[SOUL] - The Roche Limit

"A unique convergence of elements...gave a stubborn soul one last chance at revenge."

Marx | Sectonia | Fecto Elfilis

If it’s ok, could we get a small clip of the next chapter?

Sure!....which story?

Um, here’s one for all of them. It’s long (very, very long) so I’m putting it under “Read More”

(All story segments are not fully edited and may change)

Tooru Oikawa and the Triwizard Tournament

Yamaguchi squinted towards the other side of the Great Hall. “So have they….made up now?”

A few tables down, Kageyama and Hinata seemed to be in the middle of a very loud and very spirited argument on whether condiments could ever count as side dishes. Grievous insults to intelligence had been made and threats of murder were likewise issued.

“I think so.” Ennoshita didn’t sound confident.

Hinata attempted to tackle Kageyama off of his bench.

“But, they’re still not playing together for Quidditch,” Yamaguchi confirmed

Kageyama shoved an apple in Hinata’s face.

Asahi watched wide-eyed. “They said they couldn’t yet.”

A resulting debate over the term 'breakfast fruit’ emerged. It was somehow even more heated.

“But, they’re not fighting?” Yamaguchi had to confirm.

“Suga says they aren’t,” Daichi said.

They had now decided to share the apple. Yachi beamed from beside them. Lev booed.

Yamaguchi decided there and then. “I’m never going to understand their relationship.”

“They’re idiots,’ Tsukishima concluded.

And, thus, the most watched and highly contentious fight of the entire school year--Tournament included--finally came to its baffling end.

--------

After the Fall of Olympus

(Sorry, it’s a depressing one--partly because I can’t take out much from the chapter without giving away a really major spoiler that’s revealed in the first scene)

Dick and Donna have this thing they do. 

It started maybe three years after the invasion, before Kory’s ship landed, and when everything was still raw but finally slowly trying to get better. 

They’d been in the tower alone, both on monitor duty, when Donna had turned to him and out of the blue asked, “Dick, tell me about Wally West?”

“What,” Dick had asked, too surprised even to feel the pain that sharply.

“You and Roy mention him every now and then. He was your best friend, right? I want to know more about him.”

Dick had just stared. Stared until Donna had admitted in a too quiet voice. “I’m tired of not being able to talk about them.”

So Dick had talked. At the start, it wasn’t even about anything important. Just about what a huge chemistry nerd Wally was. How he flirted with girls non-stop. The time he’d tried to phase through a wall and got half way through before panicking. And then, slowly, Dick moved on to important things. When Dick first told him his secret identity. How Wally had wanted to grow up to be just like his uncle. What Dick had felt when he saw his body.

Donna talked, too. About her sister. About growing up with Diana, about the numb shock watching her death on the news, about wondering if her sister would be proud of her and the a million and one times she was scared of living up to the reputation.

It became a routine. Not every day. Not even every few months. But, now and again, one of them would seek the other out and Donna would talk about Diana or some of her other Amazonian teachers lost in the invasion and Dick would talk about Wally and M’gann and Artemis and Connor and Kaldur and….and Bruce. One time, Dick even talked about Superman.

They talked and the pain didn’t go away--not fully, not ever--but eased until they felt like they could breathe again, until they could remember a past that was colored by more than just the pain of their deaths.

-------

Walking With My Eyes Open

Gen wasn’t a kind man; he was pragmatic.  And he’d long decided he’d do absolutely anything, sink to any kind of low, be however ruthless he needed if it meant saving Senkuu’s life. 

So….

Decisions, decisions.

He shredded a petal under his nails and tossed it down.

“Gen?” A blonde head popped up beside him. “What are you doing?”

He smiled, making sure it was a soft one despite his mood. Because he absolutely believed in playing favorites and when it came to the village--to his entire life, actually--it wasn’t hard to guess the people that rested on top.

Suika smiled back, a glimpse of bright blue eyes shining through the shadows of her mask. Then, she tilted her head and lowered her voice. “Are you hiding from work?”

Gen laughed, pressing a finger to his lips. “Maybe a bit. Don’t tell on me, okay?” He winked. “Besides, I was considering some options. Thinking counts as work, too, doesn’t it?”

Suika nodded, glancing down at the growing pile of mangled petals then to the daisy Gen was still steadily demolishing. “And the flowers are helping you think?”

Actually, Gen had just been feeling murderous towards flowers lately. Call it enacting justice vicariously.

“Not particularly.” He picked up another flower from beside him and instead of shredding it, started to fold. “You’re right. I think there’s a better use for these.”

A few more quick movements and he wove a flower bracelet, just small enough to slip over Suika’s wrist. 

Her grin brightened, looking at it like it was the next great marvel--so, at least Gen had accomplished one thing today.

“It’s so pretty,” Suika said, looking up to see it closer. “And the flowers are so close together. Can you teach me?”

“Sure, once we get some more flowers.” He picked up the last one, winding his fingers around the stem. “You know, now that you mention it. There is an old game about flowers and decisions. Want to hear it?”

Suika sat patiently in front of him, eyes fixed on the daisy because of course, she wanted to learn. What other village could this be?

“It’s very simple.” Gen counted off with one hand, flower in the other. “Two phrases, you pick a petal on each and the one you land on is your answer.” Gen picked a petal. “He loves me.” Another petal. “He loves me not….” 

Suika gave a small gasp. “Flowers can tell you if someone’s in love?”

Gen didn’t laugh because he knew it would be bitter.

“No,” he said quietly. “It’s just a game. Back before--ah, before even me and Senkuu, that is--ladies would play it to see if their beloved would ever return their affections. It’s silly.”

“So…,” Suika thought a bit, “it’s like a wish, then?”

“I think I’m using it more as a hex,” Gen muttered as he got to the last petal and glared.

He loves me.

Well, fuck. 

Gen supposed that’s what he deserved for trusting flowers.

He gave his largest, most theatrical sigh for Suika’s sake. “Ahhh, Suika-chan, look at that! It seems like I lost. More’s the pity for me!”

Suika grinned up at him, hopping to her feet and wrapping her arms around his hips. “It’s okay! I still love you.”

Gen patted her head, smiling despite himself.

“Maybe you were using the wrong flower,” Suika told him.

“Could be.”

“I’ll go get more,” Suika promised. “Then, you can find one that’ll work.”

“More flowers is a good idea,” Gen agreed. “But, I think I’m tired of this game. Why don’t I teach you how to make the best flower crowns in the entire stone world? Then, we’ll both have to be the most beloved people in the whole village, won’t we?”

Immediately, Suika ran off to the woods and Gen watched her go.

At least, flowers could do good somewhere. 

He looked down at the mangled flowers. A daisy, purity and innocence.

With a shift of his heel, he ground them a little further into the ground..

Flowers were an awfully pointless thing to blame; but, Gen was petty and they were easier than the alternative.

Still. He taught Suika how to make flower crowns and when she pressed one last bloom into his hand, so excited to find the last one of the season, he took it like his heart hadn’t plunged to his feet.

It was hard to look at black nightshade and forget it was a poison.

-------

Call Me Your Home At Night

(Note: very, very subject to edit. Part of the reason this one has taken awhile is rewrites while I work on tone)

Atsumu was shouting--voice tinny over the phone speakers--and Hinata’s blender was doing its best impressions of death throes while Hinata frantically tried to keep both the chord at the one angle it worked and hold the blender’s lid down so the entire kitchen didn’t end up coated in a weird grey mix of protein shake and bananas. Again. For the fifth time. 

In other words, it was a normal morning. 

From the part of his mind that noticed these things, Hinata thought it was kinda funny that Atsumu had learned to time his complaining to coordinate with the aggressive disaster that was Hinata’s morning routine.

Like the world’s weirdest symphony, the opposite of harmonizing. A disharmony! That was it!

“Seriously, what the fuck is a ward court and how is it different than a family court? Why do we even need two courts for divorce? Huh? Why not just shove a paper at us and have it done!” Atsumu’s voice got increasingly petulant. “Shouyou, it’s like the entire country is trying to keep good, decent people married! Why does it hate us?”

It was a close call; but, in a competition between one aggravated setter on speaker phone and the relentless whirring of the cheapest blender Hinata could find on the internet, Atsumu still managed to fight his way through.

Hinata gave the phone a sympathetic look even if he knew Atsumu couldn’t see it. He turned off the defeated foe and mentally crowned Atsumu the winner of Disharmony 2016: Blender vs. Atsumu edition. Not that he had much doubt. 

“Find anything you like with grounds for divorce?”

Atsumu grumbled which meant no.

Then, Atsumu huffed which meant no and the world wasn’t fair!

So, apparently, divorce was harder than it looked. Actually, a lot of things about this “being married” thing were more complicated than they thought and, in the month since they’d been technically married, Hinata had frequently and strongly fantasized about grabbing his past self by the shoulders and shaking him while screaming ‘WHY?!’ right at his face.

Like taxes!

Who knew how to do taxes? Who knew that taxes were apparently due this month? Including married people taxes which apparently were more complicated and had things like joint filing or separate and dependants and a bunch of other words that Hinata still didn’t understand completely. It wasn’t like he could ask his Mom for help after everything or even beg Yachi or Kenma like usual because that would bring up the whole marriage thing and, ugh, no, no, no, no.

Hinata was pretty sure he and Atsumu had figured it out. Enough, at least. Getting arrested for tax evasion seemed like something that only happened on the news so it was probably fine.

Uh, so, yeah, between the whole moving to Brazil thing and figuring out stuff like rent and utilities and meeting the indoor volleyball team he’d be working with plus some of the beach volleyball players and trying to get his new roommate Pedro to talk to him about things other than laundry and groceries and trying to remember the difference between bolo and bola and finding a job and Atsumu dealing with MSBY promotion stuff and interviews and getting ready for pro-volleyball next season and then them both having to deal with stuff like taxes and still being weirded out about all the accidental wedding stuff in general, they…..well, they hadn’t gotten much done about the whole divorce thing.

Okay, more like they’d gotten exactly one thing done and that was figuring out a time to freak out about all the things they hadn’t gotten done. The good news was that the exactly twelve hour time difference was sorta perfect since it meant Hinata got back from his morning jog about the same time Atsumu came home for dinner, which meant that quickly became their agreed time to call with updates.

….which usually tailed off into both of them talking about volleyball instead because volleyball was a whole lot more fun.

Hinata very carefully pushed aside the resulting mental montage of sand scraping along his arms on a missed receive and feet sinking into the ground and landing face first in burning sand that was happening way more than he’d expected.

Hinata shook his head, scraping the not-very-blended protein shake out of his blender. “I’ll try to look some stuff up this afternoon.”

“Isn’t your laptop still being screwy?”

“...Maybe.” It was more like Hinata’s ancient laptop had given a sudden death kneel--complete with hisses and the screen flashing--and Hinata was sorta scared he’d get electrocuted if he even touched it. “I’ll use my phone.”

“I could just buy you a laptop, you know,” Atsumu muttered. It wasn’t the first time; Hinata even knew his next line.

Hinata grinned. “That’s really sweet, Atsumu. Absolutely not, you’re already doing enough of the research anyway.”

“Shut up,” Atsumu grumbled. “I am not sweet, this is a trade. Your laptop’s a piece of crap, like actually the worst and I--like any normal human being--am doing my part in putting it out of its misery. Basic compassion right here.”

“But, I don’t need a new laptop,” Hinata insisted like he always did. “I’ve got my phone. That’ll work until I get a job.”

Which he was totally going to get. Soon, too. It was just a little harder than he thought when he didn’t really have a great grip on the language yet.

“Hinata, I’m begging you as a friend here, please don’t resort to selling your organs on the black market.”

Hinata rolled his eyes. “I would never do that. I need them for volleyball.”

“Is that seriously the only reason?”

“Think about how long surgery recovery would take,” Hinata teased. “I only have two years here.”

“I worry about you. Like fundamentally.”

Hinata tilted his head. “But what if I could get like super organs instead.”

“Like Terminator?”

“Yeah! I’m pretty sure I read a manga where that happened once.” He paused. “Oh my gosh, Atsumu, imagine how amazing volleyball would be with superpowers!”

“There’s no way the V.League would approve that.” Atsumu breathed in. “But, what if…”

“I’d get super speed,” Hinata broke in excitedly, “or maybe flying. Oh, or super strength! Imagine hitting a spike with super strength!”

“Awesome!” Atsumu’s voice was speeding up. “What if I had one of those specialty powers like super precision or something! It could get around so many blockers; Suna would be so pissed off! I could set the ball anywhere!”

Hinata huffed. “You already do that.”

Atsumu broke off, sounding pleased. “Really?”

“Of course,” Hinata said. “Hey, wait, how was practice? You got to meet the new libero, right?”

“Yeah, Inunaki--he’s pretty cool. He was mainly working with--” Atsumu cut off, “Fuck, Shou, I gotta tell you about this thing Barnes and I did!”

Atsumu started rambling--words choppy and quick as he got deeper into the retelling of practice in a way that had Hinata hanging off every word. In an abstract sense, Hinata knew that he himself was a people person; he’d always been good at making friends and deeply appreciated every single one he was able to hang onto.

He’d never had a friend like Atsumu.

-------

Shuffling the Deck

(Since it’s late, have an entire opening scene)

ooooooo- 30 Years Prior -ooooooo

Once there was a girl who grew up with her grandmother in a barely patched house, closed in by cliffs.

She was a quiet girl, a pretty face and delicate hands always kept clean despite the threadbare clothes that hung more like rags. The girl did not like to play with the other children which was fitting as they didn’t much like to play with her either.

Instead, she liked to read.

And, more than that, she liked to watch the garden.

Which is what she chose to do, one day at eight years old on the same morning a prominent merchant staggered in to see her grandmother--a terrible illness spreading through his veins and blood in his cough.

The girl was fine with blood but didn’t care for coughing so she stayed exactly where she was, laying on her stomach with head propped in hands while she took in the delicate threads of a spider web.

She always thought the webs were the prettiest part of the garden. They were so very thin and frail that one could barely notice them until they got up close. And, then, once they saw them, they could see the patterns and shapes so carefully woven as if by an artisan.

Sometimes, she even saw the spider. 

Sometimes, she tried to get it to crawl to her hand.

 It never did though. No matter what she did. The spider was too cautious, too scared of what it believed had power over it.

That was how spiders worked, really. They spun their masterpieces with so much care and precision and, then, they waited patiently for the art to be observed.

The girl was not the only one who found the spider web this morning.

A fly had come across the threads first--likely by accident but the girl liked to imagine that it was the beauty that had drawn the fly in the same as it had done her.

She wondered if the fly still appreciated the art of the web.

It was still alive.

She watched it struggle. Its wings beat uselessly, its many legs trapped in the delicate threads, and a buzzing cry sounding so frantic for such a small creature.

For a moment, she debated on saving it.

She could, of course.

But, that would mean tearing down the gorgeous web that she adored.

But, that would mean the spider may starve and there would be no new web tomorrow.

And, besides, why did she care about dirtying her hands for the sake of a dying fly.

The door of the cottage opened and the girl glanced up idly.

The merchant was stumbling out, gratitude and lavish promises on his breath and a healthy glow back in his cheeks. Her grandmother was smiling kindly, accepting the praise yet turning down the offers same as she always did until eventually the merchant went away.

The girl looked back to the web.

The fly was dead, quickly being wrapped up by the spider to save for later.

She turned back to her grandmother. “He was rich, you know? I heard the other kids talking about him in town. His shipping business goes all the way up to the wealthy islands in the north. If you let him do even half the things he offered, we could live in a mansion and you wouldn’t have to hurt your fingers so much mending clothes.” The tone wasn’t accusing, merely curious. “Why did you say no?”

“Oh, my dear,” Her grandmother leaned down to kiss her hair and the girl allowed it, “because our powers are a gift. They’re not meant to be hoarded and offered for a price. They’re meant to be shared. Besides,” the woman sighed as she watched the road, “what kind of price would that be? Who would I be to demand it? Those who are desperate--for their lives, for those they love--would pay anything. They’d do anything. Who could ever put a price on such a weight? It’s beyond human measure.” 

She smiled down at her granddaughter. “Do you understand, my darling Mimi?”

Maemi frowned before nodding, looking down at the spider web. 

“Yes, I understand.”

There was no way to know what would have happened if the old woman took up the merchant’s offer. Likely she never would have. She was not that type of person. All that there was to know is that the grandmother and the little girl remained at the patched up cottage, just like they had the girl’s whole life and her grandmother’s life before hers.

They were there six months later when the oceans swelled and brought the waves into shore. 

They were not both there after.

Six months later, a man and a girl waded through water as they searched a broken down cottage for survivors.

Well, the man searched at least.

The girl had stopped beside a tree, tall and strong enough to survive a tsunami.

On the bottom branch, at the lowest hanging twig, was a spider’s web just barely managing not to be swept into the water.

The spider was still alive.

But, it wouldn’t be for long.

It struggled, trying to climb up faster even as the bottom of its beautiful web was destroyed by the current.

For a moment, she debated on saving it.

She could, of course.

So, she did.

She snapped a twig from another branch and held it out for the spider to crawl, too. It did willingly, anything to avoid the water below.

It had never crawled to her hand before.

Not like it did now when it was desperate for life.

Maemi watched her dear spider crawl into her open hand.

And, then, she plunged her hand into the water and watched her dear spider drown.

“Yes, grandmother, I understand completely.”

And They Called Her Cotera

First Meetings-Exterminated Malice

Well I’ve had this fic done for awhile now. I just never actually got around to posting it here. The only reason that I’m splitting this into more parts is because if I don’t I think my computer might die on me. 

Description: A Hylian, a Great Fairy and Wolf. Who would’ve known that the combination would become such great friends

A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003776/chapters/68594853

They used to call her The Great Fairy. 

They used to call her a blessing, a gift. 

And to some, she was even called a sister. 

But most importantly, they used to call her Cotera. 

Long ago, The Great Fairy Cotera was a powerful fairy, capable of a great deal of magic. Tourists, travelers and villagers alike would come to give her offerings of rupees to fuel her powers. 

Some, she recalled, asked her to bless their clothing, others asked to heal the sick. Some came just to see the breathtaking sight that was her fountain. After all, Cotera’s home was by far the easiest to travel to for most Hylians.

For the longest time, it was just her and her sisters, Kaysa, Mija and Tera. That was until the Calamity hit, when malice started ravaging the land. 

Cotera did her best to keep the land around her safe, but even she was powerless against the destruction. Once the visitors stopped completely, she was resigned to what felt like eternity in her fountain, the fairy bud closing around her, blocking out all the light. Until one day, she wasn’t. 

The first time that she met Link, he was confused. He stumbled up to the platform, and Cotera decided that that moment might be her only chance to be free once again. So, she stuck out her bejeweled hand, and spoke.

“Boy,” She addressed, and saw the boy’s back stiffen, a hand flying to his sword, which hung loosely on the back of his Hylian Tunic. Seeing the tunic’s design, she supposed that style had to change a bit over 100 years. 

“Sweet boy… please… listen to my story,” The hero’s eyes widened, and he hesitantly nodded, his body still tense with fear. “I am the Great Fairy Cotera… this place was once a beautiful spring… but as time passed, fewer and fewer travelers arrived to offer me rupees. As a result, my power has abandoned me. I’m nearly powerless now, so I beg your help. I need rupees to become whole again,”

The boy hesitantly took his hand off of his sword, and pulled down his hood. His face was horrendously scarred, twisting on the left side of his face, onto his ear and down his neck, presumably onto the rest of his body. Cotera’s heart cracked at the sight. He looked like he had been through so much, and Cotera silently sent a prayer to the Goddess to spare him from anything else.

“All I need is 100 rupees… once my power has been restored, I can help you do great things, boy. Now, if you have rupees, hand them over to me. Quickly!” Cotera held her large hand out even further, trying to prompt the child. “In order to regain my power all I need is 100 rupees,”

The boy nodded again, and reached into a Sheikah device, one that Cotera identified as the Sheikah Slate, carried by the princess and her knight. It, however, didn’t matter to her whether he was the hero or not, he had what she needed. Eventually, he held out a small bag, radiating with the magic of rupees, and Cotera swiftly snatched it up. 

“Thank you, you are too kind,” She mused. As the power started shifting the flower bud, she smiled. It thrummed with the familiar feel of magic, spreading through her body, all the way to her fingertips. “Ah, the power, it’s overflowing!”

And with that, the bud opened with a puff of purple smoke, its giant leaves dropping down to the ground, displaying a little pond with golden birds on the sides. The boy stumbled back and fell onto the ground, staring up in shock as the water rumbled and Cotera emerged, back to her full glory once more. 

The fairy stretched, not hesitating to admit to herself that it felt good to be back, her sparkling jewelry clinking against each other. Remembering the child before her, she leaned her arm on the side of her fountain, and gazed down at the little one. 

“Oh, what a feeling! That first breath of fresh air after an eternity of decay… it’s just so intoxicating!” Cotera exclaimed, and giggled as the boy stumbled to his feet, staring in wonder at the magic that took place before him. “Thanks to you, I’ve been returned to my former glory. And as they say- one good turn deserves another. I can help you, boy,”

“Allow me to enhance your clothing. It’s the least I can do, but I will need the necessary materials. With the power available to me… I should be able to enhance your clothing a little bit,” The boy thought for a moment, and then nodded eagerly, forgetting his former hesitance. “Which clothing item would you like me to enhance?”

Pulling out his Sheikah slate once more, the boy looked at a screen, one that had three articles of clothing on it, some tattered clothes, and what looked suspiciously like a warm doublet. He frowned to himself, before pointing to the Hylian armor he was wearing, adorned with a red tunic underneath, and a few belts on top of it, matching nicely with the tan trousers and the dark hood. 

“Yes, I think I can enhance the Hylian Tunic, but it’ll require five bokoblin horns,” Cotera nodded, and watched as the now excited boy placed five monster parts into her hand. “All right, let me do my thing!” 

The fairy brushed away her blonde hair, fixed her bracelets, and examined the bokoblin horns with big blue eyes. Then, she crushed them easily in between her fingers and rubbed her hands together, before holding them up to her lips and blowing the powder in a stream of magic at the little Hylian.

He shivered at first, but then smiled at the funny feeling and even giggled, a rough sound, but one that made Cotera smile nevertheless, even if his smile did pull at his scars. 

“All finished! Just a bit stronger now… oh, you’ve heard about set bonuses, right? How a set of clothes that have all been enhanced twice could have a bonus? But only if you wear the whole set! Well, and not all sets have a bonus… do you want me to enhance anything else?” Cotera offered, and the boy stared with wide eyes, absorbing every piece of new information. He nodded vigorously, and Cotera took pleasure in enhancing all the clothing she could. 

And after she was finished, she smiled as she watched the hero pick some blue nightshade flowers, sniffed the iron ironshrooms, and held a silent princess in his hands like it was the most precious thing he’s ever held. 

“Now little one, I’ve forgotten to ask, what is your name?” Cotera questioned as the boy started to wave goodbye. He stiffened, before signing. 

“L-I-N-K,” He spelled out, and Cotera nodded. Could he not speak? The Great Fairy shook off her surprise.

“Well, Link, I hope to see you again,” She giggled, and grew a Silent Princess in her hands, before gently placing it behind the ear of the hero, who couldn’t help but beam. He waved goodbye, and Cotera decided that she liked this child.

**********

The second time she saw Link, he seemed a bit more weary than before. His eyes bore bags, and his steps were a little more sluggish. But still, the hooded figure walked up the platform to the fountain, and Cotera showed herself once more, emerging in a flush of magic that seemed to brighten his mood.

“Ah, welcome back boy. Do you want me to enhance any more of your clothing?” She offered, cracking her knuckles in preparation. It had been three weeks since she had seen Link, so Cotera was prepared to enhance. “With the power available to me… I can enhance your clothing to the max!” 

That seemed to perk him up even more, and he nodded excitedly. He had more clothing this time, stuff like a set of Sheikah Stealth Gear, some Knight’s Armor, and more notable, a blue tunic, embroidered with white stitching in the shape of a sword. The Champion’s Tunic. 

Can you enhance this? He signed, holding out parts of the stealth set, jarring Cotera from her thoughts. 

“I think I can enhance the Stealth Chest Guard. It will need five Blue Nightshade, though,” Cotera added, and Link nodded, handing the clothing and materials over. 

Link watched with interest as Cotera plucked the flowers from the stems, and crushed each one in between her fingers, sprinkling it onto the blue tunic. Now holding stems, she rolled them in between her fingers, and finished adding the magic, rubbing her hands together and blowing the leftover materials at the Link, who giggled as the magic seeped into the land around him, practically making the earth glow. 

“All finished! Do you want me to enhance any of your other clothes?” Cotera asked, and the two went through the lengthy process of upgrading whatever they could, finishing a level on the Stealth set, half of one on the Knight Armor, and another level on the Hylian set. 

“I think I can enhance the Hylian Trousers. I just need eight bokoblin horns and five bokoblin fangs, little one,” It was at the end of the process, with the piece of armor that Link had deemed the ‘last one’. Cotera, however, noticed something else she could upgrade. 

As in their routine, Cotera crushed the monster parts, and embedded them into the clothing, kissing her finger and then planting it onto his head. Link scratched his neck sheepishly. 

“Thank you, Cotera,” Link signed, and started to leave, before Cotera said something.

“Are you sure? I can still enhance more of your clothing,” She offered, and Link hesitated, before nodding. “The Champion’s Tunic, I believe. I wonder, why don’t you wear it? It is yours, after all,”

Link stiffened, and shook his head. Cotera hummed. 

“Well, don’t worry. I understand if you don’t want to tell me, but you should at least rest. It’s very late, you know,” The fairy insisted, and the boy thought it over, before nodding and setting out a bedroll for the night, making a little campfire to cook a small dinner. 

As he laid down, he didn’t seem to notice the smaller fairies blessing him as they went by. Cotera hummed, catching his attention, so he rolled over to face her. 

“Whatever is with that Champion’s Tunic, I do have to say, blue would look quite flattering on you,” She informed, holding up a finger in an intellectual sort-of-way. Link smiled a sleepy smile before falling asleep, the fairies resting in his hood now that he was out. Cotera knew that they had something to do with the boy falling asleep so easily. The Great Fairy could easily tell that most of his nights were not restful.

Most excitingly, he had already made a small effect on the amount of visitors she had at her fountain. An older man named Pikango had visited, saying that Link had gifted him with a few stamina elixirs, ones that allowed him to make the trek. He had stayed the day, insisting that he needed to finish his painting. Cotera laughed at that, saying that she didn’t mind, that she never got much company. 

Another visitor, a little girl named Cottla, had gotten lost in the woods while playing hide-and-seeks with her mother. She was enamored by the beautiful fairy, and enjoyed playing with her for the day until Cotera directed her home. 

So, in thanks, instead of her own sleep, Cotera decided that she would stay on the surface of her fountain that night, making sure that the little hero got the rest that he deserved. Besides, it was a pleasure that he decided to visit, and she hoped that he would come again soon.

**********

Not long after, one of the Divine Beasts was freed. Cotera could sense the malice retreating, and knew that Link was the reason behind it. Of course she knew about Mipha, and worried about the health of her friend. Besides, whatever had defeated such a powerful Zora princess was bound to be strong.

When Link returned, he was wearing a different set of armor, one that had the trademark blue and silver of the Zora. His hood was still on, but Cotera could tell that he was stronger than before, from the way he walked to the way he climbed the steps to his fountain.

“Welcome back, Link. I see you have some new armor. Is there anything that you would like me to enhance?” Cotera beamed, and Link pulled down his hood, smiling sheepishly. 

Do you think you could? He signed, and the fairy nodded. He scrolled through his slate, and brought out his Champion’s Tunic, much to her surprise. 

“I thought that you didn’t want to enhance this?” Cotera asked innocently, making the boy stiffen slightly.

“It’s what I wore in my memories, and I think I trust you enough to make it more durable. I’m afraid that it’ll tear,” Link explained, and Cotera smiled. 

“Well, I think I can enhance the Champion’s Tunic, I’ll need three Silent Princess,” The fairy listed, and the champion handed her the materials to use. 

“Thanks,” 

“Now, if I may, what armor are you wearing now? It looks quite special,” Cotera mused while she embedded the magic into the blue shirt. Link looked startled, before smiling to himself.

“The Zora King said that Mipha made it for me. It’s a sign of-“ His hands faltered. “A sign of engagement,”

“Well, then it’s very special indeed. But let’s get off of depressing topics, what adventures did you have in Zora’s Domain?” Cotera asked before handing the Champion’s Tunic back to Link, who sat down while he brought out his other clothes, ready to tell a story.

“Well, I was trying to get to Lanayru Tower, and when I got to the top, there was a Zora there. His name is Gruve, and he looked like a human fish! I’ve never seen a Zora before!” Link started, and stopped for a moment to continue searching for the necessary materials to upgrade a little bit of his gear. “He told me that he fell asleep there and got stuck on the tower since it rose from the ground. He told me to go to a bridge, and that their Prince Sidon was looking for a Hylian Warrior,”

“Sidon, you say?” Cotera snatched the materials and continued with her work. “Last time I heard about him, he was just a little guppy!” 

“He’s super nice, and he’s huge too! He took the rivers while I took the trail, and it took him all the way to the Domain before someone told him that I was the hero,” Link frowned for a moment, but shook it off. “It didn’t change his opinion, though. He was a lot nicer than the others, too. They blamed me for everything. I can’t blame them though. It kinda was my fault,”

“Now, boy, don’t say that. They can’t blame you for something you don’t remember. Don’t let them get to you. They’re just upset, and they lost someone important,” Cotera advised, and finished enhancing the clothes. Link nodded, but the fairy got the sense that the boy didn’t really believe her. “Well, what happened next?”

“Then, I had to go get shock arrows, but no one had any. They said it was because one of them could kill a Zora, so then…” Link launched into the rest of the story, finding it easy to talk to the Great Fairy, who laughed and followed along with pleasure. 

“So there’s a shrine right in the center of the Domain?” Cotera inquired curiously after hearing the rest of the story. Link nodded. “Don’t forget to pay Sidon visits, then. It’s always nice to keep in touch with a friend. Just like we’re doing now!” 

“You think I’m a friend?” The hero asked, and Cotera grinned.

“Of course! I do enjoy your visits, after all,” She promised, and Link smiled back. “Was I your first friend?” 

“I think. I don’t know much about having friends,” 

“Hmm, we’ll have to do something about that. Sidon is your friend, right? By the way you describe him, he seems friendly. Have you met any nice people in Kakariko or Hateno?” Cotera inquired. Link shrugged.

“Not really. I met you before I met Sidon. Impa is nice, but she seems more interested in who I was then instead of me now,” He decided after a minute of thinking. “Do animals count as friends?” 

“Why of course they do,” 

“Then my first friend was a wolf. He didn’t come here, though. I actually don’t know where he is,”

“Why not invite him then? Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, little one,” Cotera insisted, and before the two knew it, a large wolf had materialized in front of them, a green hue surrounding it’s grey fur, and it looked up at Cotera startling blue eyes.

Link gasped in surprise before hugging the creature, who barked in response. Cotera laughed, a loud sound, startling the pair. 

“Why, you sure are quite the friend. Different from any wolf I’ve ever seen!” It was obvious that the wolf was a spirit, and Cotera has a feeling that it had something to do with the hero before him. Whether the champion knew this or not, Cotera wasn’t going to pry any further. 

“This is Wolfie!” Link signed eagerly, presenting the wolf like it was prized cattle. It didn’t seem to mind, however. Instead, it darted around Link’s feet, and pressed it’s snout into the hero’s hand. 

Even though the wolf was a spirit, it radiated magic, different from any magic that Cotera had ever seen. She could only guess why the best didn’t want to appear there. 

“We should probably get going now,” Link said as if he suddenly remembered something. Cotera frowned. 

“Going so soon?” She pouted, and Link nodded. “Well, can’t be helped, I guess. Be safe, boy,” 

Wolfie barked, making the two giggle. 

“I guess you must’ve been reckless then, based on this little one’s response,” She declared, and the wolf huffed, turning it’s snout away in indignation. It was odd to see such a human-like gesture come from an animal, but it got the point across nevertheless. “Don’t worry, Wolfie. Link seems much more comfortable than he was when he first came here, now doesn’t he?” 

The wolf growled slightly, and Cotera laughed. 

“Don’t be like that!” Link signed, quietly laughing before waving. “We’ll come back soon!” 

As Link ran off, the wolf stayed behind, nodding his head in gratitude towards the fairy. The Great Fairy smiled sadly.

“Now, keep an eye on that one. He needs to learn to live again. Wouldn’t you say the same, hero?” Cotera said, and the wolf’s form flickered before shifting into that of a Hylian, one wearing a pelt around his shoulders, strange marking that mirrored the wolf’s on his face. 

The Hylian nodded, smiling, before shifting back into the wolf and chasing the champion. And so Cotera returned to her fountain, the laughter of the little hero still echoing through the woods.

Batbear to the Rescue || Bri & Morgan

TIMING: Present PARTIES: @mor-beck-more-problems & @honeybugbearbri SUMMARY: A hunter tries to capture and kill Morgan and Bri comes to the rescue. 

Bri found it funny the way hunters worked. Always so concentrated on their prey that they forgot how quickly they themselves could become the prey. She’d been watching Jack for a few days now, ever since she saw him stake a vampire outside Nightshade. That simply wouldn’t do. It was easy enough to keep somewhat on his trail, get a feel of his routine, and slightly play with his reality. Men like that, they never dreamed that they could be on the other side of it all. They thought they were the biggest predators out there and their own ego would be their downfall. He was in her forest now, her domain, stalking after some girl who seemed to be hunting a rabbit. Brianne knew she must have been some sort of undead, but that mattered little. The priority was turning this hunter into her own trophy. She lurked quietly behind the trees, waiting for him to spring into action.

Morgan was reluctant to call Remmy the moment she felt herself coming a little too unglued. They had only just started talking again, and this wasn’t a disaster of a day. This was just a time when the nothing of the world around her grated, when she felt the pull of the death-pit inside her a little harder than she had the last few days. And dammit, she didn’t want to go straight back into bed, or worse, the floor. Remmy said to keep trying. So, while Deirdre was out, Morgan returned to the woods. She was hoping to practice the lessons Ulfric had given her, but the smell of death was distracting her. It was just the right kind, she could tell by spotting it in the distance. Not too fresh, not too rotted. Morgan turned her attention away from her live prey and towards another. She didn’t even have to be quiet. Morgan leapt--and felt a stiff wire around her neck, yanking her onto her back. Morgan scrambled, kicking her feet uselessly at the grass. She didn’t even think about calling for help. Who would hear her? Who even knew where she was? Morgan tugged at the wire, her fingers slipping on the smooth cording, scrambling for purchase. She pawed back, searching for the rest of the lasso. The person on the other end tugged, dragging her across the ground. Morgan tilted her head back, eyes pinballing through the woods in panic. She couldn’t see anything. Just a shadow. A no one shadow.

“Don’t fight,” they said. “You’re only gonna make this harder on yourself.”

Morgan squeaked, grunted mutely. The cord was digging too deep into her neck for her to speak.

Any suspicions she had that Jack had been on the hunt were confirmed when Bri saw him attack. As he sprung to capture the woman with some sort of cord, her body shifted and Bri felt herself become larger than life. With a roar, she leapt for the distracted hunter, claws tearing into his sides. The pitiful little yelp that came out of his mouth was music to her ears. The bear looked him straight in the eye, loving how palpable the fear radiating off of him was. His grip on the wire he was using to trap the undead woman loosened and fell from his hands. A quick paw swiped it away from him, leaving gashes in his hand, as he tried to reach for it again. With a booming roar, Bri lowered her now bear shaped head right into his face. The fear coming off of him was delicious. The righteous poetic justice of watching the wretched man realize he had become her prey. If bears could smile, her grin would be wide as she could smell the stink of urine on him. Jack really was quite easily frightened. Seemed surprising giving his occupation, but when faced with the reality of death, they were all the same. As he whimpered, she slashed her claws into his throat and watched the blood pool into the grass beneath him. Confident he was dead, the bear backed away from the hunter’s body. Jack was effectively dead and she contemplated finishing off a bottle of Jack Daniels. She could place his teeth and smaller bones inside once she finished. It’d make a great centerpiece. A true bottle of Jack. Sensing the girl’s eyes on her, she focused on shifting back to her now nude human form. She quizzically looked the other woman over. “Are you hurt?”

Morgan felt the cord loosen first. Whimpering like a frightened animal, she tugged and clawed at it wildly until she could get it over her head and as far away from her as she could throw it. It was a fucking metal lasso, like the kind they used in zoos for the big cats. Morgan touched her throat, grimacing with a horror she hadn’t felt before. Her stomach tightened. Fuck, was she going to be sick? She backed away. She couldn’t remember where the dead rabbit was, which way she’d come from, where she’d put her phone in her pocket. She fumbled to pat herself as she backed away, but her hands were shaking too much to dig through anything. When she heard a strange voice, she cried out, backing further away. This was--not the scary murderer in the woods. Mostly because the scary murderer, and his stakes and sword were on the ground. So-- “Who are you?” Wait. She’d asked her a question first. Right? “U-uh…” It was a little hard to speak. “I’m fine. I’m...not hurt. I can’t...really get hurt anymore. Mostly.” But it was hard drawing enough air in to speak. Her throat ached. “Where did you come from?”

Bri looked at her with narrow, quizzical eyes. It was clear she was in pain, but she supposed it would heal quickly considering what she was. Her questions were valid, it wasn’t every day a bear came out of the woodwork and killed an undead hunter before your eyes. Catching wind of these guys was rare for her. Most of her collection had been werewolf hunters, but she always believed variety to be a virtue. Plus, now the woman before her could go about her way and hopefully stir fear in those around her. As she answered, Bri crossed her arms over her bare chest and answered, “I’m Bri. I live closeby. I do these woods a service and keep them as hunter free as I’m able.” Looking her over, it was clear she was going to be okay. The undead had a way of healing quickly. “I’m glad you’re okay. A hunter victory is a loss for all of us.” With a slightly sinister grin, she said, “Why? Did I startle you?” With a gesture over to a cluster of trees, she answered, “From over there. I’ve been trying to keep tabs on this one since I saw him stake a vampire outside of Nightshade. He wasn’t quite so brave in the face of fear itself it seems.”

Bri was taking all of this very weirdly in stride for Morgan. Just standing naked in the woods and talking about the woods and asking questions like why and what’s up. Just another day in the life of...whatever she was. Morgan didn’t know where to put her eyes. Looking at the person talking to you good, gawking at naked women, bad. No winning here, and Morgan’s brain was still frazzled from how suddenly the world had literally fallen out from under her, how quickly she could’ve been chopped or caged away from the life she was just barely getting a grip on. Morgan risked a look down at the body. Not much of a looker anymore, but he didn’t seem familiar. “I don’t think I even know that guy,” she said faintly. “How does that even work? When did he meet me?” What did hunters like him do? Prowl the woods for zombies looking for dead critters? Because that was super threatening. “H-hunter victory,” she repeated. “That’s...that’s a thing. The thing that almost but didn’t happen. Right. Um...no, not startled, exactly, I think that started somewhere around the wire noose in the middle of what I really thought were deserted woods.” She swallowed, touching her throat again. Then risked an awkward ‘promise I’m not a creepy lesbian staring at you naked’ look in her general direction. “Thank you. For saving me. That was...I mean, you don’t even know me. And, um, sorry, my brain is lagging with the sudden near second-death--I’m assuming you know, somehow, I’m already kind of dead, and if not, weeeell--um, but: what is Nightshade? And can I--get you anything. Do anything or...whatever, for the random rescue favor? Do you do this a lot or something?”

Nudity was no stranger to Brianne. It was never something she really thought much of until seeing more of the human world. For bugbears and she had to imagine for other shifters, being naked was not something that was inherently sexual. It was just a natural state, the most natural if you were constantly shifting between bear and human forms. Her short stints of socializing did help her learn most others were uncomfortable with nakedness, whether it be their own or the nakedness of others. “You can look at me,” she remarked, “I was just a bear, societal norms mean little to me.” Bri supposed if she was still uncomfortable, that was her own deal. As expected, she had a lot of questions. “It’s hard to tell if he had been previously tracking you or not. I had been tracking him which was quite easy. He was overconfident.” She looked down to Jack, he looked like a work of art the way he was mangled on the grass. If she could paint, she’d paint Jack as he was right now. Her shoulders shrugged as she looked back to the undead woman, “I gathered as much. I presume undead seeing as dear Jack here was after you.” She listened momentarily as the other woman seemed to gather her bearings and asked more questions. It was understandable, some lesser man had just tried to turn her into prey with a cowardly metal lasso. With narrow eyes studying her, she answered, “Nightshade is the farmer’s market in town. It’s a nighttime market that’s open on Friday’s. I’m a beekeeper, I have a stand there called Honey Bri. You don’t owe me anything, I take joy in bringing hunters to justice. I’m Bri, a bugbear if you were curious about the whole bear thing.”

“Just a what?” Morgan was so surprised she looked Bri square in the face, trying to understand. “Did you say bear? Like...uh...a real bear? A bear who’s sometimes a person or a person who’s sometimes a bear?” She went on, something about tracking the hunter, or the hunter tracking her, she couldn’t keep track of which was which. When had she been tracked? Had someone really reported ‘woman playing dead in the cemetery’ to the police? Were there creepy pictures of her yoinking her arm out of its socket with Jane? Morgan started to tally up her outings in her head, trying to figure out how few pieces someone might need to put together who she was, what she was. “Honey Bri,” she mumbled, coming out of her thoughts. “I’ve never been to...there. The uh, Nightshade Market. I thought there was just...the normal farmer’s market.” She stared at the woman again. She had definitely, definitely said something about bringing hunters to justice. And not through giving them a good talking-to, but murder in the woods kind of justice. Morgan’s insides were still clenched with fear, but she couldn’t help being relieved. She would have wanted this to happen to him. It was what he deserved, dragging her across the forest floor like a mangy animal. But Bri had done it with so much calm. She wasn’t even breaking a sweat. And yet the thing Morgan could summon the words for was, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what bugbear means.”

“A bear,” Bri deadpanned. At the visible still very present confusion, she cackled slightly, She supposed her kind wasn’t as well known as most among the supernatural community. “Both, I suppose. Some bugbears live their lives mostly in bear form, others live mostly in human form. Depends on who you ask. I live mostly as a human. Still am very comfortable with nudity considering I transition between forms often.” She quietly allowed time for the woman to process what had just happened. Near death experiences seemed to throw most for a loop. Learning of a new species was probably also a bit on the strange side, especially if she was new to life as a zombie. Bri’s head was tilted as she watched her process everything. “Nightshade is a night time market that’s open on Friday’s. You can find ordinary stuff there as well as some out of the ordinary things. If you think of it, you can probably find it there. My stand is straightforward though- it’s honey and beeswax candles. I just like bees so I keep them.” She shook her head lightly, the woman was still disoriented and likely still hungry. “Yes, a bugbear. That’s what I am. I eat fear, spook people, and turn into a bear sometimes. The stopping hunters from killing people like you is more of a personal hobby.”

Processing was coming a little easier. Morgan caught the part where Bri’s ratio of animal-to-human was more fifty-fifty than, say, Ricky’s. She understood about the appetite, and how that might open some doors to aggressive tendencies, friendly as she seemed now. “Oh, like a Mara. Only...not. Okay. That’s neat.” She caught the part where Nightshade was a supernatural farmer’s market, and Bri smelled beeswax candles, and had enough brain cells working together to suppose it might be a good thing that she was only finding out about this after she’d lost the magic to compete with her. Bri didn’t seem the type to take kindly to a monkey’s paw. The part where Bri was some sort of superhero vigilante gave her more pause. She wasn’t sure why someone fighting back or helping strangers was the hardest thing to believe since she’d moved here, but it boggled her mind enough to fill her with a distressed wonder. “That’s...I mean, that’s kind of amazing, but...well, don’t you...don’t they ever try to hurt you back? Don’t you ever get scared about what they’ll do? I mean, not that I’m not grateful that I’m not—” she gestured vaguely to the hunter’s body. “Like that. Or in the back of some truck or being cut up for bone goo—” her voice trembled as the wide variety of potential awful started to sink in. “I just mean. That could be you too. That’s a lot to do for someone you don’t know.”

It seemed the initial shock of being hunted was starting to wear off. Bri nodded slowly at the mention of mara. She was familiar with them, primarily because of the shifts she’d pick up every so often at Misery Manor, but she found some of them to be a bit uppity. She paid little attention to their superiority complex. “Not quite. Similar in feeding on fear, but still different. Most mara and bugbears wouldn’t like to be compared. I don’t care much, but there is a little bit of rivalry there.” Bri found her question to be funny. Fear wasn’t something she experienced herself, but she craved other’s fears. Hunting hunters was dangerous from time to time, but it was rewarding work. There was a certain satisfaction that came with snuffing out someone who would choose to eliminate the supernatural altogether if they had the choice. As if they didn’t have the right to exist in their true nature. Whether it was safe was of little concern. Her body shifted as she shrugged and the light crack of twigs beneath her bare feet could be heard. “Nothing scares me. I’ve gotten hurt a few times, but I do not fear pain or death. They’re part of life. Most of the time, they don’t suspect someone is tracking them on their hunts and they don’t typically look for my kind.” While Bri felt righteous in her ways, she wasn’t quite sure how to accept the thanks. It didn’t feel like much. Jack had been easy enough to take down as a bear with the element of surprise. Her head shook slightly, “Don’t worry about it. I’d rather see you alive than Jack here.” She bent down to examine his body. The only part she really cared to save for herself was his teeth. She turned back to Morgan, “Would you care for his brain? I have little use for it.”

“Well...jinkies, Bri,” Morgan said, somewhat at a loss. “I guess that makes you the hero Gotham needs. And a heck of a lot better to look at than Batman.” A little wry humor always helped her keep her balanced on the edge when she thought she might fall over. And, well, this was as on the edge as she’d been since she’d died. Morgan dusted herself off again and backed away from the body. She’d had enough of a taste of what the hunter was capable of  by feeling its wire rope around her. She didn’t want to know what his taste in music was, what sports he liked, how much of a person he’d been, and still hurt her like she was nothing. “I’m good,” she said. “I don’t...do that, not a lot, anyway. But I don’t think I’d want to feel someone like that inside of me anyways. Chop it up for the scavengers to eat, if you want it to go to use.” She swallowed thickly, searching for her footpath out and heading that way. “Even if you say I don’t owe you, I’ll find you, maybe? At the market, or...around. You’re a good person, you know. I hope there’s someone who looks out for you too.”

Bri blinked slowly. She had never really thought of herself as Batman. The only reason she’d even seen any of the films was because the Joker had a certain level of appeal though Harley Quinn was the far greater figure in the movie. She’d rather be Harley Quinn than Batman, but she supposed she could understand the comparison. “Thank you… I guess I am a bit of a vigilante of sorts. I would hope so, but then I don’t find men to be very… appealing to look at it.” She could hardly blame Morgan for not lowering herself to eat hunter brains. There had to be some sort of contagion for their staunch superiority complexes. Still, she felt the need to offer since the woman hadn’t gotten a proper meal. Then she was on about making it up to her. That wasn’t why she did this, but she wouldn’t mind seeing Morgan again. “You really don’t owe me, but I’d love to have you by the stand sometime. I can introduce you to my friend, Glen. His stand has some… things that may suit your appetite. Be safe out there, friend.”  

The Seer & The Wolf - Ch. 3

             Emrys found her a room, practically a replica of the one she had stayed in at the temple in Varesh, and Kestra fell into the routine of the fortress. She trained with the sentries in the mornings before breakfast, and ended up teaching them some new techniques. As much as she hated war, she was good at it, and every time she had arrived in a new kingdom she had joined the military. It was an easy way to gain food and shelter. As a result her training was varied and she could employ several different styles with ease. She was rather surprised to find that she liked teaching others how to fight, offering encouragement and showing off, just a bit. Malakai kept her on the second shift of the watch for a month, sending her out on patrol with other sentries until she knew the area surrounding the fortress. When he learned she could shift, and that her other form was a wolf, he switched her to third shift, night patrol.

             She learned, through her own observation and from Emrys and Evalin, that most of the residents of Mistward had been there for years. All demi-Fae. Some of them had come for training, to see if they would ever qualify as eligible to live in Doranelle per Maeves’ requirements; most of them just came looking for a home where they’d be accepted, instead of feared or seen as less than. Kestra didn’t really have anything to offer Evalins project of equality for the demi-Fae, but she listened whenever Evalin spoke about it. Letting her bounce ideas off of her, offering up tidbits of information she remembered from other kingdoms.

             Every night, after dinner but before her watch started, she and Evalin would find seats together in the kitchen to listen as Emrys spun tale after tale. Kestra had never met a Story Keeper before and she found herself impressed with his ability to remember so many stories. Some of them were familiar to her, having read them in Narenes library or heard them from Narene herself. A few of the scarier ones had been told to her in secret by her adopted brothers, intended to frighten her enough to keep her from following them around. It had never worked.

             Three months after Kestra had arrived, she and Evalin were sitting in the kitchen waiting for the stories to start, when one of the younger Fae males requested an old story about a Seer. Kestra stilled as Emrys began. She knew this story. It had been one of her favorites as a child, even though it was bone chilling. She adjusted her seat, leaning as far back into the few shadows as she could, trying to shrink into herself. Emrys was describing the Seer, Kylara, in detail: fair skin that would darken to honey in the sun, grey eyes that could shimmer like silver when she laughed… Emrys glanced right at Kestra and smoothly moved on with the story.

             Kestra kept staring at him as she slowly, so slowy, made herself relax. Story Keepers didn’t forget anything, yet, he had left out the description of Kylara’s hair. A description which would have damned Kestra, for that ancient Seer’s hair had been a riot of purple and violet hues interspersed with honey blonde. Just like Kestras. In the years since she had left Doranelle she had kept her hair dyed a dark brown, stealing dye bricks whenever she was out of money. But Mistward wasn’t near any markets, and she knew her roots had been growing back in. She had hoped no one had noticed, and had started wearing a scarf around her head. But clearly, Emrys at least knew who she was. She needed to get out of here.

             She flinched when a hand brushed hers, but it was only Evalin, gesturing up the stairs. Kestra nodded and followed her out of the kitchen.

 ***

             Evalin went straight to her own room, larger than Kestra’s, and outfitted with an ancient four-poster bed, two nightstands, a worktable, a dresser, and an attached bathing chamber. She shut the door behind them, and listened at it for a moment before turning to Kestra. The princess stepped closer to her, and the next moment they were surrounded by a wall of water.

             “No one can hear us,” Evalin said, by way of explanation. Kestra just gaped at her. At the water. She tentatively reached a hand out and touched a finger to the water, watching the ripples spread out. Evalin quietly added, “Mab was my grandmother.”

             Kestra looked back at the princess. Her friend, she realized. Somehow, during the last few months she’d begun to think of Evalin as a friend. She hadn’t had many. And she’d had to leave all of them behind. Every. Single. One. Kestra realized, suddenly, that she didn’t want to walk away from this one. She didn’t want to run anymore. She still didn’t want to be discovered, but… running was lonely. No one can hear us, she had said. Kestra took a breath.

             “Kylara was mine.”

             Evalin just waited, watching her. After a moment Kestra continued, “My name is Kestra Nightshade. I’m a Seer, like every female in my family. Ever.”

             “What are you hiding from?”

             “Maeve.” Evalin’s eyes widened and Kestra added quickly, “She’s not looking for me. When I was 15 I had a vision. Of what would happen, what my life would be like, if Maeve ever… collected… my power.” Kestra swallowed. “That was 65 years ago, and I still have nightmares about it.”

             “What happened?”

             “I fled. I – I’ve been running ever since.” Kestra sighed. “It’s… exhausting.”

             Evalin watched her for a moment, then glanced through the water wall to the worktable. There were papers and letters and pens scattered across it. When she met Kestra’s gaze again there was something like determination in her eyes. “I have a proposition for you.”

             “What?” Kestra asked warily.

             “There is a delegation arriving in Verese next month, from Terrasen. In Erilea. My father wants me home to greet them. If you come with me, I’ll convince them to take you with them when they go home.”

             “What?”

             “Terrasen is far away from Maeve. And you wouldn’t have to stay in that kingdom. You could go all the way to Antica in the Southern Continent, if you want. We’ll tell the sentries here, and the guards in Varese, that you came as my personal escort.”

             “What?”

             “Is that all you’re going to say?” Evalin asked, wrily.

             “Why are you helping me?”

             Evalin shrugged, “You’re my friend.”

             “I lied to you.”

             “You had a good reason. So? Are you coming? I have to leave in three days.”

             Kestra stared at her for a moment longer, then huffed a laugh. “Of course, I’m coming. Do I look stupid?”

             Evalin’s eyes sparkled as she grinned. “I mean, you came here.” Then she let go of her magic and dropped the water on both of them.

 ***

             Kestra and Evalin stood in the courtyard at dawn three days later, waiting for the stable-hands to bring out the princess’s horse. They both had their hoods up against a light drizzle. Emrys was trying to hand them both more food, even though their packs were already bursting with supplies. Kestra was blinking against the rain, trying to shake off a vision she’d been having for the last few nights. Her visions were usually clear and easy to read, but this one was just confusing. In it, a white wolf – the White Wolf – was racing a white-tailed hawk toward a wall of fire. The wolf reached the flames first, disappearing into them. And then darkness fell. That was it. Nothing else.

             Emrys and Malakai finished their goodbyes and luck-wishing and turned to go back into the fortress as the stable-boys finally brought Evalin’s horse out. She was vaguely aware of Evalin mounting behind her, but her attention had caught on motion in the trees outside the warding stones. A white-tailed hawk soared through the gate in the wards, into the courtyard and shifted, landing as a Fae warrior male. Kestra felt Evalin stiffen behind her, even as Malakai turned to greet the warrior. Two memories clanged through her. One from a battlefield far away, Silver hair, green eyes, a tattoo down the left side of his face, Keina had said. And one from Emrys’s tales about Maeve’s personal warriors, Prince Rowan Whitethorn, whose animal form is a white-tailed hawk.

             She heard Evalin hiss Keina! behind her, but she was already moving. Before he’d taken three steps, Kestra was in front of him, blocking his way. “I was given a message for you, Prince.”

             He cast an annoyed glance from her face, to her hands, noting she held nothing. His green eyes met hers again, definitely annoyed. “Yes?”

             “A Vareshi Seer told me that if I should ever see you, I was to tell you not to let the wolf near the fire.” He continued looking at her, saying nothing, and she lowered her eyes to the ground submissively. Let a little bit of fear color her scent. “She did not say when it would be relevant.”

             The warrior Prince snorted and stepped past her, taking a breath through his nose as he continued toward Malakai. Kestra wasted no time moving back to where Evalin sat on her horse, waiting.

             “Are you insane?” she hissed. “Do you know who that is?!”

             “Go,” Kestra breathed. Evalin immediately turned her horse and walked it through the gate the Prince had just passed through, continuing up the path. She shifted into her wolf form, and glanced back over her shoulder. The Prince was watching her, his nostrils flared and his brows drawn together like he was trying to place her scent. She quickly turned away and followed Evalin. Apparently the answer to her friend’s question was, yes. Yes, she was clearly insane for having passed a vision on to one of Maeve’s personal warriors. Kestra thought she would be lucky if her stupidity merely got her killed.

Whumptober day 10

Continuing for David & Nia. Read shaky hands, gunpoint, dragged away, isolation, stab wound, and shackled

I just couldn’t swing the storyline I wanted with the prompt for today, so this is one of two swaps I’m making for prompts. I’ll do the actual day 10 prompt on the 15th. 

Prompt: scars

AO3

Cw: non-consensual partial nudity. It’s not explicitly (or even really subtlely) sexual

Nia watched as Graylan drew closer with the blade. She tried not to flinch as he placed his hand gently around her throat. He seemed fascinated by the marks already on her neck. He drew the knife over them, tracing the line with the blade. He flicked his eyes to hers, grinning when he saw the fear there.

“Are you wondering how I’m going to kill you?”

Nia sighed. “This again.”

“Forgive me, it’s been on my mind.” His hand moved to her hair. He snapped her head back, exposing the pulse in her neck. He watched it speed up. He rested the tip of the blade against the skin and watched the knife jump with each beat. “Throw out suggestions if you have any.”

“I’ve always been partial to the whole ‘old age’ routine myself.”

Graylan removed the knife and leaned back, looking at her disapprovingly. “There’s no way you can convince me you honestly believed you were going to get old in this job.”

She swallowed. I always knew I was going to die with this job. Just not like this.

“Well then tell me how you always imagined going out,” he said. “I’m sure you’ve thought about it.”

“Oh yeah, loads of times. Before I got promoted to the team I got caught in a mission that went sideways. Almost got nailed by a car when the target spooked and ran. I thought I was going to die with David when I first met your sorry ass.” Graylan tipped his head cordially. “Then I thought I was going to die in the fire I started. I thought I was going to die when your people took David and I with them to execute us. I was sure I was going to die when they shot me in the back.” Her breath hitched at the memory. Why am I telling him all this?

Watching him as he looked at her, she realized the bizarre intimacy she felt with him. He is going to take my life. Here in this room. Death had never been a certainty before. She had always been able to fight, to make it out alive, even if David was carrying her out. Now…it was hopeless and she knew it. She was going to die at his hand. He was going to shoot her in the head or cut her throat or choke the life out of her. He was going to watch the life drain out of her onto the floor. He knew it as well as she did.

Graylan seemed distracted by a mark on her face. As his eyes bored into her, she knew he was staring at a scar on her cheek. “I want to know what I’m working with here,” he said. “Tell me about your scars.”

“My…what?”

“Your scars. I know you have a lot of them. I want to know about how you got them. Let’s start with this one.” His finger stroked the small, star-shaped scar on her cheek.

“That one I got the day you tried to steal that black box.” She tried not to let the memories of the pain invade her mind. “After I started the fire one of your men shot me. As I was reaching for a gun, he missed and hit the floor. A shard of linoleum hit me in the face.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “And this one?” He drew his finger down a thin scar starting just below her ear and running down her neck. She shivered at the touch, her stomach roiling with disgust. This is better than him hurting me.

“Got held hostage on my first mission as a field agent. He was jumpy and wasn’t very careful with the knife.”

He ran his hand up the length of her left arm from her shoulder. “This?” He ran his fingers over several scars scoring her upper arm.

“Car crash. We had a rapid exfil and they drove our car off the road.”

He touched a region of pocked scars on her forearm. “This?”

“That’s from the explosion I caused.”

He moved his hand to her right wrist and began to draw his hand down towards her elbow. “This one I think I remember,” he said, his fingers pressing into the through-and-through scarring her right forearm like a stigmata. “Carson gave you this one, I think.” Graylan turned to Carson, who was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. His lips jumped into a flash of a smile and he nodded. “I bet that doesn’t help with your savior complex at all.”

Nia’s lip curled. “Hilarious.”

His hand continued down to her shoulder. He caressed the scar there, just below the collarbone. “This one you got from yours truly. You took it like a champ.”

Nia couldn’t suppress that memory. The sound of the shot, the blood dripping on the floor, David’s scream. Despite herself, she whimpered.

“Ooh, sore subject for you?”

“You shot me, you idiot. Yeah, kinda sore about it still.” I just have to keep him amused. Keep him talking.

His hands traced along the back of her shoulder. “Aha. Here’s the surgery scar from that one.”

Graylan placed his hands on her waist and turned her. She stiffened. Her breath caught in her throat as Graylan pulled the hem of her shirt up, exposing her back. He pressed his knuckle into the now-healed scar just below her shoulder blade. It had healed, she knew, but it still felt tender as he increased the pressure. Her sharp intake of breath hissed between her teeth.

“That was a close one,” he murmured to her. “One inch up and it would have been your heart.”

“Well it ricocheted and took a chunk of my liver, so they did their best I guess. I would send the guys who did it a fruit basket, but they’re all dead.”

Graylan increased the pressure again. “I lose a lot of men whenever you and David are involved. Part of why I think this is only fair.”

She cringed away from the pain. He grabbed her around the waist and drove his knuckle into the scar. She bit down on her lips, trying to swallow the scream building in her chest.

He abruptly pulled his hand away from her back. “Sorry, got side tracked. Where were we?” His hand moved down her back until it reached the waistband of her pants. He paused, seeming to contemplate, before he rolled the waistband down.

Nia began to buck his hands. “No, Graylan,” she pleaded. “No no no…”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, relax,” he snapped at her. “I just want to see.” He unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down around her hips.

“No no no no no no no please,” she whimpered. “Stop…please…”

Ignoring her, Graylan moved his hands down her right leg. “Now this is interesting.” He brushed his fingers against the ropey scar puckering the skin right at the top of her leg. “How did this happen?”

She took a shaky gasp. “After the explosion…one of your men…shot me…”

“Right right, you mentioned. Damn, he couldn’t take you in even after this? How did you escape that one?”

“I killed him.”

Graylan looked impressed. “You get an A+ for resiliency. Or he just wasn’t that good.” His hand traveled down her leg as he pulled her pants all the way off. As he yanked them out from under her feet, she stumbled and her weight sagged against the cuffs. “Wow, here’s another one.” He stroked the scar on her calf. He didn’t seem to notice the high whimpers coming from Nia’s throat. “What’s this one from?”

“P…please…”

“Oh my god, Nia,” he straightened and struck her across the face. She gasped. “Chill out.”

She wiped her tears on the sleeves of her shirt and tried to compose herself. “It’s from the same man who shot me after the fire…”

“Jesus Christ, he shot you twice and still couldn’t bring you in? Christ that’s embarrassing.” He moved to her left calf. “Another GSW…and more surgery. What’s that all about?”

She gritted her teeth. “Same day I took a bullet to the back. They had to place pins in my leg.”

His hand continued up her leg. Finding nothing else, he stood. “Any that I missed?”

“I’ve got a few from shaving my legs if you wanna dive into those riveting stories, too.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Pass.” He took a step back, his eyes raking her up and down. “I think I can safely say you’ve been shot more times than anyone else I know and lived.”

“Fantastic. Where’s my gold star?”

His lips pulled up into a smile. “You know I’m going to up that number a few times before I kill you today, right?”

She paled.

“Did you forget what the plan is here?”

She swallowed. “I didn’t forget.”

“Great.” He closed the distance between them and drew his knife again. “Tell me about Operation Nightshade.” He placed the tip against her throat.

@whumptober2019

@untilthepainstarts

Next chapter

if you're still taking prompts, could you write something (maybe set in the future like post finale when they are ... happy at last) about the fact that alec's self-harming habit has come up again? (like in 3x16, and kinda in what he does with his hands at the end of 3x17 too). i feel like the show is not gonna bring it up again and i would love to read a fic where magnus & alec talk about it!

shed my skin, my scars(Read on AO3)

The mission went so wrong, so quickly, none of them had time to process what was happening until it was all over. The intel was bad and instead of just a demon or two the patrol Alec sent out on what should’ve been a routine mission found itself outnumbered by a clan of rogue vampires. They were down three men before they knew what hit them. By the time Alec arrived with back-up the patrol of 7 was a patrol of 3, and they lost half a dozen more after that.

It’s one of his first back after his and Magnus’ honeymoon - which Magnus had to practically beg him to take in the aftermath of everything with Jonathan and Asmodeus and a very long string of ‘what can go wrong, will’ messes to clean up. Things looked like they were finally settling down. He was happy. They were happy. So of course it couldn’t last forever.

“I’m just going to finish the report then notify the families. You can go,” Alec dismisses Jace who hesitates.

“It isn’t your fault, Alec. We all thought the Intel was solid.” “Yeah, I know.” Alec nods, but they both know he doesn’t agree.

“At least let me help. You don’t have to do this alone, Alec,” Jace insists, lingering by the door.

“No, it’s-” Alec sighs. “They were my responsibility. I’ll handle it.” Alec looks back down resolutely at the paperwork on his desk and ignore the unsure look on his parabatai’s face until he hears the click of the door closing.

A: Hey, this is going to take all night to wrap up, so I’m just going to crash here when I’m done. See you tomorrow, love you

He sends the text off to Magnus so that he doesn’t wait up for him, not wanting his husband to worry.

Alec finishes the filing. He makes all the calls, one after another, nine in a row. Each one breaks him a little further. Each one weighs a little heavier, hurts a little more. He feels guilty for not doing this in person but there are too many, it’d take all night and half the day tomorrow that way.

When he’s done he doesn’t go home - he goes to the training room, taking off his ring and placing it carefully to the side, but forgoing gloves or bandages as he starts on the bag. Slowly at first, hard and controlled, until the hits grow sloppy and desperate. They’re soon accompanied by sobs that sting his throat and tears which blur his vision of the splitting skin and bruising. He’s already exhausted from the fight and the fact that he’s been up for nearly 20 straight hours now, but exhausted is good. Exhausted is what he needs. Alec hits and kicks until he doesn’t think he’ll even have the energy to make it back up to his room and debates collapsing right there on the mat until he hears a voice at the door.

“Alec?” It’s Jace. Of course it is.

“Hey,” Alec huffs, reaching out to lean against the wall. He wipes the moisture from his face, not sure if it’s tears or sweat… probably both, before carefully shoving his hands into his pockets so Jace can’t see the extent of the damage. “What are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same question.”  His parabatai’s voice is suspicious. Alec knows Jace isn’t stupid, but Alec also knows that Jace isn’t about to come at him while he’s like this, either.

Alec glances at the clock on the wall and sees that it’s 4:00 in the morning. How late did stay up making the calls? How long had he been in this room?

“I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep,” he lies, quick to cover for either. Jace relaxes under the false belief that Alec at least got some rest, and some of the tension in Alec’s shoulders eases as well. As long as Jace doesn’t push this, as long as he doesn’t have to snap and get defensive, it’s fine for now. “But I’m actually pretty worn out now, so I’m going to shower and see if I can sneak another hour or two before morning patrol.”

Jace nods, watching as Alec wipes the bag down with a black towel he carries specifically so it won’t show the blood stains. Alec frowns lightly as he uses it - he didn’t plan on doing this, it just happened. Or at least, that’s what he tells himself, ignoring the fact that he subconsciously grabbed the black towel he hadn’t used in months, the one reserved for this very scenario.

Just a convenient coincidence, he tells himself, because he’s better now. This isn’t him any more, though the throbbing pain in his hands says otherwise, especially as he slides the ring back on over a swollen finger. He does nothing about it through the rest of the day’s training and missions, and only reluctantly allows Magnus to heal the worst of it when he goes over that night, the lie that the injury is fresh from patrol sliding past his lips with terrifying ease.

--- --- ---

“Jace, you’ll head the team canvassing the north end of the city. I’ve got the south. Everyone grab your weapons and get ready to roll out in ten.”

The group of Shadowhunters in front of him disperses, breaking off into their teams to strategize and pick the best weapons for this particular strain of demon infestation. It’s nothing more than a bitter warlock summoning nests of lesser demons to make their lives miserable, chaos for chaos’ sake, but it’s spread far enough that it takes half the institute to split up and cover the ground needed before things get out of hand.

Alec already has his bow and arrows in hand, and so he lingers in the Ops Center waiting until it’s time to go. He watches as everyone leaves except one person - Underhill stays behind, not going to the weapons room with everyone else straight away.

“Something wrong?” Alec asks. They’re on good terms - friends, Alec would go so far as to label them, though he hasn’t had enough of them to say for certain. But he doesn’t like the anxious look on Underhill’s face just then.

“May I be honest with you for a minute, Sir?”

Alec rolls his eyes. “If you’re calling me ‘Sir’ this can’t be good. You can always be honest with me, you know that.” “Right. In that case - I think you should sit this one out.” Underhill says, coming right out with it. His eyes flicker across Alec’s face, no doubt taking in the dark circles underneath his eyes, before dropping to where his hands rest at his sides with the slightest tremble from the amount of coffee he drank that morning to compensate for the lack of sleep he got the night before.

“And why would I do that?” Alec asks, growing immediately defensive, a flash of his eyes daring Underhill to say he’s unfit for duty.

“Because you didn’t come in from last night’s patrol until 3 am, and then you woke up at 5:30 to go out with the morning patrol at 6. And you tagged along with Nightshade’s group to handle that single rogue werewolf after lunch-”

“What are you, keeping tabs on me?”

“I’m Head of Security, Alec. I’d be a shit one if I didn’t keep tabs on who comes and goes, and that includes you. Tell me the last mission you dispatched without going along?”  The challenge in Underhill’s tone isn’t unwarranted after Alec’s initial defensiveness but it still rubs Alec the wrong way.

“Just because I’m the Head of the Institute doesn’t mean I have to live behind a desk,” Alec deflects, willing Underhill to drop the topic. He begins to fidget with the ring on his finger, twisting it back and forth between his fingers without realizing.

“Just because you’re the Head of the Institute doesn’t mean you have to be there to personally protect every Shadowhunter you send out. We all know the risks. What happened last week--”

“This isn’t about that.” Alec cuts him off, believing the words that leave his lips about as much as Underhill appears to.

“It is. You’re torturing yourself over this, Alec. You need to rest.” Underhill looks like he’s about to say much more than just that, except the first of Alec’s squad comes back from the weapons room before he can.

“Ready, Sir?” The Shadowhunter questions, and Alec nods.

“What I need,” Alec says to Underhill, ending this conversation in no uncertain terms. “Is to go lead my team. If you’ll excuse me.”  

He doesn’t look back, grabbing his stele to activate his stamina and endurance runes right off the bat - well aware that this isn’t the first time that day he’s used them, and positive it wouldn’t be the last.  

--- --- --- 

The following weeks draw on in a similar fashion. Alec spends longer hours at the Institute. He appears to be fine on the surface but that’s just because of the care he puts into keeping up appearances - gloves cover the bruising on his hands, long sleeves hide the marks from where his bow snaps back to sting his arm during practice and field work. He tells himself it’s because he’s too busy to stop and heal himself, that he’ll get to it later, except he never does.

That’s the same excuse he makes for eating, too. Always on the go, he tells Magnus in the morning as he skips breakfast to catch the morning patrol that he’ll eat at the Institute. Once he’s at the Institute he swears he’ll grab something on his way home from patrol. At some point of the day he’ll grab something to get through the day - a banana, a muffin, a mostly stale pretzel from a cart along the street - but if asked he’d be hard pressed to recall the last full meal he sat down to.

Or the last time he sat down at all.

He chalks it up to being busy and forgetting, nothing more. It isn’t a big deal.

He’s wrapping up a report to head back to Magnus’ for the night when Izzy stops him at the door to his office. “Want to grab dinner? I’m famished after a day of scouring the sewers.”

“Sorry, I’m heading over to Magnus’. I’ll eat there.”

Izzy sighs.  “Fine. Guess I’ll brave the cafeteria on my own.”

Alec laughs, shooing her away so he can finish getting ready. It’s about an hour later when he finally makes it to Magnus’, greeting his husband with a long, lingering kiss before collapsing onto the sofa.

“Please say you’re up for a night of cuddling and terrible reality television?” Alec half-suggests, half begs.

“Whatever you want, darling,” Magnus agrees easily, though a small frown catches on his face. “Are you hungry? I can cook some dinner first.”

“Not really,” he shrugs, settling into the sofa.

“Did you eat at the Institute?” Magnus prys, an eyebrow arched. Alec knows he should admit that he hadn’t, he’s pretty sure he grabbed a hotdog from a stand near the park that afternoon… or was that yesterday?... and a voice in the back of his head reminds him how much he loves Magnus’ cooking. But he’s tired. And he doesn’t have much of an appetite lately. He’s too exhausted to be hungry just then, and all he wants is to have Magnus wrap his arms around him for the evening. Is that so much to ask?

“Yeah,” he says, figuring it’s easier than explaining all of that. “I already ate.”

“Alright, then.” Magnus says, changing direction and heading back over to the sofa to join him where they both fall asleep somewhere in the middle of the second episode of a show they put on mostly for background noise.

And when he wakes up before the sunrise the following morning Alec slips out before breakfast without a second thought.

--- --- ---

A quick glance at the calendar shows him it’s been three weeks since the Mission Gone Wrong. He makes his third set of weekly check-in calls to the family. He doesn’t have to but he wants to, making sure they’re doing alright and asking if there’s anything they need. Anything at all he can do for them in the aftermath. He knows he can’t give them what they want, but he can do the next best thing. He owes it to them.

Each family says the same thing - that they’re fine. That these things happen. That it isn’t his fault.

Except that it is. Their loved ones died following his orders, on his watch. He should’ve been there. It wasn’t their oversight that sent everything sideways, it shouldn’t have been them to pay the price for his mistake, it should’ve been--

“Alec?”

He looks up to see Magnus opening the door to his office, sliding in quickly before shutting it behind him. The look of concern on Magnus’ immediately softened features is the first sign that something is wrong. It’s only when Magnus approaches him slowly, bringing a hand up to wipe away something from his cheek, that Alec realizes he was crying. “What are you doing here?” Alec asks, clearing his throat and forcing his lips to turn up at the corners.

“Checking in on my husband who was due home for dinner two hours ago,” Magnus states, but he doesn't sound mad about it, instead taking Alec’s hand to lead him away from the desk and over to the sofa for them to both sit down on. “Talk to me.”

Alec sighs. “It’s nothing. I’m fine, really.” His hands rest on his lap, thumb nail picking idly at an already split patch of skin on the side of his left hand, and both of their eyes fall on it at once. Alec snaps his hands back to his sides.

“Alec, please. Talk to me.” When Alec remains resolutely silent Magnus speaks again instead. “Then how about if I talk? Because I’m worried about you.”

“You don’t have to be. I told you, I’m fine-” Alec starts again, but this time Magnus cuts him off.

“I think you really believe that, which is what worries me the most. You haven’t let yourself rest long enough see what the rest of us have.”   

“The rest of you?” Alec asks, frowning.

“Maryse noticed you were losing a lot of weight lately, which is when Isabelle and I pieced together that you haven’t been eating anywhere. Or sleeping much. Or resting at all between missions. I should’ve realized when you kept coming home hurt--”

“No, this isn’t… you shouldn’t have noticed anything. I didn’t notice what I was doing, how the hell could you have?” Alec knows that isn’t entirely true, but he caught himself in moments, in bits and pieces of the whole. To hear it all thrown together like that is jarring, even for him.

Magnus doesn’t sound upset, and it’s the only thing that encourages Alec to lift his gaze up from where it rests stubbornly on his lap. “I noticed it before, when I didn’t have my magic… just little things here and there, and I thought maybe it was just a one-time thing so I let it go.  But ever since that mission you’ve been getting worse, and… I don’t know how to help you besides forcing you to acknowledge it. I know you don’t want to but I can’t just let you go on like this.”

Alec nods. “I’m sorry I worried you, Magnus, I-”

“Don’t apologize. That isn’t--” Magnus sighs in frustration. “I don’t know how to help without making you defensive. And I don’t want to push you away.”

“I don’t want to push you away, either” Alec agrees, realizing that’s exactly what he’s done. And not just to Magnus, but Jace and Izzy and the others as well. “I guess I haven’t been myself since that mission.” He knows he doesn’t have to say which mission he’s referring to.

“Or perhaps you’ve been entirely yourself since that night. Alec, you care so deeply for everyone around you. And you take your leadership position to heart - maybe more than someone who is bound to lose good men and women should. But you can’t just distract yourself and hope it goes away - and you can’t punish yourself the way that you do. Hurting yourself isn’t helping them.”

Alec knows that, on some deeper, rational level. But it doesn’t take away that it makes him feel better, at least in the moment, to hide behind the pain and self-inflicted punishment.  

“Do you want to talk about it?” Magnus asks again, but with everything out in the open and nothing left to dance around the question seems to hold that much more weight to it. Alec can’t lie and say he’s fine again this time.

“No,” Alec admits instead. “But I can try to anyway.”

It’s a small step, but an important one. He doesn’t talk about everything that night, not even close, but it’s enough that there are fresh tears stinging his eyes when he finishes and Magnus portals them both home for the night, not allowing Alec anywhere near the bedroom until after he eats a full meal. He gets a text from Jace (You weren’t in your office when I came to look for you. Good. If you’re late tomorrow that’s even better. Get some rest, man.) and, when he winces sliding into bed, reluctantly asks Magnus if he wouldn’t mind healing a few cuts from a demon’s claw he didn’t iratze away in time. Magnus agrees with unchecked enthusiasm.

They’re all little things but they feel so monumental. And maybe, Alec starts to realize, it doesn’t always have to be all-or-nothing. He doesn’t have to flip a switch from ‘not okay’ to ‘totally okay’, and that’s, well, okay. As long as he’s trying.

As long as he’s letting people catch him when he starts to slip.  

Because he isn’t alone in this, not by a long-shot; so long as he has Magnus to catch him Alec knows he never has to be afraid of falling.

Headcanons for team SPVM

Because I think I owe you an explaination

Team SPVM is a team of four students that attended Beacon around the same time as team STRQ.

Their members were Saffron Fallende (Stjerne's mother and the former Virgo bearer), Peach Blossom (currently a professor at Beacon Academy), Verusium Nightshade (Stjerne's Father) and Merlin Clementis (Logan's Uncle and the former Orion Bearer)

Team SPVM was close to team STRQ (well, most of them, anyway) and like them, got into all sorts of trouble.

They graduated alongside team STRQ and unlike them, split up to follow their own separate paths.

Peach stayed at Beacon another year to study to be a professor at Beacon Academy. Merlin started out as a Combat instructor at Signal. Saffron and Verusium both went on to work alongside Ozpin in his Circle group.

Saffron and Verusium had been staying in a shabby hotel in Vale. Unfortunately for them, the innkeeper had a dislike of huntsmen and huntresses and overcharged them to a point where all they could afford was to put food on the table.

When Saffron became pregnant with Stjerne, they didn't have enough funds to register into a hospital and get an ultrasound, so they didn't know whether Stjerne would be a boy or a girl. To make matters worse, the Innkeeper threatened to triple their rent, should they have their child at the inn.

Finally sick of all the backlash, Verusium started searching for another place to go, but had no success. Peach then jumped in and offered to let them stay at Beacon, to which they gladly accepted.

Stjerne was born on the same night Verusium and Saffron arrived at Beacon, about a month early from her original due date. Because she turned out to be a girl (obviously), Saffron expected that Stjerne would be the next one to receive Virgo Heritage (which she did)

A week after Stjerne was born, Verusium managed to sign up for a mission in the Mt. Glenn area. The mission was to investigate the old Merlot Industry building which was supposedly abandoned. Even though Verusium claimed that Merlin would go with him on the mission, Saffron was not eased and warned Verusium to be careful.

Three weeks after their mission, Verusium did not return, which started to worry Saffron. Two days after that, Merlin came back, with the confirmation that Verusium had died during the mission, due to the poisoning of the chemicals found in Merlot Industries.

Saffron fell into a deep state of depression for the next week, refusing to eat, or communicate with Peach or the other faculty members. During that time, Peach took care of Stjerne.

After her week of grieving and two years of raising Stjerne, Saffron started taking on dangerous missions that required her to be on the battlefield for at least 2-3 weeks at a time. During this time, Stjerne would either stay with a babysitter at her home in Vale, or with Peach at Beacon.

After at least a year and a half of Saffron's reckless mission routine, Peach, with Glynda's aid, managed to convince Ozpin to refuse giving Saffron missions for the next year and a half. Together, they convinced Saffron that she needed to stay alive for Stjerne and that she needed her. Saffron reluctnantly agreed and complied with her order.

During this time, Merlin, who had returned back to Atlas after Verusium's funeral, met and started courting Morgan La Fluer, a graduate of Atlas Academy. Two years later, they married. Unfortunately, Morgan was unable to have children, which deeply grieved the couple.

After a year and a half had passed, Saffron was taking Stjerne back to Beacon so that she could drop her off while she went to get her next mission from Ozpin. Unfortunately, Saffron was assailed on route and was brutally murdered. Stjerne barely managed to escape with Ozpin's aid. (Ozpin was randomly strolling around during that time).

Saffron was buried next to Verusium a week after her murder had taken place. Stjerne had already been taken in by Ozpin and the rest of the Beacon Faculty.

Around this time, Merlin and Morgan both start looking after Logan Clementis, since his parents were too concerned with his 4 older brothers.

Result: 2/4 members of team SPVM are still alive.

Hope these help!

@ozpinisms, @taiyang-too-long, @summer-rose-isms, @the-birbiest-birb, @doctoroobleck, anyone else who finds this interesting....

Hiatus Update

So I definitely need to get writing again, but first, I figured I owe you guys an explanation: why I stopped in the first place. The answer is twofold...

First, and this is a problem I’m sure we all have, I got a little burnt out. It happens, right? You spend so long thinking only about and working only on a specific thing, and eventually it gets draining. You need to reset. Hence, you go on hiatus, take a break, put the thing on the back burner and focus on something else for a while -- in my case, I focused on video games.

It’s very relaxing to play familiar games, knowing in advance what you’re doing and where you’re going. It was nice.

Second...it’s fucking summer. For non-desert-dwelling peeps, it’s absolute agony these days. My house has no insulation (read: no ability to hold in -- or keep out -- temperatures), a broken window in the bedroom, a huge window in the living room, and only one working window AC unit.

I live in a city where, every single motherfucking day from May till September, we routinely reach highs of over 100 Fahrenheit. That’s 37 Celsius for non-US residents.

The house becomes an oven. It’s miserable at best and unrelenting torture at worst. I cannot be in the computer room at all during the afternoon hours (generally noon till eight or nine). I just can’t. Even with a fan on me and another aiming the AC directly into this room, it’s just too much.

And it’s kinda hard to get any writing done when you can’t stand being in the room with your computer.

Most days I retreat to the living room, set up a mini fan, and just pass out in front of it. Lately we got smart enough to get a spray bottle that we fill with water to help offset the active cooking going on, but even that only works for so long. The water evaporates off our skin in seconds.

The kitchen is the worst area, largely cause I section it off from the rest of the house, knowing it’s a lost cause. Cans in the cupboard are hot. Like, you don’t even need to microwave those cans of soup; they’re already cooked. It brings to mind that old adage that says don’t open a door that’s hot to the touch, cause it means there’s fire on the other side.

Our walls are hot to the touch.

It doesn’t help that the mountain outside the city caught on fire a few weeks ago, either. It’s called the Woodbury fire and it’s officially the 5th largest fire in Arizona’s history; google it for more info. Sometimes the smoke is so thick it clouds the sky over the entire city, but it does nothing to block the heat, lemme tell you.

The worst part about all this is the fact that it didn’t use to be like this. I can distinctly remember having summers without air conditioning as a kid, and sometimes I would lay down in front of a fan, put on a blanket, and fall asleep, cause without the blanket it got too cold.

Now sweating buckets in front of a fan doesn’t do shit. There’s times it’s been too hot to sleep. Lest I need to say it: the climate has fucking changed.

I can’t take another summer like this, guys. Or, should I say, I refuse to. The husband finally agreed after me talking about it for literal years and now we’re talking about moving out before the end of next month. If that happens, well, there’ll be another hiatus as we get everything moved, and then I’ll hopefully be in a far better situation.

Just need to pick a place and all that.

Well, think that’s enough of an update. See you guys soon. ;)

- Nightshade

DEADLY NIGHTSHADE CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6: poldark  matter

It had truly been a traumatic morning for Caroline Penvenen.

She’d ambitiously worn a white pantsuit, to have coffee spilt down it from shaky hands. Today was the day she had to interview the Poldarks. Dwight had recused himself from the interviews so it was going to be intense. She had a niggling feeling they were innocent and this was pointless but the more ruthless side of her wanted to find something, anything to help solve this case. The envelope from the donor was not enough and she was starting to feel the pressure from her boss.

She was scribbling furiously on her notepad. Demelza.Ross. Sam. Will any of them know anything? It seemed unlikely as they really did seem like the wholesome family they seemed.

“Detective? There’s someone from the morgue here.” An officer was at her door, too early for her liking.

“Oh.” Caroline sighed in relief. “Let them in.” She hadn’t seen Dwight since Monday and it was Thursday now, probably the longest time they’d spent apart since the case began.

But, to Caroline’s dismay, a young, green looking girl was at the door in a white coat.

“Um, hello.” Caroline was taken aback. “Are you lost?”

“Oh no, Detective Penvenen. I’m Dr Rosina Hoblyn- I’m taking over from Dr Enys when he leaves the morgue.”

She looked thoroughly too young to be a doctor. “And where,” Caroline’s voice was a little uneven. “Is Dr Enys today?”

“Oh, he’s at the morgue. They just got a body in. But I believe he’s signed all the responsibility for this case over to me.”

Caroline was shaken. “Is that so?” This made no sense. She hadn’t had a text since Monday and wasn’t he supposed to be leaving after this case had ended? “When will Doctor Enys be leaving?”

“Oh, in about a week I expect.” Rosina replied innocently, but Caroline’s lips were pursed.

“Interesting.”

“Anyway, I thought I’d pop in and give you my number, in case you need any info about the body- I’m just a call away.” She popped a note on Caroline’s desk but Caroline was too taken aback to take any notice.

“Thank you, Dr Hoblyn.” She stuttered. “I look forward to working with you.”

Rosina left with a cheery wave but Caroline was left less than cheery. She felt like a used wet wipe. “What the fuck.” She whispered to herself.

And she was almost blessed that she was then interrupted by another officer at the door. “Your first witness is here, Detective.”

“Thanks.” She said weakly. She didn’t have time to think about this. She would bottle this up and never think about it again. She cleared her throat, put her hair in a ponytail and walked towards the interview room where Demelza Poldark was waiting with a huge grin on her face.

POLICE INTERVIEW WITH SUSPECT:

MS DEMELZA POLDARK (SISTER OF DRAKE CARNE (DC), POSSIBLE WITNESS): DP

DET. CAROLINE PENVENEN: CP

CP: Good morning, Ms Poldark.

DP: Morning! I’m excited to finally meet you.

CP: Um, could you tell me your whereabouts on the night in question between 5pm and midnight?

DP: I was at home with Drake, Sam and Ross. Sunday is family day!

CP: So I’ve heard. Do you hear often of Morwenna Whitworth?

DP: Not since her marriage. Osborne Whitworth is a monster though.

CP: Could you expand on that?

DP: I just have a sixth sense about it. Trust me there.

CP: Unfortunately your description will not hold up in a criminal case so if you know anything I would tell me or another officer immediately.

DP: I like you, you get to the point. But unfortunately I got nothing on them. But Drake really loved Morwenna you know.

CP: Did he have intention to marry her before her eventual marriage to Whitworth?

DP: Yes- but he has not a penny to his name really. I can see why her family were so keen for her to marry Whitworth.

CP: What makes you say that?

DP: Well George has limitless ambition but I’m sure you know from financial records, the Chynoweths have been in financial trouble for years- even before Elizabeth and George married.

CP: I actually didn’t subpoena the family bank account but I take this accusation seriously and look into it. You wouldn’t suggest that Morwenna was somehow sold to Whitworth?

DP: No, these rich families aren’t stupid. But the remaining Chynoweths are all women and they need them to marry safely. Someone with finances.

CP: Thank you Ms Poldark, you have been most helpful.

DP: The pleasure is all mine.

END OF INTERVIEW

Caroline filled out paperwork to subpoena the Chynoweth family bank account, and thought again to the monthly £1000 for Rowella. She sensed there was a more serious side to this case that she was yet to uncover, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“Bring in Ross Poldark please.” Caroline took a sip of her water.

POLICE INTERVIEW WITH SUSPECT:

MR ROSS POLDARK (BROTHER IN LAW OF DRAKE CARNE (DC), POSSIBLE WITNESS): RP

DET. CAROLINE PENVENEN: CP

CP: Detective Poldark, could you tell me where you were between 5pm and midnight on the night in question?

RP: I was at home and all my family could vouch for me.

CP: Any unusual activity from Drake Carne at all?

RP: I don’t think so. He always goes to the shop at around 7pm to buy some last minute dessert but I’m sure the cameras in the shop could pick that up.

CP: This is interesting as he told me he was in the house all night,

RP: Ah. It’s part of the routine though, so he probably thought nothing of it.

CP: Are you sure he was at the shop that night?

RP: Well I didn’t go with him, but he returned home with a chocolate trifle, earlier than usual.

CP: And what time would you say that was?

RP: Around half seven.

CP: How far is the Whitworths from yours? If you know?

RP: I’ve never been but I believe it’s a fifteen minute drive, but Drake always walks.

CP: Thank you Ross.

END OF INTERVIEW

Caroline submitted another form for security tape footage, but wondered if she’d reached a dead end here. She still had one interview left, but she really didn’t expect much of it at all.

POLICE INTERVIEW WITH SUSPECT:

MR SAMUEL CARNE (BROTHER OF DRAKE CARNE (DC), POSSIBLE WITNESS):SC

DET. CAROLINE PENVENEN: CP

CP: Mr Carne, could you tell me where you were on the night in question?

SC: I arrived at the house at 6pm, just in time for dinner.

CP: So a possible time bracket for the murder stretches into 5pm, could you tell me where you were then?

SC: I was at Church. I guess the congregation, but more importantly, the Lord, can vouch for me.

CP: Ok Mr Carne. Did you detect any unusual activity in your brother that night. Allegedly you two are very close.

SC: We are. (He clears his throat).

CP: Mr Carne, you haven’t answered the question.

SC: I’m afraid if I answer I might make my brother a suspect.

CP: I do advise if you know anything now, to tell the police.

SC: I feel I must tell you as a duty to the Lord.

CP: Whatever pleases you.

SC: Drake didn’t go to the shop that night. He never does. I mean, who takes half an hour to go to the shop that’s less than a five minute walk from the house. He just pops in on the way back.

CP: Where does he go every Sunday, Mr Carne?

SC: To Morwenna’s house. He’d climb up to her window all Romeo and Juliet style and speak to her.

CP: And you place him there the night of the murder?

SC: I don’t know where else he could’ve gone. You can’t blame Demelza and Ross, they know nothing of it.

CP: You’re allowed to state if they do, Mr Carne. You’re not under oath.

SC: I am, to God. That, is all I know and he was back earlier than usual.

CP: What time?

SC: 7.26pm

CP: Thank you Mr Carne, that will be all.

END OF INTERVIEW

Caroline sighed as soon as Sam Carne had left the room. She now had someone at the scene of the crime, from an outside household during the timeframe of the murder. The only problem that prevented Drake being the perfect suspect is that he had no motive. Why would you kill someone you loved that deeply? It made no sense.

She wished she had someone to bounce ideas off. She hadn’t been assigned a partner yet, despite being given this huge case. She realised she’d been using Dwight like a partner this whole time, never really asking what he thought of it all. Maybe this time apart had bought her back to what she did best. Solving a fucking crime.

But she’s already allocated time to go and visit Dwight in the morgue. She could disguise it as wanting to see Rosina.

The morgue was a mere ten minute walk, what could go too far wrong?

She packed her bag up and disguised it as her lunch break, setting a reminder to get Drake Carne back in. She was about to place it on her desk but already lying there was-

Another brown envelope, identical to the first. “Holy-” She picked it up. Whatever lay inside was folded into quarters and she opened it to find an A2 set of blueprints.

“What the fu-” It was blueprints of an extravagant garden, unlike any of the houses she’d searched. They’d have to have been rich to afford to maintain it, but it was only after a whole ten minutes of looking that she saw it.

The deadly nightshade bush.

In the corner, there was a creeping bush of deadly nightshade. Caroline scribbled on her jotter, folding it away quickly Have we just found the garden of the murderer?

She put the envelope in her bag for safekeeping, knowing she had to get away from this case for at least an hour or so.

She walked as fast as her Yves Saint Laurent heels would allow straight out of the precinct and over to the morgue building. Yet as she opened the door, she was suddenly hit with a wave of uncertainty. Was it really her place to come here anymore? Surely Dwight had distanced himself for a reason. She crept closer and closer to the doors of the main theatre, but suddenly she heard voices.

“Oh, by the way, I met Caroline,” A familiar female voice. Was that Demelza Poldark? “I kind of don’t know if I want to be her best friend or if I want to marry her or if I want her to stand on my throat. I don’t know what it is about a powerful woman.”

She then heard the familiar sound of Dwight’s laugh and she hated how warm it made her feel. “Caroline is confusing, to say the least.”

Caroline’s heart sunk a little but he continued. “That’s why I feel if I’m going to ever leave, I have to separate from her- otherwise it could get too personal.”

Ok, now she wanted to fucking sob. Any future she’d ever fantasised about with Verity had just been thrown back in her face. She felt nauseous and like she needed to leave, but she felt rooted to the floor.

“You’re an idiot Dwight,” Demelza replied in a sing songy voice, and Caroline was kind of annoyed at her flippancy but happy that someone was in her corner. “Girls like her don’t just come around.”

“Don’t you think I know that Demelza?” She had never heard Dwight sound like this before- she was absolutely shocked. “I’m sorry.” He apologised. “But I’ve got to put myself first.”

Before she could hear anymore, someone said her name. “Caroline?”

She whipped her head around to see Rosina. Literally the very last person she wanted to see. “Oh hey,”

“Are you lost?”

Caroline almost wanted to scoff. Her? Lost in the morgue? Please. But she had to think of something. “Nope. I’ve actually come to see you.” She said with (completely false) confidence.

“Well,” the young woman smiled, “Come on in then.”

@snakepitnet: obscure characters

i wish you could see the wicked truth caught up in a rush it's killing you

a continuation of the last meal

(click ‘keep reading’ or read on ao3)

London during the day can be something that seems ordinary and mundane, at the first glance, but to Lucian Bole it was something immeasurably extraordinary. Like any European city, it was a territory commandeered by sleek, modern skyscrapers and timeworn edifices alike, a metropolitan tug-of-war between the past and the present. However, London presented this vision with a twist. There was something more complex, more thorny about London. It was not a spontaneous conflict between the two disparate bodies; it was more like a brokered arrangement of a sort, a tailored compromise.

Everything about London was preternaturally neat, organised; things belonged where they belonged, in their own neighbourhoods of stereotypes, values, and norms. Yet these open demonstrations of identity seemed to imply that, beneath the obvious displays, existed something sinister and hidden; and that idea caused a visceral reaction of unease, curiosity, and excitement within Lucian. The emotion was multiplied threefold when Lucian wandered the streets in the evening, when all the proper markers and brands of the city disappeared into the muggy dark, and it seemed like secrets were swimming around him.

Which is why he preferred to work during the day, when his judgement was not obscured by the unseen shape of these prearranged mysteries, these exiled truths in the dark; when he could see what he was dealing with, and stay focused and objective.

The serenely flat, grey sky mirrored Lucian’s heart as he navigated his way through this city, a labyrinth with tall buildings for hedges, and he peered into the shadows cast around the city for his clues. His clear grey eyes darted around his surroundings swiftly, bouncing off glossy glass and rain-smoothed stone both, like sunlight deflecting off of water. It was not the look of a curious wanderer examining his path forward; it was not the look of a hero seeking to defend himself from the Minotaur within. It was the look of a hunter surveying his grounds.

Curling his lip, he bared a row of painfully white teeth; he passed a quick, sharp pink tongue over his ivory fangs. He would hunt tonight.

Carrying a briefcase in one hand and a folded umbrella in the other, Lucian sauntered into the British Library, his tan overcoat flapping behind him. The British Library was an august construction, its acute and precise contemporary style not making it seem less authoritative or respectable as an educational structure; the terracotta colour its exterior more evocative of the art of older worlds, than the aesthetics of the modern age.

He walked through the doors, into a large, airy expanse that stretched into another dimension entirely. Lucian took a deep breath, and breathed in the cool, clean scent of silence and good lighting. He found his way to his usual spot, in a corner of the library rarely accessed by the tourists who also tumbled in everyday in large and fumbling numbers. Lucian threaded through stacks and aisles with the familiarity of a resident, and the briskness of a shark through cold water. However, when he got to his usual desk, he noticed that someone else was sitting there.

Peregrine Derrick looked up from his book to stare at Lucian, his flinty brown eyes meeting Lucian’s slightly startled grey ones. Lucian also noticed that he had never seen Peregrine wear glasses before, and the sight disturbed him somewhat.

Peregrine closed his book deliberately.

‘What do you want?’ Lucian’s whisper came out a hiss. Peregrine took his feet off the desk -- of course, the ruffian never learnt how to sit with proper posture even whilst they were at Hogwarts -- and pushed himself away from the desk. He unfolded his spindly limbs with a certain degree of awkwardness, before collecting his book and then walking over to Lucian. With irritation, Lucian noticed that he did not bother to push the chair back in.

‘I want you to look this up for me,’ Peregrine said as he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and took out a ripped piece of paper, folded up haphazardly. Lucian accepted it and unfolded it; the weight and brightness of the paper suggested that it might have once been part of an envelope. In Peregrine’s untidy, stormy script was a single name. Agni.

‘Falcon, you know I’m here for a mission, right?’ Pansy was going to meet up with him soon -- in less than ten minutes -- and establish a legilimency link in order to supervise him. Peregrine can’t just shove another task onto --

'You’ll want to know, too,’ Peregrine said simply, staring down at Lucian. Now that he was standing up and half a head taller than Lucian, the shift in the elevation of their eye contact made Lucian feel annoyed. Though he had to admit that this wasn’t like Peregrine; Derrick was usually a more withdrawn bloke, and rarely talked to anyone outside of a mission. The fact that he was asking for Lucian’s help meant that this was a subject of great significance that he couldn’t get done himself.

And it bothered him that someone like Derrick would feel helpless, or perturbed by something. Or someone; Lucian didn’t know. It bothered Lucian that it bothered Peregrine enough to chase him out of his cheap sofa, and made him swap his sweats and flannels for an actually presentable pair of jeans, a respectable button-up, and fucking glasses. No, he still wasn’t over the glasses.

Lucian glared up at Peregrine and stuffed the piece of paper in the back pocket of his slacks. ‘Why me?’ he grumbled; if this was something important, Peregrine could have just gone to Cassius.

‘Angel can’t know.’ Peregrine shot him a stern look that read, So you better keep your trap shut. ‘And I don’t trust anyone else. Besides, we’ve always made a good team.’

‘Yeah, those days are long gone,’ Lucian laughed bitterly. Indeed, during their Hogwarts year there was no couple of beaters as synchronous and collaborative as Derrick and Bole; save for perhaps the Weasley twins. But even so that made their partnership impressive, since the two of them didn’t share a uncanny identical twin connection.

‘You know where to find me,’ Peregrine said by way of goodbye, and left Lucian alone.

Lucian walked over to the vacated desk, and dusted off its surface as well as the seat of the chair. He settled in, pulled the chair closer, and opened his briefcase. He took out a sleek laptop, and set it on his table. A cold light shined against his face as soon as he flipped up the monitor. With nimble fingers, Lucian logged into the machine. Placing a finger on the trackpad, he located the Messages application and clicked it open. He hovered over the contact list on the left sidebar, until he located one labeled ‘Nightshade’.

‘Dinner is ready to be served,’ he typed, hit send, and reclined in his seat.

Around fifteen minutes later, Pansy showed up, and dropped her bag on the other side of Lucian’s desk. She grabbed a chair from another desk, pulled it over to her side of Lucian’s desk, and sat down. As she booted up her computer, she tapped her foot against Lucian’s, and the link fizzed to life.

‘Lumos, do you copy?’

‘Affirmative, Nightshade.’

Lucian began sending his files over to Pansy. ‘So here is what I have on Mulciber,’ he spoke over the link, ‘Since Mulciber is known to favour routine and control -- if you see footnote 23, it explains that he uniquely favoured the Imperius Curse, and I have a collection of human intelligence on his regimented schedules for each day of the week -- I think it may be a better tactic to haphazardly reveal what we know to him; as he will not be able to control when he receives these messages, and therefore cannot anticipate them.’

Pansy nodded. ‘This seems reasonable to me. And once again, all of these sources check out?’

‘Naturally. I’ve taken precautions to verify the information given by doing a bit of personal reconnaissance when I had the time, as well as taking pains to ensure that our sources are not double agents and to motivate them to keep quiet.’ He looked up from his screen and smiled at Pansy. ‘You know that I can be very persuasive.’

Pansy said nothing. She was never one much for words, after the War, Lucian thought. It was almost saddening, as she had been a bright, talkative personality at school. Although it got annoying at times, Lucian found that he still missed it, especially when faced with the immense emptiness of silence.

‘Stop being sentimental, it won’t bring any of it back,’ Pansy chastised him, not sharply, though; and Lucian dropped the train of thought. He forwarded a detailed schedule of his plan for the next few months over to Pansy, so she could follow his progress after they deactivated the legilimency link.

‘Very well,’ her voice buzzed over the link. ‘I’ll be keeping in touch. Take care, Lumos; though you’re probably the most careful of all of us.’ She made eye contact with him across the desk, and then packed away her things, got up, and left, the link fizzing out behind her.

Lucian took his time logging out of his computer, and putting it away into his briefcase. He loitered around the library for while, browsing the shelves; not that it amounted to anything, as he couldn’t borrow anything out of the library. He hoped that one day he would walk into this library, with the time and energy to read for pleasure. Unfortunately, it seemed like that wouldn’t happen in a long time.

As soon as Lucian returned to his apartment, he started on a fresh pot of coffee. He enjoyed the ritual of it -- scooping out the beans, whirring them through the grinder, and then putting the grounds in his french press, then adding boiling water. The orderly, logical sequence of it appealed to him greatly; he’d always been an organised person, but in recent years, with his life greatly unbalanced and uncertain thanks to the War, he’d come to appreciate this ... structure and stability even more.

Lucian left his coffee to steep as he retreated to his study, extracting several heavy folders from his desk, labeled in neat block letters, OPERATION IMPERATOR. He brought his files to his living room, and set them on the heavy oaken coffee table. He pulled his computer out of his briefcase, logged in through a different account, and got back to work.

As technology began to evolve in the Muggle world, it naturally caught up with the Wizarding society as well. The age of the Internet provided a whole new level of anonymity for its Muggle users; and wizards sought to benefit from it too. There was a myriad of various services one could employ under an anonymous alias -- and whether these activities contributed to a surprise birthday party or the murder of an ex-Death Eater, no one would know.

Logging onto an anonymous owls service, Lucian requested a particular message to be sent to a particular address, and paid with the credit card that Graham had given him. For members who had more ... expensive methods -- which were really not expensive at all; it was just that no one really spent money to take out a mark -- they were all sponsored completely by the Organisation, though no one knew where Cassius had gotten the money. Knowing the nature of groups and sources they had ties with, no one really wanted to know.

Was this what Peregrine had wanted him to look up? Lucian frowned. Peregrine should know better than to poke around the Organisation’s business. What’s gotten into him?

Lucian padded over to the kitchen and poured himself a mug of coffee. He returned to the living room and hovered over his laptop, watching the progress of his order -- monitoring when his message would be printed and attached to the bird he had chosen.

It was a rather risky choice, to use an online company to print out confidential information and tie it to a bird that anyone could shoot down. However, Lucian needed to make Mulciber dance; he needed to use methods that would obviously have him feeling exposed and vulnerable. It’s always the easiest way to flush them out of hiding.

He kicked back onto his sofa and sipped his coffee quietly. The sky outside his window darkened slightly, and he was expecting to hear the pitter-patter of rain anytime. It was almost unbelievable that he now had the free time in the middle of the day to watch the rain fall.

In another reality, Lucian Bole would be a very busy man indeed. He always strived to be the best version of himself, to fulfill his true potential; so he would socialise tirelessly, meeting all sorts of important witches, wizards, sorcerers, and mages to network; he would go to university to push himself and hone his skills; he would work himself up the ranks and become a respectable man.

He wasn’t born into a particularly aristocratic family. He didn’t have an already established estate to lean back upon, nor a notorious name that would brand him. He was simply Lucian Bole, the son of two middling purebloods, who named their son ‘light’, expressing their hope for a brighter future, a prominent reputation.

Unfortunately, his parents were clumsy and misinformed in their pursuit of status; they sympathised with Voldemort in hopes of receiving a social and economic boost for supporting a pro-pureblood politician. It was clearly an unwise move, but Lucian had not been able to persuade them to drop it. Lucian never trusted Voldemort, naturally ... but his parents’ actions nevertheless condemned him to association. His parents’ greatest desire, to become better -- which also became his desire -- ended up damning the whole family.

Now he had no prospects to speak of -- being an amateur spy, investigator, and blackmailer was perhaps the best use of his abilities at this point. It wasn’t like it was a particularly bad situation. Lucian still enjoyed that he held such power over other people; but what was his legacy? What would he be remembered for?

Nothing. The name ‘Lucian Bole’ is as good as dead right now. Since all the Organisation’s operations were strictly anonymous for the safety of all involved -- a strategy that Lucian greatly understood and respected -- it was unlikely that his efforts would ever be commemorated. They may be credited to ‘Lumos’, but they’d never be his achievements.

His deeds would change the world; but he would not.

Lucian had more or less made his peace with that. At least he was being useful, and he was good at what he did. These two conditions kept him more or less happy, even though his situation was not ideal. However, he would rather remain like this, if the other option were to throw his life out the window and indulge in self-destructive behaviours, succumbing to existential depression. Living is not about achieving one’s dreams or being happy -- living is learning to make do with what’s been thrown at you.

And life had thrown a lot of stuff at Lucian -- including a treasure trove of information, contacts, and sources connected to the Death Eaters. Lucian’s parents’ dabbling in Voldemortian politics granted him unique access to some of Voldemort’s closest subjects, and while his parents were trying to pander onto these greater, aristocratic purebloods, Lucian learnt a lot about them.

Ugly secrets that they never told anyone. Locations of secret hideaways. Personal habits, preferences, and even fears. It’s amazing how much an adult will talk after a few servings of alcohol down their gullet. He stored all this information neatly away, because if he were to get revenge for his stunted future, these details would be his weapons.

He was the ultimate puppet-master, threading together implicating evidence and twisting the ropes to make his marks dance. The weak-willed often caved in earlier to the fear, startled by the incredible amount of incriminating information sent their way. Many of them commit suicide, rather than face the authorities. Others stuck out, convinced that Lucian wouldn’t dare go to the aurors, that he was just bluffing; for if he really wanted to go to the aurors, he would have just taken that information and gone. They thought that Lucian kept this information between them because he wanted something out of it. The truth was that Lucian was bored; and he enjoyed watching people react to him. He often followed up this tactic by having Peregrine and Graham hover around menacingly at his marks’ place of residence; show them that Lucian and the Organisation could really hurt them. Since Peregrine and Graham were pretty terrible, that was usually enough to scare them into submission. If even that didn’t work, Lucian would just tip the aurors. He had better things to do than to play a passive-aggressive game of blackmail tug-o-war with a former Death Eater. Or he’d sic either someone else on the job.

No one survived the Organisation. Lucian would hound them down.

In fact, this contributed greatly to the Organisation’s notoriety as ‘The Last Meal’. Since word of their rogue assassination team’s extraordinary success and horrifying methods got out -- thanks to some of the flashier messages left by Millicent -- the amount of Death Eaters turning themselves in, so as to escape a gruesome death, increased significantly.

This pleased Lucian greatly; he was very smug about the success rate. After all, he deserved to be; he put a lot of hard work in verifying his evidence and planning out most of the missions -- since he was the master of information, he headed Death Eater-hunting, and supervised mark-assigning as well.

He would find every last Death Eater if it was the last thing he did. Maybe then would they be able to reveal who they truly were; and perhaps after seeing the proof of atonement for these Slytherins, the public would be willing to accept them back into their society again.

Maybe he still had a shot at that life.

Lucian watched Mulciber for two months. Since he didn’t really have much of a job -- he worked as a Wizarding technology consultant over the Internet, as well as a ‘research librarian’ for hire, in regards to more ... esoteric subjects. After all, there are topics that ordinary libraries don’t usually cover; and Lucian was a master of hidden informations and clandestine intelligence.

He enjoyed working in the British Library. It was well-lighted, public, and peaceful; he attracted nearly no attention, a well-dressed young man diligently at work. He had a peaceful demeanor and a trustworthy expression, and no one ever noticed him selling secrets of the Dark Arts over the Internet.

He supposed that he shouldn’t be selling those secrets over the Internet; after all, he was supposed to be good now. He was supposed to be taking the bad guys out, not sponsoring their activities. Though, another way too look at it was to see it as a trap -- they come buying intelligence from him; and he ends up tracking them down and in turn gathering intelligence on them. It’s a win-win situation for him -- he gets the information he wants, and gets paid by the victim for it. Lucian was an opportunist, if anything.

Between his usual activities and monitoring Mulciber, Lucian also did some research on ‘Agni’. He was quite irritated with Peregrine, who basically just handed him a torn-off corner of an envelope with ‘Agni’ scribbled across it. He did a quick search on Google, and of course the results are pertained to the Hindu god of the name, a god of fire and messengers. Obviously, this was not what Peregrine had in mind. He called Peregrine about it; but he only told Lucian that it was an alias of someone he found but didn’t recognise. Peregrine was looking through the Organisation’s files to decide on his next mark, and this name cropped up several times, which was suspicious, considering that it had never been mentioned before.

Peregrine thought that perhaps it was the codename for a new operative, but when he checked the personnel list for a handler, he didn’t find any new names. So, he naturally came to the conclusion that something was afoot, and purposefully happening behind all their backs. And Peregrine did not like having any blindspots. Neither did Lucian, so he carried on with his search.

It was obviously near-impossible to find any information with only an alias to go off of; and moreover, it was also difficult to conduct this research anonymously, since no one could work out what they were investigating the Organisation. That would perhaps end in very untimely deaths for the both of them. Lucian thus confined his probing to his private circles, asking other ‘librarians’ if they had received queries regarding a figure going by the name of ‘Agni’; nothing turned up. Similarly, none of his victims-turned-sources reported any information regarding Agni, either.

Lucian also logged onto the Organisation’s database and combed through the entire thing -- he did not want his history to record a specific search for ‘Agni’, in case someone in the know may find that suspicious -- but nothing turned up. Knowing Cassius, it’s entirely possible that he only kept the information in his own mind, and any mention of ‘Agni’ would be kept on easily destroyable paper. However, it was unlike Cassius to leave such files just lying around, letting Peregrine find them. Uneasy, Lucian felt like it could be a trap, and pursued this investigation unusually cautiously.

Meanwhile Mulciber was positively writhing in his ‘secret’ hideout. Lucian scheduled his owls in advanced, and whenever a delivery was due to be made, he walked into a café across the street from Mulciber’s hideaway, and camped out there to monitor his reactions. He also went there on non-scheduled days, however, partly to shake off any detection of espionage on Mulciber’s part, but also because the coffee there was damned good.

Mulciber sent him multiple owls back, scans of which Lucian received on his account for Owlnonymous, and they mainly contained empty threats regarding how Mulciber would end him soon; ‘I have sources,’ he told Lucian, not knowing that Lucian had already bought-out or threatened all of his sources. Lucian enjoyed being thorough. He did not dignify those threats with a response, and merely sent Daily Prophet clippings on ‘The Last Meal’’s hits to Mulciber. One day he caught Mulciber reading one about Graham and visibly paling, as Lucian was sipping an exceptional caffè latte.

Mulciber had no one important to him that Lucian could threaten him with, so he merely sat back and calmly denoted the ways he could take him out -- to report him to Lucian’s Organisation, who would no doubt send a less merciful person to take him out, in a variety of gruesome ways; or he could release all this information at a random moment, and sic the aurors upon Mulciber; or, he could sell Mulciber out to the highest bidder, and God knows what would happen then. Certainly a lot of his victims would love to get a good chunk out of him.

Mulciber then pleaded for forgiveness, tried to offer him bribes, and sought to sell himself as a new source for Lucian; but Lucian was interested in neither of these, naturally. He could fetch a better price from other buyers, and who would want Mulciber as a source, a Death Eater who had lost all his connections as soon as he went off the grid? Besides, Lucian had more than enough sources -- how else would he have found Mulciber?

Mulciber then asked what Lucian was going to do with him. Perhaps it was a desperate attempt to forge an escape plan; maybe he was just seeking the comfort of knowing his fate. Lucian would not grant him either luxury. He merely wrote back, ‘You’ll see,’ and ceased replying to Mulciber’s frantic pleading.

He then waited out by the café, keeping an eye on Mulciber whilst he continued his hunt for Agni. He was now narrowing down his suspects by filtering the people who could be in contact with the Organisation. based on their knowledge of Hindu mythology. Although, it occurred to him that it was equally as likely that ‘Agni’ was an acronym, and that possibility would be a serious pain to deal with.

At night, if he was bored, he would sometimes leave some indications that he hadn’t forgotten about Mulciber -- ordering a parcel owl to deliver rat bones to his address, or sending a howler of Millicent’s favourite lullaby. It was like the ticking of a bomb before it exploded; except more erratic, more unnerving, more uncertain.

By the end of the month Mulciber had caved in. The last straw was a small effigy of Mulciber, wearing the clothes he was wearing the day before, and another effigy in ragged, bloody clothes that Lucian fashioned out of a shirt that Peregrine so generously donated. Not many people knew this, but Lucian was rather good at handicrafts.

Mulciber opened his window -- the first time that Lucian had seen him do it -- and whistled for a crow. With shaking hands he attached a letter to the crow, and sent it to the aurors. Within the hour, a discreet group of figures dressed in Muggle clothes appeared at Mulciber’s doorstep, and rang his bell. Mulciber came down willingly, looking around fearfully. He did not spot Lucian, who had been watching calmly, sipping his coffee. The aurors bundled him away, and Lucian spotted the great Harry Potter amongst them.

He opened ‘Nightshade’ on his Messenger application and sent, ‘Target neutralised.’ He then sat back and enjoyed the last rays of the autumn sun, the feeble breath of a season fading into cold darkness.

The Daily Prophet reported Mulciber’s turning himself in very soon, in the next day’s paper. Apparently he had sent a frantic letter to the Ministry, begging them to ‘save him.’ Lucian smiled smugly as he sipped his coffee.

Although Lucian was not the fastest operator in the field, he was the most thorough, and his long-term approach inspired a dogged and omnicient reputation for the Organisation. More underworldly characters found out about them, and defected to their side before it was too late. Therefore, he was often assigned to take out the most prominent targets, as well as the ones with the most connections.

His webs stretched out infinitely, and he could play them like a harp; however, sometimes, he could not control what fell onto his plate.

An Owlnonymous owl flew into his window the day following Mulciber’s arrest. In scratchy black handwriting, it read, ‘You won’t find me. -- A’.

Lucian nearly poured his coffee down his front. He set it down on his table; and, scrambling, he ran over to his phone and dialed Peregrine’s number.

‘What?’ Peregrine responded, his voice crunchy with static.

‘They know,’ Lucian whispered.

‘I know.’

295: Health Foods That Are Actually Making Us Sick With Dr. Gundry of the Plant Paradox

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295: Health Foods That Are Actually Making Us Sick With Dr. Gundry of the Plant Paradox

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

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Katie: Hello, and welcome to the “Wellness Mama Podcast.” I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com, and I am here today with one of the most requested podcast guests ever. Dr. Steven Gundry MD is a renowned heart surgeon, four-time “New York Times” bestselling author and physician-scientist. He’s considered the leading expert in the world on a lectin-free diet as the key to reversing disease and boosting longevity, and he explains the science and the protocol in his book, ”The Plant Paradox.”

He also wrote a book called “The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young in a Ripe Old Age” where he talks about how to get younger as you age, and he certainly seems to be an example of that. He also has written several cookbooks, including ”The Plant Paradox Family Cookbook,” which comes out right about the time you are listening to this and is available everywhere books are sold. This is one of my favorite interviews I’ve done. It’s fascinating.

We go into a lot of different topics, including autoimmune disease and how to reverse it, how to keep your family healthy, even things like we go deep on APOE-4 genes and a whole lot of fascinating science. And Dr. Gundry practices medicine still seven days a week with his waitlist only clinics and helps thousands of people a year to get healthier. And, stay tuned to also hear how some of his clinical studies that he’s working on, they have a 95% reversal rate for autoimmune disease. So, like I said, one of my favorite episodes that I have done, and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Katie: Dr. Gundry, welcome, and thanks for being here.

Dr. Gundry: Thanks for having me, “Wellness Mama.”

Katie: I am so excited to have you. In fact, you are one of my most requested guests ever, and I’m so excited to finally get to chat with you on air. And I mentioned in your bio you are well-known for your book, ”The Plant Paradox,” and I think that’s a perfect place to start because I read it and really enjoyed it, and I know it caused a stir to say the least. And you talk about lectins being a problem. So to start broad, can you give us an overview of what lectins are?

Dr. Gundry: Lectins are a plant protein that’s a sticky protein, and they’re designed by plants as a defense mechanism against being eaten. These, believe it or not, plants don’t want to be eaten, and they don’t want their seeds or babies eaten. So one of the ways they fight against being eaten is to produce these lectins, which like to bind to specific sugar molecules in us or any of their predators. And those sugar molecules line the wall of our gut. They line the lining of our blood vessels. They line in our joints. They line the spaces between nerves.

And when lectins hit these places, they are a major cause of leaky gut. They can break down the gut wall barrier. They’re a major cause of arthritis, they’re a are major cause of heart disease, and they’re a major cause, in my research, of autoimmune diseases. And so anything that a lectin can do to make its predator, us, feel bad, not do well. A smart predator says, “Every time I eat these particular plants or their seeds, I don’t do very well, and I think I’ll go eat something else.” That’s the defense mechanism that plants use.

Katie: That makes sense. So what would be examples of foods that contain lectins and some of the different types of lectins that are in these foods?

Dr. Gundry: Most grains have lectins primarily in the hull, sometimes in the germ of the grains. So we’re talking about, for instance, gluten happens to be a lectin, but there are other mischievous lectins in wheat in the hull called wheat germ agglutinin, which is probably even worse than gluten present in all grains except sorghum and millet. Sorghum and millet don’t have a hull and have been tested as lectin-free. They’re present in all beans. Beans and legumes have some of the highest lectin content of any food, and that includes peanuts.

Peanuts are a legume, they’re not a nut at all, and that includes cashews. Cashews are part of the nightshade, Oh, sorry. Not the nightshade family, poison ivy family. And anyone who thinks that cashews are good for them might chew on poison ivy and find out how bad that really is. I mentioned nightshades. The nightshade family includes potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and even goji berries. And then there are also lectins in new world’s squash families, things like zucchini, things like summer squashes, things like cucumbers actually all have lectins, primarily in the peels and the seeds. So that’s a good overview.

Katie: Got it. So, that sounds like a lot of foods. I know people who are not familiar with this may be thinking, like, “That’s half of what I eat.” What would be on the converse, what would be some examples of foods that do not contain lectins?

Dr. Gundry: Well, you know, interestingly enough, all of those foods that I mentioned, no human being ever consumed any of those foods until about 10,000 years ago when agriculture started. We did not eat wheat. It didn’t exist. Rice began being cultivated 8,000 years ago. Things like the nightshade family, most of us come from Europe, Africa, or Asia, and all of these nightshade families are American plants, and so none of our ancestors ate any of these until 500 years ago. And beginning to be introduced to something in 500 years is like speed dating and evolution, and I think we haven’t been able to catch up with adapting to these modern foods.

So an answer to your question. We have been eating leaves and tubers for probably millions and millions of years. There is evidence that early man primarily got a lot of its food supply by tubers, including, fun fact, those little tiger nuts, which are actually not nuts at all but little underground tubers. There’s some pretty cool archaeological evidence that we consumed quite a bit of tiger nuts in the past. But yams, for instance, are another thing and all the leafy green vegetables. Great apes like chimpanzees and gorillas eat mostly leaves, and we started as one of the great eight families.

Katie: That is really fascinating. So to clarify one point on this because you just mentioned a lot of vegetables and even tubers that are sources of starch, I think that there was some misconception with “The Plant Paradox.” People thought it was essentially a carnivore diet or that you were saying to avoid all plants, and that’s certainly not the case at all. But can you just clarify that a little bit?

Dr. Gundry: Yeah. This is not a carnivore diet. It’s the antithesis of the carnivore diet. I’m actually very plant-friendly. In fact, there’s a vegetarian and vegan version of every one of my recipes in every one of my books. And I’m secretly trying to make people pretty close to vegan as possible. My wife and I eat pretty much vegan during the week. Then on the weekends, we add usually wild shellfish or wild fish into our repertoire. Now, the reason I think people think that this is a carnivore diet, the carnivore diet folks have jumped on the lectin bandwagon because, quite frankly, all plants have lectins in them.

And my point in “The Plant Paradox” is that there are some plants that we have eaten for literally millions of years and our bacteria, our microbiome, has evolved to handle those particular lectins and eat them and also teach our immune system that, “Yeah, this plant has a lectin, but, hey, you don’t have to get all upset about it because you’ve seen this lectin for a million years and don’t get your shorts in a wad. And I think that’s the difference. The carnivore diet folks say, “Okay, well every plant is bad, and so we auto-eliminate all plants.”

That’s, I think, taken to an extreme. I will say this about the carnivore diet. In a way, it is the ultimate elimination diet. And I do have patients with severe IBS or leaky gut that even raw vegetables, particularly raw cruciferous vegetables, are really mischievous introducing them initially into the program. And I write in all the books, and some people don’t read closely enough. But if you do have IBS, or a leaky gut, or diarrhea, then raw vegetables are way down the list that you should add to your diet. And if you want those vegetables, you need to cook them to an inch of their life and make them kind of mushy, particularly a pressure cooker really helps.

Katie: Let’s talk about that a little bit more. I’m a huge fan of pressure cookers and Instant Pots, and I have actually several of them. But how do pressure cookers help with lectins?

Dr. Gundry: So there is good evidence that all lectins can be destroyed with the application of high heat and high pressure simultaneously. The exception to that is gluten. Gluten does not appear to be broken down by high heat and high pressure. Interestingly, I was a professor and chairman at Loma Linda University for much of my career, and the Adventists are vegetarians. And, the primary protein source in the Adventist diet is texturized vegetable protein, TVP as it’s known. And this is actually defatted soy meal that is extruded under high heat and high pressure. And I think maybe unbeknownst to them, this deactivate the rather nasty lectins in soy.

So some people characterize me as anti-bean, and that’s actually not the case. I think beans have some great soluble fibers that if you deactivate the lectins by pressure cooking them, they’re a really great source of food. And so, as you know, I’m a big fan of the Instant Pot. In fact, on November 19th, I’m introducing ””The Plant Paradox Family Cookbook,” which has mostly Instant Pot recipes for busy families. And you’ve got six kids, so you are one busy wellness mama. And so, an instapot is just a great option for delectinizing foods and getting a great meal on the table very quickly.

Katie: I definitely agree. I’m a huge fan of it. I’ll make sure to share your new cookbook when it comes out and also to grab a copy. But just to make sure I understand, so if people are using an instapot or pressure cooker correctly, does that make things like beans, and nightshades, and squash safe to consume?

Dr. Gundry: Yes, absolutely. And I go through that in every one of our books, that the key is using a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot and following the package directions. The other thing I think that’s important for people to know who maybe are still afraid of the pressure cookers, the Instant Pot or other modern pressure cookers are not their grandmother’s pressure cooker. My mother exploded one when I was growing up. These are incredibly safe, useful devices. I think the other great thing is, and I have no relationship with this company.

There’s a company called Eden, E-D-E-N, that not only soaks all their beans and legumes and lentils but also pressure cooks them. And they’re really one of the few companies that has a non-BPA lined can. And just to give you an example. I ran home from filming, in San Francisco, a public television special Wednesday night, and I opened a can of Eden Garbanzo beans, threw in a bunch of chopped onions and a half head of radicchio with some Italian herbs, and stirred it all around, and that was dinner. And so you can report that Dr. Gundry admitted to eating pressure cooked Garbanzo beans. Oh my gosh. News flash.

Katie: I have it on the record now. We have a record of this. What about grains? So you mentioned sorghum and millet do not have lectins. Does that make them okay as is to consume?

Dr. Gundry: Yeah, I think they’re really a great underutilized grain. Both sorghum and millet, you can make into oatmeal which has the texture, which has the flavor. I’m a sucker for sorghum popcorn. Sorghum popcorn looks like miniature popcorn. It smells like popcorn. It tastes like popcorn, only it’s really tiny. And I think it’s another underutilized grain. Now, one of the things that I talk about in all my books, these should be used not as the mainstay of anyone’s diet. I think they are additions to a diet. They still have a lot of starch that breaks down into simple sugar.

And one of the things I’ve seen through the years in dealing with my patients is that a lot of people see my list of friendly foods page and look at the resistance starches and say, “Oh, I can have unlimited amounts of sorghum, or Yuca, or millet.” And I’ve tested this on myself, and I’ll have a bunch of sorghum popcorn and then check my blood levels of triglycerides. And sure enough, if I’m munching, even a couple cups of sorghum popcorn as a snack, within a week, my triglycerides are elevated. And as people have heard me talk, that’s really bad longterm for heart health.

Katie: That makes sense. Let’s go a little deeper on that because I think that there’s also a misconception that you are just, by default, low carb or that you recommend a low carb or keto-type diet because a lot of these foods that contain lectins are also high carb, but you are a heart surgeon as well as a research scientist. So give us the low down on that. What do you personally consume carb-wise, and what do you recommend for your patients?

Dr. Gundry: Well, so I’m actually, as you probably know or as people know, I have a ketogenic version of my diet that I use for anyone who is insulin-resistant, or prediabetic, or diabetic, who has issues with cancer. I treat a lot of patients with cancer with my version of the ketogenic diet. But my version of the ketogenic diet is plant-based in that I want people to consume about 80% of their calories as primarily olive oil and/or avocados. And that’s where the vast majority of their calories should come from. I literally want people to consume about a liter of olive oil per week. And as strange as that may seem, that’s 10 to 12 tablespoons of olive oil per week.

My wife and I go through about a liter and a half of olive oil every week. And David Palmiter, a good friend, he and his wife, each have about a liter of olive oil per week. And you can look at any of us, and we’re certainly not overweight. In fact, there’s a beautiful study out of Spain forcing people to use a liter of olive oil per week for five years at the age of 65, and they actually lost weight during that time period. And they had improved brain health and memory, and they actually reduced their incidents of coronary heart disease by 30%.

So back to your original question, I believe that most of the food that we should be to get olive oil into our mouth. In other words, the purpose of eating broccoli is to get olive oil into your mouth. The purpose of having a salad is to get olive oil into your mouth. In fact, when I pop sorghum popcorn, I pour olive oil over it. And in fact, in my previous cookbook, I recommended that people, instead of butter on their approved waffles pour olive oil on it. And people go, “Wait a minute, olive oil on waffles?” Well, it’s a fat, and it’s a good fat, so why not use the waffle to deliver a good fat like olive oil? Everything goes better with olive oil.

Katie: I’m a huge fan of olive oil as well. I’m glad that you are such a supporter. So another thing I’d love to go a little bit deeper on. So I first really started learning about lectins starting with gluten but then all of the others when I was in, like, the really bad part of having Hashimoto’s. And so, I was trying to figure what was wrong with me, and I eventually figured out it was Hashimoto’s. And for a long time, I had to be very restrictive with my diet. And I’m much less so now. But let’s go deep for a little while on the lectin autoimmune disease connection. Can you start by explaining what’s going on in the body that there’s that link?

Dr. Gundry: Yeah, I think the first person to talk about this was Loren Cordain from Colorado State University, who, I think, is the true father of the paleo diet. And Cordain postulated that one of the things plants do is molecular mimicry. And the best way to explain this is lectins are proteins, and our immune system is set up with literally barcode scanners that read the barcode on all proteins that enter us. And the immune system is educated as to which proteins are friendly, that they’ve got a valid passport, or which proteins are on the no-fly list. And when, give you an example of a splinter, is under your skin, it gets all red, and that’s your white blood cells attacking that foreign protein.

So lining the wall of our gut is about 65%, 70% of all the white cells in our body line our gut wall. So if a foreign protein, you know, like a lectin, makes its way across the border, our immune system scans the barcode on that protein and says, “Aah, that’s a bad protein. And number one, we should mobilize the troops and kill this guy, but we should also memorize what this barcode looks like so that if we ever see something that looks like this barcode again in our body, we will attack it.” Now, I think plants are a lot smarter than people give them credit for, so plants have made these proteins resemble other proteins in our body.

For instance, they resemble the proteins in the thyroid gland. They resemble proteins in joints. They resemble proteins in nerves. They resemble proteins in skin. And, they even resemble proteins in the brain. So that when your immune system is activated by a leaky gut, then your immune system or I call them your fighter jets are going through your body and they go past your thyroid or Kelly Clarkson’s thyroid and says, “Oh, my gosh, you poor person. There are lectins in your thyroid, and we’re going to shoot to kill. Now, they don’t quite look like the electrons we’re looking for, but they’re pretty close. And so we’ll shoot first and ask questions later.” So that’s molecular mimicry.

Last year, I published a paper of 102 people with biomarker-proven autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s, like Crohn’s, like rheumatoid arthritis, like lupus who were put on the Plant Paradox program. And in six months’ time, 95 out of 102 patients were biomarker negative for those autoimmune diseases. So that’s a 94% success rate in six months. Not bad if I do say so. So we’ve seen people like yourself, like Kelly Clarkson, become completely autoimmune negative within a fairly short time period. In fact, just recently, I mentioned on another podcast, in my practice, for a new patient, usually my PA will see the patient first, and then I see the patient the next visit.

And I saw a woman in her mid-50s who had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and she had been on the program for three months. When I saw her, first thing she did was introduce herself. She said, ”Well, I’m here because I have, you know, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.” And I said, “Well, no you don’t.” And she said, ”Well, of course, I do. That’s why I’m here.” And I said, ”Well, you don’t have it anymore.” And she said, ”Well, how could that be?” So I held up her new lab work and sure enough, her anti-thyroglobulin antibody or anti-thyroid peroxidation antibodies were previously positive, but now they were negative. And that was in only three months. So, obviously, she was delighted and so was I, but that’s what we’ve come to expect.

Katie: That’s an incredible success rate, and I love that it turns the idea on its head. There’s an understanding that autoimmune diseases are not reversible, and I’ve heard that, you know, from a lot of doctors saying, “Once you have it, you always have it.” And so I’d love a little bit more just to clarify, these people are not just in remission, but they don’t even have the biomarkers at all for autoimmune disease at that point.

Dr. Gundry: Correct. The biomarkers are negative. They’re zero. And, you know, that includes rheumatoid factor, that includes anti-CCP3, that includes anti-nuclear antibody, that includes anti-DS double-stranded DNA, that includes Sjogren’s syndrome. We’ve seen reversal in so far every autoimmune disease. So, we’ve tackled…including MS. We’ve recently… Let me give you another example. There’s some beautiful new tests looking at attack on brain myelin that’s measurable with tests. We’ve got anti-cerebellar antibodies.

Recently saw a gentleman, young man in his mid-30s, very successful businessman, young wife, who had brain fog, for lack of a better word. And he came to us, had autoimmune markers for lupus, but also had two markers of his brain being under attack, one of them a de-myelination antibody. And we put him on the program, and he travels a lot. And I saw him back after two months. He said those two months were the most difficult that he’s ever had in his life. He hated me. But his wife, to keep him on track, actually made all his meals and packed them for him while he was traveling because, you know, he’s a 35-year-old guy who’s got markers for MS, and his brain doesn’t work.

So he said, you know, after six weeks, he said, “I really began to start liking you, so let’s see what we got.” And sure enough, his marker for lupus antinuclear antibody was gone. But I think most encouraging was that both of his brain autoimmune markers were now turned off. And that just gives you the power that people have to take control of what…many doctors are telling them, “Well, you got MS, and you’re just gonna have to live with it.” And, you know, Terry Wahls perfectly proved that this is something people do not have to live with. This is something that’s reversible, and these are fixable problems as long as we repair the gut barrier.

And, I think, my research over the last 20 years has stood the test of time that Hippocrates was right, that all disease begins in the gut. And I’ve added to that, that all disease can end in the gut if we stop a leaky gut from occurring. And if lectins are one of the major causes of leaky gut, and I and others believe they are, then getting lectins out of the diet is a first step.

Katie: I love Dr. Wahls. Her work is so encouraging as well. And I’m guessing there’s a lot of people listening who are going, “Oh, my gosh, is this actually possible? I have X, Y, Z autoimmune disease. Where do I start?” And I know that, obviously, they need to get “The Plant Paradox,” and we’ll talk about your new book in a couple of minutes as well. But can you, kind of, give us just a broad overview, both as a doctor and as a researcher, what you think an optimal diet for most people sort of, like, a specific issue looks like? Like, where should we begin with the good?

Dr. Gundry: Well, like, principle number one of “The Plant Paradox” is what I tell you not to eat is far more important than what I tell you to eat. And I can’t emphasize that enough. It’s the foods that you remove from your diet. And if you want to call it an elimination diet, that’s fine with me. But there’s certain foods that are making people sick. And getting these foods out of their diet, the ones I’ve just talked about, the ones that we were not designed to eat and that we were not exposed to until 10,000 years ago is the perfect place to start.

And I jokingly say I want people to party like it’s 9,999 years ago and eat that way because these modern foods didn’t exist in the human diet. And that was actually my research as an undergraduate at Yale University. I had a special major in human evolutionary biology, finding the foods and the environment that transformed a great ape into a modern human. And that’s actually was the basis of my original program.

Katie: That’s amazing. And also, you do talk a lot about the microbiome, and I know that removing lectins is a big part of that. Most of the people listening have kids, and that’s been a big area of research for me as well, as, how do we give our kids the best start in life by fostering a good microbiome early on? And I’d love to hear your research and your take on that. As parents, what can we be doing from the very beginning with our kids to make sure that they have the best start in life when it comes to this?

Dr. Gundry: Well, that’s why I wrote ”The Plant Paradox Family Cookbook” because, number one, I was a professor of pediatrics at Loma Linda, was a children’s heart surgeon, and a lot of my practice now involves children with the juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease. I see a lot of children with asthma and eczema that have had no results elsewhere. And having children follow this program is obviously challenging because of peer pressure. But what we found was that if children were encouraged to follow this program, their Crohn’s disease went away, their rheumatoid arthritis went away.

And if they slipped, even if they cheated one time, had a cupcake at a school party, that they would flair immediately. And one of my patients early on said, “You know, feeling good, never tasted so good.” And I think that’s a really important point. So how do we do this with our kids? Now I have two young grandchildren. And bless my daughter and her husband’s heart, they have fed their kids with the Plant Paradox since day one, and they’re both thriving three and five-year-olds now. One just started kindergarten. And they cook in the kitchen.

I think that’s one of the most important things you can do, is involve your kids and making things very early. I give step-by-step advice to mothers who wanna get pregnant on the steps you need to do. Once you’re pregnant, what you should do. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of high dose fish oil, particularly DHA for building your baby’s brain. There’s a new study out that shows mothers who supplement with vitamin D have smarter kids who do better athletically than mothers who do not supplement with vitamin D during pregnancy. I think this is incredibly important information, and we give the all the suggestions in doing that.

In addition, please, please, please keep cows milk out of your child’s diet. Your baby is not a baby cow, and cow’s milk is designed to make baby cows grow rapidly so they do not get eaten by predators. We, as you, as a mother knows, are a very slow-growing species, and we do not want to have insulin-like growth factor, IGF1, which is high in cows milk given to our kids because it will actually make our kids grow faster and fatter. And that’s the last thing we actually want. Kids who grow rapidly have a much higher incidence of childhood cancers and cancers in their teenagers than kids who grow slowly and normally. So those are a few of the helpful ones. We can go on and on, but it’s all in ”The Plant Paradox Family Cookbook.”

Katie: Yeah, definitely. Again, echo the recommendation for your books.

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Katie: And you mentioned in kids that they were even able to see reversal of autoimmune symptoms and certainly in adults. There’s studies on this as well, but then it took complete adherence and no cheating. And so, I’m curious how you respond because I get these, too, people who say, “This is way too extreme. Everything in moderation. It should be fine. Like, you don’t have to completely avoid it.” I’m just curious how you answer those types of questions.

Dr. Gundry: Well, in the paper that I published at the American Heart Association in Lifestyle and Epidemiology meeting on the patients with autoimmune disease, seven of the patients subsequently, once they were in remission or cured, had no biomarker evidence of disease, started liberalizing their diet. And all of those seven people relapsed. The good news is once they went back on the program, they cured themselves again. They went back into remission. And that’s what we see. I lectured at Harvard two years ago at the neurosciences meeting.

And after giving this evidence, one of the professors said, “Well, that’s ridiculous. You know, everything in moderation. What do you say to that?” And I said, “Well, that’s fine. You know, if you want moderate heart disease, if you want moderate arthritis, if you want moderate dementia, and if you want moderate autoimmune disease, then please do that. But who in the world would actually want that? It’s preventable. These problems do not exist in societies that eat like us.” And I mean, believe it or not, when, you know, when I was in medical school, autoimmune disease and childhood cancer were aberrations.

They were oddities. And now, every commercial we see on TV is for, oh, you know, a happy person smiling with our autoimmune disease because of an immunosuppressant drug. And people forget that I was a transplant immunologist. I’m world famous in Xenotransplantation and how to fool the immune system to accepting a pig heart as normal. And what I’ve taken with my knowledge of autoimmunity and immunity is bringing that into, “Okay, we know what the immune system is looking for, let’s calm it down. This is fixable.”

Katie: And that makes so much sense. And a couple more questions, I don’t know, that will probably come up and that are probably common questions for you. You talk about how you eat seafood on the weekend, and there’s also that conception in the natural health world that things like shrimp and crab aren’t good for you because they’re bottom feeders with their filters. And so I’m curious your take on that.

Dr. Gundry: This is one of my favorite questions. I have a very good friend who’s a professor at the University of Texas in Galveston, which is one of the shrimp capitals of the world, and he delights in telling anyone who will listen that a shrimp is not a bottom feeder. They’re free swimmers, and they are a quad with trawlers nets, and so they are absolutely not bottom feeders. I used to live in Baltimore, Maryland, and I can assure you that crabs are not bottom feeders either. They actually are free swimmers.

And, in fact, there’s a Pulitzer prize-winning book that I recommend to anyone about the Waterman of the Chesapeake Bay called ”Beautiful Swimmers,” which is about crabs. And so, that’s one of the great misnomers of all time. Incidentally, muscles may be one of the greatest health foods known to mankind. They are regenerative creatures. They actually filter about six gallons of water every day. They do not accumulate toxins, and they clean the ocean, and they actually do not use up any energy. So, they’re really one of the best foods that you can eat.

Katie: That’s great to know. And what about fruit? I know that’s a common food for kids. You didn’t mention it as being a source of lectins, so I’m curious your take on fruit.

Dr. Gundry: So two things on fruit. We forget at our peril that a few short years ago, fruit was only available seasonally during seasons that primarily were summer and early fall, and not the rest of the year. Unless you lived in the panhandle of Florida, you didn’t have fruit during the winter. In fact, there’s volumes of research that show that great apes only eat fruit during the summer, and they eat fruit to gain weight for the rest of the year. In fact, fruit consumption, fructose, is one of the best ways to gain weight that there is. Let me give you a recent example.

I recently appeared on the “Kelly Clarkson Show” because she cured her Hashimoto’s by following my book. All she did was read my book. She never met me. She didn’t have a consultation with me, and lo and behold, you know, she lost 30 pounds, and her Hashimoto’s was gone by…well, it’s up to 40 pounds now just by following my book. So I was talking with her producer a few weeks beforehand on, you know, what we’re gonna do on the show. So I showed up in the green room backstage, and the producer walked in, and he said, ”I took your advice. I gave fruit the boot. I gave up fruit, and I’ve lost five pounds in two weeks. And that’s the only thing I changed. I gave up fruit.” He said, “How did you know?” And I said, ”Well, because we use fruit to gain weight.” Fruit is not a health food for children, and particularly fruit juice. There’s a recent study in the “British Medical Journal” showing that fruit juice consumption is a leading cause of cancer. And we have to understand that cancer cells vastly prefer fructose, fruit sugar, over glucose. And so, you know, give fruit the boot.

Now, berries are great. Pomegranate seeds are great. Persimmons are in season right now. Those are some of the safest fruits you can eat. But this should be a treat. We should treat fruit as what it is, and that’s dessert. It is not a healthy snack. You’re much better off giving your kids a handful of walnuts, or pistachios, or macadamia nuts as a healthy snack rather than a healthy piece of fruit. And to elaborate on that, most fruit in this country is brought over incredibly long distances from Argentina, and Chile, and even Mexico, and it’s picked unripe and then ripened with ethylene oxide.

An unripe fruit actually has lectins in it. I am old enough to remember eating green apples as a kid and suffering what we called the Green Apple two-step, which was pretty impressive diarrhea. And that’s because the lectins in green apples were designed to not make you eat that fruit until the seeds actually had a peel on them that you couldn’t digest, and then the plant actually wanted you to eat its fruit. That’s how it works.

Katie: That’s really fascinating. So, as an action step, you’re saying things like local, seasonal berries when they’re in season as a treat, that’s totally great. It’s just eating all fruits year-round like we live on a tropical island confuses our body basically.

Dr. Gundry: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And it’s really one of really the major causes I see of weight gain in this country, of insulin resistance in this country, and heart disease, quite frankly. Actually, it raises triglycerides. Triglycerides are the first form of fat that we make from sugars. And also, by the way, fructose is a toxin, and it’s such a toxin that we carry it immediately to our liver where it’s detoxified into triglycerides, which is a fat, and uric acid. And uric acid causes high blood pressure, and it also causes kidney stones and gout. So we always have to go back to realize that fructose is not our friend. Fructose, oh, by the way, is a mitochondrial poison. So why anyone would want their kids consuming a mitochondrial poison is beyond my comprehension.

Katie: That’s a great explanation. And as some really important people in my life get a little older, my parents, and also as I get older myself, you also are well-known for your book, ”The Longevity Paradox.” So to switch gears a little bit, explain to us what ”The Longevity Paradox” is.

Dr. Gundry: Well, we all want to get old. And live a long time, but we don’t wanna get old. And that’s actually ”The Longevity Paradox.” We look kinda into the future and getting old, we don’t wanna die, but getting old doesn’t look very good. It means hip and knee replacement. It means stents or open-heart surgery. It means maybe not remembering your loved ones’ names or ending up in a skilled nursing facility or assisted living, and none of that looks particularly good. What we really wanna do, the subtitle of the book is we wanna die young at a ripe, old age.

And that’s what we want, and it’s actually achievable. And the purpose of ”The Longevity Paradox” is to give people the hope and the evidence that it’s never too late to make changes in your life that will change your life around. And the examples that I see in my practice, and I see patients seven days a week because I learn from my patients. I learn what happens when I ask them to do certain things. I learn from their blood work what works, what doesn’t. And you know, I can’t resist not seeing patients every week, every day because every day I get to learn something new from one of my patients. And, you know, what a tremendous gift my patients are to me. So ”The Longevity Paradox” is how to get young, no matter how old you are.

Katie: I love that. And I’m curious, are there any supplements or go-to things that you take or that you think are essential for both getting rid of autoimmune disease, living longer, a lot of these things that you’ve talked about?

Dr. Gundry: Well, as you know, I formed my own supplement line, Gundry MD, three years ago now. All the supplements that I manufacture are based on my research in tens of thousands of patients, looking at their blood work and their response to certain ingredients. So I’m obviously biased that there are some really good things that people should take. Now, I’m a nut. And I list every one of the supplements that I currently take at the end of ”The Longevity Paradox,” and there are a rather impressive list. I take about 120 different supplements in the morning and about 80 at night. And I’ll tell you when I’m 150, how that worked out. In fact, our saying in our clinic is “150 is the new 100.”

So having said that, I think there are certain supplements that really every human being should take for maximal health, and that is vitamin D3. The current recommendations are being raised. Most labs now, a vitamin D level of 120 is now considered normal, not elevated. I have run my vitamin D level greater than 120 for the last 17 years to prove that I’m not dead. And so far so good. I’ve yet to see vitamin D toxicity. It may exist, but I certainly not seen it in my patients. So I’m aggressive at pushing vitamin D on my patients, at least 5,000 international units a day. Most people with autoimmune disease should start with 10,000 international units of D3.

The second thing that I think is critical for most people is to get enough fish oil, and I don’t care if it’s algae-based DHA, but to get enough fish oil to have 1,000 milligrams of DHA per day. And look on the back of whatever omega-3 or fish oil you’re buying and look for the amount of DHA per capsule and then just choose accordingly. I take care of a great number of people with the APOE-4 gene, which is, unfortunately, nicknamed the Alzheimer’s gene. And about 30% of Americans carry the Alzheimer’s gene. And in those people, I supplement with krill oil in addition to their fish oil.

Not as a substitution because there’s a phospholipid in krill oil that will carry DHA into these people’s brains, which otherwise might not get there. It’s a small technical point. But since Dale Bredesen who wrote the end of Alzheimer’s and I have become friends, we’re both very adamant about getting people with the APOE-4 gene, not only on fish oil but also on krill oil. And so, those are the essential things. The third thing that anyone can do for longevity is to practice time-restricted feeding. Now, whether we call that intermittent fasting, whether time-restricted feeding, which means limit the eating time during the day to a small number of hours, start with 10 hours, work your way down to even four to six hours, that’s probably one of the best ways to prolong good health of any trick that anyone has ever discovered.

And I profile a gentleman from the 1500s, Luigi. Carnero, who wrote a book on how to live to 100. He actually died at 102 in the 1500s. And he wrote a book on how to do this. And he actually practiced calorie restriction, and he gives the complete guide of how to do it. And one of the things that I always remember him, he said that most people think that 65 is pretty much the end of life, and there’s not much worth living for. And he says, “I stand to correct everyone that 90 and 100 is the best years of your life, and here’s how to do it.” And that’s what I want for everybody.

Katie: I love that. And I’ll make sure there’s links to all of your books in the show notes, and I’ll also post them on social media. But I’d love that you address the APOE4 because that’s something that runs in my family and something I’ve done quite a bit of research on as well. It’s good to know that there are things people can do to really mitigate that. Another clarifying point, I just wanted to make sure we touch on.

When I made this dietary switch myself when I was just learning about autoimmune disease, there was definitely an adjustment period where I didn’t feel very good. And you mentioned one of your patients didn’t like you those first few weeks. So, can you talk about, is there an adjustment period with this when your body’s still kind of like trying to figure out what’s going on, when it’s not as fun, and when do the beneficial results kind of start to work?

Dr. Gundry: Yeah, I actually tell any of my new patients that “You’re gonna hate me for two weeks and then you’re going to love me.” And it’s worked out to be pretty true. Most of us are addicted to the morphine-like compounds in grains and in dairy, and it’s like being withdrawn from a drug. One of the reasons we love wheat products, and rye, and barley, and oats is because of these morphine-like compounds that they are morphed into. And one of the reasons we like cow’s milk and cheeses is a beta-casomorphine, which goes right to our brains, particularly women’s brains, and goes happy, happy, happy, happy.

And interestingly enough, since you mentioned the APOE-4 gene, remarkably, saturated animal fats like cheeses are really detrimental to people with the APOE-4 gene, and vast majority of people with the APOE-4 gene love cheese. And it’s one of the hardest things to get away from them, and it’s because of these morphine-like compounds. And I really do think that most of us are, you know, addicted to this and it’s withdrawal. And once you withdraw, that’s when things start kicking in.

The second thing that happens, the vast majority of Americans are insulin-resistant. They have high fasting insulin levels. And I tell anyone who will listen in all the residents that come through my clinic and family practice that the best test if they’re gonna spend their patient’s hard-earned money on a laboratory test, the best test to get is a fasting insulin level. And that’s gonna tell you more about your patient’s fate than just about any tests you can get. Most people are insulin-resistance, and insulin resistance, not only feeds cancer but also makes your brain die rather rapidly.

We now know there’s a condition called type 3 diabetes of the brain and your brain becomes insulin-resistant. And so, when people go on a program like my own, they’re not able to actually get to the fat cells and make ketones, you mentioned the ketogenic diet earlier, and so they really crash and burn because they don’t have what we call metabolic flexibility. They can’t change on a dime from burning sugar as a fuel to burning fat as a fuel. And I talk about those and how to get around it in all my books. And it’s a big factor in making this transition easy for people.

Katie: Amazing. And again, I know I’ve said it a couple of times, but I definitely recommend all of your books. I’ve gifted them to my parents. I tell a lot of people I love. And I’ll make sure they’re linked in the show notes, but, of course, they’re available anywhere books are sold. And speaking of books, I’d love to ask, mainly selfishly for my own ideas, if there are any book or books besides your own that have really impacted your life that you’d recommend?

Dr. Gundry: Well, actually, in my grade school library when I was 10 years old, I found a book called ”All About You.” And it actually changed my life at 10 years old. And after reading that book, I decided to become a doctor. And one of the things you’re…you know, you’re a mother, and you probably already know the importance of reading to your kids, number one, and getting your kids to read.

I think just reading opens up so many doors. Early in my lectin research, I was most impacted by Michael Pollan’s really first book, which was called ”The Botany of Desire,” about how plants are intelligent thinking creatures that manipulate animals for their benefit. And it just, you know, was tantalizing how smart plants are, and I think it really set the stage for me to give plants the credit they are due.

Katie: I love that. And reading is a huge, huge part of my life. Even in the busiest of times, I’m sure I get in time, like at least 30 minutes to read each day. I think it’s such an important thing for all of us. That and community, which I also personally think is huge for health and longevity and like having strong relationships and really nurturing those are kind of my two non-negotiable when it comes to life.

Dr. Gundry: Well, you’re absolutely right. In “The Longevity Paradox,” one of the real factors in all of the blue zones, those people with extreme longevity. And interestingly enough, I’m the only nutritionist who’s ever actually lived most of his life in a blue zone in Loma Linda University, so I hope I know what I’m talking about. Blue zones have this intense social network, and it’s this social network that is really critical to longevity.

And so you’re right. One of the things you’ve got to have is a social network, however you wanna constitute that social network, whether it’s, you know, whether it’s based on religion, whether it’s based on community service, whether it’s based on, “Let’s play bridge together at your house once a week”, you know, “mothers against drinking alone on a Friday night.” I’m just making that up.

Katie: I love that. I know you talked about it, and I’ve seen the stats as well about how having those solid relationships and making them a priority, it actually statistically is more important than things like even quitting smoking or exercise. Like, it’s absolutely vital to our health. And so I love that you talked about that.

Dr. Gundry: Yeah. Yeah. We are very definitely social creatures. And the other thing I can’t stress enough is having a pet, particularly a dog or a cat, in every study that’s ever been done, not only promotes longevity but is a great social connection. Making you to walk your dog twice a day is a great way to meet other people, and having a pet improves your microbiome and your children’s microbiome. And, in fact, mothers should realize that children who have pets introduced early in their life have far less allergies and far less eczema than children who don’t have a pet, exactly the opposite of what many mothers are taught.

Katie: I love that. I’m gonna use that to help talk my husband into another dog, and I think that’s the perfect point to wrap up, have strong relationships, have a pet that you love, and eat a clean diet, and get some sunshine for vitamin D. I think we covered so much in this episode. I hope that maybe one day you’ll come back for round two, but I’m so grateful for your time and for all that you shared today.

Dr. Gundry: I’d love to come back, and thank you for all the great work you’re doing. And we’re gonna have you on my podcast, and we’ll talk about all the stuff that you’re up to, and I’ll really look forward to it.

Katie: Thank you. I can’t wait. And thanks to all of you for listening and sharing one of your most valuable resources, your time, with both of us today. We’re so grateful that you did, and I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of the ”Wellness Mama’ Podcast.”

If you’re enjoying these interviews, would you please take two minutes to leave a rating or review on iTunes for me? Doing this helps more people to find the podcast, which means even more moms and families could benefit from the information. I really appreciate your time, and thanks as always for listening.

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/dr-gundry/

An update...

Y’know, I created this blog because I wanted to keep people updated with things going on in my life, be they personal or professional. I’ve done a rather poor job of it as of late.

So here we go:

Early on in the year, I was diagnosed as type-2 diabetic. This isn’t such a bad thing, as I had been doing my best to cut sugar out of my diet on my own, like I subconsciuously knew. During a routine test, something else was discovered. Something that warranted a further investigation.

A colonoscopy uncovered something I really didn’t want to know. A further CT scan confirmed it. I had stage 4 colon cancer. There is no stage 5. On August 28, I went under the knife. As of right now, the cancer in my colon is gone, as is my large intestine & a section of my small one. No extra baggage required (if you get my meaning). Everything was reconnected & life goes on.

However, it doesn’t stop there. I also have cancer in my liver. I am currently awaiting an MRI to more definitely identify how bad, and as to the type of treatment I will require in order to get rid of it.

I think the worst part of all of this is the waiting. I have no idea when I will have my MRI scheduled. I do know that once I have it, it will be a further week for the surgeons to deliberate on the best course of action to get rid of the cancer. I have no idea at this rate if I will be able to enjoy my birthday/Christmas/NYE or if those three things will be effectively cancelled because of surgery/chemo/recovery. The waiting is the hardest part.

Two bright points in all this: tomorrow (Friday) night, I get to close Nightshade, my residency that I haven’t played in three months because of recovery from the initial surgery. The other being Gothic Little Christmas, which I have done every year since its inception. This year will be no different, thankfully. I will be taking attendance & providing music for the event as I have always done.

I just want this surgery over with so I can get back to my life, my work & my residency full-time. To say it’s driving me nuts is an understatement. I’m naturally impatient about things as it is. This isn’t helping matters at all.

There you have it. More as it happens.

My Nightmare: HS

Lifting my arms is painful. Wearing a bra is painful. A few months ago, sitting was painful. Rolling over in bed, reaching to get that cup off the shelf, trying to participate in a yoga class, taking a shower, all of these things are painful. Sometimes to the point that I want to cry, but I don’t, because of the shame.

In my teen years I developed what I thought was an ingrown hair in my armpit. It would heal over then burst open over months at a time. I didn’t really think much of it and thought it would eventually go away. But once I reached the lovely age of 19 that little sore turned out to be only the beginning of my nightmare.

Countless lumps appeared under my arm over a few months. These lumps eventually developed into horrible smelling skin ulcers that, to this day, make movement a living hell. And that is the condensed version.

This condition is called Hidradenitis Suppurativa, but I like to call it “my strange autoimmune disease”, on the account that most people don’t even know it exists. Apparently 1% - 4% of the world suffers from this condition. This number may even be higher because of the lack of proper diagnosis. People often feel shame due to HS which causes them not to seek the help they so desperately need.

Honestly, my experience with doctors and this condition has been far from hopeful. I was told (when the first giant golf ball size mass of agony was removed from under my arm) that it would never return... it returned with a vengeance. I was put on antibiotics that did nothing for the oozing pulsing sores. I was told by one doctor that there wasn’t anything I could do about it and that I was just “unlucky”. So it’s really no surprise I haven’t tried going back to a doctor.

Instead I’ve researched and researched and read until I felt like I finally had a place to start self healing. One such blog post I read: https://robbwolf.com/2012/04/09/putting-hidradenitis-suppurativa-remission-paleo/

really inspired me.

The way Tara Grant explained HS made me realize just how much this disease has affected my life.

“We hide it. We’re the ones that don’t go to pool parties or sleepovers when we’re young. We’re afraid of being intimate as we get older, we don’t wear tank tops and we might miss a lot of work. You may notice us wince when we sit down, but you’ll never hear an honest reaction; our screams of pain would drown out all conversation in a room if we let them out.“

She is so right. Whenever I shower I want to cry from the stinging pain of the water entering these wounds. It honestly fucking sucks and it sucks more knowing that I had no control over this. I didn’t develop HS because of anything I personally did. It wasn’t because I was bad as a child or didn’t brush my teeth that random Saturday or ate too many peanut cakes. I was just “unlucky”.

After losing 65lbs I’ve seen a little improvement. I no longer suffer from the pain of underwear rubbing open wounds near my thighs, or wincing when I sit, or feeling embarrassed about the smell. But I still have sores that refuse to go away under my arms. They itch and burn and sting and make keeping a solid exercise routine challenging. They drain my energy and make me want to stay in bed instead of deal with the agony of putting on clothes, brushing my hair, and wearing a backpack. Yet with all my research and desperate searching for answers, you’d think I’d be in remission. Honestly I’m not because of my own stubbornness.

Night shades.

Potatoes

Tomatoes

Peppers (spicy and sweet)

Eggplant

Cayenne

Paprika

(To name a few common ones)

These are probably the culprits and also foods I’ve struggled to let go of. Giving up night shades means giving up my entire way of life. It means no more of my favorite dishes: curry, sambal, and most Asian/Indian foods I’ve grown up eating. It means a life of no spice... a life where black pepper will have to be enough. And that is hard to give up...

But I’m tired of living in pain. Of messing up my shirts, of having to wear gauze and tape, of holding my breath as I painfully reach for a plate. I’m tired of feeling weird and disgusting. So if giving up my entire way of life will give me my life back, then so be it.

Time to throw out anything that could possibly contain night shades, which sadly, is a lot more than you think.

For more information:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/artistamyshealthjourney.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/list-of-nightshade-veggies-and-fruits/amp/

NARRATOR 'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams.  For the story that you are about to be told, took place in the holiday worlds of old.  Now, you've probably wondered where holidays come from.  If you haven't, I'd say it's time you begun. This Is Halloween SHADOW Boys and girls of every age Wouldn't you like to see something strange? SIAMESE SHADOW Come with us and you will see This, our town of Halloween PUMPKIN PATCH CHORUS This is Halloween, this is Halloween Pumpkins scream in the dead of night GHOSTS This is Halloween, everybody make a scene Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright It's our town, everybody scream In this town of Halloween CREATURE UNDER BED I am the one hiding under your bed Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red MAN UNDER THE STAIRS I am the one hiding under your stairs Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair CORPSE CHORUS This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! VAMPIRES In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song MAYOR In this town, don't we love it now? Everybody's waiting for the next surprise CORPSE CHORUS Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll scream HARLEQUIN DEMON, WEREWOLF, AND MELTING MAN Scream! This is Halloween Red 'n' black, slimy green WEREWOLF Aren't you scared? WITCHES Well, that's just fine Say it once, say it twice Take the chance and roll the dice Ride with the moon in the dead of night HANGING TREE Everybody scream, everybody scream HANGED MEN In our town of Halloween CLOWN I am the clown with the tear-away face Here in a flash and gone without a trace SECOND GHOUL I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?" I am the wind blowing through your hair OOGIE BOOGIE SHADOW I am the shadow on the moon at night Filling your dreams to the brim with fright CORPSE CHORUS This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! CHILD CORPSE TRIO Tender lumplings everywhere Life's no fun without a good scare PARENT CORPSES That's our job, but we're not mean In our town of Halloween CORPSE CHORUS In this town MAYOR Don't we love it now? MAYOR WITH CORPSE CHORUS Everyone's waiting for the next surprise CORPSE CHORUS Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back And scream like a banshee Make you jump out of your skin This is Halloween, everybody scream Won't ya please make way for a very special guy Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now EVERYONE This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! CORPSE CHILD TRIO In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song EVERYONE La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween! (etc.) EVERYONE [applause] WITCHES Cackling CLOWN It's over! BEHEMOTH We did it! [tummy bump] WEREWOLF Wasn't it terrifying? HYDE & CYCLOPS What a night! MAYOR Great Halloween everybody. JACK I believe it was our most horrible yet!  Thank you everyone. MAYOR No, thanks to  you, Jack.  Without your brilliant leadership - JACK Not at all Mayor. VAMPIRE (fat) You're such a scream, Jack WITCH You're a witch's fondest dream! WITCH (little) You made walls fall, Jack WITCH Walls fall?  You made the very mountains crack, Jack DR. FINKELSTEIN The deadly nightshade you slipped me wore off, Sally.   SALLY Let go! DR. FINKELSTEIN You're not ready for so much excitement! SALLY Yes I am! DR. FINKELSTEIN You're coming with me! SALLY No I'm not! [Sally pulls out the thread that's holding her arm on] DR. FINKELSTEIN Come back here you foolish oaf!  Ow! CREATURE FROM BLACK LAGOON Ooo Jack, you make wounds ooze and flesh crawl. JACK Thank you, thank you, thank you -- very much MAYOR Hold it!  We haven't given out the prizes yet!  Our first award goes to the vampires for most blood drained in a single evening. [applause] MAYOR A frightening and honorable mention goes to the fabulous Dark Lagoon leeches SAX PLAYER Nice work, Bone Daddy. JACK Yeah, I guess so.  Just like last year and the year before that and the year before that. [entering graveyard] Jack's Lament Performed by Danny Elfman There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best For my talents are renowned far and wide When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night I excel without ever even trying With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms I have seen grown men give out a shriek With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan I have swept the very bravest off their feet Yet year after year, it's the same routine And I grow so weary of the sound of screams And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King Have grown so tired of the same old thing Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones An emptiness began to grow There's something out there, far from my home A longing that I've never known I'm the master of fright, and a demon of light And I'll scare you right out of your pants To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky And I'm known throughout England and France And since I am dead, I can take off my head To recite Shakespearean quotations No animal nor man can scream like I can With the fury of my recitations But who here would ever understand That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin Would tire of his crown, if they only understood He'd give it all up if he only could Oh, there's an empty place in my bones That calls out for something unknown The fame and praise come year after year Does nothing for these empty tears [leaving graveyard and entering forest] SALLY Jack, I know how you feel.   [Sally gathers herbs] [back at Dr. Finkelstein's castle] DR. FINKELSTEIN Sally, you've come back. SALLY I had to. DR. FINKELSTEIN For this? [showing her arm] SALLY Yes. DR. FINKELSTEIN Shall we then. That's twice this month you've slipped deadly nightshade into my tea and run off -- SALLY Three times! DR. FINKELSTEIN You're mine you know!  I made you with my own hands. SALLY You can make other creations.  I'm restless, I can't help it. DR. FINKELSTEIN It's a phase my dear, it'll pass.  We need to be patient that's all. SALLY But, I don't want to be patient. [forest] ZERO bark JACK No Zero, not now.  I'm not in the mood. ZERO bark JACK All right.  [giving Zero a rib from himself]  Here ya go boy. [Zero gets rib and shows off his nose] [Back to Halloweentown] MAYOR Morning gents [to the band] [humming This Is Halloween, walks up to Jack's front door and rings bell] MAYOR Jack, you home? [getting worried, switches face and knocks with desperation then switch back to happy face] MAYOR Jack?  I've got the plans for next Halloween.  I need to go over them with you so we can get started.   MAYOR (with worried face) Jack, please, I'm only an elected an official here, I can't make decisions by myself.  Jack, answer me!! [falls down steps] ACCORDION PLAYER He's not home. MAYOR Where is he? SAX PLAYER He hasn't been home all night. MAYOR ooooo [back to forest] JACK (yawning)  Where are we?  It's someplace new. ZERO bark bark JACK What is this? [Jack sees Valentine's tree, shamrock tree, Easter egg tree, turkey tree] JACK [gasps] [sees Xmas tree] [turns knob and gets sucked in] ZERO bark bark JACK Whoa!!!! What's This? Performed by Danny Elfman What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere What's this? There's white things in the air What's this? I can't believe my eyes I must be dreaming Wake up, Jack, this isn't fair What's this? What's this? What's this? There's something very wrong What's this? There's people singing songs What's this? The streets are lined with Little creatures laughing Everybody seems so happy Have I possibly gone daffy? What is this? What's this? There's children throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads They're busy building toys And absolutely no one's dead There's frost on every window Oh, I can't believe my eyes And in my bones I feel the warmth That's coming from inside Oh, look What's this? They're hanging mistletoe, they kiss Why that looks so unique, inspired They're gathering around to hear a story Roasting chestnuts on a fire What's this? What's this? In here they've got a little tree, how queer And who would ever think And why? They're covering it with tiny little things They've got electric lights on strings And there's a smile on everyone So, now, correct me if I'm wrong This looks like fun This looks like fun Oh, could it be I got my wish? What's this? Oh my, what now? The children are asleep But look, there's nothing underneath No ghouls, no witches here to scream and scare them Or ensnare them, only little cozy things Secure inside their dreamland What's this? The monsters are all missing And the nightmares can't be found And in their place there seems to be Good feeling all around Instead of screams, I swear I can hear music in the air The smell of cakes and pies Are absolutely everywhere The sights, the sounds They're everywhere and all around I've never felt so good before This empty place inside of me is filling up I simply cannot get enough I want it, oh, I want it Oh, I want it for my own I've got to know I've got to know What is this place that I have found? What is this? Christmas Town, hmm... SANDY CLAWS Ho Ho Ho Ho ho ho ho ho JACK hmm.. [Halloweentown] CLOWN This has never happened before. Witch It's suspicious. Witch (little) It's peculiar. VAMPIRES It's scary. MAYOR Stand aside. WEREWOLF grrrr MAYOR Coming through.  We've got find Jack.  There's only 365 days left till next Halloween. WEREWOLF 364! MAYOR Is there anywhere we've forgotten to check? Clown I looked in every mausoleum. WITCHES We opened the sarcophagi. Hyde I tromped through the pumpkin patch. VAMPIRE I peeked behind the Cyclops's eye.  I did!  But he wasn't there. MAYOR It's time to sound the alarms. [DR. FINKELSTEIN's castle] SALLY Frog's breath will overpower any odor.  Bitter.  [coughing]  Worm's wart.  Where's that worm's wart? DR. FINKELSTEIN Sally, that soup ready yet? SALLY Coming....lunch DR. FINKELSTEIN Ah, what's that?  Worm's wart, mmm, and...frog's breath. SALLY What's wrong?  I-I thought you liked frog's breath. DR. FINKELSTEIN Nothing's more suspicious than frog's breath. Until you taste it I won't swallow a spoonful. SALLY I'm not hungry... [knocking spoon]  Oops! DR. FINKELSTEIN You want me to starve.  An old man like me who hardly has strength as it is.  Me, to whom you owe your very life. SALLY Oh don't be silly.  [eats soup with trick spoon]  Mmmm, see.  Scrumptious. [Dr. Finkelstein eats soup] [Halloween] MAYOR Did anyone think to dredge the lake? VAMPIRE Ah, this morning! ZERO barks Witch Hear that? Witch (little) What? Witch Shh! ZERO barks VAMPIRE Zero! [fanfare as Jack and Zero arrive] Kid Jack's back! MAYOR Where have you been? JACK Call a town meeting and I'll tell everyone all about it. MAYOR When? JACK Immediately! MAYOR [in his mayor truck] Town meeting, town meeting, town meeting tonight, town meeting tonight [at meeting] Clown [giggles as he hits Sally] JACK Listen everyone.  I want to tell you about Christmastown. Town Meeting Song Performed by Danny Elfman and Cast JACK There are objects so peculiar They were not to be believed All around, things to tantalize my brain It's a world unlike anything I've ever seen And as hard as I try I can't seem to describe Like a most improbable dream But you must believe when I tell you this It's as real as my skull and it does exist Here, let me show you This is a thing called a present The whole thing starts with a box DEVIL A box? is it steel? WEREWOLF Are there locks? HARLEOUIN DEMON Is it filled with a pox? DEVIL, WEREWOLF, HARLEQUIN DEMON A pox How delightful, a pox JACK If you please Just a box with bright-colored paper And the whole thing's topped with a bow WITCHES A bow? But why? How ugly What's in it? What's in it? JACK That's the point of the thing, not to know CLOWN It's a bat Will it bend? CREATURE UNDER THE STAIRS It's a rat Will it break? UNDERSEA GAL Perhaps it s the head that I found in the lake JACK Listen now, you don't understand That's not the point of Christmas land Now, pay attention We pick up an oversized sock And hang it like this on the wall MR. HYDE Oh, yes! Does it still have a foot? MEDIUM MR. HYDE Let me see, let me look SMALL MR. HYDE Is it rotted and covered with gook? JACK Um, let me explain There's no foot inside, but there's candy Or sometimes it's filled with small toys MUMMY AND WINGED DEMON Small toys WINGED DEMON Do they bite? MUMMY Do they snap? WINGED DEMON Or explode in a sack? CORPSE KID Or perhaps they just spring out And scare girls and boys MAYOR What a splendid idea This Christmas sounds fun I fully endorse it Let's try it at once JACK Everyone, please now, not so fast There's something here that you don't quite grasp Well, I may as well give them what they want And the best, I must confess, I have saved for the last For the ruler of this Christmas land Is a fearsome king with a deep mighty voice Least that's what I've come to understand And I've also heard it told That he's something to behold Like a lobster, huge and red When he sets out to slay with his rain gear on Carting bulging sacks with his big great arms That is, so I've heard it said And on a dark, cold night Under full moonlight He flies into a fog Like a vulture in the sky And they call him Sandy Claws Well, at least they're excited But they don't understand That special kind of feeling in Christmas land Oh, well... [Jack's house] JACK There's got to be a logical way to explain this Xmas thing. [Dr. Finkelstein's castle] DR. FINKELSTEIN You've poisoned me for the last time you wretched girl. [locks Sally away] [dingdong] DR. FINKELSTEIN Oh my head...the door is open. JACK Hel-lo DR. FINKELSTEIN Jack Skellington, up here my boy. JACK Dr. I need to borrow some equipment. DR. FINKELSTEIN Is that so, whatever for? JACK I'm conducting a series of experiments. DR. FINKELSTEIN How perfectly marvelous.  Curiosity killed the cat, you know. JACK I know. DR. FINKELSTEIN Come on into the lab and we'll get you all fixed up. SALLY Hmm.  Experiments? [Jack's house] JACK Zero, I'm home. [Jack examines & experiments with Xmas stuff] JACK Interesting reaction....but what does it mean? [Sally's room] [after Sally jumps to give Jack his basket...] DR. FINKELSTEIN You can come out now if you promise to behave.  Sally.  Sally.  Oooh!  Gone again! [Jack's house] [Sally gives Jack his basket and sneaks off and picks a flower which catches on fire] Jack's Obsession Performed by Danny Elfman and Cast CITIZENS OF HALLOWEEN Something's up with Jack Something's up with Jack Don't know if we're ever going to get him back He's all alone up there Locked away inside Never says a word Hope he hasn't died Something's up with Jack Something's up with Jack JACK Christmas time is buzzing in my skull Will it let me be? I cannot tell There's so many things I cannot grasp When I think I've got it, and then at last Through my bony fingers it does slip Like a snowflake in a fiery grip Something here I'm not quite getting Though I try, I keep forgetting Like a memory long since past Here in an instant, gone in a flash What does it mean? What does it mean? In these little bric-a-brac A secret's waiting to be cracked These dolls and toys confuse me so Confound it all, I love it though Simple objects, nothing more But something's hidden through a door Though I do not have the key Something's there I cannot see What does it mean? What does it mean? What does it mean? Hmm... I've read these Christmas books so many times I know the stories and I know the rhymes I know the Christmas carols all by heart My skull's so full, it's tearing me apart As often as I've read them, something's wrong So hard to put my bony finger on Or perhaps it's really not as deep As I've been led to think Am I trying much too hard? Of course! I've been too close to see The answer's right in front of me Right in front of me It's simple really, very clear Like music drifting in the air Invisible, but everywhere Just because I cannot see it Doesn't mean I can't believe it You know, I think this Christmas thing It's not as tricky as it seems And why should they have all the fun? It should belong to anyone Not anyone, in fact, but me Why, I could make a Christmas tree And there's no reason I can find I couldn't handle Christmas time I bet I could improve it too And that's exactly what I'll do Hee,hee,hee JACK Eureka!!  This year, Christmas will be ours! MAYOR Patience, everyone.  Jack has a special Job for each of us.  Dr. Finkelstein, your Xmas assignment is ready.  Dr. Finkelstein to the front of the line. VAMPIRE What kind of a noise is that for a baby to make? JACK Perhaps it can be improved? VAMPIRES No problem! JACK I knew it!  Dr. thank you for coming.  We need some of these. [showing picture of Santa and sleigh] DR. FINKELSTEIN Hmm.. their construction should be exceedingly simple.  I think. MAYOR How horrible our Xmas will be. JACK No--how jolly. MAYOR [switches face] Oh, how jolly our Xmas will be.  [gets pelted]  What are you doing here? LOCK Jack sent for us. SHOCK Specifically. BARREL By name. LOCK Lock SHOCK Shock BARREL Barrel MAYOR Jack, Jack it's Oogie's boys! JACK Ah, Halloween's finest trick or treaters.  The job I have for you is top secret.  It requires craft, cunning, mischief. SHOCK And we thought you didn't like us, Jack. [giggles] JACK Absolutely no one is to know about it.  Not a soul.  Now-- [whispers to LS&B] And one more thing -- leave that no account Ooogie Boogie out of this! BARREL Whatever you say, Jack. SHOCK Of course Jack. LOCK Wouldn't dream of it Jack. [all said with their fingers crossed] Kidnap the Sandy Claws Performed by Paul Reubens, Catherine O'Hara, and Danny Elfman LOCK, SHOCK, AND BARREL Kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws LOCK I wanna do it BARREL Let's draw straws SHOCK Jack said we should work together Three of a kind LOCK, SHOCK, AND BARREL Birds of a feather Now and forever Wheeee La, la, la, la, la Kidnap the Sandy Claws, lock him up real tight Throw away the key and then Turn off all the lights SHOCK First, we're going to set some bait Inside a nasty trap and wait When he comes a-sniffing we will Snap the trap and close the gate LOCK Wait! I've got a better plan To catch this big red lobster man Let's pop him in a boiling pot And when he's done we'll butter him up LOCK, SHOCK, AND BARREL Kidnap the Sandy Claws Throw him in a box Bury him for ninety years Then see if he talks SHOCK Then Mr. Oogie Boogie Man Can take the whole thing over then He'll be so pleased, I do declare That he will cook him rare LOCK,SHOCK, AND BARREL Wheeee LOCK I say that we take a cannon Aim it at his door And then knock three times And when he answers Sandy Claws will be no more SHOCK You're so stupid, think now lf we blow him up to smithereens We may lose some pieces And then Jack will beat us black and green LOCK,SHOCK, AND BARREL Kidnap the Sandy Claws Tie him in a bag Throw him in the ocean Then, see if he is sad LOCK AND SHOCK Because Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around If I were on his Boogie list, I'd get out of town BARREL He'll be so pleased by our success That he'll reward us too, I'll bet LOCK, SHOCK, AND BARREL Perhaps he'll make his special brew Of snake and spider stew Ummm! We're his little henchmen and We take our job with pride We do our best to please him And stay on his good side SHOCK I wish my cohorts weren't so dumb BARREL I'm not the dumb one LOCK You're no fun SHOCK Shut up LOCK Make me SHOCK I've got something, listen now This one is real good, you'll see We'll send a present to his door Upon there'll be a note to read Now, in the box we'll wait and hide Until his curiosity entices him to look inside BARREL And then we'll have him One, two, three LOCK, SHOCK, AND BARREL Kidnap the Sandy Claws, beat him with a stick Lock him up for ninety years, see what makes him tick Kidnap the Sandy Claws, chop him into bits Mr. Oogie Boogie is sure to get his kicks Kidnap the Sandy Claws, see what we will see Lock him in a cage and then, throw away the key OOGIE BOOGIE Sandy Claws..hahaha [city hall] JACK It goes something like this.  [Jingle bells] How about it?  Think you can manage? PERSON INSIDE BASS a one, and a two, and a three, and a. . . [Jingle in a flat key by the band] MAYOR Next! JACK Fantastic!  Now why don't you all practice on that and we'll be in great shape.  Sally, I need your help more than anyone's.   SALLY You certainly do, Jack.  I had the most terrible vision. JACK That's splendid. SALLY No, it was about your Xmas.  There was smoke and fire. JACK That not my Xmas.  My Xmas is filled with laughter and joy and this--my Sandy Claws outfit.  I want you to make it. SALLY Jack, please, listen to me--it's going to be a disaster. JACK How could it be--just follow the pattern.  This part is red, the trim is white. SALLY It's a mistake, Jack. JACK Now don't be modest, who else is clever enough to make my Sandy claws outfit. MAYOR Next! JACK I have every confidence in you. SALLY But it seems wrong to me, very wrong. [to Behemoth] JACK This device is called a nutcracker. LOCK, SHOCK & BARREL Jack, Jack we caught him we caught him. JACK Perfect!  Open it up.  Quickly! [opens to reveal the Easter bunny] JACK That's not Sandy Claws! SHOCK It isn't? BARREL Who is it? BEHEMOTH Bunny! JACK Not Sandy Claws...take him back! LOCK We followed your instructions-- BARREL we went through the door-- JACK Which door?  There's more than one.  Sandy Claws is behind the door shaped like this.   [shows Xmas cookie in shape of tree] SHOCK I told you! [LS&B start fighting] JACK Arr!!  [making scary face at LS&B] JACK I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, sir.  Take him home first  and apologize again.  Be careful with Sandy Claws when you fetch him.  Treat him nicely. LOCK, SHOCK & BARREL Got it.  We'll get it right next time. [Dr. Finkelstein's castle] DR. FINKELSTEIN You will be a decided improvement over that treacherous Sally. IGOR Master, the plans. DR. FINKELSTEIN Excellent, Igor. [throws him a dog bone] Making Christmas Performed by Danny Elfman and the Citizens of Halloween CLOWN This time, this time GROUP Making Christmas ACCORDION PLAYER Making Christmas MAYOR Making Christmas, making Christmas Is so fine GROUP It's ours this time And won't the children be surprised It's ours this time CHILD CORPSE Making Christmas MUMMY Making Christmas MUMMY AND CORPSE CHILD Making Christmas WITCHES Time to give them something fun WITCHES AND CREATURE LADY They'll talk about for years to come GROUP Let's have a cheer from everyone It's time to party DUCK TOY Making Christmas, making Christmas VAMPIRES Snakes and mice get wrapped up so nice With spider legs and pretty bows VAMPIRES AND WINGED DEMON It's ours this time CORPSE FATHER All together, that and this CORPSE FATHER, WOLF MAN With all our tricks we're CORPSE FATHER, WOLF MAN, DEVIL Making Christmastime WOLF MAN Here comes Jack JACK I don't believe what's happening to me My hopes, my dreams, my fantasies Hee, hee, hee, hee HARLEQUIN Won't they be impressed, I am a genius See how I transformed this old rat Into a most delightful hat JACK Hmm, my compliments from me to you On this your most intriguing hat Consider though this substitute A bat in place of this old rat Huh! No, no, no, now that's all wrong This thing will never make a present It's been dead now for much too long Try something fresher, something pleasant Try again, don't give up THREE MR. HYDES All together, that and this With all our tricks we're making Christmastime (Instrumental) GROUP This time, this time JACK It's ours! GROUP Making Christmas, making Christmas La, la, la It's almost here GROUP AND WOLF MAN And we can't wait GROUP AND HARLEOUIN So ring the bells and celebrate GROUP 'Cause when the full moon starts to climb We'll all sing out JACK It's Christmastime Hee, hee, hee [Christmastown] SANDY CLAWS Kathleen, Bobby, Susie, yes, Susie's been nice.  Nice, nice, naughty, nice, nice, nice.  There are hardly any naughty children this year. [door chime:  jingle all the way] SANDY CLAWS Now who could that be? LOCK, SHOCK & BARREL Trick or treat! SANDY CLAWS Huh? [back to Halloweentown] [to Jack in Sandy garb] SALLY You don't look like yourself Jack, not at all. JACK Isn't that wonderful.  It couldn't be more wonderful! SALLY But you're the Pumpkin King. JACK Not anymore.  And I feel so much better now. SALLY Jack, I know you think something's missing.  But -- [pricks Jack's finger with needle] JACK SALLY Sorry JACK You're right, something is missing but what?  I've got the beard, the coat, the boots -- LOCK, SHOCK & BARREL Jack, Jack  this time we bagged him! LOCK This time we really did! BARREL He sure is big Jack! SHOCK And heavy! SANDY CLAWS Let me out! JACK Sandy Claws in person.  What a pleasure to meet you.  Why you have hands!  You don't have claws at all. SANDY CLAWS Where am I? JACK Surprised aren't you?  I knew you would be.  You don't need to have another worry about Xmas this year.   SANDY CLAWS What? JACK Consider this a vacation Sandy,  a reward.  It's your turn to take it easy. SANDY CLAWS But there must be some mistake! JACK See that he's comfortable.  Just a second fellows.  Of course, that's what I'm missing.   SANDY CLAWS But -- JACK Thanks!  [took Sandy's hat] SANDY CLAWS You just can't...  Hold on where are we going now? JACK ho ho ho SALLY This is worse than I thought, much worse.  I know... SANDY CLAWS Me?  On vacation on Xmas eve? BARREL Where are we taking him? SALLY Where? LOCK To Oogie boogie, of course.  There isn't anywhere in the whole world more comfortable than that and Jack said to make him comfortable.  Didn't he? SHOCK & BARREL Yes he did. SANDY CLAWS Haven't you heard of peace on earth and good will toward men? LOCK, SHOCK & BARREL No! [Dr. Finkelstein's castle] [getting fog juice] SALLY This'll stop Jack. [working on new creation to replace Sally] DR. FINKELSTEIN What a joy to think of all we'll have in common.  We'll have conversations worth having. [Oogie's] LOCK, SHOCK & BARREL [laughing] SANDY CLAWS Don't do this.  Naughty children never get any presents. SHOCK I think he might be too big. LOCK No he's not.  If he can go down a chimney, he can fit down here! [in Oogie's lair] Oogie Boogie's Song Performed by Ken Page with Ed lvory OOGIE BOOGIE Well, well, well, what have we here? Sandy Claws, huh? Oh, I'm really scared So you're the one everybody's talkin' about, ha, ha You're jokin', you're jokin' I can't believe my eyes You're jokin' me, you gotta be This can't be the right guy He's ancient, he's ugly I don't know which is worse I might just split a seam now If I don't die laughing first Mr. Oogie Boogie says There's trouble close at hand You'd better pay attention now 'Cause I'm the Boogie Man And if you aren't shakin' There's something very wrong 'Cause this may be the last time You hear the boogie song, ohhh THREE SKELETONS Ohhh OOGIE BOOGIE Ohhh TWO SKELETONS IN VICE Ohhh OOGIE BOOGIE Ohhh THREE BATS Ohhh, he's the Oogie Boogie Man SANTA Release me now Or you must face the dire consequences The children are expecting me So please, come to your senses OOGIE BOOGIE You're jokin', you're jokin' I can't believe my ears Would someone shut this fella up I'm drownin' in my tears It's funny, I'm laughing You really are too much And now, with your permission I'm going to do my stuff SANTA What are you going to do? OOGIE BOOGIE I'm gonna do the best I can Oh, the sound of rollin' dice To me is music in the air 'Cause I'm a gamblin' Boogie Man Although I don't play fair It's much more fun, I must confess With lives on the line Not mine, of course, but yours, old boy Now that'd be just fine SANTA Release me fast or you will have to Answer for this heinous act OOGIE BOOGIE Oh, brother, you're something You put me in a spin You aren't comprehending The position that you're in It's hopeless, you're finished You haven't got a prayer 'Cause I'm Mr. Oogie Boogie And you ain't going nowhere [LS&B laughing] [back to Halloweentown] [Sally pouring fog juice into fountain] [Jack appears from coffin and there's applause] MAYOR Think of us as you soar triumphantly through the sky outshining every star.  Your silhouette a dark blot on the moon, you who are our pride, you who are our glory, you who have frightened billions into an early grave.   [the fog starts to get worse] MAYOR You who have eh, devastated the souls of the living... JACK Oh no!  We can't take off in this!  The reindeer can't see an inch in front of their noses. SALLY Whew! VAMPIRE This fog's as thick as, as... CYCLOPS Jelly brains VAMPIRE Thicker! JACK There go all of my hope, my precious plans, my glorious dreams. Kid [crying]  There goes Xmas. ZERO barks JACK No Zero, down boy.  My what a brilliant nose you have.  The better to light my way!  To the head of the team, Zero!  We're off! SALLY Wait Jack, no! [Jack is off!] [cheers] JACK ho ho ha ha ha SALLY Good bye Jack, my dearest Jack.  Oh how I hope my premonition is wrong. Sally's Song Performed by Catherine O'Hara I sense there's something in the wind That feels like tragedy's at hand And though I'd like to stand by him Can't shake this feeling that I have The worst is just around the bend And does he notice my feelings for him? And will he see how much he means to me? I think it's not to be What will become of my dear friend? Where will his actions lead us then? Although I'd like to join the crowd In their enthusiastic cloud Try as I may, it doesn't last And will we ever end up together? No, I think not, it's never to become For I am not the one [Jack playing Sandy] JACK ho ho ho ho ho ho he he he [lands loudly & wakes up little kid] A little kid Santa! [sees Jack] [gasps]  Santa? JACK Merry Xmas!  And what is your name? Kid uh uh JACK That's all right.  I have a special present for you anyway. There you go sonny.  Hohohohehehe [goes back up chimney] Mother And what did Santa bring you honey? [pulls out shrunken head] [mother and father scream] JACK Merry Xmas! Cop [ON PHONE] Hello, police. [frantic peanuts-type talk] Attacked by Xmas toys?  That's strange.  That's the second toy complaint we've had. JACK hohohohehehe [killer wreath, snake, vampire toy, killer duck] [screams] [Jack puts toys down chimneys] [screams] [Jack in the box chases fat kid] JACK You're welcome one and all! Cop [on phone] Where'd you spot him? ---Fast as we can, ma'am ---Police ---I know, I know a skeleton ---Keep calm ---Turn off all the lights ---Make sure the doors are Locked ---Hello, police Newscaster Reports are pouring in from all over the globe that an impostor is shamelessly impersonating Santa Claus, mocking and mangling this joyous holiday. Halloween residents [cheers] Newscaster Police assure us that this moment, military units are mobilizing to stop the perpetrator of this heinous crime. SALLY [over the Newscaster] Jack, someone has to help Jack.  Where'd they take that Sandy Claws? Newscaster --Come back and save Xmas JACK Look Zero, search lights!   [firing at Jack] JACK They're celebrating!  They're thanking us for doing such a good job. [almost hits Zero] JACK Whoa, careful down there, you almost hit us.   ZERO bark JACK It's ok, Zero.  Head higher! [Oogie lair] OOGIE BOOGIE Are you a gamblin man, Sandy?  Let's play.   [sees sally's leg] OOGIE BOOGIE Mmmm.. my, my....what have we here? [Sally's hands start to rescue Sandy] SALLY [whispering]  I'll get you out of here. OOGIE BOOGIE Ah, lovely.  Tickle, tickle, tickle.  Tickle, tickle, tickle. [Sally's hands untie Sandy] [Oogie realizes that there's no body to the leg] OOGIE BOOGIE What?!?  You trying to make a dupe out of me? [Oogie sucks Sandy and Sally back in] [back to Jack] JACK Who's next on my list.  Ah, little Harry and Jordan.  Won't they be surprised. [sleigh gets hit] JACK They're trying to hit us!  ZERO! ZERO Bark [sleigh gets hit] [as Jack's falling] JACK Merry Xmas to all and to all a good night... [Halloween] WEREWOLF howl! MAYOR (with white face) I knew this Xmas thing was a bad idea.  I felt it in my gut.  Terrible news folks.  The worst tragedy of our times.  Jack has been blown to smithereens.  Terrible, terrible news. [back to "normal" town] Cop [in car] Attention, attention citizens.  Terrible news.  There's still no sign of Santa Claus.  Although the impostor has been shot down, it looks like Xmas will have to be canceled this year.  I repeat the impostor has been shot down but there's still no sign ...... [Jack in cemetery] Poor Jack Performed by Danny Elfman What have I done? What have I done? How could I be so blind? All is lost, where was I? Spoiled all, spoiled all Everything's gone all wrong What have I done? What have I done? Find a deep cave to hide in In a million years they'll find me Only dust and a plaque That reads, 'Here Lies Poor Old Jack" But I never intended all this madness, never And nobody really understood, well how could they? That all I ever wanted was to bring them something great Why does nothing ever turn out like it should? Well, what the heck, I went and did my best And, by god, I really tasted something swell And for a moment, why, I even touched the sky And at least I left some stories they can tell, I did And for the first time since I don't remember when I felt just like my old bony self again And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King That's right! I am the Pumpkin King, ha, ha, ha, ha And I just can't wait until next Halloween 'Cause I've got some new ideas that will really make them scream And, by God, I'm really going to give it all my might Uh oh, I hope there's still time to set things right Sandy Claws, hmm [Oogie lair] SALLY You wait till Jack hears about this.  By the time he's through with you, you'll be lucky if you... MAYOR The king of Halloween has been blown to smithereens.  Skeleton Jack is now a pile of dust. SALLY [gasp] JACK Come on Zero.  Xmas isn't over yet! OOGIE BOOGIE What's that you were saying about luck, rag doll? SALLY Help, help, help, help OOGIE BOOGIE Sandy, looks like it's Oogie's turn to boogie. SALLY [scream] OOGIE BOOGIE one 2 3 4 5 6 7 -- hahaha SANDY CLAWS This can't be happening! OOGIE BOOGIE Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.  Oh, I'm feeling weak...with hunger. One more roll of the dice oughta do it.  Haha [rolls dice] What!  Snake eyes.  [bang on table] Eleven!  Haha  looks like I won the jackpot! Bye bye doll face and sandman. Ha, ha, ha [about to dump Sally & Sandy Claus into the lava] What the... JACK Hello Oogie OOGIE BOOGIE Jack, but they said you were dead.  You must be double dead. Well come on bone man. ZERO bark bark OOGIE BOOGIE oooo ooo ooo.  Pull an arm.  ha ha SALLY Jack look out! OOGIE BOOGIE So long, Jack.  haha JACK How dare you treat my friends so shamefully. [Jack pulls the thread that came loose that held Oogie together] OOGIE BOOGIE Now look what you've done.  My bugs, my bugs, my bugs, bye bye bye JACK Forgive me Mr. claws, I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday. SANDY CLAWS Bumpy sleigh ride, Jack?  The next time you get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to her!  She's the only one who makes any sense around this insane asylum! Skeletons.... JACK I hope there's still time-- SANDY CLAWS To fix Xmas?  Of course there is, I'm Santa Claus! [and laying a finger aside of his nose, up Oogie's chimney he rose] SALLY He'll fix things Jack.  He knows what to do. JACK How did you get down here Sally? SALLY Oh, I was trying to, well, I wanted to, to -- JACK to help me SALLY I couldn't just let you just... JACK Sally, I can't believe I never realized...that you... MAYOR Jack, Jack! BARREL Here he is! LOCK Alive! SHOCK Just like we said. MAYOR Grab a hold my boy! JACK & SALLY whoa! NEWSCASTER Good news, folks.  Santa Claus, the one and only has finally been spotted.  Old Saint Nick appears to be traveling at supersonic speed.   He's setting things right, bringing joy and cheer wherever he goes.  Yes folks, Kris Kringle has pulled it out of the bag and delivered Xmas to excited children all over the world! Finale Performed by Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, and the Citizens of Halloween CHORUS La, la, la, (etc.) Jack's OK, and he's back, OK CHILD CORPSE AND CHORUS He's all right MAYOR AND CHORUS Let's shout, make a fuss Scream it out, wheee CHORUS Jack is back now, everyone sing In our town of Halloween JACK It's great to be home! SANDY CLAWS Hohohohoho Happy Halloween! [Sandy Claws brings snow to Halloween] JACK Merry Xmas! CHILD CORPSE What's this? CYCLOPS What's this? HARLEQUIN DEMON I haven't got a clue MR. HYDE What's this? CLOWN Why it's completely new OFF-SCREEN VOICE What's this? WOLFMAN Must be a Christmas thing OFF-SCREEN VOICE What's this? MAYOR It's really very strange CHORUS This is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! What's this? What's this? (Repeat) DR. FINKELSTEIN Careful, my precious jewel! [Dr. F. with his new wife!] JACK My dearest friend, if you don't mind I'd like to join you by your side Where we can gaze into the stars JACK AND SALLY And sit together, now and forever For it is plain as anyone can see We're simply meant to be

The Naturopathic Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

When I see autoimmune individuals in my practice, among the first things I tell them is that they need to understand their very own body far better than any of the doctors they are dealing with can possibly know it. Medical professionals see many individuals with the exact same conditions, however none of the clients are precisely the same.

' Doctor' in Latin indicates teacher. We require to educate our clients how to manage or fix the problem they have. In order to do this efficiently, the patient needs to know his or her own body.

Autoimmune illness is a medical diagnosis that I see in my method everyday as a naturopathic physician (ND). NDs are known for being the most effective practitioners to deal with persistent conditions. This is because we check out each individual as a specific case and try to find the root causes of conditions and not just the symptoms presented. People that recognize their very own bodies will profit the most from this sort of alternative therapy.

MDs as well as NDs Working Together

The very best method of care for autoimmune individuals is a participating strategy between MDs as well as NDs to determine the origin of the condition and afterwards deal with the ensuing effects. This kind of MD/ ND co-management is perfect for a person that can take advantage of both preventative way of life changes and also typical medicines when needed. There are several naturopathic approaches to autoimmune disease that can be effective, including diet, food-sensitivity screening and supplements. All of them include placing the client accountable of his or her own health care.

MDs are ending up being extra aware that naturopathic doctors do exercise conventional medication, yet with some approaches that are different than their own pharmaceutical-based training. NDs do acknowledge the need for drugs, largely as a last hope. NDs typically collaborate with patients to figure out when a therapy is no longer necessary. This needs the commitment and collaboration of all involved; patients and also medical professionals. With any luck, we're closer to the day when MDs and also NDs will flawlessly interact on a participating prepare for individuals, making use of the most effective of both techniques.

Managing Your Health care

Clients require to find out exactly how to manage their own health care, make their own choices, and seek treatments that work for them. If they don't find the solutions they are seeking with an expert, they ought to maintain looking. To paraphrase an old stating, "No person individual, teaching or religious beliefs has the syndicate on knowledge." People with autoimmune problems, or any kind of persistent problem, must maintain this in mind as they begin the look for awareness regarding their treatment choices. Things a client does daily, from the foods they consume to the products they utilize, the job they do, lifestyle, etc., all can have a result on their health. Physicians can not comply with the client every min of the day to identify what has unfavorable effects on that particular patient. The individual has to become savvy sufficient to figure it out, with assistance as well as instructions from their doctors.

For instance, one of my people unexpectedly began having dizzy spells. They were arbitrary and also sometimes lasted for hrs, at some time for secs. None of the medical professionals she mosted likely to might figure out the cause or a reliable therapy to correct the sign. The patient changed her call lens remedy and also symptoms totally dealt with. None of us would certainly have connected the two. The patient realized sufficient of her day-to-day way of living routine that she right away saw the modification that quit the symptom. Knowing your very own body as well as identifying that every little thing in your way of life has a bearing on your health and wellness is so important.

Deal With The Reason( s) Not Just The Symptoms

Digestion

Food digestion is usually a problem with autoimmune patients. It requires to be attended to today. If you can't refine as well as take in nutrients from food or supplements, then getting any type of solutions into the system is going to take much longer. Systemic treatment requires a systemic strategy. As a result, it is necessary that the body's digestion system operate in the person's favor. Any kind of persistent condition will need to have the digestive system functioning optimally. The features of the gastrointestinal system are straight connected to the ideal feature of the immune system. An immune system currently in trouble is most likely to additionally have a digestive element that is bothersome.

Diet plan

Autoimmune people require to understand that what they are consuming has a HUGE impact on their condition. Some individuals are informed that what they eat doesn't matter. Your food is your nourishment-- exactly how can it not matter? It's just sensible that the human body needs the capacity to absorb all of the offered nutrients in order to operate. This is specifically true for people that have health and wellness conditions, including autoimmune disease.

When I suggest people to alter their diet plans in order to deal with autoimmune issues, a regular reaction is, "I've been consuming by doing this my whole life, so exactly how could food be a concern now?" Think about this declaration. If food plays even a little part of the formula, and the client has been eating similarly their entire life, then doesn't it make good sense that diet goes to the very least part of what is creating the damages that has caused a larger health problem?

The body, when offered the correct tools (such as nutrients), has a fantastic capability to recover itself. It is additionally remarkable just how much abuse it will take in the past breaking down as well as producing a condition that is going to be harder to repair later on.

With any persistent problem, the individual will certainly enhance by consuming what helps them, and also getting rid of foods that do not aid, or trigger further concerns. For autoimmune individuals, the initial two foods to be removed are undoubtedly milk as well as wheat. Nearly every refined food has wheat in it. To avoid checking out a lots of tags, the simplest method to manage wheat evasion is to focus on eating plant-based foods. No tags, no thinking, just eat entire foods. Regarding milk, do not fret that eliminating it will cause a calcium shortage. Several cultures worldwide do not take in the same large servings of milk that Americans take in as well as they don't experience weakening of bones. Several whole foods normally include calcium. If you're still worried, then you can always take a calcium supplement.

Other foods that need to be omitted are sugar (certainly) and also red meat. There likewise is a team of vegetables, called the nightshades, which are thought about highly inflammatory and ought to be stayed clear of. These consist of the peppers, tomatoes, potatoes as well as eggplant.

Food Sensitivity Test

Food sensitivity tests are readily available to help patients identify what other foods may be developing problems. These are not food allergy tests to establish anaphylactic reactions, but instead food sensitivity examinations that reveal what are called 'delayed responses.' Delayed reactions to foods are notoriously difficult to track. It is tough to associate a feedback to a food when there isn't an instant connection, and it takes time for the body to react. The only true method to establish a level of sensitivity is the elimination of it for at the very least two weeks, and also ideally much longer. A long-term problem won't get rid of with 2 weeks of staying clear of an angering food, yet the patient will likely really feel much better. That result is much better than any test result.

Having an entirely wholesome and healthy diet regimen will make all the difference in just how a client really feels and also exactly how the body takes care of numerous problems. If a client can't take care of the diet plan modifications on his or her very own, they need to look for aid from someone who can assist them. This is a really crucial component of anybody's healthcare, no matter what various other therapy options they choose.

Supplements And Various Other Therapies

Each autoimmune person is different from the following. The supplements, botanicals, holistic treatments, acupuncture, and also medicine selected for every patient are all dependent on the specific and also their symptoms. The techniques made use of by each professional can be very different also. Clients have lots of selections to make when managing their persistent problems. There is a lot of current research on the impacts of vitamin D, DHEA as well as omega fat for autoimmune disease. The checklist expands each year, as does the availability of information concerning brand-new treatment procedures. Once more, the patient is the vital part in the equation for what the very best health plan will certainly be for each and every person.

The health insurance additionally requires to show what the individual is able, or not able, to do. If a person is unable to make nutritional changes to help control the condition, after that there probably will be a demand for even more nutritional supplements and also possibly protein-fortified beverages. This will certainly differ from an individual that can take care of a nutrient-rich diet plan, likes to juice, consumes just organic foods, and wants to eliminate all refined foods. Utilizing other treatments normally does require specialist instructions. There are so many alternatives; a patient requires to work with a medical professional who can assist tighten the selections to a plan that works for the individual. Or else, a client that "attempts numerous approaches that they read about" can wind up throwing away a lot of cash and also time and taking way too many supplements that are not assisting.

Medical study can determine if a therapy or treatment will work for some people, however it does not imply it will help all patients with the same condition. As an example, the hormone DHEA may show assurance for therapy ... yet what regarding clients that already have DHEA levels that are expensive? The private factor also is critical when checking out the danger of interactions with drugs. Even when individuals are collaborating with both MDs as well as NDs, the individual should be aware of contraindications between treatments as well as pharmaceuticals. Doctors see a lot of people everyday that they don't remember what each person is taking. It is extremely important to take note of what you are taking. Several clients entered my workplace with recommended drugs, and I always ask if they recognize why they are taking each prescription. Sometimes, they don't know what all the prescriptions are for.

The Whole Wellness Photo

In consideration of the mind-body connection, NDs typically ask about an individual's emotional health and stress levels, previous and also existing. Often, a trigger can be discovered in these locations. Helping the patient to understand the relevance of these types of triggers, as well as establishing exactly how to settle them, is one more action in the direction of better health.

The complex nature of autoimmune problems normally requires more than one specialist to help in a patient's overall wellness. Working with medical professionals who appreciate the requirements of a patient, as well as who are actively looking for and using greater than one method each time, can be a vital part of treatment. I encourage clients to inform their MDs that they are looking for various other treatment options that the MD may not recognize with. All of us need to work together to obtain a method that works for the person. When an MD inhibits a person who explains that there are other specialists involved in treatment, the person will certainly not share important information with that said medical professional. This is plainly not the most effective scenario for clients or physicians. As a result, it is very important for all doctor to value the demands of the client, as well as what each practitioner offers the instance, for an optimum strategy that will certainly profit the person.

The article “ The Naturopathic Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases “ was first appeared on ProNatural Physicians Group

Want to know more about the different naturopathic treatments? Dr. Amauri Caversan ND is a naturopathic service provider in Toronto, Ontario. Check him out: https://dramaurinaturopath.com/