#emma gut health

[poojalate]

5 Ways to Improve Your Gut Health Naturally

Maintaining good gut health is crucial for overall well-being. A healthy gut helps in digestion, boosts immunity, and even impacts your mood. Here are five effective ways to naturally improve your gut health.

1. Incorporate Prebiotics and Probiotics

One of the best ways to enhance your gut health is by consuming prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are fibers that feed the good bacteria in your gut, while probiotics are live beneficial bacteria. Together, they help maintain a balanced gut microbiome.

Prebiotic Foods: Include garlic, onions, bananas, and asparagus in your diet.

Probiotic Foods: Add yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi to your meals.

Using gut health supplements that combine prebiotics and probiotics, known as synbiotics, can also be beneficial.

2. Eat a Diverse Range of Foods

A varied diet rich in different types of nutrients can promote a diverse gut microbiome, which is essential for good gut health. Focus on incorporating a variety of foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. These foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fibers that support gut health.

Gut Healthy Foods: Apples, broccoli, almonds, lentils, and quinoa are excellent choices.

3. Manage Stress Levels

Chronic stress can negatively affect your gut health. High-stress levels may alter the gut microbiome and increase the risk of digestive issues. Therefore, managing stress is crucial for maintaining a healthy gut.

Stress-Relief Practices: Regular exercise, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and hobbies can help reduce stress. Activities like yoga and tai chi are also beneficial.

4. Stay Hydrated

Drinking plenty of water is essential for overall health, including gut health. Water aids digestion and helps in maintaining the mucosal lining of the intestines. It also supports the growth of good bacteria in the gut.

Hydration Tips: Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Include water-rich foods like cucumbers, oranges, and watermelons in your diet.

5. Get Enough Sleep

Quality sleep is vital for maintaining gut health. Poor sleep can disrupt the gut microbiome and lead to digestive problems. Ensuring you get enough restful sleep can significantly impact your gut health positively.

Sleep Tips: Establish a regular sleep schedule, create a relaxing bedtime routine, and avoid screens before bed. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

The Role of Gut Health Supplements

Sometimes, diet and lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to improve gut health. In such cases, gut health supplements can be beneficial. The best gut health supplements often include a combination of prebiotics, probiotics, and other nutrients that support digestive health.

Choosing the Right Supplement: Look for supplements that contain a variety of strains and high CFU (colony-forming units). Products like Emma Gut Health are formulated to support a healthy gut microbiome effectively.

Conclusion

Improving your gut health naturally is all about adopting a balanced lifestyle. Incorporate prebiotics and probiotics into your diet, eat a diverse range of foods, manage stress, stay hydrated, and ensure you get enough sleep. If needed, consider adding gut health supplements to your routine. By following these simple steps, you can enhance your gut health and overall well-being. Remember, a healthy gut is the key to a healthy life.

[stevesgother]

Little Red Lighthouse - S.H

Pairing - Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Warnings - exes to lovers, second chance romance, angst, slow burn, hurt/comfort, idiots in love, so much pining, cursing, alcohol & drug use, mental health themes

WC - 1.3k

AN - this was originally gonna be a super long oneshot, but in typical emma fashion I'm making it into another mini series

Divider by the amazing @strangergraphics <3

The Alcott. That was your favorite bar in Hawkins; and it was all you could think about sitting outside this shitty bar in Chicago. A mere few hours from home, and yet entirely too far. Just having finished school; it was an education completely orchestrated by your parents. A college you didn’t want to attend, a degree you had no enthusiasm for.

This was how you seemed to be spending most of your days post-undergrad: sulking and ruminating. Everything you could’ve had, but don’t.

–

“Steve, this is insane. That’s like a 15 foot drop!” 

You say as you peer over the bridge, shivering slightly in just your underclothes. It was only the cusp of Spring, the weather in Indiana hardly what you would consider “warm”.

“Oh c’mon. You said you would!” He barked a laugh.

“I told my mother that if you jumped off a bridge that I would too as a hypothetical.” You deadpan, even though a smile still tugs the corners of your mouth.

He looked lovely, always did. Moles adorning his cheeks, scattering their way down his back and into his boxers where your vision couldn’t reach. He shot you a grin only reserved for you.

“3..2..1 JUMP!”

“Wait!-”

Steve gripped your hand, pulling you down with him into the icy water below the bridge. Unable to decipher if the sinking feeling in your gut was from the rapid fall of his skin on yours. The shock of the bitterly cold water knocked the wind out of you.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” His smile gleaming at you. Water dripped from his eyelashes, beading on the apples of his cheeks.

 “It’s freezing!” you gasp as you surface. He starts to grip your shoulders in his warm hands, then pauses. A sudden nervousness settled and he was staring. You nervously wondered if there was something else in the water with you both. He never broke his stare. Your best friend for a million lifetimes, beautiful as ever. Looking at you as if you hung the moon just for him.

“I think I'm in love with you.”

–

When Steve finally peeled open his eyes and glanced at the blinking red of the alarm clock it read ‘3:00 PM’. His breath tasted of stale liquor as he slowly rose from his unmade bed. Skull pounding, he blindly reached for the painkillers he had made a habit of keeping on his nightstand, for afternoons like this.

Your old friend group planned a ‘welcome home’ party in anticipation for your return to Hawkins. Where you had gone to college out of state and made a new life for yourself, Steve hadn’t seemed to be able to keep his ahead above the violent current that was the trauma he endured here, in your hometown.

As you rested on the train back to Indiana, walkman in hand, you felt an air of nausea.You had started to regret leaving your car at your parents house 4 years ago; unsure whether the knot you felt in your gut was the result of motion sickness, or the thought of having to face him again.

Admittedly you were excited to see your friends again. You hadn’t come home for Christmas, for Thanksgiving, not even for summer breaks – always opting to stay as far away from that living nightmare as possible. You told yourself little lies. That it wasn’t because Steve Harrington still resided there, and with him, everything you lost. Everything you know you can never get back.

The air in Steve’s office was stiff and smelled of stale coffee. Robin sits in a less than lady-like position across from him in a chair unofficially designated for her. A plaque that reads “Chief” sat crooked between them from where Robin had set down the paper bag containing their lunch.

“You’re going to have to face her at some point, Steve.” Her voice snaps him out of his dissociative state.

“Yeah, I got it.” He sighs irritably, all traces of enthusiasm drained from his tone.

“I’m just saying,” she starts, “it's been 4 years. I’m sure she’s moved on, man. No bad blood.” It’s meant to be reassuring, but she doesn’t understand that that's entirely the problem. He gives her a skeptical stare. “Look, we’ll all be there. You have a ton of buffer people. Just stop by for a few minutes? For me?” The childish pout she gives in an attempt to guilt-trip is enough to push him over the edge.

“Rob- okay, fine. Stop making that face. For an hour. Not a second longer.” He points a finger at her, not unkindly.

–

As your car crunches over the gravel in the parking lot of Robin’s apartment complex, you can’t help but notice it’s already filled with cars despite you being perfectly on time. All the windows you knew belonged to her unit were lit a glowing yellow behind sheer curtains, allowing you glimpses of mingling silhouettes. You wonder briefly if this was intentional, or if in your never-ending brain fog, you managed to jumble the times.

A quick glance around the lot reveals that your friends still have the same cars they did all those years ago. Jonathan’s Ford LTD, Nancy’s Volkswagen Cabrio, and an achingly familiar maroon BMW 733i. Your heart jumps to your throat when you see it, accompanied by a sharp twist of betrayal in your chest as you don’t recall Robin ever mentioning he would be here. You suppose you can’t blame her.

You stop to take several deep breaths at the front door. You can hear the bass of an old, classic tune bumping inside and you try to time your breathing with it. In three, hold three, out three, and repeat. You raise your fist to knock before thinking it silly, so you just give the knob a tentative twist and walk in.

The room erupts in ‘Hey!’’s and ‘There she is!’’s. It’s a relief to realize they don’t hate your guts, even though they’ve always made it clear that they don’t. A nauseating guilt settles over you as you’re reminded of how long you’ve left them with barely any word from you at all– the pain of this town and everything that happened in it just too much to bear; even if they were your best friends.

Back then, talking to them sounded like long, mucousy vines that strangled and trapped. It sounded like the bitter cold and emptiness of your hometown mirrored just beneath your feet. It sounded like watching chunks of flesh be ripped from your boyfriend’s skin. It sounded like his screams for your help and you just couldn’t– you needed time.

Now though, as they wrap you in hugs and you smell the homey scent of your best friends apartment, it feels less like then and more like now. Over Nancy’s shoulder, slightly obscured by her usually wild curls, you catch the eye of the one person not dogpiling you, and fight the grimace threatening to surface. You don’t hate Steve, not by any sense of the word– you just can’t look at his stupid, beautiful face without remembering what you did to him.

When everyone disperses, satisfied with their greetings, you can really take in Steve’s appearance in front of you. The years haven’t been unkind to him, but he looks tired. Day old, maybe two, stubble shadows his usually bright face. He fills out the red sweater and light wash Levi’s he wears nicely. You think he’ll always have that boyish Harrington charm, but he looks more like a man than when you left him.

You walk towards him hesitantly.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

[ninadove]

Lukadrinette kids

Because I can. Enjoy these silly little thoughts.

📝 General notes:

Marinette, aka Maman, started out as a very successful and very stressed out fashion designer. She ends up retiring at 35 to take over the bakery and finally learn to chill (it’s going… better than expected).

Luka, aka Papa, is a guitarist with a very niche following and is perfectly happy with that. He’s very present in his kids’ lives and the easiest parent to open up to, because of course he is.

Adrien, aka Dad, is the stay-at-home parent and could not be more stoked. And scared. Someone help them

Emma and Hugo are twins, but look nothing like each other, which baffled Adrien and Felix when they were born; Adrien will never admit it, but he was a tiny bit disappointed they weren’t identical.

To help the kids connect with their heritage, their parents speak French, English and Mandarin Chinese at home. Despite it all, Louis’ first words were a full sentence in Japanese — more on that later.

It’s very common for French kids to have two “middle names” (deuxième et troisième prénoms), so I have planned accordingly. Enjoy!

🐍 Emma

Her full name is Emma Sentibug Alya Dupain-Cheng. Adrien would not have it any other way.

She’s the oldest by five minutes and she takes it very seriously. Too seriously, even.

Emma inherited Gabriel’s grey eyes, which will have no influence on her perception of herself at all, no sir.

Like Marinette, she feels responsible for protecting everyone and everything around her, which is why she was blacklisted from using the Ladybug Miraculous before she reached the tender age of five.

As luck would have it, she ended up with the Snake, which is even worse for her mental health. For maximum dramatic irony, I think I’ll call her superheroine persona Aspik.

Aroace and sad. It’s already hard enough to be aspec as it is, but given the importance romance played in her parents’ lives… you get the point.

🦋 Hugo

Aka Hugo Felix Tom Dupain-Cheng. Yes, Felix cried upon learning his name. A lot.

🎶 Bi bi bi bi BI 🎶

Inherited Mari’s talent for arts and crafts and Adrien’s dramatics. Despite being very similar to them both, he often finds it difficult to talk to them.

Uncle Felix, however, is his absolute favourite adult in the world, and regularly knocks some sense into him.

Adrien and Nino were so excited for their sons to be besties! So naturally they hate each other’s guts

They end up kissing about it, though, so it’s fine.

Butterfly holder. Very purple 💜

🐈‍⬛ Louis

Aka Louis Nino Jules (after Juleka)

Because twins were a lot to handle, Louis only came along six years later.

When he doesn’t get his way, he turns petulant and grumpy, which makes him Plagg’s absolute favourite. Luka finds it endearing and jokes that they rub off on each other. This stresses Adrien out, though, as he fears it might be an early sign of Gabriel Behaviour.

The truth is that Louis just has these huge feelings that he doesn’t know how to handle… and you know who relates to this? KAGAMI. She’s the only one who can get him to calm down once he starts crying. She will pick him up, he will cling to her jacket and suck on his thumb, and she will carry on with the conversation as if nothing happened.

Originally Very Small, he gets a HUGE growth spurt and ends up built like Tom, which is very unusual for Cat holders.

🐞 Sabine

Aka Sabine Amelie Rose

The surprise baby of the bunch. She looks just like her grandma Sabine!

A total ray of sunshine. Also very gay.

As the youngest and eventual holder of the Ladybug Miraculous, she triggers Mari’s overprotective tendencies the most. Adrien actually had to step up and get her to back off as it was starting to stir up bad memories.

Because Rose was very ill when the twins and Louis were young, she and Juleka didn’t get to watch them as much as she would have liked. They made up for it by spoiling their younger niece beyond reason.

The most musically inclined of the kids. Her love for punk rock and metal clashes hard with her cutesy vibes. Rose couldn’t be prouder. 💖

[nikeiyomiurioverthinker]

Nikei Yomiuri has BPD: the masterpost

So I've been formally requested to make a post on why I believe Nikei has BPD- so strap in, folks, this is gonna be a long one.

I want to preface this with, I am in no way a mental health expert, I am in no way qualified to actually diagnose anyone with anything, but I am a weirdo who likes to read the DSM-5 for kicks who also happens to think about Nikei Yomiuri a lot. Everything I say needs to be taken with a grain of salt, yadda yadda yadda, you know how that all goes.

TW for discussions of sui, CSA and SH. I am not planning to discuss any of these topics in depth (except for the first one, due to just. Nikei being Nikei), but if the topics distress you in any way, I would advise simply not reading this. Look after yourself.

So, firstly, I would like to discuss how BPD develops. Though there are many possible causes, such as genetics, affecting the on-set of BPD symptoms, one of the most common causes is childhood abuse, especially CSA. We currently do not yet know Nikei's backstory and how he was 'saved' by Utsuro, but it is commonly believed that it had to do with CSA. It both explains some of his behaviors- the weird hypersexual tendencies and his extremely negative reaction to being touched by Mikado from behind, for example- and 'fits', so to speak, Void's tendency in everyone there suffering some sort of child abuse. This is mostly to explain how Nikei fits the common parameters of someone in whom BPD could develop.

Now, as for the diagnostic criteria: the DSM-5 dictates there are 9 major symptoms of BPD, and in order to qualify, the patient needs to fulfill at least 5.

Before I go over which of the symptoms he fulfills, I want to start with stating that Nikei is a particularly hard character to get a read on, mostly due to him faking his personality for the greatest majority of the game, and though I do not believe everything about him that we see is 100% fake at all times, it would be presumptuous of me to discern what I personally believe to be real or not. Therefore, I will keep myself limited to:

His actions throughout the game (plus the ones he made from behind the scenes and also what he did before the actual happenings of the game)

Nikei's bouts of anger (which he is shown to be physically unable to control)

Chapter 6's Void Theatre (since Linuj has stated that Nikei was being truthful in it and was thus is 'real self')

Talking about his anger… symptom number 1, "Inappropriate, intense anger that can be difficult to control" and symptom number 2, "Rapidly shifting intense emotional dysregulation". I don't think I need to go too in-depth when talking about how he fits these symptoms. If you have played the game, you know Nikei is shown to turn easily aggressive in ways he seems unable to control. I think the scene that highlights that the most is the one in chapter 4 while everyone is in Nikei's room- right after Mikado leaves. Nikei is unable to calm himself down, and has to cut short the meeting due to his inability to regulate his emotions properly. Honestly, Nikei in the fourth trial could also be used as an example for this.

Symptom number 3, "Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment". The man's gut reaction to Emma, Hajime and Iroha 'leaving' him was to come up with a plan to fuck over the man who took them away from him. It's actually a little hard to express myself in-depth on these first points, because I feel as though it would just be me repeating the game's plot points or just. Describing his character, rather than adding anything new to the discussion… of course, it's also pretty obvious that Nikei has extremely unstable relationships (again, Void), so he fits the fourth symptom as well, "Unstable and chaotic interpersonal relationships, often characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation, also known as "splitting" ". He doesn't necessarily 'split' on anyone in game, unless you count the fact that he can go from developing a crush on Sora to hating her guts in chapter 4, though in that case, his sudden hatred is more than understandable, considering the context- but I have to stress, it is almost impossible for us to know how Nikei feels about people in general, since most of his relationships are technically developed off-camera. As I am talking about Nikei's relationships, I feel like it would be a disservice to this 'theory' to not bring up this specific answer to a question that Linuj himself gave:

Nikei is not healthy with his interpersonal relationships. While this comment is strictly about romantic relationships, it is not a stretch to say that he gets obsessive about others in general- ergo, his relationships are unstable by definition.

Our fifth symptom is "Markedly disturbed sense of identity and distorted self-image"- one of his most obvious characteristics as a person is his inferiority complex, which feeds into his desire for power. To this, we can also add his struggle with his own self-worth. We don't know why exactly Nikei idolizes his hand as of yet, but it doesn't take an expert to realize that no matter the reason, his obsession with it doesn't exactly give us the impression his self-image is in any way stable.

Theoretically, I could stop here, since to be diagnosed you only need to fulfill 5 symptoms, but I am an overachiever to a fault so I'm gonna go on.

Symptom number 6, "Impulsive or reckless behaviors (e.g., uncontrollable spending, unsafe sex, substance use disorders, reckless driving, binge eating)". Now this might be weird to some of you, since Nikei doesn't really show any of these behaviors in game (again, not counting personal headcanons for this, so even if I do believe Nikei is definitely a reckless driver, I can't exactly say that counts since it is 100% based on vibes) but these are all just examples of reckless behaviors- Nikei has just significantly more personalized ones. Like, say, participating in a killing game of his own free will, or using an actual stun gun on himself rather than just pretending to be unconscious, or randomly changing key details of the plan he made supposedly months prior on the fly (ie adding Teruya to the mix when his spot was originally supposed to be taken by Syobai). Assuming Nikei has BPD actually makes chapter 4 make more sense.

"Recurrent suicidal ideation or self harm"- this is the last symptom I am going to talk about, and the primary reason for the TW at the start. This is probably gonna be somewhat headcanon-y, and if anyone wants to disregard that as such I cannot exactly fault them for it, but hear me out: Nikei's plan counts as a suicide plan. Nikei is not an idiot- he would have known that, no matter how it ended up going, if he failed or not, Nikei was gonna die either way- if his plan worked and Yuki was executed, Mikado would have retaliated and killed him in revenge; if his plan worked and Yuki got away with it, he would have died in the mass execution; and if, how it happened in canon, he failed he would have been killed, too (Mikado may have said that he would have forgiven Nikei if he returned back to Void, but let's be real here- that was a bold faced lie. He was just gloating). This plan would have ended up with him dead no matter what, and he was okay with it- which I don't need to tell you, is not exactly something someone who has never considered suicide before would do.

(Also random thought that I probably wouldn't be able to fit in another post- Nikei's execution itself is fairly odd, in the sense that he was ultimately the one who killed himself. He was the one that ran up the stairs, he was the one that jumped off the building, he was the one that failed to catch the ladder- hell, jumping off a building is a pretty common suicide method. His death is unique in the sense that he brought it all to himself- he was the only executee that wasn't tied down in any way, all his actions were truly his choice. He didn't need to run away from the Monocrows, but he did. He didn't need to go up the stairs instead of down, but he did. He didn't need to jump, but he did.)

The last two symptoms are:

Chronic feelings of emptiness

Transient, stress-related paranoid or severe dissociative symptoms

Which I don't think I can apply to Nikei in good conscience, since it's pretty hard to discern how that man is feeling at all times (other than, well, when he is raging). That would wound up being wayyy too headcanon-y for even me to excuse. Like, do I believe he is depressed? Absolutely. Do I believe he has PTSD? Certainly, but I can't point to any exact action he takes in game and point to it to say that he is 100% depressed. It's mostly just vibes. And again, I don't really need to? I have already given ample evidence as to why I believe Nikei has BPD, even without these last two symptoms.

(I mean, I COULD prove that Nikei has PTSD- if we consider his more than likely sexual trauma and his reaction to him being grabbed by Mikado specifically, someone who he considers to be a threat- that certainly feels like PTSD to me. Even without that, I genuinely doubt anyone that lived through the Tragedy DOESN'T have PTSD. Anyway I am losing track of the post here-)

I don't exactly know how to end this, but yeah! That's about it. Nikei has BPD, thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

[frizzle-mcshizzle]

what r your thoughts on forkle /gen

as a writer i think hes a very well written morally grey character, as a reader i hate his freaking guts here is the list i literally keep in my notes of why i hate him.

he broke into her room who knows how many times when she was a little girl (idc if he had REASONS its FREAKING WEIRD)

he asked Sophie to meet him (a grown man) on a island alone and when she took Keefe with her he told her she had to come in the cave with him alone

he just about left Dex for dead in the Neverseen hideout and only brought him because Sophie refused to go without him. Dex was a innocent child. Dex wasn’t just anyones child he was a member of the collectives child someone who he worked with side by side for years, and he was still willing to leave him behind (he later said he was going to back for him but like...)

Dex ended up with scars because he didn’t bring enough elixirs for him.

he thinks of Sophie as an accomplishment and doesn’t expect her to want him to think of her as anything more (Everblaze, Page 447.)

he calls her his moonlark. which sounds sweet until you realize that’s her project code name he’s literally calling her “my creation” aka “my weapon”

he will act very cryptic and only give out bits of information, just enough that she will look into what he was talking about then act proud and flatter her, saying things like “i underestimated you kids” when she and her friends figure out the thing he wanted her to know.

he will tell her about problems in the world making it sound horrible and hopeless, then saying "this is the thing we made you to fix, but that’s your choice"

he’s constantly switching from dehumanizing her because she is the Moonlark and it’s her job to change things and this is what she was created for. then treating like his child at the drop of a hat

excludes her parents from the conversations and tells her she has control over her life, not them, like she isn’t a young teen

he told a fourteen year old that if he and the rest of collective died Sophie and her friends would take their place, not care about what kind of pressure that would put on her. then admits to grooming Sophie and her friends to lead the Black Swan one day

he is constantly reading her mind and never lets her have her thoughts to herself but expects her to not read other peoples minds.

he put all this importance on Prentice and told a child that they where going to use her to brake into prison and almost got another child killed who didn't even need to be there (they could have done that without her they have dwarves)

finds it funny to exclude Sandor from conversations that could potentially put her in danger

had Sophie recruit other children, which is disturbing, because fine they don’t have a choice if she’s in danger but putting other children in danger and taking on missions is completely unnecessary, he could have done it himself or had adults do it.

Ignored tam being taken by the neverseen, and told them to focus on other things

Not to mention he basically took advantage of Emma Foster's health issues, knowing full well he'd be taking her child away from her and her husband at a later date. Sophie's human parents were done so dirty, and all they wanted to do was let her be a kid for as long as possible

[dark-frosted-heart]

Bun!Emma and Rio interactions. Except I didn't include a lot of Rio's simping. Sweet end not included

I totally didn't forget about this. Nope.

Rio's dreaming about Emma. In his dream, she's wearing a hat that gets blown away, revealing a pair of long, fluffy ears hiding under it. She's too cute, blah blah. He rubs her ears, her blushing's too adorable, she's soft and warm yes we know.

Turns out he was actually rubbing a bunny's ears. He sits up and looks for his beloved fiancée but she's nowhere to be found. But the little bunny in his arms reminds him of her. It may sounds impossible, but he knows in his heart that it's her.

After the bunny wakes up, Rio picks her up and sets her on the the table by the window while he sits down on the sofa.

He tells the bun that he knows she's Emma since he held Emma in his arms the whole night. Plus he's aware of Emma's habits since he likes to watch her sleep.

Emma's aware that he watches her, but hearing it from his mouth gets her all embarrassed. Luckily she can't be seen blushing but her ears are a whole different story. It's too cute for Rio to handle

He picks Emma up, nuzzles her cheek, and whispers how much he loves her

To keep Emma from worrying about her situation, he takes her around to various places.

Rio takes Emma to the dance hall and plays a favorite song of Emma's on the harpsicord. When Rio asks if she likes it, Emma jumps in response

Emma spins to tell him her song request. Ah she's too cute, down to her tail. He continues with his gushing before playing the song she requested. Emma starts dancing to the music

Afterward, Rio takes Emma to the kitchen to feed her the sweetest fruits [IMPORTANT NOTE: Only feed rabbits fruit and veg that's high in sugar or carbs sparingly as a treat. Sugar is bad for their gut health]

Rio then takes her out to a flower field. As a rabbit, the flowers are now a lot bigger than usual

And then through a forest where Emma gets to interact with other small woodland animals

Then back to the palace where they're met with Silvio who's been looking for Rio. He looks at the bun in his arms and tells him he's lost it. Anyway, there's someone that wants to see Rio. Severo, a merchant.

Rio asks Emma if she wants to go back to his room or join him. Emma waves her paws to indicate that she wants to go with him.

Silvio roughly ruffles Rio's head and asks what he's gonna do if the bunny misbehaves.

Rio defends the bun and Silvio can't believe he named her Emma. And the way he treats the bun...did the real Emma run away from him? Maybe he should get himself checked out since he's gone mad.

Rio defends his and Emma's bond. They'll love each other in the next life, and the next, and the next, and the-

He asks bun!Emma if she agrees. Silvio doesn't want to deal with this anymore. He tells Rio to just go say hi to the guy

Severo's talking to the brothers when he notices the bunny in Rio's arms. Wanting to make a good impression, Emma straightens up and then bows her head (Rio: She's so cute!). Severo looks at her curiously and comments on how cute she is.

Silvio: Huh? o_o Rio: I know right?

Apparently Severo loves rabbits and the two bonded over Rio's rabbit plushie. Business continues as usual

After the meeting, the pair return to Rio's room where he sets Emma down on his bed.

As Emma sleeps, Rio starts to think of how to get her back to normal. He goes to retrieve some books from the library.

The sun's set by the time he's finished but all he's found are fairy tales. But might as well give true love a shot anyway

Emma, who woke up a while ago, jumps onto his lap and snuggles up to him.

He kisses her forehead and her body starts glowing.

Next thing you know, a naked human Emma's sitting on Rio's lap and he hugs her tight before giving her his shirt. And then hugs her again, tighter than before.

Emma thanks Rio for taking care of her and for not treating her any differently. All Rio wants is for her to smile and be happy. And regardless of what form she takes, he knows what she wants. And he'll always be able to find her, no matter what. Even if she were a grain of sand on the beach. He'll find her and bring her back with true love's kiss

Then Emma will do the same

Emma's too cute and now Rio wants to love her in a way he couldn't when she was a bunny

[afewproblems]

Okay, so I couldn't leave this alone so here is a Stranger Things Pride and Prejudice Steddie AU One shot!

There are two truths universally acknowledged, one being that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a spouse, the second is that Stephen Harrington the third is a bastard. 

However little known the feelings or views of such a man as Stephen Harrington may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this first truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property and target of some one or other of their daughter or sons, despite the nature of his rather frightful personality.

Now, he was not truly a bastard -not in the way that you may be thinking dear reader, no. 

The Harringtons were wed in an opulent ceremony that had not left the lips of the citizens in the surrounding hamlets and towns for nearly a decade. The pair were not particularly well loved, nor were they even reasonably well liked, however, their fortune allowed them considerable influence over the land and much of the people around it. Perhaps, in part, because of the lavish balls and beautiful grounds they were held upon. 

A child had been born to Phillip and Emma Harrington upon their third year of marriage, a healthy boy that grew up in wealth and comfort, becoming the very bastard that had plagued Edward's every waking moment with his arrogant manner and beautiful brown eyes.

It was an opinion not only cultivated by several interactions that left Edward puzzled and irritable, but by a troubling anecdote from the affable Lieutenant Hargrove. 

To withhold a sizable income, hoarding so much wealth all to one's self for what, for seemingly no reason at all? 

When the Munsons survived on a mere two thousand a year to sustain the 7 of them, and with his elderly uncles failing health, he was beginning to worry. 

And perhaps worst of all, that he had been the direct cause of his dear sister's broken heart.

Nancy had been devastated when she received the letter from Caroline Buckley, telling her that both the Buckleys, Caroline and her lovely sister Robin, and Harrington were returning to London with no plans to return. 

It didn't matter how many times Nancy assured Edward that she was fine, it did not cover up the soft weeping from behind the door of the room she and Ell shared. 

William, Dustin, and Ell came to Edward the next day with concerns for their eldest sibling, strong, whip smart, even-tempered Nancy who kept her heart so often sequestered that to hear of her open sorrows left Edward gutted and the youngest siblings morose for days. 

He knew this was Stephen's doing, since Colonel Byers had so graciously told him so. 

It had been at a sermon, not Edwards idea of an exciting afternoon when there were books to be read, stories to tell, or songs to sing, but it certainly appeased his wonderful friend Chrissy to see her so happy and taken care of, despite her bore of a new husband, Jason. 

Byers was an agreeable fellow, Edward was certain there was no reason that he and Harrington should be so close, but the universe was certainly owed at least one mystery, and Byers was good humored enough to find Edward charming - so Edward chose not to examine it too closely.

“So how long do you plan to stay in Kent Colonel?” Edward asks softly, happy for the opportunity to ignore the dry sermon taking place before them. 

Jonathan smiles warmly though his gaze remains unbroken, eyes staring straight ahead of him, “As long as Harrington chooses, I’m at his disposal”.

Edward snorts and leans forward to tip his face into the hand balanced on his own knee at the elbow, “Everyone appears to be at his disposal,” he finds Stephen in the crowd easily, there is no mistaking him,  “It’s no wonder he doesn’t marry and secure lasting convenience of that kind,” he murmurs, waggling his eyebrows at the Colonel.

Jonathan smiles though it's considerably smaller this time,“They would be lucky,” he says earnestly.

“Really?”

Jonathan nods, “Harrington is a most loyal companion, from what I heard on our journey here, he recently came to the rescue of one of his closest friends just in time.”

Edward sits up, dropping his hand away from his face and turning his body further to face both the Colonel and Stephen, “What happened?”

Jonathan whispers, leaning in conspiratorially, “He saved her from an imprudent marriage--”

Edwards' heart rate increases, his palms begin to sweat, “...Who?”

Across the pews he can see Stephen sitting there, dark eyes downcast, long brown hair sweeping over his forehead in gentle waves, but he seems tired, bored, Edward hates him just a little more. 

“His closest friend, Robin Buckley”.

Time slows down, it feels as though the world has been plunged into the darkest depths of the ocean and Edward is swimming to the surface, his breathing stutters slightly as he exhales slowly through his nose, “Did Mr. Harrington give a reason for this interference?”

Jonathan nods again, “There were apparently strong objections to the lady,” he says softly, he glances at Edward once before turning forward once more, his expression betraying nothing.

“What kind of objections?” Edward stammers, “Her lack of fortune?”

“No, I think it was her family that was considered unsuitable,”

No…

“So…” Edward whispers, the words slice over his lips and teeth, “he separated them”.

“I believe so, but I know nothing else”.

It had been luck that Byers had no idea who Edward was, who he was to Nancy and who he was to Stephen.

It allowed him ammunition to arm himself with. 

His fury knows no bounds, how dare he, how dare this scoundrel, this villain! Edward stalks through the hills outside of town, the distant sounds of thunder and the deep gray clouds painting the skies do not deter him from his path. He breathes deeply and sweeps the long curls away from his face where they’ve escaped from the leather cord tying the locks back. He should have allowed Chrissy to braid it for him like she offered to before they left. 

No point now.

Rain begins pattering around him, starting small before suddenly beginning in earnest, he curses under his breath and takes off towards a short stone bridge with a strange monument on the other side, whatever it was, it was at least sheltered. 

Edwards chest heaves by the time he reaches the end of the bridge, he brings his hair around to squeeze out the worst of the water, there is no hope for the rest of his clothes, they will need to be hung to dry when he arrives back at Rosings estate to tell Chrissy what he’s learned.

He raises his hands to his face to wipe away the moisture, the Munson family ring glints in the low light and his chest aches with the sight of it. 

Oh Nancy.

He hardly notices a figure that walks up the steps, tall, dressed in blue wool that has deepened to a near black with the rain. 

Edward gasps and coughs to cover up his short lived fright as he finally notices him, Harrington. 

He stands there awkwardly, his normally perfect hair is drenched, flat against his forehead and ears. His nose and cheeks are pink with the cold and there is nothing endearing about this whatsoever.

“Mr. Munson,” Stephen says, the deep timbre of his voice loud over the gentle hum of the cascading rain, “I have struggled in vain, and I can bear it no longer.”

What?

“These last few months have been a torment,” he continues when Edward presents no argument, “I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you, I, I had to see you…” and here he appears to lose his nerve, his mouth opens and closes until he clears his throat and swallows roughly.

“I fought against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth and my rank, the circumstance of all of these things that I am willing to put aside to ask you to end my agony”.

“I don’t understand,” Edwards says, he’s speaking so quickly, it's ridiculous--

“I love you”.

Edward blinks.

“Most ardently,” Stephen says softly, it's nearly indistinguishable from the patter of the rain and the thundering of Edward's heart, “please do me the honor of accepting my hand”.

He was right, it was ridiculous, and rude, it does top Carver’s bumbling attempts at a proposal though which he thought would be near impossible.

“Sir I,” Edward says eventually, haltingly, “I appreciate the struggle you have been through and I am very sorry to have caused you pain,” Edward lies, “believe me, it was unconsciously done”

Stephen’s honey brown eyes close as his expression shutters, “Is this your reply?”

“Yes sir,” Edward bites out. 

“Are you,” Stephen says in a near whisper, “are you laughing at me?”

If Edward didn’t hate him so much at this moment he would pity him, the heartfelt confession disappearing into smoke as Edward burns it down.

“No,” and he really isn’t.

“Are you rejecting me?” Stephen says, he finds his voice once more, the volume climbing back above a whisper as a thread of irritation pulls through the words.

You don’t get to be angry, Edward thinks viciously, you get nothing.

“I’m sure that the feelings, as which you have told me, have hindered your regard will help you in overcoming it”.

Stephen blinks and takes one step forward, they are of similar heights, Stephen just slightly taller than himself but he refuses to let the proximity intimidate him, “Might I ask why with so little endeavor to civility I must repulse--”

“And I might as well inquire why you chose to tell me you loved me against your better judgment--” Edward shouts, 

“No, believe me--”

“If I was uncivil then that is no excuse,” he speaks over him, the words continue to fall out in bursting shouts that would echo over the hills were it for the thunder and rain around them, “but I have other reasons you know I have!”

“What reasons?” Stephen says as his brow furrows, and Edward wants to shake him.

“Do you think that anything would tempt me to accept the hand of the man that has ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?”

Stephen’s shoulders drop ever so slightly, his expression resigned but still determined.

“Do you deny it Mr. Harrington?” Edward nearly snarls, moving in for the kill, “that you separated a young couple who loved each other, exposing your friend to a world of caprice, and my sister to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind--”

“I do not deny it,” Stephen says softly, his eyes bore into Edwards own, they have not left his face once.

“How could you do it?” Edward whispers, the words are frayed though, jagged as they make their way out.

“Because,” Stephen says, “I believed your sister indifferent”. 

He says it so matter-of-factly, as though speaking the truth.

“Indifferent?” Edward scoffs.

“I watched them most carefully and realized that Miss Buckley’s attachment was deeper than that of your sisters--”

“That's because she’s shy!” Edward blurts out, he won’t have this, this blatant attack on Nancy’s character, she means too much to him while Stephen means nothing, the bastard.

“Buckley too is modest and was persuaded that she didn’t feel strongly enough--”

“Because you suggested it!” 

They’re shouting now, both of them inching ever closer, clouds of angry breath undulate together in the cool air as they share the space.

“I did it for her own good!” 

“My sister hardly shows her true feelings to me, to any of us!” Edwards chest heaves as he realizes what he’s said, he shakes his head and looks away from the stricken expression on Stephens face. 

Edward swallows sharply, the words come out smoother than he feels, “I suppose you suspected her, her fortune had some bearing on the matter--”

“No,” Stephen yells, speaking over Edward as he rears back in surprise, “I wouldn’t do your sister the dishonor, though it was suggested that…”

“What was?”

Stephen hesitates for a moment, his eyes flick between Edwards own before he breathes out, “It was made perfectly clear that an advantageous marriage--”

“Did my sister give you that impression?” Edward hisses, taking a step forward of his own.

“No! No, no, there was however, I have to admit, the matter of your family--”

“Our want of connection?” 

At this Stephen looks away, his chest rises in barely restrained frustration if the clenching and unclenching fingers mean anything, but Edward presses on, “Miss Buckley didn't seem too concerned about any of that--”

“It was more than that”.

“How sir,” Edward growls, his jaw set and teeth nearly bared. 

“It was the lack of propriety shown by your aunt, your younger siblings, and on occasion your uncle”.

“Forgive me,” he says eventually, the words nearly startle Edward after so long with only the quiet hum of the rain around them, “you and your sister I must exempt from these conclusions”.

Edward stops from rolling his eyes, though its a near thing, he takes a deep breath and speaks, “And what about Mr. Hargrove?”

This seems to catch Stephen off guard, he flinches and frowns,“Mr…Hargrove?”

“What excuse can you give for your behavior to him?” Edward continues, leaving his tone sharp and his words biting, he crosses his arms as Stephen strides towards him suddenly.

“You take an eager interest in that gentleman's concerns!” He grinds out, his brown eyes scanning Edwards own with a sneer. 

“He told me of his misfortunes--” 

“Oh yes,” Stephen mutters, “his misfortunes have been very great indeed”.

He shakes his head and steps back, rubbing his hand roughly through his wet hair, tossing it out of his eyes, his face drops to the ground as he refuses to look at Edward.

“You have ruined his chances and yet treat him with sarcasm?”

Stephen laughs bitterly and shakes his head, his hands come up to hold his hips with a white knuckle grip, “So this is your opinion of me,” he whispers darkly, he raises his head to meet Edwards gaze once more, “Thank you for explaining so fully, perhaps these offenses might have been overlooked if your pride had not been hurt--”

“My pride?” Edward shouts.

“--by my honesty in admitting reservations about our relationship”.

Stephen scoffs, whipping out a hand to gesture towards Edward, “Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?”

“And those are the words of a gentleman?” Edward barks out, he steps forward, tilting his chin up just slightly, “from the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, made me realize that you were the last man in the world I would ever be prevailed upon to marry”.

Stephen recoils as though slapped, he takes a step back and then another, his face pales considerably as he raises his hand to pinch his nose briefly before lowering it slowly. 

“Forgive me,” he says eventually, the words so soft Edward nearly misses them, “for taking up so much of your time,” he tilts his head slightly towards Edward before turning abruptly on his heel, stalking down the steps and back the way he had come. 

Edward stands there, breathing heavily, ignoring the sharp sting and heat behind his eyes as he blinks back frustrated tears. 

Damn him. 

***

Hours later once Edward had made his way back to Rosings, walking through the mud and the rain, considering the shouting match that had taken place over and over, the words play on a terrible loop in his mind. 

Chrissy helps him change out of the cold sopping wet clothes, and starts a fire in the guest room, he ignores the diatribe that Jason begins, gesturing with his bible and at the deluge that continues outside. Edward sits numbly at their kitchen table until Chrissy takes him by the arm back to his room. 

He tells her everything, every terrible word, every excuse Stephen lobbed at him while he was gone. Chrissy listens patiently, holding his hand in her smaller ones as he speaks. 

“Once I started I couldn’t stop, the words were coming out like bile,” he mutters listlessly. Chrissy wrinkles her nose and stands up from the end of the bed, she crosses over to the small desk against the wall. There atop the glossy brown surface, sitting in the soft glow of the brass candelabra is a letter. 

She grabs it with soft hands and walks back towards the bed where Edward is perched curiously.

“He came by earlier,” Chrissy says simply, holding out the paper, “said this was for you, hoped it would clear the air a bit”.

Edward takes it, the letter feels heavy in his hands as he smooths shaking fingers over the seam of the paper and the small wax seal. 

“I’ll leave you to it,” Chrissy whispers as she squeezes his shoulder briefly before making her way back to the door, letting it close softly behind her. 

Edward takes a deep breath and cracks the seal, unfolding the papers as he begins to read. 

‘I'm not going to renew the sentiments which were so disgusting to you, but to address the two offenses you have laid against me. 

I had not long been in Hertfordshire before I saw that Miss Buckley preferred your eldest sister. I observed my friend's behavior attentively and I could perceive that her partiality for Miss Munson was beyond what I have ever witnessed in her. 

Yet when I observed your sister, I detected no symptom of peculiar regard, and witnessed only the family's coarse appetite for having their children married favorably. And so in London, perhaps erroneously, I persuaded her of the unfitness of the match, citing your sister's coolness towards her. It would not have been the first time her heart had been trampled.          

It was unknowingly done and though the motives which governed me, may to you appear naturally insufficient, they were done to protect my closest friend. 

Edward rolls his eyes and scoffs but continues reading.

As to the other more serious matter.

As you may not know, my sister, Maxine was adopted as a babe. My parents had always wanted a girl and were not able to conceive a second time. They did, with their wealth and power, manage to find a baby to bring home with no questions asked. 

I loved her from the moment she came home. She was my sister, she was ours.

What I’m sure Mr. Hargrove has neglected to tell you, is that he came to us out of the blue claiming a familial relationship to Maxine. Demanding money for his silence, to continue the narrative that the Harringtons had no skeletons in their closets, nothing to hide. 

My parents would pay him to the tune of $3000 so he could do as he wished, fritter it away on drink and gambling, but silently. 

At first.

Over the years he demanded more money, always more, he was a leach whose thirst was never quenched.

Eventually, at their wits end my parents told him it was over, Maxine was nearly fifteen and they were ready to tell her about her origins. Hargrove would have nothing to hold over their heads if the secret was out. 

But perhaps the worst part was that this man, this stranger, had never really been related to Maxine at all. He had been a records clerk in London and stumbled onto the entire plot, sheer terrible circumstance brought this vile man into our midst.

No, and we had found out this appalling truth upon discovering that he had connived a relationship with my sister whom he had persuaded to be in love with and nearly made her consent to an elopement. All under our noses. 

At this, Edward nearly drops the letter, he quickly scrambles to grab the paper, bringing it back up to the light. Oh Gods.

His prime objective all this time had been to obtain her inheritance of thirty thousand pounds.

Upon this discovery we nearly killed each other, the only thing stopping the whole mess was Maxine. I will forever regret that she had to see such violence. 

I was lucky enough to persuade my sister of her folly. I hope that this goes some way to mitigate my behavior in your eyes. If you doubt my word please have it confirmed by my cousin Colonel Byers.’

The last page falls on the bed, away from Edwards shaking hands. He presses his fingers into his eyes until white sparks dance across his vision. 

He doesn’t know what to make of this. 

How could he?

Let me know what you think! (special shout out to @flowercrowngods for bouncing a few ideas around about this!)

[theeevilresidentquarry]

can I ask for Emma x Reader?

▪︎Set Post-Game (Everyone lives ending)

▪︎Prefer it be a getting together rather then Emma and Reader already together

▪︎maybe a comfort story? Not too fluffy but also not too much Angst? Like a middle of them two?

▪︎If you want to include other camp counsellors in it you can if you wish? But that's a choice up to you! weather it be references or them actually being.

Emma Mountebank x Geeky reader 

Tried a different style with this one, might've gotten carried away a bit, enjoy x 

Emma Mountebank who LOVES dr who and only person who knows is you and jacob. She’ll talk about it for days on end if she could, and the second that she found out you were a fan too she was ecstatic. She’ll stay up to the latest hours of the night just to watch the specials with you and never shut up about it the next day.

Emma Mountebank who loves to go movie for movie with you, of course she isn't that much of a nerd to watch tons of nerdy movies but she’ll listen to you spill your guts and then go on about all her girly movies (she absolutely loves Mean Girls and went into a state of shock seeing the cameo in 7 rings) 

Emma Mountebank who really does listen when you speak. Especially about everything that happened at camp, as much as she did try to forget about everything, it was a little comforting knowing that others (mostly you, Jacob and Abi) were comfortable enough to confide in her about the events. She understood how much it affected you but it's much easier to handle knowing that everyone lived (Nick is a little crazy now and Ryan is even more depressed than when Camp was still active)

Emma Mountebank who still stays in contact and does her best to spend time with you after the events at camp. Since Jacob ended up losing interest and she's been on her own she just wants to take time to herself and heal but still frequently spends time with the Quarry group chat, everyone has to suffer through dylan’s thousand hour long voice notes as now that he doesn't have radio equipment, he has to settle for being heard through calls only. Whenever the 2 of you are the only ones in the GC it's not bad blood, only when it's not about something nerdy or mental health it isn't very interesting. 

Emma Mountebank who will absolutely shell out hundreds of dollars just to hangout, when it's just the two of you going to a dinner of course she’ll offer to pay the bill (looking around her empty purse swearing its ok that she pays while you insist on paying it yourself) 

Emma Mountebank who does everything in her power to make sure that everyone has a good time during the monthly movie night, she’ll even get everyone their own tailored costume just to make the Imax movie experience 10x better. Especially when she dragged everyone to watch Barbie and made a rule that everyone needed to wear pink, everyone.

Emma Mountebank who’s doors are always open if you really do need company during a rough time, she’ll make the most comfortable of couches just for you to lay your head on and keep her ears open for all the things you need. A few times it did get very bad for you, you were confused when Jacob answered the door only to realize he too also sleeps over every once in a while.

Emma Mountebank who every few months just shows up to your house with a gift, everytime you ask why she wants to she always responds with the fact that she wants to help people and that helping others makes her feel better. So imagine her surprise when she got hit with her own surprise birthday party and the whole gang was there. Jacob and Dylan somehow managed to get Ryan to show up and he seemed happy, aswell as Nick just being there (talks in the gc once every other 2 weeks) as much as their relationship was a little sour, it was still a welcomed surprise for even the 2 that she didn't treat the best showed up.

[justanothersimsblog]

For Ibis:

Character Development Questions #5

Did your character have a favorite stuffed animal, blanket, doll, etc. as a child? If so, at what age did they stop playing with it?  Do they still own it or has it gotten lost or destroyed over the years?

Not a particular favorite, but he has had a teddy bear since he was a kid. It's still somewhere in his room at his parent's.

If your character were given $1,000 (or their country’s equivalent) to spend on non-necessities (i.e. no food or clothes or rent, etc.), what would they buy?

His gut reaction is to buy toys and such for his daughter. But he can't so he'd...keep it for a rainy day I guess.

How would your character describe their own appearance? Is it in line with how the other characters view them and/or how they’re described in the narration, or is it skewed (for better or for worse)?

Pretty accurate but he'd definitely embellish and add too many unnecessary adjectives.

Does your character dye their hair?  If so, do they still go for a “natural” look (like blonde to brunette), or bright/unnatural colors?

Noup, the pink hair is natural. If he didn't have pink hair he'd probably dye it pink though and be jealous at his family members that did get the pink hair.

Does your character have any bad habits or compulsions that are genuinely detrimental to their health and/or safety (smoking, drug/alcohol abuse, reckless driving, etc.)? If so, is it something they’re trying to change, or do they not care?

Smoking ✅ Drugs ✅ Alcohol ✅ (though not abuse)

He both consumes and makes them all. Being a vampire means he has a super high tolerance for them all so he's not in any danger... Or at least that's his understanding. His mom is worried though but she's always been worried abut drugs.

Is there anyone in your character’s life that they would be willing to die for? If so, does that character feel the same way about them?

His daughter. She's 2 though and has no idea of the concept. HE doesn't even realize this. He would actually definitely put himself in mortal danger for any family member though, but he also truly believes he won't actually really die in the end.

Is your character vegan or vegetarian? If so, is it for moral or health reasons? If not, how do they feel about vegans and vegetarians?

Hahahha. Even if we take vegan vampires like in Twilight, no, no he isn't. He doesn't care for actual vegans as long as they're not all over his ass for being who he is and needing to eat what he needs to eat.

Is your character charismatic, or does it take people some time to warm up to them?  What is it about their personality that makes people react this way to them?

Yes, huge charisma. And friendly. He's goofy, nice and kind of a dork (though he tries to hide that or claim he isn't) and people react well to that.

What is the longest romantic relationship your character has had, if any? What about platonic relationships?

A year...almost. A school year. With Taia. Yes, he was with Emma or Ella during his time at the Academy but it was very on and off so Taia wins longevity. I'm ignoring the one girl he actually called 'Girlfriend' for this question, it wasn't as significant.

Is there any special object that your character never goes without? If so, is it because of sentimental value (like a family heirloom) or practical use (like a pocketknife)? Or maybe both?

After much thought I concluded on Energy potions. Yes, he keeps a lot of crap in his pockets, he REALLY uses the crap out of Energy potions.

Just for Fun: Think of your the last TV show, movie, or book your watched or read. Who would be your character’s favorite character? Which characters are most like them?

Currently watching House so... Cuddy. Very simple reasoning, he'd think she's the hottest. Cameron is too much of a goody goody.

[youremyheaven]

Take this as constructive criticism or just me sharing my views. ITS NOT AN ATTACK

But I would really won't rely on doctors saying Lyme is just bunch of bs, I don't have it but I have 5 doctors at home and about pain , Man doctors are such sadist according to my sister who is a practicing doctor , she says if a doctor says you will be in mild discomfort it means it will hurt like bitch but if he/she says it won't hurt it means it will hurt but will be tolerable . My personal experience with medical professionals have also not been good I have been gaslighted so many times my symptoms were normal till I ended up in ICU so, no doctors/medical professionals are not always right.

Secondly, Andrew huberman is a piece of shit for what he did but supplements/probiotics do make a difference. Probably some supplements won't do things companies say, as companies often reach with thir claims like saying green tea will help you with weight loss, no for that you will have to drink a lot but saying green tea is not beneficial for health is false. As someone who was on very extended period of antibiotics, probiotics and yogurt has helped me immensely and it's still something that helps me when I have gut issues.

Anyways not an attack , I enjoy reading your work ✌

First of, I agree, doctors are shady as hell and esp as a woman, navigating the medical system and getting someone to take you seriously IS a challenge

I had already explained how Lyme disease is a legitimate illness caused by tick bites and "Chronic Lyme" is a separate "condition" that's unrelated to it.

Lyme disease is not a severe or life threatening condition btw. It's literally a very minor, completely treatable and fully curable condition that will go away with 2 weeks of antibiotics

Manyyy doctors have commented upon Bella's illness and how it makes no sense she has been suffering for 10+ years from ...a tick bite???

Also she has literally posted her medical history and it's all fake 😭😭

So yes, I stand my ground that whatever Bella has, isn't a real condition that can be verified by actual medical professionals :/

Another thing is that Chronic Lyme's symptoms are hella vague and not at all specific to cHroNic lYme, like if all your symptoms can be experienced by an average person, then how tf does one determine who is sick??

It's not like there hasn't been medical research done into this super rare disease and the entire medical community has been unhelpful to Bella. It's that, it's absurd and insane for this condition to persist over a lifetime??? Like that's not how it works???

I completely agree that doctors can be wrong but Chronic Lyme not being a real condition isn't some doctor's personal opinion. It's a medically disproven condition aka SCIENCE has proven that its not legit??

Obviously even science can be wrong sometimes, so maybe in the future we'll know about how Chronic Lyme is a super rare and advanced condition or whatever idk

Now about probiotics, research has shown:

"The majority of studies to date have failed to reveal any benefits in individuals who are already healthy.” The bacteria seem to help only those people suffering from a few specific intestinal disorders. “There is no evidence to suggest that people with normal gastrointestinal tracts can benefit from taking probiotics,” says Matthew Ciorba, a gastroenterologist at Washington University in St. Louis. “If you're not in any distress, I would not recommend them.” Emma Allen-Vercoe, a microbiologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, agrees. For the most part, she says, “the claims that are made are enormously inflated.” (from an article published by Scientific American)

Even with vitamin supplements, unless somebody has a serious deficiency, I don't see how taking supplements is prioritised over consuming actual vitamin rich food??? It's literally just a capitalist technique to make people buy shit they don't need. Imagine brainwashing people into thinking they should take vitamin c pills instead of yk... eating oranges or whatever???

Probiotics help those who have intestinal issues, which as per your description, I think you do. Majority of people already have gut bacteria and don't need to take probiotic supplements for it??? Or they can consume probiotic enhancing food like yoghurt (which I love 🤤)

I'm not attacking the concept of probiotics, just the way they're marketed and sold to the public to be some miracle cure when it's just as easy and convenient for people to eat food meant to help with healthy gut bacteria instead of yk paying for unnecessary supplements.

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

Looking back at my 2021 tok rev Tumblr post i was damn right my gut feeling about shinichiro sano being more deeper than just Takemichi Hanagaki spiritual successor. I love Wakui when he add that shin twist. God even back then i was always read dark shin fic i was FEEL right about this guy doing this stuff if he is push to far and I was dang right. Oh god. He need to a reason to continue and Manjiro is his reason. Take that reason away and he will be next villain of the world. Plus with how much responsibility he have to endure in short time and losing her mom and Manjiro in original timeline in short span of course he lose it. Plus there is a factor of grandpa sano being the kind of Japanese guy who doesn't seem to interested in talking with his grandson mental health. And a passive way he let Shin taking part in delinquency too factor in. I guess also because we don't see any Sano relatives who can support the Sano siblings if the Grandfather die. God. The amount of pressure on Shinichiro is tremendous. He is the one line of safety after his grandpa death and god this seek blood family even though he love Emma and Izana. His dedication to Manjiro is everything. Everything.

Also, your post in black dragons real life counterparts open my eyes. It is intentional. And the Shin we want to see is the same depressive fate Mikey have in canon. I love this guy but I want to see him break in further way. Mentally torture him with after his death how his fate originally for him pass to dear brother. Oh god, imagine this some twisted deity playing with his head and letting him know everything. Because i know damn sure takemichi and Mikey didn't tell the truth to Shin.

I WANT THIS MAN TO BREAK PART EVEN MORE

Suffer for my curiosity. I love him so much. He is in his comfort era too much right now it is hurt /no comfort era

Anon. Anon. Anon. I'm giving you the biggest platonic metaphorical forehead kiss rn. I. We share the same mind anon. You have no idea about the energy boost you gave me with that ask /srs

Honestly, reaching the Original Timeline, I wonder how many ppl still see Takemichi and Shinichiro as Basically the Same because they aren't. At least, we never saw Takemichi fall as deep as Shinichiro did. Plus, there's the fact one of Shinichiro's most important trait is being a (parentified) big brother and Takemichi is an only child.

He loves Emma and Izana, of course he does, but Mikey was there before Shinichiro lost his parents and had had to say goodbye to his normal life. Emma and Izana came afterward. There's only Takeomi and Mikey left from his (I assume peaceful) childhood.

Sometimes I think about how Shinichiro only left BD for Mikey to take over when he'll be old enough, and that it weirdly seems to coincide with the year their mom died and really, Shinichiro can go back to civilian life and being a shop owner, but without Mikey he wouldn't have. There's about half a year between their mom's passing and Mikey's accident and like... I think that, BD was such an emotional support for him during his teen years that he would've handle those four years better if they had remained together. If he had decided to fully go back to it (or to never leave) - and not just do shady things by himself - he'd have lived a more stable life - they'd have helped him sm - although Mikey would've still died (and Shinichiro would've probably met the same end since he can't accept loosing his younger brother).

I'm pretty sure Wakasa did (and other former members must have too) but Shinichiro really seems to have decided to take care of Mikey alone - like he has always done. I wonder how his and Takeomi's life were before it collapsed and they were left to figure out what to do by themselves.

Like you, I want to break him. I really want to observe how he act when he's fully broken; the manga didn't give us enough. He decided to name his gang like that when Mikey was still okay, that's a good clue to know he was already messed up from the start.

I have way too many fics to write and none near finished, but yeah, everyone (progressively, confusingly) remembering about their other lives in the final timeline is really, really tempting to write. They all (rightfully) freak out and Takemichi and Mikey really, really don't want them to remember but they have no power over it.

I just want to crush him under a comically huge cartoon hammer and turn him into a crêpe. He looks good covered in blood, and I need it to be both his and other ppl's blood. Let him go berserk dammit.

Rn the only WIP I have featuring a 'messed-up' Shinichiro has this synopsis/summary:

"In which Wakasa retraced his steps to where he left Shinichiro with the homeless man. They take over the world. Shinichiro takes it with him in his fall.

He dies and wakes up the year Mikey was born.

(The curse lingers on him and he won't be able to run away from it for long.)"

It's going to be such a longfic I have no idea how I'm going to manage it... but the prologue is at least there lol Let me know if you're interested

[naturallygoals]

LeanBiome Weight Loss Supplement – Limited Time Offer Only $39/Bottle

“So, Jess, what’s the secret behind your transformation? You look incredible!” Emma exclaimed, surprised by how much fitter her friend looked.

Jess smiled, clearly pleased with her progress. “Thanks, Emma! It’s actually all thanks to this amazing supplement I’ve been taking called LeanBiome. And right now, they have this unbelievable offer—just $39 per bottle on their official website. It’s a total game-changer for weight loss.”

“LeanBiome, huh? I’ve never heard of it. How does it work?” Emma asked, intrigued.

“Well, let me tell you,” Jess said enthusiastically. “It’s based on cutting-edge science. A lot of research has come out recently showing that your gut microbiome—the collection of bacteria living in your digestive system—plays a huge role in whether you gain or lose weight. People who are naturally lean tend to have more ‘lean bacteria,’ while people who struggle with weight have a higher amount of ‘fat bacteria.’ LeanBiome helps fix that balance by introducing the right kind of lean bacteria back into your system.”

The Science of LeanBiome: Why Gut Health Matters

Emma nodded slowly, intrigued but a bit skeptical. “Gut bacteria? How does that actually help with weight loss?”

“Oh, it’s fascinating,” Jess said, her eyes lighting up. “Your gut bacteria influence so many things—from how hungry you feel, to how many cravings you get, to how your body stores fat. People with a healthier balance of gut bacteria have fewer cravings, burn calories more efficiently, and store less fat, especially around the belly area. LeanBiome official site includes nine clinically-researched strains of lean bacteria to help you do just that. Plus, it has Greenselect Phytosome®, a green tea extract that boosts fat burning, but without the caffeine.”

“Okay, that’s interesting,” Emma said, starting to get the picture. “So, this supplement doesn’t just focus on appetite suppression or metabolism like the others?”

“Exactly!” Jess nodded. “It works by tackling the root cause—your gut health. And believe me, once you start balancing your gut bacteria, the weight comes off naturally. The best part is, it’s not just about losing weight. It improves your digestion, boosts your energy, and even helps your mood. And the results are real. In clinical studies, people who used LeanBiome’s key ingredients lost up to 20 pounds in just three months!”

What Makes LeanBiome Different from Other Supplements

Emma was clearly impressed, but still had some questions. “That sounds amazing, but I’ve tried other supplements before and didn’t see any results. What makes LeanBiome different?”

“I totally get it,” Jess said sympathetically. “I’ve tried a bunch of other products too, and none of them worked for me either. But LeanBiome is different because it doesn’t rely on caffeine or harsh stimulants. It’s made with natural probiotics and green tea extract to improve your gut health first, which then leads to weight loss. You don’t get jittery or experience a crash like with other supplements. Plus, it’s designed to reduce cravings and suppress hunger naturally, so you’re not constantly battling your appetite.”

Emma was starting to feel more confident. “That’s actually a huge relief. I’ve been trying to cut out snacking, but I always get these terrible cravings.”

“LeanBiome helps with that,” Jess said, smiling. “I used to struggle with late-night snacking too, but now I hardly feel those cravings. After a couple of weeks on LeanBiome, I noticed I wasn’t as hungry, and I didn’t feel the urge to eat when I wasn’t really hungry.”

How LeanBiome Works: Natural Ingredients with Proven Results

“So, what exactly is in LeanBiome that makes it so effective?” Emma asked, genuinely curious now.

Jess explained, “It’s packed with the best probiotics for weight loss. The main ingredients include Lactobacillus Gasseri, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, and Lactobacillus Fermentum—all of which have been shown in studies to reduce body fat, suppress appetite, and speed up metabolism. And then there’s Greenselect Phytosome®, a powerful green tea extract that helps boost fat burning without the caffeine jitters. These ingredients are all natural and clinically proven to work.”

Emma nodded. “I love that it’s natural. I hate taking products with artificial ingredients or chemicals.”

“Me too,” Jess agreed. “And LeanBiome is 100% natural, vegan-friendly, and free from gluten, dairy, soy, and GMOs. Plus, they use these special delayed-release capsules, called DRcaps��, which protect the probiotics from stomach acid, so they actually make it to your gut where they can start working.”

How to Take LeanBiome and Maximize Results

“So, how do you take it?” Emma asked, already imagining herself starting her LeanBiome journey.

“It’s super easy,” Jess said. “You just take one capsule a day with water, either in the morning or with a meal. The results build over time, but you should start seeing some changes in just a few weeks. In clinical trials, people lost between 5 to 10 pounds in the first month, and up to 20 pounds in three months. The key is consistency—you’ll see more results the longer you take it.”

“Wow, that sounds easy enough,” Emma said. “But what if it doesn’t work for me? You know how some products work for some people but not for others.”

“That’s exactly why I chose LeanBiome,” Jess said confidently. “They offer a 180-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free. If you don’t see the results you want, you can get a full refund—even if you’ve used all the bottles. It’s completely worry-free.”

Why You Shouldn’t Miss This Limited Time Offer

Emma was practically sold at this point but had one more question. “Okay, I’m convinced. But what’s the deal with the offer you mentioned?”

Jess grinned. “Oh yeah! Right now, they’re running a special promotion on their official website where you can get each bottle for just $39 if you buy a 3 or 6-month supply. That’s a huge discount from the regular price. Plus, if you order the 6-month package, you get free shipping too.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “That’s such a good deal! I’ve spent way more on weight loss supplements that didn’t even work.”

“I know, right?” Jess replied. “And the best part is, LeanBiome doesn’t just help you lose weight—it actually helps your body stay lean long-term by supporting your gut health. That’s why they recommend you stick with it for at least three months to see the best results. The longer you take it, the more your gut bacteria improve, and the easier it becomes to maintain your weight loss.”

Real Results from Real People

Jess continued, “The reviews are incredible, too. So many people are sharing their transformations—some have lost 20, 30, even 50 pounds! And they all talk about how much better they feel overall, not just the weight loss. It’s like LeanBiome gives you this extra boost of energy and confidence.”

Emma looked excited. “I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this before. It sounds like exactly what I need. And with that $39 offer, I feel like I’d be crazy not to try it!”

“I felt the same way,” Jess said, smiling. “It’s the best investment I’ve made for my health in a long time. And with the 180-day money-back guarantee, there’s really nothing to lose.”

How to Order LeanBiome

Emma was already reaching for her phone. “Okay, I’m going to order it right now! Where should I go to get the deal?”

“Just head to their official website, and you’ll see the special offer for $39 per bottle,” Jess said. “Make sure you order from the official site because they don’t sell it in stores or anywhere else online. You’ll get the best price, plus the free shipping if you go for the six-month supply.”

“I’m doing it now,” Emma said, smiling. “Thanks for telling me about LeanBiome! I’m really excited to try it.”

“Of course! I can’t wait to see your results,” Jess said. “You’re going to love it!”

Final Thoughts: Don’t Miss Out on LeanBiome’s Special Offer

LeanBiome Supplement is changing the way people lose weight by focusing on gut health and natural, sustainable results. With a powerful blend of probiotics and Greenselect Phytosome®, LeanBiome is designed to help you curb cravings, boost metabolism, and reduce fat storage. Take advantage of the limited-time offer and get each bottle for just $39 by ordering directly from the official site. With free shipping on 6-month orders and a 180-day money-back guarantee, now is the perfect time to try LeanBiome and transform your body for good.

[cancercareparcel]

🌟 Join us online on Thu Jul 11, 2024, at 12:00 PM BST to learn about the vital role gut health plays in cancer treatment and recovery! 🌟 🎤 Emma Marshall will discuss the impact of gut health on overall well-being, immune function, and treatment outcomes. She will focus on specific food groups that increase the diversity of the gut microbiome and how to incorporate them into our everyday meals. 🥗🧬 ✨ Discover practical tips and strategies to support your gut health during and after cancer treatment. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, or healthcare professional, this event is for you! Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to improve your health and quality of life! ✨ #GutHealth #CancerTreatment #ImmuneBoost #HealthyLiving #Wellbeing #Microbiome #HealthTalk #CancerRecovery #NutritionTips #EmmaMarshall #HealthEvent http://dlvr.it/T8Jqhw

[healthxplorer]

Emma's Journey To Healing Leaky Gut: The Natural Way

#leakygut #wellness #viral #nutritiontips #healthxplorer Heal Leaky Gut Syndrome Naturally | Emma's Inspiring Journey 🧡 Join Emma as she shares her powerful and heartfelt journey of healing from leaky gut syndrome using natural methods. Discover the steps she took, the foods that helped, and the holistic practices that transformed her health. Whether you're struggling with gut issues or looking for ways to boost your overall wellness, Emma's story offers valuable insights and hope. Watch now to learn how you can take control of your health, naturally! 🌿✨ 🔔 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring health stories and tips! 

[the-masked-ram]

Flawed Hope- Chapter One

CW: NSFW, Fem OC, Slow Burn, Isekai, Vampirism (do I even need to warn this), Canon Divergent, enemies to lovers, mental health issues --- Chapter One: Reality vs Fantasy

Characters and video games were always just a way to escape for Brit. It’s why when she bought the newest big game out there, Baldur’s Gate Three, it wasn’t surprising that she poured hours and hours into it. It was easy to do. It was a game that always had something new to discover, something new to explore. It kept its players guessing, which was exactly why she loved it.

Brit’s life wasn’t exactly boring, but it was ordinary. She didn’t want for much, she had friends, she had a loving family, and she dated on and off. She had a steady job that made her life comfortable, yet still she yearned for the excitement that video games, and especially Baldur’s Gate Three, brought her.

She wouldn’t deny that in the last few months she had become something of an addict. It was funny though; her favorite character was the one she seemed to get along with the least when she played most like herself. Astarion and her soft, gentle personality didn’t exactly make the best of friends. Yet, the most enjoyable thing about video games was that you didn’t have to be yourself, right?

---

That morning started out just like any other, with coffee good enough to make her sigh after a sip, “Swear I couldn’t live without this stuff.”

“You are so dramatic,” Emma said from beside her, scrunching her nose.

Brit looked over at her best friend with an awkward smile. It was true, she was being a bit dramatic, but did Emma need to say it like that? Like Brit voicing her pleasure was a burden. Emma’s words had grown harsher lately and Brit had begun to wonder if perhaps she should bring it up. Perhaps Emma had something going on and needed to talk about it.

She was about to open her mouth, about to ask that question that could shatter the peace of the morning and possibly the rest of the day at work. Yet, soon enough she was snapping her jaw shut as Emma sighed and walked out of the door of the break room, without even a farewell directed at her. It left an uncomfortable pit in her gut.

Brit stared at where her supposed best friend retreated. What was going on?

The day passed like a flash, a blur of too many papers and too much for the paralegal. So much copying over of testimonies, prepping to meet witnesses, and just enough text to make her feel like she was going blind. Brit pressed her glasses further up her nose.

With the recent eye strain of her job, it was recommended to adjust her prescription and now she wore glasses nearly all the time. She still wasn’t used to feeling them on her face every day and almost every hour.

And though the day passed by quickly, it seemed only to drain her more. Brit could only think about getting home. It had been like that a lot the last month. Where she didn’t go anywhere but home to work and back again. She missed her friends, she missed going out to eat, but she also just wanted to sequester herself away in her room and in the world of Baldur’s Gate.

Was it normal to want that so desperately? Was it normal to wish for a day she could just feel the reality of Baldur’s Gate?

“Maybe I just don’t want to be here anymore?” she said as she stepped into her apartment and looked around.

Those words came with something crushing, something that felt painful and overwhelming on her chest. She hadn’t talked to anyone but Emma in so long and she couldn’t find the right time to talk to Emma about what was wrong. And it only seemed like her friend was pushing her farther and farther away.

Brit’s work, which she loved had now become too much. Far too much. Her only joy was a world that wasn’t real. A world that was just pixels and beyond her reach, truly.

She’d started a new game yesterday, with the intention of creating a character she could finally romance Astarion with. Yet as she stared at her monitor, she could only think of sleep to escape the agony coiling around her heart. Tomorrow, she could always start tomorrow. It would be a new day and as she decided, a better day.

She looked at the monitor once more as she laid down in bed, finally freshened up as much as she had the energy for and in her pajamas.

“I just wish it was real,” Brit murmured right before darkness claimed her mind.

---

Brit opened her eyes and things weren’t blurry, did she fall asleep with her glasses on? No… she must be dreaming. A lucid dream? The sky was above her, puffy white clouds mixed with thick grey smoke showing peeks of bright blue. The thick acrid smell of ash, fire, burned metal, and oil permeated the air.

What was happening? Why was she on her back? Fuck something was on top of her, it was heavy, she couldn’t breathe. Dammit, she couldn’t breathe!

She struggled, panic rising in her as she thrashed, and her hands naturally fought with the thing pinning her down. Then her eyes met it. Or should she say, ‘him’. A man she knew too well. This had to be a dream. The press of a knife forced her chin up and she shivered in fear.

Her hands shoved at the arm to stop it from pushing too close to her skin as a set of eyes she once knew as the color of ruby looked at her. But they weren’t that bright, glittering gemstone color she had known them by on her computer screen. No, here, in front of her, they were a rich burgundy. Like a pool of freshly spilled blood that the sun was glinting off of.

But everything else was still the same. The smudge of grey and blood across his face. The wounds from the crash. The white curls of wild hair that she had learnt to love so much. His incredibly pale skin that with him this close she could see the faint traces of veins under it.

Astarion. Astarion was on top of her, his lips pressed in a thin grim line. “Ah, ah. Quiet, not a sound. Not if you want to keep that neck of yours intact, darling,” his lips quirked into a smile before it fell again.

What was this?! That wasn’t the words from the game. And the knife, it felt so cold, so real. The weight of his body was suffocating, the sting of him holding her hair twisted in his fingers caused tears to spring to her eyes. This was a dream, right? Were dreams supposed to hurt? She couldn’t remember.

Her heart thrashed violently against her chest. This wasn’t real. Just play along.

“You were on the ship, weren’t you? Nod,” he demanded.

His words were so similar, but this was the scene Brit remembered most. It was easy to pick up the differences. She nodded all the same. Her eyes flew to the side, checking for an escape.

“No,” he hissed, his face pressing closer, his arms growing heavier. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

“Now tell me. What exactly did you do to me? You and those tentacled freaks, what did you do?!” he snarled, his lips curling viciously.

“I-it wasn’t me,” Brit swallowed back her anxiety, a dream, she reminded herself. “They took me prisoner too. I didn’t do shit.”

She shoved at his arm, pushing it further from her.

“Don’t lie to me,” he narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not!”

Then they both cried out, Astarion’s face twisted in pain and Brit’s eyes squeezed closed. She could feel it. She knew what was happening. The twisting squirm in her head, it was so invasive, painful, and it left her feeling stripped bare as the tadpole inside her brain reached out to its comrade.

She saw something, something that was distinctly a memory. Something that was not hers. A sensation of unending hunger pulled at her stomach, her mind, causing her to hunt. Dark streets, busy streets that she didn’t recognize. They were old, cobbled, with buildings that stretched endlessly on either side and crowds that wore clothing she’d never seen in her world. Brit scrambled to hold onto the images. But they slipped through her fingers like water, desperate to escape, as if they were afraid of being seen. That sensation in her mind, the twisting pull of the worm was gone for now, but that was what made her most afraid. She’d never felt anything like that. It was so real, so terrifying. Like it was burrowing into her skull, into her brain deeper and deeper. Like it might devour her. It made her feel lost and as if she wasn’t her own.

“What was that!?” Astarion looked panicked. “What’s going on?”

His grip on Brit loosened for a moment and she pushed him away, managing to scramble out from under him and stand. Her breath was heaving, hiccupping in her chest. She was going to have an anxiety attack. Not here, not now, she couldn’t afford it. But this wasn’t real… so why did it matter? She shivered but forced her fears down. Not now.

“I don’t fucking know!” she snarled. Because even though she knew the plot of the game, she didn’t know what was going on right now. This was ridiculous. Just a dream. Still, she stood opposite of him, her fists raised, and teeth clenched. Ready to throw a punch she wasn’t sure was necessary.

He tilted his head, “I saw into your mind… they took you. But… there was something else. It just wouldn’t… no.”

He shook his head, at last seeming at a loss for words, though faced her with a glare that would freeze anyone on the spot. Suspicion bled into his eyes before he smiled that roguish way. It tugged at her heart like it always did yet she wouldn’t forget he’d just held a knife to her throat.

“And to think, I was about to gut you here. Apologies,” he shrugged, as if he didn’t just admit he was going to murder her.

Brit rolled her jaw before finally crossing her arms.

“I-it’s fine, I guess. I wasn’t exactly… the nicest either,” she said though everything told her it wasn’t fine, she shouldn’t just roll over for something like this.

But it was just a dream.

Astarion watched her, taking in every emotion that seemed to be flitting across her face, “I would apologize correctly but sadly I’m out of wine and flowers. Considering our current circumstances, how about an introduction? My name is Astarion.”

He doesn’t mention Baldur’s Gate. Brit titled her head curiously. Maybe her mind was just paraphrasing.

“I’m…,” Brit paused, trying to figure out if she should use the name of her character or her real name. “You can call me Ritlyn.” Play along, she wasn’t Brit here.

“Do you know anything about these worms?” he asked.

She nodded, “They’ll turn us into mind flayers.”

Something passed across Astarion’s face before he laughed sharply, a sound that was full of derision and acceptance.

“Of course. Of course they would,” he didn’t embellish.

Brit tilted her head the other way now and looked over her shoulder when she heard the crunching of footsteps of rock. Shadowheart and Lae’zel were coming over the short hillside on the cliff now.

“It would probably be better for us to travel together,” Brit said, slowly, that’s right just play along with the game.

“You might be right. I was thinking about going this alone. But perhaps it would be better having a few eyes and minds together, to deal with what’s ever to come,” he admitted.

She would wake up soon, right? This was just a sign she should have played that night to get the Baldur’s Gate itch out of her system. She looked over her shoulder as the others fell in line behind her. That was the only hope she had, because this felt all too real.