#my lymph nodes are tender

[angeltism]

I'm sore everywhere and people on my bus will not shhhh

[quillyfied]

Very important pro tip: NEVER get a flu shot and a Covid shot in the same arm at the same time. My arm hurts so bad right now.

[blackmoldmp3]

ohhhh it’s never great when ur dentist feels around ur face and is like Go To The Doctor

[thisisthevoice]

What tf is my body doing. A couple lymph nodes in my left armpit swelled up. Okay whatever. But now more all over my body are swelling up. Got 2 in my groin, at least one in my right armpit, one on the back of my neck, and one on the underside of my jaw

I don't have an infection I'm aware of!!!

[skeletal-r3xie]

Hi everyone, kind of a long update:

I booked an appointment at the doctors for the lumps in my neck, only to realise after some heavy googling afterwards that my lymph nodes are just swollen, which yes is weird bc I’m not ill, but they are relatively normal for swollen lymph nodes, as in they’re painful (a good sign), and they aren’t absolutely massive. So now I’m afraid I’m gonna look like an absolute knob to the doctor because i didn’t even know you had lymph nodes there 🫠

They have no apparent cause to be swollen though, so on a whim I did a little research to see if my 4n0r3x14 is what’s causing it, and I didn’t find any professional healthcare websites on this, but I did find a comment on an 3D forum of a girl who said she was 4n0r3x1c for just under a year and had permanent swollen lymph nodes in her neck.

Another commenter replied saying that it could essentially just be that her body is treating her as if she’s permanently sick, and so is mass-producing lymphocytes (white blood cells) to try and fight some invisible infection lol (when it’s really an 3D)

So if it’s anything, it’s probably that. But obviously I ain’t telling the doctor that, I’ve contemplated cancelling the appointment, but with my social anxiety I just feel like it would be an even bigger inconvenience to them and also I realllyyyyy hate calls.

Also, another thing I’ll mention here to see if anybody has any possible reason for this: I haven’t had my period yet, when I definitely should have. And I know your periods can stop with an 3D, but this fast? Really? I’ve only been back into it for 2 weeks. I’ve had the other symptoms that a period is coming, mainly my b00b$ (idk if I can say that without getting t3rm3d or smth lol), but yeah they’ve been very tender and heavy, which usually happens before my period, but I’ve just not had one still, and they‘ve been tender like that now for a good week and a half.

I definitely don’t think I’m pregnant, but my boyfriend is going to pick me up a test today just to bring me some ease.

Anyways, back to the actual 3D shit:

I haven’t eaten today yet, I had a C4 energy drink (15) before bc I was exhausted (I haven’t been to sleep all night), and I’m scared of gaining today if I eat my usual amount bc I haven’t been to sleep (idk the logic of that either really, I think my brain is trying to count it as adding onto yesterday’s c4ls lol).

It was supposed to be my fasting day today, but I got scared that the doctor was going to make me get a blood test (which he still might, but not today), and then it would show that I have barely any nutrients in my body. I haven’t eaten anyways, so either way, if he was gonna do one today I’d be fcked. But I’m gonna have a skinny bar or a fibre brownie or smth before I leave, just to hopefully keep me going for a little longer.

I’m also in work today, only on a 4 hour shift, which is both bad and good, bad for my money but good for my wellbeing lmfao.

Gonna take my rest day today since I haven’t slept, and I just know that going the doctors and THEN work straight after will drain the life out of me.

Idk how much I’ll eat today, I’m not feeling like eating much, but I will update you guys later on obviously with my daily rundown.

Im very scared, but I will be fine, everything will be done with soon, and I can relax and then just pure bash Minecraft when I come in lol.

If you made it this far, thank you, you’re very kind (:

Thank u all for being here.

[newhologram]

Okay, baby’s first surgery. Had to be at the hospital at 5:30am. They did more pre-op labs and EKG just to be extra safe. Both arms’ veins aren’t in great shape so they didn’t even try the IV there. They couldn’t get my left hand but were able to get my right (ow!). Blood rushed out all over my hand, oops. Techs kept asking if I had kids, presumably because I was about to get sterilized. Every time I told them I have 4 cats, they laughed. They all took good care of me and my main nurse remembered me from my 3 day flare-up stay last year. The anesthesiologist asked about the fibromyalgia. He understood that it makes surgery a lot more painful (plus slower healing and can cause a flare) so he made sure to have the right drugs ready for me. He even asked if I have a pain doctor so I explained the whole ordeal I went through getting and losing mine, how I can’t get one that’ll give me the right meds. He shook his head and expressed frustration at how hard it is for patients to get adequate pain management. 100%, dude. Then I finally got to meet the surgeon. Been going to his OBGYN office for a few years but never got to interact with him. We went over the procedure and he warned me that there’s a chance the endometriosis might make it hard for him to even access my uterine tubes. I let him know about my past MRI findings (lesion on bladder, multiple on colon, kidneys backed up, enlarged pelvic lymph nodes, fatty liver) so he kept that in mind. When I woke up, it was instant shaking and crying. The pain was so bad it had my teeth chattering, the same kind of terrible cramping I get from the endo. Someone goofed and had already taken out my IV before I woke up so they had to put it back into my sore hand to give me a dose of hydromorphone. One wasn’t enough though, I couldn’t settle down, so they gave me another. Thankfully the pain’s been manageable since I got home, I’m mostly sore and tender at the incisions. So tiny! Other than that, my throat and mouth are raw from the breathing tube and I'm definitely feeling the gas pain referring to my shoulders. I was hoping to talk to the surgeon after to hear how it went but he was already gone💀Bruh. No info about whether there were any cysts or lesions. I have to wait 2 weeks for a follow up. I know we have to wait for pathology anyway but I wanted to hear what he saw in there. Hope I get to see pics at the follow up at least. :\ I was also sent home without antibiotics or painkillers, which I think must be a mistake? I was told at my consult a year ago I’d be given stuff. So gotta call them again tomorrow. Luckily I still have some bentyl so I took that as soon as I got home. They cleared me for cannabis and whatever else I need right away. Going to see about getting another vitamin IV infusion soon. My friend is going to stay with me during the day to help me out this first week but I’m still taking extended time off to focus on rest and healing. So far my body isn’t freaking out as bad as I thought it would but we’ll see. Relieved to officially be permanently sterilized. ❌🤰 Thanks for all the messages! I’ll keep everyone updated when I learn more.

[meditating-dog-lover]

Health update (10/20)

I am feeling good.

I mentioned that now I want to focus on allergies and stress management. I might book an appointment to see my allergist.

I know I put my body through a lot of stress from prolonged fasting. But I reduced my risk of developing metabolic disease by a lot. I had a lot of body dysmorphia last year and losing a lot of fat did help with my confidence.

Eating a healthy diet and drinking enough water, as well as taking digestive enzymes, helped a lot with my weight and bloating. I complained a lot about thick calves in the past, but my calf size is mostly due to excess fat. I lost a lot of fat, so keeping it off helps a lot. I've seen photos of myself in my teens where my calves varied in size, and that was due to fluctuating weight. My weight did fluctuate when I was a teen and I think I got heavier after spending a year in my college dorm and I overate (rez food + ordering). I tend to gain weight in my legs, butt, and calves which is why they appear bigger. I gain less weight in my stomach and arms and none in my chest and hardly any in my waist area (which is kind of good because visceral weight gain is more dangerous than subcutaneous weight gain).

I'm naturally gifted in the sense that I naturally have a good amount of muscle tone. I want to maintain that and that's one of the reasons why I have good ab definition (I'm not shredded but I don't have a skinny fat belly). I want to keep it up with the strength training - yoga and pilates mostly. So I can maintain this physique as I get older.

I know my skin is inflamed and I need to heal psychologically. But at least I improved my health in so many ways so far. I lost a lot of weight and am eating much healthier and got a mental health diagnosis. My mental wellbeing will take longer to address. I just want to tell myself it's okay to be sad and cry.

I got some rashes on my neck recently when I applied some protopic. It makes me itch and I don't want to use it. I am getting allergies in general and in random areas. Not eczema, but redness and some hives.

I did a lot for my health this year and I'm so happy. I just want to heal and open up psychologically, do more yoga/pilates, address my allergies, and gain some body confidence.

Allergy wise I've been getting random rashes, my face flared again, my eyelids became red, puffy, watery and itchy, I sneezed quite often and got congested and my neck lymph nodes are tender and sore. My right hand also developed some redness and hives. I don't know what it is, I'll figure it out.

[lordofdapies]

I got sick suddenly and degenerated rapidly. It took me five years to get a diagnosis and guess what my first diagnosis was?!

Fibromyalgia!

I don’t have fibromyalgia but that’s the diagnosis they give to AFAB people when they don’t know what’s wrong

Check out the list of symptoms

1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level

2. Cold hands and feet (extremities)

3. Cough

4. Craving carbohydrates

5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events

6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth

7. Edema

8. Family member(s) with Fibromyalgia

9. Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress

10. Feeling cold often

11. Feeling hot often

12. Frequent sighing

13. Heart palpitations

14. Hoarseness

15. Hypoglycemia (blood sugar falls or low)

16. Increased thirst

17. Low blood pressure (below 110/70)

18. Low body temperature (below 97.6)

19. Low-grade fevers

20. Night sweats

21. Noisy joints – with or without pain

22. Poor circulation in hands/feet

23. Profuse sweating

24. Recurrent flu-like illness

25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion

26. Severe nasal allergies (new or worsening allergies)

27. Sore throat

28. Subjective swelling of extremities – (feels swollen Bu can’t find anything)

29. Sweats

30. Symptoms worsened by air travel

31. Symptoms worsened by stress

32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes

33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms

34. Tremor or trembling

35. Unexplained weight gain or loss

36. Abdominal wall pain

37. Bad hip pain

38. Burning Nerve Pain

39. Chest pain

40. Collarbone pain

41. Diffuse swelling

42. Elbow pain

43. Exacerbated Plantar arch or heel pain

44. “Growing” pains that don’t go away once you are done growing

45. Headache – tension or migraine

46. Inflamed Rib Cartilage

47. Joint pain

48. Lumpy, tender breasts

49. Morning stiffness

50. Muscle pain

51. Muscle spasms

52. Muscle twitching

53. Muscle weakness

54. Pain that ranges from moderate to severe

55. Pain that moves around the body

56. Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg

57. Restless Leg Syndrome

58. Rib Pain

59. Scalp Pain (like hair being pulled out)

60. Sciatica-like pain

61. Tender points or trigger points

62. TMJ syndrome

63. “Voodoo Doll” Poking Sensation in random places

NEUROLOGICAL

64. Blackouts

65. Brain fog

66. Carpal Tunnel

67. Feeling spaced out

68. Hallucinating smells

69. Inability to think clearly

70. Light headedness

71. Noise intolerance

72. Numbness or tingling sensations

73. Photophobia (sensitivity to light)

74. Seizures

75. Seizure-like episodes

76. Sensation that you might faint

77. Syncope (fainting)

78. Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)

79. Vertigo or dizziness

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

80. Bumping into things

81. Clumsy Walking

82. Difficulty balancing

83. Difficulty judging distances (when driving, etc.)

84. Directional disorientation

85. Dropping things frequently

86. Feeling spatially disoriented

87. Frequent tripping or stumbling

88. Not seeing what you’re looking at

89. Poor balance and coordination

90. Staggering gait

SLEEP

91. Alertness/energy best late at night

92. Altered sleep/wake schedule

93. Awakening frequently

94. Difficulty falling asleep

95. Difficulty staying asleep

96. Excessive sleeping

97. Extreme alertness or energy levels late at night

98. Falling asleep at random and sometimes dangerous moments

99. Fatigue

100. Light or broken sleep pattern

101. Muscle spasms/twitches at night

102. Narcolepsy

103. Sleep disturbances

104. Sleep starts or falling sensations

105. Teeth grinding

106. Tossing and turning

107. Un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep

108. Vivid or disturbing dreams/nightmares

EYES/VISION

109. Blind spots in vision

110. Eye pain

111. Difficulty switching focus from one thing to another

112. Frequent changes in ability to see well

113. Night driving difficulty

114. Occasional Blurry vision

115. Poor night vision

116. Rapidly worsening vision

117. Vision changes

COGNITIVE

118. Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving

119. Confusion

120. Difficulty expressing ideas in words

121. Difficulty following conversation (especially if background noise present)

122. Difficulty following directions while driving

123. Difficulty following oral instructions

124. Difficulty following written instructions

125. Difficulty making decisions

126. Difficulty moving your mouth to speak

127. Difficulty paying attention

128. Difficulty putting ideas together to form a complete picture

129. Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence

130. Difficulty recognizing faces

131. Difficulty speaking known words

132. Difficulty remembering names of objects

133. Difficulty remembering names of people

134. Difficulty understanding what you read

135. Difficulty with long-term memory

136. Difficulty with simple calculations

137. Difficulty with short-term memory

138. Easily distracted during a task

139. Dyslexia-type symptoms occasionally

140. Feeling too disoriented to drive

141. Forgetting how to do routine things

142. Impaired ability to concentrate

143. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings

144. Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)

145. Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence

146. Loss of ability to distinguish some colors

147. Poor judgment

148. Short term memory impairment

149. Slowed speech

150. Staring into space trying to think

151. Stuttering; stammering

152. Switching left and right

153. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak

154. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write

155. Trouble concentrating

156. Using the wrong word

157. Word-finding difficulty

EMOTIONAL

158. Abrupt and/or unpredictable mood swings

159. Anger outbursts

160. Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause

161. Attacks of uncontrollable rage

162. Decreased appetite

163. Depressed mood

164. Feeling helpless and/or hopeless

165. Fear of someone knocking on the door

166. Fear of telephone ringing

167. Feeling worthless

168. Frequent crying

169. Heightened awareness – of symptoms

170. Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities

171. Irrational fears

172. Irritability

173. Overreaction

174. Panic attacks

175. Personality changes –usually a worsening of pervious condition

176. Phobias

177. Suicide attempts

178. Suicidal thoughts

179. Tendency to cry easily

GASTROINTESTINAL

180. Abdominal cramps

181. Bloating

182. Decreased appetite

183. Food cravings

184. Frequent constipation

185. Frequent diarrhea

186. Gerd-like Symptoms

187. Heartburn

188. Increased appetite

189. Intestinal gas

190. Irritable bladder

191. Irritable bowel syndrome

192. Nausea

193. Regurgitation

194. Stomachache

195. Vomiting

196. Weight gain

197. Weight loss

UROGENITAL

198. Decreased libido (sex drive)

199. Endometriosis

200. Frequent urination

201. Impotence

202. Menstrual problems

203. Painful urination or bladder pain

204. Pelvic pain

205. Prostate pain

206. Worsening of (or severe) premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

SENSITIVITIES

207. Alcohol intolerance

208. Allodynia (hypersensitive to touch)

209. Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing

210. Sensitivity to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, etc.

211. Sensitivities to foods

212. Sensitivity to light

213. Sensitivity to mold

214. Sensitivity to noise

215. Sensitivity to odors

216. Sensitivity to yeast (getting yeast infections frequently on skin, etc.)

217. Sensory overload

218. Sensitivity to pressure & humidity changes

219. Sensitivity to extreme temperature changes

220. Vulvodynia

SKIN

221. Able to “write” on skin with finger

222. Bruising easily

223. Bumps and lumps

224. Eczema or psoriasis

225. Hot/dry skin

226. Ingrown hairs

227. Itchy/Irritable skin

228. Mottled skin

229. Rashes or sores

230. Scarring easily

231. Sensitivity to the sun

232. Skin suddenly turns bright red

Cardiovascular (Heart)

233. “Click-murmur” sounds through stethoscope

234. Fluttery heartbeat

235. Heart palpitations

236. Irregular heartbeat

237. Loud pulse in ear

238. Pain that mimics heart attack

239. Rapid heartbeat

HAIR/NAILS

240. Dull, listless hair

241. Heavy and splitting cuticles

242. Irritated nail beds

243. Nails that curve under

244. Pronounced nail ridges

245. Temporary hair loss

OTHER

246. Canker sores

247. Dental problems

248. Disk Degeneration

249. Hemorrhoids

250. Nose bleeds

251. Periodontal (gum) disease

[bbboar]

The side of my neck was tender and I instantly knew it was my lymph nodes but..... how did I know that......

[millerflintstone]

Ok, so Friday I woke up feeling exhausted and just thought it was back to back hooping class at night combined with back to back outings on the same two days with my neighbor friend.

As the day wore on, I realized the left side of my neck by the base of my skull had a really swollen to the touch lymph node. As the weekend went on, I just felt worn out and the area around that lymph node up to my scalp hurt like when you wear your hair tied back too tightly for a while.

Yesterday I realized that the kind of exhaustion I feel is really similar to when I had mono in college. It's REALLY difficult to get going. Once I'm moving around it's okay until all of a sudden I just have to stop. And waking up is hard. Gigabyte actually stepped on me at 7:30. I'm usually up by 7.

The weird thing is that I'm not feverish at all. I've started feeling a bit warmer today and I'm at 98.6 which is above my normal of 97.6-9.

Lymph node is less swollen but still tender. I had a slightly runny nose today so I tested for Covid. Negative.

What is this weird shit???? Neighbor friend isn't sick. She does watch her 2 year old grandson who is a walking Petrie dish, so who knows.

[jewishrizahawkeye]

my doctors going to kill me cause i’m pretty sure i have another sinus infection cause my lymph nodes are super tender and i just got off antibiotics for my last one that was a few months long

[tripthelightfandomtastic]

I didn’t need the visual of Jake the doctor and now that’s gonna be in the front of my brain all day. I spend more time at doctors appointments and in hospitals than socializing, please page Doctor Jake for me lol

Okay I can't help but fantasize!

Doctor Jake in his scrubs knocking on your door with that beautiful bright smile, "how are we this morning?" He'd ask with a cheery smile that always makes you blush.

The vision of Dr. Jake checking your heart with his stethoscope, hand on you back and asking you, "take a deep breath for me." You cannot help but breathe a little nervously, he runs the instrument over your chest, on your back. "A little fast? I assume your just a little anxious for your appointment?" He asks, making you blush with embarrassment. "Oh yeah, I'm not a big fan of hospitals." You lie, covering up with a smile that he mirrors back. "Most people aren't, I'm hoping I can maybe put you a bit at ease. Just relax for me while I check your lymph nodes, okay?" He asks gently, you nod and sit up straight as he stands between your legs as you sit on the exam table.

His hands on either side of your neck, fingers checking for anything on either side of your throat. Pressing against your pulse, you pray he can't feel your heart rate speeding up as he makes his way over your tender muscle. His hands surprise you by how warm they are, most doctors have a cold touch, but Dr. Kiszka’s makes you practically melt. He then places one hand on your throat, fingers gently on either side of your neck toward your jaw. "Swallow for me?" He asks softly, you try not to answer with, 'For you? Anytime.' Like your brain wants you to, instead you just meet his eyes and swallow down. He looks satisfied at the results, and steps away, "Beautiful." He says with a smile, happy with the way your simple examination went.

You spend the rest of your appointment praying for him to touch you again, willing him to need to for some reason. You listen intently, trying your best to not let it show on your face how you want him in the worst way, here on this exam table. Your appointment ends soon after and he leaves with a smile and you can't help but smile back as you watch as he walks out the door, those scrubs fitting him just right.

Lord knows if you ever need to come back, you're requesting Doctor Jake Kiszka.

[capetowncapers]

Nah i just burst out laughing seeing somewhere that tender/swollen lymph nodes in… exactly the places I have them can be a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome. Oh besties we are filling up that bingo card I see… more tests to come but oh my fucking god…

[kxlinthesky]

ESSENCE 4 SIDE STORY - Step and Lime

(Owl first realized his natural talent for alchemy shortly after Tristan took him in.)

As a condition for funding his detective agency, Tristan took a disheveled Owl into the city to turn him into a proper gentleman.

He smiled as Owl donned a camel-colored coat, and the role of “detective” along with it, reminiscing about unchanging violet eyes.

This is a side story of the time when an adoptive father and son started a detective agency.

■■■■■■■■■■

“... Come again?”

“Oh, what’s this? Is your hearing going bad faster than even mine?”

The afternoon sun shone through the windows in Owl’s laboratory. His foster father, Tristan, leaned against the heavy oak door, a broad grin pasted on his face. In Owl’s experience, a smile like that smile usually meant the man had come up with some ridiculous new idea.

“You’re going to listen to everything I say all day tomorrow, Owl. It’s my one condition for funding your detective agency.”

... And he was right on the money, to his complete displeasure.

“We’ll be heading out at nine am sharp. Don’t be late.” Tristan slipped out of the room, leaving Owl to watch the door thud shut behind him with slumped shoulders.

At the tender age of fifteen, Owl had graduated from the royal university in a scant two years when most people said it would take at least ten, and he was already reaping the benefits of his “genius alchemist” reputation. That said, though, he had no interest in the accolade itself, even when plenty of other people would kill for the title. All the alchemy he’d learned and crime-related research he’d pored over had been nothing more than a means to an end, a way to become a detective as fast as humanly possible.

But genius or not, he was still only a fifteen-year-old boy. Setting up an agency out of the blue was hard, which was why he needed his crafty adoptive father’s backing, and this was how he was going to pay him back.

Still, when he imagined just what “all day tomorrow” would look like, Owl’s eyebrows furrowed in a sullen grimace under his long bangs.

“– What do you think? Does it feel refreshing to have so much cut off?”

Snip snip. The scissors clicked briskly by Owl’s ears as the barber relentlessly snipped his bangs one millimeter at a time.

Instead of answering, Owl weakly asked a question of his own. “... We’re done, right?”

“Oh, goodness, no! Next we’ll be massaging the lymph nodes around your face to improve blood flow. Now, this cream contains pearl powder....”

“... Okay, fine, whatever, just hurry it up.” Owl sunk back into his seat again, resigned to his fate.

Tristan, in stark contrast to his dejected son, seemed positively delighted by the proceedings, reading the paper and sipping tea with smooth elegance. As soon as the day started, he’d dragged Owl to a shoe store to get all sorts of measurements done, then off to get his fingernails and toenails cleaned up, then to try on every hat in existence, it felt like, and now they were at a hair salon.

“I don’t care what I look like, if it’ll get me out of this chair and back to my research sooner,” Owl continued. He was completely done with today, and as usual he didn’t hesitate to speak his mind about it, others’ feelings be damned.

A soft smile rose to Tristan’s face at the sight. That part of Owl hadn’t changed since he was a boy.

“– You seem to be having fun,” said Owl, suspicion dripping from his voice. Before he realized it, the young man was released from the barber’s clutches, his hair now glossy and sleek, swaying gently as he walked up. He pinned his adoptive father with an exasperated glare that clearly said, You’re definitely thinking something stupid right now.

Some profound, indescribable emotion welled up in Tristan as he gazed as his son. For a brief moment, he saw the boy he’d taken in all those years ago, with an unkempt mane instead of the silken gold it was now. “I was just thinking how much you’ve grown,” he said. “Or rather, maybe it’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve seen your eyes, but you’ve become quite a handsome young man.”

“It’s not like long bangs would’ve killed me,” grumbled Owl. “... So? Where to next?”

“Well, now, how eager of you. And here I thought you were close to throwing in the towel.”

Owl heaved a great sigh, not bothering to conceal his sour scowl. “If I want the great and wonderful owner to provide his generous aid for my agency, I need to fulfill his terms, right?... So I’ll accompany you all day, just like I promised.”

“I admire your resolve,” said Tristan. “We’ll be going to the tailor’s next. Detectives are still part of the service industry, after all, and proper clothes are a quick and efficient tool for inspiring faith in your abilities in our society. ‘A&S’ is fine and all, but today I made a reservation with my favorite place. It’s on this block, so why don’t we walk on over?”

Perhaps it was because Owl tried to take the alleyways rather than the route Tristan suggested, but it took them some time to reach the show window inscribed with “Arthur & Hawks” in big golden lettering.

“It suits you quite well, sir. How does it feel? Are there any spots where the fit feels tight?” Tristan’s tailor asked Owl with a smile.

“No, not really....” Owl’s reply was wholly disinterested, but he was certainly drawing some attention. Another customer’s wife had been eyeing him for some time now. He’d spent the whole day being polished up and it was paying dividends – the fashionable checkered gilet he had on made the bright golden ribbon at his throat pop, and the slim pants accentuated his naturally long legs. Even his vexed mannerisms came off as solemn instead. To the woman’s regret, though, Owl paid no mind to her ardent glances, as his attention was currently focused on a gaze somewhere outside the store.

-- Are we being watched? He’d had this vague sense of discomfort prickling along his spine all day.

He couldn’t pursue the train of thought, however, not when Tristan’s words interrupted it so cleanly. “And of course, any detective worth his salt needs something like this, hm?” As he spoke, the tailor brought a camel-colored long coat out from the back of the store. “Now that’s a coat worthy of a great detective.”

Owl slipped the coat on while Tristan dug around in his pockets. Presently, he came up with a monocle and a pair of gloves, which he passed to his son.

“These are custom-made McCreech wares,” he told Owl. “Both of these have many functions that will be quite useful to you in your investigations.”

“These are...!”

Owl could tell at a glance that he held some refined alchemical tools in his hands. For the first time all day, his expression melted into something faintly happy as he delicately placed the monocle on his face... and his shoulders immediately went stiff as boards.

For a moment, the boy was still. Eventually, however, he breathed out a faint sigh, turning his gaze back to Tristan. “So this is a tool that lets me see traces of alchemical power, huh. And for some reason, I can see loads of alchemical techniques in place around this shop. Geez... I thought something was weird here, Tristan. Is this why you dragged me around all day today?”

“Some rather irksome folks have been skulking around here recently, and I thought they’d lower their guards if I had someone accompanying me,” Tristan replied as he slowly circled around Owl, his cane tapping on the floor as he went.

As one of Schlain’s representatives and a powerful alchemist, Tristan had made many enemies in his day. If he were to disappear now, tons of misdeeds would vanish into secrecy, without anyone knowing they’d even occurred. There were plenty of criminals who wanted that power for themselves, even if they had to get a little violent to get it.

Owl peered through the monocle again. The traces of alchemy around the tailor’s shop were growing stronger, and when he casually glanced through the show window to the building across the street, he spotted two... no, three people lurking in the shadows. By himself, Tristan would be at a slight disadvantage trying to catch all of them... but he wasn’t by himself.

“Not a bad first job for a detective, eh? And who knows, maybe one of them will give you some clue about the Black Rose Disease’s origin.” Tristan gestured to Owl’s monocle and gloves with a good-natured smile affixed on his face. “Plus, there’s nothing better than testing out your tools and theories in action.”

-- Yeah, Owl really couldn’t trust that. A smiling Tristan was a tricky Tristan.

CRASH! The store windows shattered all at once, sending a hail of glass shards toward the pair. Tristan was lightning-quick, though, drawing a transmutation circle with his cane and using the wood floor beneath them to construct a wall to shield them. The glass pelted the store with the tremendous force and ear-splitting racket of a storm of bullets, slicing the mannequins and clothes on the other side of the wall to ribbons.

Owl stood back-to-back with Tristan as he peered outside, loading his alchemy-infused gun. “Complete pulverization via compressive stress... so this is another way to utilize it, huh.”

The inside of the store was now buzzing like an agitated beehive, but the tailor was well-used to this sort of thing, having run his shop for decades. In short order, he calmly rounded up the other customers and escorted them to the back door.

“I’m sorry for getting you mixed up in this, Arthur,” Tristan called. “It seems these customers are some of mine, not yours.”

The tailor offered Tristan a smile. “It’s quite all right, sir. This is nothing new.”

Owl stared at the shopkeeper with wide eyes, torn between amazement and exasperation. “I should’ve expected as much from one of your favorite stores,” he eventually mumbled. “... The two on the second floor over there seem to be alchemists. We’ll have to take them down before they fire off another technique.”

“This is your first job, so I’ll defer to you,” Tristan offered.

“... And this is why I hate going out with you,” grumbled Owl. He glanced behind his back, readying his gun.

“You say that, but it’s still fun, isn’t it?” Tristan shot back. “We’ll charge them together. Three, two, one...!”

The freshly-tailored coat was still perfectly pristine after everything was over.

The criminals didn’t have any identification on them, so they were summarily handed off to the police. Unfortunately, this would make it rather difficult to determine who was pulling their strings or what other crimes involving alchemy they had their hands in. Still, the blood of a detective boiled in Owl’s veins. He’d had a taste of action, faced off against a foe for the first time. It was an unfamiliar, uncanny feeling.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered in front of the tailor’s shop at some point during the roundup, many of them cheering for the young detective. Owl paid them no mind, though, still agitated after his first-ever fight. No, his attention, his unwavering gaze, would always be focused squarely on the truth.

When the young boy had first arrived at Tristan’s estate intending to hole himself up and study alchemy, the gentleman quickly figured out that he had a considerable amount of innate talent for the subject. And now, that boy had become the youngest official alchemist in the country.

He devoted all his time and attention to alchemy and alchemy alone, then said he wanted to open a detective agency on his own at the tender age of fifteen. When asked why, his response was concise and resolute: “To put an end to the black disease.”

The trembling, frightened young boy Tristan had found that day in the woods turned to him with a steadfast gaze. Those clear violet eyes were the only things that had stayed the same as Owl grew up. Now he was trying to strike out on his own.

“... What are you smiling about?”

“Did you think we were done? How naive, you sweet little greenhorn detective.”

“W-Wait, there’s... more?!”

“Haha, well, I’d never get tired of showing you off to all the women around the neighborhood.”

“???”

Tristan knew that Owl’s shoulders had already grown level with his own.

-- Right. It won’t be long before I can let him walk alongside me as a “parent.”

The proud adoptive father turned to his beloved son and said, “Well, shall we?” The pair walked off side-by-side into the bustling sunset.

[swampgallows]

i felt a bit better yesterday and then this morning when i went and walked the dog but after sleeping a little bit and trying to eat something my mouth feels like it's burning and my pulse was 120 at one point (after a few mins it dropped to 90 something. it's usually around 80-90 because lol anxiety and im out of shape). i dont know how much of this is being exacerbated by my period but after a month of this and 2 courses of antibiotics im starting to get kinda worried about what i can do. already wrote my doctor that the ABs didnt do anything and i tested negative for covid 3 times throughout this month (i used the last of my tests) nor am i having cold/flu or even gastro symptoms. all just weird rotating pains/tender spots in my chest, breasts, shoulders, and arms (lymph nodes im guessing), a latent queasy feeling that makes me dry heave sometimes, and pressure wayyy up in my sinuses.

if i have a tooth infection then there's no visible abscess or significant pain but then again my teeth have been in pain for years so i dunno. doing pretty bad though fellas. if it's not my teeth then i have no idea where i couldve gotten an infection because i havent fucking been in anywhere in 3 years. especially not unmasked

[glass-expanse]

It is officially a secondary infection. My lymph nodes are very tender. Taking pills to help the chest congestion tho and also took two inhaler puffs today