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TL;DR- we're wanting to get a dog, and are considering a basset hound. What are the best and worst things about the breed I should know?
My husband and I are looking at getting a dog. I'm researching breeds that will work for our lifestyle, our living situation, and our two cats. I have always wanted a basset hound since I was a kid, but I want to properly research everything before we make any decisions, so I figured you guys would be the best place to ask for a real opinion of what having one as a member of the family is like. I want to make sure the next dog we get is suited for the life we live.
We currently live in a pretty big townhouse, but with a pretty small courtyard, so not much outdoor space for running around. The yard is fully fenced (6' fences) so no chance of escape. Given we're in a townhouse, our neighbours are very close on either side. One neighbour has a pug. We have two cats, (one is totally indifferent to dogs as long as he isn't being chased, and the other grew up with our last dog who sadly died over a year ago so loves them).
We're active and like to go out and about on road trips and stuff, but we're not hugely outdoorsy active people. We're not the sort of people to be going hiking and to the beach every weekend, and runs every morning. We're more '20min walk down to the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner' sort of people. I work 10-12hrs a day, but my husband is usually home by 3pm so the dog would only be alone until mid afternoon, and would have access to both inside and outside.
We are not the sort of people for a high energy, high activity dog, who needs a lot of space. But a low energy dog who wants lots of cuddles, to spend their days lazing around inside and spending the weekends hanging around with friends and going to the park? Absolutely.
From what I've read, a basset hound might work for us! But what are they like, behaviourally? What are their not so well-known quirks? Some other things I might need to factor in if I am going to consider it? Any common health conditions? What are they like with training and behaviour management? Are they often dog or people reactive?
Really any information would be fantastic. I am trying to get as much information as possible about the few dog breeds we're looking at so we can make the most informed decision possible before we bring a new member into our family!

"Well, Mrs. Lee, this treatment is experimental, but we feel it will improve your condition. All you need to do is sign on the dotted line, and we can schedule you for the first of the week."
The Doctor tapped the form like a used car salesman trying to sell a sports car with no engine.
The kind of salesman who thinks you're too stupid to look under the hood and too desperate to believe the deal is anything but genuine.
That was the beginning of the end of my life.
My name is Pandora Lee, and this is my story.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with a debilitating bone disease. The kind that causes your bones to be very weak. My doctor sent me to a specialist, and after running some tests and running up a small fortune in bills, he wanted to try an experimental treatment to harden my bones.
I was hesitant; who wouldn't be, but could I really afford to be in my condition?
The following week I arrived for my first treatment. The waiting room was the same bland area I'd seen a thousand times. The sort of forgetable facade that hides the work that goes on behind that unassuming blue door between the show floor and the butcher's shop. Children moved beads along a wire maze as parents and patients looked through magazines that had been current ten years ago. The smiling face of President Obama looked up from a small table as I sat there, he and Martha Stewart sharing space with Better Homes and Gardens and Highlights magazine.
The magazines were only slightly more interesting than the paperwork on the clipboard I was muddling through, but I tried my best to ignore them.
"Mrs. Lee? We're ready for you. "
A young blonde-haired woman in scrubs called to me, smiling brightly as she led me through that oddly dark blue door and into a hallway of the same color. Despite the buzzing overhead lights, the paint scheme made the whole space look shadowy, and I shuddered as she led me to a little room farther down. She showed me to a small sterile room with only a Gurnee and an IV stand to break up the emptiness. The room was blessedly brighter, a kind of eggshell white that verged on eye-watering, and I stepped inside and handed her my clipboard.
"Please take a seat and get comfortable, Mrs. Lee. The Doctor will be with you shortly."
As I lay there waiting, the clean white paper crinkling under me, I had a gut feeling that this was a bad idea. I chalked it up to nerves, though. It was just another exam, just another series of tests, just another meeting that would end predictably.
I should have listened to my gut.
As the doctor walked in, he smiled his best crest kids grin, and I imagined I could see the spit stains on his teeth. I wish I could tell you that he was an ugly little man, some goblin who scared me or made me wish a nurse had stayed to observe our interaction, but he was actually very plain looking. Thinking back now, I can't tell you anything about him other than his big grin and neat little mustache. It might have been easier if he were a monster, but I guess life is rarely easy.
"Well, Mrs. Lee, as you know, this is still experimental. It's in the early trial phase, you'd honestly be one of our first human trials for the treatment, but we feel you are the perfect candidate."
I stare at him blankly, unsure whether he expects me to be flattered or break into applause.
He looked uncomfortable, clearly not getting the response he was expecting. Calling the pretty blond nurse from earlier, he asked her to strap me down so they could begin, and told me to just relax. The straps were scratchy, the clasps sitting cold against my arm, and I found it hard not to squirm as she slid the IV in. The Doctor reached into the hall and wheeled in a large metal canister. It looked like a fire extinguisher, the old kind that you had to crank, except for the face mask on the end that was undoubtedly going over my face.
He must have noticed my apprehension because the too-big teeth made a return appearance.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Lee. It's all very safe."
He placed the mask over my face, the smell of cleaner mixing with something sickly sweet and acidic.
"Breath deep," he prompted, and as I took my first breath, his voice already sounded as if it were coming to me from the lip of a deep hole, "you will wake up in no time."
Then it all went black, my last memory being that the stuff I breathed in tasted like the smell of the cleaner my mother used when I was young.
Then, I didn't think about anything for a while.
I was floating for a while, my body as light as a feather, and I could have gladly floated in that void forever.
When I dropped back into my body, however, it was worse than any falling dream I'd ever had. I opened my eyes and looked around frantically, my body still splayed across the Gurnee as the canister pumped whatever was in the tank into my lungs. I felt a surge of pain rip through my whole body and jerked fitfully against the restraints. A scream ripped up my lungs, the gas clouding my mouth as I choked on my anguish. The nurse ran in, trying to calm me to no avail.
"Calm down, Mrs. Lee. We don't want you to damage your bones while the treatment is doing its job! The pain is only temporary. The doctor will be in to give you something for it and explain everything."
Her words did nothing for the pain that drilled into my bones, and after what seemed hours, the doctor finally came in. He had a needle in his hand, and the tip slid easily into the IV he filled the saline bag with something. It was cold, the liquid flowing in like ice, but the relief was immediate. I lay back gasping, the sudden lack of pain almost as jarring as the pain had been, and the big smile hovered over me like a specter.
"The first treatment is always the most painful, but it seems to be a success so far! You might have some joint stiffness for a few days, but that is to be expected as the treatment hardens your bones."
As the gas hissed and the ice brought sweet relief to my inflamed bones, I lay there drinking in grateful lungfuls of air. The lack of pain was hard to quantify, but I became aware, over time, that it wasn't just the sudden burning that had gone away. The everyday pain I had gotten used to, the enflamed joints and deep ache of weakened bones, was also gone. It was like someone had flipped a switch in me, and suddenly I was exactly like I had been before. This may seem like a small thing, but when you've lived with the pain, made it a day-to-day part of your life, its absence is like a physical loss. I was like a kid who's had his tooth pulled, my tongue probing at the vacancy where something solid had been before.
When he spoke, I had to shake myself back to reality and ask him to repeat himself.
"We will see you in two weeks for your next treatment. The nurse will give you a prescription when you leave. Take it twice a day in order to keep your body from rejecting the treatment. Understand?"
I nodded, still a little dazed, and agreed to take the pills. I made another appointment with a similarly pretty brunette and took the nondescript little bag she handed me. She smiled, saying they would see me in two weeks, and I headed home.
As I drove home, I expected the pain to rear its head again with every press of the pedal or turn of the wheel. The pain had become like a swarm of gnats, ever-present and buzzing. You never got used to it, but you became accustomed to it. It's never comfortable, but you look forward to the times when it isn't there. Now it was just gone. I was driving with nary a pain or wince, something I hadn't done in years.
I should have been happy, but I kept waiting for it to disappear.
Maybe that makes me a pessimist, but I don't care.
When you live like this long enough, you constantly wait for the other shoe to drop.
I walked into the house, my bones still feeling like nothing so much as normal bones, and took the pills out of the bag. Reading over the label for side effects or warnings, I found nothing but instructions on the outside. No name, no ingredients, no warnings, just eight words in bold font.
Take one pill with food twice a day.
I opened the bottle and let a few of the pills roll out onto my palm. They were white a blue gel capsules, the contents looking like the stuff on top of the Snowcaps my husband always ate at the movies. As they sat in my hand, I noticed that they were oddly cold to the touch, and the feeling reminded me of the way the liquid had felt as it entered my IV. When they didn't immediately appear dangerous or try to bite me, I let them tumble back into the bottle and closed the lid. I set a reminder on my phone for seven am and started fixing dinner. When I went to bed that night, I had already forgotten about them, but as I pulled the blanket around myself, I felt a sudden chill arrow through me.
It should have raised some sort of red flag, but I was still riding the high of moving about my home without any of the pain I'd had earlier that day.
A few hours later, I was woken up by an icy chill going through my body, followed by an intense ache in my joints. As I tried to get up, I felt every bone in my body tighten. It was almost impossible to walk, but after a few minutes, it eased up, and I was able to make it to the bathroom. I figured this was just a side effect of the stiffness the doctor was talking about, and after a warm bath, some of the pain had abated. With some of my mobility returned, I shuffled back to bed, hoping to sleep off the pain until it was time for my first dose of the medication.
The next day, the pain of the night before was just a fleeting memory, and I took my first pill and started getting ready for my day. It usually took me several hours to get my legs to cooperate enough to make breakfast, but today I moved about my kitchen in a way I hadn't in years. My joints felt fluid, my bones were as forgettable as they should be, and when I woke my husband for work around ten, he looked at me a little shocked to find breakfast already on the table and the kitchen dishes cleaned and put away.
"Wow, those treatments really did the trick." he said, taking my hands in his big calloused one, intending to kiss them.
He dropped them in surprise as a shudder ran through him. “Jeez, babe. Your hands are so cold!"
There was worry on his face, but I waved his worries away and told him it was nothing.
"It's just a side effect of the treatment. I'll be fine, sweetie."
Deep down, though, I was worried. I should have called the doctor's office right then and there and told them about my side effects. After the weirdness that had happened the night before, I should have been more concerned, but it all comes back to one thing. Despite the stiffness, despite the cold hands, despite the next two weeks where I sometimes woke up in the middle of the night and hobbled into a warm bath, the intense pain in my bones was all but a distant memory. I would have given anything to be done with pain like that, and it turns out the cost was more than I could have known.
Two weeks later, I arrived at my next appointment. I was curious to see if it hurt the same way it had the time before, but my reasons for going were also twofold. I had taken the last of my pills that morning, and I knew I would need more if I wanted to maintain this lack of joint pain. So, I smiled at the nurse, let them strap me down again, let them slide the needle into my arm, and breathed in the gas like the good doctor told me to.
The treatment was performed the same as the first, but I gritted my teeth through the pain as I waited for him to inject my IV with the sweet icy liquid as the gas did its work. As the straps slid off, I nodded through the closing instructions and shuffled up to the desk to make my appointment and get my pills. I moved as if in a dream, my body feeling strangely heavy as I climbed in my car and drove home.
I jerked awake in my driveway, unsure how I'd arrived home. I had never fallen asleep at the wheel, much less sleep drove home, and the thought made me shiver. I grabbed my prescription as I headed inside, wanting to get as far from the vehicle as possible at that moment. I thought about starting dinner as I trudged in but decided to have a nap instead. It was early still, only mid-afternoon, but I was suddenly exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open, and as I slid into bed with the same clothes I'd left the house in, I thought I was settling in for nothing but a couple of hours of rest.
Ten hours later, I shuddered awake into total darkness as an arctic chill shot through my nerve endings. It was worse than any of the ones before it, and as I tried to climb out of bed, my legs froze up and sent me spilling to the floor. I lay there, unable to bend my legs or arms, only able to pull them towards me like palsied claws.
I was overjoyed when I heard my husband's soft snores from the bed beside me. He would help me, he could get me to the hospital, he could get me into a warm bath, and I opened my mouth to scream his name. My lips trembled as I prepared to cry out for him, but no sound escaped my chilly maw. I gasped weakly, his name lost amongst the short barks of sound while he slept peacefully feet away. I lay there with tears of fear dripping down my face, certain he would wake up the next morning to find me dead. I almost expected to see them freeze against my cheeks, but they did little more than pool beneath my head and wet the side of my face.
I spent that night drifting in and out of my new painful existence. It felt like I lay there for weeks, listening to the contented snores of my spouse as my body was racked with freezing chills. I thought I would die again and again, and as the sun began to rise, I almost wished for it. The colder I became, the less the shivers seemed to blow through me. I still felt them, but my body had stopped responding. I was powerless to move, incapable of doing much besides watching the day begin.
I must have fallen asleep at some point because when my husband yelled my name, my eyes were startled open.
"What...what the hell is," but he seemed to lose his words as he stood over me.
I mouthed at him, asking him to help me, but he looked unsure.
"I don't...I don't know how."
I wanted to ask him what he meant, but instead, he turned to my vanity and fetched a small hand mirror.
I looked back at myself, not sure it was me for a moment. I was looking at a perfect china doll as she lay curled up on the floor. Her skin was a perfect alabaster, broken only by the slight spider cracks that ran through it. As I watched, another chill coursed through me, and I saw the cracks lengthen as my fragile form tried to shiver. I wanted to cry, but I had no tears left.
Instead, I told him to put my phone on text to speak and lay it next to my head.
I wanted him to understand, wanted to explain how this had happened while I could still explain anything.
He did as I asked, saying he would get help, but I don't think help will get here in time.
It took a surprisingly short time to lay all this out, but I can feel the change beginning to affect my face now. My blinks are coming slower and slower, and my throat is beginning to tighten as it stiffens like my skin. My lips have started to flake as I speak, the cracks in my arms likely running through the lips my husband loved to kiss. I'll be nothing but a beautiful statue soon, a curiosity piece for people to speculate over, but with the time I have left, I want people to understand how I came to this point.
I don't know if it was the treatment or the pills, maybe it was even both, but it doesn't appear to be as ready for human trials as they believed.
If they ask you to sign your life away as I did, make sure you know what you're agreeing to.
The short respite from pain isn't worth the hell I find myself in now.
It's getting hard to breathe now. My lungs are laboring to pull in breath, and I can feel the same shivers running through them with each gasping pull. My eyes are fixed forward, my fingers forever locked together, and I fear that every word may be my last. If you make it home, Jason, know I love you, and I'm sorry that this is where we must part.

♈️ Aries: Today is a day to focus on your personal life. Show your partner some extra love and appreciation with compliments. If you are single, you may receive a text from an old crush. Professionally, it's important to make a budget and not splurge on unnecessary items. Health-wise, it's time to start working out and get into shape. Traveling is also encouraged, so get a passport and explore the world. Luck-wise, you will experience some moderate luck today, but it's not the best time to spend money. Emotionally, be aware of anxiety and confusion that may lead to irrational behaviour. Avoid arguments and stay calm.
♉️ Taurus: Today is a day of emotional instability, but your partner will be there to help you through it. If you are feeling overwhelmed, ask them for a sensual massage and do something that will make you feel comfortable. If your job involves any kind of creativity, the Sun will be sending you lots of inspiration and energy. You may be feeling anxious or depressed, so if you have a therapist, make sure to go see them today. Traveling is also a great way to get to know yourself better. You will have lots of luck when it comes to your career or job and you may even receive some money. Today is all about healing, learning and growing, so accept these new life lessons and make something good out of it.
♊️ Gemini: Today is a day to take on new challenges and show your boss and co-workers what you are made of. You may be feeling a bit jealous of your partner, so it's important to talk to them and make sure everything is alright. Health wise, it's best to avoid fizzy drinks and coffee with milk, and switch to water and tea instead. If you are planning a journey, it's best to bring someone along or postpone the trip. Jupiter is radiating positive energy which will bring you good luck, but be aware of your emotions as you can be quite selfish from time to time.
♋️ Cancer: Today is a day of mixed emotions for you, Cancer. In your personal life, you may find yourself in an argument with your partner due to something they did that annoyed you. Professionally, you will receive some sound advice from a colleague with more experience than you. Health-wise, you should take preventative measures to boost your immune system as you may be prone to catching a fever. When it comes to travel, try to minimize it and consider carpooling instead of driving. Luck-wise, your friends and people around you will have great conversations together and you may experience some moderate luck. Emotionally, it may be hard for you to socialize as you want to be the center of attention but don't feel confident enough.
♌️ Leo: Today is a great day for your love life, Leo. If you are in a relationship, your partner will know how to calm you down if you feel a little down. Single signs will have a chance to flirt with a Gemini. Professionally, it will be easy for you to focus and concentrate on the work that needs to be done. Health wise, make sure to eat food high in protein to make your muscles stronger. If you are travelling to a distant location, be prepared for some stress, especially if your flight is longer than six hours. Jupiter will send you good vibes today, but it's not the best day to invest or buy vehicles or properties. Emotionally, you may feel a bit gloomy today, but something wonderful will happen to you!
♍️ Virgo: Your personal life may be feeling a bit strained as your partner is slowly losing interest in you. This could be because you have stopped doing the things that they used to love. Single signs may not feel like flirting. Professionally, you are unstoppable and your co-workers adore you. You may receive an email, text or call about your job or a new job opportunity. Health wise, Virgo signs are prone to fevers and it usually starts in the throat, meaning your body and immune system need more nutrients. If possible, go on a short trip with some friends or colleagues for business or pleasure. Luck wise, it's best to not spend large sums of money today as you won't feel the vibes that Jupiter is sending. Emotionally, you may get frustrated easily so it's best to do something productive to keep your mind occupied.
♎️ Libra: Today is a day for you to focus on your relationships. If you are in a relationship, take your partner out for a romantic date. If you are single, you may receive an interesting text message. Professionally, you may receive some important information about your boss or co-worker, so be sure to stay focused on your goals and not talk behind anyone's back. Health wise, it's time to start taking better care of yourself. Start small by drinking more water and less carbonated drinks. Make sure to check the date of when you need to renew your passport for any upcoming travels. Finally, Jupiter is on your side today, making it easier for you to control your finances. You may not feel like socializing today, but don't worry, it's perfectly normal.
♏️ Scorpio: Today is a day of mixed emotions for you, Scorpio. In your personal life, Pluto in Capricorn is making it difficult to connect with your partner. If you are single, you may find yourself taken soon. Professionally, you are working hard but it may not feel like enough. Persevere and success will come. Health-wise, be sure to drink plenty of water and avoid overindulging in alcohol. Traveling is a great way to relax, so consider taking a vacation soon. Unfortunately, luck won't be on your side today, but tomorrow will be better. Emotionally, you may feel a lot of tension and stress. A good workout or cry session can help you release this energy.
♐️ Sagittarius: Today is a day of mixed emotions. In your personal life, you may find yourself in a period of instability and bickering. However, communication can help to resolve any issues that arise. Professionally, you are doing well and may receive some unexpected money. Health wise, it is important to take time to relax and center yourself. Traveling by car is not recommended today. You will have luck with numbers and money, so keep an eye out for any opportunities. Finally, your emotions may be all over the place, but things will get better soon.
♑️ Capricorn: Single signs will be irresistible to water signs, so today is a great day to try something new with your partner. Venus is sending you excellent energy, making it easy for you to make money and get ahead. Get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air, as it will make you feel great. When it comes to investments, it's best to wait until another day. Lastly, follow your instinct and trust the power of your ruler planet to guide you in the right direction. You may find yourself reflecting on the past.
♒️ Aquarius: Today is a day of surprises and rekindling of love for single aquarius. Professionally, you may have to face some confrontation, but it is important to take care of any debts you owe. Health wise, you will be in the mood to make new friends while working out. Traveling isn’t really the thing that you want to do today, but if you are in a foreign country, try some authentic food. Luck is on your side today with the planet that governs luck sending you good vibes. Emotionally, you may feel a bit confused, but this is only temporary. It’s a good day to think about the future and future plans.
♓️ Pisces: Single signs will feel a little lonely, but things are getting better and your partner is feeling good today. Show them some appreciation and love. Financially, you will be doing okay, but you might have some car problems that require spending money. Your throat will be your weak spot today, so drink lots of tea and fix your sleeping schedule. Flying by plane is going to be a big adventure for you, but don't count on Jupiter for extra luck today. Make sure you're taking care of your mental health and stay away from sketchy Virgos.

Apologies in advance for the excessive length of this post. I want to provide as much detail as possible, because I am so damn desperate for a solution that works. Profile Age/Sex: 20M Height: 178cm Weight: 78kg Race: Caucasian Complaint: Burning/Stinging pain Duration: 7 months Existing Medical Issues: Partially torn left knee patellar tendon Current Medications: I started (2 weeks ago) taking Cenovis Men's Multi-Vitamin Tablets. Drink/Smoke/Drugs: N/A Country: Australia
Context I am studying Computer Science, and used to work a desk job (programming), so I sit down a lot. I have been lifting weights for about 5 years and boxing for around 6 years. Three of those were years spent inconsistently at the gym, whereas I have been consistent for the last 2. I have had plenty of personal trainers, an Olympic lifter, and a few other knowledgeable people instruct me on form and technique. I won't lie and say my technique is great or even decent. Before I met my most recent PT, it was pretty poor, as these knowledgeable people only came later towards my fitness journey. It probably resulted in my partially torn patellar tendon on my left knee. However, I do have feet issues that have made me fairly flat footed (specifically talus misalignment), which puts my knee angled in-wards and caused feet pain (this is being sorted with a podiatrist though, and my pain has disappeared for my feet). This, coupled with fairly heavy lifting likely had something to do with it.
Diagnosis Journey Around 7 months ago I started developing this weird pain in the side of my LEFT arm (near the lower bicep, lower brachialis and lower brachioradialis). Refer to this (black circle).
This was also when I started getting pain in my left knee, however, it was only when doing weighted squats or deadlifts. Eventually, both started getting worse. I persisted, not paying much attention to them, until it became pretty unbearable for my knee. I got an MRI for the knee, and it showed a partially torn patellar tendon. So, I stopped doing legs and continued with upper body exercises. I tried to work out what was wrong with my arm at the same time as my knee, but I got nothing from my GP and physio. Eventually, the same fate occurred for my arm, and an oft-intense burning pain developed. I started seeing more doctors. I saw two different physios regarding my arm (on the advice of my GP).
In the meantime I had stopped going to the gym. I tried working around my arm as much as I could with my PT, but to no avail. I began resting my arm on-and-off, because the two phyios and my GP were telling me different things, which only confused me more. I began researching for hours each day to try and figure out what was going on with my arm. In the meantime, I found using B-Bars to do suspended dips, L-sits, pull-ups, and one-handed pushups was quite comfortable for my arm. However, the pain escalated, but I stubbornly persisted, while seeing the physios, who both told me (bad advice in retrospect) I could continue boxing, lifting weights, and the calisthenics activities. Strangely, I started developing a different constant burning pain in my left neck and upper trapezius. All of this has been happening on the left side of my body (including my knee injury). Eventually, I saw a new phsyio as the last two only made matters worse, and both the middle arm and upper trap/neck pain weren't getting any better. This one was great. He told me to stop working out all together, and to do very basic and simple exercises.
At around this same time, I saw orthopedic surgeons who specialised in the bicep/arm region, and got an MRI for the upper forearm/middle bicep area AND the shoulder. Both MRIs showed nothing. Mind you, I have also had ultrasounds and X-Rays for my middle bicep part. The specialists could not help. They gave me a referral to get a cortisone injection, and suggested I get a blood test to check for autoimmune diseases. This was the last time I saw them. I went through with the blood tests with my GP, and everything came back normal, and I tested negative for the autoimmune diseases associated with enthesiopathy (given the knee tear was at the insertion point, and my burning pain appears to be at my insertion points too - doctors thought it might be related).
So, I continued seeing this one physio, and after countless appointments, he still doesn't know what's going on. And so, we are testing out heaps of different solutions. So far, none have worked. Perhaps I'm not giving my body enough time to heal? Its been 2 months back and forth with this physio, and I have not been doing any exercise whatsoever - recently though, I have started going on long walks because my knee has gotten a fair bit better, and so I can finally walk properly again. We have tried strengthening my rotator cuff and scapula muscles with resistance bands, and 1-2kg weights for a month. We have tried all sorts of stretches, foam rolling, regular massages, therapies, and different exercises, but the pain is still there. It was at around a 8/10. Now it is at a 6/10. However, I believe that is the case because I haven't been working out at all, and not due to the physio's exercises. A lot of the exercises he gave me tended to irritate my middle bicep or trap/neck region more, so I had to find ways that barely irritated it and cut out a lot of the exercises.
Symptoms & Insights Here are all the things I have noticed whilst dealing with this incredibly frustrating issue:
Left Forearm/Middle Bicep Pain This pain is solely a stinging/burning pain. It does not feel like a typical muscular pain, and it does not respond much to massaging. The best way to describe it is as if you had sunburn on both forearms, and you were to rub the sunburned spots against each other OR if you had sunburn on your traps/neck, and your jumper rubbed against it. This is almost exactly how it feels. Massage lotions that create that burning/cold/numbing sensation do provide almost immediate relief when it is irritated. This pain can be constant for days at a time. Recently though, it has been on and off. Sometimes its great when doing everyday activities, but others its not so great.

• The pain is greatly exacerbated when I bend my elbow past 90 degrees (like when you are keeping your hands up when boxing).
• When I supinate my left hand far enough, it also gets more irritated.
• I can weight bear a decent amount (before it gets irritated) when my arm is fully extended. I cannot do anything when my arm is bent past 90 degrees. Holding it there without any weight hurts enough.
• Gripping anything irritates it a hell of a lot. Especially dumbbells, squeezing hand grippers, or even holding my laptop by its side - pinching grip and squeezing grip irritate it essentially.

Left Upper Trap/Neck Pain This pain is also a burning pain, but it feels more like muscular soreness, and it responds well to massaging and the same massage lotion described above. The only pattern I have noticed with this pain is that it is aggravated more so by excessively dropping my left shoulder, and I can feel a significant pull when I tilt my head. Physio said I have excellent neck range of motion, and that my neck appears to be very painful when he presses at "C4" and "C6" - not sure if that is helpful or not. This pain is quite constant and typically feels a lot better the next morning (after I sleep).
This is where I feel the pain (black circle).
Closing Question Does anyone have any idea what this could possibly be? It's driving me up a wall, and has significantly impacted my mental health and changed the way I live. I have purposely stopped researching this stuff for the last few months, because it made me depressed and anxious. My mental health is quite a lot better (not fully better) after doing lots of mindfulness practices since. Could it be a psychosomatic condition? Open to all and any suggestions at this point.
TL;DR I have pain on my left middle arm (burning/stinging) and left neck/upper trap (more of a muscular burning). I used to exercise a hell of a lot, but had to stop due to this and a knee injury.

Jynweythek: time passes as the chime of the anvil is struck and the world is still for only a moment
Vordhosbn: this is very blurry blue streaks with blue and red dots. to me this is just a breed of synthetic materials trying to figure out something relatively important, dunno what, i cant say.
Kladfvgbung Mischk: Immediately, i don’t want to think about it but i see a beach. it’s night time and there are torches lighting a full cave with upside down masks on the wall, nobody’s home.
Omgyjya-Switch7: From brown to a light rusty coloured yellow, this songs is like the sound of neurons trying to convey emotions that they weren’t designed to. It does almost well but they have a complexity of their own. the first of my favourites.
Strotha Tynhe: A mouse is scurrying into a field of Magnolias. it is so happy. But is reached a point with no flowers on sight, and the screen goes dark.
Gwely Mernans: Welcome to the inside of what you didn’t know existed. You are really not supposed to be here but alas here you are. better make it worth it. i think that would be in your best interest.
Bbydhyonchord: Palm trees and extremely reflective water. No sand in sight, only roads. Highway Roads for miles containing nothing but palm trees with lights surrounded by water. you drive for eternity. until you don’t.
Cock/ver10: the previous song has crashed into a wall and created a chemical reaction of intrusive motions within the entire line of driving. The wall it hit didn’t even exist, where are we going? i don’t know but i think the car is on some (aphex) acid. it must rest.
Avril 14th: Stone buildings in fine, colourful grass in the middle of France from an alternate universe. fine mist makes you smile.
Mt Saint Michel + Saint Micheals Mount: little green men with three antennae are sprinting from left to right, they are wearing blue jumpers and now they’re dancing. they don’t have history just enjoy the show. Are you entranced yet? To some folk, This is how to get lost into sound. And it couldn’t be better. If it’s not for you, the door glows for those who see it.
Gwarek2: Richard’s dad has a presence on this track. i don’t know why but i just feel like he has been a major part of this atmospheric administration. i may be completely wrong but this is him speaking from tones. He is working and producing influence through his son. This to me is the bside of qu1.
Orban Eq Trx 4: A bratty, clumsy teenager is riding his skateboard whilst those around him cheer with empty soup cans. he’s about to hit the jump! Will he make it? i’m not sure. he’s pretty drunk.
Aussois: Congratulations! You’ve discovered picturesque time travel. You can now look at any photo and hear the last 6 and a half seconds of audio that was around the event at the time.
Hy A Scullyas Lyf Adhagrow: Have you ever thought an inanimate object could become melancholic? me either, but this is it. i cant tell you what object it is.. you decide that all for yourself. in fact, you decide all of this yourself. Everything can feel.
Kesson Dalek: This sounds like a message of great urgency. it must be answered or everything they’ve ever loved is smashed in a billion shards of obsidian. i wish i knew but then again, i do not.
54 Cymru Beats: This is an AI robot attempting to process a 1:1 ratio of what it’s like for a human to have two small doses of ketamine and MDMA. The glitches are unbearable and unfortunately it’s a robot and gets this test completely wrong. Well, on second thought-
Btoum-Roumada: An empty mall. Vacant. covered in a shine of burgundy. very very dark and heavy emphasis on the burgundy. pretty.
Lornaderek: the car is not clean
QKThr: A windmill in a wind storm, but you can’t hear anything except peace. it is a navy blue sky and dark green grass.
Meltphace 6: A massive orange/tan coloured nuclear reactor with extremely intricate (green) wiring on the inside. the colour is green for a very specific reason but this reason is unknown to me. alexander graham bell from another world is playing his telephone inside. He loves the beeping noises. He’s got so many machines.
Bit 4: Ungodly amount of thin, stretchy material. but at the same time is very brittle and will break upon contact. a very unstable material.
Prep Gwarek 36: The clay soldiers build their very long and flat wall, comparable to the Great Wall. These blocks are somewhat smaller than an Average Toolbox and of an aquamarine blue colour. A timelapse.
Father: The crow in the cage is watching you. it has a human face but the details aren’t there. you can’t tell what they really look like. Don’t answer it if it mimics someone you know.
Taking control: the tunnel is narrow but the space is infinitely long. it just doesn’t make sense in a euclidean world. it has red lasers and some voice disguised in the colour of the darkest sapphire echoing through the entirety of your being. rocks are banging together in such a way that they are they’re own percussion group. you can’t see them in front of you but your mind can certainly hear them. not sure what that’s all about. another favourite.
Petiatil Cx Htdui: A world where homes look like churches. They’re white, made of wood and not very tall. but it would seem something went wrong. there is nobody here, the entire land is empty. why?
Ruglen Holon: Pottery class from 286BC. the fire is really warm and there is bread, although hard and tacky it is filling. a pot is shaping up to be the best, but it takes time. Am eternity it feels like.
Afx237 v.7: Half computer half human hybrid disgusting being is let lose and is causing terror on humanity. there are so many very not fun things going on in this scenario but the monster thing is just doing gang signs whilst strobing everyone to death. what a world to live in! this was the first one i was exposed to, another favourite. the baselines are sex
Ziggomatic17: the pinnacle of past, present and future influence my neurons transmit to one another. i don’t even know what to say for this one. a garbage bin has begun a career in stair falling, in which they create sound people love. it talks too. cute little thing for sure. very polite, big mouth for big sounds. it has a doorstopper as a friend and it’s so annoying but really knows how to make beats so the bin keeps it around. all in all, sometimes things are really nice and it feels good. sometimes you wish it doesn’t end, but you know the best things always do.
Beskhu3epnm: remember the clay soldiers? they’re in a waiting room right now. but there’s tension in here and i can’t seem who hates who but it’s about to get heated !!!! maybe not though. they seem level headed.
Nanou2: duotangs, love, bread, tapestries, aerosol cans - whatever you want. you can finally have it for free and you don’t need to prove anything. just enjoy what you want for once, sometimes you deserve it.

Omnivoracious Listeners New Music Newsletter (Week of April 1st):
New LPs:
🇨🇭 Aara - 'Triade III: Nyx' (Genre: Atmoblack)
🇫🇮 Abandon All - 'Far Away' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇨🇦 Ace of Wands - 'Desiring' (Genre: Dreampop)
🇨🇭 Ad Infinitum - 'Chapter III: Downfall' (Genre: Symphonic Metal)
🇪🇸 Aeronave Adolescente - 'Sempre Está Chovendo Na Beira Do Mar' (Genre: Indie Rock, Slacker Rock)
🇬🇧 Akilla - 'The Gods Have Spoken' (Genre: Melodeath)
🇬🇧 Allfather - 'A Violent Truth' (Genre: Groove Metal, Doom Metal)
🇵🇱 Ampacity - 'IV' (Genre: Space Rock, Heavy Psych)
🇺🇸 Angelic Desolation - 'Orchestrionic Abortion' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇩🇪 Ape Shifter - 'Monkey Business' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇺🇸 Archetypes Collide - 'Archetypes Collide' (Genre: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal)
🇪🇸 Argion - 'Lux Umbra' (Genre: Power Metal)
🇬🇧 Arrogant Destruktor - 'Written in Blood From the Blade' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇬🇧 Atlas:Empire - 'Everything Is Temporary' (Genre: Prog Rock)
🇫🇷 Avaland - 'The Legend of the Storyteller' (Genre: Symphonic Metal)
🇦🇺 Babaganouj - 'Jumbo Pets' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇨🇭 Beyond Frequencies - 'Me Megalomaniac' (Genre: Alt Metal)
🇯🇵 Beyond the Grave - 'Let There Be Destruction' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇮🇹 Blaze of Sorrow - 'Vultus Fati' (Genre: Atmoblack)
🇳🇱 Bony Macaroni - 'The Big Bucks' (Genre: Pop Punk, Emo)
🇺🇸 Boygenius - 'The Record' (Genre: Indie Rock, Supergroup)
🇺🇸 Brother Hawk - 'The Dreamer' (Genre: Southern Rock)
🇫🇷 Burning Birds - 'Where We Belong' (Genre: Blues Rock)
🇬🇧 Bury Tomorrow - 'The Seventh Son' (Genre: Metalcore)
🇯🇵 CARTHIEFSCHOOL - 'Backmyrage' (Genre: Post-Hardcore)
🇨🇦 City and Colour - 'The Love Still Held Me Near' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇯🇵 クラムボン (Clammbon)

• '添春編' (Genre: Art Rock, J-Pop)

🇺🇸 Connections - 'Cool Change' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇨🇦 Crown Lands - 'Fearless' (Genre: Prog Rock)
🇺🇸 Crucial Rip - 'Violent Retribution' (Genre: Deathcore)
🇪🇸 CrystalMoors - 'Tierra. Sangre. Ra​í​ces' (Genre: Celtic Black Metal)
🇮🇹 Darkhold - 'Tales From Hell' (Genre: Groove Metal)
🇫🇮 Dead End Finland - 'Victory' (Genre: Melodic Metalcore)
🇺🇸 Dead Lakes - 'Daydreamer' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇺🇸 Dead Soul Revival - 'Ignite' (Genre: Post-Grunge)
🇨🇦 Deadwolff - 'Heavy Rock N' Roll' (Genre: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock)
🇨🇦 Decorpsetated - 'Human Words' (Genre: Death, Thrash)
🇺🇸 Debt Rag - 'Lost to the Fantasy' (Genre: Art Punk)
🇺🇸 Deerhoof - 'Miracle-Level' (Genre: Indie Rock, Experimental Rock)
🇮🇳 Demonstealer - 'The Propaganda Machine' (Genre: Tech Death, Symphonic Death)
🇮🇹 Derhead - 'The Grey Zone Phobia' (Genre: Avant-Garde Black Metal)
🇬🇧 Desert Storm - 'Death Rattle' (Genre: Stoner Metal)
🇫🇷 Diablation - 'Par Le Feu' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇬🇧 Disciplinary - 'Porkwind' (Genre: Noise Rock)
🇮🇹 Dispnea - 'Overdose Depression' (Genre: DSBM)
🇦🇺 DMA's - 'How Many Dreams' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇹🇭 Door Plant - 'Drowsiness of DOEK' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇫🇮 DreamSpy - 'Out of This World' (Genre: Electronic Rock)
🇬🇧 Empyre - 'Relentless' (Genre: Hard Rock)
🇮🇹 Endless, Nameless - 'Hunter' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇸🇰 Eufory - 'Fifth Dimension' (Genre: Heavy, Power Metal)
🇧🇷 Evilcult - 'The Devil Is Always Looking for Souls' (Genre: Speed Metal, Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Evolution Eden - 'Sonic Cinema' (Genre: Hard Rock)
🇩🇪 Firmament - 'We Don't Rise We Just Fall' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇷🇺 Flatulence - 'Deficit' (Genre: Brutal Death, Grindcore)
🇨🇦 Friendly Rich - 'Man Out of Time' (Genre: Avant Folk, Math Rock)
🇯🇵 FullMooN - 'Dear…' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇺🇸 Gel - 'Only Constant' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇲🇽 Ghost Sloth - 'I Don't Wanna Die Here, Not Yet' (Genre: Midwest Emo, Experimental Rock)
🇫🇷 Haliphron - 'Prey' (Genre: Symphonic Metal)
🇫🇮 Heezer - 'Sungrinder' (Genre: Stoner Rock)
🇺🇸 Hot Graves - 'Plaguewielder' (Genre: Death, Black, Thrash)
🇦🇷 IER - '物の怪' (Genre: DSBM)
🇨🇦 Invicta - 'Triumph and Torment' (Genre: Melodic Death Metal)
🇺🇸 Instant Empire - 'Standing Eight Count' (Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop)
🇮🇹 Isaak - 'Hey' (Genre: Stoner Metal)
🇬🇧 Ist Ist - 'Protagonists' (Genre: Post-Punk)
🇺🇸 Jake Pinto - 'Sad Songs for Happy People' (Genre: Indie Rock, Blues Rock)
🇺🇸 Jeremy Facknitz - 'Smilin' at the Future' (Genre: Jazz Rock)
🇺🇸 John West - 'Days of Destiny' (Genre: Hard Rock)
🇺🇸 Kingsmen - 'Bones Don't Lie' (Genre: Metalcore)
🇧🇪 Kludde - 'De Horla' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Kommand - 'Death Age' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇨🇦 Kris Ulrich - 'Big in the USA' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇯🇵 キュウソネコカミ (Kyuso Nekokami) - '私飽きぬ私' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇪🇸 Lampr3a - 'ESnSE' (Genre: Prog Metal)
🇦🇹 Land of Ooo - 'Land of Ooo' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Last in Line - 'Jericho' (Genre: Hard Rock)
🇺🇸 Lauren Morrow - 'People Talk' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Lies - 'Lies' (Genre: Midwest Emo, Math Rock)
🇺🇸 Little Eathquakes - 'Promises' (Genre: Psych Rock)
🇩🇰 Loose Ends - 'A Blatant Reaction' (Genre: Post-Punk, Noise Rock)
🇫🇮 Lordi - 'Screem Writers Guild' (Genre: Hard Rock)
🇩🇰 Lotan - 'Lotan' (Genre: Melodic Black Metal)
🇿🇦 Lower Hollow - 'Bloom & Expire' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇦🇺 Mammon's Throne - 'Mammon's Throne' (Genre: Extreme Metal)
🇯🇵 MARI - 'Catharsis' (Genre: Power Metal)
🇩🇪 Martin Miller - 'Maze of My Mind' (Genre: AOR, Prog Rock)
🇷🇺 Megalith Levitation - 'Obscure Fire' (Genre: Stoner Doom)
🇩🇪 Melonball - 'Breathe' (Genre: Skate Punk)
🇨🇦 Milanku - 'À l'Aube' (Genre: Post-Rock)
🇺🇸 Milk Music - 'On a Micro Diet' (Genre: Punk Rock)
🇺🇸 Miniaturized - 'Miniaturized' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇮🇪 Molekh - 'Ritus' (Genre: Black, Death)
🇺🇸 Morrison Graves - 'Division Rising' (Genre: Psych Rock)
🇩🇪 Necromancer - 'Arrival of Death' (Genre: Black, Thrash)
🇺🇸 Necronomicon Ex Mortis - 'Necronomicon Ex Mortis' (Genre: Horror Thrash Metal)
🇺🇸 Neil Young & Crazy Horse - 'All Roads Lead Home' (Genre: Folk Rock, Country Rock)
🇫🇷 Neo Inferno 262 - 'Pleonectic' (Genre: Industrial Black Metal)
🇧🇷 Nervochaos - 'Chthonic Wrath' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇺🇸 Netherlands - 'Severance' (Genre: Prog Sludge)
🇺🇸 Nothing, Nowhere - 'Void Eternal' (Genre: Emo Rap, Midwest Emo)
🇺🇸 Nova One - 'Create Myself' (Genre: Indie Rock, Dreampop)
🇫🇮 Of Spite - 'Riddle Redemption' (Genre: Melodic Death Metal)
🇬🇧 OHHMS - 'Rot' (Genre: Sludge, Post-Metal)
🇳🇿 Olde Throne - 'In the Land of Ghosts' (Genre: Atmo Black)
🇬🇧 Old Forest - 'Sutwyke' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇧🇷 Outlaw - 'Reaching Beyond Assiah' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇫🇮 Overhead - 'Telepathic Minds' (Genre: Space Rock, Prog Rock)
🇨🇦 Packs - 'Crispy Crunchy Nothing' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇫🇷 Paddang - 'Chasing Ghosts' (Genre: Post-Punk)
🇨🇳 Pandemic - 'Crooked Mirror' (Genre: Speed Metal, Thrash Metal)
🇺🇸 Peter Case - 'Doctor Moan' (Genre: Folk Rock)
🇺🇸 Primal - 'Humachine' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇬🇧 Punk Rock Factory - 'It's Just a Stage We're Going Through' (Genre: Pop Punk)
🇮🇹 Rancho Bizzarro - 'Four Dead Men' (Genre: Desert Rock)
🇫🇷 Raptor King - 'Omnivoraious' (Genre: Sludge Metal)
🇬🇧 Raze the Void - 'Para Sempre' (Genre: Alt Metal)
🇬🇧 Red Telephone - 'Hollowing Out' (Genre: Post-Punk)
🇫🇮 Rotten Sound - 'Apocalypse' (Genre: Grindcore)
🇺🇸 SaintBreaker - 'Unrelenting Violence' (Genre: Crossover Thrash)
🇺🇸 Samiam - 'Stowaway' (Genre: Punk Rock, Pop Punk)
🇺🇸 Scott McMicken - 'Shabang' (Genre: Folk Rock)
🇬🇧 Sermon - 'Of Golden Verse' (Genre: Prog Metal)
🇺🇸 Silence Before the Storm - 'V: The Dead Eyes of Eternity' (Genre: Groove Metal, Metalcore)
🇯🇵 SKAFUNK - 'SKAFUNK' (Genre: Ska)
🇬🇧 Slunk - 'Pigtails' (Genre: Post-Punk)
🇺🇸 Small Black - 'Small Black' (Genre: Chillwave, Dreampop)
🇹🇭 Smallpox Aroma - 'Festering Embryos of Logical Corruption' (Genre: Grindcore, Goregrind)
🇮🇹 So Beast - 'Brilla' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Spirit Possession - 'Of the Sign...' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Sporadic Kicks - 'Occasional Thrills' (Genre: Experimental Rock)
🇮🇹 Stegosauro - 'Stegosauro' (Genre: Screamo)
🇩🇪 Swan Songs - 'A Different Kind of Light' (Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Punk)
🇩🇪 Swan Valley Heights - 'Terminal Forest' (Genre: Stoner Doom)
🇦🇹 Takeshi's Cashew - 'Enter J's Chamber' (Genre: Psych Rock, Jam Band)
🇺🇸 The Bar Stool Preachers - 'Above the Static' (Genre: Ska Punk)
🇺🇸 The Division Red - 'Chroma Compute' (Genre: Hard Rock, Synthpop)
🇫🇷 The Evil - 'Seven Acts to Apocalypse' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 The Hold Steady - 'The Price of Progress' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 The Last Internationale - 'TLI 3' (Genre: Punk Blues)
🇨🇦 The New Pornographers - 'Continue as a Guest' (Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop)
🇺🇸 The No Ones - 'My Best Evil Friend' (Genre: Power Pop, Jangle Pop)
🇺🇸 The Ongoing Concept - 'Again' (Genre: Metalcore, Post-Hardcore)
🇬🇧 The Zombies - 'Different Game' (Genre: Baroque Pop)
🇳🇴 This Means War - 'Omnivore Doctrine' (Genre: Death, Thrash)
🇫🇷 Thron - 'Dust' (Genre: Blackened Death)
🇳🇴 Tilintetgjort - 'In Death I SHall Arise' (Genre: Avant-Garde Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Timmy's Organism - 'Lone Lizard' (Genre: Garage Rock, Garage Punk)
🇦🇺 Torrential Thrill - 'State of Disaster' (Genre: Hard Rock)
🇸🇪 Unpure - 'Prophecies Ablaze' (Genre: Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal)
🇩🇪 Vanish - 'A Hint of Solace' (Genre: Power Metal)
🇵🇱 Veriti Ritus - 'Defixiones' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇫🇮 Viikate - 'Askel' (Genre: Heavy Metal)
🇨🇦 VileDriver - 'The Rest Are Prey' (Genre: Tech Death)
🇺🇸 Void Chapter - 'humAnity' (Genre: Electronic Rock)
🇺🇸 Voidscape - 'Odyssey of Spite' (Genre: Melodic Death Metal)
🇺🇸 Vredensdal - 'Sonic Devostion to Darkness' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Warm Human - 'Hometown Hero' (Genre: Garage Rock)
🇩🇪 Wet Dream War Machine - 'Songs of Joy and Recreation' (Genre: Sludge Metal, Noise Rock)
🇺🇸 Wild Child - 'End of the World' (Genre: Indie Folk Rock)
🇺🇸 William Tyler & the Impossible Truth - 'Secret Stratosphere' (Genre: Folk Rock)
🇸🇪 Wormveil - 'Overlords of Darkness' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇺🇸 WyndRider - 'WyndRider' (Genre: Stoner Doom)
🇺🇸 Yotuma - 'Otherworldly Incarnate' (Genre: Groove Metal, Death Metal)
New EPs:
🇨🇦 Arcane Ghosts - 'Distant Youth' (Genre: Pop Punk, Post-Hardcore)
🇲🇽 Axis - 'Egocastrophe' (Genre: Thrash Metal)
🇺🇸 Bad Blood - 'The Bad Kind Decides' (Genre: Hard Rock)
🇵🇪 Blasphemous Division - 'Dele Et Vinces' (Genre: Death, Black)
🇺🇸 Bloody Apostles - 'Bloody Apostles' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇧🇪 Blue Gorilla - 'One Big Mess' (Genre: Post-Rock)
🇯🇵 クリープハイプ (CreepHyp) - 'だからそれは真実' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇵🇱 Cry of the Nile - 'Invocation' (Genre: Death Metal)
🇮🇹 Defamed - 'Blackblood' (Genre: Deathcore)
🇺🇸 Fresh Wounds - 'Deep Cuts' (Genre: Brutal Deathcore)
🇺🇸 FSR - 'Bad for Your Health' (Genre: Slacker Rock, Dreampop)
🇳🇿 Ghost of Andromeda - 'Celestial Nightmare' (Genre: Symphonic Metal)
🇯🇵 GLASGOW - 'FOOLISH AS THEY MAY SEEM.' (Genre: Dance Rock)
🇳🇱 Grafhond - 'In Harmonie Met De Dood' (Genre: Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Grand Scheme - 'Numbers Game' (Genre: Hardcore Punk)
🇬🇧 Hematite - 'Speak of the Devil' (Genre: Gothic Country Rock)
🇺🇸 It Is Dead - 'Brutal Deathrace 2023' (Genre: Sludge Metal)
🇺🇸 Jane. - 'Celeste' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇨🇦 Kilmore - 'From the Inside' (Genre: Stoner Rock)
🇯🇵 Kroi - 'MAGNET' (Genre: Funk Rock)
🇯🇵 Little Lilith - 'Strike' (Genre: Djent, Hard Rock)
🇺🇸 Mammon XV - 'Woes and Winter's Breath' (Genre: Post-Black Metal)
🇺🇸 Michigander - 'It Will Never Be the Same' (Genre: Alt Rock)
🇯🇵 尾崎リノと幽霊 (Ozaki Rino and Yuurei) - 'Open Gate' (Genre: Indie Rock)
🇺🇸 Poh Hock - 'Gallimaufry' (Genre: Prog Metal)
🇦🇺 Royel Otis - 'Sofa Kings' (Genre: Indie Pop Rock)
🇦🇺 Spirit Temple - 'Part 2' (Genre: Funeral Doom)
🇸🇪 Star Vision - 'Another Time, Another Place' (Genre: AOR)
🇨🇦 Swear Jar - 'Swear Jar II' (Genre: Pop Punk, Emo)
🇬🇧 The Device - 'East' (Genre: Stoner Doom)
🇬🇧 Wasted Death - 'The Prequel to Evil' (Genre: Crossover Thrash)
🇺🇸 Wyoming Young and Strong - 'Bend the Night' (Genre: Stoner Sludge)
New Deluxe Editions:
🇺🇸 Cave In - 'Until Your Heart Stops (Deluxe)' (Genre: Post-Hardcore)
New Mixtapes:
🇬🇧 Lozeak - 'Gut Feeling' (Genre: Alt Pop Rock)
New Remixes:
🇦🇺 Alpha Wolf - 'SHH' (Genre: Lo-Fi, Metalcore)
🇺🇸 Puscifer - 'Existential Reckoning: Re-Wired' (Genre: Art Rock)
This is apparently the "All-Name" release week. Some good ones in there. Great mix of stuff in the wide world of rock and metal for you to look thru, maybe your new favorite is in this list!
https://discord.gg/V5fZ38KSCY
Happy Listening!

Made a throw away account for this to be safe. I am about to start a new job that is a great opportunity. I have only been back at my current company 12 months. I started in sales with them, left to a different company for a few years, and then they hired me back for a better territory than i had before. A new opportunity popped up that i can't really pass up... but l've been super stressed about telling my boss. They are really cool and i know this will put them in a bind. I know the company will be fine, but just feel shitty about the position this puts my boss in. How do you guys deal with stuff like this? Or managers out there, what is the best way that employees have handled leaving? Idk, i guess i just needed to vent. It’s been eating me up and I’ve been having anxiety dreams about it.

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Memory Transcription Subject: Chief Internal Review Officer Shesh
Date [standardized human time]: 12 July 2137
I marched through those hospital doors with all the composure I could muster, and it was a damn difficult challenge. On the one hand, this was it: Hecat, my great enemy, is soon to be released into my custody, after all of these years; on the other, three of my most treasured off-the-Betterment-and-Internal-Review-books agents were similarly incapacitated, and in rough conditions, thanks to that same enemy.
As much as I was tempted to rush over to Hecat, to see his broken body before me and at my mercy, I needed to see to Digit, to Viath, and to Jonah. The hospital staff had been alerted before my arrival, and were quick to usher me to their respective observation windows.
Digit had received a good amount of fractures and breaks in his arms and ribs. At his age, such an injury ran a real risk of becoming lethal. How fortunate for him that I had asked for them to spare no expense in their treatment. They had assured me that in a few weeks, he’d be able to self-ambulate again, and in a few months, would be back to normal. Their recommendations were that he were to fully retire after this. As much as I would agree, I’m afraid he wouldn’t. As long as he understood the risks, then I would do what I could to exercise caution in his assignments.
Viath had multiple bullet wounds and suffered a good deal of blood loss, but overall, of the three, he was faring the best. The professional estimate would be that he would be fit for active duty in a matter of weeks.
Jonah was a bit of a different story. A bullet he took right to the knee shattered bone and was enacting hell on his nerves. If it were up to nature, he would never walk again. As it was left to these professionals, that could still be months of physical therapy… with my connections through Digit, though…

“Hey, are you Shesh?”

My internal monologue was interrupted by the voice of a young human woman next to me. Gina, the niece of Digit. I turned to her, gathering my bearings from the train of thought I was just on.

“…Yes. Sorry, I had a lot on my mind. You must be… Mrs. Hercules, correct?”
“You’re the one bankrolling my uncle’s recovery, right? I need you to know that the whole family thanks you. After losing my cousin, losing my inlaws… it means everything. If there’s anything we can do – “
“Please, don’t feel indebted. If anything, roping him into my own affairs is what led to this in the first place.”
“As if he wouldn’t have looked for a way to make it his own in the first place.”

I had no real answer to this. It was a bit too bizarre of an answer for me to do anything other than nod and return my gaze back to Jonah on the operating table. Gina, however,…

“He mentioned him a few times. Said he was having fun passing on some of what he knew to someone else.”
“…Did he, now?”
“Yeah. He, uh… used to give Diana lessons.”
“…Your cousin?”
“Yeah. Since she was on his instruction, not a single mugger in New York gave her grief.”
“Hmm, hmm… He’s not going to want to retire for good, is he?”
“He always said that he wasn’t going to let his age stop him. ‘Can’t keep a Hercules down,’ he’d say.”
“We both know how that ends.”

She threw her hands to the sides of her shoulders in a shrug.

“So does he. He’d made peace with that a long time ago. For the rest of us, it’s a matter of coming to terms with that.”
“…I look at Jonah and see how different he is from… sorry, I’ve always called him ‘Digit.’”
“’Clark’ is fine, but please, continue.”
“…Of his history, I mainly know of what’s on his file. He’d served for decades from the moment he was eligible for service. From seeing him in action, if it isn’t his family, it’s this that he lives for.”
“Undoubtedly… Are you saying that Jonah doesn’t?”
“Clark fights because he wants something to fight for. Jonah fights because he has to fight for what he’s got.”

Gina nodded gently and solemnly, our focus returning to the operation before us.

“…What are we looking at, anyway? How bad is it?”
“It will be a good while before he can walk again. I’ve been meaning to look into Clark’s contacts, see if he had anyone who could – “

She held a hand up to halt my speech.

“You’re not thinking about getting him some of our Excalibur tech for that, are you?”
“It’s but one of the options, albeit a bit far-flung. Plus, wasn’t the sensory net proven to be effective for such physical therapy purposes?”
“Well, yeah, but that’s just the net. It’s what it’s used with that’s Project Excalibur.”
“Wasn’t the patent made for using the leg pieces as medical casts?”
“…Touché. Man, when the medical and military industrial complexes come together…!”

The cultural references and sentiments were somewhat lost on me.

“…Yes…”
“…So what’s the deal with the guy they were fighting? ‘Heck-at’ or – ?”

I stopped myself from an outburst, making my biggest reaction to that being an involuntarily sharp breath and a rapid eye twitch. I took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Someone I have more reason to despise than anyone else.”

Despite my best attempts at hiding the viscerality of my response, it failed to evade the observant human’s eye. I massaged my forehead in a show of embarrassment.

“…Sorry, I – “

“Oh, no, no, I’ve no perspective to judge… He did something terrible, even given circumstances, though, right?”

“…Indeed.”
“…I’ll, uh… I’ll be in the area… at least until the battle starts. To make sure he’s alright.”
“The original plan was to wait to see if Hecat would reveal himself during the battle. He moved earlier than I had predicted. Now, I’ll make sure he and his students are protected.”
“…Any idea where Jonah’s family is? I haven’t seen anyone claiming to be related to him anywhere.”
“You know, it’s the most unfortunate thing, he just saw them to the shuttles off of here – “
“Oh, dude, horrible timing!”
“Absolutely!…”

I was brought back to the world outside of this conversation with a ping from my communicator, alerting me to an upcoming meeting with the Human UN to discuss strategy.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, I need to attend to things – “
“Don’t let me keep you, but again, thank you for looking out for him.”
“I’d only hope he’d’ve done the same.”

With a nod, I powerwalked out of this observation room, making for the last destination of my trip…
…Hecat…
Now this trio, they really did a number on him. Viath got plenty of good shots on him, including lodging a bullet right next to his heart, as well as a vein and an artery – they told me removing them would likely be fatal. Jonah’s slash with that machete of his actually led to an infection or two, and Digit – oh, quality work, he did – he bent his left arm the entire wrong way around! For all the pain they’ve gone through, I wished I was there, if only to see it for myself… Then again, I could ask to see that store’s security footage – actually, yes, I’ll make a note to myself to do just that!
They tell me that, aside from those bullets, he’ll take a few months to recover physically, and years to recover psychologically. That last estimate, of course, was without my plans for him, but they didn’t need to know that. That fight must have shattered his ego plenty, but with the gods as my witnesses, there is plenty more up there for me to work with.
…Speaking of ‘work,’ I fear that my limited perspective from Betterment might limit my creative process. I know humans have been upfront about their history and wish to be better than it – admirable, but has caused some PR backlash – so they must have resources on some methods of torture on their Wikipedia website –
…By the gods, that’s a lot of methods… and a lot to work with…
- - - - -
The ensuing off-screen set-up by Shesh can only be accompanied by some of the best evil planning music put to pen! ...Though, that does beg the question: do the arxur get seasick?

It was way back in the day when it all went down.
Going to my friend’s secluded cottage up north seemed like a good idea until the car wrapped around a tree in the middle of a raging fucking blizzard, twenty miles away from any civilization. I kept trying to convince my friends to stop at a hotel, but the driver and the owner of the car, my old college roommate Pat, kept brushing my concerns off as if the approaching snowstorm wasn’t even coming.
I bet he wished he had listened after the car crashed.
“Shit,” Homie said, pulling me out. “Anything broken?”
“No,” I answered.
The only other friend who was crazy enough to come with us, nicknamed Homie, a big ol' country boy, stood in front of the hood, inspecting the damage as best he could. Based on how smoke and sparks was coming out of the engine, we wouldn’t be able to turn it back on without assistance.
“Are the phones okay? We might be able to call for help.”
Pat showed us his phone, which had broken during the crash, and said, “Like hell, we can. We can’t stay in the car, and if we don’t want to freeze to death, we need to go somewhere to stay.”
He was right. The bumper in the front of the car was compressed from the impact, and after we had all gotten out, a very heavy tree branch had fallen on the roof of the car, crushing the metal into crumpled tinfoil. No way we were going to fit in that car. We were on a dirt road with woods surrounding us on both sides, and the closest town was two miles away.
The snow was heavily blowing down, and as unusual as it sounded, there was a heavy fog obscuring our vision.
“Well let’s at least get moving,” I said. “A crackhead or someone might live along the road.”
They didn’t argue. We put on our jackets, packed all the food and water we could carry, and we prepared to set off down the road, into a snowy abyss.
When Pat pulled out two guns from the trunk, I got confused.
“Why are you bringing the guns?”
I shouldn’t have even asked. When Pat went anywhere near the countryside, he carried at least two high-powered guns, because of an incident that happened a year ago. Pat closed the trunk and walked away, his shotgun in his arms with his revolver strapped to his side.
“There’s… creatures in these woods. I’ve seen them before. You can never be too safe.”
I knew better to question Pat. He was always a cautious, but extremely care-free and reckless dude who always paid attention to all the details around him.
“Alright. Looks like the fucking storm is blowing in hard.” I said.
And with that last comment, we began to walk down the road, searching for anything, anything that would indicate that a single person was out here. As luck would have it, the immense snowstorm was keeping everyone inside, if there were even people living all the way out here. To say that the cold was terrible was a vast understatement. We were only wearing light jackets and two layers of pants, and even that wasn’t enough to keep us warm, given that there was a very plausible chance of catching hypothermia.
“Shit, man. How far did we walk?” Homie asked, once our car was well out of sight.
“We’re not even close,” I said. “Just shut up and wait till we get there.”
“Guys.” It was Pat. His face looked pale as if he was retelling the horrible incident he had gone through a year ago.
So about a year ago, Pat had gone on a camping trip, alone in the woods behind his cottage. It was at the peak of the night when he heard something moving around outside his tent. Something big. When he looked outside, he saw something just beyond the treeline, and he could just make out that something’s silhouette. According to Pat, who almost never told lies or made-up stories, a thing was watching him. He remembered it very vividly. '
It was humanoid, but it wasn’t human. It was eight feet tall, extremely skinny, hairless, and it had antlers with an open head with several glowing orbs in the center. And after all this time, after everything, after all the nightmares, we were seeing the exact thing Pat had seen that night. Expect it was dead.
But it wasn’t just dead, it was mutilated.
Mangled.
The dead creature lay on its back on the side of the road, unmoving. The creature’s entire body was skinny and pale, and its head… was identical to a deer skull, complete with an impressive array of antlers, that were snapped and completely shattered.
One of the creature’s legs was ripped off, and it looked like something enormous had taken a bite out of its shoulder and stomach. The creature was eaten. Killed, by a horror we couldn’t even begin to fathom. And worst of all, the creature looked to be killed recently, with a blood trail heading into the woods. And based on how heavy the snow was falling, the creature would have had to be killed at least ten minutes ago, for the blood trail to not be covered by snow already.
“Holy shit, man,” Homie exclaimed. “Isn’t that the thing Pat saw last year?”
Pat sighed and gritted his teeth. “Yeah. It fucking is.”
I stared at the dead creature, and despite not wanting to know the truth of what really happened, I already knew. Something bigger had killed this thing.
“But something killed it. This thing is already huge, so what killed it must be… enormous...”
Pat looked away from the creature.
“It’s dead, we know. But something killed it, and it’s probably nearby. So I'm going to fuck it up.
I looked at the blood trail heading deep into the woods. Then as Pat walked alongside us, loading shells into his shotgun, we turned, and continued down the dark road.
CONNECTED MYTHOS
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Hi all,
I am a 27F in grad school (non science) that requires a 2 year unpaid full time internship in order to graduate. Once I’m done, my estimated salary is in the $90-110k pay range. The thing is, I absolutely dislike what I’m studying and am only in my Masters program bc of the following pressure from my family: A) it’s relevant to my Bachelors B) financial reasons.
I don’t want to be selfish and provide my parent and sibling a better life but I am not happy and currently unmotivated. I also feel old, I want to pay off my loans, possibly get married, and live my life.
Previously, when I was in undergrad my plan was to graduate w a science degree and go directly into dental school however my dad passed away. We ended up moving a few times during the school year which lowered my grades and in turn made me change my major (I was a B/C student in science). I currently have $80k in loans and took them out since we were living in a very dangerous area where my car was vandalized and I was assaulted.
I don’t doubt my academic abilities but I’ll admit they weren’t the best due to the difficult time period. I’ve always been interested in dentistry and am studying for the DAT (my previous science courses are over 5 years old) however at this point I question if it’s even worth it.
Ideally, I would like to work in my field for 1-2 years to pay off my loans and meet the prerequisites then move away to dental school.
Any suggestions? Should I stick it out for longer? Is it too late?

I (23f) live with 3 roommates. One I’ll call Q(25m) and the other two are a couple K(25m) and A(27f). Me and Q used to date but we broke up a little while after moving in. We had our ups and downs with it but now we’re cool.
We’ve all have had beef with eachother atleast once whether it’s me and Q, Q and K, but currently it’s me and A.
Currently our lease is coming to an end in May. And in March they gave us a letter about renewing the lease saying we had 1 month to make a decision or the price would change. When Q first saw it, I think he panicked and thought we had a month before we were kicked out. But after awhile we agreed that wouldn’t make sense given we still had about two more months in our lease.
Well Q went and secured his next place with his new partner. Meanwhile me and K and A didn’t know what they were doing so they said. They said they had been looking for a new place but didn’t know for certain. We also toyed with the idea of us renewing the lease and replacing Q with someone else.
I’m not completely alone in this process but I’m taking my own responsibility of looking for a 1bd just in case something happens. But i haven’t had much luck. I don’t make enough for most apartments pay requirements and ones that are cheap have no availability. I’ve been trying to get a second job but it’s not working out either. I just recently saved up to by a car and payment forthat comes out of my paychecks. My mom thinks I should come back home but I’m hesitant because she lives about four states away.
Well to make a long story short. K and A have decided to move into another apartment with another roommate in a different area. They dragged their feet with telling me because K tried to convince A to renew the lease to help me out and because he didn’t want to move but A wasn’t budging. Me and A got into a fight after what happened— she said it wasn’t about me, why should they have to postpone their plans for my sake and why didnt my best friend Q take me. I was hurt and even K admitted she was being selfish about it. Mind you A only works 3 times a week and before recently she wasn’t even working at all. K pays all their bills and drives her around. All A does is occasionally clean and play video games in her room.
Q overheard the argument and wanted to help me out. He gave me a portion of his rent to “do with as I please” and he said he told the leasing office the electricity would be in my name so that if I found a place I wouldn’t have to pay a deposit twice and it would help my credit.
I decided that I would put some of Q’s rent money towards the rent, me and K would have our portion and A could make up the rest. (She doesn’t pay rent and it was the least amount) Then I split the electricity deposit 3 ways between me, K, and A— using some of the money Q gave me to pay it.
Well A didn’t want to do that even though K was fine with it. She insisted the electricity should be in K’s name since he’s the primary lease holder and because “why she they have to pay a deposit twice?” I explained that when they move they’ll have three people staying with them that they could split it with while I would have just myself if I didn’t do it. Plus they didn’t have a problem when Q used his name for electricity. Once again A called me selfish.
I snapped and yelled that I’m tired how how everything that A does that screws me over that I get upset about is considered “selfish” when A has nothing at stake. Her parents live 20 minutes away, she work 3x a week, she doesn’t even drive herself around, and when things get tough she hides behind K to solve her problems. I have no luxuries like that. A also threw me and Q’s previous relationship under the bus again after I told her how I felt when she does that. A said I could leave if that’s how I felt. I only left and removed myself for the night so that nothing “bad” happened.
But now no one has paid the light bill and I think we’re all waiting for the power to finally be off one day. K and A are basically staying with A’s family I guess until the lease is over and they move into their other place. And Q is moving in a couple of weeks. I’m still looking for a place but I’m thinking I should just go home with my mom. But what should I do to do this the legal way? Should I go to the rent office? Just wait? I have a family member willing to let me stay until the lease is over. I’m scared I’m going to get screwed over and get stuck with debt. Which is also bad because I want to enlist when I go home to help myself out. Can anyone give me some guidance on what to do?
TLDR: Roommates are screwing me over and I’m afraid I’m going to get hit with debt and legalities, how can I cover my own behind?

I am 27 years old and my eyes have started to open for the last 2 years of how much damage my family has caused me.
Its crazy because growing up i felt connected with family, and the bond that we had was a strong bond. I felt like my family was the best family to be apart of.
When i got married to my husband, i noticed i was raised in a toxic household.
Growing up i always felt like i was never allowed to have my own choice. If i wanted A and voiced myself that i wanted A, i was told wrong that B should my choice and would only be given B. This happened so much that i stopped voicing my choices and opinions and allowed myself to be influenced based off what they wanted for me. I still allow people to make my decisions until today because i dont know how to comprehend and honestly afraid of the criticism for having poor judgment. But im slowly learning to change that about myself now.
I was always told i was weak if i showed emotions, as if i was never allowed to be sad. My feelings were never validated to the point i told myself i had no right to be sad because (member of family) is/had it worse than me.
I did what i could with what i knew and with the very little guidance from my parents, they expected me to know things that i was never taught. If i did something not their way or didnt understand how to do it, i was useless. Because of this, i always underestimated myself and my knowledge, which also in the result of having difficulties making my own decisions.
We are a family of 5 and none of them (except for one who is the youngest and my best friend who i hope actually knows me for me) truly know i who i am. My interests, my personality, my character, no one really bothered to see me.
Now, im an adult. My family was the cause to how and who i am today. How i function in my daily life, how i approach conflict, who i show the world i am, and to be honest, i hate myself. I hate that i didnt see this sooner. But now that i could see the flaws i want to fix, im the one in control of my life and happiness, and i am slowly getting myself there. My first step was seeing my damage. I really noticed how poor my environment was when I visited my in-laws, i saw genuine love between the family members that i never saw in mine. The second step assuring myself that my feelings are validated. And to be honest thats all i know so far. Day by day im learning and recently learned that knowledge is key.
Thank you for reading my vent :’)

Merryn dashed into the alleyway, over a couple boxes and up the wall using some easily overlooked handholds. It had been another rough day at work. Ever since the Bladelaw crime ring had gotten broken up by the city guard, anti-Elfling sentiment in the city was running even higher than usual. The worst of their activities had been halted by their dissolution, but there were still many individuals and small cells who had been left scattered around Caberron who, without the structure that the Bladelaws provided, had turned to lesser crimes like con artistry and theft. Since a disproportionate number of members of the syndicate had been Elflings, especially among those lower in the ranks (even in the underground, the little ones were held back), this sudden upsurge in minor crime had caused a lot of people to become suspicious of all members of the race. A lot of people were purchasing anti-Elfling charms, and those who didn’t were rarely worth the effort of stealing from. Of course like most places Caberron had laws against barring members of a particular species from stores, so these charms skirted the bounds by merely discouraging interest from Elflings. They didn’t stop Merryn from doing her work, but she had to focus a lot harder on her targets.
She still had the upsides of being an Elfling at least. Her short, slight build, combined with her brown hair and skin made it easy for her to hide in the urban environment. Avoiding getting caught was as easy as ever. It just seemed like she was doing a lot more evading of law enforcement than she used to. The extra effort forced upon her by the ubiquitous charms meant she was having to sacrifice some of her usual care. She took a moment on the rooftop to make sure she still had the flyer she had grabbed, then dropped into the next alley where her hideout was located.
There was a small ‘thud’ in the doorframe next to her head after she opened the door. “Welcome home,” Ameli said cheerfully from in front of the sink. A pile of clean dishes was on the counter next to her. The knife was a bit of a game the two of them played, as well as a show of skill.
Merryn smiled and plucked the blade from the wood. “A good hello to you too. Though I’d suggest aiming higher in the future. That would have barely been above the waist of a Human man.” She gave the knife back to its owner.
“If I’d heard you coming from farther away I would have.” Only 14, the Human girl was already several inches taller than her mentor. Merryn wasn’t sure how she felt about having to literally look up to her young protégé.
The Elfling set her pack and the flyer on a table that was far cleaner than it had been when she left. “I see you’ve been busy while I was away. Glad I picked up some meat pies before getting back. I’d hate to ruin all your hard work with a bunch of cooking.” She pulled a few small packages from the outer pockets of her pack. “Do you want chicken or pork?”
Ameli came over to the table and ignored the pies, instead picking up the flyer Merryn had brought home. “ ‘Adventurers wanted’,” she read. “What’s this about?”
“Oh, just a poster I saw. If you don’t pick I’m taking the pork for myself.”
“I’m not hungry,” Ameli replied meekly. Her eyes darted up to meet Merryn’s gaze. “You’re not leaving, are you? This is in Riverrock. You can’t be leaving.”
Merryn sighed, grabbed Ameli by the shoulders and sat her down in a chair. “I wanted to eat first, but yeah I am. You know what things are like for Elflings in the city right now, and it’s probably gonna get worse before it gets better. All the anti-Elfling sentiment floating around is hurting honest workers even more than thieves like me, and they aren’t going to put up with it much longer if I’m to judge. Things are already hard, can you imagine what it will be like if the races start fighting each other?” She locked eyes with the girl. “It’s time for me to leave Caberron.”
Ameli lowered her head. “What about me? What will I do?” Her voice wavered slightly and Merryn could see tears starting to form. She felt bad. The poor girl had been through enough already between losing her parents and being used as a runner for a gang before Merryn was able to take her under her wing. Her head snapped back up. “You always said adventurers are foolhardy, and it wasn’t worth the risk of being eaten by a basilisk just for some coin!”
The Elfling didn’t answer right away. Instead she placed a chicken pie in Ameli’s lap and started unwrapping a pork one for herself before she replied. “You can come with me if you want, but I think you’d do better here. I’m planning to do an adventure or two to earn enough money to get to another city. You’ve learned a lot, but you’re not a fighter. You’ll be safer here.” She took a bite of her pie. “Hmmm, not too many people know how to use spices like this. I’m surprised she has so much trouble earning a profit. I’ll have to leave her a coin or two next time.”
Ameli’s body visibly relaxed. She looked back up at Merryn. “I can’t. I-I mean, you’ve taught me so much, but I’m not ready to do it on my own.”
“You’ve never had faith in yourself. You know what you’re doing, you just need to go out there and *do* if. Besides, what hurts me helps you. Everyone is keeping an eye out for Elflings, not Human girls. Look as innocent as you can and no one with even want to think that you’re out to steal from them.”
“I guess you’re right, but I’ll still miss you. I don’t want to be on my own again. This has been the best time of my life-“
Merryn cut her off with a hug. “Sorry, I should’ve talked to you about this sooner. I just didn’t know how to bring it up, and I didn’t have any real place to go until today. But I can’t stay here much longer without putting you in danger too.” She stepped back and took Ameli’s hands in her own. “Look, I’m not leaving right away. Let’s make the most of the next few days, I’ll take you to some places that I’ve been meaning to show you.”
“Okay,” came the choked reply. “Just…promise me one thing? Bef…before you go, pull that prank on Lord Caber that we’ve always talked about.”
They hugged again. “Promise. Now, are you going to eat that or can I have both?”

Hello everyone so I’m a 19.5 year old 5”7 female and I weigh 200 pounds. I started my weight loss journey in January and through some trial and error I’ve lost about eight pounds!! I’m super proud of myself haha!! It’s been a really great journey so far, I’m still learning but I’m very happy about it!
So the reason I’m making this post is because I need some advice on some things my mom has been saying/doing. Im still living with my family and today my mom complimented me saying that my legs have been looking toned (which with my stats, is that even possible? I have really thicc thighs lol so if I did tone from my workouts wouldn’t that not be visible yet? I think it’s possible I’ve just lost fat but I’m not sure now so can someone let me know?). It was nice to see that my workouts and new lifestyle have been progressing!
But the problem is after that she said “see, you don’t have to lose a pound to get fit” or something similar to that. I haven’t told her that I’ve been counting calories and weighing/measuring myself for weight loss because I know stuff like that bothers her. She used to yo-yo diet like crazy when she was younger and have eating disorders and now she doesn’t even like using the word healthy. She does believe in giving the body all of its nutrients and she knows that I’ve been working out. So considering her history I can see why anything weight loss concerned bothers her, and I know she wants to keep me safe.
It just kinda sucks because she says stuff like that a lot which is fine but for some reason it’s really disheartening and makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong, even though this sub has been a great source for me and I feel like I’m doing this in a mentally/physically healthy way. I find myself wanting to tell her about my goals and achievements but I know if I do I could upset her and even trigger negative mindsets in her which is the last thing I want to do. It’s just tricky cuz I have to hide this from her and I feel bad about it. I started my journey because I want to be healthy and happy and I also want to feel comfortable in my own skin. In 2021 I lost some weight because I got a physically demanding job and that was probably the best I’ve felt in my whole life, I was super confident and content. I want to not have difficulty with regular tasks and I also want to wear whatever clothes I like and feel comfortable and happy in them. This whole thing has just made me wonder, Is my mindset bad and is it unhealthy to want that? I feel like Im beautiful as I am, it’s just that with where my health is at it doesn’t feel like me and most of the time I’m unhappy with with my weight. Is it unhealthy for me to want to change that? Please let me know if I have a bad mindset. To me it doesn’t seem that way because I’ve been much happier since I started my journey but I could be completely delusional lol. I also feel like I need an outsiders perspective and there’s a lot of experienced people in this sub. Please let me know.
But more important than all that I’m concerned about my moms health. She has had some pretty severe back problems for about a year now. It’s gotten to the point where she can’t walk for more than 15 seconds anymore and she can’t sit either. Her progress has been extremely slow and she keeps having set backs. We’ve been to some doctors and all except one have said that she needed to lose weight (some of them were jerks about it) which really negatively affected her (I think she weighs about 250 pounds). The only doctor she listened to said not to worry about it, but since my mom hasn’t really been getting better I’m wondering if she should’ve listened to the other doctors (which I know sounds really stupid of me to think but it gets so confusing when you grow up as an impressionable kid getting told a hundred different things at the same time). Should I be saying something about this? I feel like it might not be my place and it might be horrible of me to bring it up with my family and maybe she’s already made her choice. But I love my mom and I hate seeing her in pain and not being able to do anything all the time.
I really need some advice on what I can do. I just want to be healthy and happy mentally and physically and I want the same for my mom too. It’s her body her choice but I feel like she’s at a disadvantage here. I don’t want to trigger my mom or tell her what to do but I don’t want to stand on the sidelines and continue letting her be in almost constant pain like she has been either.
I’m sorry this is so personal and a long post but Im really conflicted and am not sure how to go about this. If there’s any other subs I could ask for help too please let me know. And if my mindset for weight loss is unhealthy or if there’s anything toxic about my thought processes too please let me know as well, I don’t want to be toxic and I want to learn from my mistakes. I hope this post isn’t insensitive to anyone either, if it is please tell me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks for reading
TLDR: my mom has been having health problems that could be related to her weight but she doesn’t believe in weight loss and has a history with eating disorders, I want to help but idk if that’s okay or what to do

This is difficult to write about… but, I’m (f33) confused about my sexuality.
When I was a child and a teenager I only dated boys and only looked at boys. But during high school I met people who was in the lgtbq+ community and I found that amazing. So I thought a lot about my own sexuality but figured I was only straight. But I had no problem making out with girls/friends at parties and I often checked out other girls.
When I was 21 (or something like at) years old, I actually came out as bisexual to a couple of close friends. I tried to date, but I wasn’t brave enough to go irl dates.
After some thinking I realised that I probably wasn’t bisexual. Making out with friends was just a fun thing to do at parties (?), and checking out other women was probably because my extremely bad/low self-esteem/self-confidence, and therefore just a way to compare my looks to theirs. And also, lesbian p*rn bored/bores me.
After that “realisation”, I was straight. Another reason was that I realised that I wouldn’t be able to be intimate with a woman. So I took back my coming out and started to say “I’m so straight that if I was a man, I would’ve been gay” (sorry for that. Cringe). So instead I would be an ally for the lgtbq+ than be a part of it.
But, here comes the reason I post my little story, I don’t think I’m 100% straight. I check out other girls and while I compare their bodies to mine, I also thinks that “holy shit, she is beautiful” and “I want to kiss her”…. So yeah, not particularly straight. I think I check out more women than men actually, they are just so pretty. I also think I wouldn’t mind being intimate with a woman, in some ways I think I would actually prefer it.
So now I don’t know how to proceed. I mean, for 5+ years I said to all my closest friends and family that I’m “extremely” straight. How do you come out a second time? What if I’m wrong again? I’m really confused and scared that I’m wrong, but also want to be honest with them and myself. I’ve been in therapy for my low self-esteem and realised a lot about myself, but for some reason I cannot talk about this with my therapist.
I especially want to come out to my best friend, but I’m kind of embarrassed by being wrong before and reentered the closet. But we talk about everything so I feel guilty for not saying anything.
Also, lgtbq+ in my country is mostly accepted by the majority of the population, so I don’t think it would be dangerous or anything that would stand out by being one more of the community. And my family are allies.