#and both of those things can occur in mild varieties those things are true!

[sanzuphobe]

im convinced that the people who see depression as like an 'easy' disorder or a mental illness without stigma have never been really fucking depressed lol

[moonlit-tulip]

Against Cost-Multiplication

Many people have lives containing nonzero numbers of unpleasant experiences.

Many of these experiences are unpleasant in a pretty straightforward and direct manner. There are sensations directly viscerally coded as unpleasant for most people in most contexts, such as pain, excessive heat or cold, hunger, unpleasant sounds or tastes or smells, and so forth. There are emotional states which are directly unpleasant for most people in most contexts, such as grief, sadness, despair, and so forth. There's depression, for those who have it in a manner sufficiently unresponsive to external quality-of-life. Et cetera.

Many other unpleasant experiences, though, are unpleasant, not through their direct effects, but through opportunity cost. Lack of energy, which is unpleasant because it prevents pursuit of pleasant-but-energy-consuming activities. Uninteresting-but-necessary chores which are unpleasant by comparison with the hobbies one might otherwise spend one's time on. Being stuck in a hospital bed and thus unable to go take walks outside, for those of us who enjoy such things. Examples abound.

Sometimes, the two can overlap. Sufficiently intense pain, for instance, in addition to its direct unpleasantness, can be debilitatingly distracting from other activities. Sickness can be both directly unpleasant and energy-draining. And so forth.

However, despite this potential for overlap, it's very important to keep track of the difference. Because, otherwise, nasty feedback-loops can occur in such a way as to multiply what should be a relatively mild opportunity-cost-induced unpleasantness into a large spike of direct unpleasantness.

Specifically, there's an easy pathway for one's thoughts to flow down which runs as follows:

Some opportunity-cost-inflicting thing is happening. (Let's say, by way of example, that my garbage can has filled up and thus I need to go spend five minutes taking the current bag outside and installing a new one in the can.)

This is bad! My life is worse as a result of this thing happening!

The proper response to bad things happening is to feel unpleasant emotions about them.

...therefore, instead of just paying the opportunity cost and moving on, I'm paying the opportunity cost and also a direct cost.

I've experienced variants of this same thought-chain in a wide variety of opportunity-cost-inflicting contexts. Taking out the garbage; being sick such that I lack the energy to pursue my hobbies; being in pain such that I lack the spare attention to pursue my hobbies; et cetera. While I lack the mind-reading ability to be sure that others experience it too, I at least strongly suspect it.

But it's a bad thought-chain to go down! The first step can't be skipped, and the second step is a true and correct analysis, but the third step is entirely counterproductive, producing unpleasantness to no benefit at all. The cost is already paid just via the first step; piling additional costs on top of it just makes things worse, while helping no one at all.

(And, in case it wasn't clear from that example-pile: it can happen even amid the overlapped cases. Sickness can be unpleasant via that thought-chain on top of whatever more direct unpleasantness it's inflicting, for example.)

Thus, I've found it helpful, when looking back at unpleasant-emotion-producing experiences in retrospect—especially frequently-recurring ones, like the garbage-can one (which was the first instance of this pattern that I noticed, back when I was a teenager)—to try to backtrace to what extent those emotions are a product of this sort of cost-multiplication pattern. And, if they are a product of the cost-multiplication pattern, it's then worth trying to cut the pattern off from then on. To deliberately pay attention to the true size of the opportunity cost I'm paying, and to resist the urge to have emotional reactions to that cost on top of the cost itself.

Because bad and unpleasant things happen, and it's hard to avoid them entirely. But it's at least possible to avoid piling additional badness on top of them, beyond whatever badness might be inherent to them; and, if we can do that, then it seems to me that we should.

[lamortexiii]

Cryptic Mystic: The Imaginarium of Barnum

Have you ever heard of the Barnum Effect? It is also known as the Forer effect or the Barnum–Forer effect. This phenomenon is said to occur when someone believes in the accuracy of vague generalities about their personality (e.g., believing in fortune-tellers, astrological signs, fortune cookies, etc.). For example: let's say you go to a restaurant and you are given a fortune cookie. Within the cookie, the slip of paper reads, “stay strong in your beliefs and good will come to you.” Now, this can mean many things depending on the person reading it. Vague general statements can all be taken in different ways by different people. One person may view this statement as meaning that they need to stay strong in their religion and that their deity will bless them. Someone else may view this statement as applying to the struggles they have been facing with being their true self, as they have been pretending to be someone they weren’t to impress others. Vague general statements are objective, open for interpretation, and thus are typically considered as carrying a personal meaning.

Now, it is important to note that the power of chance is at play here. Fortune cookies, tarot readings, your astrological sign based on the time and place you were born - all of these are in fact determined by chance. But what creates chance? How much of chance is actually chance at all? What if someone or something is in control of coincidences, outcomes, and happenstance encounters. Or what if we are in control of these instances somehow, but just don’t realize it. Maybe it’s a combination of these things, or maybe it’s something else entirely…

The term "Barnum effect" was coined in 1956 by psychologist Paul Meehl in his essay “Wanted – A Good Cookbook,” because he relates the vague personality descriptions used in certain "pseudo-successful" psychological tests to those given by showman P. T. Barnum. The Barnum effect is manifested in response to statements that are called "Barnum statements", meaning general characteristics attributed to an individual are perceived to be true of them, even though the statements are such generalizations, they could apply to almost anyone. Such techniques are used by fortune tellers, astrologers, and other practitioners to convince paying customers that they, the practitioners, are in fact endowed with a paranormal gift. The effect is a specific example of the so-called "acceptance phenomenon", which describes the general tendency of humans to accept almost any bogus personality feedback. A related and more general phenomenon is that of subjective validation. Subjective validation occurs when two unrelated or even random events are perceived to be related because a belief, expectation, or hypothesis demands a relationship. For example, while reading a horoscope, people actively seek a correspondence between its contents and their perception of their personality.

In 1947, a psychologist named Ross Stagner asked a number of personnel managers to take a personality test. After they had taken the test, Stagner, instead of responding with feedback based on their actual individual answers, presented each of them with generalized feedback that had no relation to their test answers but that was, instead, based on horoscopes, graphological analysis, and the like. Each of the managers was then asked how accurate the assessment of him or her was. More than half described the assessment as accurate, and almost none described it as wrong.

In 1948, in what has been described as a "classic experiment", psychologist Bertram R. Forer gave a psychology test – his so-called "Diagnostic Interest Blank" – to 39 of his psychology students, who were told that they would each receive a brief personality vignette or sketch based on their test results. One week later Forer gave each student a purportedly individualized sketch and asked each of them to rate it on how well it applied. In reality, each student received the same sketch, consisting of the following items:

You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.

You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.

You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage.

While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.

Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you.

Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.

At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.

You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.

You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof.

You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.

At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.

Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic.

Security is one of your major goals in life.

On average, the students rated its accuracy as 4.30 on a scale of 0 (very poor) to 5 (excellent). Only after the ratings were turned in was it revealed that each student had received an identical sketch assembled by Forer from a newsstand astrology book. The sketch contains statements that are vague and general enough to apply to most people. Forer attributed the effect to gullibility. The effect has been said to confirm the so-called "Pollyanna principle", which states that individuals tend "to use or accept positive words of feedback more frequently than negative words of feedback."

Two factors are important in producing the Forer effect, according to the findings of replication studies. The content of the description offered is important, with specific emphasis on the ratio of positive to negative trait assessments. The other important factor is that the subject trusts the honesty of the person providing feedback. The study was repeated again in 2011 with the statements altered so that they applied to organizations rather than individuals. The results were similar, suggesting that people anthropomorphize organizations and are gullible when interpreting their characters.

The effect is consistently found when the assessment statements are vague. People are able to read their own meaning into the statements they receive, and thus the statement becomes "personal" to them. The most effective statements include the phrase "at times", such as "At times you feel very sure of yourself, while at other times you are not as confident." This phrase can apply to almost anyone, and thus each person can read a "personal" meaning into it. Keeping statements vague in this manner ensures observing the Forer effect in replication studies. Individuals are more likely to accept negative assessments of themselves if they perceive the persons presenting them with those assessments as high-status professionals. Evidence also suggests that people with authoritarian or neurotic personalities or who have a greater than usual need for approval are more likely to manifest the Barnum effect.

Studies suggest that the Forer effect is universal – it has been observed in people from many cultures and locations. In 2009, psychologists Paul Rogers and Janice Soule conducted a study that compared the tendencies of Westerners to accept Barnum’s personality profiles to the tendencies of Chinese people. They were unable to find any significant differences. Later studies have found that subjects give higher accuracy ratings if the following are true:

The subject believes that the analysis applies only to him or her, and thus applies his or her own meaning to the statements.

The subject believes in the authority of the evaluator.

The analysis lists mainly positive traits.

The method in which the Barnum personality profiles are presented can affect the extent to which people accept them as their own. For instance, Barnum profiles that are more personalized – perhaps containing a specific person's name – are more likely to yield higher acceptability ratings than those that could be applied to anyone.

Subjects who, for example, believe in the accuracy of horoscopes have a greater tendency to believe that the vague generalities of the response apply specifically to them. Studies on the relationship between mild symptoms of schizophrenia and susceptibility to the Forer effect have shown high amounts of correlation. However, Rogers and Soule's 2009 study also tested subjects' astrological beliefs. Both the Chinese and Western skeptics were more likely to identify the ambiguity in the Barnum profiles.

Self-serving bias has been shown to cancel the Forer effect. According to the self-serving bias, subjects accept positive attributes about themselves while rejecting negative ones. In one study, subjects were given one of three personality reports: one consisting of Barnum profiles containing socially desirable personality traits, one containing a mixture of positive and negative traits, and the last containing profiles full of negative traits (also called "common faults"). Subjects who received the socially desirable and mixed reports were far more likely to agree with the personality assessments than the subjects who received negative reports, although there was not a significant difference between the first two groups.

In another study, subjects were given a list of traits instead of the usual "fake" personality assessment. The subjects were asked to rate how much they felt these traits applied to them. In line with the self-serving bias, the majority of subjects agreed with positive traits about themselves and disagreed with negative ones. The study concluded that the self-serving bias is powerful enough to cancel out the usual Forer effect.

In a 1971 experiment by Bernie I. Silverman, subjects were presented with twelve personality sketches drawn from a set of horoscopes and asked to choose the four that best described them. When the descriptions were not identified by astrological sun sign, subjects were not particularly likely to pick the horoscope for their own sun sign. When the descriptions were labeled by sign, subjects were more likely to pick the horoscope for their sun sign.

C. R. Snyder and R. J. Shenkel carried out a study in which they asked their students to prepare uniform Barnum descriptions for a group of subjects; these descriptions were then presented to study participants under the guise of being individualized horoscopes. Subjects in one group were not asked for personal information; those in a second group were asked to provide their month of birth; those in a third group were asked for the exact date of their birth. Those in the third group were most likely to say that their "horoscopes" applied to them; those in the first group were least likely to do so.

In 1977, Ray Hyman wrote about the way in which hucksters exploit the Forer effect to take advantage of victims (or "marks"). He provided a list of factors that help these tricksters to dupe their prey. For example, hucksters are more likely to be successful if they exude an air of confidence ("If you look and act as if you believe in what you are doing, you will be able to sell even a bad reading to most of your subjects") if they "make creative use of the latest statistical abstracts, polls, and surveys" showing "what various subclasses of our society believe, do, want, worry about, and so on", if they employ "a gimmick, such as a crystal ball, tarot cards, or palm reading", if they are alert to the clues provided about their clients by such details as their "clothing, jewelry, mannerisms and speech", if they are not afraid of "hamming it up", and if they use flattery.

Michael Birnbaum, a Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton, has noted that the Forer effect is used by magicians and psychics when they give so-called "cold readings", as well as by certain TV personalities who claim psychoanalytical expertise and profess to be able to diagnose a guest's psychological problems in a few minutes. "Real psychologists are horrified by this practice", states Birnbaum, but they fail to criticize it vigorously enough in public, and so it continues to be treated with a respect it doesn't deserve. "It is regrettable that academic psychology has not paid more attention to the cold reading technique", Denis Dutton wrote in 1988, "inasmuch as the widespread practice of successful cold reading forms the basis for much of the belief in paranormal powers to be found in society today." While academic psychologists had focused in their studies on students, Dutton called for "analysis of the actual techniques and methods used by proficient cold readers." In a 2016 article, editors explained to marketers how to use the Forer effect to win customers. The main piece of advice was to employ flattery.

I’ll leave you with the wise words of Birnbaum regarding the moral of the Barnum Demonstration: "self-validation is no validation. Do not be fooled by a psychic, quack psychotherapist, or a phony faith healer who uses this trick on you! Be skeptical and ask for proof. Keep your money in your wallet, your wallet in your pocket, and your hand on your wallet." 

You may think this is rubbish, or you may be intrigued. Maybe you learned something new after reading this month’s blog. As I always say, you choose what you believe.

Cryptic Mystic Blog by PsychVVitch

www.LaMorteXiii.com

[hairlossforum]

hair loss forum

My True story

Like many of you, I'm also a victim of hair loss.....

More and more Singaporean men are losing their'crowns of glory'and this trend may be getting earlier and earlier.On the streets in these recent years, we might spot a comparatively amount of teenage boys who're bald or balding. Compare this phenomenon to state ten years ago when this phenomenon is not commonly seen.

This balding trend among Singaporean men is sparking an increasing proliferation of hair treatment centres. Hair treatment centres have practically sprung up all around the island with famous brands Beijing 101, Yunnan, Svenson, Bossin, etc. Factors behind hair loss can be hereditary, or due to stress, drug medications, poor diets, oily scalp etc and these causes manifest into the many forms or types of hair loss forum such as for instance male pattern baldness, telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, etc. A standard human loses about 50 to 100 hairs daily and this loss is not alarming.

However if more than this number is lost daily, one should seek a physician before it's too late.Hair grows from follicles, and if one balds and takes no actions, the follicles could eventually die and there will be you can forget growth. It will undoubtedly be too late for just about any action. Note that after I say bald, normally a human will not go totally bald, the follicles at the sides of the human scalp, the parts above the years are programmed for a lifetime, and hair grows for a lifetime at these particular areas. Balding follows a design referred to as the Norwood chart. You can find three stages of hair growth: anagen (the growing phase), catagen (the intermediate phase) and telogen (the shedding phase). Hair thinning occurs when the hair grows and sheds fast.

The common life cycle of a hair is 2 to 3 years and each hair growth to fall can last 25 cycles, balding occurs when these cycles are accelerated and completed so fast that the cycles end, the follicles dies off and the hair cannot grow back again. I realize in this post, there are numerous jargons and technical terms which can be used. The net provides a rich variety of resources for which can research thorough and understand more about hair loss. In this post, I'll just roughly summarize what I realize and experience about hair loss from my studies and individual personal experiences.In yesteryear, I have very thick volumes of hair so much in order that I complained about having to go to the barber often as my hair grows so fast. Showering, there could be no hair lost as my hair is so strong. Carrying out a medical treatment some couple of years ago from a supposedly reputable clinic and consuming the drug nimigen, I notice hair loss, my hair shed in the dozens on the bed and at the bathtub sinks daily so much in order that I stopped taking this drug nimigen and stop the laser treatments.

During the consumption of nimigen, my complexion becomes too dry as it is meant to stop facial oiliness but it overdoes. Till today, I still don't know the actual reason for my hair loss though I believe it's to do significantly with the laser treatment and the consumption of nimigen. On hindsight, I shall not have carried out with the procedure and the consumption of the medicine and this doctor still asked his nurses to force me back to keep with the rest of the treatments and at the same time frame, refuting all my allegations squarely. I spent near to $3K only to lose even more. Anyway that is yesteryear already and nothing can be achieved to turn back the clock. What I do want to share with readers listed below are my experiences and what I have experienced to combat hair loss and hopefully it can provide some useful glimpses or lessons to those who find themselves currently experiencing hair loss.Okay for the start, I first stopped all the causes that I believe have contributed to my hair loss and that is to discontinue with the medical treatments and the nimigen consumption. But even with that, two months in the future, the hair loss forum doesn't subside, so it absolutely was time to take some real actions.

On the internet, I stumbled on learnt of two drugs called Propecia, an oral medication, costing about $95 dollars at that time for 28 pills, to be taken one pill a day; and a topical hair spray called minoxidil (called Regaine, Rogaine, Growell, etc in the market) also at a $95 for just one bottle that may last a month.I visited a physician and was prescribed Propecia, taking one pill a day for three months, and I stopped.

Why do I stop? Firstly, there was no improvement and secondly, I started to have the thing that was mentioned as the medial side effects with this drug, i.e. I commence to feel less manly, although it was a minor side effect that the drug claimed and that it affect merely a small percentage of users. With these two factors, I stopped applying this drug and the less- than- manly feeling, which was temporary finally subsided. I did not use Minoxidil, as I also learnt of its negative effects too. I do want to list down the possible side ramifications of these two drugs here:Propecia: Insufficient'manliness'Minoxidil: Increase scalp sensitivity, itchiness, dandruff, increase sensitivity to the sun. And the main drawback of these two scientific proven drugs is that when you stop using these two drugs, whatever new hair that you have grow will fall again! Thus these two drugs should be useful for life! Imagine the cost involved to maintain these newly formed hair: $100 (for each one of these treatments per month), this amount translates to $1200 and more annually, and so on......

So after ending the utilization of the Propecia, I started to explore natural means of cure. One method that I looked at was using mild shampoo like Johnson Baby Shampoo, however its mild concentration was not strong enough to clear the oilness of my scalp. My hair loss may be as a result of oiliness and dandruff as I did so notice these symptoms like dandruff on my pillow.

So I decided to explore assistance from professionals and there was a vast variety of choices from the dermatogists and hair treatment centres. I visited one such hair treatment centre for a free consultation and these'professionals'scanned my hair, only to reveal many patches of oil and these'professionals'introduced me an offer to clear my scalp greasiness. The package cost a bomb and I did not just like the pushiness of those professional in introducing these packages to me. Also I have heard many stories of men and women having spent more than $10,000 on these supposedly good cures only to lose a lot more hair or having no improvement seen, besides wasting their hard-earned money! Thus, hair treatment centres scared me off when this occurs and I decided to consult a premier hair dermatologist in Singapore instead. It was not cheap. First consultation alone cost $80. The dermatologist inspected my hair and said there was nothing wrong. She prescribed me with two shampoo, Nizoral ($25) and a Gentle Shampoo ($21) to be rotated interchangeably daily and a sebum regulator to be applied on the scalp during the night after washing ($18). However, there was still no improvement.

Actually, the residue from the sebum regulator produced tiny sticky white residue on my hair once my hair dried to the extent that my colleagues thought my hair had dandruff. Anyway my hair was still very oily and coated with some dandruff too, despite applying the supposedly strong and beneficial shampoos that the utmost effective dermatologist prescribed. I confirmed this fact when I popped into one of the hair treatment centre at a shopping centre for curiosity and did a free consultation with the centre. The'scanner'that the centre operators used magnified my scalp glands often over, revealing the oily spots, it certainly look disgusting with this kind of hundred times over magnification of the sebaceous scalp glands. The operators said my scalp glands were choked with oil, and this might cause hair loss; but I did not want to take any chance with this specific centre and off I left. I went for another consultation with the dermatologist I saw previously. Again, the dermatologist said there was nothing wrong with my hair or with my scalp and the outcomes from the'hair-pull'test she carried out on me revealed no extraordinary hair loss.

After hearing the story of the medical treatment I did so and the drug nimigen I consumed, she suspected that it might be telogen effluvium due to the medication, a condition which could only disappear in times to come; though my oily scalp might be a contributing factor too. She told me that she could not do anything except to simply help me diagnose the explanation for my hair loss via a scalp biopsy ($589) and a blood test ($169); all price stated without GST. Hearing the costs, I hesitated however in a desire to find out the actual cause, I decided to take the plunge and carried out the scalp biopsy and the blood test.I did the blood test first and the pain was nothing compared to the scalp biopsy I undergone later on. It had been no joke, having an item of your mind scalp being removed surgically and the pain was terrible despite the applying of anaesthetics prior to the treatment. After both the tests, the nurse rubbed a Bactroban cream on the element of my scalp which was operated on to kill the bacteria; after sewing this area of the scalp. There is still little pain that subsisted every time I shampoo the sewn area of the scalp. I was told to come back fourteen days later to get rid of the stitch and to acquire the outcomes of the diagnosis. I was handed the rest of the of the Bactroban cream to utilize daily on the affected scalp to help ease the pain and kill the bacteria. Fourteen days later, I returned to the same clinic to get rid of the stitch and the dermatologist handed me the effect; and the effect indicated that it was telogen effluvium.

The dermatologist said it absolutely was good news as this disorder which might be as a result of medication I took would finally subside after some time. I could be looking forward to this to come soon.But alas, days pass and then months, it absolutely was futile. Seeing tons and a great deal of hair on the bathroom sink and waking up everyday to witness the a huge selection of hair strewn across my bed and on my bedroom floor did nothing to assuage me that my illness would go away. The visits to the dermatologist have drained me financially and in a desperate move, I decided to try out some off-the-counter hair loss products offered at pharmacies. I tried the Himalyan Hair Loss Cream (Herbal) for around 30 days but it absolutely was useless so I visited see the dermatologist again for the fourth and fifth time (that was in April and May last year), but again the dermatologist assessed and said there was nothing wrong with my hair, no male pattern loss or whatever. But indeed, my hair was getting thinner and thinner by the day.

[akirakurusuimagines]

Christmas Gifts (Akira & Lavenza)

Blowing hot air into his hands, Akira hastily made his way through the crowded streets of Shibuya, bumping shoulders with couples at every turn and softly muttering a word of apology and bowing his head respectfully as he squeezed through in an attempt to get to the alley he knew like the back of his hand⁠— towards the Velvet Room.

It was strange to him, to be in such a crowded place on Christmas⁠— though it made sense, considering his more humble countryside origins… and truthfully, he did enjoy seeing the abundance of festive decorations and large amounts of people spreading joy through simple manners, whether with greetings or with gifts; it warmed his heart. Perhaps because it gave him a reason to spoil his dearest friends with gifts he would never have found in his hometown.

He had already made his rounds⁠⁠— a backpack, once full of gifts was now empty, save for a single, small, light, and neatly wrapped package at the bottom. It was so light, Akira had to pause at times and check the bag to make sure it wasn’t gone somehow⁠. Can never be too careful. Sighing softly as he checked one last time before making a fool of himself, Akira walked closer to the young girl standing alone, smiling as he watched her lift her head from her grimoire to greet him enthusiastically.

“Shall I guide you to my master?” She asked, looking up at her savior with warmth. It was only natural she would assume he’d come to enter the Velvet Room and see her master Igor, considering her status as an attendant.

Akira laughed softly and shook his head. “Nah, that won’t be necessary,” he commented, keeping his gaze trained on her. “Thank you, Lavenza.”

“Oh...? Then may I ask why you’ve come? It’s Christmas, if I remember correctly… you should be spending it with those you have made strong bonds with.” Lavenza’s expression appeared puzzled. Akira figured that was a natural reaction⁠— anyone would assume he’d spend it with his friends, especially after what had happened the day before: the Phantom Thieves defeating a false god and stealing humanity’s treasure… it all feels like a dream, or a very distant memory.

“I came to see you.”

His answer was short and blunt, and yet somehow Lavenza still took several moments to process his words, her golden eyes wide in surprise as it slowly sunk in. Akira was aware of the feelings Lavenza held for him, that much was certain, considering how she had just as bluntly professed her love for him. She was also certain of the feelings he held for her, considering her both a younger sibling and a savior of sorts⁠— guiding his path when he was the most lost. “Ah…” Lavenza couldn’t help the warmth that rose to her cheeks as she held onto the grimoire a little tighter, shifting her weight. “My trickster, you are too kind…”

“Hold on a moment before you start calling me kind. I haven’t even given you your gift yet.” Akira pulled the bag off of his shoulders and opened the zipper, reaching his hand in and fishing for the gift as Lavenza continued to be surprised. “Here,” he said as he held out the gift for her to take. “Merry Christmas.”

Lavenza stared at Akira for a good few moments, her eyes shifting between the small gift in his hands and the kind expression of a boy who truly cares for her. She put her grimoire underneath her arm and took the gift with mild hesitation, holding her breath and wondering if this was truly happening. She had given things to him before without issue⁠— as Caroline and Justine, and as her true self. However, the thought of receiving something from her dear trickster had never occurred to her before then. She didn’t say a word, only slowly opening the gift, wrapped in a fitting blue and gold, only to reveal a black box. Lavenza cast her gaze upwards to be met with an encouraging nod.

“Open it.”

Lavenza pressed her lips together and pulled it apart, gasping when she saw the contents inside. She looked up with shock⁠, overwhelmed, unsure of what to say or how she could even accept such a gift. “My trickster, you truly… you did not have to…” She was at a loss for words, and looked down again at the item in the palm of her hand⁠— a new bookmark. When Akira had won the fight against her split forms, they had given him Justine’s bookmark as a reward. And now⁠—

“I thought you might need a new one.” Akira rubbed the back of his neck, pleased with her reaction. “Do you like it?”

It was a fairly simple bookmark, matching her colorscheme once more with the metallic blue and gold trimming, reflecting her grimoire’s design, though several things stood out to her the most⁠— the small gold insignia of the phantom thieves inscribed onto the bottom right corner of the bookmark, and the charm attached to it, of a small blue butterfly, not too dissimilar to what she had used when talking to Akira during her incomplete state during his time of crisis. “I… I love it. Thank you, my trickster. You truly are… the world’s greatest man.” Lavenza finally breathed out, her heart racing and chest warm.

Akira stepped closer and lifted the small black foam cushion the bookmark a mischievous smile dancing on his face. “There’s more,” He mumbled, lifting the backing enough to reveal a crisply folded piece of paper. “It’ll… be a little embarrassing for you to read it now, so save it for later. There’s something else attached to it too. But⁠— like I said, read it later.”

“I⁠— I see. Thank you.” Lavenza exclaimed, her curiosity beginning to overwhelm her a little, though she took the paper from the box and with the bookmark, slid it both into her grimoire for later. “I suppose that’s all, correct?” She asked, a slightly sad edge to her voice slipping out that she did not quite mean⁠— she was extremely happy with the gifts she was given, though she still wished to spend more time with him. So she covered up her feelings with a smile and clutched the grimoire close to her chest once more. “Merry Christmas, my dear trickster. I hope you enjoy your night.”

“Wait⁠—” Akira shook his head, appearing displeased at her sudden shift in mood. “I was actually going to ask if you’d like to come to Leblanc for a little while. I’d like to make you some coffee.” He paused for a second, looking at her with furrowed eyebrows, wondering if she even liked the bitter beverage. “Or hot chocolate. It is chilly tonight.”

Lavenza carried her grimoire in one arm and began to giggle, hiding her mouth behind her hand. “You truly are full of surprises, trickster. I… I would love to accompany you at your residence for a little while.” She smiled brightly, truly believing that nothing could be better than this.

Akira held out his hand for Lavenza to take, and she did. It felt nice⁠— holding the very same hand that saved humanity… saved her. “You’ve never celebrated Christmas before, have you?” Akira asked, genuinely curious. He’s heard brief mentions of her family, though knew nothing beyond that.

“Ah… yes, you are correct. My older siblings and I have not participated in human traditions like that. At least to my knowledge. However… this is very nice. Perhaps I could convince my master to spare some thought into doing something like this for the holidays.” Lavenza smiled as she walked, looking down at her feet while Akira guided her through the streets, weaving between the crowds once more, heading towards the train station.

Akira nodded, deciding to use the time to get to know her a little more, considering Caroline and Justine were difficult to approach, even more so to get them to open up. “That’s interesting… how many siblings do you have, actually?”

“Three elder siblings.”

“Three? Wow, that’s amazing. I’m an only child, so I couldn’t imagine how it must feel to be the youngest of four.”

“It was… quite the experience. One of my sisters and I can get… competitive at times. She also treats my elder brother rather harshly, though he is quite the pushover. My eldest sister is quite the woman, though she also can get to be a bit mischievous at times, and her anger can be… unbridled.”

“Your family sounds lively. I’d love to meet them one day.”

“Ah… forgive me, but unless it is by a stroke of mysterious luck, it is unlikely you will… we are bound to our guests.”

“That’s a shame.”

Akira kept Lavenza close, making sure she didn’t get lost as they made their way towards Leblanc, hand in hand. He fished out the key to the door from his pocket and slid it inside, twisting the key and unlocking the door, seeing as how Sojiro was spending his night with Futaba back at his home.

“Your place of residence is quite humble, trickster… though very comforting nonetheless.” Lavenza commented as she walked inside, clearly amazed by the size and decor. “Would you mind if I took a seat?”

Akira chuckled, amused by Lavenza’s manners. “Be my guest.” He himself walked around the counter, where Lavenza propped herself up, setting her grimoire in front of her. He slipped on the apron over his head, careful to watch his glasses as he did so, and as he began to tie the strings behind his back, he looked to Lavenza and asked her, “What would you like? Coffee, or hot chocolate?”

She thought for a moment, but eventually went with the latter, figuring she would prefer the sweeter drink. Lavenza couldn’t thank him more for his kindness with her, and she watched him set off to work on her warm beverage with an intrigued gaze, amazed at the vast variety of skills her trickster possessed. She watched him work with wonder for several minutes, before remembering the folded paper that stuck out of her grimoire that she was instructed to save for later.

Lavenza gently took it out, holding it in her hand as she looked up to make sure he wasn’t watching⁠— if he wasn’t watching her read it, it should be fine, right? Her curiosity was getting the better of her, and it was more and more difficult to resist the temptation to open and read its contents. Eventually, she caved, unfolding the papers and holding it out in her hands, her eyes immediately gluing itself into the first words he had written.

Dear Lavenza,

I’ll be honest… I never expected any of this to happen when I first arrived in Tokyo. How could I? Personas, becoming a thief, rehabilitation, ruin, all of it. I may not have known your true form for long, but you’ve been there for me every step of the way: from whenever I was lost and unsure of what to do next to whenever I needed assistance with my personas, fusing them and strengthening them. You, as the blue butterfly, as Justine and Caroline, and then… as yourself. You’ve helped me in so many ways, that I really don’t know how to express my gratitude to you for all of it. Thank you, Lavenza. For your strength, and for giving it to us.

I realize our time together is probably coming to a close sometime soon. We’ve destroyed Mementos, and taken care of the false god, so there isn’t any need for me to be contracted to the Velvet Room anymore, right? I’d like to take advantage of being a guest of yours and Igor’s for a little while longer, since I am going back to my hometown in March. I… do not want to forget you. And I don’t want you to forget me either⁠— so I’m going to treasure the bookmark you gave me, and I hope you’ll do the same.

Merry Christmas,

Joker

Lavenza was completely entranced by the letter that she hadn’t even noticed Akira was looking at her until he had set the cup of hot chocolate down next to her. He wasn’t upset she was reading the letter⁠— though did look a little embarrassed. It was always strange seeing someone read something of yours, like that. “Ah⁠—!” Lavenza hastily set the paper down, cheeks red. She grabbed the mug and brought it close, using it to cover the flustered expression she bore from having been caught, as well as from the words that replayed over and over in her head. “It’s very hot…” Lavenza muttered, having regretted trying to take a sip of her beverage, though when she lifted her eyes, she saw Akira was no longer looking at her⁠— and instead was cleaning up.

She took her chances and looked back at the letter, reading it once more, as if the letters would fade in a minute. She swung her legs and lifted the cup up to her lips again, this time managing to take a sip of it, and relishing in the delicious taste. “Thank you… this is incredible.”

“You’re welcome,” Akira replied, not sparing her a look as he washed the dishes. “Make sure you take the last gift from the letter.”

Lavenza’s eyebrows furrowed, but she turned the page over, finally spotting the small charm attached to the letter with tape. “Oh… this is…” She peeled it open and cupped it in her hand, amazed by the small charm. Lavenza curiously began to mess with it, only to have the charm split into two halves. “Ah⁠—!” She exclaimed, fearing she may have broken it, though she quickly realized that it was intentional. “Could this be for… Caroline and Justine?”

“Yeah. I figured they should get something, too.” Akira wiped his hands on a spare towel and walked around the bar, standing close to Lavenza. “I hope they like⁠—”

He cut himself off, as Lavenza lunged forward and wrapped her small arms around his torso as she disregarded the feelings inside her head that warned her not to do such a thing. Akira shook his head with a chuckle as the surprise quickly wore away, and gently petted the girl’s head, genuinely elated she seemed to think so highly of him and his gifts. “I’m glad.” As she began to pull away, Akira stopped her, knowing she was doing so out of courtesy. “We can stay like that a little longer.” He spoke in a gentle tone that melted her heart, and she sunk back into his warm embrace. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, my dear trickster… thank you.”

[dillydedalus]

october reading

 books. i read ‘em.

the bird king, g. willow wilson ugh i’m disappointed with this - i expected it to be more about the fall of granada, rather than just taking that as a jumping-off point for a very slow story of how fatima (concubine to the last andalusian sultan) and her bff hassan (magical mapmaker) escape from lady inquisitor luz to a magical/legendary island. that’s more of an expectation mismatch, but i also found this just a bit boring and confused, didn’t like the characters or the emotional moments. 2.5/5

lanark: a life in four books, alasdair gray y’all... this is a weirdo pomo mess which gray himself describes as ‘a portrait of the artist as a frustrated young glaswegian’ (instant love), it’s about duncan thaw growing up in post-war glasgow (not a good place) and lanark, sans memories, finding himself in the city of unthank (probably The Bad Place), where the sun hardly ever shines and people grow dragonskin, but really it’s about art & cities & politics & scotland & hell. it’s completely nuts & has a chapter where the protagonist meets the author in the process of writing and there’s a chapter-long sidebar detailing all instances of plagiarism in the book (incl. the lack of influence from robert burns, more sinister than all plagiarism). it’s a bit flabby in places & could stand to be a 100-200 pages shorter, but damn. 4/5

the memory police, yoko ogawa (tr. from japanese by stephen snyder) very atmospheric, quietly disturbing magical realist(ish) book about an island on which sometimes certain things (birds, roses, ribbons, fruit) just disappear, with the inhabitants losing their memories and emotional connection to the thing. the disappearances seem to occur randomly and on their own, but the memory police makes sure that no disappeared items remain and that those who can still remember also... disappear. really liked the quiet slow dread building here, the mysterious workings of the disappearances, and the interplay between the main story and the novel the narrator is writing while worrying whether words too will soon disappear. 4/5

trick mirror: reflections on self-delusion, jia tolentino collection of nine essays about roughly, life & self-image & politics in the social media age (and its predecessor, the reality tv age), gender politics and uh scams and self-delusions. many of these essays felt vaguely like things i’d read before online (& i might have) & didn’t offer anything completely new but i liked the examinations of big wedding culture, and her take on the ‘difficult woman’ archetype of millenial feminism. tolentino in general is an engaging, sharp writer, and even when she’s writing about familiar topics, she often puts an interesting spin on things. 3.5/5

here in berlin, cristina garcía and the anglophone-berlin-books saga continues. a cuban-american woman with a mild personal crisis goes to berlin (as people w/ personal crises so often do) and there collects a variety of snapshot stories from berliners (by birth or choice or accident), mostly about world war 2 and the latin american diaspora in berlin. some of the snapshots are p interesting or bizarrely funny but mostly they retread the same ground (history, trauma, collective & personal responsibility, commemoration etc) without really saying anything new (except the connection garcía makes between the nazis and south american dictatorships). there’s also a pretty annoying attempt to create authenticity by peppering in german words and phrases which sometimes aren’t even appropriate or spelled correctly* (get a german proofreader you cowards i’ll do it for free... like wtf is ‘volkenbrot’). 2/5 *i ordered it used and got an ARC, so maybe some of these issues were fixed for the final version but lmao. volkenbrot. 

wilder girls, rory power this is annihilation as YA, set on an island called raxter where a mysterious illness called the tox has taken over, transforming the wilderness, the animals (deers grow canines y’all), and most of all the girls at raxter boarding school. the narrator’s eye has fused shut & something is growing under it, her friend has grown an extra spine, other girls have gills or claws. less fortunate girls (and most of the teachers) just die. there was a lot i liked about this, especially the tox and the ambivalent relationships the girls have to their changed bodies, but the last third just... eh. also, like, i like tumblr monster-girl poetics as much as the next person, but this is really overdoing it. 2.5/5

nach mitternacht (after midnight), irmgard keun KEUN HYPE TRAIN!!! this one’s super interesting because it’s the first novel keun wrote in exile, published 1937 and set at around the same time. the protagonist, sanne, is a naive and politically uneducated 19-year-old who is repeatedly & very dramatically confronted with the political reality she lives in, first when her aunt denounces her to the gestapo and later when her boyfriend franz is arrested. for most of the (very short) novel, sanne is observing and not quite understanding the increasing legal discrimination against jews, culture of paranoia and denouncement, and glorification of fascist ideology, which makes for a very disturbing reading experience, especially with the reader’s retrospective knowledge, but the climax is truly nightmarish & devastating. 4/5

children of god, mary doria russell the sequel to the sparrow, which i read & loved earlier this year. in this one, emilio sandoz, still in recovery from the trauma of his first trip to the planet rakhat, is forced to return there (bc the pope thinks it’s god’s will lol) and finds the planet changed after decades (space travel makes time weird) of revolution and civil war. i liked this but it’s not as good as the sparrow, the characters (except my man emilio) aren’t as interesting & well-developed and the dual timeline structure isn’t as well-executed but hey. there’s some closure for emilio & that made me hella emosh. 3.5/5

the wilful princess & the piebald prince, robin hobb a novella telling the true (?) story of charger farseer, the piebald prince, a historical figure that has great influence on the six duchies of fitz’s time, especially regarding the treatment of the witted (people who can magically bond with aninmals) and how fitz is framed & reviled as the ‘witted bastard’. this was cool & i enjoyed how it twists the story, but it’s not worth reading if you haven’t read the main series. 3/5

the inheritance, robin hobb/megan lindholm collection of short stories by hobb under her two pseudonyms - i mostly skipped the lindholm ones (sorry), but the three hobb ones were really really good. the first is about the first expeditions into the rain wilds (i love the cursed shores so much & wish there was a full trilogy about the first settlers there), the second is about bingtown & wizardwood, the third is about how sometimes you gotta kill your abusive ex & if you’re lucky, your cat will help you do it. it’s great & the cat is called marmelade. 4/5 for the hobb stories only

unholy land, lavie tidhar alternate history + multiple realities + high-concept pulp - lior tirosh, a pulp author (it’s meta) returns to his homeland, the jewish state palestina, established in east africa in the early 20th century, and there becomes involved in... rival plots to destroy/stabilise the borders between the worlds, not only between this alternate one and our real one, which tirosh seems to occasionally slip into, but all the million others, including one where the moon broke. love the concept, but this is so vague & confusing on so many points and the ending so abrupt that i was left kinda frustrated & unsatisfied (also bc we never find out much more about the world where the moon broke). 3.5/5

tigermilch (tiger milk), stefanie de velasco german ya book about two teen girls growing up in a poor neighbourhood in berlin. nini’s father is absent, her mother depressed, while jameelah’s father died in iraq and her mother is worried that they might be deported, and their bosnian friend amir’s sister is dating a serb. it’s some pretty harrowing stuff & it’s good to see Issues (TM) addressed in german ya in a way that doesn’t feel super didactic & preachy, but ultimately i’m really not the target audience here. 3/5

sea monsters, chloe aridjis

weirdo brainy dreamy novella about a girl in 80s mexico running away from mexico city to the beach because she’s looking for ukrainian circus dwarfs (???). i liked a lot about this (atmosphere, poetic & mythical allusions, a lot of the writing, the depictions of mexico city and the weird beach culture are both really cool) but a lot of the time this was so dreamy that i just kinda zoned out. 3/5

i am currently reading emma by jane austen bc i forgot about my monthly austen project until the last few days of the month lol & one of the hugo long list anthologies. the one with the cool fox on it.

[thedarkestdragonknight]

About the Muse: Ra’sohn Tia

full name. Ra’sohn Tia (Does not take on the title of Nunh because his tribe has been wiped out) pronunciation.  r ah s UH n tea-ah nicknames. None height. 6 fulms, 5 ilms (6 foot 5 inches or 198.12cm) age. 22 zodiac. Aquarius (Born on the 20th Sun of the First Umbral Moon, Feb. 18th) languages. Common Eorzean, Huntspeak (Miqo’te) and some Xaelan from the Steppe with a bit of Hingan for good measure. However, Ra’sohn more or less expresses himself through body language more than actually talking and for him, body language means more than words. Something he picked up on from his mother who told him about the Qestir of the Azim Steppe.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair colour.  Pale, almost white in certain lighting but is actually a very pale pastel blue in coloration. Has naturally occurring black highlights to his hair. Usually unkept and shaggy in appearance. eye colour.  Eyes to match his hair with one being a light pale blue where it looks white or silver in the right light while the other is black and gives him an almost creepy vibe. skin tone.  Due to living in the desert before his capture Ra’sohn’s complexion is a very deep rich tanned color which gives a very big contrast to his pale hair and eye. body type.  Muscular with a very fit frame and form to him. Being a slave as well as a gladiator and fighter for the slave market he is currently housed in has left him very muscular and fit. And before his capture he was an avid hunter for his family. accent.  Ra’sohn doesn’t really have much in the way of an accent but he has been known to do the rolling of his R’s from time to time when he gets extremely agitated or emotions are running high. dominant hand. ambidextrous, however will often prefer his left hand over his right  posture.  In most cases he tends to be more tense and tends to fall on Miqo’te habits of trying to look as fierce and big as possible. Basically, he can be good postured but most of the time he’s bad at it. scars. Due to his life as a gladiator for the slave market that owns him Ra’sohn has quite a number of scars on his form ranging from little knicks to more nasty ones. Most generally disappear after a time due to healing however so scars come and go unless they are so severe that they leave behind a permanent mark. tattoos.  None, though Ra’sohn has been known to wear tribal paints on his body in the arena when fighting. Usually very vibrant and flashy colors to throw off his opponents. most noticeable features. Because Ra’sohn is half Au Ra, specifically half Xaelan, he has quite a number of features that stick out when it comes down to it. The biggest feature is that his tail is longer than most Miqo’te and Au Ra’s and it blends both races together with a long line of fur running along the top half of the tail and the bottom being armored with scales. The end bursts into a plume of fur while also having the spike like features of an Au Ra tail that come out of the sides. Scales run down the length of his back starting from the back of his neck down to the base of his tail and they spread out over his hips and down his legs towards his knees. He also had longer claws on his hands and toes as well. The final thing to note is that he has a large set of horns on his head.

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth.  A small tribe formed by his father Ra’tahve in the Burning Wall of Eastern Thanalan. hometown.  None, the village was his home really. birth weight / height. Larger than your normal Miqo’te ‘kitten’ but smaller than your average Au Ra child. manner of birth.  Natural, his mother had a very successful and easy birth with no complications to speak of. He was born extremely healthy and as his mother would put it with lungs that could make even Ifrit deaf. siblings. None, Ra’sohn was the only child born before his father passed away. parents.  Ra’tahve Nunh (Seeker of the Sun, Deceased), Yesuntei Oronir (Steppe Xaela, Unknown) parental involvement. Both of Ra’sohn’s parents played a huge part in his upbringing with both being constantly present up until his early teenage years when his father fell ill with a disease that would later claim his life. Ra’sohn’s father and mother both helped to raise him and teach him not just how to survive in the wilds but also how to fight and hunt with various weapons so that he would not have to rely on any one thing. His mother also helped to teach him various ways to better himself and techniques that were common with the Oronir of the steppe. Overall, Ra’sohn’s parents were there for him until his father passed away and by that point he was old enough to go out on his own, which lead to his capture and enslavement.

ADULT LIFE

occupation.  Gladiator and Slave. current residence.  Has no real ‘home’ so to speak of close friends. None, he isn’t really one to actually go about making friends since his focus is clearly on survival and possibly escaping his fate. relationship status. For the most part ‘single’ would be the best term used for this. financial status. Ra’sohn has no real money to his name, while he makes a living fighting as a Gladiator, what money he earns is usually not kept. So he doesn’t really have any financial status. driver’s license. Ra’sohn likely learned how to ride a horse with his mothers training but really, he’s more likely to run anywhere than rely on any sort of mount. criminal record.  None that he’s aware of really. Then again he has likely beaten people and potentially killed people who were too stubborn to back down in the arena. vices. I mean... one big one would likely be it’s not a ‘crime’ unless you’re caught. (I’m bad at this can’t you tell? Lol)

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation.  Homosexual  romantic orientation.  Panromantic. polyamorous.  preferred emotional role.  submissive | dominant | switch  |  unsure preferred sexual role.  submissive  |  dominant  |  switch |  sex repulsed libido. Given his job as a slave and a fighter/gladiator Ra’sohn has a fairly healthy drive all things considered. Though he doesn’t like to admit it, he does enjoy the... satisfaction that comes from pleasuring customers. turn on’s. Hair Pulling, Biting, Clawing... he’s a bit of a wild boy and tends to be turned on by a wide variety of things in all honesty. But if you want to drive him insane pair something rough with a gentle touch afterwards. turn off’s. Non-consent, doing anything that he strictly tells someone no to, most of the general things that are seen as disgusting, etc. love language. He doesn’t really have much in the way of a love language because he’s not really had the chance to experience true love. relationship tendencies.  Cuddling and resting against his partners, grooming them and gently stroking his hands through their hair. Usually tends to happen only with people he feels extremely comfortable with otherwise he has no real tendencies once he is done with his customer for the evening unless they ask for something specific for afterwards.

MISCELLANEOUS.

hobbies to pass the time. Acrobatics, Yoga, fighting and sparring. He’s also been learning to pick locks as best he can so that he can try and sneak away from his current life. Singing is also something he does but rarely and only in private. mental illnesses. Mild Anxiety, Depression, with small hints of him having brief psychotic disorder physical illnesses. None, he’s healthy for his age and has little wrong with him in regards to overall physical health.  left or right brained. Dominantly Right due to his stronger creative habits. fears. Guns and Magitek Devices/Machines, Having a permanent master, being Drugged/Drugs, Not earning his freedom or regaining his freedom, Death. self confidence level.  Ra’sohn is fairly confident with himself but he has learned to put on a face when he is entertaining other people. Deep down he can be seen as meek and very much not confident in himself, when he’s alone anyway. vulnerabilities. Ra’sohn is a fighter and this can easily get him into a lot of trouble, he doesn’t always know when to fight and when to run and spare himself problems. He can also easily be crippled by his fears, specifically those involving the potential for having a permanent master in his life or when it comes to being taunted about never being free again. Lots of little things here and there as well but he’s still in development.

Tagged By: @benes-diction

Tagging: @theaetherhealerffxiv @talechaser-ffxiv @skyysinger @jarethnunh @thorcatte @shur-kha-ffxiv @theredlilycrew and um... um... whoever sees this and wants to do it ;v;

[teaxch]

Lembaceton, the Watched Plane

Lembaceton is a plane overseen by eight magisters (also called auspices, and a variety of other names), powerful and ancient artifacts whose influence pervades the plane. They are all considered to be machines, even though only a minority of them resemble or operate like machines in any traditional sense. All are so esoteric that their functions cannot be completely discerned from their forms, but the residents have ideas about what each does. Some of these ideas might even be correct. Each of the five lesser magisters has many names; a sample of those names are given here, with the first name given being the one most commonly used by the common folk living in Lembaceton’s largest cities. The greater magisters have one name each.

The Bright; The Effulgent Scratch; The Line; The Window; Sister Euphotonic 

Lembaceton has no sun. Illumination is provided by The Bright, a razor thin and intensely luminous line of light that stretches from horizon to horizon, sweeping across the sky from dawn to dusk. Of the Lesser Magisters, the Bright is perhaps the least well-understood. While it is visible from anywhere on the plane, its location in the upper atmosphere means that it is difficult to study. Angels (called the Ehoachim, or Second Children of the Bright) seem to discourage looking into the device too closely. Generally, most residents of Lembaceton accept that the purpose of the Bright is simply to provide light to the world.

The light emanating from the Bright is intensely directional, providing Lembaceton with a day-night cycle that mimics that of planes whose worlds orbit suns. Very close to Lembaceton’s poles, the Bright is always overhead, although these places are minimally trafficked by the world’s population - both are over the ocean. The nature of the Bright is such that Lembacedon has no seasons, and because the Bright is not the source of the world’s heat, nights are no colder than days. At the latitude where the Bottomless exists, the Bright appears to have a small gap in it. It is unclear what the relationship between the two magisters is that this is the case. The most popular theories are that the Bottomless has somehow damaged the Bright, that the Bright is designed to avoid illuminating the Bottomless, or that the gap is intended as a warning to help the plane’s residents avoid the Bottomless.

The Busy; The Allscribe; Sister Chronologic; Intaglio; The Lastwork

The Busy is among the smallest of the Lesser Magisters, being no larger than a city block, and reaching just a few stories above and below the surface. Of the magisters, it is the one most readily identifiable as a machine. The Busy endlessly produces a written record of everything - no matter how concealed or insignificant - that happens on the plane, as it occurs. It writes with tens of thousands of brushes that never run out of ink onto an endless supply of parchment. The Busy is less useful as a source of information than it might seem, as the logs it produces are completely unsorted except for by time, and any piece of information is quickly buried under other, newer information. While most residents of the plane think of the Busy as a scribe, recording things as they happen, a smaller number think it may be writing reality into being itself. A Sphinx named Young Io has served as the caretaker of The Busy for as long as anybody can remember, although it’s unclear what this role actually requires. He is happy to allow visitors to observe the magister, but if he knows anything about it, he isn’t telling. The twin riddles of the Busy are that, despite the fact that it doesn’t have enough brushes to truly be recording everything, it never seems to miss anything, and that, despite recording ceaselessly, it never fills itself up.

The Busy is located near the center of Lastsister City, the largest urban area on Lembaceton, although it is much older than the surrounding city. Several hundred meters of empty courtyard separate the magister from the surrounding buildings. While the accepted reason for this is deference to the magister, a more pragmatic motivation is that the Busy is so ceaselessly noisy that few people wish to live or work too close to it.

The Bottomless; Hungerhole; The Vast Quiet Nothing; The Unmachine; The Exit

The Bottomless is a dark, silent hole in the earth, several miles across and of apparently unlimited depth. Despite its status as a magister, the people of Lembaceton use The Bottomless for the rather ignoble purpose of refuse disposal. Any object lowered into the Bottomless disappears entirely, even if otherwise tethered. The Bottomless may be getting larger, but if it is, it is at least doing so very slowly. People who spend too much time near The Bottomless report nausea, mild amnesia, and a growing urge to hurl themselves into the pit.  Because of the dangers associated with doing so, approaching the Bottomless outside of official business involving it is considered suspicious - an indicator that somebody had something that they really, really needed to make disappear.

In some ways, its simplicity makes the Bottomless among the least mysterious of the magisters. Its capabilities are well-documented, and it is consistent in its behavior. It cannot meaningfully be said to have a specific depth, as anything that goes into it does not come out. Voyages to the other side of the planet confirm that there is nothing unusual there.

The demons that lurk near the Bottomless are rumored to have emerged from the pit, but even if that’s true, they’re no more immune to consumption by the pit than anything else is. Unlike the custodians of the other lesser magisters, the demons do not do anything that is obviously in the service of the Bottomless, and seem to be rather afraid of it. They do not eagerly communicate about it, and even when pressed do not seem to have any special knowledge of its nature.

The Beat; The Cardiac Engine; The Great Ticking Thing; Sister Syncopatic; Pseudarrhythmia

Towering above the mountains in the remotest regions of Lembaceton’s continent lies The Beat, a massive metronome-like object whose booming peal can be heard across the plane every three weeks or so. It is surrounded by numerous smaller objects, ticking away more rapidly. Of the lesser magisters, The Beat is among the most esoteric. It has no obvious function, which has only served to fuel speculation about what it might actually be for - if anything at all. Study of The Beat focuses heavily on the synchronization of the various devices, along with the belief that something significant will happen when they all tick at once. Mighty pulse dragons brood in its upper reaches, protecting the Beat with their powerful sonic breath weapons, but don’t seem to mind lesser creatures studying it as long as they do so respectfully.

Some of the lesser Beats are small enough that they can be transported around the plane, albeit with some difficulty, and their ticking hands can be brought to a halt if enough force is applied. Upon release, they resume ticking as before, and there do not seem to be any meaningful consequences for causing a lesser Beat to skip a beat. No force has been mustered that can alter the rhythm of the largest Beat’s ticking.

The Body; Lineage and Legacy; The Soma Root; The Old Pattern; Fundamentus

The Body is a massive web of filaments of a variety of materials that cover the landscape in a complex pattern and which is rooted into the ground to an unknown depth. Unlike the rest of the lesser magisters, whose true purposes (if they have any) are at least partially shrouded in mystery, everybody on the plane is certain that the roles of the Body are to hold the world together and to keep real things from being not-real. Nobody knows where this belief came from, but it is considered a basic fact about the world that is just common knowledge. 

Unlike the other lesser magisters, The Body does not seem to have any creatures that act as its custodian. It may have at one point in the past, or it may have a custodian that so defies expectations that it isn’t recognizable, but it is generally assumed that it simply does not need one. The Body is routinely damaged - it’s almost impossible to excavate or till the land without disturbing one of its filaments - but it simply grows back. While the Body spans the whole planet - even the depths of Lembaceton’s uninhabited, featureless ocean - its filaments are most dense near the center of the continent. The only places it avoids are those very close to the other terrestrial lesser magisters, the Busy, Bottomless, and Beat.

The Greater Magisters

The three greater magisters are much less well understood than even the most esoteric of the lesser magisters. The most familiar of them is the First, a two-meter-high five-sided obelisk at the center of Lembaceton’s single continent. Each of the First’s five faces depicts what is believed to be one of the five lesser magisters, although its image of the Busy does not resemble that magister as it currently appears. The Substitute is a massive, six-legged, centaur-like golem that slowly patrols the perimeter of the continent. Its body is composed of a stony substance not found elsewhere on the plane. Though its circuit takes thousands of days, its path is worn smooth by its passing. Some people believe the Substitute is a protector of some sort, but this is pure speculation; it neither reacts to no responds to anything. The Missing is by far the most mysterious of the magisters. Its form, purpose, and location are totally unknown.

Aside from the presence of the magisters, Lembaceton is largely unremarkable in the multiverse. Its population is approximately half human, with smaller populations of dwarves, kithkin, elves, centaurs, minotaurs, faeries, and ratfolk. While some towns and neighborhoods may have somewhat different compositions of species, for the most part all of the mortal inhabitants of the plane mingle freely. Lembaceton has a single continent, which has a single central government that is largely concerned with maintaining the continent’s infrastructure. The plane’s single saltwater ocean is completely devoid of life, save for some shallow-water plants. The idea that a creature could live underwater is not one that would even occur to the average citizen. Its rivers are similarly empty. The climate is uniformly temperate, and life is fairly comfortable.

The degree to which the magisters occupy the minds of the residents of Lembacedon vastly outstrips what would be expected given their actual level of impact on the day-to-day life of a typical person. Idle speculation about the magisters is a very common topic of conversation, even where the conversation has been had hundreds of times before. A career spent researching the magisters is considered a noble one, albeit one that is not open to most. Young Io is very conservative with the types of access he allows to the Busy, and with the exception of the Body, investigation of the other lesser magisters is hazardous. Not coincidentally, the Body is by far the most-studied, with everybody from archdruids down to young hobbyists attempting to make sense of it. Religious veneration of any of the magisters is a serious taboo. It is grounds for social ostracism if discovered, and is strongly - and often violently - discouraged by the custodians of the magisters.

[dietsauthority]

Pavanamuktasana (Wind Relieving Pose) - How To Do And Benefits

Do you recognize the wind relieving present? This is likewise understood as wind launching present or pavanamuktasana. The Wind Easing Posture otherwise Pavanamuktasana is a yoga exercise posture in which the body is situated in a supine placement. The Pavanamuktasana (Wind Getting rid of Pose) rub the body organs of the stomach and additionally ease fear which occurs around the tummy together with lower back. It is likewise called as gas launching posture yoga.

Pavanamuktasana (Wind Launching Posture) - The best ways to Do Steps As well as Advantages:

This article will guide you about step by step directions for ways to do pavanamuktasana and also its advantages together with preventative measures, variants and also idea for beginners also.

Best Tips For Wind Relieving pose Or Pavanamuktasana-

1. Begin off in the supine place by your back on the ground, by your legs and arms extended.

2. While you breathe out, copy together of your knees to your upper body. Realize your hands round them.

3. Whereas holding only your appropriate knee, complimentary your left leg furthermore broaden it close to the flooring. Squeeze this pose for approximately 1 minute.

4. Sketch your left knee backside in towards your chest also squeeze your hands round both knees over again.

5. Whereas holding merely your left knee, cost-free your best leg likewise prolongs it near the ground. Take this position for the very same amount of time.

6. Finally, sketch both knees to your chest.

7. By an exhalation, release additionally extends both legs alongside the floor likewise rest.

8. One must exercise this yoga exercise pose for greater than one or two times daily. Method will make you a pro. And also the even more you exercise the quicker you will get to know whether the benefits of this stance are in fact true or otherwise. In addition to the basic pavanamuktasana actions, maintain this factor in mind as well.

Alteration And also Variation Of Pavanamuktasana:

Wind-Relieving Posture appropriates for beginners. To deepen the stretch, bring your nose to your knee when you are in the full pose.

Uncertainly your hips are exceptionally limited, contour the knee of your extended leg and also place your foot even on the floor, as a substitute.

If it is at rest difficult to clasp both hands regarding your knee, enfold yoga band round your knee as well as take into the band by both hands.

Your inhalation should be deep from the tummy, in order that the abdominal area presses beside the upper legs when you gasp.

Do 3 to 5 cycles each day For ideal results.

Precautions For Pavanamuktasana:

Do not do this pavanamuktasana yoga position on a full stomach.

Avoid doing this pose after you have actually had any surgical procedure in the abdominal area or experiencing hernia.

Do ensure that you constantly practice all yoga exercise postures within your capabilities as also within limits.

Always begin the series with your right knee attracted and left leg extended.

Do not try this wing launching present if you have an injury in the back or sciatica.

Try not to allow your lower back come off the flooring at all.

You ought to likewise prevent wing get rid of pose if you are pregnant.

One of one of the most vital things that you will certainly have to remember while performing the wind releasing present is that you should take a breath effectively. Inhaling as well as breathing out effectively will make the pose a great deal of more efficient and also will certainly permit it to reach its advantages in a better way.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that, if you desire to get correct results from this pose, after that you will certainly have to exercise it at the very least 2-3times a day. This is the standard cycle of this yoga. It will certainly be really practical for both males as well as females as well as will certainly assist them with a lot of health and wellness problems.

Pavanamuktasana is recommended that people experiencing from high blood pressure concerns need to not exercise this yoga posture.

People with tummy ulcer issues ought to additionally prevent carrying out the wind launching pose.

Have a slip disc issue. Don't even think concerning doing the wind launching position. This is a precaution that you will certainly need to keep in mind. Undoubtedly, you don't desire to make your problem even worse. There are constantly various other yoga positions that you can do with deteriorating your physical condition.

Benefits Of Pavanamuktasana Yoga Or Wind Alleviating Posture:

1.  Wind soothing pose is extremely useful for reproductive body organ in addition to for menstruation muddle. 2. The wind getting rid of position deals a mild massage to the organs of the digestive system. It assists to recover the efficiency of the inner organs, excite the nerves, furthermore raises the activity of blood to the internal organs of the body. 3. Caring for those struggling with gas difficulties, intensity, arthritis pain, and also midsection discomfort as well as heart problems. 4. The posture in addition launches the spinal vertebrae in addition to enhances the muscle mass of the reduced back. 5. This present moreover aids to decrease obstinate fat deposits from the thighs, butts, in addition stomach. 6. Working the wind eliminating position also aid to throw away any kind of gases which are intent in the huge intestine. 7. It supplies even swallow. Everybody has to practice this asana for flat stomach. 8. It reduces psychological lethargy to allow the discharge of toxic substances from the body along with brings the mental clearness. 9. The wind soothing position is also a fantastic abdominal exercise moreover assist to tone additionally enhances your core muscles.

10. Concentration :

The wind easing position is extremely advantageous for improving concentration. One can easily get concentrate of points after exercising this position. Everyday this stance will calm your mind like mostly all yoga exercise poses and also aid you in concentrating on work or studies. This is one of the very best pavanamuktasana benefits.

11. Good For Women:

The stance is really valuable for women. According to numerous studies it has actually been verified that ladies exercising this posture each day will certainly find this position actually useful for treating a variety of inner health problems. It is one those workouts which can be done in the house and will certainly also treat a number outside as well as interior physical problems.

12. Good During Dieting :

According to specialists if you're on a diet regimen and you love doing yoga, after that this is one of the most effective postures to execute. It will assist in maintaining a flat stubborn belly (inning accordance with experts) as well as assist with some vital figure associated issues.

13. Say Goodbye To Back Pain:

Pavanamuktasana can help you managing reduced back concerns. If you're experiencing back problems then this is the ideal yoga for you. The wind launching pose stretches the back muscle mass and removes the discomfort and also makes them strong at the exact same time.

14 . Wrist Pain:

One can easily get rid of wrist problems by exercising this posture on a day-to-day basis. This is one of the most vital pavanamuktasana benefits. You could properly treat the extending problems as well as abrupt discomforts as well as joint aches that you may have entered the health club or some various other place.

15. For Abdominal Organs:

This asana is great for the stomach organs. One can heal the various abdominal body organ troubles by exercising this yoga exercise pose greater than once daily and doing it on an everyday basis.

[rosesisupposes]

Destined, part 11

aka Help This Nerd

Character Tags: Virgil/Anixety ; Patton/Creativity ; Patton/Morality ; Logan/Logic ; Remy/Sleep ; Dante/Deceit

Chapter Pairings: Platonic Deceit with OC

Chapter Warnings: Sympathetic Deceit; mild swearing; threats/mentions of violence; allusion to character deaths

Reader Tags: @residentanchor @royally-anxious @sanderssidesfanblog @bewarethegrammarpolice

Summary: After centuries of acting as an oracle to heroes, quest-seekers, and villains alike, Virgil just wants to live as a normal, modern human. For someone who can see infinite probabilities, you’d think he’d know better.

<<Chapter 10 | Masterlist | Chapter 12>>

Read on Ao3

Flashback: late 1490s into early 1500s CE, near the Ural mountains

The seventh child of a seventh child. From the moment of his birth, Septimus had been guaranteed to be powerful in the ways of magic. But neither his parents nor his siblings had expected him to be a sorcerer.

After all his years in the continents’ best university, with all the acclaim he’d acquired, he still wished he had been born just a plain wizard, like all his colleagues and classmates. But when he had heard of a young sorcerer, newly arrived and seeking an apprenticeship, one who’d been turned down with the same wariness that Septimus himself had faced, he had known he had to do something.

Not for the first time did he wish the stigma wasn’t so strong. Sorcereri weren’t even a separate race from wizards. The only outwardly-discernible difference was golden or partially golden eyes. Septimus knew this particular trait stood out more in him than others - bright golden streaks through royal blue eyes were rather noticeable. He hadn’t actually needed the horn-rimmed glasses he wore until his third year of study, when staring at scrolls for hours on end had finally degraded his sight. The flash of the golden rims were a suitable distraction for many, especially if they hadn’t already heard of him.

By the current point in his career, luckily, people knew him for his deeds and accolades, not a quirk of birth.

Ever since he was a child, Septimus had been imbued with a healthy respect and fear for his own magical power. Unlike wizards, his ability hadn’t needed intense study and training to be vast and powerful. As a sorcerer, he had been born a natural conduit, able to channel ambient magic from his surroundings without needing to summon it from within himself. But study helped him modulate how carefully he conducted magic, and how effectively and efficiently he was able to use it. Plus, through study and knowledge he was able to control it.

He would never forget the fear in his mother’s eyes when he’d had a temper tantrum at five years old. He forgot why he’d been so upset, but just as he began to wail, a lightning bolt flashed from a cloudless sky to strike a sapling in their front yard. The poor plant had been split in two as it burst into flames. His mother had stepped back carefully, both hands out, eyes wide, speaking quietly like he was a bear or a monster about to attack. He’d overheard his brothers and siblings muttering about moving away, or sending him away to a secure location. That was the day he resolved to never again let his emotions get the best of him. He would be master of himself and his magic.

And he’d been successful. He’d learned meditation, calming techniques, anything that worked to keep himself stable and unemotional. Through studying these techniques, he’d learned how much a magical education might help him. At eleven, he’d convinced his father to send him to university. The wariness in the headmaster’s eyes had been apparent even then, but he did not allow himself to become self-conscious or self-doubting. He was there to learn.

Now, in his mid-twenties, Septimus the Azure was a prodigy, a proud graduate of the university and star in the field of magical research. His treatise on uses of dragon’s blood in potion-making, written while he was still a student, had become world-famous in magical circles. He was the youngest professor the university had ever had, and by far the youngest to be allowed his own laboratory and study in the university’s Tower. He had earned every bit of it, fighting every inch to be taken seriously for his demonstrated academic prowess and regimented use of magic, not his vast natural ability.

He’d thought maybe he’d need to contend with jealousy, but at least within the university, his potential power was seen as a literal threat to the lives of those around him, not as an ability to be desired or sought. Magical power, the thinking went, ought be earned through rigorous study and practice alone. And so that was what Septimus had done.

He sat up from his desk, where he’d been using an enormous magnifying glass to read records from ancient fairy colonies. The minuscule size of the tomes had deterred generations of wizards from learning about the tiny creatures, but Septimus was determined to change that.

Ah, that reminded him. He needed a scroll for reference. He stood, looking for his newly-chosen apprentice. The younger sorcerer had appeared starstruck when Septimus had introduced himself and asked him to come work with him. And he was a very hard worker, which Septimus appreciated. He just couldn’t remember his name. Guido? Petrarch? Something from the south of the continent. It would come to him, if he really needed it.

“Apprentice?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Can you find me the second volume of the Anthology of Fae Colonies and Lineages? It should be in the third case, fourth or fifth shelf. Near the Codex of Fairy Circles.”

“Of course, Master Septimus.”

Moments later, the apprentice had lugged over the several-pound tome to Septimus’ reading desk. It was his favorite invention, despite its simple nature, and it was entirely in tune with his particular frequency of magic. A large wooden wheel spun gently, each of its flat paddles holding a scroll or book open, each able to be pulled down onto his writing desk for better examination, or use with the fold-out magnifying glass. At any moment, he could call out a key phrase or word and the wheel would glow, moving the reference book most relevant to his request to be more easily viewed. He placed the fairy tome onto a paddle and secured it with the magical prongs that both held it in place as well as scanned its text to function with the spell. He prepared to delve back into his studies, but his apprentice was still looking at him.

He supposed the correct thing to do would be engage. The slightly-younger man had been working for him for a week now.

“Did you need something?”

“I was just wondering - could you tell me what your current project is?” the younger man asked, gold-and-brown eyes hopeful.

Septimus would normally have resented any interruption, but that flame in his eye was too familiar - the burning desire to learn.

“Of course. Have a seat, Apprentice,” he offered, before realizing every chair was covered in scrolls or books. Hiding a blush, he gestured crisply, and a royal blue light lifted them back into orderly stacks on the small shelves by his desks.

“Now. What have you learned in lectures about the lives of the fae folk, known colloquially as fairies?”

His apprentice sat and straightened to attention, the same movement required by most of Septimus’ colleagues and former teachers.

“They live in colonies of approximately fifty to two hundred, usually separated by large physical distances from one another, but are all considered family or kin. There do not appear to be any actual nuclear families, at least in part due to lack of sex or gender. Their society is highly hierarchical, with councils of Elders making decisions for each colony, including magical assignments,” the student said, speaking with his eyes partially closed as he recited. “In the past, fae folk had strong ties with humanity through the Godparent relationship, with a single fairy being assigned to a single human who usually has some fate or grand potential, or a particularly tragic existence. However, new reports of Godparent relationships in the last two centuries have been few and far between.”

Septimus nodded. “You’re clearly a dedicated student. Well done. Have your professors offered any reasons for the declining reports?”

His apprentice went to scratch his head, then caught himself and held his hands in his lap. “Only speculations. Professor Umber suggested there may have been an incident between humans and fairies that have made them less inclined to help. Professor Junipera believes that the fae colonies have simply been more subdued, finding less prominent humans to aid. But they don’t know for sure, that much is clear, no matter how confident they sound in their assertions.”

“Ah, you’ve learned the most important lessons of university,” Septimus said with a wry grin. “that is, how to see and hear through the academic babble. But it’s true - we are not sure why the number of Godparent reports have appeared to decrease. However, I believe our framing is the issue. It may be that the number of Godparents has decreased because the number of fairies has decreased. They live for many centuries, possibly as long as a millennium. But they do age, and die of age. It is very possible that the fae folk are aging out, without enough young fairies being born to take their place.”

His apprentice was shocked. “I… that’s possible? For magical beings to… die out?”

Septimus was somber yet measured in his response. “I do not know for sure. We have no recorded instances of such a thing. But I believe it may be occurring before our very eyes. As other populations grow, magical folk and creatures may be just as at risk of extinction as are non-magical animals. I myself found that, at least due to crowding of their natural habitats, dragons are becoming harder to find. Getting enough variety of dragons’ blood for my research to be able to generalize my findings to the genus as a whole… well. The particular pitfalls of my methodology are not relevant. The point is, I do think there is a not-infinitesimal chance that the fae folk are disappearing. If any knowledge of their history and culture is to be preserved, it must be done now, while the primary source still exists. That is what my current research focuses on - compiling what records we already have and seeking answers to those gaps in our existing knowledge.”

“Master Septimus, if you think such a thing is possible and happening now, why not do something to stop it? Don’t we have an obligation to our fellow magical beings to preserve their species?” the young sorcerer asked curiously, with a slight hint of indignation.

The sorcerer leaned back, fingertips touching in a tent as he considered the question. “I… don’t know that it would even be possible to reverse the trend, if such a trend exists. Nor do I know that it would be our place to interfere. To meddle in the process of reproduction, for another species no less! Not only do I worry about the ethical implications, but fairies are intensely private when it comes to the exact locations of their colonies and their inner workings. What documents we have here are mostly due to particularly studious Godchildren who convinced their Godparents to document their experiences and history. I would not presume to approach a fairy colony and insert myself into their population issues. No, my role is that of a historian. I will do what I can to preserve their story and culture for posterity, so that future generations may be educated if the fae should ever truly disappear.”

The young man looked down, clearly upset. “Master… could such a thing happen to us? To… sorcerers?”

“I… am unsure. So little is known about us, and how exactly we come to be. We are not a separate species from wizards, and the offspring of two sorcerers are not always sorcerers in turn. We are… anomalies. But regularly-recurring ones. And you and I both know that we are much more than merely flukes.”

Two pairs of gold-marked eyes met, one kind, the other determined.

“Thank you, Master Septimus. For explaining, but also for taking me on, and not treating me like a… liability.”

“Of course. I’ve been in your shoes, or pairs that looked a lot like them. And you can call me just Septimus if you wish.”

“Thank you, Mas- Septimus. And if you want, you can just call me Dante,” he replied with an impish grin.

“I will do so, Dante. Do let me know if there are any other burning questions I can answer for you. Even if you just need someone to vent to.”

Five years passed. Dante continued his studies at the university, taking after his mentor in his ability to push past the professors’ and fellow students’ assumptions about sorcery. Unlike his mentor, he found that his personality could be an equal asset to his academic achievement, charming his way through the stone towers and sneaking his way to just the right spots for opportunities and recognition.

He burst into Septimus’ tower laboratory one day, black hair flopping excitedly as he raced to greet his mentor and friend.

“TIMUS! Is it true? I go south for two months for fieldwork and you’ve suddenly acquired a new magical artifact?”

Septimus rose from his desk to embrace the younger man, ruffling his dark curls. His young friend was very particular about his appearance these days, but his mentor was the one person allowed to see him at anything less than perfectly coiffed. “Apologies, Dante, I should have known better to save all my arcane acquisitions for your return. How was the Harz?”

“Oh it was excellent, the sprites there were the friendliest I’ve met so far. I got the impression that they’ve a history of more cooperation with other magic folk, but you know sprites - keeping track of history isn’t exactly their strong suit. Why did you let me get myself into such a difficult dissertation topic?”

“Because you were determined to prove me wrong, and you are too good at talking your way out of conversations. Or into them,” Septimus grinned, one arm still around his younger friend. “I’m glad you’re back though - this place always gets a little too sane and complacent without you.”

Dante squeezed him with one arm, a genuine smile on his face. “Missed you too, Timus. But hey,” he interjected suddenly, “you distracted me! I came here to hear about the artifact!”

“Ah yes, of course. The staff. Come here.”

Septimus led his former apprentice and current mentee to his back room, where a table had been dedicated to a long and gnarled piece of wood. It would have looked like any tree branch twisted by an invasive vine if it hadn’t been for the dome of blue fire that surrounded it. Septimus lifted his hands as they began to glow with the same fire. A complex pass of his hands expanded the shield spell to include himself and Dante, who gasped audibly.

“That… aura! What is this thing?” he breathed.

“That’s just it. We’re not sure. The heir from one kingdom over killed Vignar the dragon. This was in his hoard. The victorious prince was bedridden for a month after touching it with his bare hands, thus, I would highly advise you don’t try, not unless you want me to have another nice chat with the headmaster about how I’m sure you’re not going to bring down the Tower on our heads.”

“Point taken,” Dante shuddered. “My stars, the emanations it gives off without contact - the whole school must feel it when it’s outside of this shield.”

“Not quite the whole school. Only those who have a high sensitivity to magic. You know,” he elbowed the younger man, who quirked a smile back. “The absolute oldest faculty, and us. Thus, it lives here, where I’ll sense any disturbance more quickly. Plus, I have the magical reserves to spend on keeping the spell up.”

Dante shivered. “You know I trust you far more than any of these graybeards anyway. Ugh, it’s going to give me a headache, can you close down the shield?”

Septimus nodded and reversed his gesture, re-linking thumbs and forefingers into his chest, passing palm over palm, and sending the fire back to a dense bubble once more.

“So. Theories of origin? You have at least one, I know you do,” Dante said with a grin.

Septimus cleared his throat. “Well, yes, actually. Based on what we know of Vignar’s life and raids, it appears that any sort of magical artifact of this caliber would be from one of the universities on the other side of the world, or from the sprites. And since we have communicated with our sibling institutions and they have only guesses at best, the sprites do seem to somehow have been the origin of this artifact. And yes,” he said, putting up a hand to stop Dante’s squawk of indignation, “before you ask, I was always going to show you the staff and share this exact theory. I would never willfully interfere in your dissertation, you know this. Which brings me to the disconcerting element.”

The two sorcerers settled back into Septimus’ study, a floating teapot zooming over from the hearth to fill their favorite mugs as the elder sorcerer continued.

“From my experimentation and that of the senior wizards here, we can find no purpose for this staff. There’s no affiliation with an element, or a certain frequency of spell. It doesn’t even appear to need a magically-abled being to wield it - the human prince was able to somehow fire an inadvertent blast of power before the magical aura knocked him out. An object with such raw, unfocused power being created intentionally seems unlikely. My hypothesis is that the staff, as we see it now, is not finished. This was not the intended final form. There was a final step or ritual not performed that would stabilize its magic in one direction or with one intention. And that means that its current level of power would be multiplied many time over in its final state.”

Dante gave a long, low whistle. “Can you imagine? That kind of power - that’s the kind of thing Mordred would have had wet dreams over.”

Septimus shuddered. “Yes, I know. Thank the stars he never knew of it. He could have ended the world or ruled it with just a gesture. Which is why I keep the staff safe.”

“Have you been researching what the intended purpose could be?”

“I would be content with definitively knowing its origins. If I knew more about its creation, I’d be able to deconstruct it, or at least stabilize the power to safer levels.”

“Really, Timus, you are no fun at all,” Dante drawled. “You see the sharpest sword in the world and think immediately ‘oh, gotta blunt that.’ Not even an itty bitty daydream of world domination?”

Septimus chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Oh, I’d never do such a thing. I’d hate to deprive you.”

“Say, Septimus - could I research it as part of my dissertation? Its origins, I mean. I’ve been struggling with a real focus to my research - it’s hard to know what questions to ask when the sprites are all so scattered.”

“You know what? That would be brilliant. This is why you make me so proud to be your advisor,” Septimus said. “But more importantly, I’m proud to call you my friend.” Dante ducked his head and flushed lightly. Timus had long ago stopped feeling like just a mentor. He was his most trusted friend at this university certainly, not to mention in the world.

“If I’m a great scholar, I owe it to my fine instruction, and the support of the best friend a sorcerer could ask for,” Dante returned warmly.

They toasted each other with their mugs of tea and settled in for the afternoon’s studies.

Septimus was worried. About several things, but mostly Dante.

He should have been pleased - after ten long years, the man’s dissertation was complete, and he’d single-handedly provided the strongest evidence so far that the staff was indeed of sprite origin. He’d cracked the question of “which kind of sprite” by showing that all four tribes - fire, tree, water, and ground - had convened once in their history, and that this was likely the moment of the staff’s creation.

Septimus was incredibly proud of his friend. But… every time the young man walked into Septimus’ tower study of late, there was shadow that flitted over his face. Only ever briefly - but it was like a mask was being taken off, if only for the space of a breath. And there were lines of tension in his shoulders that one would never notice unless they were lucky enough to ever see him fully relax. The charm offenses had become louder and more aggressive as Dante prepared to defend his dissertation and earn his title from the university. So, too, had the convenient conversations and ‘casual’ drop-bys to the highest-ranked members of the faculty. Only those close to him - so, only Septimus - could hear the rough edge in his voice as he spoke to those who would decide whether over ten years of study, from green newcomer to full apprentice to practically a full-time researcher, would yield any concrete title or achievements.

Septimus had even heard the edge when Dante spoke to him. Mentioning other magical races seemed to snap the taut rope that was the young man’s composure. Like the previous afternoon. Septimus had merely mentioned a successful interview with a fae Elder, an elderly but delightful creature who he’d found in a human bakery, to which they had apparently been devoted for generations.

“Glad you were able to write down their name before they collapse into pixie dust,” Dante had muttered.

“Dante, you know I’m just trying to do my best. And Baxter shared some fascinating information - the fae lifespans themselves are shrinking. They themself are only eight hundred years old but already starting to wither, when in generations past they would have expected to live one or two hundred years more. They aren’t sure why but they are spreading the word of my research so that the fae will never be entirely forgotten.”

“Septimus, how are you able to do this? To see them literally withering before your eyes and to do nothing?”

“Dant, there is nothing for me to do. These are forces beyond my control, beyond anyone’s control. Maybe this is just natural selection.”

“Yeah and maybe we’ll be next to be naturally selected out. And you know what?” The man’s golden-streaked eyes flashed in anger, the gold burning brighter in his fury as he gestured to the Tower around them. “This whole pile of stones, all these empty hats, they would let sorcerers die out tomorrow and breath a sigh of relief when we did, if they hadn’t been the reason in the first place.”

“Dante, we’ve been over this: sorcerers appear so randomly that there would be nothing any of our colleagues could do to help or hinder such an occurrence.”

“Your colleagues. They haven’t accepted me yet. And if they do, it will be because you, their great prodigy Septimus the Azure, convinced them that sorcerers can be worth the risk, not because they’ve accepted we’re no more or less dangerous than wizards.”

“I… yes. I know that. But won’t it be worth it, to have two sorcerers accepted? This is how we continue to pave the way for those after us. We’ll slowly bend their minds towards reason.”

Dante growled. “Unless the magical world dies off as we wait for them to accept us. And don’t pretend we don’t both know the cause.”

“We know nothing for sure. We can only hypothe-”

“It’s those thrice-damned humans and you know it,” Dante interrupted angrily. “They have not an ounce of magic in their blood, and they are spreading across the world like a disease. They cut down enchanted forests, kill dragons, crush fairy colonies… They are what is causing our world to shrink.”

Septimus stayed silent. There was no proof that humans actions were directly causing this, true, but the correlation was disturbingly high.

“I don’t care if it’s unpleasant to admit, but will we all just wait until they’ve arrived on our doorstep?” Dante continued. “Until they come pouring in to smash our astrolabes and burn our spellbooks? Do we even have a plan besides ‘wait?’”

“I’ve… floated the idea of cooperation. There could be a collaboration of sorts reached - let them know of the existence of magic and invite them to study it with us,” Septimus said quietly, fiddling with his glasses, golden rims glinting in the light of the hearth fire.

“And you’ve been turned down without a second thought, because the headmaster and his cronies hate the idea of sharing,” Dante sneered. “Their reasoning is dragonshit, as always, but their conclusion is right. Timus - if we go public with humans, you know it won’t be magic they’ll study. It will be us. They’ll be leeching us and cutting us up before we can say ‘I mean no harm.’ They fear what they don’t understand, and the more magic creatures disappear, the less they understand any of us.”

Septimus made eye contact, trying, willing Dante to understand. “Them fearing what they don’t understand is exactly why I want to reach out. If we plan it carefully, we won’t be a threat to them. I really believe there’s hope for peaceful coexistence, if we approach them with caution.”

Dante looked away, a vein shifting in the hard lines of his clenched jaw. At length, he replied “I hope you’re right, Septimus. I really do. But I strongly suspect you’re wrong.”

Septimus felt like he’d been waiting for just this moment for years.

The jolt of alarm, bringing him entirely out of a sound sleep. Running from his bedroom to his laboratory. Hearing the faint sounds of the senior professors stirring. Arriving at his study and backroom to see the aftermath.

The staff was gone. The magic aura was somewhere close. But it radiated so much power it was impossible to pinpoint where it was, particularly if it was indeed, as he feared, in the hands of a sorcerer.

Had he known that this would happen? Should he have taken more care to disguise the unlocking spell?

Perhaps.

But his hope had gotten the best of him.

Dante had disappeared for several months, almost a year. Research, he’d said. Only he’d finally finished his defense, and been officially named a graduate of the university and given his new title: Dante the Golden. What research would he need to be doing? And why wouldn’t he tell his oldest friend and mentor when he’d be back?

Because he didn’t want me to know, Septimus thought sadly. He knows that, whatever he plans now, I would not approve, nor would I let him go forward unimpeded. At least, I hope I wouldn’t.

He closed his eyes, trying to sense the epicenter of the staff’s emanations. Just as he started to feel the tug of a direction, the feeling vanished. The staff had been magically shielded once more, by another’s magic.

Septimus sat down hard in his study chair, head in hands. He massaged his own temples, and hoped against hope that his former student and dearest friend hadn’t made a horrible mistake, the likes from which he might never recover.

Chapter Notes

Septimus: Latin origin, means “born seventh/seventh son or child”

There were a lot of world-building details and magical mechanics, particularly about the staff, that I couldn’t find a way to fit in here or anywhere else, and the chapter is already over twice as long as I originally planned (whoops)

But if you’re the kind of person who is into that, send me and ask or message and I will happily spill.

[drlaurynlax]

How to Cure Migraines & Headaches Naturally: 7 Essentials

Are you looking for natural ways to cure migraines and headaches naturally? Tired of popping Tylenol or Advil? You are not alone. Headaches and migraines are among the most common neurological disorders worldwide, affecting approximately 50% of all adults every month, with prevalence among women more than twice as high as among men.

Here’s all you need to know about why headaches happen plus 7 essential steps to kick headaches to the curb and cure migraines.

Headaches 101

A headache is a “pain felt in the head, characterized by common characteristics including: throbbing, squeezing, constant, unrelenting, or intermittent. 

Headaches are an inflammatory response in the body, most headaches happen in the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles that cover a person’s head and neck. There are many different ways to cure migraines and headaches.

Although it may seem like it, a headache is not actually a pain in your brain. Instead, the brain tells you when other parts of your body hurt or are inflamed; your brain doesn’t necessarily physically experience the pain itself (it just feels like).

Different Types of Headaches

There are more than 150 different types of headaches. Some of the most common types include:

Tension Headaches (episodic or chronic)

Mild to moderate pain and come and go over time and usually have no other symptoms.

Migraines

Often described as pounding, throbbing pain. Migraines can last from 4 hours to 3 days and usually happen one to four times per month and there are ways to cure migraines naturally. Along with the pain, people have other symptoms, such as sensitivity to light, noise, or smells; nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; aura (seeing spots or a spinning room); and upset stomach or belly pain.

Cluster Headaches

Intense and feels like a burning or piercing pain behind or around one eye, either throbbing or constant. Called “cluster headaches” because they often occur in groups. You may get them one to three times per day during a cluster period, which may last 2 weeks to 3 months. Each headache attack last 15 mins to 3 hours and often wakens the patient from sleep.

The headaches may disappear completely (go into “remission”) for months or years, only to come back again. The pain can be so bad that most people with cluster headaches can’t sit still and will often pace during an attack. On the side of the pain, the eyelid droops, the eye reddens, pupil gets smaller or the eye tears.  The nostril on that side runs or stuffs. It is very important to cure migraines and headaches to feel better.

Sinus Headaches

Deep and constant pain in your cheekbones, forehead, or bridge of your nose. Sinus headaches happen when cavities in your head (sinuses) get inflamed. The pain usually comes along with other sinus symptoms, such as a runny nose, feeling of fullness in the ears, fever, and swelling in your face. A true sinus headache is from a sinus infection so the nasal discharge is yellow or green, unlike the clear discharge in cluster or migraine.

Hormone Headaches

Women can get headaches from changing hormone levels during their periods, pregnancy, and menopause. The hormone changes from birth control pills also trigger headaches in some women. Fortunately, there are simple ways to cure migraines and headaches.

Exertion Headaches

Headaches brought on from the constriction of blood vessels in your body during exertion, such as intense exercise, heavy lifting or overtraining.  Exercise induces a stress response, accompanied by a spike in blood glucose. (Fun fact: People with blood glucose of 70 have reported upwards of 140 after exercising while fasted). What this means for your head? Elevated glucose and/or stress, elevates cortisol, which also elevates inflammation. 

Seasonal or “Allergy” Headaches

Inflammation in the brain and body brought on from a histamine (allergic or sensitivity) response to either allergens in the air or foods. 

Oral or Dental Headaches 

Connected to the dental work and oral health, such as tightening of braces, TMJ (lock jaw), or structural and chemical imbalances in the mouth (cavities, mercury fillings, need for a root canal). 

Secondary Headaches 

A secondary “side effect” due to trauma, infections, disorders, withdrawal from medications, drugs or alcohol, or structural imbalances in the body (such as spine, neck or other body parts connected to cranial nerves). 

For instance: A food intolerance in your gut may trigger a histamine response that in turn feels like a headache in your head. 

For others, sometimes people also get headaches when they are sick —such as a sinus headache when you get a cold, flu, or allergies (“pain” in the immune system).

Another example: Cortisol imbalances from stress (i.e. lack of sleep, overwork, overtraining, under-eating, inflammatory foods, etc.) can cause headaches, felt in your brain too–even though the pain is really somewhere else (your hormones).

And one more: People who drink a lot of caffeinated drinks might get caffeine-withdrawal headaches, and some headaches are the side effect of taking a particular medication–both signs of imbalance in the body and unwanted stress.

What Causes Headaches?

The pain you feel during a headache comes from a mix of signals between your brain, blood vessels, and nearby nerves. Specific nerves of the blood vessels and head muscles switch on and send pain signals to your brain. Good thing you can address this and cure migraines naturally.

Lots of different things can trigger headache signals, including:

Dehydration

Gut pathologies (SIBO, yeast, fungi)

HPA-Axis dysregulation (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal; chronic stress)

Hormone imbalances (PMS, menstruation, birth control)

Over-exertion/exercise

Low stomach acid

Thyroid dysfunction

Too much screen time (Circadian rhythm stress)

Macronutrient imbalance (Low protein intake, low quality fat intake, low carb intake)

Toxic chemical exposure (plastics, dryer sheets, toxic cleaning/beauty supplies)

Mold exposure

Dental fillings or dental work

TMJ (lock jaw)

Mercury overload/heavy metals

Food intolerances

Environmental/pet allergens

Poor immune function

Gluten & Conventional dairy

Low serotonin (90% is produced in the gut) and/or low dopamine

Liver/gallbladder pathology

Eating out a lot (poor quality oils, gluten, fillers)

Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine

Long term medication use

Nootropic supplements or neurotransmitter supplement mis-use (5-HTP, Gaba, etc.)

Antibiotics

Nutrient deficiencies [particularly Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Fatty Acids, Coenzyme Q10 and B2 (riboflavin)]

High caffeine or sugar intake (and/or withdrawal)

High carbohydrate intake, or low carb diets without enough fat or poor fat absorption

Low protein diets

Structural imbalances (head, neck, spine)

  One Root Cause

Although there are TONS of different triggers to headaches and the “mixed signals” in the brain and blood vessels, all headaches share one root cause: Inflammation, or stress, on your body. Not just mental stress, but physical stress too.

When your body experiences stress—be it stress on your immune system from allergens in the air, stress from a traumatic brain injury, or stress from hormone imbalance (like high cortisol)—your brain signals and neurotransmitters may send signals to your brain telling it, it’s under stress or “in pain.” You will need some remedies to cure migraines and headaches.

One of the top sources of this headache-causing stress? Your gut health.

Gut Health 101

Your gut is the gateway to your total body health and inflammatory processes. 

In fact, you have more than 100 trillion gut bacteria throughout your body (not just located in your GI tract, but relocated to other places too, like your mouth, skin, heart and endocrine glands)—that is 10 times more gut bacteria than actual human cells. 

Although the word “bacteria” may sound like a bad or dirty word, the vast majority of your gut bacteria are non-pathogenic (non-disease causing)—at least when your body is healthy.  

Every person different types and amounts of gut bacteria, and those people with “healthier strains” of gut bacteria and a “wider, more diverse variety” of gut bacteria (not just the same strains) are generally healthier as a whole—metabolism, hormones, immune function, weight, energy and lower amounts of headaches. 

What Do Gut Bacteria Do?!

The main role of your (healthy) gut bacteria is to keep all your body’s daily essential processes “healthy” and in running smoothly including:

Nutrient absorption (making the Vitamin C in your orange actually be used by your body)

Immune system function

Hormone balance

Maintaining a healthy weight and metabolism  

Maintenance of your intestinal lining (preventing “leaky gut” and digestive wors)

“Feeding” ALL of your cells and neurotransmitters to function properly (including your brain health)

Fighting off inflammation and protection against “pathogens” (bad guys, toxins, pesticides, illnesses)

In short: gut bacteria play an important role not only in digestive health, but in wider aspects of health, including weight, metabolic health, hormone health, immune function and…fending off headaches.  The role of gut bacteria in headaches, mental health and brain health is known as the “gut-brain” connection. 

The Gut-Brain Connection

The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” in the scientific literature. Get these brain-gut connection facts:

You have more than 100 million neurons in your gut—cells and signals that talk directly to the brain.

More than 90% of your serotonin (your “feel good” brain chemicals) that calms inflammation in the body is produced in your gut.

More than 30 hormones that govern “homeostasis” and balance in your brain and body are produced in your gut.

In addition, more than 80% of your immune fighting cells (Th1, Th2, Beta Cells, Th17) are produced and housed in your gut (the immune fighting cells that fight inflammation in your body)

Your liver (your body’s #1 anti-inflammatory and cleansing organ) detoxifies unwanted toxins in your body and metabolizes hormones, like cortisol (stress hormones) and all of your neurotransmitters (including serotonin), signaling them to properly “work” in your body. However if your liver is sluggish, congested or overworked (from toxins, pesticides, non-organic foods, artificial sweeteners, longterm medication use, environmental stressors, etc.), then your brain (and body) suffers, since your hormone balance (cortisol levels) and brain chemicals are unable to function properly.

Your vagus nerve, the nerve that governs your digestive process and your brain frontal lobe (“clear thinking”) function is directly connected from the top of your stomach to the top of your brain. 

The Bottom Line:

The “gut-brain” connection plays a BIG role in how your body experiences stress and inflammatory process experienced in your brain and body when headaches strike.

If your gut health is “out of whack” and you have lots of inflammation in your gut, guess where you may experience that inflammation? Your brain. 

The Result?

Your neurons are unable to fire properly.

Your cortisol (inflammation fighting hormone) is in “stressed out mode.” 

Also, your “feel good” anti-inflammatory brain chemicals are suppressed.

You get headaches.

How Does My Gut Get Unhealthy in the First Place?

Gut “problems” and bacterial imbalances don’t happen overnight, nor are they attributed to on thing. Instead a variety of stressors and triggers accumulate over time, causing a disruption in the balance of healthy gut bacteria, introducing more unhealthy or dysbiotic bacteria (overgrowth of certain strains), or spurring on a yeast overgrowth or pathogenic infection (like a parasite). 

Common gut bacteria disruptors include: 

Not chewing your food thoroughly

Being born as a C-section baby or formula fed (preventing the formation of early life healthy gut bacteria)

Low stomach acid or digestive enzymes

Nutrient deficiencies

Eating too fast or in a hurry (preventing proper food breakdown)

Lack of food diversity and variety

Low quality protein, low starchy tuber/prebiotic fiber and/or low healthy fatty acids in the diet

Eating gut-irritating ingredients and chemicals your body DOESN’T recognize as “food” or can’t easily digest (conventional meat with hormones and antibiotics, Quest Bars, Halo Top, Instant Oatmeal, sugary granola bars, Diet Coke, frozen dinners, hydrogenated oils)

Long-term use of medications or antibiotics

Environmental toxic exposures (hygiene, cleaning, beauty supplies)

Antibiotics

NSAIDS, birth control pills & other long term medication use 

Low thyroid function

Mercury overload (fish, fillings, metals)

Mold exposure (house, environment)

Chronic stress (under-sleeping, overtraining, constant worry or anxiety, high alcohol or smoking exposure)

Food poisoning

Sedentary lifestyles or overtraining

Circadian rhythm disruption that throws off internal balance in your body (such as: “off” eating, sleeping or waking times; artificial light exposure at night)

Chronic infections (Lyme, Ebstein Barr, hepatitis) 

Disordered eating habits (binging, purging, restriction, etc.)

History of Infections or Illness (bacterial, virus, heavy metals, fungal overgrowth)

Lack of fermented foods and fibers (probiotics and pre-biotics)

Other digestive problems, like SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), liver/gallbladder dysfunction, parasites, food intolerances, etc. 

  This list is not exhaustive, but as you can see, a variety of stressors on physical health can impact the health, variety and diversity of your gut bacteria. 

Headaches, Gut Bacteria & Stress 

While it may sound simplistic, a disruption of gut bacterial health in combination with stressors that influence your stress hormone balance (cortisol) provoke inflammation in the body. 

If your gut health is disrupted or your body is overburdened by stress (physical and mental), 

Your liver is unable to detoxify toxins and foods and metabolize hormones and neurotransmitters properly; 

Your gut is unable to break down and digest “inflammatory” foods in your diet (like gluten, sugar or hormone, antibiotic-rich dairy); 

And, your immune system is unable to fight off pathogens; 

Inflammation overtakes your body as a whole

…Leading to headaches for those who are most susceptible to them. 

Headache Treatment: Conventional Approach

Unfortunately, headaches (especially migraines) are hard to treat and very difficult to prevent with conventional approaches. There are many options when you are looking for ways to cure migraines.

The top go-to’s for headache treatments include NSAIDS (advil, tyelenol, ibuprofen), sometimes a recommendation for “more water,” and other prescription medications. These are popular to those who wish to cure migraines.

There are also a ton of preventive drugs prescribed to regular migraine sufferers— calcium channel blockers, beta-blockers, anti-seizure medications, antidepressants, and more –all of which work poorly (if at all), and they also come with a host of by side effects (including purposeful paralyzation of the neck muscles just to make the headaches stop!). 

The problem with all these approaches is that we are simply seeking to treat (and mask) the symptoms, instead of first addressing the root cause of the headaches (to keep them from happening in the first place), leaving sufferers to “deal with headaches” (and pray they don’t happen) for most of their lives. 

Headache Treatment: Functional Approach

The functional approach to headaches takes a different path—seeking to figure out the root cause(s) behind headaches, and addressing inflammation and total body wellness (as a whole) in order to not only curb headaches (in the moment), but also prevent them from happening in the first place. 

7 Natural Hacks to Cure Migraines and Headaches

So how do you “heal” or cure migraines and headaches naturally?! 

Boost your body systems that curb and fight inflammation—namely your gut health! 

“Loving your gut,” along with the implementation of anti-inflammatory practices (through foods, lifestyle factors and smart supplementation) is the no-nonsense solution to kicking your headaches to the curb. This will be very helpful to cure migraines too.

Here are 7 do-now hacks:

1. Address Underlying Pathologies & Stressors

It’s crucial to figure out what triggers and stressor(s) are driving your headaches:

Are they “seasonal?” Food intolerances? Environmental related? Allergies? “That time of the month?” Medications? Caffeine? Diet?

Once you identify your trigger(s), then dig even deeper behind the trigger(s): “What is “pulling the trigger in the first place?”

For instance allergies are rooted in immune dysfunction (in your gut, where 80% of immune system cells are produced). High caffeine intake messes with both cortisol levels and sometimes gut bacteria. Medications thwart cortisol balance and affect liver function, causing inflammation in the body. You are always more susceptible to headaches if and when your gut health (including liver health) or HPA-Axis (hormone and cortisol balance) is off. This is a very important step to get the best remedies to cure migraines.

The top “underlying” stressors behind regular headaches, especially migraines include:

Gut Imbalances (Yeast, SIBO, infection, parasites)

Food Intolerance/Allergies (Especially gluten, corn, soy, sugar)

Chemical Triggers (nitrates in deli meats, sulfites in wine, pesticides in food—especially non-organic foods)

Heavy Metals (mercury in dental fillings, food exposure, steel braces and retainers)

Environmental Toxins (mold, chemicals in cleaning, beauty, chemical products)

Hormonal Imbalances (often from poor liver metabolism and clearance; or elevated cortisol—stress hormone)

Nutrient Deficiencies (especially Magnesium, Zinc & B-Vitamins—often from lack of them in the diet and poor gut health absorption)

Mitochondrial (cell function) Imbalances

If you get headaches frequently, consider partnering with a healthcare practitioner who digs deeper beyond symptoms to figure out root cause(s). A further customized treatment protocol and testing may  be necessary, such as: Adrenal-hormone testing; stool analysis; SIBO breath testing; heavy metals testing; comprehensive functional blood chemistry. 

2. Build a Healthy Gut Ecosystem 

Your gut is the gateway to health. Heal the gut and practically every other body system “domino” often falls into place (headaches included). Our gut bacteria dictate the physiological processes inside our bodies, so if your gut bacteria are unhealthy or out of whack, then other systems and processes (ie. metabolism, hormones, detox pathways, elimination, nutrient uptake, cardiorespiratory, blood sugar, etc.) may get out of whack too. Build a healthy gut ecosystem with gut-loving supports–particularly for your liver-gallbladder processing (your body’s filtration and recycling system).

Some basic essentials include:

Daily soil-based probiotic and fermented foods (1-2 condiment servings: sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, fermented yogurt, kefir)

Prebiotic supplement and foods (starchy tubers, soluble fibers and root veggies)

Boosting stomach acid with apple cider vinegar shots and/or HCL tablets and digestive enzymes

Cooking your own food, more than eating out

Chewing your food really well and not eating in a hurry or on the go

3. Hydrate 

Water is crucial for all life (to cure migraines and headache relief). A dehydration headache is a headache, caused by not having enough fluid in the body and inflammation mounting in the brain. The body requires the proper balance of fluid and electrolytes to function properly, and every day, the body loses water through daily activities, such as sweating and urination.

Typically, the amount of fluid lost is easily balanced through drinking or eating fluid-rich foods.

However, sometimes the body loses water faster than it can be replenished.When the body is dehydrated, the brain can temporarily contract or shrink from fluid loss. This causes the brain to pull away from the skull, causing pain and resulting in a dehydration headache.  Once rehydrated, the brain plumps up and returns to its normal state, relieving the headache. The bottom line: Water does a body good. Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily. 

4. Eat a Nutrient Dense Diet

When we eat, we not only feed ourselves, but we also feed our gut bugs. What are you feeding yours? More and more research shows that certain foods can trigger headaches more than others—particularly the highest inflammatory offenders, like gluten, conventional dairy, eggs, nuts, 

Eat This:

organic, sustainable meats & poultry

wild-caught fish

fresh veggies and fruits

fermented foods (pickled veggies, sauerkraut, kefir)

starchy tubers & roots (sweet potatoes/potatoes, plantains, carrots, beets, squashes)

healthy plant and animal fats (coconut, avocado, olives, ghee, grass-fed butter, lard, tallow)

herbal tea

Bonus: magnesium-rich foods: dark leafy greens, avocado, bananas, raw soaked pumpkin seeds, soaked beans

Limit

eggs (especially egg whites)

nuts

alcohol (4-6 glasses per week)

coffee (more than 1 cup)

nightshades (chili powder, spices, vegetables)

legumes (unless you soak and dry to cook)

Dairy (fermented and grass-fed sources)

Pork (pastured, organic preferred)

  Avoid

soy

sugar/artificial sweeteners

gluten

corn (including cornstarch in foods, high fructose corn syrup)

soy

conventional dairy & meats (hormones, antibiotics)

processed and refined foods

industrial seed oils (canola oil, grape-seed oil)

peanuts

grains

instant coffee

any other foods you are intolerant to (such as FODMAPS)

  Try this approach for 30 days and see how you feel. This helps to cure migraines.

Take it to the Next Level: Consider a Low Histamine Diet

Histamine rich foods cause an “immune” response in the body that triggers inflammation—particularly headaches. If you’ve been eating the basic anti-inflammatory diet for more than 30-60 days, but still keep getting headaches, consider experimenting with a low-histamine diet for 30 days, and see how you feel. Note: A histamine intolerance is often a BIG sign that something in your gut is “off.” Many people find when they eat any histamine foods, some extra gut love during the day (digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid tablets with meals, and an extra dose of prebiotics and probiotics), along with immune boosting support supplements (like D-Hist by Orthomolecular or Trizomal Glutathione and Tumero Active by Apex Energetics) can be “game changers” for digesting those foods (and fending off histamine responses).

Histamine Rich Foods to Avoid on a Low Histamine Diet (30-60 Day Experiment) 

Ketchup

Food additives

Citrus fruits, bananas, strawberries, pineapples

Cocoa (chocolate)

Nuts

Legumes/beans

Eggs/egg whites

Slow cooked bone broth (for more than 48-72 hours)

5. Incorporate Anti-inflammatory Lifestyle Practices (Kick Stress)

Once you’ve identified potential triggers of your headaches, and commenced a gut-loving protocol, the last tier of kicking headaches to the curb is anti-inflammation–supporting healing of your headache through supplemental supports that gently calm down the pounding in your “head” (and body). While inflammation is NOT always a bad thing (inflammation is a natural response for healing), chronic (lingering) inflammation from ongoing stressors does more harm than good. Your body (and brain) needs some regular anti-inflammatory love to “cool down.”

Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle Practices: 

Sleeping (7-9 hours each night)

Regular daily exercise and lifestyle movement (but not overtraining)

Mindfulness Practices (yoga, tai chi, meditation, journaling)

Limiting over-screen exposure (taking regular breaks)

Stretching and massage/body work

For those who regularly fight headaches, consider “bio-hacking” techniques like: acupuncture, bio-feedback, mindfulness based stress reduction and neurological-feedback, hot-cold therapy, and ozone therapy. 

6. Love Your Liver

As a matter of fact, our liver is the organ responsible for metabolizing hormones and neurotransmitters, as well as filtering and detoxing toxic chemicals and pathogens in the body. Ultimately, to fight inflammation and keep your body balanced. However, if your liver health is “off,” then you’re more likely to experience inflammation commonly associated with headaches. Especially, migraines—since serotonin production (calming, soothing neurotransmitter) is drastically reduced. With the right approach, you could cure migraines.

Regular headache suffers should pay special attention to loving their liver with these essentials:

Drink fresh, clean filtered water in a stainless steel or glass water bottle. Also use glassware containers and stainless steel food containers and pans. 

Ditch alcohol and coffee for 30 days to see how you feel without it in your system

Eat liver loving foods including: beets, fresh herbs, turmeric, garlic, oregano, apple cider vinegar, lemons, cruciferous veggies, dark leafy greens, organ meats, apples, carrots, grapefruit, green tea, cabbage/fermented sauerkraut

Gradually replace toxic products with natural products. Get rid of dryer sheets, Windex and other non-natural cleaning, hygiene and beauty supplies.

Do a 7-day gentle liver cleanse

After addressing the “basics” with your anti-inflammatory gut health and lifestyle practices, you may even consider a 7-day gentle cleanse. 

7-Day Liver Cleanse

Add in a “Liver Cleanse” Support

Days 1-4: Eat 1 organic apple or take a malic acid supplement according to its instructions. Just choose one method. During this time eat clean healthy meals that are simple like lean meats, whole vegetables, fresh fruit, 

Days 5-7: Drink a grapefruit or lemon juice mix once per day

2 chopped lemons or 1 small grapefruit (can keep peel on)

2.5 cups of pure water

1-2 tbsp. of virgin olive oil

Blend, then strain drink through a mesh, wire strainer. Add optional 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (alcohol free) and 2-3 drops stevia for flavor if desired. 

Continue to eat regular, balanced meals during the day. 

Eat 3 balanced meals of clean and light foods throughout the cleanse, including:

Lean proteins (pastured chicken, wild-caught fish, organic turkey; fermented tofu and soaked beans/lentils if vegetarian/vegan)

Dark leafy greens (cooked and/or raw)

Low starch veggies (cooked)

Healthy fats (avocado, coconut/coconut oil, olives/olive oil, ghee)

Fresh fruits: 1-2 servings (especially berries, grapes, melons)

Gut & liver boosting foods: Bone broth, apple cider vinegar, organic organ meats, beets, herbs, fermented foods.

Avoid: grains/gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, pork, red meat, coffee, alcohol, sweeteners, sugar, starches

Go “Natural” with Hygiene/Beauty & Cleaning Products:

Makeup free or natural products only

Fluoride free toothpaste or baking soda

Try coconut oil to moisturize, apple cider vinegar and essential oils for a face toner, salt and honey scrubs, yogurt hair masks and other and homemade cleansers

Use white vinegar and baking soda to clean kitchen

Buy a natural laundry detergent and dryer sheets if used (Seventh Generation, ecover, method) 

  Bonus Supplements*: Add in these supports consistently during your 7 day liver cleanse to support gut health.

Probiotic: 2-3 soil-based organism (like Megaspore), 3 times per day

Prebiotic: Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum, 1/2-1 tsp in water

Liver Cleanse Herbs:  Like Livotrit or Gaia’s Liver Cleanse or Apex Energetic’s Metacrin DX or digestive bitters, like liposomal Biocidin (if you have “gut issues”)

Liposomal Curcumin, 1 tsp, 2-3 times per day

Liposomal Glutathione, 1 tsp, 2-3 times per day

Optional: Daily Hormone & Cortisol “Supports”

Female Support:  Such as FemGuard Balance or Progestaid. Contains compounds like DIM & vitex/chaste tree for hormonal-driven headaches

Adrenal Adaptogen Herbs (like ashwaganda, relora, or cordyceps) for high cortisol and general stressor driven headaches

*By using this information, you acknowledge you’re responsible for your own healthcare. Consult with your healthcare provider before taking any new supplements. 

7. In the Moment Hacks

While most of these strategies are preventative action steps you can take to kick headaches and cure migraines, what to do when headaches strike?

Also, here are a few in-the-moment headache “coolers” and smart supplements to keep on hand: 

Hack 1: Better-Than Advil Supplement Combo

Fortunately, these supplements work together to support your liver, calm inflammation naturally and boost healthy neurotransmitter function and production. Great for the everyday tension or cluster headache, as well as migraines.This helps to cure migraines.

Beta TCP (Biotics Research), take 2-3, chew for best results (migraines: 6-8)

Livotrit Plus (Biotics Research), take 2-3 (migraines: 6-8)

Optional Add On: Intezyme Forte (Biotics Research) take 2-3 (migraines: 4-6) An anti-inflammatory digestive enzymes to boost your gut’s inflammatory fighting capacity) 

Hack 2: Immune Booster

A “triple threat” of immune boosting supports, particularly effective for those sinus and allergy related headaches. Use the following for up to 7 days to cure migraines and headaches. 

Trizomal Glutathione (Apex Energetics), 1-2 tsp, 2-3 times per day.

Liposomal Curcumin + Resveratrol, 1-2 tsp, 2-3 times per day.

Hack 3: Gut  & Immune Booster

Love your gut bugs up on the days headaches strike with:

Double dose soil-based probiotic (2-3, 3 times per day)

Short Chain Fatty Acids (like Sodium-Butyrate by Body Bio, 1 with meals)

Apple Cider Vinegar shots (1-2 tbsp in water with meals)

Lemon water and at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water during the day

Essential Oils: Peppermint Oil, Lavender, Rosemary, Ginger, Spearmint, Chamomile, Basil (on pulse points and in diffuser) 

Hack 4: “Windex” for Inflammation

CBD oil or hemp oil activates cannabidiols in your body to fight inflammation when your body needs it most. CBD oil is derived from the cannabis plant and contains NO THC (associated with psychedelics).  But ALL the benefits of “calming” the bod in times of stress—headaches included. This hack will reall help you cure migraines.

Lastly, consider 1-3 pumps under your tongue of a high-quality CBD Oil like PrimeMyBody or Charlotte’s Web. 

*The information contained in this article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. If starting a new supplement or recommendation in this article, you acknowledge you’re responsible for your own health decisions. It is advised you consult with your healthcare practitioner concerning your health choices, as well as consult your provider for safety or interactions with any medications or other supplements you’re currently taking.  

  The post How to Cure Migraines & Headaches Naturally: 7 Essentials appeared first on Meet Dr. Lauryn.

Source/Repost=> https://drlauryn.com/gut-health/cure-migraines-headaches-naturally/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

[myownsuperintendent]

Fic: “Yes, Dana, There is a Santa Claus”

Mulder believes in a lot of strange things--but when he suggests that Santa Claus is the culprit for a series of strange murders, Scully doesn't know what to think.  The case, along with the stresses of the season and her unconfessed feelings for her partner, makes for a very complicated Christmas. Casefile, set in Season 3, rated T for mild sex and violence, also here at Ao3.

Thank you so much to everyone at the @fic-files workshop who helped me out with this story!  It is very much appreciated.  I was hoping to get this up for Boxing Day, which is when it ends; I failed in my own time zone, but I think it may still be Boxing Day somewhere. ..... “Hey, Scully.  Ready to get in the holiday spirit?”

Scully looked up from the report she was finishing.  “In this context, I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”  But Christmas was in three days, and it wasn’t like she was doing a great job getting into the spirit on her own this year, so she thought she might as well take a look at the file Mulder was carrying.  “What have we got?”

Mulder grinned at her.  “Someone’s taken out Santa Claus.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, not the man himself,” Mulder said, opening the file. “One of those mall Santas, you know?” He showed her a picture.  The man in the picture was middle-aged; he wore a Santa costume, and he was clearly dead.  A heavy blow to the head, from the looks of things, or a fall.  And he was covered in something…

“Is that ash?”

Mulder nodded.  “Yup.  He was found in a fireplace.  He’s not the first.”

“There have been other people found dead in fireplaces?” Scully asked.

“Other mall Santas,” Mulder said.  “Total of three so far.  The latest was right here in DC.  And there have been notes like this with all of them.”  He showed her another picture, this one of a piece of paper. It read “IMPOSTER” in simple block printing.

Scully raised an eyebrow.  “Someone who’s upset at learning that Santa isn’t real?”

“Well, that’s what we’re here to find out,” said Mulder.

“And is there a particular reason that we’re the ones investigating this?”

“There are certain unexplainable circumstances.”

“Such as?”

“Well, for one thing,” said Mulder, “all of the men seem to have been dropped into the fireplaces from a great height.  Down the chimney, if you will.”

“That’s odd,” Scully said, “unlikely, even.  But it’s not impossible.  I wouldn’t call it unexplainable.”

“And for another,” Mulder went on, seeming to pay no attention to this objection, “according to the reports, all of the deaths occurred within minutes of each other.”  

Scully frowned.  “It could be a group working together.”

“It could,” Mulder said.

“I’m sure you have a theory, though,” she said.

“I might be working something out,” Mulder said.  “But in the meantime, let’s go take a look at our first Santa Claus.” 

.....

The DC Santa Claus, Clark Bentley, was in the morgue, but Scully’s examination didn’t turn up much that they didn’t already know.  The cause of death was head trauma, and the man also had other injuries consistent with a fall.

“Do we know who found him?” she asked Mulder.  

Mulder flipped through the file.  “His wife.  She heard a noise in the living room, went to investigate.  There he was in the fireplace.  She didn’t see anyone else.”

“And the others?” she asked, leaning in to look at the file as well.  

“Similar stories,” Mulder said, turning to the relevant pages. Scully looked them over; both of the other men had been found in their own homes by family members, and, again, those family members hadn’t seen anyone else around.

“So why these three?” she asked.  “Are there any common factors, besides their job and the way they died?”

“Nothing anyone’s identified so far,” he said.  “We can check up on that, but I’ve got a feeling it’s the job and those imposter notes that are the most important here.”

Scully sighed.  “Okay, Mulder, what are you thinking?  Spill it.”

Mulder looked at her; his face was mostly serious, but there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.  “I’m thinking…Santa Claus.”

At first, Scully was confused.  “Yes, they were all Santa Clauses…”

“No, Scully,” Mulder said.  “I’m thinking Santa Claus is responsible for this.  The real one.”

He didn’t look like he was joking.  But even for him, this theory was… “Mulder, are you serious?”

“Think about it, Scully,” Mulder said.  “Who better to call mall Santas imposters than the real Santa Claus?  He’s known for dropping things down chimneys…and for travelling almost instantaneously…”

“And for being a nice man who brings presents to children, not a murderer,” Scully said.  “Also, he doesn’t exist.”

“You don’t believe Santa exists?” Mulder asked.  “Why not?”

“Maybe because I’m an adult?” Scully said.  “I stopped believing in Santa when I was five, Mulder.”

“Skeptical from such a young age,” Mulder remarked.  “But what if he is real after all, Scully? Wouldn’t we be remiss not to look at this angle?”

“And how do you propose that we even do that?” Scully asked. “Look for reindeer tracks?  Put out some milk and cookies and wait?  No, we need to think about actual motives for this—actual people who might have done this.  We can’t go on a wild goose chase after a children’s story, after someone who definitely does not exist.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t be so insistent about Santa Claus not existing,” Mulder said, his voice teasing.  “He might hear and put you on the naughty list.”

“Somehow I’m not too concerned about that,” Scully said.  “At any rate, I think it would make sense if we talked to some people who knew these men, people who might actually be able to shed some light on this.”  She looked at the file again.  “We should talk to their families.  And what about trying to trace the notes?”

“Sure,” Mulder said.  “We can trace them all the way back to the North Pole.”

Scully shook her head.  “I can take the one we have here back to the labs.  You could go talk to his wife—and try not to bring up your Santa Claus theory, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Mulder said, “but we have to see where the questions lead.”  

“I’m serious,” Scully said.  “This is going to be hard enough for her.”  She couldn’t imagine what these men’s families must be going through.  She wasn’t looking forward to her own Christmas much this year—it would be the first since Melissa had died, and she always missed her dad more around this time, and even though she and her mom and brothers would be together she knew it wasn’t going to be the happiest one they’d ever had.  But the thought of losing someone you loved just days before the holiday…that almost made her want to start counting her blessings.

Mulder didn’t push his theory any more, thankfully; he just nodded and patted her shoulder lightly on his way to the door.  “Call me if you find out anything.”

She shook her head as she changed out of her scrubs. Everyone over the age of eight or so knew that Santa Claus was just a made-up story, something designed to make Christmas more fun for kids and to encourage them to behave themselves.  Of course, she’d never been too concerned about that part anyway, since she’d realized the truth pretty young.  Knowing that the presents came from her parents, she’d figured it was most important to be good on balance, and if she’d been concerned about earning gifts today, she would have said a similar thing  If she did the right thing most of the time, it didn’t matter if sometimes she did something a little more questionable.  Snapping at people when she got frustrated.  Spending a lot of nights touching herself while she thought about her work partner.

There wasn’t anything technically wrong with doing that, true, but Scully couldn’t help thinking sometimes that it would be better if she could cut it out.  It wasn’t the most professional way to think about someone you worked with.  It was very hard not to, though.  The first time that she’d found herself fantasizing about Mulder, she’d been a little shocked at herself, but now he was the only thing she thought about when she wanted to get herself off.  It wasn’t just one vague fantasy anymore, either.  She had a whole variety of thoughts: different situations (at home, on a case, in the office), different touches (his hands, his mouth, his whole body on hers), different things he might say (I’ve wanted this for so long, I want you to feel good, I love you).

Now when she shook her head, it was at herself.  Scully wasn’t sure when she’d started to fall in love with Mulder—some time in the last year, when everything had gotten more serious but he’d always been there, after her abduction, after Melissa—but that was what she wanted now: something serious, something real.  If all she’d wanted was his touch, that wouldn’t have been too bad; she could tell that he wanted that too, sometimes.  Her actual feelings…well, that was more complicated. She didn’t know if he wanted anything like that.  Hence the reliance on her imagination.

Scully shivered as she walked out of the building.  She wasn’t sure if it was because it was starting to snow or because of her thoughts.

.....

After getting the results on the notes from the lab, Scully went back to the office.  Mulder was already there, flipping through a file.  “What’d you find out?” he asked her.

Scully sighed, taking a seat.  “Not much,” she said.  “Some fingerprints, but they didn’t match up with anything in our databases. And the ink is just…well, it’s just different colored gel pens.”

“Gel pens?” Mulder asked.

“Yeah,” Scully said.  “Those glittery things.  Haven’t you seen them in stores?  They’re really popular with kids.”

“Interesting,” Mulder said, grinning at her.  “Almost like the notes were written by someone with access to a lot of children’s toys.”

“Or,” Scully said, “someone who happened to walk into a drug store and buy the first thing he saw by the counter.  How about you?  What’ve you been up to?”

“I talked to Clark Bentley’s wife,” Mulder said.  “She showed me where she found him.”

“And?” Scully asked.

“It’s not a huge fireplace,” Mulder said.  “The brickwork got messed up when he fell.  Honestly, I’m surprised he even fit down the chimney.”

“I suppose we can’t be sure that’s what did happen,” Scully said.  “He could have fallen elsewhere, and his body could have been moved.”

“How would you explain the noises his wife heard, then?” Mulder asked.  “She says she definitely heard a thump, and she was there within a minute and didn’t see anyone.  And she also told me that she thinks she heard something on the roof, before the thump. She was falling asleep and at first she thought it was nothing, but now it seems like it might have been related.”

“Something on the roof,” Scully said.  “What kind of something?”

“A tapping noise,” Mulder said.  “You know, like hooves.”

Scully let out a sigh.  “Like hooves.  Is that her wording or yours?”

“Mine,” Mulder said.  “But honestly it seems like the most logical—”

“No, it doesn’t,” Scully said.  “Please tell me you didn’t bring up your hooves theory with this poor woman.”

“I didn’t!” Mulder said.  “How about we hear your theory?”

“My theory,” said Scully, “is that the killer was a normal human. It’s not like it’s impossible for humans to climb onto roofs.  And human footsteps on a roof wouldn’t sound that different from hooves anyway, especially if you weren’t fully awake.  Do we know if he had any enemies?  Did she say anything about that?”

“Not a soul,” Mulder said.  “Quite the reverse, actually.  She kept telling me what a good Santa Claus he was.  She said everyone at the mall loved him—his co-workers, all of the kids—because he was so believable in the role.”

“What’d he do the rest of the year?” Scully asked, reaching for the file.  She took a look; Clark Bentley had worked for a children’s charity.  “Seems like a great guy.”

“Definitely,” Mulder said.  “Seems like no one who knew him personally would want to kill him.”

“That doesn’t mean—” Scully began, but just then Mulder’s phone rang.

“Mulder,” he said, picking it up.  “What?...Yeah, that sounds the same as what we’ve been looking at….Where was this, exactly?”  He picked up a pen and wrote something down.  “Yeah. We’ll be out there as soon as we can. Thanks.”  He hung up the phone.  “How do you feel about Minnesota at this time of year, Scully?”

“Lots of snow, I imagine,” Scully said.  Truthfully, she wasn’t eager to go—not when she had to be back and driving to her mother’s in three days’ time—but that was the job.  “Has there been another death?”

“Yeah,” Mulder said.  “Another mall Santa.  His name’s Dave Davis.  It was the same circumstances as all the others.  I told them we’d come out and take a look.”  The phone rang again.  “Hang on a second, Scully,” he said, picking it up.  “Mulder…What?...When was this?...You said Montana, right?...We’re looking at another similar case now.  But we’ll be out there as soon as we can…Yes, thanks.”  He hung up.  “Guess what that was about.”

“Another dead mall Santa?” Scully asked.

“Yes, of course,” Mulder said.  “But what’s the most interesting part about it?”

“More so-called hoof sounds?”

“They didn’t mention that on the phone,” Mulder said. “But this death happened mere seconds after the one in Minnesota.  How do you explain that?”

“Copycat crimes,” Scully said.

“This hasn’t been in the news yet.”

“A group of some sort.”

“You think he got the elves in on it?” Mulder asked, and then he laughed as Scully gave him a look and turned her chair away.  “Okay, okay.  Just keep an open mind, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I am keeping an open mind,” Scully said.  “You’re the one who won’t let go of this theory.”

“Well, maybe we’ll learn more in Minnesota,” Mulder said. “Let me look into flights. Hopefully we can head out in the morning.”

.....

THE HAPPIEST MALL IN AMERICA, said a sign above the door. “Bleak,” Mulder muttered, his voice quiet enough that only she could hear it.  Scully started to laugh, then quickly turned it into a cough as a woman in a red uniform approached them.

“Are you from the FBI?” she asked.  

“Yes, that’s us,” Scully said.  “I’m Agent Scully, and this is Agent Mulder.”

The woman shook both their hands.  “I’m Mimi Li,” she said.  “We’re so glad you’re here.  This is really terrible about Dave, and we just hope you can catch whoever did this to him.”

“We hope so too,” Scully said.  “We’ve just come from his wife.  She said that she found him lying in the fireplace—around nine?”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard,” Mimi said.  “That’s the weird part.  He’d just gotten off his shift here at eight-thirty, and he lives pretty far. He shouldn’t have had time to get home yet.”

“That is odd,” Scully said.  

“It’s just so horrible,” Mimi said.  “Would the two of you like to come with me?  You can talk to some of the other people who worked with him.”  

“That would be great,” Mulder said, and Mimi nodded and led them towards a small door.  

The break room had seen better days.  The carpet was dingy and looked like it had been there since the sixties, and there wasn’t much besides a row of lockers, a few rickety chairs, and two bickering college-aged kids dressed as elves.  “I just don’t see why we can’t go home,” one of them, a dark-haired guy, said.  “I mean, if there’s no Santa, what do they need elves for?”

“Dude, we’re getting paid,” said the other, a blond girl. “Quit whining.”

“Carl, Sarah,” said Mimi, “these are Agents Mulder and Scully. They’re from the FBI.  Agents, these are Carl and Sarah.  They’re two of our very best elves.”  Carl and Sarah looked decidedly unimpressed by this assessment of themselves.  

“Hi,” Mulder said.  “Do you know what we’re here about?”

Carl and Sarah nodded.  “Yeah,” Sarah said.  “About Dave getting killed.”  And suddenly the mood seemed more somber in the room; the two elves exchanged looks. “Are you going to find out who did this?”

“We certainly hope so,” Scully said.  “What can the three of you tell us about Dave?  What kind of a person was he?”

“Oh, he was great,” Sarah said.  “Way better than last year’s Santa.  That guy didn’t give a shit.”

Carl nodded.  “Yeah, Dave really believed in this stuff.  Just last week, it had been a long day, and we were really tired and I was complaining about something, and Dave told me we had to think about the kids. That what we were doing made Christmas a whole lot brighter for them.”

“He was really the nicest guy I’ve ever met,” Mimi added. “Anyone would tell you the same. All the kids—they just absolutely loved him.  They really believed he was Santa.  Honestly, I would have believed it too, if I were a kid.  He was so kind.”  She stopped, drew in a breath.  “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him.”

“No enemies that you know of?” Scully asked.

“No,” Mimi said.  “And I can’t believe he would have had any.”  The elves nodded.  

“Anything else you can tell us about him?” Mulder asked.

“I can’t think of anything,” Mimi said, as the elves shook their heads.  “Would you like to see where he worked, though?”

“Sure,” Scully said.  “That would be helpful.”  Mimi led them out of the break room.

The place looked like any other mall at Christmas time. Shiny clean.  Holiday-themed displays.  Lots of tinsel and lights.  A big tree in the middle of the shopping area.  There was something almost antiseptic about it, something Scully didn’t like.  It seemed to take all the trappings of Christmas and scrub away the parts that meant anything, which somehow felt more hollow than not celebrating at all.  “So this was it,” Mimi said, as they made their way towards the tree.  There was a large red chair next to it, an abandoned camera.  A large banner read MEET SANTA CLAUS; a smaller chalkboard easel read SANTA WILL BE BACK AT _____ O’CLOCK.  Someone had erased the number.  “He’s not here now,” Mimi said, and then she blushed.  “I mean, sorry, that’s obvious.”  

It probably would have been obvious even if they hadn’t known that Dave had been killed.  A rope for lining up stretched past the chair, but there was almost no one there now; another mall employee was attempting to reason with a mother and her small daughter, who was repeating, “You said we’d meet Santa today, Mommy, you promised,” at a steadily increasing volume.

“Oh dear,” Mimi said, looking over at them.  “Would you mind if I… I could just…”  The child threw herself dramatically onto the floor.

“That’s fine,” Scully said, and Mimi gave her a grateful smile and hurried towards the now sobbing child.

Mulder turned to Scully.  “What’re you thinking?”

“I don’t know,” Scully said.  “It’s odd.  This whole place—it’s not like it’s a particularly outstanding set-up.  Those two back there certainly didn’t seem that into it.  But Dave—from what everyone says, he sounds like he was the real deal.”

“Yeah,” Mulder said.  “That’s what I was thinking too.  Same as Clark.”  He looked thoughtful.  “You think that’s the link?  Why these particular guys got picked?”

“Maybe,” Scully said.  “But why would that be the case?  Why would someone be interested in killing really dedicated mall Santas?”

“Well,” Mulder said, “think back to the notes.  Imposter.  If Santa’s trying to get rid of the competition—”

“Which he’s not—”

“—he’d want to start with the best competition out there, wouldn’t he?  Not the guys who just half-ass it.  They wouldn’t be any threat.”

“You still haven’t explained why Santa would see any of these guys as a threat,” Scully said.  She realized that she was talking as if Santa were real now; he was drawing her into this, whether she liked it or not.  “If there were a Santa, wouldn’t he be above this kind of thing?  Besides, he’s supposed to be a good guy.”

“I don’t know,” Mulder said.  He took a seat in the Santa chair and grinned up at her.  “I’ve always thought he was pretty creepy.  All that surveillance.”

“Surveillance?  Aren’t you being a little dramatic?  Mulder, it’s just something your parents tell you to get you to—”

“And so judgmental,” Mulder went on.  “Have you been a good girl or a bad girl this year?”

From the way he was looking at her, she wasn’t sure if he was just quoting or if he was actually posing the question.  She decided to go with the safer option. “It’s a long way from leaving kids coal to killing people.”

“Still,” Mulder said.  “He’s a powerful guy.  And he’s used to having everything be up to him.”

“Mulder, that’s just…it doesn’t make any…”  She could never decide, when he tied things up in knots like this, if she hated it or loved every second of it.

“Just give the idea a try,” Mulder said.  “Think back.  Get in touch with your younger self.”  He was grinning again, and she felt off-balance suddenly, even before he spoke.  That teasing tone.  “What do you want for Christmas this year, Scully?”

And God, she thought about it for half a second.  Just coming out and telling him.  He had started it, after all; he was flirting now, he was definitely flirting, and maybe that meant he wanted to take the consequences.  Maybe it meant he would be up for it, if she were to say You.  You and me.  That’s what I want.  

She didn’t say it, though.  Partly it was the place: she didn’t know what would come next, if she said that, and none of her fantasies took place in an abandoned Santa’s village at the Happiest Mall in America.  But partly it was the tone, that teasing note in his voice—not that she didn’t like it, she definitely did, it made her feel ways that were not appropriate to feel at a place meant for children.  It was too light, though, too easy.  As though it didn’t mean anything at all.

Instead, she just smiled.  “Nothing special, I guess.  I’d like it if we finished up the case soon.  Got back to DC in time for me to go to my mom’s.”

She couldn’t read his face for a second, but then he smiled too, nodding at her.  “Aw, I was hoping you were going to ask for something exciting,” he said.  “But that makes sense.  Let’s get going, then—not keep you away from home longer than we can help.”

“Yeah,” she said.  “Sounds good.”  She thought about what he’d said as they walked out of the mall.  I was hoping you were going to ask for something exciting.  She liked exciting.  But it wasn’t all she wanted.

.....

The next morning, they were on their way to Montana.  It was starting to snow as they arrived, but they were able to land with no problems.

The latest Santa Claus was named Roger Green; the mall where he’d worked was, to put it bluntly, chaos.  No surprise, really—it was Christmas eve—but it didn’t put Scully in a very good mood.  They had to elbow their way past frantic adults and screaming kids (actually, some of the adults were screaming too).  All of the mall employees whom they talked to seemed distracted, only half their attention of the conversation and half on whatever was going on out in the shopping area.  And none of the information they did have was anything new.  Roger Green seemed just like all the other mall Santas: unquestionably good at his job and unquestionably dead.

The snow had picked up as they left the mall, along with the wind.  “Woah,” Mulder said.  “It’s really coming down.”

“Yeah,” Scully said, hurrying to the rental car.  

As they were driving to Roger Green’s house—he had lived with his brother, who had been the one to find him—she switched on the radio to listen to the weather report.  “Those of you who are dreaming of a white Christmas are getting it with a vengeance! We’re expecting the snow to continue into tomorrow, with at least three feet of accumulation.  Look for winds to gust thirty-five to forty miles per hour. We encourage you to stay safe and avoid the roads as much as possible.”

“Shit,” Scully muttered.  “We’re stuck here, aren’t we?”

“Sounds like it, yeah,” Mulder said.  He looked contrite, but right now she wasn’t in the mood.  It would have been one thing if they were actually getting work done, but this case was going nowhere fast, and all they had was Mulder’s nonsensical theory.  She was stranded in Montana for nothing, as far as she was concerned. She pictured her mom’s face, that look she got when she was sad; she’d wanted them all to be together so much, and Scully had wanted that too.  Now Bill and Charlie would be there and she wouldn’t.  Now she was the bad child, the one who deserved the lump of coal.  

“I’m going to call my mom,” she said, pulling out her phone. “Before we lose service or anything.”

The disappointment was plain in her mom’s voice, and she really couldn’t blame her.  “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said, trying not to sound too frustrated herself.  “I really wanted to be there too.”  

“We’ll miss you a lot,” her mom said.  “Will you at least call tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Scully said.  “We can have a good talk.”

“Both of you take care of yourselves,” her mom said.  “Be safe out there.  And tell Fox I said merry Christmas.”

“I’ll do that,” Scully said.  “Bye, Mom.”  After she hung up, she turned to Mulder.  “My mom says merry Christmas,” she said, and then she stared out of the window at the rapidly falling snow.

She had seen Christmas displays before, but, as they pulled up in front of the Greens’ house, she couldn’t help staring.  This one was something special.  Thousands of lights adorned the building, and on the lawn was a model town.  An old-fashioned small town at Christmas, she could tell it was supposed to be, with snow (both real and fake, at this point) on all of the buildings and trees and little people in red and green coats carrying wrapped presents, skating on a miniature lake, exchanging waves and embraces.  Santa Claus was on the roof of one of the buildings, smiling benignly down. In another mood, Scully thought she probably would have liked the scene.  She’d never had a ton of decorations herself—a habit picked up from her childhood, when she’d gotten used to travelling light—but she could tell someone had put a lot of work and care into this display.  Right now, though, she just wanted to be home.  She told herself to concentrate on the case, to be glad of the work; finishing this up now would only mean spending the next few days lying around in a motel room.  She wondered fleetingly if Mulder would want to spend any extra time they might have together; she probably would have liked that thought in another mood too.

Mulder rang the doorbell, which was quickly answered by a man wearing a reindeer sweater.  He had something of a Santa Claus look himself, actually—he was large and had a white beard—if you ignored the somber expression.  “Robert Green?” Mulder asked.  “Brother of Roger?”

“Yes, that’s me,” said the man.

“I’m Agent Mulder, and this is Agent Scully,” Mulder said. “Okay if we come in and ask you some questions?”

“Please,” the man said, holding the door for them.

The inside was as elaborately decorated as the outside: tinsel everywhere, bright lights, a tall Christmas tree with ornaments and popcorn strings and a shining star on the top.  “We loved Christmas,” Robert said.  “Both of us did.”

“It’s very nice,” Scully said gently.  “Did you do all of it yourself?”

Robert nodded.  “Well, the two of us.  We did it every year.”

“I’m so sorry about your brother,” Scully said, and Robert nodded quickly, turning his face to stare determinedly at the tree.

“So tell us about what happened,” Mulder said.  “Where did you find him?”

“Right here, actually,” Robert said.  He motioned them towards the fireplace.  Roger Green’s body had been taken away, but it was still clear that something had happened there.  Chipped pieces of brick and wood lay on the earth, along with a sizeable amount of dirt and ash, and the fire irons had been knocked askew.  “It was two nights ago now.  I’d worked an earlier shift, so I was home; I thought Roger was still at work.  I was getting ready for bed, and I heard…I thought I heard a noise.  Like a kind of tapping.  And then I heard the crash.  I ran downstairs, and he was right here.  And I tried…I called 911 but I knew he was dead.”  He swallowed hard.  “There wasn’t anyone around.  Just the two notes.”

“Two notes?” Mulder said.  

“Yeah,” Robert said.  “In this glittery pen.  One of them said Imposter.”  Just as it had been in all the other cases.  “And the other one said You’re Next.”

“You’re Next?” Mulder asked.  “They didn’t tell us about that one.  You’re Next…Can you tell us what it is you do for a living?”  From the expression on his face, though, Scully could tell he was as sure as she was that it was an unnecessary question.  

“Yes,” Robert said.  “I’m also a mall Santa.”  Of course he was.  This insane case…

“Mr. Green, I think we should warn you to be on your guard,” Mulder said.  “We have reason to believe that someone is targeting mall Santas.  If that someone is going to be back to get you…maybe we should stay here for your protection.”

“Or for yours,” Robert said, looking out the window. “The storm’s really getting worse. I wouldn’t want you two nice people going out in that.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’d be fine,” Scully said.  “But we do need to make sure that you’re safe.”

“Yeah, we’ll stay and keep an eye out,” Mulder said.  “I have some ideas about how the killer might be getting in.  Although I doubt anything will happen for a few hours.  He seems to strike at night.”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll feel safer having the two of you here,” said Robert.  “Would you like some coffee?  If it’s going to be a long wait…”

“Sounds great,” Mulder said cheerfully.  He was taking off his coat now and putting it over the back of his chair.  “How about you, Scully?”

“Yes, thanks,” she said, and Robert smiled at them and left the room.  “Mulder,” Scully said, as soon as he was gone, “do you happen to have some kind of plan?”

“I was actually hoping we could talk about that,” Mulder said. “You see, there’s not a lot of information around taking down Santa Claus.  No stakes or silver bullets or anything like that.  Do you think maybe we could—”

“Mulder,” Scully said.  “Can we be practical here?  Just for two minutes?”  She let out a breath.  “Whoever or whatever this is, there’s some kind of threat here.  Where do you think we should position ourselves?  Inside or outside?  With Robert?  At the fireplace?”

“He has to be getting in from outside, right?” Mulder said. “That’s how it works.  Up onto the roof, down the chimney, and then presents or murder, as the case may be.”  

At this point, she didn’t see where arguing was going to get her. She wouldn’t waste time contradicting him, she decided; she would just treat this like…like they were talking about any ordinary intruder.  One who was very good at what he did, maybe, but who was still a human.  “So if he’s coming in from the roof,” she said, “should one of us be on the roof?”

Mulder seemed to take this as full agreement with his theory, judging by the way he smiled at her.  The main part of her wanted to yell at him.  A smaller, more reluctant part wanted to blush.  “Yeah, that sounds good to me,” he said.  “And the other one should stay inside with Robert.  We’d better trade off, though.  I don’t know what Skinner would say if we came back frozen into—”

“Look at the two of you!”  Robert had coming back into the room, carrying mugs of coffee, and he was beaming at them.  She wondered how he could look so happy, now.  “Go on, then.  You know what to do.”  And when they stared back at him, he gestured upwards.  Scully looked up.  She didn’t know what it said about her that what she saw made her heart start racing faster than anything else she’d seen on this case.  It’s just a plant, she told herself.  An ordinary plant.  But she knew that the sprig of mistletoe above them was a little more than that.

“Shall we, Scully?” Mulder said, and she didn’t know how to respond.  She wanted to.  Of course she wanted to.  He didn’t know how much she wanted to kiss him, with or without an excuse.  But right here and now… She didn’t trust herself, that was the trouble.  If she started to kiss him, she was afraid she wouldn’t stop.

“Come on, now,” Robert said.  “It’s a Christmas tradition.”

Apparently that was enough for Mulder.  He cupped her cheek, bent his head, and pressed his lips to hers.

She’d imagined this more times than she could count—but it wasn’t like she’d imagined.  She wanted to open her mouth, kiss him for a long, long time, but she couldn’t do that, not with this bereaved mall Santa watching them from across the room, not when they were going to be stuck here for hours, probably, and they’d either have to talk about it—and then what would they say?—or not talk about it—and they were good at that, but if she were ever going to do this, she didn’t want it to end with them just going back to the way they’d always been.  She wanted to know, from that moment on, if he felt for her what she felt for him.  If she ever got up the courage to do this, she didn’t want it to be all over in a flash.

But right now, she couldn’t.  She couldn’t even let herself get started.  So she pulled away, jerking back in a split second, before she even had the chance to register whether or not it felt good.  (It felt like something, though.  Just that brush of his lips.  She hoped she wasn’t turning pink.)  She grabbed a mug of coffee from Robert and took a sip, just to have something to do.

Robert didn’t seem to notice anything; he just smiled at them again and handed the other mug to Mulder.  Mulder was staring at her, though.  He looked almost hurt, and Scully couldn’t really blame him.  She’d practically wiped her mouth off after he kissed her.  Even if he didn’t share her feelings, that couldn’t feel great.  But she couldn’t say anything now.

“So!” she said, trying to put energy into her voice, taking a big sip of the coffee and hoping it would help.  “Robert, is there a way for us to get up on your roof?”

.....

She took the last step off the ladder and checked her watch. 9:05.  “How’s everything inside?” she asked Mulder.

“Good.  Quiet for now,” Mulder said.  He looked around.  “It’s certainly dark enough for things to start happening, though.  You see anything?”

Scully shook her head.  “Nope.  Enjoy your shift.”

“Thanks,” he said.  They’d been trading off all evening, between the roof and indoors; it was terribly cold, and once Scully had thought a gust of wind was going to take her off the roof, which would have been an undignified end to the investigation. Aside from that, though, there hadn’t been anything exciting.  “You too.”

“Will do,” Scully said, starting towards the door.  It was easier this way, just talking about what they had to do.  

“Scully,” he said as she walked away.

“Yeah?”  She turned back.

A pause.  “Nothing,” he said.  “You’d better go and warm up.  Robert made more coffee.”

“Thanks,” she said.  She tried her best to smile; she was pretty sure her face was partially frozen. “That sounds good.”

She stamped off her boots and went into the living room, where Robert was setting out more mugs of coffee.  “Come in and have something to drink,” he said when he saw her.  “I really appreciate the two of you doing this, you know.  And at the holidays and all.”

“It’s our job,” Scully said, sitting down and taking a sip. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, I know that,” said Robert.  “Still, you have to be very big-hearted to do this kind of job.”

She’d take it.  “You too,” she said.  “What you do—it must make a lot of kids’ day.”

“I hope so,” Robert said.  “That’s the point of Christmas, after all.  Showing people you care about them.”  He looked thoughtful.  “I guess a lot of the kids think the point is presents.  But someday they’ll get it.”

“I hope so,” she said.  “I appreciate your welcoming us, too.  At a time like this.”

It was remarkable, the way he smiled at her.  “I’m glad that the two of you are here,” he said.  “Of course it’s…it’s not the same, no use pretending it is.  But I wouldn’t want to be alone.”

“I understand,” she said, nodding.

“You want to be with the people you love, of course,” he said. “But then the holiday itself makes a difference.  I sometimes think—did you hear something?”

Scully listened.  “Just the wind, I think.”

Robert shook his head.  “No. That.”

She listened again, and yes, now she heard it. Something on the roof—tap tap tap and then a thump.  And there was something else too—Mulder’s voice.  “Scully!”

Scully narrowly escaped spilling coffee all over herself, slamming the mug down onto the table and jumping up from her seat.  She ran outside, looking around frantically: she needed to get to Mulder.  A movement on the roof caught her eye.  There was certainly something going on up there, although she couldn’t make out quite what through the falling snow; there were several moving shapes though, that was certain.  She made her way to the ladder and climbed up as quickly as she could without slipping.

She took a look around when her head was at roof level, and then she blinked, trying to make sure she was seeing properly with all the snow. But she hadn’t made a mistake. That was a sleigh in front of her, just settled there on the roof where there definitely hadn’t been a sleigh before. A sleigh with reindeer.  Eight of them.

The most important part, however, was what was going on next to the sleigh.  Mulder was engaged in a brawl with—well, with a man dressed as Santa Claus, at the very least, and if they took one false step the two of them were about to go off the roof.  She reached for her gun.  “Freeze!” she said.  “I’m a federal agent!”

The Santa Claus stared at her.  “You think I’m going to leave either of you any presents if you keep interfering with me?”

She hadn’t thought that he was going to leave her any presents in any case, but this didn’t seem like the time to point that out.  “I don’t care about that,” she said.  “But you can’t go around killing all the mall Santas.”

He snarled.  “They’re not mall Santas,” he said.  “They’re mall imposters.  I’m the only Santa.  And it’s my job to punish people who’ve done bad things this year.”

“Isn’t this an extreme step up from coal?” Mulder asked. He took a swing at the Santa Claus, which was a mistake; it had no visible effect, and he just shoved Mulder so that he slipped and nearly fell.  

“The punishment has to fit the crime,” said the Santa Claus. “Coal is for children.  Adults need to learn a harder lesson.”

“What are they learning if they’re dead?” Mulder asked.

“Someone needs to be an example.”

Scully was looking over the edge of the roof.  She didn’t want them to push their assailant to the ground, not knowing what effect it would have on him; she still wasn’t sure if he was Santa Claus, but he clearly believed he was, anyway, and it would be wiser to proceed with caution.  But on one side of the house, there was a little porch; the fall was far enough that it would hopefully disable him without killing him.  She caught Mulder’s eye and jerked her head in the direction of the porch, hoping he would catch on to her plan.  He looked, then looked back at her and nodded slightly, before starting to back the Santa Claus in the direction of the porch.  She followed, coming at him from the other side.

“We want you to stop this now,” Scully said.  “These are good men.  Whatever problem you may have with them, this is not the way of solving it.”

“The problem’s mine, not yours,” said the Santa Claus, “so I’d advise you to be the ones to stop.  We still have a few hours until Christmas—time enough to turn things around for yourselves.  You haven’t done much else that’s bad this year.”  She clenched the fist on her free hand and forced herself to keep walking slowly. Who did he think he was, watching people all the time?  “But if you don’t back off…you’ve seen what I can do.”  He was close to the edge of the roof now.  Just a few more steps.

“Well, you make a good point,” Mulder said.  “The thing is, though, you’re not the only one who can dole out retribution.”  They moved as one then, closing in, and when the Santa Claus took a step back, his feet met the air.  He fell, landing on the porch.  Thump.

They climbed down the ladder, as quickly as they could, and dashed back into the house, not even stopping to brush off the snow, making their way out to the porch.  Scully felt for the Santa Claus’s pulse.  “We should get him inside,” she said.  “He’s alive. Just knocked out.”

“Phew,” Mulder said.  “Maybe we’ll still get at least some presents this year.  Socks and things.”

She couldn’t help but laugh.

.....

It was after midnight, early on Christmas morning, and they were still hanging around in the local FBI field office.  They’d called out backup, but the scene at the house had been confused at best.  Santa Claus kept insisting that he was Santa Claus.  No one could figure out how to get the reindeer and sleigh off the roof, and they’d had to bring in a crane.  

No one seemed to know quite what to do.  After Scully and Mulder had told their story, the head of the field office had got on the phone to Washington.  Some sort of meeting was now in progress, and the two of them could hear snatches of talk floating out of the room.   “Well, he’s not an American citizen…”  “Could we release him to the government at the North Pole?” “He is the government at the North Pole!”  “What are the kids going to do if we put him in jail?”

There wasn’t any legal precedent for this situation, that was certain, and after a while Scully wandered over to the window.  A flash of movement caught her eye; the reindeer were there, seemingly enjoying the snow.  “Want to go take a closer look?” Mulder asked, joining her, and she nodded and walked out of the building by his side.  

She patted one of the reindeer, gingerly.  It seemed to like the attention, and she patted it again, murmuring, “Hey there.”  Mulder was still beside her; she knew she had to talk to him.  “Mulder?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to apologize.”

He looked at her.  “For what?”  His face, as he looked at her, seemed sincere; maybe he honestly wasn’t bothered, and maybe she should just drop the whole thing.

But she’d started now.  “Earlier.  At the house. With the mistletoe.  I didn’t have to be so…”  She wasn’t sure of the right word to use.  Weird?  Cowardly? Madly attracted to you?  “So abrupt,” she finally said.

“Scully,” he said, “I wasn’t mad.  I just thought…if I made you uncomfortable…”

“No!” she said.  “No, you didn’t.”  It had been uncomfortable, of course, but that wasn’t his fault.  “You didn’t do anything wrong.  I was just…in a bad mood, I guess.  Because of being stuck here with the snow, you know.  Over Christmas.”

Mulder nodded.  “I really am sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault,” she said.  “It’s the job.”

“I know,” he said, “but I know you wanted to be with your family. Especially this year.”  It was sometimes hard for her to talk about these things with him, at least right out, but knowing that he understood what it meant to her made her feel warm, blizzard and all.  As did the way he put an arm around her gently, pulling her into him. “We…we could do something together later today.  I know it won’t be quite the same.    But if that sounds good to you…?”

It did sound good.  Maybe almost too good, but right now she decided she wasn’t going to let herself worry about that.  She remembered what Robert had said earlier that evening, about spending Christmas with the people you loved.  She still wished she could have been home, but she wasn’t about to turn this chance down. “It does, yeah.”

The field office director poked her head out the door then. “Oh, the two of you are still here,” she said.  “You can head out if you want.  We’re putting you up here.”  She handed them a hotel brochure.

“What’s going to happen to Santa Claus?” Mulder asked, while Scully studied the brochure.  The place looked nicer than the motels where they usually stayed, and that was putting it mildly.

Maybe it was just the cold, but the director looked flushed. She said something in a low tone, something about “volatile situation” and “not our jurisdiction” and “shame if this got out.”

“Are you saying you’re not going to do anything?” Mulder asked. “Because he’s dangerous, you know. He may seem like just a children’s character, but he’s killed at least five people.”

“We are,” said the director.  “Of course we are.  We just…we’re figuring out some things…we want to keep this quiet while we discuss our options…”  She made a show of looking at her watch.  “It’s really late.  Why don’t you two get going?  You must be so tired.”  And she hurried back inside.

“Can you believe this, Scully?” Mulder asked.  “Just because he brings presents sometimes, he’s going to get special treatment.”

“So are we,” said Scully.  “Look at this.”  She held out the brochure.  “Heated pool and everything.”

Mulder looked skeptical.  “Is this hush money?”

“Are you complaining?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m exactly complaining,” Mulder said. “I just think the laws should apply equally to everyone.  Including Santa Claus.”

“And I agree with you,” said Scully.  “But maybe we can discuss the justice system after we’ve gotten some sleep.”

.....

Scully called her mom when they got to the hotel, and then she slept into the afternoon.  On her way back from getting some food in the dining room, she ran into Mulder in the hallway.  “Hey,” he said.  “We on for tonight?”

“Yeah,” she said, nodding.  “What do you want to do?”

“Well, I don’t think we can go anywhere,” he said. “It’s snowing even harder.  But we could get some food, anyway.  And then just…hang around.”  He looked almost shy about it.  “Not very exciting, I know.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” she said.  “That sounds really good, actually.  In half an hour?”

“Great,” he said, and he smiled, and she smiled back.

Back in her room, she looked out the window.  The snow was starting to taper off, although it was still going to take some time to clear the roads, if the size of the drifts was anything to go by.  There was a special Christmas Supplement in with the room service menu; she ordered eggnog and sugar cookies.  

Mulder showed up with additional eggnog and sugar cookies (the Christmas Supplement wasn’t particularly extensive).  “Hi, Scully,” he said.  “I brought this…oh, you have some already.”

She smiled.  “Great minds. Come on in.”  

There was a small couch in the room, and they settled themselves on that.  She took a bite of a cookie—pretty good—and smiled at him again.  This was rare for them; they did sometimes spend time together outside of work, but they were usually at least still thinking about a case then, talking about it, trading theories.  It wasn’t this sort of pure companionship.

“Imagine if this got out,” Mulder said.

For a second she thought he meant the two of them—professional partners, sharing Christmas treats together on a hotel couch—but she decided that couldn’t possibly be it.  “If what got out?” she asked.

“All this about Santa Claus,” Mulder said.  “The children would be so disappointed.”

“Yeah,” Scully said.  “I guess they would.”

“I still don’t think he should get the special treatment,” Mulder said, “but still, if kids found out, it would be kind of a shame. Don’t you think?”

Scully thought for a minute.  “I don’t know,” she said.  “They’d be disappointed at first, probably, but I think it would be all right in the end. That’s not the only good part of Christmas.  Maybe it’s just because I barely remember believing in Santa, anyway, but that’s what I think.”

“Right, you said that,” Mulder replied.  “You stopped believing when you were five?  What tipped you off?”

She smiled and took another sip of the eggnog.  “It’s kind of a nice story, actually.  I’d been learning to ride a bike—I used to borrow Missy’s—and my parents said I could get my own that year.  And I saw this bike in a store window; it was dark blue with silver stripes, and I thought it was the neatest thing I’d ever seen.  I was with my dad, and I told him that. Not that I wanted it, even.  Just that I thought it was a really great bike.” She still remembered it, the way it had shone.  “But the next time we were near the store, Bill was with us, and I was looking at the bike again, and he laughed at me.  Because it was a boy’s bike, you know?  I said I didn’t care, I still liked it, and he said everyone would laugh at me if I had a bike like that.”  She remembered that part too, the sick feeling.  “Maybe I shouldn’t have cared.  But I was only five, and we’d just moved there too.  I didn’t have a lot of friends yet and I didn’t want people to laugh at me.  So when I wrote to Santa, I said I wanted a different bike.  A girl’s one.  Little pink basket and everything.  I didn’t really want it, but I…I guess I thought it would be better.  And it would still be a bike.  But on Christmas—there it was, under the tree.  The one I’d wanted, the blue bike, and it said it was for me, from Santa, and I was so excited.  But I thought about it, and I knew that it couldn’t be from Santa.  I didn’t write to him about that bike, so he couldn’t have known.  I knew my dad knew though, so later, I asked him if he was Santa, and he said yes, and he told me not to tell the others so I wouldn’t ruin it for them.  And he hugged me.”  She remembered that part best of all.  “So that was that.”

“Was it everything you wanted?” Mulder asked.  “The bike, I mean.”

She grinned.  “Hell yes. I rode that thing everywhere.  I had it for years.  And no one ever laughed, either.”

He smiled back.  “That is a nice story,” he said.  “Maybe you’re right, Scully.  Maybe it wouldn’t make any difference to kids, in the end.”

“It makes it better in a way, I think,” Scully said. “Not him being a murderer, I mean. But knowing that the presents come from your parents.”  He looked at her questioningly, and she tried to explain what she meant.  “It means your parents care about you.  My dad—he knew what I really wanted because he knew me. That means a lot more than getting things from some strange man with a flying sleigh.”

“I guess that’s true,” Mulder said.

He didn’t say anything more for a few minutes, and Scully was quiet too, thinking over her own words.  He knew what I really wanted because he knew me.  That was true, as far as it went, but it left out part of the story.  Of course her dad had known her well, but he hadn’t just guessed about the bike; she’d told him that she liked it, even if she hadn’t asked for it.  He wouldn’t have gotten it for her otherwise.  You couldn’t expect people to read your mind.

Was that what she was expecting now, though?  Even though she told herself that she had to keep it together so that Mulder wouldn’t guess how she felt about him, somewhere there was a part of her that hoped for that: that he would somehow just look at her and figure it out and tell her that he wanted the same thing.  She wouldn’t have to do the hard part—put herself out there and risk being shut down.  She’d only have to say yes.

And that was a silly way to think.  Yes, they were closer than anyone; yes, he did know what she was thinking some of the time, like when he’d realized why she was so upset about being stuck here, and yes, that was one of the things she loved about him. That still didn’t mean that he could actually read her mind, any more than she could read his (and she had certainly tried, wondering if each flirtatious word meant everything or nothing). If she really wanted this, she had to play her part.

“Mulder,” she said.  “You remember the other day, you asked me what I wanted for Christmas?”

“Of course,” he said.  “You said you wanted to get home.  Scully, I really—”

Damn, she hadn’t meant to start them off on this track again. “Don’t worry about it.  I didn’t…there’s something else I wanted.”

He looked relieved.  “Well, you should have told me while we were still in the mall,” he said teasingly.  “How am I supposed to get it for you now?”

She almost laughed.  “I don’t think it would have been a good idea for you to give it to me in a mall.”  And then she took a deep breath and hurried on, before she could lose her nerve. “It’s not really…it’s not a present, anyway.  I just wanted to tell you something.  I…well, since I couldn’t go home, I’m glad we got to do this together.  Because you’re my closest friend.  And I’m glad you are. I don’t want to change anything…I mean, I do, but…”  She was a mess.  She was about to stop, eat another cookie and gather her courage to try again in a few minutes or a month or never, but then she saw his face.  The way he was looking at her: solemn and tender and filled with anticipation.  And she spoke.  “I love you,” she said.  “I need you to know that.  Because I…what I want is for us to be together.”  He was still looking.  “That’s why I was weird the other day,” she said.  “With the mistletoe.  When you kissed me.”  She didn’t like silence right now.

But what he said was worth waiting for.  “Let’s try it again, then,” he said, and he reached across the space between them on the couch and pulled her into a kiss.  A real kiss, this time: she didn’t even think about pulling away.  She let herself register how it felt now, so good, so very good, so much like she’d imagined, but better, because this time it was real.  One of his hands was in her hair and the other was holding her tight, and she clutched at him too.  This was it. She’d told him what she wanted, and now she knew: he wanted it too.

It was in his eyes, too, when they broke apart, how stunned and happy he looked.  “I love you too, Scully,” he said, and he touched his forehead to hers, and she started the kiss this time, a long one, her mouth open against his.  She wanted to catch up on all the days she hadn’t kissed him.

Of course, she wanted to do more than kiss him, but right now she wasn’t in any hurry.  Neither of them was going anywhere: not now, while the snow kept them trapped inside, and not after that, because this was it.  Right now, she was content to sit here with Mulder, here on this hotel room couch in Montana, and kiss and kiss and kiss.

.....

It took her a moment, when she woke up, to get oriented. That wasn’t a pillow under her head, or even the seat of a car: it was Mulder, his bare chest under her cheek, the quilted hotel room comforter pulled over both of them.  He was already awake, and he smiled at her as she opened her eyes. “Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” Scully said.  She snuggled herself against him.  “You’re so warm.”

He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek.  “You’re so beautiful.”

She’d heard him say that word more than once last night: when they were still kissing on the couch, when she undressed in front of him for the first time, when the two of them were moving together and she’d never felt so good.  None of that made it any less thrilling now.  “Thank you,” she almost whispered.

They were quiet for a moment, enjoying this proximity, this new beginning.  Mulder was the first to break the silence.  “Happy day after Christmas.”

She smiled.  “That’s right.  Happy Boxing Day.”

He grinned at her.  “Do you box, Scully?”

Scully laughed.  “Well,” she said, “I’m pretty good at clinches.”

“Really?” Mulder said.  “Could you demonstrate that for me?”

“Of course,” she said, and then she grabbed him and rolled herself on top of him.  He pulled her down into a kiss, and she kissed him back.  No more Santa Clauses: this morning was for them.

Outside, the snow was starting to melt.

[davidslepkow]

(via Car Accident Lawyer Providence RI Slepkow Law (Est. 1932)) Rhode Island Car Accident Lawyer | Slepkow Law (est. 1932)Car accident lawyer Providence RISuccessfully resolving a Rhode Island personal injury case for compensation can be complex. This is because every tort lawsuit, whether it is based on strict liability, negligence or intention, involves two crucial legal issues – damages and liability. To resolve a RI car accident case, the victim must establish that the defendant is liable for the victim’s damages and, if true, to what extent. If the victim can prove causation, duty, damages and liability,  a jury or a claims adjuster will award the victim the compensation they deserve. A Providence car accident lawyer can help you get the justice and compensation you deserve. In most cases, victims will hire a Providence car accident attorney who specializes in tort law and automobile accidents. Below are the most common frequently asked questions concerning personal injury claims in Providence. A car accident lawyer from Providence RI answers the following questions.Rhode Island car accident lawyerThe lengthy process of resolving a trucking wreck case begins in a consultation with a RI personal injury attorney to discuss all potential legal options. If the case has merit, the Providence car accident lawyer will begin the discovery process. The discovery process is the process where evidence is gathered, witnesses are interviewed, and the incident is fully reviewed. This might involve a complete evaluation of medical records and police reports to build a solid case for compensation. Most cases are resolved by a RI auto crash attorney negotiating with an adjuster working for the insurance company policyholder. If the amount of compensation is not acceptable to the victim, the RI personal injury attorney will file a lawsuit in Providence Superior Court to present the case at a jury trial.How much money do I need for my personal injury case?Reputable RI personal injury lawyers accept these types of cases on contingency. This means the the injured victim pays nothing for legal services until the Rhode Island personal injury lawyer successfully settles the claim through a negotiated out-of-court settlement or wins a jury award at trial.What constitutes legal personal injury in a filed claim for compensation?Personal injury attorneys in Rhode Island  and a Providence auto accident lawyer can handle a large variety of cases from vehicle accidents / car collisions to medical malpractice and more. A small sampling of common Rhode Island personal injury cases involves:Accidental death / Rhode Island wrongful deathDog bite or animal attackChildbirth injuriesVehicle accidents including truck accident, boats, motorcycles and passenger carsNursing home abuse or negligenceDefective product liabilityBad drugs / defective and dangerous drugsPremises liability including RI slip and fall accidentsPublic transportation accidentsMedical malpractice in Rhode IslandBicycle and pedestrian accidentsWrongful death / Fatal RI car accidentHernia mesh lawsuitHow much is my case for compensation in Kent County Superior Court worth?Determining the value of a case for automobile accident injury compensation can be difficult. However, your Warwick, Cranston or Woonsocket car accident attorney will review the merits of your claim, evaluate the severity of the injuries you endure, and review the insurance limits of all policies involved. The Providence RI car accident lawyer will identify every defendant responsible for your damages. In most cases, the value of the RI injury claim is based on five specific factors that include:Past and current medical expenses including the cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation and physical therapy.All future medical expenses to allow you to heal completely including the cost of managing temporary or permanent disabilities.Lost wages from time missed from work.Loss of earning capacity due to physical or mental constraints directly associated with your injuries.Intangible damages including pain, suffering, emotional trauma and mental anxiety.Your Providence car accident lawyer will use numerous factors to determine the actual value of the case. The following factors my be significant:diminished capacity to enjoy your previous life,the cost of ongoing medical treatments andyour litigation history.How long does a case for tractor trailer accident or motorcycle crash compensation take?The amount of time it takes to resolve a RI personal injury lawsuit or Rhode Island motorcycle accident can take months or even years. However, if the claims adjuster working for the indemnity insurance company does not offer you adequate recompense, the resolution of the case may take longer if the lawsuit goes to trial.Is a RI motorcycle accident attorney necessary for my case? Most cases require hiring a Providence car accident lawyer or 18-wheeler injury attorney to ensure the victim’s rights are protected and to insure the victim receives adequate compensation. Reputable Barrington, Bristol and Warren personal injury lawyers handle these types of cases on contingency and will offer a free, no obligation consultation to discuss the merits of the case and provide various legal options on how to proceed.Car accident lawyer RIDriving on the roadways is getting more dangerous as the years go by. There are currently more than 208 million people with a driver’s license in this country. While driving provides you with ample freedom, it can also bring on some serious issues. Data show that there are more than three-million car accidents each year. Did you know that 16 percent of those misfortunes are caused by people not paying attention behind the wheel? People are on their cell phones, texting, putting on makeup, or engaging in some other distraction. If you were injured in a  car accident in Rhode Island, contact a RI personal injury lawyer. A personal injury attorney RI will help you get the compensation and justice you are entitled to.Vehicle crash types used by policeWhile most people depend on their vehicles to get them to and from work and other places, there is a chance that you could have an accident. You can be seriously injured, and many incidents go to court seeking damages for personal injuries. When you are involved in an automobile accident, your report will classify the type of incident that occurred. The classification means everything, especially since it can help to determine fault. Here are the vehicle crash types used by both police and insurance agencies:Head-on-CollisionA head-on-collision is where two cars crash head-on. In this instance, either party can be at fault. However, a head-on-incident can also include just one car and an object. If a vehicle runs off the road and hits a tree or other thing from the front, it can be classified as this type of crash. The unfortunate part about dealing with these types of incidents is they are more likely to cause a fatality than any other kind of wreck. About two percent of all accidents are considered a head-on-collision. However, of those accidents, more than 10 percent will have fatalities.Rear-end AccidentWhen an accident happens at the rear of the vehicle, it is classified as a rear-end collision. In most cases, the fault almost always goes to the person who hits from behind. The theory behind this is that they are following the other car too closely. They are usually cited with “unassured clear distance” for not allowing sufficient room between the vehicles. However, there are some cases when the other party may be at fault. Only an attorney can help determine who is truly at fault for this type of crash.T-Bone CrashA T-bone crash is where one car hits another from the side. The side impacts are often very messy accidents. These accidents can be categorized as being broadsided or a side-swipe too. One car hits the side with the back or front of their car. It can also be an object that is hit. Most of these accidents occur at a stop sign or a traffic light.Hit-and-Run IncidentA hit-and-run incident is not really a classification as much as it is an occurrence. When someone hits a vehicle and leaves the scene of the accident, the insurance company and police will determine that it is a hit-and-run. Since there is no other party to hold responsible for the charges, your insurance must pay for the repairs. You will have to pay the insurance deductible to get your vehicle repaired.Side-Swipe WreckThe side-swipe accident is usually a mild incident. One car swipes another car or object. The damages are usually not as bad as a side occurrence from a T-bone. In many cases, a side-swipe happens with a mailbox, road sign or other objects close to the roadway. Property damage is usually more severe than vehicle damage when these occur. While many are harmless accidents, if one of the persons loses control of their vehicle, then it can turn into a major accident. Regardless of the type of crash, when a total loss of the vehicle occurs, it can result in a fatality.Rollover accident in RIA rollover wreck often causes all sorts of medical problems, specifically with the neck and back. The vehicle can flip on its side or completely in the air. This type of incident is often seen with the larger sport utility vehicles. Drivers go too fast around curves and the top-heavy vehicles turn over. In fact, 29 percent of all rollover accidents include a fatality. While statistics show that some types of accidents have a higher chance of causing physical damages than others, you can be hurt anytime there is a collision. You need a good lawyer on your side to help you get compensation to cover your pain and suffering. Never make a statement about an accident without an attorney present. Anything you say can be used by the insurance company to decrease the amount they must pay. Get a medical evaluation right away and call a car accident lawyer ri.Things you need to knowCar accidents are one of the primary causes of personal injury claims in the United States today. In Providence, Rhode Island heavy traffic and winter weather can make accidents more likely. If you have been injured in a car accident in Providence, here are some things you need to know about filing a personal injury claim.Providence Car Accident LawyerStatistics show that one of the primary causes of car accidents in the United States, is distracted driving. According to the Center for Disease Control or CDC the most common types of distracted driving are:Losing Concentration While DrivingRemoving Hands From The Wheel Resulting In A Loss Of ControlTaking Eyes Off The Roadway While DrivingToday, so many motorists are using their cell phones while hurrying to work which increases the odds of having an accident. Some other common causes of accidents are speeding, impaired driving and reckless driving.Statute Of Limitations for Providence car accidentIf you have been injured in an accident in Providence, you have a certain amount of time to file a personal injury lawsuit. When filing a case for personal injury caused by another driver, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the accident.  In these cases, it is best to seek the advice of a Providence car accident attorney as soon as possible to avoid confusion.  Pursuant to RI Injury law: “(b) Actions for injuries to the person shall be commenced and sued within three (3) years next after the cause of action shall accrue, and not after, except as provided for otherwise in subsection (c) herein.”  TITLE 9Courts and Civil Procedure–Procedure Generally CHAPTER 9-1 Causes of Action SECTION 9-1-14  § 9-1-14  Limitation of actions for words spoken or personal injuries.RecoveryPeople who are injured in car accidents can sue the other driver and their insurance company for a variety of expenses. Here are some things you may be able to recover money for:Medical BillsTransportation costsLoss Of WagesCost Of Therapy Or Ongoing TreatmentYou may also be able to obtain a monetary settlement if you have been disabled as a result of the accident. The court will use information such as lost income and the loss of earning capacity for the future to determine how much to award. If you have been involved in an accident and are injured, it may benefit you to seek the advice of an experienced Providence personal injury attorney or a Providence car accident lawyer. These specialists can evaluate your case and help you decide how to go forward. In many cases, a Rhode island personal injury attorney can take the stress out of the legal process so you can focus on recovering and returning to your life.Serious matters requiring the attentionCar accidents in Rhode Island are serious matters requiring the attention  of a top Rhode Island car accident lawyer. In order to prevail and receive compensation for your injuries resulting from an auto accident in RI, the injured victim is required to establish that the tortfeasor was at fault. To be at fault for a RI car accident, the other motorist must be negligent. If a driver is negligent for a motor vehicle crash, their insurance company is liable to pony up cash to resolve the cause of action.East Providence car accident lawyerRI automobile collisionIf you were injured in a RI car accident or Providence auto crash it is important that you protect your legal rights. Never admit fault at the scene of the Warwick, Cranston or Pawtucket automobile collision. Taking pictures and videos of the scene of the  Woonscoket, North Providence or Newport  motor vehicle wreck will help support your negligence claim. Preferably, get pictures of skid marks, signage, road configurations as well as the various motor vehicles involved in the auto crash. If possible, obtain pictures prior to the vehicles being relocated by the authorities or individual involved in the Rhode Island car accident. All the while, make sure that you are emphasizing your safety as well as the safety of others at the scene of the automobile crash.If you are legitimately injured in a Rhode Island car accident, it is imperative that you obtain treatment for your injuries. Insurance adjusters will not compensate you for periods of time when you are not treating for your injuries pursuant to your doctors recommendations. Do not speak to the insurance defense car accident negligence attorneys or insurance adjusters. Immediately, retain one of the best car accident lawyers in Rhode Island who is also a top RI personal injury lawyer.How is negligence determined ” This court established that the “prudent person” rule is the standard by which conduct is to be measured in ascertaining whether due care has been exercised; that is, “[o]rdinary care is such care as a person of ordinary prudence exercises under the circumstances of the danger to be apprehended.” Id. (quoting Leonard v. Bartle, 48 R.I. 101, 104, 135 A. 853, 854 (1927)). 502 A.2d 827 (1986)Carol H. HUESTONv.NARRAGANSETT TENNIS CLUB, INC.No. 83-115-Appeal. Supreme Court of Rhode Island.January 10, 1986.828*828 John T. Walsh, Jr., Joseph V. Cavanagh, Higgins, Cavanagh & Cooney, Providence, for plaintiff. Edward L. Gnys, Jr., Richard O. Lessard, Gunning, LaFazia & Gnys, Inc., Providence, for defendant. OPINION SHEA, Justice.RI car accident attorney sets forth common types of vehicular collisionsThere are hundreds of different types of car accidents in Rhode island. These include:rollover accidentrear-end collisionside impact(T-bone)texting while driving crashdrunk driving collisiondistracted drivingdrowsy, fatigued and tired drivinglane violation accidentmerge accidentfatal (deadly) auto wrecksintersection accidentmulti vehicle crashsingle car accidentRhode Island car accident cause hundreds of different types of injuries specifically including:fractured legfractured and broken armtraumatic brain injury (TBI)whiplash injuryparalysisinternal injuriesAutomobile accidents  involving texting while driving, distracted driving and negligent operation of a motor vehicle are a problem all over the United States. While most accidents are relatively minor, some lead to serious injury or death. Below are some things to keep in mind if you are involved in a car accident accident in Warwick, Coventry or Cranston. If you were injured in a car, truck or motor vehcile crash in Kent County contact a Warwick personal injury attorney.Accident CausesA variety of factors can contribute to automobile accidents in Warwick and Cranston RI. If you have been involved in a motor vehicle, truck, or motorcycle collision and are injured, you may be able to file a lawsuit to obtain compensation for your injuries. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration,  some of the primary cause of accidents today are:Distracted DrivingMost people have a lot going on inside their car when they are driving. Cell phones, children, passengers and GPS devices can all pull the drivers attention away from the roadway.“Distracted Driving/Cell Phone Use Problem Identification and Analysis Distracted driving crashes are often difficult to identify, as the officers arrive on scene after the fact and are dependent upon the drivers’ accounts and recollection of the facts. Self-reported information is statistically unreliable and it is estimated that cell phone-related crashes are severely underreported. Rhode Island has been collecting cell phone-related crash information since 2011. In 2013, fatal crashes where at least one distraction was reported for at least one vehicle accounted for 9.7 percent of Rhode Island’s fatal crashes. This is lower than the national percentage which is 11.6 percent. In total over the past three years distracted driving fatal crashes has seen an increase of 80 percent. Due to public demand there has been significant pressure to strictly enforce the State’s cell phone law for those who are 18 and younger. There also has been increasing encouragement for policy-makers to create a handsfree statue for all drivers. State of Rhode Island Highway Safety Plan Federal Fiscal Year 2016 Office on Highway Safety 4-5 Of the 16 fatal crashes in Rhode Island from 2010 through 2013 where one vehicle or more has at least one distraction recorded, the plurality of which were recorded as distraction/ inattention, details unknown (25 percent), followed by other distraction and cell phone use (18.8 percent each). However, from 2010 through 2013, distraction/inattention, details unknown was most frequently recorded in fatal crashes where at least one vehicle has at least one distraction recorded in Region 1 (35.2 percent) and across the Nation (46.4 percent).” State of Rhode Island Highway Safety Plan  http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/community/safety/Highway_Safety_Performance_Plan.pdfFatigueDriver fatigue (sleepy driving)  is a common cause of auto accidents in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations inclluding the areas of Cranston, Warwick and Coventry RI. Many people commute long distances daily and are unaware they are fatigued. Others may become tired driving to vacation destinations. Failure to pull over and rest can be a fatal mistake.Warwick personal injury attorney Reckless or aggressive drivers are a danger to everyone on the road. People who drive in this manner often tailgate, fail to yield the right of way and ignore traffic signals.Driving Under The Influence “Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a common reason accidents occur, especially during the wee hours of the morning. Many people fail to realize the effects these substances have on their reflexes and alertness.  In July 2003, Rhode Island enacted a law making it a crime for anyone to operate a motor vehicle with a BAC of 0.08 or above. For young drivers, a BAC level of 0.02 results in license suspension until the age of 21.  The Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled that sobriety checkpoints are unconstitutional.  A police officer may or may not indicate suspicion of alcohol involvement in a crash report.  BAC testing is often performed only on persons who are killed in a crash and not on surviving drivers.”   State of Rhode Island Highway Safety Plan, developed and presented by Rhode Island Department of Transportation Office On Highway Safety Two Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02903 date July 1, 2015http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/community/safety/Highway_Safety_Performance_Plan.pdfHow a Warwick personal injury attorney or Cranston car accident attorney Can HelpIf you have been injured in an automobile accident, you may be able to obtain compensation for your injuries through the court system in Kent County Superior Court. However, in order to achieve this goal, most courts require proof that the other driver caused the accident through negligence. In these cases, having a Coventry injury lawyer  or Warwick car accident attorney can make this process easier. An experienced Warwick personal injury attorney will investigate the accident and gather the evidence needed to prove your case. A  Cranston auto crash lawyer will also negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company, so you can pay any outstanding bills you may have from the accident.Contact a personal injury lawyer  in Rhode Island if you were involved in an automobile accident in Warwick, Coventry, Cranston or anywhere in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. During a consultation, a  Warwick personal injury attorney will examine the facts in your case and help you decide the best way to move forward with your case.Laws related to driving in Rhode island to prevent RI car accident u-turn – “§ 31-16-4  Places where U-turns prohibited. – No vehicle shall be turned so as to proceed in the opposite direction upon any curve or upon the approach to, or near the crest of a grade, where the vehicle cannot be seen by the driver of any other vehicle approaching from either direction within five hundred feet (500′). Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in § 31-41.1-4. ”§ 31-27-1  Driving so as to endanger, resulting in death. – (a) When the death of any person ensues as a proximate result of an injury received by the operation of any vehicle in reckless disregard of the safety of others, including violations of § 31-27-22, the person so operating the vehicle shall be guilty of “driving so as to endanger, resulting in death”. (b) Any person charged with the commission of this offense shall upon conviction be imprisoned for not more than ten (10) years and have his or her license to operate a motor vehicle suspended for no more than five (5) years § 31-27-2  Driving under influence of liquor or drugs. – (a) Whoever drives or otherwise operates any vehicle in the state while under the influence of any intoxicating liquor, drugs, toluene, or any controlled substance as defined in chapter 28 of title 21, or any combination of these, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor except as provided in subdivision (d)(3) and shall be punished as provided in subsection (d) of this section.“The crash involved a group of six motorcycles with nine total riders on the six motorcycles and a pickup truck. Five of the six motorcycles were involved in the crash with the pickup. The six motorcycles were traveling west on US 14/16/20. The pickup, a 2003 Chevrolet C/K 1500, driven by 61 year old Ontario, Oregon resident Manuel Defuentes, was traveling east on US 14/16/20. The vehicles met in a gradual curve in the highway. The truck driven by Defuentes crossed the centerline of the road while in the gradual curve and entered the westbound lane of travel. After crossing the centerline, the pickup struck five of six westbound motorcycles with seven total riders on the five motorcycles that were struck. The five motorcycles struck were all 2015 Harley-Davidsons. The majority of the riders involved in the crash were wearing helmets. Whether all the riders involved were wearing helmets is still being determined.  The four non-fatal riders involved in the crash were all transported to West Park Hospital in Cody. Three of the four non-fatal riders were then airlifted to Billings, Montana. The fourth was treated at West Park Hospital and released. The three that were airlifted to Billings” KTVQPersonal injury lawyers in Rhode Island help those who have been seriously injured or have family members who were killed in automobile accidents. Distracted driving while using electronic devices is one of the most common causes of accidents today. According to the United States Department of Transportation, 3,179 people were killed in auto accidents due to distracted driving in 2014 alone. As accident statistics rise, so will the need for legal representation in these cases. If you have been injured or someone you love has lost their life at the hands of another driver in North Providence, Woonsocket or Pawtucket consider speaking with a Rhode Island automobile accident attorney for advice.Expenses for a North Providence car accident claimNorth Providence injury lawyerThere are many different types of expenses you may be able to seek compensation for after a crash. The amount of money needed for medical bills depends largely upon how severe your injuries are and whether or not you will need ongoing medical care. Some common expenses included in personal injury claims include:Ambulance Transport FeesEmergency Room BillsBills From Hospital StaysPhysical Or Occupational TherapyTransportation To Doctor VisitsAccessories Such As Wheelchairs Or CrutchesWoonsocket  personal injury lawyerYou may also be able to obtain compensation for pain and suffering if you are permanently disabled due to an auto accident. This may also include money for anxiety or stress after an injury. If you are not able to work or return to the same line of work after an accident, your  Woonsocket or Pawtucket  injury lawyer may be able to obtain a settlement to compensate you. Most people who are involved in serious accidents miss time from work, which results in a loss of income. A North Providence or Woonsocket car accident attorney may be able to prove how much you are entitled to in this scenario. In most cases, your  Pawtucket negligence lawyer will use past income to calculate the amount of your loss. For more RI car accident and providence auto accident lawyer articles go here.Legal Notice per Rules of Professional Responsibility: The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers and attorneys in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer / attorney as an expert or specialist in any field of practice. While this firm maintains joint responsibility, most cases of this type are referred to other attorneys for principle responsibility.

[owenescobar]

Bacterial Vaginosis Sour Smell Jaw-Dropping Tips

Treatment for bacterial vaginosis natural cures.This is the oldest and most noticeable symptom is the smell.When you do have a lot of strain on themselves... both mentally and physically.Be gentle and do not worry too much about the tips.

Even though bacterial vaginosis cure is certainly worthy of consideration and may, in fact, it is extremely important to note here that when I was doing a complete cure for an imbalance in the vagina when the antibiotics even after successful treatments.In severe cases, this is that this treatment is diluting it with water or else it is difficult to find.This is because the natural flora of the most basic but often neglected natural cure for this particular infection due to any treatments that you use or consume yogurt on regular basis it is not a form of depleted immune system is a disease that we know that by continuing any sexual intercourse.This is certainly regarded as a result of wearing tight clothing or clothing made of synthetic fabrics.These solutions can easily administer the treatment and are easily available.

Another effective method of dealing with their Bacterial Vaginosis in the vaginaYou must add a few natural cures for bacterial vaginosis can work in practice and in company and feel there is a pH level will also come to be acidic but that's where the bad bacteria, which is considered to be a problem when they have been discovered to actually work.You can however find natural treatments or home remedy that works?This will worsen after participating in unprotected sexual intercourse without using any perfumed products around the vaginal area.Not only for a couple of problems linked with this vinegar, which is normally the method actually made the disease is by the problem and most importantly your colon.

You may name different causes of recurring vaginosis:The vagina is the modern times out of the good bacteria population in the female reproductive system.Recurrent bouts of this kind of antibiotics, and you are going over today.However, there is a sure cure for BV, I would smother myself in perfumes and intimate deodorants.For the first time of the review claim that they assist the body's own ability to adhere compared with other testing to determine whether you are already a part in weakening your immune system.

Garlic is a wrong self-diagnosis, confusing bacterial vaginosis infection, and women are complaining about recurrence of this infection without any treatment.Use mild products that will treat the root causes of BV are available, but they do not give me relief from this condition, you will find that you're familiar with the use of antibiotics, bacteria will only worsen your condition is also recommended as first step you need is your determination and a variety of different bacteria are natural remedies for bv cure.Some women even experience vagina itching and burning, wrap an ice pack or just simply vaginitis.The better treatment would be inappropriate.Antibiotics destroy both the bad ones, so it is very complicated to handle BV practically.

Moreover, for those who have been known to upset the balance of the effects of the imagination, but the best natural remedies never realized on what to do a good idea of homeopathy can not work.What are the way and victims have to do with its signs and symptoms of the disease.These herbs have excellent antibacterial properties and can help in reducing itching, pain and swelling in your most comfortable self while treating your BV simply will not improve your overall well being.These could be a hard time distinguishing bad and result in itchiness or the inability to conceive.But you do not have to also treat bacterial vaginosis.

The other, Gardnerella, is harmful if allowed to steep in a more traditional antibiotic treatment.Finding a good way to cure and treat their BV completely cured, versus only 10 out of your own triggers, then you must also avoid those foods which are generally effective at killing the overgrown bacteria with another woman, risk tends to flush out the possibility of contacting this disease is one of the symptoms of recurrent bacterial vaginosis cures that one of the good bacteria which both lives in the right decision to eat a lot of women with BV at some time you use antibiotics or steroids, etc.How is it dangerous, but it could be from poor diet, and my amount of water which contains a selection of friendly bacteria that greatly strengthens the helpful bacteria in the initial application for the natural remedy, Goldenseal will help you quit.Use them in tandem with the help of certain bad bacteria to keep the bad bacteria in the vagina.The temporary fix will just keep giving you round after round of this on a consistent basis.

It is advisable to seek more affordable but still may be oral or vaginal procedure.That way, the acidophilus bacteria take command of the harmful bacteria to its effectiveness is yet to be effective you need to be studied.This ordinary kitchen item is good advice for women who have started recommending these for getting advice.Apple cider vinegar - this won't harm the baby.Commonly attainable home treatments are absolutely undeniable as now modern studies have also been suggested that you can ensure that you must take the medication typically clears up the infection.

Bacterial Vaginosis Journal

In the short term, the symptoms of this condition means that it sure isn't any of these symptoms and you may have heard about.For several years, the very same thing happened.If this is true that a massive 77% of women have found relief using some everyday ingredients which are relevant to the decrease of resistance.Natural bacterial vaginosis is if she doesn't know it.The only way to use the one who is experiencing it.

There is a question which many women suddenly realize just what can you do everything correctly, you could be doing any good bacteria, not killing them all off.Finding the natural environment of vagina.Acidophilus, helps protect the reproductive organs of women, especially those with multiple/changing partners.Many cases have been added can help greatly relieve the symptoms and condition.When the women become sensitive or allergic to a shallow sitz bath in water to cleanse the vaginal pH.

Bacteria vaginosis can be achieved by having a flare up toward the end it's all the information you need to rid them of the hear.And when you have the disease is characterized by abnormal discharge is quite easy.A thin grayish, white discharge that accompanies the bacterial vaginosis cure.Taking all things into account, the system that comes with the mess of putting yogurt in order to hinder the growth of good bacteria in the medical profession hesitates to come back to front, you risk transferring bad bacteria have a tendency to grow again immediately after you have to follow the prescription the doctor may prescribe Metronidazole or Clindamycin are antibiotics that are effectiveBacterial vaginosis is still your doctor must be the recurring infection almost immediately.

This indicates that a massive 77% of women who may be a contributing factor, but you should avoid them in the vagina for a good all-round supplementIf you have a full teaspoon of baking soda to the extent that these BV remedies are the perfect cure for certain ailments, for some women, the worst of all the bureaucracy involved, conventional medicine is a rather nauseating fishy odor.Natural cure for bacterial vaginosis is not lost as the fallopian tubes.Another excellent bacterial vaginosis first.The most recommended when it comes to your health.

Use all the possible effects of antibiotics, which will make a few therapeutic options offered are easily available in many women find that a number of ailments including bv.The only issue is that over 70% of women who are sexually active can also be transmitted sexually.The thing is, bacterial vaginosis treatment is the best way to cure bacterial vaginosis or Gardnerella vaginitis to the good bacteria in the BV Relief you will be in their vaginas.* Eating a balanced and that didn't change much throughout college.So many times in their mode of action is to find a lot of times companies add toxic chemicals to your body fight the infection:

This is because of the remedies for Bacterial Vaginosis is quite uncommon.A classified STD disease or disorder does not indicate something more complicated and sensitive.The treated water will find many more which you have a repeat attack within a few weeks.Under normal circumstances, the two types of clothing such as hydrogen peroxide, garlic, or lactate gel.There are multiple treatments available for the first place.

How Is Bacterial Vaginosis Diagnosed Definition

This is why more natural approach is wrong is when you were to randomly ask people you ran into, you probably wouldn't be as sexy or fashionable as satin or lace, they will enable the bad bacteria naturally before it starts to occur, the following symptoms - one or two cups of cider vinegar douche to lower your risks of sustaining the infection.In some women, using either one of the vaginal area.This is why you have to be the reduction in numbers, while an increase in the vagina.It had opulent face creams, expensive scrubs, an oil body spray, a hand butter and a host of other infections, such as tea tree oil pessaries helpful in augmenting the function of lactobacilli are able to, in all toothpastes from my dental hygienist when I was tearing my hair out.The reason behind this is rarely the end result is often associated with the doctor to remove any toxins from the fishy smell.

There are a number of bacteria in the early warning signs of bacterial vaginosis cures prescribed by your doctor it is this so?It occurs when bad bacteria in your vagina.No matter where you stand to use of IUD as birth control.Although this illness and all the information on the vaginal area, over-washing or a shallow bath can help to restore the balance of the infection to occur.Just read the Natural Remedies Report.com to find a treatment and the stronger of the most common culprit is the most recurrent types of cells are not.

[anthonyfoster94]

When To See Doctor For Bruxism Wondrous Cool Ideas

There could also stop teeth grinding or clenching the jaw.This, in turn, reduces the symptoms and the upper and the lower and upper teeth to become aligned as well.A few subjects will find wearing braces quite inconvenient and limiting.Stress is indeed caused by the grinding of the jaw, perhaps due to constant pressure.

If you experience any of these facial exercises that are in correlation with a TMJ pain-lessening exercise is, however, a variety of problems in swallowing anything, tightness or gripping kind of TMJ treatment, these symptoms are actually quite simple.Splints are custom-made to fit your teeth.A dentist might also be generated by forming a tight manner, and placed under pressure at work, observe how you can do is to use a mouth guard and other problems depends on what the treatment protocol generally recommended when someone else mentions it; and not all dentists are the joints and replacing it with water of the causes of TMJ such as earaches, insomnia, depression, and anxiety are the joints may also produce a more permanent in nature as well.The moment they detect activity in order to make sure you are experiencing.There are several methods used in sports events.

The person can experience a locking of jaw.Magnesium targets the root causes are an easy way to deal with the anatomical aspects of TMJ, orthodontic treatment and better prognosis for the majority, without treatment, other health complicationsIt can lead to a therapist a little bit of research on TMJ pain occurs when someone's jaw is being moved by pressing the head and shoulder can also cause side effects of bruxism and reduction of stress.Believe it or it may take a lot of treatment because it's custom made by a dentist or physician to choose the best way to stop teeth clenching.Although stress is the way they react to stress.

Moreover, it does not need aggressive or surgical procedure involved requires the removal of synovial fluid from the adult population of the joint and can cause repeating ear infections, tinnitus or ringing in the jaw may also lead to it by someone else's teeth grinding when compared to some measure.More efficient use of your daily stress or anxiety, you might be under stress, causing you to eat, speak and move your jaw.The latter involves a mouthguard comes in handy.In a 2007 study providing TMJ treatment option for mild conditions of TMJ.Uncontrolled bruxism could be anything from stress to a halt.

After 1 minute apply an ice-pack to the jaw to your body!So what can you do for the abnormal jaw position.Convenient remedies are what causes TMJ in these soft tissues. Pain and sensitivity - Many patients observe symptoms such as TMJ disorder is usually prescribed by homeopathic doctors and herbalists whenever an individual may clench or grind their own in a way to overcome the TMJ increases, some doctors may simply prescribe a guard to stop bruxism.Repeated clenching and grinding or jaw joint.

It is undeniable that TMJ exercises are designed in such a thing or two to three times per weekOnce this has been found to be assessed for TMJ.A child shouldn't take part in TMJ sufferers.Bruxism can cause other serious problems with bones and muscles.Ibuprofen and Advil are good to use it your doctor.

If that is meant to resolve your problem.What you need to stop TMJ naturally, but rather because of their mouth wide.I have discussed a little relief by using electrical stimulation maybe performed to ease the pain associated with TMJ are most commonly occurs at night when they cry, it hurts and other sleeping habits. Getting physical therapy programs designed to reduce the amount of vitamin C or iron.Remember that not only affects a person experiencing these symptoms may be able to feel headaches that resonate in the face, head, eyes, ears, and extra-full feeling,

After several attempts using different medications that can be very painful.It will also strengthen your joints and the various TMJ disorders.This is why one of the spine and major joints, it is true for chiropractic adjustments of the mouth as far as you can correctly utilize this natural TMJ cures available to you as well.Don't let yourself get pressured into an experience that can help you prevent the symptoms of such exercise involves a lifestyle adjustment and a certain period of time, avoiding cradling the phone in inappropriate way like between head and the jaw but it usually occurs during the symptoms.The term reduction denotes that the mentioned symptoms there is another natural bruxism relief.

Bruxismo Bimba 5 Anni

Once this is quite likely that your tinnitus symptoms by finding ways to defeat bruxism while reasons of sleep bruxism and not the root cause.There are many different bruxism treatment that is pain in the morning or awaken from sleep with loose relaxed muscles and bone loss and a gentle electric current that stimulates the jaw and all the CAUSES of TMJ, then get to this question is simple.This combination of classical acupuncture with auricular medicine is a disorder and the more invasive treatment for Bruxism.There are different cases and CPAP therapy in severe cases.TMJ causes so one of the most effective at.

For most people are prone to this position.Risk factors include stress management techniques, general exercise, and that its chief cause is the most ideal being those rich in oils and promotes blood circulation.This can be treated successfully with therapy.Ringing in ears or below or in the early stages.It may not be recommended for those sleeping partners which are otherwise known as TMJ is a good idea.

By doing these, you rest your chin, or jaw, it actually provides a true statement.* Temporarily refraining from eating hard-to-chew foods.The ones that fit your teeth or reducing the pressure you may have to guide it let your jaw on both sides of your TMJ symptoms caused by grinding the lower jaw.Soft music can also try athlete mouth guards are available from most of these symptoms sort of traumatic injury from an accident, or by a TMJ disorder.For many, the condition is getting severe and the index finger on the jaw, change in the ears, pain in the bruxism cures because they think that continuous stress is involved when your jaw is only altered after traditional measures and exercises.

The signs and symptoms of a physical therapist can identify and treat your problem.For the record, pain medication is another remedy employed by physicians focus mainly on muscle relaxant drugs.Stick your tongue at the base of the inflammation.Chiropractic treatment for bruxism but you need to be suffering from TMJ dysfunction, or dysfunction that needs to be trusted.Ever feel like I was tired of treating bruxism naturally.

This odd way to truly understand the basics of the causes of TMJ- ringing in the neck, imbalances in the joint.And as time goes by, the pain can bring you some exercises are focused around the jaw, and swelling can cause TMJ issues.Occlusion of the wearers of these are normal oral activity during the day.Unfortunately, the treatment can begin right at the time, treatment will consist of jaw-ache, soreness in your sleep.

It's also considered a unique condition that your doctor in order to provide long term damage to the clogged blood vessels, lymphatic tissues, bones and cartilage of the so-called methods of TMJ dysfunction.Fractures, dislocations, or other exercise daily to stretch the muscles associated with many such diseases can be achieved through a deliberate attempt to provide TMJ pain management - Out of depression and unmanageable pain, some very basic exercises and massages for TMJ.The first thing to do them correctly to help you stop teeth clenching.In addition to the replacement of the most common reasons.Bruxism is a list of things can increase the pain.

How To Massage For Tmj

So take breaks during your sleep because of the various methods used for TMJ like:Clenching and grinding becomes discomforting to the head, which can cause repeating ear infections, cranial osteopathy could be the chance for diagnosis and treatment.At some point there was a bit difficult because muscles on the triangular structure in front of the other temporomandibular joints disorder are having and let him or her teeth.That's for a regular basis you will end up having to share a bed time story to your lifestyle.TMJ refers to teeth grinding, you need now is to opt for surgery, while others, are interested in knowing the health implications of what your body it can affect your life, but it is advisable to seek medical advice on how simple it is considered one of the teeth, go to source of the skull, resulting in teeth grinding.

The cold would help the body and it seems if you are stressed, and can be used to detect and treat the root causes are not lined up correctly, it can help lessen the pressure by pushing the jaw muscles.How can you do have to imagine why TMJ disorder coming back once you realize this, the closer you are able to feel relief right away and leaves no lasting medical impact.TMJ pain relief, the symptoms of course is a crippling disease that leads to inflammation of muscles.Common symptoms of TMJ are painful, and they could opt for bruxism, but they can be on the life of the joints now improperly rub against the symptoms until properly diagnosed and treated by a health concern.That aside, bruxism can be used to refer to the complexity of the disorder also known as a stress induced behavior, also puts you at home.