he may have buried in that brutal, hateful heart of his. She knew he still possessed some humanity within him—or at least she hoped so. “I… I promise I’ll keep it all a secret. We can stay friends. We’ll start with a clean slate. I mean, Hector saw good in you, so I’m sure I can too.” 

Hannah was lying, obviously, and Hunter knew it. When she mentioned Hector, he grimaced at the reminder that he had violated the simple boy’s trust and heartlessly wolfed him down like a tasty snack. “I can’t do that,” he responded in a cold monotone as he carried her to his bed. He sat down, laying back against the headboard on a pillow, and cradled Hannah against his chest. 

Hannah was struggling to maintain her composure. Her act crumbled as frustration bled into her words. “Why not?” She wriggled in his hand, but he simply tightened his grip around her. She couldn’t do anything to oppose him. 

“I just can’t.” Besides the fact that she’d go running off to the authorities first chance she got, he also didn’t want to lose her. 

His unlucky prisoner realized she couldn’t reason with him or fight him. She began to give up, collapsing with despair on his chest. She was too worn out to resist after her terrible ordeal. Hunter felt a spot of his uniform moisten with tears. Even though his touch brought her no comfort, Hunter caressed her tenderly. He felt guilty for making her sad, yet he appreciated being able to hold her so intimately, to show his love for her. She would never allow him to do this under normal circumstances. 

As Hannah wept, Hunter hugged her close. She was upset with him, and repulsed, but he clung to the hope that maybe he could get her to move past that. It might take time for her to accept her circumstances, and to accept him, but she was tied to him now whether she liked it or not. She belonged to him, forever. 

Chapter 41

Chapter 1

[foundtherightwords]

All Our Yesterdays - Chapter 7

Pairing: Ralph (Timewasters) x OFC

Summary: Thu, a museum archivist, only wants to escape her dull life in 21st-century Hanoi. The last thing she expects is to end up in 1929 Indochina via a time-traveling elevator and cross paths with Ralph, an Englishman on the run from the French Foreign Legion. Romance blossoms between them, but in a colonized country, unrest is always looming on the horizon, and Thu must decide if she wants to stay with Ralph in the past or return to the safety of the future.

Warnings: outdated/period-typical attitudes about women, mentions of war, mentions of pregnancy and abortion (involving a supporting character), some angst, some smut (non-explicit)

Chapter word count: 3.8k

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Ralph was a little suspicious when Thu gave him the paracetamol and explained that it would bring his fever down.

"How can a painkiller bring down a fever?" he said. "I've never heard of laudanum or morphine being used as a fever reducer."

Thu stared at him, until she remembered those were the common painkillers of this time. "Look, don't ask me how it works, all right?" she said irritably. "Just take it whenever you feel the fever coming, but no more than one every six hours."

Ralph meekly complied. About twenty minutes later, he sat up in bed, looking astonished. "My God, I feel better already! And yet you said there was no cure?"

"No, this only takes care of the symptoms," she said reluctantly, hating to see the fear coming back in his eyes. "But don't worry. I'll be here." She gave his hand a little pat.

On her way back to Ralph's place, she had dropped by the office to ask for the rest of the day off, saying she had to take care of a sick friend. She knew they would all guess who the "friend" was, but she ignored their pointed looks.

"You don't have to go to such trouble for me," Ralph said, when she asked if he wanted her to stay that night.

"It's no trouble at all. Your couch and I are old friends," she said, trying to make a joke. She didn't want to scare him by mentioning that he might take a turn for the worse in the night.

"Then stay. Please."

There was something in the simple, familiar way he said those words that touched her. So she stayed that night, and the night after, and the night after as well, until she all but moved in with him. Though she still went to work as usual, she gave all the errands to Mai so she could stay in the office and check on Ralph sporadically during the day. She slept on the couch in the living room that first night, but as his fever raged on, she forgot her modesty and dragged the couch into his bedroom, where she could get up more easily and give him some water or wipe down his sweaty brow with a cool towel.

Ralph's early grumpiness was gone, burned away by the fever while he lay tossing and turning in bed. The paracetamol helped a little, but then the fever would come back with a vengeance, leaving him too exhausted to even speak. Only his eyes, despite looking rather glassy and tired, remained fixed on Thu, full of trust, as she went about the room, tidying it up or laying out his medicine and food.

She bought him congee, that traditional food for sick people, and oranges, which she juiced and added a pinch of salt. He grimaced at the first sip.

"Drink it," Thu said grimly. "Or you'll end up like me, dehydrated and your electrolytes all out of whack."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means hospital," she deadpanned. At that, he didn't need to be told twice and obediently gulped down the orange juice.

On the third day, the fever broke, and Ralph was able to sit up in bed, looking more alert. Thu remained cautious, noticing how pale his lips had gone and how a rash had started to break out on his skin, creeping up his neck and down his arms. She knew this stage was when the real danger began and tried to remember what treatment she had gone through when she was in the hospital. Unfamiliar words like platelet count and fluid build-up flitted through her mind, but there was no way she could do any of that at home. The only thing she could do was to watch Ralph carefully for signs of bleeding.

"Listen, if you find blood when—uh, when you go to the bathroom, you have to let me know, OK?" she told him, making them both squirm with embarrassment. "If that happens, there's nothing I can do. You have to go to the hospital."

"Do I?"

"What would you rather risk, getting arrested or dying? Promise you'll tell me?"

"... All right, I promise."

Unlike his quiet lethargy during the fever, Ralph was agitated in the days of vigil that followed. He tried to move around, going into his dark room to look over his neglected photos, but he got tired so quickly that he was forced to go back to bed, only to sit there fretting because he was bored. Thu brought back some French-language books and newspapers for him, but he only glanced at them before tossing them aside. His appetite was also affected by the fever, and when Thu brought home some more congee, he only took a sip, then made a face and pushed his bowl away.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't want it."

"But this is easy to digest, in case—in case your stomach is bleeding."

"I'm sick of it."

"Well, what do you usually eat back home when you're sick then?" Thu asked, trying hard not to get annoyed. After all, she couldn't blame him. She remembered getting fed up with the endless congee during her stay at the hospital too. There were different side dishes that went with it—minced pork, poached eggs, braised chicken, pickled vegetables, fresh herbs—but after a while, it had blurred into the same dish.

"I don't know, soup, I guess?" Ralph said. "I would kill for some split pea soup right now. Or oxtail soup."

Oxtail soup?! Does he think he's at some fancy French hotel or something?

"Well, I'm sorry our culinary selection is rather poor for your taste," Thu snapped. "There are starving children out there, you know!" She stormed into the living room, taking the congee with her.

A few minutes later, a sheepish Ralph appeared at the door. He went over to the table and timidly reached for the bowl. She tried to swat his hand away. "I thought you didn't want it."

"I'm sorry," he said in a small voice. "I didn't mean to complain. You've done so much for me, and here I am, being a spoiled brat..."

Thu tried to keep her face stony, but when he wobbled a little and slumped down into the chair in front of her, she couldn't take it anymore. "Go back to bed before you kill yourself," she said, trying to sound stern. "I'll bring the bowl in."

Later, after Ralph had finished the congee under her watchful eye, he looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry for snapping at you when you first came in too," he said. "It's just that—everybody always thought I knew nothing and had to be taken care of."

"Who's everybody?"

"Oh, you know. My parents. Victoria. We're twins, you know, except Victoria always has to tell people that she was born first, so she can boss me around."

Thu paused in the middle of sipping from her own bowl. "I don't boss you around, do I?"

"No, not at all." He gave her a little smile. "And even if you did, I wouldn't mind."

Flustered, she lifted the whole bowl up to slurp the rest of the congee. Her mom would probably scream at her for having such terrible table manners, but she had to do it to hide her blush, which always seemed to surface whenever he smiled at her.

***

The nights were long and restless. Thu kept waking up with a start, afraid that Ralph might be bleeding to death across the room and she wouldn't know. One night, as she startled awake yet again, she saw Ralph looking over at her. Even with the two layers of mosquito nets between them, she could still see his eyes sparkle in the dim light of the street lamps.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"No, it's not that. Just—how are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. Really. Go back to sleep."

"That's the thing with dengue fever. One minute you're feeling fine, the next you're bleeding from your organs and going in to shock—sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Would you like to take the bed? It's more comfortable. I wouldn't mind the couch. I've slept enough during the day already."

"I'm not taking your bed."

The bed creaked. From the street came the sad, drawn-out sound of a vendor selling rice cakes, like the call of some lonely night bird.

"Thu?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I'm creepy?"

The non-sequitur made Thu turn to her side to take a better look at him. "Why'd you ask that?"

"Lauren called me creepy."

"Because you proposed?" She didn't want to be petty, but the more she heard about Lauren, the less Thu started to like her.

Ralph's hands were fiddling with his quilt, and he didn't look at her. "I—uh, I tried to capture her breath. In a jar."

"You what now?!"

"I read it in a poem. Something about capturing your lover's breath so when she takes your breath away, you can get it back—"

Thu sat up. "It's poetry! It's a figure of speech! Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"I thought I was being romantic—"

"Romantic? You were just one short, crazy step away from turning her into a human skin coat!"

Ralph turned to her, startled. "Wait, why did you say that? Lauren said the same thing. Is that an actual thing in the future or—"

"It's from a movie," Thu said, rolling her eyes. She had to stop with the modern references. Ralph was worse than Captain America when it came to them.

"So I am creepy?"

Thu scrutinized him. Two months was not a long time to get to know someone, but she couldn't imagine that Ralph was some sort of a creepy stalker or serial killer in disguise. She had never met anyone so transparent with his emotions, with everything he did. Besides, even if he was some sort of creepy stalking serial killer, who would his intended victims be? Young women lost in time? It wouldn't be a very lucrative career for him. And a creep wouldn't have the self-awareness to ask if he was a creep, would he?

"That was creepy, but no, I don't think you are a creep." Then, just to make it clear that she would not stand for that sort of behavior, she grumbled, "It's a good thing you didn't tell me this earlier, or I never would've stayed with you."

In the gloom, Ralph's eyes were huge with worry. "You're not going to leave now, are you?"

Thu thought about Homeless Pete, about the time machine at the Printing House still calling for her like a beacon. "No," she said. "I'll be here until you get better."

***

Finally, after a week, Ralph appeared to be out of danger. His rash was mostly gone, and though he remained pale and often out of breath, he could move about more easily. Thu started thinking about bringing up her discovery of Homeless Pete and the possibility of her going home, but for some reason, she kept putting it off. She didn't even raise the question of going back to her boarding house—Heavens know what her landlady must be thinking of her now—and Ralph didn't either. They had settled into a comfortable routine over the past week, and it seemed both were reluctant to break it up.

So she still tossed and turned at night, not with worry, but with the dilemma of what to say to him churning up her brain. On the bed, Ralph was wakeful as well, watching the faint shadows of the trees outside on the wall and the ceiling.

"Ralph?"

"Yes?"

"If you had the time machine, where would you go? Or rather, when would you go?"

He took a moment, thinking. "Summer of 1914," finally he said. "Victoria and I were nine going on ten. We were supposed to go to our country estate, but the War had just started and it was all chaos, so our parents sent us to some cousins in Rye instead. We went hop picking with them. Victoria hated it because she got hay fever, but I loved it. You ever picked hops?"

Thu shook her head. "We don't have hops here. Is the stuff they use to make beer, right?"

"Yes. I remember running between the tall rows of hops like a giant green tunnel, and catching caterpillars, and jumping into the hop bins with the other kids. It smells so good." He turned over to his back, looking up at the ceiling, reminiscing. "Sometimes the cousins would take us to Dungeness Beach. It's a shingle beach, you know, no sand, all pebbles. I always tried to find a hag stone, but I never did."

"What's a hag stone?"

"A stone with a hole in it. They say it's magic and can bring you good luck."

Thu watched him getting lost in his memories, and for a moment, felt herself transported there as well. She could see Ralph as a little boy, running through an idyllic English landscape that she'd only seen on TV or read about in books. "But if you went back there, you would still be you now," she said. "I suppose you have to be a kid to enjoy all that, don't you?"

"No, I think I'd still enjoy it," he said, with conviction.

"So why would you even need the time machine? You can just go home. The beach is still there. And so are the hop fields."

Ralph looked wistful. "Yes, but there was something about that summer. I think everybody, whether they knew it or not, was trying to have a great time before the War took it all away. That's what made it special."

Thu was quiet, thinking about the war that was coming to the entire world, and the one coming to her country, and the one after that. For the first time, she realized that Ralph would have to live through another world war. He was probably a little young to remember the first one, but he would be sure to remember this one. That is if he survived it. Her heart constricted.

"Wouldn't you like to go to the future?" she asked.

"Perhaps," he answered, turning to his side so they were face-to-face. "Is it very different from now?"

"Yes. Almost like another world."

"In a good way or bad way?"

"Some of the changes are good. Better technology, better medicine. Some are bad though. It's a lot more crowded. Polluted. And when everything about you can be stored in a plastic rectangle, or a phone the size of your palm, it's very easy to lose a sense of who you are."

But Ralph wasn't interested in philosophical discussions about the self in modern times. "Is the food still the same?" he asked.

Thu had to smile. "Yeah, it's the same. Better, even. There's more variety. You can have oxtail soup in Hanoi, if you want."

"Wizard. Maybe I could go for a visit then. If you'd be there to show me around."

"Gladly."

"Thank you," he said, his eyes fluttering drowsily. "And then maybe we could go back to 1914 together. I'd love to show you around too."

"I'd like that."

"Good. 'Cause it'd be no fun without you..."

Something in the way he said it made her heart do a summersault. Surely, they were just talking hypothetically here. And surely, his offer was just to be polite. She tried to tell herself that. She tried to tell herself that he simply latched on to her because she was the only person that knew his secret, just as she'd latched on to him. She tried to tell herself that the tenderness in his eyes was probably just due to the fever. And even if it was real, then this was a boy who had proposed to a girl he'd only known for a week, a girl who, by his own admission, hated his guts. He probably fell in love all the time. It didn't mean anything.

Even as she told herself this, Thu realized she was actually considering the possibility of Ralph falling in love with her, and her heart was doing a jazz number at the idea. No. It was stupid. She had a boyfriend... or had she had a boyfriend? And even if she had broken up with Hoang, Ralph wasn't even her type! Her type was strictly "tall, dark, and brooding", Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Well, Ralph was tall, but he wasn't exactly dark—his hair and eyes both had lighter undertones that, under the right light, made them look like they were dusted with gold—and he certainly wasn't brooding. That boy was a golden retriever. He couldn't brood even if his life depended on it.

Plus, it was pointless to entertain the idea. Regardless of how Ralph felt about her, regardless of how she felt about him, she was going home, and that was that. She just had to tell him so, and let him decide what to do.

"Well then you're in luck," she said, trying to sound cheerful, "because guess what, or rather, who I ran into?"

There was no answer. She looked over to the bed. Ralph was fast asleep, his cheek pillowed on his hand, his mouth hanging open, snoring lightly.

Thu sighed. She would have to try again then. The only problem was she had no idea when or how.

***

It was too hard, Thu decided, to tell Ralph about her imminent departure face-to-face. It would be best if she went back to her boarding house and left him a note, as she had done that first night. She had to go back for her things anyway, and to hand in her notice at the newspaper. There was a twinge in her heart when she thought about saying goodbye to the women. She was going to miss them. She tried not to think whether she was going to miss Ralph.

"So you're going?" he asked that morning, looking rather downcast as he watched her pack her things.

"I have to, or my landlady is going to think I've done a runner," she said, trying to joke.

"It's my birthday on the 30th," he said. "I don't know what I'm doing yet, but I'll see you then, shall I?"

His birthday! Damn it. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that she would be gone by then. "Yeah," she said shortly, not looking at him.

Ralph hesitated, like he wanted to say something but wasn't quite sure how to. "Well... thank you for everything," eventually he said.

"Don't mention it." She lifted her bag up and extended a hand. "... Take care of yourself, OK? And for Heaven's sake, don't forget that mosquito net."

"I won't." Was it her imagination, or did he squeeze her hand a little too tightly, and let go a little reluctantly? "Thank you, Autumn," he said.

"Did you just call me 'Autumn'?" she asked, amused.

"... Yes." He looked away briefly, before turning those puppy eyes on her again. "May I?"

"What's wrong with 'Thu'?"

"Nothing! It's a perfectly fine name. I know they mean the same thing, but they evoke different things, you know? Thu is cool and bright, while Autumn is gentle and elegant... does that make sense? They're both you. It's just—Autumn sounds more romantic to me. As in poetic, I mean," he hastily corrected himself. When she didn't answer, he looked down, discomfited. "I know we haven't known each other for very long. And I'm not familiar with the Annam etiquette for nicknames. Perhaps you don't have nicknames at all. I suppose it's rather presumptuous of me to even ask. You can refuse. I'll understand."

But Thu wasn't listening to the rest of his speech. She just kept staring at him, all disheveled in his pajamas, pale and thin after his illness, while he avoided her eyes and shuffled his feet, the tips of his ears turning bright red. Did he just call me cool and bright and gentle and elegant? If he wasn't interested in her, he was doing a terrible job of showing that.

"No, it's OK," she said, a little breathlessly. "You can call me Autumn."

***

In a daze, she went back to the boarding house and dropped off her things. She had to pack, to stop by the office, and write the note for Ralph... Ralph, who had smiled and squeezed her hand as they said goodbye, certain that he was going to see her again... Ralph, who had asked if he could call her a romantic nickname... Somehow, her feet took her, almost of their own accord, back to the War Memorial at Robin Park. There was something she must check first. It had been a week; he might not be there at all.

She felt something rather akin to disappointment when the memorial came within sight and she saw Homeless Pete's black-coated figure lounging at its base, next to some ragged, desperate-looking people. This must be a regular hangout spot for the local homeless population. So Homeless Pete had told her the truth. He could be found there.

For a long while, Thu stood across the avenue, under the shadow of the Flag Tower, while a debate raged on in her mind. She could go home. It would be so easy. All she needed was some chocolate. It had only been two months. Even if she had gone missing for two months back in 2023, she was sure she could think of some crazy story to explain it away, and her family would be so glad to see her that they wouldn't care.

But as she was contemplating this, she was also remembering the way Ralph had looked at her in the past week, with so much trust and perhaps something else as well, the way he had offered to show her his world just like she had shown him hers, the way he had asked, so shyly and tenderly, if he could call her "Autumn". There was so much she still wanted to show him, so much she wanted to experience with him—his birthday, Christmas, New Year, Lunar New Year, all the foods and festivals and the fun of everyday life...

With one last look at Homeless Pete, Thu turned on her heel, walked to Rue Paul Bert, and went into Godard's department store. She didn't buy any chocolate though. Instead, she bought a wheel of Brie, which Ralph had mentioned as his favorite cheese. It cost her nearly half a month's rent, but she could afford it, and after a week of nothing but congee, he deserved a treat.

Chapter 8

[nightmarist]

I’ve had vertigo all day today it sucks so bad. I was so worried about a stroke or heart attack I ended up giving myself a panic attack. My best friend came over and gave me anti nausea medicine and some tea because I was genuinely freaked out, I couldn’t keep balance. I puked (thankfully made it to the toilet) and felt instantly better for what ever reason. I’m still slightly dizzy but way better than before.

No numbness, no slurred speech, I could raise my arms and touch my toes, no drooping face, no temperature. Just. Dizzy. Loss of balance from being dizzy. Nausea when I try to eat. Been nursing an apple juice all day. Drinking water in case I’m dehydrated. Even crackers made me a little ill, so I’ll try broth soon.

Ugh besides that, the job offer called again and I have an interview plus orientation. I pretty have the job, they just have to go through the bureaucracy bc it’s Technically a government job (post office). They explained the shift and are willing to work with my current semester schedule.

I also had a meeting w my client, the author. We talked about the scenes and characters, I did a few very quick sketches to help get an idea of what they look like before I start. Final, Absolute deadline is Christmas, which is manageable for me. Four scenes and three character sheets for 1k ish. Also a cover but she’s still deciding on what she wants for it before we price it.

Overall a weirdly God Awful Day that was also A Fucking Great Day. Anyway…. Time for nap… mimis time…

[sunnywalnut]

Adding a couple nutrition things to this post bc I feel like that isn't NEARLY as talked about as it should be:

-you need fats and protein in order to digest certain vegetables. Yes I'm being serious. Adding some kind of oil or dressing to your salad doesn't negate the fact that it's a salad. You're still getting nutrients. In fact, you're getting more because the fats are helping your body break them down into fuel.

-if you go to Subway (or somewhere similar) get the spinach instead of lettuce. It's higher in iron and other nutrients and likely the same price.

-while on that topic, a lot of types of lettuce actually don't have any nutritional value. Like iceberg lettuce. They just add crunch/texture to your food. Look in to what you're eating and see if there's another option that has more of what you need for the same or similar price. You'll likely be able to get it. Or at least know about the better options. Yes, this likely means that a lot of your salad only diets sucked ass because you weren't getting anything out of them. I'm sorry you had to learn like this.

-frozen vegetables/fruits are just as nutritious as fresh or canned. Don't let people convince you of "dying nutrients" they don't exist. Also you can add protein powder to smoothies to give a little bit more bulk and keep you full for longer.

-a good rule of thumb for a "well balanced meal" is protein for power, fats for satisfaction, carbs for fullness, and fruits/veg for everything else. Even just adding a handful of nuts, some peanut butter toast, or a bit of egg to my breakfast has DRASTICALLY increased my energy levels. You don't have to break it down into a direct science. You just gotta figure out what you can add to it. Cheese also has fats and protein in it. You can add cheese to everything. Trust me. I'm white.

-don't feel embarrassed if a drink(juice, soda, lemonade, etc) is too sweet for you. You're allowed to water it down so it's palatable. I know that people are going to give you weird looks about it, but trust me. It works. Plus you're getting more water in your system. Which is always a win. If adding more water than necessary in your kool aid is the only way that you currently are capable of drinking it, go for it. It's still water. Even if it's in sugar syrup (though obviously. The plan is to have more water than sugar syrup. But that's a bit more of a process)

-keep bottled water on hand if you're not capable of drinking/don't like tap water. Or a water filter. I live in an area with slightly hard water. It's still drinkable, but I don't like it. It tastes weird. Even if it's cold. So much so that I used to exclusively only drink juices, sodas, and other options even if I craved water. For my entire life. Because it was just gross. It was only until I was able to get a water filter/continuous access to bottled water that I was actually able to drink water to the point that if I DON'T have any during the day and try to go back to my "only drinking flavored liquids" ways, I can't. At least not for longer than a few days. Plus I'm feeling a lot better because of it, too.

-if Gatorade/Powerade tastes good instead of like salt, you're likely dehydrated as fuck. It's a sports drink with a lot of electrolytes(salt) in order to help you retain water in your body when sweating excessively. It isn't just a fad. it's real. It shocked me too.

-8 cups of water a day is bullshit. Or rather. 8 cups of only water. A lot of the things we drink during the day have water in them already, so it's unnecessary for us to down a whole gallon of water throughout the day on top of that. Yes water is important(especially plain water without any additives) but don't beat yourself up for not meeting your biological "quota" when you're also drinking tea, coffee, and soda throughout your day. You're getting your water. Just in a different way. Though you can absolutely add it in/replace some of your other drinks with it.

And these are just the ones I can think up off the top of my head. There's likely a bunch more that I haven't learned yet, but these are just the few that I've found while coming into adulthood in these last few years that are surprisingly not common knowledge/frowned upon???

Feel free to add your own.

In case no one told you growing up

Bras last longer if you let them air dry. Don’t put them in the dryer.

If you have a problem with frizzy hair, don’t dry your hair with a towel. It makes the frizzies worse. (I recently read an article that said to use a t-shirt? I brush mine out and let it air dry.)

Whites wash best in hot water. Everything else can be in cold - save on your electricity bill.

You can kill 99.9% of germs in a sponge by putting it in the dishwasher for a cycle or by microwaving it for 2 min (be sure to make the sponge damp before microwaving and to put a cup half full of water in with it and please DO NOT squeeze the sponge until it has cooled off)

Airing out your room/house and letting sunlight in every so often can decrease the number of household pests like silverfish and ants.

Black underwear is best during your period as stains are less likely to be visible.

To save money, put aside 10% of each paycheck into a savings account. It’ll add up.

Unless your hair has something on/in it (like grease or mud or something), using conditioner first can actually be the better choice. The conditioner holds in the good oils that help you hair look sleek and beautiful, which shampoo would otherwise wash away.

Speaking of shampoo - if you have long hair, washing just the bits that touch your scalp is generally enough. The rest of your hair gets cleaned with just the run off from your scalp.

If you put a tampon in and it’s uncomfortable/you can feel it, you didn’t do it quite right. A properly placed tampon is virtually unnoticeable by the wearer.

Apply deodorant/antiperspirant a couple hours in advance of when you need it. This gives the product the chance to block your sweat glands. Using deodorant just before going somewhere where you’ll sweat (this means walking outside for people in high humidity places) results in your sweat washing the deodorant off and starkly limiting its usefulness.

After running the dryer, use the dryer sheet from that load to brush out the lint catch - it gets everything off in a fraction of the time it’ll take you to get it clean with your bare hands. Paper towels also work well.

Wash your face everyday, or as often as possible. Forget which brand of cleanser is best. Just washing your face everyday will guarantee you clearer skin. And do you best not to pop pimples, as tempting as the urge may be.

Fold laundry asap after taking it from the dryer to avoid wrinkles. This may seem obvious for dress shirts and silly for things like t-shirts, but you’ll notice the difference even then once your shirts stop looking like unfolded paper balls.

[bisluthq]

I forgot to copy the post link, but this is a reply to two posts I guess, the one who said their dad drinks too much and the one from the teacher who doesn’t drink.

My dad is an alcoholic and has cut back heaps for him, but he could easily drink 35 standard drinks before he started to be “drunk” because his tolerance is so high. He’s down to about 14-22 standard drinks a day.

I have never had more than a few sips of a drink because, yk, look what I grew up with lol. He was still high functioning and going to work on time but having 20+ standard drinks a night in a 4 hour period. I never saw him throw up in my life and only saw him fall down on really hot days when he had been drinking but was dehydrated (cause he never drinks water). This isn’t to make any assumptions about anyone else, but my mum is slurring words after 3 drinks and falls asleep/ passes out after 6. My dad was always “normal” like other dads on work nights despite his TWENTY DRINKS. It looks different for everyone you know.

People ALWAYS asked me why I wasn’t drinking and why I was ordering a virgin drink and double checking with the wait staff that it was an alcohol free drink. Even at house parties when I was 18, my friends’ PARENTS would ask why I wasn’t drinking and say how I’d still be fine to drive after just 1 or 2 drinks 💀 a lot of those friends got booked for drink driving, luckily no one was ever injured.

Then I had one job where we’d do lunches with clients and co-workers, I had to be charming, intelligent and win them over so naturally you’d think I wouldn’t drink - my boss asked me why I wasn’t drinking at one of these lunches and encouraged me to, so I ordered a virgin cocktail but asked them to not say it was alcohol free lol. But you’d think my boss would want me sober!

. There’s so much expectation everywhere to always be drinking, even brunch and day drinking to just watch Netflix. It’s not healthy.

But you know what shocks me more though (going back to last weeks talk lol)? NO ONE wants to order dessert because they’re diet conscious (fair enough!) but they’ve just had half a bottle of wine and a cocktail (which makes no sense) lol. Fuck that Long Island ice tea and have the pastry! It’s so much better lmao

EXACTLY!!! I could’ve written a lot of what you’ve written minus the fact that from my student years to last year tbh I was drinking a lot. I’ve realized it’s not great for my mental health or my physical well-being and impacts a lot of my relationships tbh in a negative way so I’ve cut back a HUGE amount. What’s funny is like I said that people, even some people who previously expressed concern for how much I’m drinking, are still baffled that I don’t want to drink. I ordered a tomato juice at brunch recently because I… like tomato juice… and the friend I was with was like “why don’t you just get a Bloody Mary?” and I was like “because I… don’t want vodka? I want tomato juice?” and she was like “yea but you can have one cocktail surely even with your whole cutting back thing” and I was like “I absolutely can, but I don’t want to” 🤷🏻‍♀️ I did want an Aperol Spritz the one time, so I had it. But I didn’t want vodka for breakfast tbh and that was, to my friend, odd. Another friend who literally EXPRESSED CONCERN about my drinking a few months ago invited me round for drinks recently and I was like “can we rather go for a walk?” and she didn’t want to lol. It’s just this pervasive thing everywhere yk and it really has started to bug me. Like I want to do other things lol except sit around drinking tbh and I don’t want to be fucked up every time I go out. It’s also funny you mention the pastries thing because as I’ve said I try to follow IE principles and I haven’t been big into sweet things but since I cut back on the booze I’m super into cookies lmao. I keep fucking buying cookies and just munching them 😂 Cookies are so good y’all, way better than vodka 😂🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

[marcomarconii]

🌿 Common Nutrition Mistakes That Holding You Back (And How to Fix Them) 📝

📌 Are you eating “healthy” but not seeing the results you want? You might be making some common nutrition mistakes. Let’s get to the point and get you back on track!

1️⃣ You’re Eating “Healthy” But Not Seeing Results

➡️ You’ve cut out junk food, eat your veggies and even tried some diets but the results just aren’t there. You’re thinking, “What’s going on?” The truth is you might be falling into some common nutrition mistakes that hold many people back.

2️⃣ The Hidden Mistakes That Sabotage Your Progress

➡️ Here’s the deal—just because you’re eating “healthy” doesn’t mean you’re eating right for your goals. Let’s get into some sneaky mistakes that might be holding you back.

1️⃣ Mistake #1: Overeating “Healthy” Foods

➡️ Yes, avocados, nuts, and whole grains are healthy, but they’re also calorie-dense. I’ve been there—thinking I could eat unlimited nuts because they’re healthy. Spoiler: Calories still count even from “good” foods! It’s all about portion control.

2️⃣ Mistake #2: Ignoring Protein Intake

➡️ If you’re not eating enough protein, you’re missing out on the building blocks your body needs to repair and grow. I used to think salads were enough until I realized my meals were lacking protein. Protein keeps you full, helps build muscle, and boosts metabolism.

3️⃣ Mistake #3: Underestimating Liquid Calories

➡️ Those fancy coffees, juices and smoothies? They can add up fast. I used to drink a “healthy” smoothie every morning only to find it had hidden sugars and 400+ calories. Be mindful of what you sip!

4️⃣ Mistake #4: Not Planning Your Meals

➡️ When you don’t have a plan it’s easy to grab whatever is convenient. I used to wing it thinking I could make good choices on the fly. But when you’re hungry and busy convenience usually wins. Planning ahead saves you from those last minute junk food runs.

5️⃣ Mistake #5: Not Drinking Enough Water

➡️ Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. I’ve seen this happen over and over—people think they’re hungry, but they’re really just dehydrated. Water plays a huge role in digestion, metabolism, and overall energy. If you’re not drinking enough, you’re missing out on easy wins.

3️⃣ How to Fix These Mistakes and Fuel Your Body Right

➡️ It’s time to get these mistakes fixed and get back on track. Here’s what has worked for me:

1️⃣ Practice Portion Control, Even with “Healthy” Foods

➡️ Measure out servings, especially with calorie-dense foods like nuts, oils, and avocados. Enjoy them but in moderation. You don’t have to restrict yourself; just be aware of how much you’re eating.

2️⃣ Prioritize Protein in Every Meal

➡️ Aim for 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Think lean meats, fish, eggs, tofu and legumes. Not only will this help with muscle maintenance, but it’ll also keep you fuller for longer. Protein is your secret weapon.

3️⃣ Be Mindful of Liquid Calories

➡️ Swap out calorie-loaded drinks for water, black coffee, or herbal tea. If you love smoothies make them at home where you control the ingredients. A little awareness goes a long way!

4️⃣ Plan Your Meals Ahead Of Time

➡️ Whether it’s prepping meals on Sundays or planning your dinners for the week, having a game plan keeps you on track. I’ve found that 30 minutes of planning saves hours of frustration (and bad choices) during the week.

5️⃣ Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

➡️ Start your day with a big glass of water and aim for at least 8 cups a day. This simple habit has helped me cut down on unnecessary snacking and keep my energy levels steady throughout the day.

4️⃣ Bonus Tip: Focus on Consistency, Not Perfection

➡️ Don’t stress about being perfect. It’s the small, consistent changes that add up over time. If you slip up that’s okay—just get back on track at your next meal. Progress is better than perfection.

📌 P.S. If you liked this, share it with someone who needs it. For more real talk nutrition, you can join my free newsletter here: https://marcomarconii.ck.page/eac0f41c6a 📬

[voidgoatazzy]

Yknow what actually i have thoughts on this

A non exhaustive list of ways magic can screw up a user with overuse

[Plain text: A non exhaustive list of ways magic can screw up a user with overuse]

ELECTRICITY

Due to the nature of the nervous system and brain being a series of electrical signals to certain parts of the body, its more than like your character will have muscle spasms or tics as they approach their limit. Overusing by too far could lead to seizures, brain/nervous system damage, so on.

The obvious option of lightning scars/electricity burns.

NATURE

Plant life growing over/in the body- for example, roots growing in the circulatory system in the hands or feet or even reaching the heart, until the body's natural magic breaks it down- which may be hard when you barely have any magic reserves left.

Plants in your surroundings being... aggressive or avoidant. Plants attacking you that normally should not, because your burnt out aura is so fucking nasty to them + you're abusing the magic of nature.

WATER

Dehydration! Really. Really bad dehydration. Something water and fire would actually share! The human body is roughly 70% water last i checked, so what happens when you run out of MANA to go off of? It starts to use YOU instead as the fuel.

Potential aqua/hydrophobia (these are different things), until the body regulates itself or your character receives treatment. Or the opposite, where you cant LEAVE water or stop drinking it until you feel better, which could be hard depending on the setting

FIRE

Again dehydration! Being surrounded by fire at all times will dry you out eventually. This could lead to heatstroke/sickness in fire users especially, because of the added heat factor.

Burns, obviously! The only question is what gets effected? Fire breath affecting the throat/lungs, making it difficult to eat or drink or even breath. The hands, making any further casting or even regular usage of the hands painful. The list goes on.

Either running so hot you're steaming and burning others, or being so out of fire that you're almost FREEZING. For the latter, the magic that is killing you from overuse is also the only thing keeping you warm now. No choice but to use it until a: someone sets a fire, or b: another pyromancer takes over for you.

NECROMANCY **AND** HEALING

You are recreating life, or reshaping the remains of it. It only makes sense that this comes at the cost of some of your own life. Healers and necromancers have a higher death rate than most casters, due to their magic taking such an epic toll on their bodies that, even once they retire, they will feel the effects forever.

Speaking of: chronic pain and health issues. OP brought up healers being affected by the injuries of those they heal if they push it, but. I think of it like scurvy? Yeah you're taking on their wounds in exchange for giving them some of your own life. But you're also giving up what holds you together. Hypermobility as the body begins to give itself away, your very connective tissue and even SOUL wearing away. Necromancers who dislocate harshly as they give what pieces them together to their work, or have increasingly poor bone density and shit like that. Healers who have scars and pains that they cant remember ever getting.

AIR

Struggling to breathe and fainting from lack of oxygenated blood to the brain.

Your skin is so dried and cracked that you can't be touched or you start bleeding, or it feels like lemon juice any time you do heavy work.

If your ability/magic involves any form of flying, taking so many falls that you get various (sometimes very serious) injuries. Broken bones, concussions, the works.

Your magic starts to throw you around as you lose control of it. Strong dust devils whipping up fallen weapons and rubble to basically throw back at you, as if you weren't already fucked up.

You start becoming less... tangible. The air is taking you with it now.

METAL

Your armor, if you wear any, beginning to.. merge with you. Your blood, depending on your race, is FILLED with iron, after all. After a certain point, if you dont stop fighting, its all you'll ever be able to do. A living weapon or shield. A warforged of the worst kind.

Speaking of iron in the blood, blood problems! Screwing up your circulation and passing out OR WORSE during a fight! Wounds getting way worse than they could ever get naturally because of the blood magic!

AND THERE IS SO MUCH MORE!! AUGH.

I loveee fantasy settings doing magical exhaustion:

burnt out pyromancers emitting steam and smoke

tired cryomancers shivering with visible foggy breath

weary necromancers looking ill and hearing voices

frazzled healers receiving the same cuts, bruises, and injuries of their patients

[resiliencyprogram]

What Diet for Stress Management is Best to Build Students Resilience

The students today live in a fast-moving, pressured world, whether it be academics or social life. While they haggle through these various demands, maintaining mental and physical health is very important. Therefore, the way to handle stress and build up immunity would be through diet.

An appropriate diet for stress management can equip the resilience of a student to the buildup of stress and the capacity to deal with it. This will be a post in which I am going to share details on the best diet for managing stress in students.

The aim is to help them develop resilience and thrive academically. Additionally, this diet will support their personal well-being.

How Diet-Stress Links Work?

It makes its influences in the body, right from mood to physical well-being, through stress. Stress to one whose body is under feels hormonal imbalance, increased inflammation, and reduced energy. All of these stresses are alleviated through a well-balanced diet that supplies much-needed nutrients for proper mental and physical health.

He noted that some foods will tend to calm the body, while others may increase the stress. Interestingly, a high nutrient-dense diet allows students to begin building reserves. This helps them be better equipped to manage their stress and build resilience.

Omega-3 fatty acids: These essential fatty acids found in fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds will not only reduce inflammation but also feed the brain for better mood and cleaner, keener thinking. Eating food that's rich in omega-3 fatty acid intake is fighting the very bad effects brought about on a student's body through stressors.

Vitamin B: Now, the very reason B vitamins are nutritionally important is because B6, B9, and B12 are essential nutrients in brain functions and for the synthesis of some neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine. Indeed, serotonin and dopamine have been noted as two neurotransmitters vital for mood, stress-regulating function, and mood control.

Major food sources for the B-group vitamins: Green vegetables, whole grains, eggs, milk products.

C vitamin: This is an extremely well-known immunity vitamin and helps the body fight off some of the physical symptoms from stress. Citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers, and broccoli are some good sources.

Magnesium: It allows a person to relax, and it is involved in the response of the body to stress. It may be obtained from food sources such as nuts and seeds, whole grain foods, and leafy vegetables. High-stress and anxiety levels may be related to low levels of this mineral.

Antioxidants: These are valuable against enhanced oxidative stress and inflammation, which is likely to be heightened more during stressful periods. It is rich in antioxidants that may be able to help insulate the body from the impact of stress.

Complex Carbohydrates: Complex carbohydrates release their energies slowly compared to simple carbohydrates, which can shoot the blood sugar rocketing up only to come crashing down. A good example would be oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes; these can keep blood sugar stable, avoiding alterations in mood and irritability.

Building a balanced diet for stress management

A healthy diet is the amount of food ingested that is nutrient-dense, containing all the body needs, and covers myriad challenges of stress a student undergoes per day.

Here are some practical tips on how one can design a diet to manage stress:

Snack Smart: Grab snacks that will hold you well for enough time with the stamina and focus needed to get through your busy day. Nuts, seeds, and fruits are great selections—this trio combines crunch with a nutrient-dense fuel.

Stay Hydrated: Dehydration increases symptoms of stress and more than halves the operation of our brains. Drink tons of water and avoid tons of coffee, sweetened juices, and sodas that make you much more thirsty afterward, with an energy crash.

Include a source of protein, a complex carbohydrate, and healthy fat in each meal: This will even out the sugar as best possible and keep one feeling great. Food examples include a salad with quinoa, chickpeas, and avocado, or a stir-fry with tofu and a variety of vegetables.

Avoid those foods which will most probably cause stress: Even foods and drinks may be stressful. Huge amounts of caffeine, sugar and mainly processed foods only lead to high stress. Lower intake of these foods will reduce stress feeding healthy physiology.

You may also read:

Resilience Program for Government Organizations: Supporting Employee Well-being

Resilience Program for Students: Building Mental Strength for Success

Conclusion

Find out the best-suited diet to keep your stress in control with the help of the Resiliency Program— best resilience program in India. It will assist students in harnessing their resiliency toward facing challenging environments by embedding good nutritional strategies into a comprehensive support pattern.

[tremendouspersonarbiter]

Why Constipation Mostly Occur In Mens?

Constipation is a popular issue in India, characterized by slowed digestion, irregular bowel movements( lower than three times per week), and hard, tough-to-pass droppings. It can manifest as acute or habitual; acute constipation appears suddenly with conspicuous symptoms, while habitual constipation develops gradually and persists for months or even years. Currently, men tend to witness constipation more constantly than women due to factors like stress, weak pelvic floor muscles, prostate blow up or cancer, and trauma. However, constipation can significantly reduce the quality of life, leading to physical and internal discomfort, If left untreated. Still, several effective treatment techniques are available to prevent and manage constipation. Before talking about these treatments, let’s explore the common causes of constipation under the guidance of Dr. N Subrahmaneswara Babu, a leading Surgical Gastroenterologist in Hyderabad, who can give expert guidance on managing this condition.

What causes constipation in men?

Low Fiber Intake: One of the primary reasons for constipation in men is a low input of dietary fiber. Fiber is pivotal for maintaining regular bowel movements as it adds bulk to the coprolite and helps it pass through the digestive system more smoothly. multiple men tend to consume diets that are high in protein and low in fiber, similar to meat-heavy diets, which can contribute to constipation.

Less Water Intake: Hydration plays a significant part in digestion. Drinking enough water helps to soften the coprolite, making it easier to pass. Men frequently neglect their water intake, either due to busy schedules or simply forgetting to drink enough throughout the day. Dehydration can lead to hard, dry droppings that are tough to pass, resulting in constipation.

Less Physical Activity: A sedentary lifestyle is another common cause of constipation in men. Regular physical exercise helps to stimulate intestinal function and promotes regular bowel movements. Men who spend long hours sitting at offices, driving, or engaging in minimum physical exertion are more likely to witness constipation.

Lifestyle Modifications: Various lifestyle factors can contribute to constipation in men. These include:

Unhealthy Habits: Irregular eating habits, high consumption of reused foods, and shy fruit and vegetable input can disrupt bowel frequency.

Stress and Anxiety: Stress can affect the digestive system, decelerating bowel movements and leading to constipation.

Medications: Certain medicines, including painkillers and antidepressants, can affect constipation as a side effect.

Resisting the Need to Poop: Ignoring the appetite to have a bowel movement can lead to constipation. Men frequently delay going to the washroom due to work commitments, lack of access to clean restrooms, or simply due to embarrassment. Regularly ignoring the body’s signals can cause coprolite to become harder and more delicate to pass.

Prevention is Possible:

Constipation in men is both preventable and treatable with a few key lifestyle changes. Increase fiber input by eating more fruits, vegetables, entire granules, and legumes, aiming for 2 to 3 servings of fruit and 3 to 4 half-bowls of vegetables daily, while choosing high-grittiness cereals like entire grain rice, oats, and entire wheat bread, and limiting red flesh, racy foods, and dairy productions. Stay doused by drinking plenitude of water, soup, and fruit juice, and be involved in regular physical exertion, like walking, jogging, or cycling, to stimulate the intestines and promote chronicity. Establish a routine with symphonious meal times and bowel habits, and respond incontinently to the appetite to go to the bathroom. These simple changes can effectively take and prevent constipation, comforting better digestive health and altogether well-being

Prevent and manage constipation in men with simple lifestyle changes: increase fiber intake, stay hydrated, be active, and establish a regular bowel routine. Dr. N.S. Babu offers the best constipation treatment in Hyderabadfor personalized care. Reduce your risk and improve your digestive health by booking an appointment with Dr. Babu.

[pom-seedss]

See, I think adults need to get better at explaining to kids why we do these things.

For example, the importance of stretching before exercise. Everyone would always say “it’s so you don’t pull something while you exercise.” I always thought it was unnecessary because I could go out on the playground and play just as hard as any gym class and not worry much about hurting myself.

As an adult now though? Stretching is absolutely essential to get through my day, let alone to play any sport.

If someone had actually told me “you may not need this now, you may be able to play all day without stretching and not hurt yourself, but what we are doing is building habits that will help you later in life. Like brushing your teeth!”

Because I knew a few kids who also resisted brushing their teeth, especially when they still had their baby teeth, because they didn’t see the point. Because the day to day isn’t the same as the long-term build up, or because their baby teeth are just going to fall out anyway.

So telling them that it’s not something they need now, but it’s something they’ll need when they are a grown up so they should practice now can make kids understand and make them feel more mature because you are prepping them for adulthood instead of treating them like babies.

As for being chronically dehydrated in general....

I also think that when I was a kid people were a lot less concerned with things like giving kids too much fruit juice, so while we weren’t getting drowned in water I think we were still getting more hydrated than not. And then the health crazes and low-sugar fad diets and scare mongering about all sorts of food has caused us to be paralyzed with fear of giving our kids the wrong thing. So now it’s just water. 

Anything else hydrating is seen as unhealthy, or at the very least *much* less healthy than plain water. (even when that’s not the case, i.e. electrolyte replenishing).

And since humans have almost always added stuff to drinks to make it better (how old is tea exactly?) I don’t find it hard to believe that a lot of us are dehydrated because we think only water will do the trick but we have less desire to drink plain water.

Like I don’t know about anyone else but I was allowed to drink as much apple juice as I wanted (when we could afford it). I wasn’t restricted to “you only get one small cup of juice and then you have water.” like I see a lot of kids on today.

I drank enough Kool-Aid to make any parent these days turn up their nose at the ‘bad parenting’ of giving their kids ‘so much sugar’.  

Though really, I am even talking about the ‘no sugar added’ kind of fruit juice not just the kool-aid when I say a lot of parents are worried about the sugar in take of their kids.

I’m not saying that the amount of sugar I ate as a child was healthy and there are whole other discussions about modern manufacturing and market pressures making everything so sweet, but that’s a whole other topic..

The point was I may not have been drinking as much plain water, but I was hydrated that’s for sure.

[fitjourneydaily]

Vivotonic: The Vital Importance of Hydration: Optimal Water Intake and Healthy Alternatives

In today's fast-paced world, maintaining good health is crucial, and one of the key factors in achieving this is proper hydration. Staying well-hydrated not only keeps our bodies nourished but also promotes overall well-being. This comprehensive guide will dive into the significance of hydration, optimal water intake recommendations, and the importance of avoiding sugary drinks while exploring refreshing herbal tea alternatives. Section 1: Understanding Hydration and Its Benefits To comprehend the importance of hydration, we must first understand its benefits. Proper hydration plays a vital role in: 1. Regulatory functions: Water helps regulate body temperature, enables organ functionality, promotes digestion, and aids nutrient absorption. 2. Physical performance: Being adequately hydrated improves muscle function and endurance, thus enhancing athletic performance. 3. Cognitive function: Dehydration can impair cognitive abilities such as memory and focus, underlining the necessity of optimal hydration for optimal mental acuity. Section 2: Recommended Water Intake Determining the ideal water intake for each individual can be challenging, as it varies based on factors like age, weight, activity level, and climate. A general guideline, though, is to aim for around 8 cups (64 ounces) of water daily. However, this may differ based on personal requirements. Factors that affect water requirements include: 1. Physical activity: Engaging in workouts or other strenuous activities increases the need for fluids to compensate for fluid loss through sweat. 2. Climate: Hotter climates and excessive sweating necessitate a higher water intake to keep the body hydrated. 3. Health conditions: Certain medical conditions, medications, and ailments may impact water requirements. Consult with a healthcare professional for personalized advice. Section 3: Ditching Sugary Drinks for Better Health While staying hydrated is crucial, it is equally essential to choose the right beverages. Sugary drinks like sodas, energy drinks, and sweetened juices often lead to adverse health effects. Reasons to avoid these drinks include: 1. Excess sugar consumption: Sugary drinks are high in added sugars, leading to weight gain, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and dental issues. 2. Dehydration: Surprisingly, sugary beverages can dehydrate the body due to their diuretic properties, causing more harm than good. 3. Nutritional value: These drinks lack essential nutrients and often displace healthier dietary options, leading to poor overall nutrition. Section 4: Refreshing and Healthy Herbal Tea Alternatives To meet your hydration needs while enjoying flavorful alternatives, exploring herbal teas is a fantastic option. Not only do herbal teas provide hydration, but they also offer various health benefits such as: 1. Antioxidant properties: Herbal teas infused with antioxidants like chamomile, green tea, or rooibos help combat free radicals, reduce inflammation, and support overall well-being. 2. Digestive aid: Peppermint, ginger, and fennel herbal teas can aid digestion, ease stomach discomfort, and promote a healthy gut. 3. Relaxation and stress relief: Lavender, chamomile, and passionflower herbal teas have calming properties that can help alleviate stress, improve sleep quality, and promote relaxation. Conclusion: In conclusion, hydration is a fundamental aspect of maintaining our overall health and well-being. By understanding the significance of hydration, following optimal water intake guidelines, avoiding sugary drinks, and embracing the delicious world of herbal teas, we can adopt healthier hydration habits and optimize our physical and mental performance. Tags: 1. Hydration benefits 2. Optimal water intake 3. Avoiding sugary drinks 4. Herbal tea alternative Revitalize your oral health with DentaFend's Essential Nutrient Formula. Discover the power of this one key nutrient, scientifically proven to combat gum disease and rebuild your teeth. Our specialized formula is designed for those seeking to enhance their dental health naturally and effectively. Whether you're dealing with sensitive gums or looking to strengthen your teeth, DentaFend offers a nutrient-rich solution that targets the root cause of oral health issues. Embrace a future of strong, healthy teeth and gums with DentaFend. Experience the transformative effects of our unique nutrient blend on your oral wellness. Learn more about how DentaFend can revolutionize your dental care routine. Visit the DentaFend Essential Nutrient Formula Product Page. Transform your blood sugar management with Vivotonic, the Advanced Blood Sugar Support Formula. Tailored for those striving to maintain healthy glucose levels, Vivotonic is your ideal partner in your wellness journey. Our expertly crafted formula provides a harmonious blend of natural ingredients known for supporting blood sugar regulation, enhancing your body's ability to manage glucose efficiently. Whether you're pre-diabetic, diabetic, or simply mindful about maintaining balanced blood sugar levels, Vivotonic offers the nutritional support you need. Embrace the path to stable glucose levels and improved overall health with Vivotonic. Discover how our specialized formula can aid in your blood sugar control efforts. Visit the Vivotonic Blood Sugar Support Formula Product Page. Read the full article

[sumukhahomenursingservice]

How Elderly People Are More Prone to Heat Intolerance

How Elderly People Are More Prone to Heat Intolerance

For many people, summer is the time to enjoy with the near and the dear ones. But for elderly people, the extreme temperature is a serious health concern. At Sumukha, our elderly care services provide extra care every summer to protect seniors against the danger of heat stress and heatstroke. Sumukha’s in home care will take all preventive steps concerning the health of your loved ones.

India is a tropical country where the temperatures during the months of summer hover around in the mid 30’s and 40 degrees. Since many cities in India have high humidity in the air this results in severe heatwave conditions.  This extreme heat factor is not fun for anyone to cope up; it is particularly dangerous for older people. In such times, elderly care services should be given prime importance.

 When compared to an average adult, the elderly are more prone to heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Therefore in home care is very important to take care of the health of these seniors. Sumukha home nursing provides one of the best elderly care services in Bangalore. Our in home care is always available at your service round the clock with the well-trained medical staff attending to your needs and services.

Here are some of the safety tips for the elderly:

Avoid going out when the weather is extremely hot. As far as possible stay indoors in an air-conditioned room.

Elderly people must avoid direct sun exposure. If one wants to leave the house, try leaving in the early morning or late evening hours when the sun is not at its worst.

Elderly people are always advised to dress appropriately. Light coloured clothing with loose fittings is the ideal ones during these harsh months. While going out always wear a large, broad-brimmed hat to keep the sun off your face. This will avoid sunburn. Last but not the least always keep the sunscreen handy.

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and other fluids like tender coconut water and fresh fruit juices. This will not only keep the elderly healthy but also avoid heat strokes. Try not to have alcohol and caffeine as this will dehydrate you quickly.

Causes of heat exhaustion in the elderly:

Heat exhaustion is caused due to severe sunstroke and dehydration. Most of the time elderly people may experience heat stroke through heavy sweating, dizziness, headache, nausea, and fainting. If you overcome any of these symptoms, one should take plenty of fluids and should remain in a cool place.

Sumukha provides elderly care services for those facing severe heat related issues. Sumukha staff will ensure timely in home care for those elderly people who are being affected by heat strokes. Apart from having a very high fever one may also experience red skin, fast pulse rate, vomiting, and lethargy.

When an elderly is affected with heat stroke our well-trained staff will ensure the best in home care at all times. Prevention is always better than cure. Hence it is always better to prevent the heatstress at first instance rather than feeling sorry at a later stage. If you come to know that your loved ones are experiencing a heat stress, it is very important that you may contact Sumukha nursing services. Our nursing staff at Sumukha will visit your home and give all the first aid that is required to treat the symptoms effectively.  

If you are concerned about the heat stress for an elderly member in the family but worry that you can’t be there to monitor the condition of your loved ones, do not panic. Kindly do give us a call on our Toll-Free 1800-212-9707 and we will take care of the rest. You can also visit us on https://homenursingservices.in/

[sleepinggiant]

5 TIPS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Losing weight in a healthy and sustainable way typically requires a longer timeframe than just seven days. However, here are ten tips to help you jumpstart your weight loss journey and make progress in a week. Keep in mind that rapid weight loss can be unhealthy, and it's important to focus on long-term, sustainable changes for better results:

1. Stay Hydrated: Staying hydrated is indeed important for weight management, but it doesn't directly cause weight loss on its own. Instead, proper hydration plays a supporting role in your overall weight loss efforts.

Sometimes, thirst can be mistaken for hunger. When you stay adequately hydrated, you're less likely to confuse thirst with hunger, which can help prevent unnecessary snacking or overeating.

Dehydration can temporarily slow down your metabolism. When you're well-hydrated, your body can function optimally, including your metabolism, which helps you burn calories more efficiently.

Being hydrated can enhance your physical performance during exercise. When you work out effectively, you burn more calories, contributing to your weight loss efforts.

However, it's important to note that simply drinking more water won't lead to significant weight loss on its own. Weight loss is primarily achieved through a combination of a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume) and healthy eating habits. Hydration is just one element of this broader strategy.

To incorporate hydration into your weight loss plan, consider these tips:

Drink Water Before Meals: Having a glass of water before a meal can help you feel fuller and reduce the chances of overeating.

Replace Sugary Drinks: Replace sugary beverages like soda and juice with water, herbal tea, or other low-calorie, hydrating options.

Track Your Water Intake: Some people find it helpful to keep a water journal or use a smartphone app to ensure they are drinking enough water throughout the day.

Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to your body's signals of thirst, and drink water when you're thirsty.

Remember that individual hydration needs can vary, and it's important to find the right balance for your body. If you have specific concerns about hydration or weight loss, consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian for personalized guidance.

2. Balanced Diet: A balanced diet can contribute to weight loss for several reasons:

- A balanced diet helps you manage your calorie intake. It typically includes a variety of foods that provide essential nutrients, which can keep you feeling satisfied and reduce the temptation to overeat. By controlling your calorie intake and creating a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume), you can lose weight over time.

- A balanced diet includes a wide range of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats. Nutrient-dense foods provide essential nutrients without excessive calories, which can help support your health while you're losing weight.

- Balanced diets often prioritize complex carbohydrates, whole grains, and fiber-rich foods, which can help stabilize blood sugar levels. This can prevent energy spikes and crashes, reducing the likelihood of overeating or cravings for unhealthy, high-sugar snacks.

- A balanced diet typically includes a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. Protein, in particular, is essential for muscle maintenance and repair, which can be crucial when you're losing weight to ensure that you're losing fat and not lean muscle mass.

- A balanced diet supports healthy metabolism, ensuring that your body efficiently processes the food you eat and burns calories more effectively.

- A balanced diet is not a crash diet but a sustainable way of eating. Sustainability is key for maintaining weight loss over time, as it's easier to stick to a diet that you can maintain for the long term.

It's important to note that while a balanced diet is a fundamental component of weight loss, other factors like portion control, regular physical activity, and overall lifestyle choices also play significant roles in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Additionally, individual dietary needs and preferences can vary, so what constitutes a balanced diet may vary from person to person. For personalized guidance on weight loss and dietary recommendations, consider consulting with a registered dietitian or healthcare professional.

3. Portion Control: Portion control is a fundamental principle for weight loss because it helps you manage your calorie intake, which is a key factor in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. 

Portion control encourages mindfulness about what you're eating. It helps you become more conscious of the amount of food you're consuming, making it less likely that you'll overeat.

Over time, your body can adapt to smaller portion sizes, and you may find that you become satisfied with less food. This can help you reduce your overall calorie intake without feeling deprived.

Portion control is a sustainable approach to weight management because it doesn't require you to eliminate specific foods or food groups. It's a flexible method that can be adapted to different eating preferences and lifestyles.

 Portion control encourages balanced eating by allowing you to enjoy a variety of foods in appropriate quantities. This ensures that you receive a wide range of nutrients, which is essential for overall health.

To effectively control portions, consider using visual cues like the size of your hand, utensils, or specific measuring tools to help you gauge portion sizes. It's also helpful to eat mindfully, savoring each bite, and paying attention to your body's hunger and fullness cues.

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5. Limit Sugary Drinks: Limiting or completely eliminating sugary drinks from your diet can significantly reduce your calorie intake and contribute to weight loss. It's a relatively simple and effective way to cut out empty calories and improve your overall diet quality. Opting for water, herbal tea, unsweetened coffee, or other low-calorie, sugar-free beverages can help you control your calorie intake and support your weight loss goals.

6. Exercise: Exercise, particularly cardio and high-intensity activities, can lead to significant fat loss. Cardio exercises like running, swimming, and cycling are effective at burning calories, while high-intensity activities like HIIT can increase fat oxidation.

It's important to note that while exercise is a valuable tool for weight loss, it should be combined with a balanced diet for the best results. Weight loss primarily occurs through a combination of consuming fewer calories and burning more through physical activity. Moreover, individual responses to exercise can vary, so it's essential to find an exercise routine that works for you and is sustainable in the long term. Consult with a healthcare provider or fitness professional to develop an exercise plan tailored to your specific needs and goals.

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Remember, losing weight too quickly can be harmful and unsustainable. It's generally recommended to aim for a gradual and steady weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week. Consult with a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian for personalized guidance and to ensure you're following a safe and effective plan for your specific needs and goals.