#What happens if you get Listeria?
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This post is fear-mongering and conspiracy-based thinking:
(Image description: screenshot of tumblr post that reads “fuck it
ice cream listeria outbreak. again. did you know that illness due to listeria has a 20-30% mortality rate?
family dollar recalling a bunch of drugs and supplements because they stored them wrong
lucky charms and cheerios continue to make children and adults sick, the cause is still under investigation, and no recall has been issued. terrifying. that means it is almost definitely not one of the common causes like salmonella...”)
That “ice cream listeria outbreak”? Click the link and it’s ONE creamery specifically in Sarasota FL. Important info for sure but the implications here are very different (the overall vibe of the post is “what is the fda not telling you?” and yet… the fda is literally the ones telling us that) (no link for their “again” statement - has this happened many times or one other time? Where? When? What companies? Who knows! That would be giving real facts instead of spreading conspiracies!)
And then the cereal stuff is just laughable. A) there’s actual articles about the fda investigations but they just linked to “am I being poisoned .com” B) perhaps no recall has been issued bc it’s still under investigation and PERHAPS it’s still under investigation bc they’re only investigating it bc of these weird complaints and there’s actually nothing to find! Sometimes individuals have weird reactions to certain foods! Sometimes you get a stomach bug and it’s not food poisoning!
I for one have found that eating certain cereals can make my tummy hurty bc there’s just a lot of fiber in cereal and I have my personal tummy issues that can be exacerbated by that and you don’t see me out here like “I WAS POISONED BY RAISIN BRAN” bc I have critical thinking skills. Jesus Christ. Also I just had a stomach bug and there’s no way I could possibly pinpoint a food I ate that was responsible bc a) idk if it was food poisoning at all and b) even if it was there’s no way to know which food unless there was a big outbreak and investigation and news about it.
Yet these people are like well I ate nothing out of the ordinary recently except Honey Nut Cheerios so it HAD to be the Cheerios. ummm that’s not how food poisoning works, you can get it from something you eat all the time if it was a bad batch, expired, you cooked it wrong, whatever. But they’re obviously not really talking in scientific medical terms about food poisoning, they have weird ideas about certain foods being intrinsically Poison To The Human Body. Which is nonsense.
Oh you know what let’s talk about this one too:
(image description: screenshot of tumblr post that reads “several honey products are being recalled for having undisclosed, get this...VIAGRA in them. and cialis. sildenafil and tadalafil”)
And here’s the fda explanation (interestingly not the one they linked to, they intentionally chose a much vaguer press release):
(image description: screenshot of an FDA article that reads “When you’re browsing, one of the best ways to protect yourself from fake, and even possibly harmful, products is asking whether a claim sounds too good to be true, or if it contradicts what you’ve heard from reputable sources.
On July 12, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted warning letters to companies that are violating federal law by selling products marketed as food which contain undisclosed or hidden prescription medication. These products are labeled as honey with herbal ingredients and are marketed with claims to treat disease or improve health.
These products are promoted and sold for sexual enhancement on various websites and online marketplaces, and possibly in some retail stores. If you are struggling with sexual performance issues, you may have a physical condition that is keeping your body from responding as it normally would. Talk openly with your health care professional before considering any treatments.”)
like. We’re talking a scam product to begin with and op is making it sound like any random honey you pull off the grocery store shelf might have viagra in it!
tl;dr - the FDA’s job is to protect you from dangerous food and drugs and they generally are on top of that job (if it seems like they’re behind or lacking they probably just… didn’t know yet! Shocker they aren’t omniscient!) and anyone trying to tell you otherwise is a conspiracy theorist. Learn how to recognize twisting of info to fit a narrative.
#idk about the family dollar drugs things and there were more items under that and I didn’t feel like investigating them all#my guess is many of them are like the ice cream where something legit happened but they’re twisting it into a mass conspiracy#(see above I investigated another one that caught my eye as Bizarre)#(After writing those tags I mean)#food#health#I put so much work into this post and it will probably get Zero Notes. I should really get off this website maybe#to start with I unfollowed the person who reblogged that post and put it on my dash. Don’t need stuff like this on my dash!
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Listeria: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Listeria: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Listeria: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
Listeria is a genus of bacteria. It acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. Until 1992, 10 species were identified, each having two subspecies. By 2020, there had been 21 species founded. The genus is named after the British pioneer of sterile surgery Joseph Lister. Listeria species are Gram-positive, rod-shaped, and facultatively anaerobic. They do…
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#and Treatment#Causes#Does Listeria go away on its own?#how long does listeria last#How quickly does Listeria affect you?#how to test for listeria#infoidiots#is listeria contagious#is listeria deadly#listeria prevention#listeria symptoms in humans#Listeria: Symptoms#What are the first signs of Listeria?#What foods are tainted with Listeria#What happens if you get Listeria?#where is listeria found
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I can't post anything from my current werewolf Richie wip chapter because it's basically all spoilers :):):)
but here's some Reddie interaction from the second chapter that I still adore.
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“Yeah. That’s what we all are. Losers together.” Richie tilted his head to one side as if deep in thought. “Now we’ve got a gang name I feel like we need to seal it with some kind of handshake.” His ears perked up as he opened his eyes wide. “Blood pact-”
“Nope. No no. No. No blood pacts. Jesus.” The bed springs creaked as Eddie curled himself up and gagged.
“Okay, we can just spit in our hands and shake on it. No biggie.”
Eddie made a disgusted sound and swatted at Richie. “Oh my god- no! That’s just as bad!”
As Richie bent over in a fit of uncontrollable giggles Eddie leaned back over and swatted playfully at him again, but his hand flicked over one of Richie’s wolf ears. Richie jolted upright, his heart hammering in his chest. Every hair on his tail felt like it was standing up as if he’d been struck with an electric charge, and he could still feel the ghost of a touch on the soft skin of his ear. Fear constricted his throat, and he knew he’d made a mistake by reacting so abruptly and dramatically. Shit!
Eddie blinked at him in confusion as he watched Richie’s reaction and slowly sat upright himself. He looked down at his hand and then his gaze slid up to somewhere just above Richie’s head. His brows were intensely furrowed, and Richie could almost hear his mind struggling to make sense of the contradiction between sight and touch. The enchantment over Derry worked on the mind – erasing and compensating for anything that didn’t look human, but it did nothing for the other senses. The human mind amazed Richie because it was so good at explaining away something it didn’t see, but he’d always suspected that Eddie’s natural desire to understand and ground everything in fact would make him harder to convince if he ever suspected something was off.
Nervous laughter bubbled out of Richie’s mouth. “What?”
“‘What’ back to you – what happened?”
Richie pushed all thoughts of his bristling tail and ears out of his mind – all Eddie could see was his expression, and he kept it schooled into a calm mask he was familiar with. “You caught one of my curls and it tugged. I’m being a big baby about it, and I jumped.” His voice was casual, and he thought he was doing a surprisingly good job of not looking like he was about to puke.
Eddie’s eyes narrowed and he looked down at his hand again. “I thought I felt…”
Richie swallowed down the nausea and laughed, pleased that the sound of it was more natural than before. “My hair’s even messier than usual today, okay I get it, geez, thanks for pointing it out. I’ll have a shower before we go to the fair, alright.” Richie shook his head like a dog for emphasis – shaking out his curls.
His tail was still bristling uncontrollably, and he longed to smooth the fur down flat.
Then a loud growling, gurgling sound filled the room and for a horrible second Richie wondered if he really was about to throw up, but both of Eddie’s hands flew to his stomach.
“Holy shit, was that your stomach!?”
Eddie leaned away and groaned. “I’m fucking hungry okay.”
Any residual tension was finally released as Richie laughed loudly and Eddie laughed alongside him even through his reminders to shush and be quiet because his mom was still downstairs.
“Your stomach-” Richie wheezed “-sounds like an angry bear.”
Eddie looked like he was trying to pout, but because of his smile it just made him look like he was in pain. “Thank you, asshole. I’m starving to death and you find it funny.”
“We could record that sound and put it on a nature documentary, dude.”
He managed a glare. “Fuck you. I’ve been pretending to have stomach flu, it’s not like my mom was going to bring me anything to eat, and it’s not like I can go down and eat anything or she’ll know I’m faking it. Or think I’ve had a miraculous recovery or something.”
“Your stomach sounds even angrier and more feral than you-”
“I’m not angry or feral,” Eddie said.
Richie pulled up his glasses and wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. “It sounds like it’s saying-” he pinched his nose and spoke in a nasally voice “-Eddie, why are you treating me this way? Where is our sustenance?”
Eddie snorted and gestured a hand wildly. “What is that? My stomach wouldn’t sound like that. You just said it sounded like a bear. Yours would sound like that.” Eddie pinched his nose and tried to copy Richie’s voice as he said, “Richard, please, we need fruit, vegetables, vitamins…”
Richie nearly lost it. He was nearly crying now and having to stifle the sound of his snorts of laughter behind his hand. Eddie joined in and it was like all the tension had been forgotten. “I eat vegetables,” Richie protested between laughter, “y’know, like, that pointy orange one.”
“Jesus, you know what a carrot is, you loser.”
“Sure, those things you pick out the ground and just-” Richie jumped to his feet and mimed pulling a carrot from the ground as if he’d picked it up and crunched his teeth straight into it.
“But you wash it first, right?” Eddie cut in, laughter fading.
Richie continued to mime eating his imaginary carrot and made satisfied humming sounds to accompany his pantomime.
“Richie. You wash it first? Please tell me you wash your fruit and vegetables.”
Richie mimed swallowing it down and licked his fingers, enjoying the wince of disgust Eddie threw him, and winked. “If you wash it first you don’t get the crunchy surprise gritty treats.”
The sound of Eddie gagging made him fall back into uncontrollable fits of laughter again.
“You- You can get all sorts of nasty shit from not washing fruit and vegetables. Oh my god. Have you not heard of e-coli? It’s- It’s a scientific fact – fact, Richie – that you can get fucking- all sorts of fucking germs from them. You could get salmonella or listeria- food poisoning!” Eddie accompanied each of his broken sentences with a hand gesture. His brows were low over his dark eyes and his nostrils flared with each of his dire warnings.
Richie loved it.
Richie loved him.
He smiled as Eddie calmed down enough to realise that Richie had played him. “Fuck off,” he said petulantly, making Richie grin. “I’ll kick you back out the window.”
#*awkward tap dance*#writing them is my favourite part of writing reddie fics#that sounds like a 'well duh' moment but I mean that they're just so FUN yknow?#reddie#werewolf richie tozier#they make writing fun#my fanfiction#reddie fanfiction#IT stuff
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One normal embryo.
It’s been two weeks and it still doesn’t feel real.
It was Wednesday afternoon, January 13th and when I saw the private number I took a deep breath and prepared myself as best I could. Kyle was in the other room on a work call so I walked into the bedroom and sat down with the door closed.
The embryologist had a neutral tone to her voice and I expected the worst. I confirmed my personal details and all I can remember is her saying “you have one normal embryo.” “REALLY?” I said. “Are you sure you’ve got the right person?” She laughed and confirmed it.
As she went to explain the chromosome abnormalities in our other two embryos I apologised and said “I’m just not taking any of this in, I’m just in complete shock.” She replied that it was very surprising that it had happened considering the complex translocation and congratulated me again.
I edged the door open to where Kyle was still on the phone and eagerly waited for the end of his phone call. He wrapped things up and I yelled “WE GOT A NORMAL ONE.” He smiled and said “I knew we would” and we hugged. I called mum and she cried. I heard her tell dad and instantly he was on the phone asking what the next step was.
After one phone call our whole trajectory moving forward changed. A place I never thought I would get a look in on was now within my reach.
After the initial elation wore off, I was reminded that we hadn’t won yet by the 50% transfer success rates. I was bombarded with what ifs. What if the embryo doesn’t stick? What if we never get another normal embryo? What if the embryo does stick but it’s stillborn? What if the embryo dies while it’s being thawed out? What if I get listeria during pregnancy?
What if What if What if.
It all got a bit much so I unfollowed all of my IVF and balanced translocation support groups on Facebook. I stopped researching statistics, watching “Our IVF story” clips on YouTube and decided that if I had any questions about IVF I would ask our specialists.
In the midst of this I was also bombarded with exciting thoughts of, What if it DOES? Who will they look like? We could have a baby this year? An actual baby?” How will we decorate the nursery?? How long is the paid maternity leave at my work??
There have been mood swings, panic attacks, tears and anger. There have been cancelled plans, second thoughts, angry outbursts and nausea.
We saw our specialist who didn’t seem overly excited or happy for us but he doesn’t seem much of anything in general so there were no surprises there.
I asked him if we should hold off on transfer for a few months because of such recent IVF cycles and he said it didn’t make any difference. We were told that as soon as my period arrived we could begin the preparation for transfer which would occur a few days after ovulation. I received a call from our nurse who said I would do a ‘natural’ transfer cycle meaning no medications or injections to make my cycle occur, just going with my natural cycle and blood tests to monitor my ovulation. She advised trying to keep my cortisol levels low, getting regular sleep, eating healthy and exercising in the lead up to transfer.
I got my period on the 27th of January and my first monitoring blood test will be on February the 6th. I’m guessing transfer will be around the third week of February and from there we’ll do the 10 day wait before having a pregnancy or lack there of confirmed.
In the meantime I’m selling things on marketplace to buy a coffee machine, organising kitchen renovations, focusing on work and catching up on day trips and socialising we weren’t able to do in 2020.
I don’t know what the future holds for us. Maybe this will be our miracle baby or maybe it won’t.
"The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof."
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Hanzier, by the river, life or death
Thank you my dear! I hope you like this!
Read on AO3
When Mike asked his friends if any of them would like to go on a camping trip with him, he expected all of them to say no. If he had to pick one to say yes, he would've said Bill. Maybe Stan, if he thought it would give him a chance to see some birds.
Mike never thought that, out of all of them, Richie would be the one to say yes. At first, Mike thought he was joking and he waited, amused for the punchline, only it never came. Now, it was a week later and the two of them were making their way through the woods and Mike was starting to believe Richie was serious about it.
They kept having to stop because Richie was in terrible shape and his noodle arms were having trouble carrying his backpack. Mike would wait patiently for him to recover, hand him a water bottle, offer to carry his stuff. He didn't mind that it was taking twice as long to get to the campsite as usual, he liked having Richie there with him.
"Fuck Mikey. Are we almost there?" Richie huffed, breathing heavy. He was slumped against a tree, arms wrapped around the trunk to support his weight. His bag was so overpacked that if he tried to stand straight, gravity would make him fall on his ass. It happened once already and Mike had to pull him back on his feet while Richie wailed about knowing how turtles felt now. “I feel like I’m gonna pass out any minute and I know that on any given day you could carry me like a fainting damsel, but I doubt you can also carry our things.”
Mike chuckled, handing him a water bottle. “We’re almost there Rich, don’t worry.”
It still took them half an hour and several breaks to get there and when they did, Richie tossed his backpack on the ground and dropped himself right next to it, whining dramatically about how he couldn't feel his legs.
Knowing it would be a while before Richie got up, Mike started setting up their tent. They only brought one, because Richie didn't own a tent and because they really didn't need to bring something else they'd have to carry. Besides, Mike didn't mind sharing a tent with Richie. It was big enough for both of them and they had their own sleeping bags anyway. It's not like they would be sharing a bed or something like that. Not that Mike would mind that either.
He was staking down the corners of the tent when he heard Richie let out a whistle. Mike turned around to face him, he was still on the ground but now he was leaning back on his elbows, smirking. "Damn Mike, I recovered my breath just for you to take it away again."
Mike felt his face go hot. He tried to blame it on exertion or the fact that he was working under the hot sun, but he knew it was all on Richie and the way he licked his lips while staring Mike up and down.
He bit down a flustered smile, rolling his eyes at Richie. "You're just being dramatic because you don't want to help me."
"You seem to have everything under control, buddy."
He did. And he finished setting up the tent quickly after that.
As soon as Richie was able to stand on his legs again, Mike was dragging them into the woods.
Richie gave him a wary look."Where are going?"
"We're going for a walk."
"A walk? Why?" Richie whined. "We already walked to get here."
Mike chuckled, his hand dropped from Richie's arm to wrap around his wrist as he picked a trail. "We didn't get to enjoy that one."
"You mean, because of my whining and complaining? Because that's not gonna change."
Mike rolled his eyes, picking up the pace. He intended to let go of Richie's wrist but then Richie was lacing their fingers together. Mike felt the tips of his ears start to burn.
"Uh."
"So I don't wander off, you know." Richie said, shrugging. His cheeks were an adorable shade of pink. "I don't want to get lost in the woods, Mikey."
Mike's lips twitched and he squeezed Richie's hand.
Richie did complain, huffing when making their way up a particularly steep incline and panting when he felt like he was melting inside the black jeans that he insisted to bring, but he also admired the view, pointed excitedly at a squirrel they came across and happily accepted the berries Mike picked for him.
After a while, they decided to head back. When Richie started to whine again, Mike offered to give him a piggyback ride.
"Thank you, stud." Richie said, climbing on Mike's back.
"I think you meant steed."
"Nope, I meant stud." Richie said, winking. Mike felt a pleased smile appear on his face.
Back at the campsite, Mike told Richie to go take a nap because his friend looked like he was going to pass out any minute. In the meantime, Mike gathered some wood for a fire, chopping it with an axe. The hot sun was beating down on him and made Mike take off his shirt half way through the task, sweating profusely.
Half an hour later, Richie emerged from the tent, shielding his eyes from the light. It made his shirt ride up a little and the sliver of exposed skin made Mike's grip on the axe falter. He forced himself to look away, he didn't want to drop the axe and chop off his toe because he was distracted by the line of hair disappearing into Richie's jeans.
"Holy fucking shit." He heard Richie gasp and he put his axe down before turning around to face him. Richie was staring at him with wide eyes, his face a dark shade of red.
"Hey Rich."
Richie faltered. "I know there's a very good line about a lumberjack and something about you giving me wood, somewhere in my head, but I don't think my brain is working at the moment."
Mike chuckled, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he didn’t miss the way Richie followed the movement with his eyes, mouth parted slightly.
Then he shook his head and focused on the chopped wood at Mike's feet instead. “Are we having a fire?”
“Yeah, I brought chocolate and crackers, I thought we could make s’mores.”
Richie's face lit up, grinning at Mike, big and honest. "Fuck yeah." He said, pointing at the axe. "I would offer to help you, but I doubt I could lift that fucking thing over my shoulder."
Mike snorted, waving him off. “I’m almost done anyway. If you want to help, you can refill our water bottles.” He suggested, pointing over his shoulder at the river.
Richie wrinkled his nose, eyeing the river with distrust. “Is that safe?”
“Who are you? Eddie?”
“Hey, I’ve heard him rant about Listeria or shit like that too many times, man.”
“Well, water is pretty clean up here but don’t worry, we’ll boil it before we drink it just to be safe.” Richie nodded, grabbing their water bottles. “Be careful though, the current is pretty strong.”
“Got it, chief.”
The campsite was near enough to the river that Mike could see Richie sitting down on a rock, leaning forward to fill the water bottles. He could also hear him singing to himself.
Mike felt a silly grin break in his face, he ducked his head trying to focus on the task at hand.
Mike's crush on Richie wasn't new to him, but lately he was having a hard time keeping his feelings in check. When Richie said he would go camping with him, Mike was both excited and worried, because he would get to spend time with Richie but they would also be alone in the woods for three days and Mike didn't know if his heart- and other parts of him- would survive that. Especially in those moments where it seemed that maybe Richie was also attracted to him, like before, when he was practically drooling at the sight of a shirtless Mike or when he held his hand as they walked through the forest.
A loud splash made Mike whirl his head towards the river, thinking maybe Richie accidentally dropped one of the bottles in the water but when he did, he didn't see his friend.
“Richie?”
Mike expected him to pop up from behind a tree with a stupid grin on his face but he didn’t. He felt a lump starting to form in the back of his throat.
"Rich this isn't funny, man." He tried, but again, nothing. “Fuck.” He muttered, dropping the axe and running towards the river.
He saw the water bottles neatly placed on top of the rock Richie had been sitting on, but no Richie. The river had grown and the current was stronger than before and Mike started to panic.
He looked around, fear prickling under his skin. Then he noticed something a few feet away and he recognized the eye-watering pattern of Richie's ridiculous Hawaiian shirt. He ran towards him and dropped to his knees. Richie was lying face down and Mike was scared to roll him over. He did it anyways and gasped, Richie was bleeding from a small cut on his forehead and his eyes were closed, he didn't seem to be breathing.
“No no no Richie fuck.” Mike shook his shoulders, but Richie remained unmoving. “Richie, come on man.”
He pressed his hands to Richie’s chest and started pushing, grateful that he attended that first aid seminar the first week of college. He pinched Richie’s nose, tilting his head back and pressed their lips together, blowing air into his lungs. When nothing happened he did it again, muttering under his breath, Richie and come on and please.
After the third time, Richie surged up, spluttering and coughing up water. Mike fell back on the ground with a relieved sigh, giving Richie some space while catching his own breath.
“Motherfucker.” Richie groaned, voice hoarse and strained. “Fucking hell, my fucking lungs feel like they’re on fire. What the fuck.”
“Yeah, what the fuck, Richie?” Mike shot back. “I told you to be careful and you, what? Decided to go for a swim?”
“I didn’t- Fuck.” Richie coughed a few more times. “I wasn’t trying to go for a swim, I was filling up the water bottles like you said, but then my glasses fell off and when I tried to reach for them, I lost my balance and hit my head with a stupid rock and then nothing.” His hand went to the cut on his forehead, it wasn’t big, wouldn’t even need stitches thank God, but there was a bruise already forming around it. “Shit. That hurts like a bitch. Not as much as my chest, but pretty fucking close.”
Mike scrunched up his face, apologetic. “That’s partly my fault, I think I went too hard on you trying to get you breathing again.”
Richie blinked. “You gave me mouth to mouth?”
“Well yeah, you weren’t breathing and I-”
“Wait wait! You’re telling me that you kissed me for the first time and I was fucking unconscious for it?”
Mike's eyebrows knitted in a frown. “It wasn’t really a kiss.”
“It’s literally called the kiss of life, Mikey.” Richie said, then rolled his eyes. “Of course, that would happen to me.”
Mike snorted. “Well yeah, you’re the only blind idiot I know who would drop his glasses and then himself in a river."
"Hey, rude." Richie narrowed his eyes, then waved him off. "But no, I meant- I finally get you to kiss me and I didn’t even get to enjoy it.”
"Finally?" Mike's eyes widened and he spluttered like he was the one who nearly just drowned. “Wait, enjoy it?”
Richie rolled his eyes, snorting. “Who’s the blind idiot now?” He shot back. “Come on Mikey. I’m pretty sure I popped a boner when I saw you chopping wood, shirtless and looking like a fucking sex god. I've been hitting on you for years! I held your hand the entire fucking time we were walking. I agreed to go camping with you. Me, the guy who drives his car to the store that is only a block away, who gets winded walking up a flight of stairs. Why the fuck would I do that unless it was to spend time alone with you?"
Mike chuckled, wrapping his head around Richie's ramble. "There are easier ways to do that, you know. Ones that don't end with you almost drowning."
"Why do easy, when I can do you?" Richie said, winking exaggeratedly.
Mike started laughing. Hard. "That was terrible, even for you Rich." He said and Richie stuck his tongue out at him. "Do you have a concussion, is that your concussion talking?"
"Fuck you, Mikey." Richie said with no heat. He was also laughing, face scrunched up adorably. His glasses were still missing and Mike knew they would have to worry about that later, but right now it allowed him to see the glint in his pretty blue eyes. It made his own laughter catch in his throat. He lifted his hand to push back some of Richie's wet hair before cradling his face. Richie stopped laughing, staring at Mike with wide, slightly unfocused eyes.
"I like you, Richie." Mike said, heart fluttering at his own admission.
"Ditto."
"And I really want to kiss you right now."
Richie gulped, nodding and letting Mike pull him close at the same time he leaned in, connecting their lips. Richie hummed into his mouth, a short little noise that that made Mike's heart speed up as Richie delved deeper into the kiss. Richie held onto Mike's shoulders, feeling him up. Mike totally forgot that he was shirtless until he felt Richie's hands running over all that skin. His own hands were tangled in Richie's hair and he pulled, putting some space between them. Richie whined, chasing after his lips and Mike chuckled, leaning back to give him a big, giddy smile.
"Wow." Richie said, licking his lips and staring at Mike in a daze.
"Yeah." Mike agreed. "That was so much better than our first kiss."
Richie frowned, offended. "Hey, no. I was unconscious. You can't hold that kiss against me."
Mike smiled, if he was being honest, he didn't think he had stop smiling for a while. He placed a chaste kiss on Richie's lips before standing up. "Come on, buddy. We have to find your glasses and clean up that cut. Then we can get you some s'mores. The more sugar you eat, the easier it will be to stay up all night." Mike didn't miss the way Richie's eyebrows did a little wiggle, he let out a snort before explaining. "I'm not letting you fall asleep when you could have a concussion."
Richie heaved out a dramatic sigh. "And here I thought you were keeping me up for," Another eyebrow wiggle. "Other reasons."
Mike's lips twitched at the same time his stomach fluttered. “I wouldn't be opposed to that." He winked, pulling Richie along with him.
He wouldn’t be opposed to that at all.
Tag list: @daddyphantomtbh @yes-dillman-yes @richietoaster @beepbeeprichiellc @its-stranger-than-you-think @lemonaayyee @losers-gotta-stick-together @tinyarmedtrex @richiefuckfacetozier @sam-i-am2468 @richardtoz @s-s-georgie @reddie-for-anything @eddiefuckinkaspbrak @constantreaderfool @stanleuyris @jesuschristsupruvestar @mirandonsky @reddie4diaster @alargedepresso @purplepoisonedgem @pan-ini @reddie-to-cry @reddieforlove @trashmouthnick @multi-fandom-wby @wheezyeds @nancynwheeler @reddieslashgeneralhorror @madi-personal @reddie-tozibrak @lover-mouth @atownofeggs @that-weird-girls-blog @appojoos @castielwinovak @a-gay-treee @twoidiotsinl0ve @fcngirltrxsh @spirited-marvel (if you want to be added, let me know!)
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Protective!Losers Club x Original Female Character
Chapter 3 - The Barrens
As Bill and Brandi were walking to back to Bill's house after they got off his bike a block away from his place, Bill started reciting the tongue-twister he uses to try and lessen his stuttering. Which it almost never does.
"He thrusts his fists against the p-p-p-post...He thrusts his fists ag-against the p-p-p-p-p-p-p- SHIT!" He exclaimed, forgetting the young child was next to him, and quickly apologised.
As they arrived to his house, Brandi ran into the house to tell Bill's mom all about her day, whereas Bill went into the garage to see if his dad needed any help.
"Need some help?" Bill asked his dad.
"Bill, I thought we agreed." His dad scolded, which made Bill glance at his sculpture of the sewer system of Derry.
"Before you say anything-" He was cut off by his dad saying.
"Bill-"
"Just let me sh-show you something." Bill stated.
He put an action figure labelled 'Georgie' down a tube, turned on the hose, which swept 'Georgie' to an opening with a carton under it labelled 'Barrens'. "Th-the Barrens, it's the only place that Georgie c-could be."
"He's gone Bill.." His dad stated heartlessly.
"But if the storm s-swept Georgie i-in, w-we should h-have gone-" Bill said, being cut off by his dad saying.
"He's gone! He's dead! He's dead, there's nothing we can do! Now clean this up before your mother and Brandi see this." His dad scolded, raising his voice.
Bill was tearing up, slightly heartbroken by what his dad said. Deep down, Bill knew Georgie wasn't dead, and in a few months time he will be proven right.
His dad took down the map and said, "Next time you want to take something from my office. Ask."
-
Brandi was playing with her dollhouse with Bill until she heard Georgie's voice behind her.
She was suspicious at first and said, "Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Brandi!" 'Georgie' called on her.
She followed the voice, and went into the basement.
"You could've come with me...that day of the storm. You could've come with me instead of staying to look after Bill..but if you come with me right now, you'll float too."
Brandi was confused, until 'Georgie' kept on repeating the words "you'll float too" his voice becoming more and more demonic.
Brandi saw a clown, mouthing the same words as 'Georgie' was saying, and she rushed up the stairs the clown following her, tripping over it's two left feet and fell at the bottom of the steps.
Bill saw the girl running from the basement, and she told him what she saw, and luckily for her he saw it too when he went to go check.
He hugged the young girl protectively, she slept in his bed that night, too afraid to sleep in her own.
"I can't get to sleep, Billy..." She said, rubbing her eyes and frowned.
"I-It's okay, Br-Brandi...that cl-clown won't hur-hurt y-you, I've g-got you." He reassured her.
-
"Take everything but the Delicious Deals guys, my mom loves those." Eddie ordered, and turned to Bill saying, "Hey! First you said the Barrens, and now you're saying the sewers? What if we get caught?"
"We won't Eds." Bill laughed, "Th-the sewers are pub-public w-works. We're the public aren't we?"
Brandi nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Eddie! So, we won't get caught!"
The three boys smiled down at the smiling girl.
As Richie opened up a cupboard, he saw there were pill bottles, upon pill bottles (A/N The gazebos aka the bullshit). He smirked and taunted Eddie by saying, "Hey, Eddie, are these your birth control pills?"
And before he could stop himself, Eddie responded with, "Yeah, and I'm saving them for your sister. This is private stuff!"
"Ew, you'd use birth control on Brandi?" Richie gagged, and the younger girl scrunched up her nose.
"No. I'm not a pedophile!" Eddie shouted.
"But you said you'd use birth control on my sister, Brandi's practically that." He gagged again.
"You two are disgusting!" The young girl said, her nose scrunched up in disgust, and that made the three boys laugh.
As they were leaving Eddie's mom, Sonia, called on him saying, "Eddie Bear, where are you kids off to in such a rush?"
"Oh, they're taking me to the park!" Brandi said, but that was not what they were really doing.
"Okay.." Sonia started, but continued, "Oh, and sweetie, don't go rolling around on the grass. Especially if it's just been cut. You know how bad your allergies can get."
"Yes mom. Let's go." Eddie nodded, and was about to leave before his mom said.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" And she looked to Brandi and said, "You too, Brandi."
And the young girl and the smaller, but older, boy went over to the boy's mother and the woman gave the small girl a hug and Eddie gave the woman a kiss on the cheek.
And Richie obviously had to remark by saying, "You want one from me too Mrs. K?"
Bill and Eddie shoved Richie out the door, Brandi shaking her head at the door and Eddie said, "Sorry, mommy."
Brandi saw that outside Stan had gotten her a new bike, her favourite colour, violet, she couldn't believe it so she asked, "Is that for me?"
"Well, yeah..." Stan smiled, "It's yours little bird."
She smiled, and hopped on the bike, the four boys trying to teach her how to ride a bike, since she's only ever ran or gone on one of their bikes.
And she did it, she rode her bike on the fourth try.
"Now y-y-you can r-r-ride with us." Bill smiled, and said, "Instead of g-g-getting on one of ou-ou-our bikes, y-y-you have your own."
"Slow down!" Richie called on Bill.
"Hi-ho Silver! Away!" Bill shouted.
"Your bike's too fast for us to keep up!" Brandi called, she was far behind the others, since she had only started riding today.
-
When the group arrived at the Barrens, Stan was pointing out what he thought was poison ivy.
"Where? Where's the poison ivy?" Eddie asked, holding the young girl close to him afraid of her touching the plant.
"No where, not every fucking plant is poison ivy, Stanley. You're making Eddie scare Brandi." Richie exclaimed.
"Yeah, well, I'm starting to get itchy now.." Eddie stated.
"Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" Richie asked, Stan covering Brandi's ears so she wouldn't hear.
"Sometimes, yeah." Eddie shrugged.
"Then you probably have crabs!" Richie laughed.
Stan uncovered the small girl's ears as Eddie said, "That's so not funny."
"Aren't you guys coming in?" Richie asked the two pussy-ass boys, the little girl nodded but Eddie pulled her back gently.
"No, Brandi, don't go in. It's grey water." Eddie spoke to her softly.
"What's grey water?" Brandi asked, confused as to what the smaller, yet older boy meant.
"It's pee and poop." Eddie described, refraining himself from swearing in front of the little girl and turned to Richie and said, "You guys are splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee."
Richie picked up a stick and sniffed it saying, "Doesn't smell like caca to me señor."
"Okay, I can smell that from here!" Eddie exclaimed.
"Probably just your breath wafting back to your face!" Richie taunted.
Eddie scoffed, waving his hand in annoyance, "Have you ever heard of a staph infection?"
"I'll show you a staph infection!" Richie smirked, picking up a piece of floating cloth in the water.
"This is so unsanitary! This is literally like swimming inside of a toilet bowl right now!" Eddie exclaimed, annoyed with Richie, "Have you ever heard of Listeria?"
"You're retarded!" Richie exclaimed.
Bill called on the group, after picking up a shoe saying, "Guys!"
"Oh no, don't tell me that's..." Stan stammered.
"No, Georgie wore galoshes." Brandi shook her head, whispering her words but loud enough for the boys to hear. She missed her best friend greatly.
"Who's sneaker is it then?" Eddie asked.
Richie shone the flashlight on the shoe and it read 'Ripsom'.
"It's Betty Ripsom's.." Richie told the group.
"Oh no, oh god...I don't like this..." Eddie stated.
"How do you think Betty feels?" Richie started, "Running around these tunnels with only one fricking shoe."
Brandi shook her head at the boy.
A boy the same age as the older kids fell in the river water, and Richie said, "Holy shit, what happened to you?"
#richie tozier#eddie kaspbrack#ben hanscom#beverly marsh#mike hanlon#stanley uris#bill denbrough#it chapter 1#it chapter 2#fanfic#original character
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Chapter 2
As i walked home from school i couldn't shake off the fact that someone was watching me. I kept turning back to see but only saw the school slowly fading away. I sighed "Come on Y/N who would just stalk you in an open place, well, apart from Richie" I giggled at my thought as i passed the Neibolt street sign. I always hated that place, i always felt as if something evil was lurking in the house. I shivered as i walked past the creepy ass house, as i almost completely walked past it i heard a faint giggling noise, i turned towards and my eyes widened in fear as the door opened slightly. In the doorway was a red balloon.12
"What the fuck" I mumbled as i stared at it, as if expecting it to like dance or something. Suddenly the balloon was gone, i started walking again when i heard the giggling again, except this time it sounded older "Oh Y/N where you going? Come stay with me, you'll float down here" I turned towards the door again to see a fucking clown, it was wearing a white costume and had red fiery hair. I screamed and started running farther down the road when i heard it's laughing "Y/N, come float with me don't be shy, down here, it's never dark" It growled as i screamed again and ran to my house, which was across the street from Richie's and slammed the door.
"No no no no please be gone please be gone" I pleaded as i looked out my window. It was gone. "What the fuck was that" I said, still shaking. I quickly turned the lights on and saw a note on the table "Be back soon sweetie, there's leftovers in the fridge, -Mom" "And that means she is not going to be back for a while" I groaned, knowing that she's off getting drunk somewhere. "Great now i'm alone" I said as i started shaking a bit, i hate being alone, and i also hate the dark, it just scares me. I went into the living room and sat down, rocking back and forth a bit when suddenly the phone rang.1
I jumped off the couch and ran to the phone "This is the L/N residence, may i ask who is speaking" I said in a snooty tone and i heard laughter at the other end "Well this is the famous Trashmouth speaking, is this the amazing sugar tits on the other side" I hear Richie say in a british accent and i giggle "I told you not to call me that, and why did you call me". Richie stopped talking for a second and i heard mumbling coming from the phone, Richie picked up the phone again "Well Ms.L/N, i called you because my friend Eddie Spaghetti here- "Don't call me that" I hear a voice say and i immediately know it's Eddie. "Okay, well before i was rudely interrupted by Eds here-" I hear groaning and i giggle "Eddie would like to invite you to his house to take a look at his mom, and so we can grab food then head to the barrens". I immediately nodded even though he couldn't see it, i didn't want to be alone in my house anymore "Okay i'll be there in ten". I said and I hear Richie say yes "Okay milady i'll miss you in those ten minutes" then he hung up.14
I grabbed my bike
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And headed down the road to eddie's.
When i reached it i rang the doorbell three times to which i hear a voice yell "Eddie, dear answer the door" Which followed to another voice saying "Yes mommy". The door swung open and Eddie smiled at me, "Hey Y/N" I smiled at him and said "Hi eddie, can i come in or am i just gonna have to wait outside" He chuckled and swung the door open for me so i could walk in.
"Take everything but the delicious deals, guys. My mom loves them. Hey, first you said the barrens and now you're saying the sewer. I mean, if we get caught?" Eddie asks as Richie and I immediately start stuffing food into our backpacks, what? I love food don't judge me. Bill turned around to look at Eddie "We won't, Eds. The sewers are public works. We are the public, aren't we?" Bill said as i stuffed some chips in my bag, Richie walks over to a cabinet and pulls it open to reveal a bunch of medicine "Eddie, are these your birth control pills?" He asked and Eddie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and I'm saving it for your sister. This is private stuff."1
As we started to walk out the door Eddie's whale of a mother stopped us, i'm only nice to her because if not she won't let me see Eddie. "Eddie, dear, where you kids off to in such a rush?" She said as she painted her nails a sickly pink color, i never liked pink, it was way to bright and girly. We all looked at each other as she asked that question, trying to think of an excuse until Bill blurted out "Uhm, just m-m-my backyard, Mrs. K. I got a new..." He kept trying to pronounce the words and i started getting worried she would call our bluff when Richie exclaimed "A new croquet set. Jeez spit it out b-b-Bill." Eddie's mom somehow bought it and said "Okay. Oh and sweetie,don't go rolling around in the grass,especially if it's just been cut. You know how bad your allergies can get." "Yes mom." " Come on." I said. already starting to get uncomfortable when the whale once again spoke "Aren't you forgetting something?"19
I saw Eddie sigh a bit and walk up to his mom to kiss her on the cheek, i snickered at him and he playfully rolled his eyes and punched me in the shoulder "Do you want one from me too, Mrs. K?" Richie yelled to Mrs.K as we pushed him out the door while Eddie apologized "Sorry mommy."
Eventually Stan met up with us and we went to the Barrens "That's poison ivy. And that's poison ivy. And that's poison ivy." Stan stated pointing at random plants, which made Eddie freak out "Where? Where's the poison ivy?" I rolled my eyes as Richie yelled "No where, not every fucking plant is poison ivy, Stanley."
As Eddie quickly walked to the edge of the sewer Bill and Richie, and I started walking into the sewer, i groaned in disgust at how warm and squishy it felt in my shoes. "Ok well I'm starting to get itchy now and I'm pretty sure this is not good for me." Eddie stammered as Richie looked at him with mock concern "Do you use the same bathroom as your mother?" He asked as Eddie nodded at him, not seeming to understand he's messing with him "Sometimes, yeah." Richie nodded like a doctor hearing someones symptoms and stated. "Then you probably have crabs." I tried to hold in my laughter but one small giggle escaped my throat "Dammit" I said as Richie smirked at me "HA, i knew you found me funny!" Meanwhile, Eddie looked like he was ready to strangle Richie "That's so NOT funny." he stated as Richie started to notice Stan and Eddie weren't in the shit water. "Aren't you guys coming in?" He asked as Eddie shook his head vigorously "Uhuh that's gray water." "What the hell is gray water?" I asked as he looked at me and pointed at the shitty water "It's basically piss and shit. So I'm just telling you... You guys are splashing around in millions of gallons of Derry pee. Are, are you serious?" Eddie yells as Richie picks up a stick from the water "Doesn't smell like caca to me, Senor." he said in a spanish accent and another giggle escaped my mouth again.17
"O-o-okay I can smell it from here." Eddie gagged as Richie pointed the stick at him "It's probably just your breath wafting back into your face." Richie stated to which Eddie put his arms up in a what the fuck pose and glared at him "Have you ever heard of a staph infection?" "i'm also your staff infection." Richie stated and flailed the stick around while eddie gagged again "That's so unsanitary. you guys are like swimming in a toilet bowl right now. Have you ever heard of listeria?" "No what's listeria?" I said sarcastically as Richie threw a plastic bag that was in the gray water at eddie. "aghhh!! Are you retarded?You're the reason we're in this situation.-" "Guys!" Bill yelled and we all turned to see him holding a shoe "Shit. Don't tell me that's..." Stan said shakily as Bill shook his head "No. Georgie was wearing galoshes." "Who's sneaker is it?" Eddie asks as i looked at the shoe "It's Betty Ripsoms." I stated and Eddie of course started freaking out "Shit, oh god, oh fuck I don't like this." "How do you think Betty feels... running around these tunnels with only one freaking shoe." Richie joked while hopping around, but we all glared at him and he quickly shut up.20
"What if she's still here?" Stan asked and Richie rolled his eyes and motioned for Eddie "Eddie, come on!" Eddie shook his head and looked at us with a frightened expression "My mom will have an aneurysm if she finds out we were playing down here. I'm serious. Bill?" We all turned to Bill again and he spoke "If I were Betty Ripsom, I would want us to find me. G-georgie too." "What if I don't want to find them? I mean, no offense, Bill, but I do not want to end up like... I don't want to go missing either." Eddie said quietly and I glared at him "He has a point." Stan mumbled and all hope in Bill's eyes were gone " You too?" he said and Stan looked up at him "It's summer... We're supposed to be having fun. This isn't fun. This is scary and disgusting." He said and i gave them both a death glare "Guys don't be such assholes and get in he-" I was interrupted from my rant by a loud splash in the river, we all turned to see a boy with an H cut into his stomach and multiple scratches and bruises on him, i ran to help him up as Richie yelled "Holy shit, what happened to you?"14
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Coronapocalypse Day 8 3/24/2020 Fear and ICE [More than 52,000 immigrants are detained by ICE. US Coronavirus death count 3/25 915]
“Hello Corona boy!” I say to my brother when he answers the phone. The childhood ribbing dies hard. My middle brother Joe has been diagnosed with coronavirus!
“I could do without the honor,” he retorts, with a quip that our Dad had often used.
“So tell me your story…what happened?”
“I think I got it in the ICE detention center,” Joe says. “I was down at Plymouth Correctional, the county jail in Mass. It doubles as an ICE detention center.” ICE is Immigration and Customs Enforcement. My brother is an immigration lawyer. He is anti-Trump, that is an understatement, and is furious that the federal courts weren’t closed earlier in an attempt to keep deportations flowing.
“You know we meet in these small rooms in the jail, client and attorney. And I was shut in there with several clients for maybe five hours. That was about 3 weeks ago. March 5th, I think, I’d have to look at my calendar. Then I had to appear in federal court in Boston. The judges were wearing gloves as they shuffled papers. I had to go to federal court twice, on March 11 and 12th, as well as those two detention centers. I think they’re just county jails that have been converted.”
“What? When did they close the courts?” I asked.
“Two days ago,” he replied.
Joe explained a little more about ICE detainees. They are a mixture of illegals, legal asylum seekers waiting for hearings, and legal immigrants who have been determined to be a threat to society from charges ranging from drunk driving to getting into a fight. I ask for clarification. What exactly is a threat to society?
“Well say you get a DUI. Normally, on a first charge you’ll go to jail for three days and it’s the same for immigrants. The problem is once they are out of jail, and have served their time, ICE can pick them up and deem them a threat to society and put them back in the detention center for another six months. One friend of mine spent 7 months in jail just for legally seeking asylum. They treated him like a criminal.” I can hear the anger in Jamie’s voice.
“Some of the detention centers don’t have soap or toilet paper. In New Jersey the detainees are actually hunger striking for soap.” Joe replied.
“Unbelievable!” I replied. “you definitely got the virus there then. So, what happened. What were the symptoms? And are you okay?”
About 6 days later, I started feeling this ache in my thigh. Then around eight at night I got a fever of 101.7. I called Sam, you remember Sam, the emergency room doc. He said they can’t test me. They have really strict criteria for testing. You have to be elderly. Not sure what they consider elderly. And you also have to be very sick. Like requiring hospitalization. Sam said take some Tylenol. But I said I was going to let it burn out.”
“OK you Mainer,” Sam laughed.
“In a couple of hours my fever was back down to 99. I did take some Tylenol before bed because I was feeling so achey. And headaches. I was having headaches. A sharp pressure above the left eye. Then about 4 days later, it was really weird. I made a cup of coffee, a French press and I took a sip and couldn’t taste it at all. I could feel the texture more intensely.” About 30% of coronavirus cases develop anosmia, the loss of smell and also a loss of taste, I remembered. It’s considered a definitive symptom of the virus.
“My first thought was, oh my God, I won’t be able to smell wine,” Joe said. I burst out laughing.
“That was your concern? Typical!” Joe lives in Cape Elizabeth Maine near Portland, the restaurant hub. He’s quite the wine connoisseur. I tend to drink more wine when I visit him, because the wine is actually good, mid-range to expensive bottles. He teases me because I drink the bottom shelf varieties.
“Then I thought about not being able to smell buttered popcorn,” he added. I laughed again.
“At that point, Sam said I definitely have coronavirus and need to quarantine.”
“What about the kids?” I asked.
“Valentine is fine, one of her classmates had it. Tested positive at a private clinic. Matt is asymptomatic. No one had symptoms except me.” At this point, my nephew Matt piped in, telling me that although he had been having fun with school out, his friends had now banished him. That must have been a blow to Mr. Popularity.
“Well don’t worry, the anosmia will go away, you’ll be able to smell wine again” I told him.
“What do you think about the economic situation? We can’t really go on like this,” I mentioned.
“I know we can’t. People don’t have jobs. Like you say, if we had done something like South Korea, with the testing, we wouldn’t have had to shut down.” Testing is a sore point with me. I have a PhD in biology and made diagnostic PCR tests for years. With a small team of myself and two others, I had not only designed tests for Salmonella, E coli, Anthrax and Listeria in the late ‘90s, but had also brought freeze dried tests to market. I found it incomprehensible that 20 years later, the entire CDC had not been able to ramp up testing in the months that the virus moved from China to the US.
“Yes,” I agree, “but South Korea doesn’t just do tests. They have apps that trace everywhere you’ve been and alerts all your contacts. I don’t know about the civil liberties aspect of that. A lot of extramarital affairs have been exposed,” I laughed. Joe wants to lie down and rest a bit. He’s still not 100%.
“Hey sis, how long do I have to stay in quarantine?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “It’s a case by case basis, according to the CDC. Ideally, you would be tested to see if it’s gone.”
“Yeah, but we don’t have tests,” Joe replied. I know, I thought silently, and hung up the phone.
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the declassified texts of the inquisition’s elite [57]
(412): So, I need to know. Why did you spraypaint your underwear gold?
-
(804): New rock bottom. Woke up at 7 am fully clothed in a bathtub full of water. I hate myself.
“The fact that she needed to ask me that is extremely disappointing,” Sera says, spearing at a sad, limp lettuce leaf and making a face at it. “Is this literally all our budget can afford? Sad prepackaged salad packs? What if it’s got — contamination or something? Listeria? Can lettuce transport listeria?”
“It does not have listeria,” Herah replies. “Why did you spray paint your underwear gold?’
“That you need to ask me that isn’t disappointing so much as it is worrying, Adaar,” Sera says, examining the lettuce leaf as it flops off of her fork tines with a wet slap back into the rest of it. The salad dressing looks more water than…whatever it’s supposed to be. It could be vinaigrette, which would probably be in line with the watery look, or it could be something else entirely. Sera hasn’t taken a bite of the salad yet so she wouldn’t know. But she’s eaten all of the macaroni and she’s out of protein so this is it. And she’s still hungry. She’s gonna have to eat it and she’s going to get fucking listeria because their food budge while traveling is literal garbage and bottle caps apparently.
“If the money doesn’t go to getting us good food where the fuck does it go?”
Herah wordlessly kicks one of their luggages.
“It goes to this. Traveling frequently with lots of questionable goods for usually under the table operations that no other law or governing agency doesn’t want to handle because they’re too chicken shit to do it. The trade off just happens to be the food budget.”
“I can’t do my best fuck up an enemy state job if I’ve got freakin’ listeria.”
“You aren’t going to get listeria. You might get hysteria if you keep going.”
“Oh yeah? How come you haven’t eaten your salad?”
“Because I’ve got an allergy to nuts, Sera,” Herah replies. “And this thing is covered in crushed walnuts that they left on there despite me telling them not to. I’m not touching that entire half of the container.”
“I’ve known you this long and I’m just finding out that you have a nut allergy?”
“It doesn’t come up often. I usually don’t eat anything with nuts in it. Don’t make a dick joke.”
“I wasn’t gonna.”
“Sure. I’ll pretend to believe that.”
Damn, Herah must be starving if she isn’t going to eat like. Half her take out container because it might have touched some walnuts. If Sera had anything she’d give it to Herah and eat Herah’s potato salad in a trade. As it is, Sera already ate everything else.
“We’re both gonna starve,” Sera groans. “I don’t wanna eat the shit on the plane. It’s either going to be too hot or too cold and it’s gonna stop me from shitting for like three days.”
“You rather be constipated or starving?” Herah challenges. “Don’t complain. The airline doesn’t serve food with nut son it, but it does serve food that might or might not use peanut oil. They could not confirm and I might need to break out one of my epipens. It’s not gonna be fun.”
“How has this problem never occurred before? We travel together loads.”
“Usually when the two of us travel together Ellana is our pilot which means we’re in Inquisition aircraft. Which is usually some kind of military aircraft, not passenger carrier. Are you ever going to explain why you spray painted your underwear?”
“Oh, right, to blend in with the rest of me when I spray painted myself gold. Obviously.”
-
“It wasn’t a bathtub,” Cullen explains to Evelyn as she shows him her phone. “It was a sensory depravation chamber. And we told him that we have things for him to wear when he’s in it, he could’ve also worn his swim trunks. But he was so out of it that he insist on going in with the clothes he had on.” Cullen pauses. “He knows this. He was in the middle of extreme withdrawal, but he was lucid. He’s just being dramatic now so that you’ll feel sorry and bring him something.”
“Yes, his next few messages are him begging me to get him shitty take out but that isn’t the point. Do I need to be concerned? Are things under control?”
“Things are under control,” He reassures her. “Maxwell’s doing fine. He had a rough night, but that’s expected and normal. We all have them. He was lucid, he did not ask for any lyrium, and he only swung at me once.”
“Maxwell tried to punch you?”
“It wasn’t a very sincere punch. It was very half hearted. When I was in the middle of withdrawal I remember trying to body slam Cassandra.”
“I can’t believe you’re alive to tell me about that.”
“Cassandra is very kind and understanding. She also put me into a choke hold that knocked me out until the worst of it was over and brought me breakfast afterwards.”
“I never thought I’d hear the words she put me into a choke hold and think, that’s very generous.” Evelyn sighs, putting her phone back into her bag. She glances out the car window. “I didn’t realize it would be such a far drive.”
“The maximum security penitentiary was recently moved,” Cullen says. “And we’re going to its secondary building which is further in on the property.”
“If there was an escape I wouldn’t want to be here,” Evelyn muses. “It’s nothing but fields for miles out. It’d be like some kind of horror movie.”
“I don’t know,” Cullen says, wry twist to his mouth, “If it was you out here I think you’d be the horror in the horror movie. Could you imagine? Escaping from prison and running away straight into a darkened field with the Inquisitor of Thedas?”
Evelyn lightly smacks Cullen’s arm. “Be serious. I’m not nearly as intimidating as that.”
“Or Bull, or Herah. Ellana or Mahanon. Which do you think would be worse? Herah or Leliana?”
“Don’t make me chose, they’d both come down on me for choosing wrong regardless.”
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Blue Buffalo vs Fromm
https://www.centralparkpaws.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/519Mf59Ta9L.jpg
Whether you’re looking to switch up your dog’s food or not, I think it’s always a good idea to know what’s available on the dog food market.
You never know when you might discover something that could be a healthier option for your dog.
For Maggie’s sake, I like to research the companies that have the most popular dog food blends.
In today’s market, that means Blue Buffalo and Fromm are major brands to be aware of.
Check out what I’ve learned about both brands and how they compare to each other.
You’ll learn which may be better for your dog and what stands out about each company.
Fromm’s Company History
Buying quality dog food is what’s most important for every dog owner, which is why Fromm was started five generations ago by the Nieman family.
Still run by the family today, Fromm cooks grains and meats together during the baking process for all their dog food blends[1].
This makes their dog food a true blend of kibble rather than a mix of ingredients that are thrown in together at the end.
Best Sellers
The blending baking process means that Fromm has more room to experiment with different grains and meats.
These kitchen experiments have resulted in many different kinds of blends that ended up being best sellers[2]. Some consumer favorites are:
Fromm Classic Adult Dog Food
Fromm Beef Frittata Veg Recipe Dog Food
Fromm Puppy Gold Dog Food
What may help make their food popular bestsellers is how they name them.
Instead of calling a flavor by the beef or chicken that it’s made of, Fromm names their kibble like it’s all on a doggy menu.
It makes the kibble and the brand much more appealing to consumers.
Curious how Fromm stacks up against other dog food brands? Check out our comparisons between Fromm and Acana or Orijen!
Blue Buffalo’s Company History
Blue Buffalo’s history tugs at my heartstrings.
When the founding family’s dog, Blue, got sick with cancer, they decided to be more proactive with his care than just taking him for treatment.
They investigated how a dog’s nutrition can help his health and came up with a kibble blend specifically to help Blue through his diagnosis[3].
Today, they sell their BLUE Life Protection Formula to dog owners around the world, so all dogs have the chance to receive optimal nutrition.
Best Sellers
While they have many different kinds of dog food, their BLUE Life Protection Formula is the top selling dog food in the country[4]. That’s why they’ve created different versions of the formula, so every dog can try it out.
Some of their best selling products include:
BLUE Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe
BLUE Wilderness Nature’s Evolutionary Diet with Chicken
BLUE Life Protection Formula Small Breed Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe
I love that there’s a protection formula blend for dogs at all life stages, so your dog can grow up on the same kind of food and enjoy the different flavors.
You can find a more in-depth review of the Blue Buffalo brand here!
Recalls
As popular as these dog brands are, recalls are inevitable.
This is especially true when massive brands have so many different kinds of food being produced at the same time. Before you buy any dog food, always check to see what kind of recalls a company has had, and how many.
As far as recalls go, this one was relatively benign!
Fromm
Fromm has a relatively clean recent history.
In 2016, they issued a recall on their Gold canned foods[5]. The canned foods were found to have levels of minerals and vitamins that were so low, dogs wouldn’t actually benefit.
They adjusted the food as needed and continued producing it.
Blue Buffalo
Blue Buffalo has had quite a few more recalls in the past six years.
They issued recalls for chunks of aluminum metal[6], traces of salmonella[7], high levels of vitamin D[8], and even mold being present in food[9]. In 2017, toxic levels of lead were also found in their wet dog food[10].
What’s Important When Choosing a Dog Food?
Now that you know more about these two brands, here are some factors you should consider before choosing what your dog will eat.
Ingredients
Dogs with sensitivities will need their ingredients to be specific to their needs.
Owners should also look for ingredients that don’t contain fillers or chemicals, which bulk up cheaper food but aren’t actually good for your dog.
If only your dog could get a job to pay for its own food instead of lazing about!
Price
Consider your long term budget for dog food.
Figure out what’s best for you, given how often you’ll have to restock.
Also, be aware that cheaper dog foods are the ones that will have the lower quality ingredients.
Availability
You don’t want to get stuck having to buy your dog’s food at a high end boutique on the other end of town for a higher price.
Make sure that whichever food you pick is available in a place that’s easy to reach or can be delivered to your home.
Taste
Your dog may be the kind to go nuts on a full bowl of food, but they should still enjoy the taste of what they’re eating.
Read reviews on each brand to see how other dogs are reacting to the food to gauge if your dog will like it or not.
You can also see if the new brand has a flavor similar to what they’re currently eating.
Brand Reliability
Dog’s can’t change food easily, because their stomachs can get very upset if that happens too quickly.
They’ll probably stick with their food for a while, so make sure you can rely on whichever brand you buy from for quality food in the long term.
Comparison of Fromm vs Blue Buffalo
So how do these two brands compare to each other? Read on to find out some key factors about each of their products.
Ingredients
Winner: Tie
Both companies say they use only the best ingredients, but is that true? A closer look at the ingredients list will tell.
One of Fromm’s best sellers (Gold Adult Small Breed) lists duck as their first ingredient, which is great.
That means that’s what makes up most of the food. However, their second ingredient is “chicken meal,”[11] which is basically an all-natural filler that’s created by grinding up chicken flesh and skin[12].
Blue Buffalo has almost the exact same issue.
They have many recognizable ingredients[13] in their best selling blend, but their second ingredient is “chicken meal.”
Again, it’s different than the traditional by-product meal filler, but it’s surprising to see these quality brands not have at least a few more whole ingredients first.
Price/Value
Winner: Fromm
Some of Fromm’s fancier offerings are more expensive, though
Blue Buffalo, while being a major player in the quality dog food world, adds up to about $2 per pound.
That’s pretty standard, which means they’re actively trying to feed dogs healthy food at prices that many owners can afford.
Fromm is even more affordable. Their bags average $1.67 per pound.
This could be the better option for dog owners on a tighter budget, while still avoiding all the traditional chemicals and fillers in other mainstream brands.
Availability
Winner: Blue Buffalo
This wolf has stared at me from many different stores
Both brands are available online, so it’ll be easy to order a bag and have it shipped to your home no matter which brand you prefer.
If you’d rather pick up your dog’s food in person, it’ll be easier to find Blue Buffalo.
Fromm is more likely to be found at specialty pet stores, instead of the major chain brands where most dog owners shop.
Also, while you can find both Fromm and Blue Buffalo on Amazon, you can find only Blue Buffalo on Chewy.
Taste
Winner: Tie
There are many posts online that say dogs enjoy the taste of both Blue Buffalo and Fromm.
You’ll have to let your dog try them out too.
Stick with the same flavor they enjoy now and try to buy the smallest bag possible at first, in case your dog doesn’t enjoy the brand you get.
Brand Reliability
Winner: Fromm
Blue Buffalo has had many more recalls on their dog food than Fromm, which would make me trust Fromm more.
The longer a brand can go without a recall, the more comfortable I feel about buying their dog food.
Overall Winner
Winner: Fromm
After comparing these two brands, Fromm is the winner for me.
It’s more budget friendly and the company rarely has recalls.
That’s more important to me than going to a specialty pet store to purchase a bag in person, although depending on where you live, that could be the deciding factor for you.
Weigh the options that these brands present to figure out which one is better for your dog.
You’ll be able to make a decision that you know is researched, so your dog will be eating the best food possible.
Resources
https://frommfamily.com/about/our-history/
https://www.gofromm.com/dog-food-best-sellers
https://bluebuffalo.com/why-choose-blue/blue-story/
https://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-blue-founder-of-americas-top-natural-pet-food-brand-1519416803
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/pets/fromm-recalls-some-of-its-canned-dog-food/
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/index/2017/03/
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2018/02/24/FDA-issues-2-more-pet-food-recalls-listeria-salmonella-found/5171519499067/
https://news.vin.com/vinnews.aspx?articleId=51391
https://www.seviernewsmessenger.com/2016/05/31/blue-buffalo-dry-dog-food-recall/
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/does-blue-buffalo-contain-toxic-levels-lead/
https://frommfamily.com/products/dog/classic/dry/adult/
https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_pet_food_for_your_pets_sake
https://bluebuffalo.com/natural-dog-food/healthy-holistic-blue-life-protection-formula/dry-food/lpf-adult-chicken-and-brown-rice-recipe/
The post Blue Buffalo vs Fromm appeared first on Central Park Paws.
from https://www.centralparkpaws.net/dog-food/blue-buffalo-vs-fromm/
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The Cost of Stopping Routine Food Inspections During the Shutdown
The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees 80 percent of the U.S.’s food supply, has ceased all routine inspections of domestic food-processing facilities as hundreds of food inspectors are furloughed because of the government shutdown.
The FDA conducts typically about 160 routine inspections per week, but FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told the Washington Post that legal guidance from the 2013 shutdown precludes the FDA from conducting regular investigations during budget shortfalls. “We are doing what we can to mitigate any risk to consumers through the shutdown,” he said.
So what exact safeguards are we losing and how much do they matter?
The suspension of routine inspections will most directly impact the FDA’s preventative functions like evaluating the need for recalls. Its outbreak-detection and drug-testing operations should continue unaffected.
Routine inspections typically involve an FDA official visiting a facility and checking for visual indicators of unsanitary conditions, such as animal feces, and general disorder. Inspectors will also interview employees and managers and take environmental swabs and product samples.
“Depending on the level of infraction or problem that’s detected, you could potentially trigger a recall,” says Patrick Baur, a postdoctoral fellow at UC–Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. “Recalls of that nature are preventative and hopefully happen before anybody gets sick.”
FDA food inspectors responded to some high-profile food contamination emergencies last year, including two multi-state E. coli outbreaks linked to tainted romaine lettuce and a large-scale salmonella outbreak linked to cage-free eggs.
As long as the shutdown persists, America’s food supply chain will generally be less equipped to prevent these types of outbreaks. Gottlieb has said that he is attempting to bring back food inspectors by next week to visit facilities that process high-risk foodstuffs like seafood, soft cheeses, and vegetables.
One of the main problems with this stopgap measure is that the FDA has not publicly enumerated everything it considers high-risk. “[The FDA] was supposed to have issued regulations for how they determined and dealt with high-risk facilities,” says Jaydee Hanson, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety. “They didn’t get that done,” as is required under the Food Safety Modernization Act. Without clear high-risk determinations, it’s unclear whether the FDA will bring inspectors to check on foods like melons, which have a history of listeria contamination.
Baur additionally suggested that consigning inspectors to do their work without pay may pose a morale issue with a job that is already taxing. Indeed, inspectors are often not well paid, incur many out-of-pocket expenses, and have to be on the road for long periods. “The human toll of requiring inspectors to work without getting paid raises real public safety questions,” says Baur. “How long are they going to be able to do their jobs well under those pretty horrendous working conditions?”
For the time being, average food consumers can only really sit back and hope that the shutdown ends soon. Hanson says that he isn’t telling anyone to take steps like avoiding salads at this time, but adds that he’s personally decided to abstain due to the food inspection suspension.
Baur argues that it’s difficult for people to try to determine what is and isn’t safe to eat given the current lack of inspections. “The safety of the nation’s food supply is something that has to be handled at a systemic level,” he says. “It’s just completely unpractical and frankly impossible to expect individuals to manage that on their own.” He is also concerned that ceasing routine inspections may erode public faith in food safety systems. “The more pernicious effect of this shutdown is to add to the natural anxiety about whether or not we can trust our food.”
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slimeybee replied to your photo: I’m ridiculously happy with the way my pad thai...
out of all the things I’d expect to see at whole foods im really shocked they don’t have bean sprouts or at least know what they are
so what happened was i go to the whole foods and i can’t find the bean sprouts, so i ask a lady about it. i say “excuse me, ma’am, but do you have any bean sprouts” and she says “it’s my second day and i don’t know where everything is yet, let me go find someone else” and i say “no problem! thank you!”
so she goes and gets someone else and this person says “oh hey, no i know right where those are, follow me” and i go over there with the person and he pulls a bag of green beans off the shelf and i say “oh no, i’m sorry, i’m looking for bean sprouts” and he says “hang on let me grab my manager, she’ll know” and i say “no problem! thank you!”
so he goes and grabs the manager and says “this lady’s looking for bean sprouts” and she says “oh those are over here” and she walks about three feet down, picks up a bag of brussels sprouts, and hands it to me and i say “oh no, i’m sorry, i’m looking for bean sprouts” and i pull up a picture on my phone and she says “what are those used for” and i say “well you use them in asian cooking a lot” and she says “let me go get tiger in groceries”
so she takes off and i’m standing there with the two employees and the green beans and the brussels sprouts and then this blond lady named tiger- like that’s what’s on her name tag, her name is tiger- comes up to me and says “here i’ll show you where they are” and i think to myself “but i was down that aisle earlier and got my noodles, i didn’t see any bean sprouts,” but then i thought “maybe i missed them” so i say “oh thank you!”
so she leads me down the international aisle, pulls a can of bamboo shoots off the shelf and says “here you go” and i say “oh i’m sorry i’m looking for bean sprouts, you use them in like, stir fries and ramen sometimes”
so she says “oh well maybe they’ll have some at the ramen bar” and so we go over there and the whole time i’m trying to get up the courage to say “it’s ok, i’ll just sub in pea pods” but i can’t because everyone is being so nice, and we get to the ramen bar and THERE THEY ARE
and i say “excuse me, ma’am” to the ramen lady “but this is a weird question- could i buy just a thing of bean sprouts?”
and she looks at me and says “we don’t have those”
and i say “but i see them right there”
and she says “we don’t carry those any more”
and i’m thinking “but i see them right there, the only thing between me and bean sprouts is this glass thing and you”
but what i say is “but aren’t those bean sprouts?”
and she says “we don’t carry bean sprouts anymore because of listeria.”
and then i’m conflicted because i can see the bean sprouts but ok the listeria thing sounds legit and then she says “lots of places don’t carry them, even jimmy johns wasn’t putting them on their sandwiches for a while, i’m sorry” and i realize that she’s thinking alfalfa sprouts and so i say finally “so what are those?” and i point to the bean sprouts and says “onions” and that’s when i give up because they were obviously bean sprouts and not onions, they had the little stem/seed thing and everything, and also onions weren’t listed on the ramen menu and bean sprouts WERE, but i really just wanted to leave but everyone was being so nice so i just said “ohhhh ok thanks anyways and for letting me know!”
and got out of there
without my bean sprouts
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KinnPorsche: Episode 6
notes: Spoilers! Ep 05 /// TOC /// Ep 07
As everyone knows, the best way to observe nature is by gazing at the paintings of it that hang in the climate controlled confines of your local art museum. But someday, despite your best efforts, you may find yourself out in the woods and up to no good. If that ever happens, think back on this episode, do the exact opposite of everything Kinn and Porsche do and you'll probably be fine.
“these are our get-along cuffs”
Day One: DIY SAR
I'm really enjoying how these bodyguards are conducting the search for Kinn by standing all together in a clump and shouting his name. They also have a drone that goes above the tree line and has a stellar view of the forest canopy and nothing below that. Big (thanks @biochemjess for giving me the backstory on this guy) has miraculously recovered from both his arm injury and the high speed wipeout on his motorcycle. He is blaming himself for Kinn's disappearance, but the head bodyguard (who really deserves a raise for working with the frat house level of professionalism displayed here) reminds him there is no "i" in "bodyguard".
Meanwhile our boys are remarkably unscathed from the truck crash and remarkably unconcerned that they are lost. They wander aimlessly thereby breaking the cardinal rule of wilderness orienteering: once you realize you are lost- STOP MOVING. They do manage to find running water and drink from the most stagnant pool they can find.
Giardia.
Back in the city, Pete has been assigned to stakeout Vegas, and is so bad at it that Vegas takes pity on him and buys him both bread and mosquito repellent.
It's evening now and handily the boys find an abandoned truck with a blanket in it, so they have somewhere to sleep. And what were the chances that Porsche would happen to have his lighter with him? Ok that one is actually believable as he smokes quite a lot.
The two cozy up and watch the sunset by the campfire.
Day Two: Drink Your Own Urine
Well if it was Bear Grylls that's what we'd be doing; luckily Kinn and Porsche are a bit more pragmatic. They try their hand at spear fishing. Why they didn't just stay on the road where they found the truck and follow it to civilization is anyone's guess.
“We’ll practice on your brother’s goldfish when we get back!”
Porsche says he found a brand new Ontario MK 3 folding knife in the truck last night, which is a very useful addition to their inventory and a weird thing to be in an old rusted out abandoned truck. They cook up their catch.
Listeria.
That afternoon they take a romantic bath in a pool near a waterfall and briefly kiss.
Leeches.
In the evening the boys share their dream jobs: Porsche wants to own a beach bar and Kinn...
Kinn muses that he would have more options in life if Tankhun was capable of handling the family business. Porsche shares that he was in the car when his parents were killed in an accident but he doesn't remember anything, just what his uncle told him after the fact (red flag right there, bro). Kinn says he wishes he could take back what he did to Porsche.
Porsche shrugs it off because he is a graveyard of emotional trauma.
They watch the sun set.
Day Three: Is Parkour Right For Me?
istfg these two. On the morning of Day 3, the boys hear rescuers calling for them. Instead of staying put, Kinn runs toward the sound of the voice, narrowly avoiding a fall into a deep canyon.
Kinn and Porsche then decide to try and jump over the ravine.
They do not make it to the other side. How they missed that 2 foot jump and why they couldn’t just walk around do not bear scrutiny. Now they are stuck at the bottom of the ravine, and unlike that cool sinkhole they just discovered in China, this one doesn't have an ancient forest and (probably) dinosaurs in it, it just has a bunch of paper mache rocks. Porsche bemoans the fact that they are still cuffed, making it harder to escape. Kinn says at least it helped them get to know one another better. He also says that this whole escapade has been a welcome break from the job of being Kinn. Porsche says he likes this version of him better.
“This dusty, dehydrated, concussed, parasite-riddled version of you. So cute.”
Kinn again tries to apologize for the whole drugged sex thing and asks for forgiveness. Porsche says he’s already forgiven him.
Porsche giving us Wei Wuxian levels of emotional repression
Enough of the emotions, time for another bad idea: they decide one of them must cut off a hand to escape. Why not try yelling for help? Or setting those paper mache rocks on fire? But not to worry, Kinn knew how to pick the handcuff lock the whole time. Jackass.
Kinn makes up for it after they escape: he offers Porsche freedom, saying he will tell everyone that Porsche died in the woods. That way Porsche can follow his dream and open up that beachfront bar. Porsche kisses Kinn and starts to leave. As soon as Porsche is out of the frame, Kinn is rescued but uh-oh plot twist! it's actually the bad guys and they open fire. Porsche rushes back to save Kinn. Kinn takes a bullet when he tries to pull Porsche out of the way.
Just when it looks like they will both be killed, the bodyguard brigade shows up. So much for that new beginning.
Bonus Round: Zone Blanche
If you want to watch a (much, much scarier) show about being lost in the woods and cutting off fingers to escape from a ravine but set in the French Ardennes mountains instead of Thailand, may I suggest Zone Blanche?
Ep 5 /// TOC /// Ep 7
Master list of all recaps
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What happens if you eat a whole bag of flour? Asking for a friend
E. coli is one of the big concerns, along with salmonella or listeria also. Flour is a breeding group for those bacteria
If you breathe in while eating it you could choke on it because it can get in your lungs
But other than that it’s just a big risk for bacteria, animal poop, and contaminates. Upset stomach and sickness could fuck you up.
In other news, here’s my google search for this so you know how well I spell
#also found a Quora answer for this and the person started out with ‘I’m addicted to eating flour so I’m qualified to answer this’#if you have any other questions I’ll answer them the best I can!#anons asking
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Mass Lysteria
It began among several families; television sets being turned on and the default channel being the local news. The anchorwoman began.
“Breaking news: a recall was just issued on cantaloupe after a reported listeria outbreak. People are advised to throw out any cantaloupe they have and not to consume any for the time being. We will keep you all posted on any updates as soon as they become available.”
In the kitchen, within eyesight of the living room, sat cantaloupe, on the counter. Slices of it had already been eaten. Many families had already made the mistake of diving in, filling their bellies with the sticky sweet juices.
Mere moments passed and families flooded hospitals in droves; children and parents alike convulsing, exhibiting fevers and headaches. Muscle cramps, confusion. Doctors and nurses alike were disoriented as said families claimed to have consumed contaminated fruits and had contracted listeriosis. Despite the claims, medical practitioners could find no such evidence. Blood was drawn, with no sign of the bacteria. Even still, the symptoms could not be ignored.
Word travels fast.
The fact that the majority of those coming in with the symptoms was no coincidence. In school yards and workplace break rooms alike, people were talking.
“Did you hear about the outbreak?”
“Yeah, I've got a friend in critical condition. Though the doctors say there's no sign of anything wrong.”
“I looked up listeria on the internet. I think I might have it.”
Panic. Misinformation.
First sign of danger and all precautions taken. No fruits consumed.
“I hear there's a 20% death rate,” another states, as a matter of fact. Those thinking they are well informed and seeking out the worst case scenarios.
Even still, no one knows what to do about it and just a week after the madness began, a new news report comes in.
“This just in: The CDC just reported that the previous report of a listeria outbreak was false. They would like to issue an apology.”
Few tuned in this time, but those who did spread the word again. After a few days, the hospital visits were dying down. There were still jokes and talks of the scare, but much fewer reports of symptoms. People started buying fruits at the grocery store again with a renewed confidence that everything would be safe.
Although in theory, this would mean things were well again, there were still those who shuttered at the mere sight of cantaloupe. Who would not dare let the fruit into their homes. Or who would pass it by but refuse to eat it. There were some who vomited at the mere sight or scent of it. There was therapy that could help with such things, but little else that could be done. It wasn't an allergic reaction, but one born of a time such people would rather forget.
Two months passed since the incident.
No news report of a recall.
No signs of contamination.
In spite of that, people flocked to the hospitals once again in droves. There were plenty of people whose illnesses could be given a clear diagnosis after a few tests. But then there were the ones which baffled everyone involved. The symptoms were reminiscent of the false listeriosis outbreak of a couple months prior, but with a little added bonus.
There were those who came in pregnant. Miscarriages and stillbirths without a known cause. Of those who came in pregnant and reporting seizures and meningitis, not uncommon in those with listeriosis, their children also bore infections. Yet with their blood drawn, no sign of the bacteria was present.
What was worse is that it didn't stop this time. In spite of no sign of any bacteria, listeria or otherwise, patients kept coming in. Food inspections doubled down, yet everything came up safe. If a new bacteria was found, it would have been a breakthrough, but no. Every patient, whether previously healthy, low immune system, or pregnant, who showed symptoms had no harmful or abnormal bacteria present.
Talks began.
“Is this a ghost disease? Are people just possessed with the ghost of an illness?”
There were jokes abound, but the incidents did not stop. Across the country, more patients lined up. Of the patients who believed themselves to have the infection, a small portion of them died. 'Small portion' being a misleading way to put it, given the volume of patients coming in and suspecting themselves of such a serious condition.
Reporters were floored. News stations, local and national covered it as a hot button issue. Independent journalists and those in syndicated magazines followed each report as new updates followed. It seemed things were getting worse. Hundreds of deaths were reported. There were speculations that it would soon hit the thousands.
Then one day, nothing.
Not only did it stop, but it was like a dream, one of such little note that everyone had forgotten. No mention of it in the news. No mention of it in passing, between people on the street, strangers, colleagues, kids on the playground.
Two months pass. Still nothing.
It was almost like it never happened. Or, at least, one would have thought, given the lack of focus on it. But it wouldn't make any sense for it to have been imagined. All those patients in the hospitals. All the coverage. All the deaths. All reduced to the imagination. For everyone to forget what had transpired defied logic, just like the incident itself.
An imagined infection. Or would it be more fair to say an imagined epidemic? A plague set forth by a notion that gave way to the real thing. But not the real thing, no. Only an illness borne of the thought of an illness. Contradiction giving way to deaths, spread out from city to city. Town to town.
Word travels fast. Thoughts, faster. Word spreads, infecting others who happen to be in the vicinity. Sweet taste of panic swallowed down one's throat.
Yet, forgotten. Just like that.
#mass hysteria#listeria#listeriosis#psychological horror#horror#short stories#writing#writers on tumblr#pictures squared#medical horror
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