Liquor store near me ipen

We had a bit of an incident at the park a few days ago that I’m still processing and curious how others would have handled.
My son is 10 and HFA. We went to the park for a school event for my other son (my 10 year old is homeschooled) and it was a very busy day with majority there from school.
The swings were extremely busy and my 2 sons waited patiently for so long for a turn on the 2 seater swing. The two seater swing has a toddler seat and a flat seat, and although partially meant for younger kids, because most of the children there were elementary age it was getting used by everyone. So my sons wait and wait for about 15 minutes to use this swing. As soon as it is free my younger son runs and sits on part of the swing and and my 10 year old is not far behind. He had been using a swing with a buckle and he struggles with buckles. He was starting to panic trying to get it undone and just as I’m about to help him, he manages to get it open. Just as he is about to get on the swing a mom with 2 kids (who had not been in the swing area at all) walks over with her 2 boys who look around 3 or 4 and tells my younger son in a very firm voice “please get off so my son can swing”. Mind you my son had literally just sat down after waiting so patiently.
My younger son complied and got off but my 10 year old looked crushed as he had waited for so long to use this swing which is his favorite one. I wasn’t sure if I should intervene, and I am very shy so I just sort of lingered near by. My sons got on the swings next to the two seater swing and the mom then begins to passive aggressively and within ear shot (clearly wanting them and me to hear) say “THIS swing is for little boys like you, THOSE swings are for big boys”. I felt so flustered. My son is 10 yes but he REALLY still enjoys “little” things. He is not very aware of his size (and he’s not terribly big for his age to begin with). He enjoys the things at the park that children half his age do and he is such a gentle and sweet kid. I felt crushed for him but struggled with how to handle this. Once this woman’s children were on the swing it was clear we were not getting a turn. We eventually just left and I sort of said loudly as we walked by the woman “I’m sorry you boys waited so patiently and nicely and weren’t allowed to have a turn, that wasn’t right”.
How would you have handled a situation like this?

Hi there, I would be starting my university studies soon and I've been thinking hard about which tablet I should invest in that could last me for the 4 years of my course.
I imagine my priority is to mainly be using the tablet for note taking, doing assignments and reading, with maybe a little bit of media consumption.
I'm currently running a Samsung S21 Ultra as my phone and a Windows laptop. I'm torn between the Tab S8 and the Ipad Air 4. Reason I'm not considering the Air 5 is because of the price being out of my budget from where I live and their specs are just overkill for what I need a tablet for in school.
Here are some of the pros and cons for each that matter to me:
S8 Pros: - Free s pen - 120hz screen - Seamless connection to be used as a 2nd monitor for laptop - Dex - Able to torrent free movies - Sd card slot
Cons: - I have the impression that Samsung devices drop in performance drastically after a few years of use. Hence maybe an ipad might lasts longer - Some apps are less optimised on android
Ipad Air 4: Pros: - Better optimised apps for notetaking - Better writing experience (I went to stores to test them and found I like writing on the ipad more) - Lasts longer in terms of software and performance
Cons: - Have to get the apple pencil separately - Not having the full functionality of apple ecosystem
For those who own these or have a similar setup I would greatly appreciate your help in making this tough decision :)

So for context, I am the type of person who dreams nearly every night. But what is a bit strange about these dreams are how extremely vivid they are. I can recall most details when I wake up and there are some dreams that make me feel like I am really there in the moment. What’s even weirder about them, is how I can become almost anyone in these dreams. My body will suddenly become different from my own and take on the form of someone else. I have been taller, younger, and I have even been a different race or gender in these dreams. Sometimes I would wake up right in the middle of my dream and can fall right back into it, especially if I was really engaged with the story. Recently, I had a video pop up on my fyp about shifting, and how people would fall asleep and “shift” into a new reality. After seeing the video, I started to wonder if I have been doing that all this time. I am still not sure if this is really the case, so I wanted to kinda see if there were other people out there that feel as though they are possibly accidentally shifting to different realities? Or am I just overthinking?

I really can't find him, he's not in my game I don't understand why, he's not near the parallel quests desk (behind the item shop thing). trust me I checked. Im playing on a switch emulator; im halfway into the story mode.

Here's a link to either AO3 or Fanfictiondotnet if you wanted to read it over there.
Chapter 18
The ornate trimmings that lined the roof of the Iris dorms came into view as the two Battleships slowly made their way up the long path from the docks.
Long shadows stretched from the old worn out street lamps merging quickly with the surrounding darkness before disappearing completely as the lights flickered to life.
Lost in a daze, a ponytail danced in Massachusetts's eyes. Its ash-blonde sheen dimly glowed, glinting off the light of the old street lamps.
Somewhere in her heart she had hoped this slope would continue on forever, that the warmth around her hand would never disappear, but stopping in front of the marbled steps of the Iris dormitory, that warmth finally retreated.
"Why're you still following me around?" Jean spoke, looking down at Massachusetts from the corner of her eye as she made her way up the steps.
The Eagle Union Battleship hadn't moved from where they parted, staring down at the ground by her feet. Part of her grew anxious, waiting with false hope that she would be invited in.
"I-!" Her voice came out louder than she had intended.
"You've had a long voyage…" Jean interrupted, her words strangely soft, "go get some rest."
"...and besides…" the former Flagship continued, scratching at the back of her head, "I've caused enough trouble for my roommate already…"
"Okay then…" Massachusetts giggled, "goodnight!"
"Hmph!" Jean turned away with a huff, "good-", she went to say back, but peaking back around, the silver haired Battleship had already run off.
"-night… I swear," Jean disparaged,scratching at the back of her head, but unbeknownst to herself, the little smile on her face betrayed any sort of foul mood.
Stepping back into her shared room, Jean looked around for any sign of her Cruiser friend. The darkness that greeted her wasn't unusual as Le Malin was usually lying about asleep most of the time anyway, either on the couch or in her room, but a quick glance only revealed an empty sofa. Peeking her head into her companion's room she found it empty, just as it was earlier today.
"I'm back…" the door to the suite swung open.
The little Cruiser hobbled into the room looking more listless than normal. Richelieu did mention she was out doing something important, but whatever it was, it looked like it took a lot out of her.
"Le Malin! Where have you-" Jean quickly held her tongue as a look of fear crossed her companion's face, "n-nevermind… forget it."
"O-okay…" Le Malin released the breath she was holding, fully expecting a dressing down of some sort. She had been hiding out all day so a level of guilt did hang over her, but it was Lady Richelieu that suggested it to begin with. Plopping herself onto the sofa, Le Malin melted into its cushion as the fatigue of consuming a few pounds of brownies slowly washed away.
"Uwaahhh~" a sudden kneading at her shoulders elicited a sudden moan. These hands felt so good~, "yeah… r-right there~"
The Cruiser's relaxation was cut short as she stretched her neck upward, her eyes meeting those of her former Flagship's staring down at her from behind the couch.
"W-wha?!"
"Relax!", Jean commanded feeling the Cruiser's shoulders tense.
'Relax!? How can I relax?!', La Malin screamed in her head, 'why is she acting like this?! First she was super pissed, now she's being super nice! What's going on?!"
Her heart and her body were in conflict, on one hand Jean's hands were absolute magic, never has a massage ever felt this good. But on the other, this was still incredibly weird. For as long as she's served under her former leader, this level of skinship was unheard of.
"What?" Jean scoffed, still feeling a level of resistance in the little Cruiser's shoulders, "you don't appreciate this?"
"N-no!" Le Malin let out quickly, "I- I mean I do! Its- It's just that this is…kinda…" the Cruiser scrambled to come up with a word, "new… for you."
The little Cruiser chuckled nervously as a silence filled the room. The kneading at her shoulders became heavier. Jean's once delicate touch now much rougher.
"Ow ow ow!" Le Malin cried, "sorry sorry!"
It was only for a brief moment, but she could've sworn she saw a smile on her former leader's face as she squirmed underneath the Battleship's strong hands.
<><><>o7<><><>
"You don't have to come with me," Brooklyn said beside herself, continuing her pace down the hall.
"I-I know, but…" Val gulped down her anxiety, "It's your fault you know!"
"Mine!?"
"You just had to blurt out I was your advisor!" Val said in a harsh whisper, "now I have to keep up appearances with your sisters."
"W-well…" Brooklyn turned away with a look of guilt, "look, it's only for a few days, once my other sisters get here I'll tell them straight up, that…"
"That-" Val parroted after Brooklyn's pause.
"That, we are…"
"Uh-huh~"
"Thatwereengaged," Brooklyn rushed in a hushed voice looking around to make sure no one heard her.
"I still don't get why we have to be so hush-hush about it," Val said with a frown, "are you embarrassed about me or something?"
"W-what?! No!" Brooklyn denied vehemently.
With her head down, the blonde Cruiser says back in a quiet tone, "I just don't want my sisters finding out through hearsay."
"Fine~" Val let out an exasperated sigh before changing the subject to their task at hand, "so anyway… What should I be doing right now? How can I be more… advisor…y?"
"Don't talk like that for one," Brooklyn listed off, "y'know what? Don't even talk, just stand there and nod."
"Am I that unconvincing?" Val says, straightening up her clothes in vain attempt to look presentable.
"On second thought," Brooklyn pinched at the bridge of her nose, "I shouldn't have brought you here, these two are…"
"Huh?"
"Remember what Biloxi said back in Panama?" Brooklyn tries to jog Val's memory, "you have to be cautious around these two, they can be a bit… touchy"
The door to the main office swung open in front of them suddenly.
"Ah! Frau Brooklyn!"
Val stood in shock with her jaw hanging open, unable to turn her eyes away from the bombshell of a woman standing by the office threshold. The smile the woman wore was almost reminiscent of St. Louis' but there was something more behind it, Val thought, like some kind of unquenchable hunger.
"Prinz Eugen," swiftly recovering from her initial shock, Brooklyn greeted back with a curt nod.
"It has been far too long," the Iron Blood Heavy Cruiser stepped past Brooklyn's extended hand before wrapping her arms around the Light Cruiser suddenly.
Val blushed as the silver haired beauty, pressed up against her fiance, her hands roaming a but too close to her posterior.
Before Val could voice some sort of protest, Brooklyn had already pushed Eugen off, keeping the Heavy Cruiser at bay with a firm hand in her face.
"Always playing so hard to get~" Eugen pouted, muffled by Brooklyn's palm.
"And your skinship is as irrepressible as ever…"
Eugen let out an accepting chuckle, finally relenting her attempts at a hug.
"Brooklyn!" Another voice from inside the office greeted, "it's always a pleasure to have you!"
"Wales," Brooklyn dipped her head once again.
"You truly are a sight for sore eyes," Wales takes the Cruiser's hand into her own, before placing her lips upon it. The glint on Brooklyn's finger not entirely lost on the Battleship.
ahem Val audibly cleared her throat.
"Oh dear~,this one appears displeased with us," Eugen held her cheek with a playful smirk, "so~ who is this tasty little morsel?"
"Valentina," Val answered with a stern voice, but even she herself couldn't tell what kind of face she was making as Eugen politely shook her hand, "Valentina Hermosa."
"Ah! So you are miss Val-" Wales went to take her hand as well but Brooklyn quickly brought her lips close to the Battleship's ear.
"If you lay a single inappropriate finger on her," Brooklyn whispers, "I'll be sure to let Hood know the goings on in this office of yours…"
A shiver shot up the royal's spine heeding the Cruiser's words. Everything finally clicked into place as she shakily took Val's hand into her own, feeling the same cold metal band around the girl's finger.
"I-it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." An abnormally stiff Wales greeted, hoping that was enough to appease the Eagle Union Diplomat.
<><><>o7<><><>
Blocking out the sun with her palm, Massachusetts continued to look up. Not at the sky above but at her hand itself. She missed the warmth that had gripped it so tightly last night.
Closing her eyes, she could still see the slender shoulders of the Vichy privateer walking out ahead. To think such a small frame held such a vast amount of power and ferocity. With her thoughts turning back to their brief but intense fight back during war, Massachusetts couldn't help but shudder at the memory of Jean's blood soaked visage, her wavering posture as she struggled to even stand, but even being on the verge of sinking, the almost savage smile that she wore stuck out most to her.
"Oof!" A familiar voice let out as it bounced backwards on the floor.
Lost in her mind, Massachusetts barely felt the impact at her chest, but looking down she found Helena rubbing at her butt after her fall.
"S-sorry!" the girl cried, "I-I wasn't looking where I was going!"
"No. It's my fault too," the Battleship helped the Cruiser off the floor.
"Thanks," the youngest Brooklyn blushed with embarrassment as she dusted herself off, "I was trying to get a list together in my head…"
"A list?"
"Yeah," Helena nodded, "I was headed to Akashi's to pick up some ingredients for Brooklyn's party."
"I can help you out if you need a hand." Massachusetts offered, seeing as how she had nothing better to do today. The Battleship couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched Helena rock her head side to side, contemplating if she should accept her offer or not.
"It'd be no big deal really," Massachusetts reassured.
"It is gonna be a lot of stuff…" Helena mulled to herself, "sure! If you don't mind."
It had been a long while since Massachusetts had been alone with the youngest Brooklyn but watching her from behind as she led the way, there was an air of confidence that wasn't there in the past. Like each step she took was infused with a level of certainty not unlike her eldest sister.
The bell over Akashi's door rang in Massachusetts's ears yet again as she followed the older Cruiser inside. She stood by the entrance watching Helena list off a bunch items at a nodding Akashi. Whatever the girl was planning seemed fairly extravagant just with the sheer amount of things she requisitioned. Massachusetts guessed it made sense, seeing as how this was the first time Helena will be seeing all her sisters in one place after a so long, she couldn't blame her for being a little excited.
"Massachusetts!" Helena called, "did you want anything while we're here?"
"Me?" The Battleship was caught off guard by the offer, "n-no its alright…"
"Aww~" the girl pouted, "I still wanna pay you back since you're helping me out'n all and we haven't seen each other in a while."
"Really I'm good so dont sweat it," Massachusetts smiled back. It wasn't a surprise to see this girl was still so concerned with ever body else and their wellbeing, it was nice to see somethings about her haven't changed.
"As the older one it's only right that I do something for you," Helena puffed out her chest in an attempt to look more authoritative to the much taller Battleship, "I'm going to be baking once I get these ingredients back, so why don't you join me in the mess hall later? I-if you aren't busy."
Helena's home made snacks? How long has it been she's had any? The thought echoed loudly in Massachusetts's head as an eager look crossed her face, "sure!"
After waiting for several minutes for Akashi and her Meowficers to return from the depths of the store, they came back carrying stacks of bags, one on top of the other.
"Sorry for the last minute request!" Helena bowed after seeing the mountain of supplies.
"Its no problem nyah! Anything for one of my best customers!" Akashi reassured.
Attempting to take the stacks of stuff into her arms, Helena starts to teeter along with the goods.
"Woah there," Massachusetts caught the Cruiser by her back, stabilizing her before taking several of the bags into her arms. "I'm here to help, remember."
"He he," Helena chuckled sticking her tongue out like she forgot.
She's still a klutz…
<><><>o7<><><>
"Don't be a stranger now~" Prinz Eugen sang into Brooklyn's ear, her goodbye hug seemed like it wouldn't end until Wales had pulled her off.
"Yes, my door will always be open to you," the royal bowed, nervous to make any sort of physical contact with her two guests, "and since you two are here on holiday, please relax and enjoy all that this base has to offer."
"Of course," Brooklyn smiled back, "I'd like to see where all the budget goes."
With that said Brooklyn and Val disappeared out the office doors leaving just the two prince's inside.
"Even when she's not working she's working," Wales chuckled, allowing herself to breathe now that Brooklyn was gone.
"Something's changed about her," Eugen said next to Wales' ear as she draped her arms over the Battleship's shoulders from behind.
"So you didn't notice it?" Wales brought her own hand up in front of herself, "the ring on their fingers."
"A ring? Oh dear…" The Iron Blood's eyes went wide, "...I fear I have to apologize to little miss Valentina when I get the chance."
"Oh~ So even you're capable of remorse," Wales said with an exaggerated look of shock.
"Hmph," Eugen pushed off the Battleship's back, making her way towards the door, "even I won't be as crass to take something someone has already claimed. Now…" Eugen placed her hand upon the door, staring at it for a bit, "if only someone here wasn't such a coward…"
"C-coward? What do you mean by that?!" Wales shot up from her seat, but her secretary had already left the room.
<><><>o7<><><>
Brooklyn craned her neck upwards, staring up at the team of Manjuu setting down the giant wooden crate she had delivered from Panama.
"So that's supposed to be a gift for Queen Elizabeth?" Val asked as the shadow of the crate passed over her.
"That's what Wales said, yeah."
"Any idea what it is?"
"Probably a statue of some sort," Brooklyn shrugged, "knowing that little Queen."
"Extravagant…"
"Quite…" the Light Cruiser disparaged the Royal Navy's callous use of funds.
With a thump, the large crate came to rest at the center of the circular path, kicking up some dust in the process.
"So this is what they had you carry?" Massachusetts said from behind the pair.
The Battleship had dozens of bags hanging of each arm as well as stacked above them, making it hard to see her face.
"That's what I was carrying," Brooklyn said back in surprise, "but what in the world is all that?!"
"Just some supplies!" Helena had poked her head around Massachusetts from behind, startling her older sister a bit.
"She was gonna carry them all herself," Massachusetts tried gesturing to the Cruiser behind her.
"I told you to let me carry some at least!" Helena pouted at the Battleship.
Brooklyn froze up for a second, as a memory of the old Helena overlayed itself into her mind. Whether or not there was an old Helena, Helena is still Helena and it wouldn't change the fact that the girl standing in front of her is her little sister.
But she wasn't expecting to run into her sister so suddenly. Of course she wanted to see her but her nerves weren't quite ready. Brooklyn did mean what she said the other day when she first saw Helena again after four long years, that she looked good. Too good for someone who could barely crack a smile at the time. Watching her banter with Massachusetts now, it's as if she hardly had any trouble at all. Helena has grown so much, and she didn't need the help of her older sister at all…
"One step at a time… remember?" A memory of Val's voice echoed in Brooklyn's mind.
If she wanted to be a part of her sister's life as she once was, it would have to begin right now. Missing this opportunity would be something she could come to regret for the rest of her life.
"H-how about this?" Brooklyn grabbed half of the stack from Massachusetts arms before distributing some to Helena and a few to Val, "we can all help carry some."
Helena pouted even further as she stomped her foot at her older sister. "Brooklyn~" she whined behind her stack, "this is supposed to be for you! So you should let us handle this."
"If that's the case," Brooklyn already started walking off, "then that's all the more reason I should be helping out."
"And besides," Brooklyn yells already a distance away, "I get to spend time with my little sister!"
"Geez~" Helena burrows her face in the bags she was carrying, the tips of her ears glowing red.
Val quietly laughed to herself, knowing Brooklyn was probably too embarrassed to say that to Helena directly.
"Brooklyn! Wait!" Helena shot her head back up.
"Uh uh!" Brooklyn refused from a distance, "I'm helping and that's that!"
"No! You're going the wrong way! Helena shouted again, "we're going to the mess hall!"
Massachusetts and Val broke out in a snicker as Brooklyn stopped in her tracks, laughing all the while as the off duty diplomat swiftly about faced, retracing her steps in a hurried fashion.
<><><>o7<><><>
"So~" Wichita said over the rhythmic clinking of whisks beating against the walls of several bowls, "Cleveland…"
"Hmm-" the Light Cruiser hummed, not looking up from what she was doing, "what's up?"
"Whatcha workin on?" Wichita poked at the blonde's cheek trying to get a reaction out of her, "Helena's got you helpin her again?"
"Helena hasn't got me doing anything," the Light Cruiser said with a huff, "I'm helping out because I want too."
"Okay okay…" Wichita backed off.
"Why are you even here?"
"Everyone's busy doing something and I'm bored."
"Then why don't you put on an apron and help me out?"
"Hahaha!" The Heavy Cruiser's boisterous laughter startled the Manjuu in the kitchen, "y'know me! I prefer eating my food to cooking it!"
"Then just go sit down and watch!" Cleveland said more than a little annoyed.
Wichita held her arms out in front of her to calm the Light Cruiser down as she did what she was told, but sitting around calmly fiddling with cooking utensils could only placate the Heavy Cruiser for so long.
"Pst… Cleveland…" a small smirk formed on Wichita's lips as she just thought of something that was for sure going to get Cleveland to react, "psstt…"
"What?!" The blonde snapped with a harsh whisper, matching the Heavy Cruiser's attempt at trying to be discreet.
Tugging at Cleveland's apron, Wichita's smirk only widened, "say~ why don't we surprise Helena?"
"And do what?"
"And by we, I mean you," the Heavy Cruiser spoke into Cleveland's ear from behind, playing with the hem of her apron, "you could try greeting her in nothing but this apron~ I'm sure that would totally make her day~"
Cleveland's brow furrowed trying to make sense of Wichita's words. Why would she greet her in nothing but an apron? Nothing… but… an apron. Nothing…
"W-w-why would I do that?!" Cleveland's face glowed a bright red finally catching on to Wichita's dirty joke.
"Hahaha! Oh man!" The Heavy Cruiser nearly doubled over in laughter, "the look on your face!"
Cleveland did her best to ignore Wichita's teasing but the bowl of cream she was working at was whisked way past its intended consistency.
"I bet Helena could pull the look off," Wichita wiggled her eyebrows at Cleveland, "she does have that rockin' body~"
No sooner she said that, the sound of a bowl clattering onto the countertop rang throughout the kitchen. Wichita's laughter had transcended past the audible seeing as how Cleveland's entire face lit up all the way to the tips of her ears like a beacon.
"W-w-what are you even saying?!" The Light Cruiser whipped the whisk in her hand at Wichita, flicking batter in her direction.
With an audible splat, the creamy batter dripped down the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"Oh~ you've done it now!" The chocolate covered lids of Wichita's eyes slowly cracked open. Scooping what she could in her hands, the Heavy Cruiser slung it straight back at a still flustered Cleveland.
Before long the Manjuu in the kitchen scrambled out for the sake of their own safety.
<><><>o7<><><>
The mess hall should have stayed the same as Helena left it, quiet and calm. With the busy chatter and commotion that came during lunch still a few hours away. But the panicked Manjuu huddling near the entrance to the kitchen and the loud clattering coming from within betrayed any sense of tranquility.
"What's going on?" Val had asked Helena who had been beside her the whole time, but when she turned her head, a gust of wind had blown in her eyes and the Light Cruiser was gone.
Val's eyes darted around, spotting Helena already by the kitchen's entrance. There was a good seven ~ eight meters from where they first entered and she couldn't recall Helena even moving in the first place.
"Ya can't hit me throwing like that!" A familiar voice can be heard yelling inside.
"Wichita…" Brooklyn shook her head, watching helplessly as Helena slammed the kitchen doors wide open.
The two sole occupants inside turned towards the door in shock. The heavy overwhelming pressure radiating from the kitchen's entrance freezing them in place.
"Y-yo~ H-Helena!" The hand full of chocolate batter had dripped off Wichita's fingers. The audible splat it made filled the silence that fell over the mess hall.
"I-I was just h-helpin out… y'know…" The color from Wichita's face had drained, stuttering her words as she forgot how to breathe.
"T-take it easy n-now…" the redhead tried to back away as Helena slowly approached, but her feet wouldn't budge.
"I-I'll help you guys clean up!" The Heavy Cruiser's voice sounded almost desperate as Helena closed the distance.
"W-wait! T-think about this!"
That was the last everyone heard from Wichita's mouth as a loud thud echoed from the kitchen.
Brooklyn and Massachusetts winced as Helena emerged back out, dragging an unconscious Wichita by her collar out of the kitchen.
"Looks like I have a little cleaning to do before we start," Helena sighed, dragging Wichita to a nearby wall, letting the Heavy Cruiser's body slump to the ground after letting go.
<><><>o7<><><>
Cleveland counted herself lucky she didn't end up like Wichita. For a second there, she thought, that she too was done for. Closing her eyes bracing for a knockout, all she got was a towel to the face as Helena tried to clean the mess that she found herself coated in.
"Geez~" Helena frowned at the blonde, "it's my fault for leaving you guys alone."
"N-no!" Cleveland let out, "it's my fau-"
"It's fine~" Helena giggled as she wiped a glob of chocolate batter off of the blonde's nose, "Just help me clean up!"
Cleveland's face grew a little red as she watched Helena lick her fingers clean.
"Mhmm~!" Helena beamed, "that's really good!"
"I-I was only following the recipe on the note…"
"Dunkerque really knows her stuff…" Helena rubbed at her chin as she tried to analyze the flavor in her mouth.
"Dunkerque?" Brooklyn asked as she plopped down the supplies on a clean spot on the counter, "I didn't realize she was at the Joint Base."
"No. She's not," Helena shook her head, "Richelieu gave me one of her recipes."
"That's rare…" Brooklyn said to herself, knowing that Battleship wasn't known to just hand out her treasured recipes so easily, "so what's the occasion?"
"It's probably not much of a secret, but…" Helena furrowed her brow deliberating whether or not she should say or not.
"It's fine~ whatever you say won't leave this room," Brooklyn smiled before turning to the other girls in the room for confirmation, "right girls?"
Val and Massachusetts both nod.
"They're for someone's launchday," Helena, still reluctant to give up all the info.
"Intel is power," Brooklyn held up her finger, "so if you've got some to share…"
"But…" saying it would be like betraying Richelieu's trust.
"Jean Bart…" Massachusetts spoke, coming to a sudden realization.
"H-how'd you know?!" Helena panicked.
"I-" the Battleship blushed, "I just happened to remember… just now…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn and Val shot a knowing look towards Massachusetts simultaneously.
"She's that girl you were with last night," Val said, "hand in hand…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn said louder in surprise, "you work fast."
"I-I was just walking her back to the dorms…" the normally aloof Battleship fidgeted in place staring a hole in the ground by her feet.
"I didn't know you guys were friends?" Helena asked, "but that's great! You could help us bake some Pain au Chocolat for her if you want."
"Y-yes!" Massachusetts agreed a little more enthusiastically than intended.
"I could help out too if you don't mind," Val raised her hand, "if you don't mind an extra hand in the kitchen."
"Sure! I didn't really want to bother anyone else but we do have a lot to prep for."
"Val is one of the best cooks I know~" Brooklyn vouched.
"Is that right?!" Helena enthused, happy to meet someone else who knows their way around the kitchen.
"Well~" Val chuckled, not used to the attention she was receiving, "I'm definitely better than your sister here."
"That's not saying much…" Massachusetts laughed.
Cleveland couldn't bring herself to join in on the conversation seeing as how she was largely responsible for the mess they currently cleaning. And now that they had to start from scratch that feeling just compounded itself.
"Hey Helena," Brooklyn called, "where do you keep the extra aprons?"
Aprons, Cleveland blushed, cursing Wichita for putting weird thoughts in her head. The younger Cruiser's cheeks darkened even further not even realizing she was staring at Helena as she carefully hung her apron around her neck. Watching intently as she deftly tied the knot behind her back, before pulling her long and beautiful hair out from underneath. The air in Cleveland's lungs grew thin, watching in slow motion as Helena's hair fell back down, like some kind of swan decending upon a lake, framing her body like an exquisite portrait.
Cleveland wasn't blind, she was always aware just how beautiful her best friend is but she always tried to push it into the back of her mind. An act she was almost always successful at, but Wichita's recent words did wonders to destroy that. The Brooklyn sister's uniforms were quite the sight to behold and Helena's was no exception. Cleveland thought she was used to it by now, given how often the two were together, but she was finding it difficult to pull her eyes away from her best friend's figure.
"Clevie?" Helena said a little worried, "what's wrong? Your face is all red."
"N-nothings wrong!" The shorter blonde let out a nervous laugh, "Just Wichita putting weird thoughts in my head!"
"Great… what'd she say this time?" Helena said, all too familiar with the Heavy Cruiser's antics.
Cleveland would sooner scuttle herself than reveal the whole truth of what Wichita said, "It's… just forget I said anything…"
"Alright…" Helena pouted, a little disappointed Cleveland wouldn't tell her.
<><><>o7<><><>
With the clean up done, the girls were finally able to start their prep work. With each of them in their own little station responsible for each step of the process.
Val stared at the little note Helena had shown her committing the directions listed to memory. It was a shame she couldn't tell anyone else about this apparent super secret recipe but she figured it wouldn't be a problem if she used it for herself every now and again.
Helena and Val moved about the kitchen like some kind of synchronized, well oiled machine, stunning the rest of the girls as they struggled to keep up the pace.
Brooklyn was always fascinated with the way her sister and fiance worked, but seeing them both at it together all at once was something else.
Cleveland at the best of times could barely keep up with Helena when she was in the zone, but now, with Val involved, there was absolutely no hope.
Massachusetts was off in her own little corner making almost as much of a mess as Wichita did, whisking her bowl with a little too much force.
The team of Manjuu worked like an assembly line, rolling the dough that would become the pastries base.
"Hey Helena," Val called to her newly found cooking partner, "you think you could give Brook a hand? She looks a little confused as to what to do next."
"Brooklyn?" Helena turned to her sister who had just begun pouring the molten chocolate into each mold.
"W-what? I'm good," Brooklyn answered back, slightly confused as to what Val was doing," I don't ne-"
"-Here like this," Helena cut in, guiding her sister's hand as she helped to evenly pour the chocolate.
Val smiled to herself, knowing her fiance didn't really need help, and if she did she herself could step in lend a hand, but if she could engineer a way to get Brooklyn to spend some quality time with her sister she would take any opportunity she saw.
<><><>o7<><><>
Denver and Colombia could barely contain a snicker as a red faced Wichita sat down on the floor with her arms and legs crossed, still coated in a fine layer of chocolate, doing her best to ignore the two Light Cruisers.
"For a second, we thought you just came from the Iron Blood dorms, pfftt" Colombia broke out into laughter.
"Oh, its only chocolate…" Denver said in relief as she swiped some from the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"What the hell did you think it was?!" Wichita lost her temper as the two ran for cover inside the kitchen.

I just wanted to share my opinion about what I think is about to unfold. As we wait for the inevitable news to be announced that the "Clinical hold is lifted by the FDA", what happens next? One of the most important steps with any biotech that is trying to increase its value is receiving its first regulatory approval. Once a regulatory approval is achieved with a drug like Leronlimab, future approvals are less cumbersome. Future submissions are more streamlined because you have completed and submitted the foundational work that all future submissions are based on with LL. I have mentioned this before, Hospital formularies are easier to orchestrate once you have a drug on the formulary. You are basically just adding approved indications onto those formularies. Insurance reimbursements become slightly easier with each subsequent approval. But, before you get approval CYDY has to finish what it has started in the developmental phases. Cyrus has laid out a plan to all of us and that is represented in the 12-7-22 Investor presentation that can be seen in the 8K filed with the SEC on 12-7-22. In a nutshell, he prioritized NASH, Oncology and HIV/ NASH, but since that 12-7-22 date we have seen evidence of HIV expanded to HIV-Prep and HIV CURE (long acting LL). Even evidence that a 3rd party co-development partner has been established but not formally announce for HIV long acting. Could it be VIR?
CYDY has completed a phase 2 Nash study that was well received by the NASH community. The Oncology data has blown away Dr. Stefan Gluck a long time KOL in the Oncology space and of course CYDY has achieved positive clinical results and safety profile in a phase 3 HIV combo study that is stat significant. But once the clinical hold is lifted we need funding to move the development of LL forward and across the FDA finish-line. Where could that funding be coming from?
1) Private funding from the sale of warrants ? There does not appear to be enough shares left for a full scale funding effort to perform trials in any one indication let along multiple indications.
2) Issue a ton more shares that dilutes shareholders? We are currently trading at a manipulated .25-28 cents . Issuing more shares only lowers that to low double digits or maybe single digits depending on the amount of shares issued. And if this was truly the case, we investors would have seen some sort of effort to increase the stock price. Any effort! But, we have not seen that at all. IMO it is because Cyrus is extremely confident that he has secured funding commitments that are contingent on the Lifting of the clinical hold.
3) Buyout from a Big Pharma player. It is possible, there are signs pointing in that direction. If you look at this link about 12 signs my company is going be bought out, CYDY fits the criteria on a lot of those: https://www.griproom.com/fun/12-signs-a-company-is-being-bought-out
3a) But I don't believe we are getting bought out. Cyrus has done too much work in other areas to support a buyout thesis.
4) Amarex settlement: For me, this one is tough to assess. The only thing I am COMPLETELY CONFIDENT in is CYDY wins this settlement by a 100 miles. The question is how much? And when does CYDY receive the settlement? These factors are too out of CYDY's control. I don't know if Cyrus can bank on the amount and the when to say that he feels funding is secured. Maybe I am wrong and you can know the outcome of arbitration settlements before they are actually settled. I do know that; losing companies have filed bankruptcies in order to avoid the pay out or lessen the ruling or further delay the payment. IMO, one of the many strengths I see in Cyrus is he is a talented business guy and you don't count the uncountable. He needs something that is more concrete.
5) That concrete evidence for Cyrus is in Partnerships. Something he has worked with in his past. IMO Cyrus is setting CYDY up for long term success. He and Team CYDY are building the foundation to support that long term growth and he laid evidence of that out in the 12-7-22 plan. The partnership plan is going to be a sophisticated web of different types of partnerships that will bring in multiple partners with each one having a different twist to the partnership agreements. Scott Kelly said there are a 1000 ways to do partnerships. Whether you like Scott Kelly or not; there are a variety of ways to structure these things.
SO what will CYDY look like after the clinical hold is lifted? I think it starts with LIVIMMUNE and HIV. There is a model of this with GSK, Pfizer and Shionogi. They have a joint venture together to form ViiV. Viiv is a HIV company that is broken up between: 76.5% of the company is now owned by GlaxoSmithKline, 13.5% by Pfizer and 10% by Shionogi. More ViiV info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ViiV_Healthcare
What is interesting about ViiV is that ViiV Healthcare's products have a market share of approximately 19%[3] of the global HIV market, making it the second-largest healthcare company, after Gilead Sciences, which is working on the treatment of HIV.[4]
This brings me back to points I made at the beginning of this post. CYDY needs to cross the FDA finish-line and get approvals. THE QUICKEST WAY to do that is the resubmission of HIV MDR BLA. All of the required documents for the lifting of the clinical hold are also required for the BLA submission. CYDY has done the work already for the BLA re-submission by submitting many of those documents for the Lifting of the clinical hold. This to me is a perfect first step in a new Joint venture (with a twist) that LIVIMMUNE and VIR could create. With a future pipeline of long acting LL. This strategy is a great way to get the first approval and have a distribution partner in VIR put in place. Much better than the distribution agreement that NP created and ended up with Regnum. As some will recall Regnum has absolutely zero experience in the HIV space and zero sales force.
Let me comment on the Joint Venture with a twist with VIR. CYDY needs funding and generally speaking when you have a joint venture the different parties bring something to the party. CYDY has the asset (LL) and the completed phase 3 HIV MDR study. But no money for operations or future development. Since we have the asset and a completed HIV study ready for a BLA submission and eventual future PDUFA date. VIR can pay CYDY to be a part of that. VIR gets access to a HIV approval that would happen around 18 months: (6-9 months for an accepted BLA submission and 6-9 months for a PDUFA date.) IMO CYDY gets some funding from VIR to be a part of the HIV program at LIVIMMUNE.
Just a FYI on VIR, the last 10Q showed approximately $2.4 billion in cash and investments, and $1.5 Billion in revenue. Surely they can fork over $65 -$150 million for the rights to be involved with LIVIMMUNE?
What about Merck and Keytruda? All we know is that MD Anderson did a combo study in Oncology with LL/Keytruda. I believe we will know more about all of that after the lifting of the hold. Plus a possible partnership with Merck.
Lately, while we wait for the inevitable news of the lifting of the clinical hold, we get more information on CCR5's involvement in a particular disease state. Oncology was just going be MTNBC, and MGK pointed out from the September 2022 CC "17:50: So the near term financing requirements for the company will be focused on re-entering clinical trials for NASH as expeditiously as possible. Now while we do plan to continue development in oncology, our focus will be toward certain solid tumors to insure that we can collect sufficient data in enough patients within select indications, namely, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and potentially in non-small cell lung cancer with combination agents. We said colorectal cancer or CRC, we will be looking at the metastatic, microsatellite stable population*. This represents about 85% of all the diagnosed cases of CRC. This particular segment of CRC hasn't seen any meaningful therapeutic advancement in nearly a decade. Yet, the Survival rates in that population have considerable room for improvement. In breast cancer, rather than focus on only the mTNBC population, which really only represents about 15% of the total growth cancer market and has seen increased competition advancements in check point inhibitors and antibody drug conjugates, we are going expand our focus into Hormone receptor positive HER2 negative population which stands for roughly about 70% of the total market. We believe that mCRC and mTNBC each represent large opportunity for leronlimab, and we believe that the mechanistic rationale for using the drug in those populations is quite strong for a CCR5 inhibitor. Let me be clear, that we intend to run these cancer studies over sufficient period of time to generate a robust and meaningful clinical data set that a potential partner would find compelling.*"
Multiple indications in Oncology and IMO means multiple potential partners in this space.
Once the Big Pharma players begin to really and I mean really understand the broad reach of LL and its effectiveness; They will want more of CYDY than ever before. They wont want to share indications and will have to step up in a BIG WAY to get their arms all the way around CYDY.
I have never been more confident than I am now about LL and the direction that we are headed. We are never going to be seeing this .26-.28 cents ever again.

So I 25m and my gf 26f have been together for just under 5 years. We met in college but only casually dated for the first two months before we fully committed to each other. Now even before we started dating and we’re just friends she new I have zero interest in ever getting married or having kids. I’ve known this ever since I was a teenager and every time I’ve said it when people talk to me about my future they say the same things like I’ll change my mind when I’m older or I meet the right person. But I’m a fully functional adult and I still feel the same. Continuing to the story. We have been committed to each other for years now and I am extremely happy with the relationship both of us have discussed marriage and kids before. But I continue to make my position on the matter clear but that I understand that if she’s not okay with it we can break up. She previously told me she’s happy with how we are and doesn’t care about any of those things. However, over the past year she has kept bringing it up and trying to convince me, and I just keep telling her that I feel the same. Well this last week my birthday rolled around and we had planned to go out in the early afternoon and be together all night. We had a late dinner at a restaurant I really like then went for a walk along the river near my apartment. Well as you can tell from the title at the end of our walk she proposed to me. I was extremely shocked at first and then incredibly upset because she has known my feelings on the matter for a long time. I’m thankful that it was late at night because there was nobody around to see me say no. She started crying immediately and slapped me really hard before running off. I felt awful and figured I’d give her awhile before contacting her to talk but I guess she told both of our families and all our friends what she was doing and what happened so less than an hour after I said no I was bombarded with messages telling me I’m a piece of shit and an asshole. It’s almost been a week since that night and I’m still getting messages from even my own family telling me I’m an asshole and haven’t been able to contact my probably ex gf now. So Reddit am I the asshole?

On the planet teeming with eight billion others, I was just another face in the crowd, navigating the tumultuous corridors of high school. Today, we were ticking off the second to last day of the school year, and we had the liberty of a half day, making lunchtime the closing bell.
At fifteen, I was awkwardly wading through the stormy seas of adolescence, complete with the scourge of hormonal surges and the unfortunate sprinkling of acne dotting my face. My world was wonderfully wrapped up in a corner of our high school cafeteria, a realm presided over by Emila. The dazzling subject of my dreams, she held me under her spell with her enchanting beauty. Her hair, a river of glistening platinum, formed a comforting canopy around me, filling my senses with a tantalizing mix of coconut-scented shampoo and the memorable reminder of our gym sessions.
“Alex, come back to Earth!”
My Emila-infused daydream was interrupted by Elijah, my only friend in a table full of acquaintances.
“Did you see the TikTok I sent?”
He asked, a twinkle of devilish delight dancing in his eyes. I fumbled for my phone, eager for a dose of Elijah’s promised comedy, only to find the video was no longer available with unsurprising speed.
“Man, it was comedy gold! Imagine Thanos, asscheeks and all, telling the most offensive Holocaust joke. Legendary stuff”
Elijah chuckled heartily, his laughter echoing around the room, amplified by his own creative narrative.
“Sure sounds like it”
I muttered, my gaze returning to Emila. Her attention was stolen by my older brother, the infamous Mikey, whose joke had her laughing. Mikey, a final year student with a solid record of academic underachievement and a proclivity for marijuana, was a walking, talking, stoner stereotype. What was unsettling was his inexplicable charm with the wide-eyed freshman girls, a twisted hobby that gave him an unusual sense of satisfaction.
As the bell shrilled, signaling the end of the school day, Mikey abruptly stood up, the metal chair beneath him screeching in protest. His next words, a slurred mix of colloquial slangs and contemporary cuss words, were aimed at summoning his freshman fan club, a motley crew of wide-eyed youngsters who clung onto his every word like bees to honey. At the same time, he bumbled out a half-hearted invitation for Emila to join their quest for illicit pleasures. Emila's reaction was a fusion of disgust and amusement, an expression I decided to commit to memory for my poetry. She gracefully declined his offer with a well-rehearsed flip of her hair and a disdainful wave of her hand, then she returned to her conversation, laughter pealing from her like sweet music, completely oblivious to my heart hammering in my chest.
Around me, chaos broke loose as the cafeteria, now released from the clutches of academic torture, transitioned into a war zone of wild whoops, boisterous laughter, and the smell of overly sweet cafeteria food. At the corner of my eye, I caught Elijah's failed attempt to record a TikTok, where he took on the guise of a chicken playing Mozart's fifth symphony on a battered keyboard. The sight of him clucking passionately amidst a cacophony of piano notes sent me into a fit of laughter, providing a much-needed dose of comedic relief after the annoyances of my school day. The last sight that graced my eyes as I exited the cafeteria, was the bewildered expression on the face of our school janitor, as he stood paralyzed amidst the storm, mop in hand. It was a fittingly ludicrous end to another thrillingly mundane school day. With that, I picked up my bag, donned my headphones, and began my solitary trek home.
The burden of unrequited love weighed heavily upon my weary shoulders as I trudged homeward. In dire need of a chill-out moment, I fumbled for my go-to vape, only to be met with the light show of a dead battery. Just another bump in the road that is the teenage rollercoaster ride. As I hit the 7-Eleven on my route, I was looking forward to seeing Antonio, the ageless dude who seemed more interested in cracking jokes than caring about checking IDs. But instead of Antonio's playful smirk, I came face-to-face with a new character, with wrinkles that told stories of time gone by. A wave of disappointment washed over me as I nabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper and headed for the cash register.
"What happened to Antonio?"
I asked, putting my drink on the counter for the mystery guy.
"Who?"
He muttered, his focus on the soda can he was sliding under the scanner.
"Antonio, the guy who's usually here in the evenings"
I explained, a hint of irritation in my voice.
"Dunno. I only started here last week. I just know the young girl who takes over when my shift ends"
He responded, his words leaving a gap in my world, like a punch in the gut of my usual routine.
Taking a bubbly swig of my Dr. Pepper, I tried to swallow the truth of teenage life. It was like walking into my favorite cozy room, only to find the furniture rearranged haphazardly. The change was unexpected, and unwelcome.
Finally trekking my way home after sitting on a bench listening to music for what Must've been hours. I walked under a sky that seemed to be experimenting with shades of orange and purple, I felt a strange kind of solitude sneaking in. My thoughts kept playing a merry-go-round with Mikey, Emila, and now absent Antonio - the trio that had become the stars of my high school drama.
My front door protested loudly under my foot's frustrated kick, and a slurred
"WHAT THE FUCK!"
Bellowed from the living room. My mother, ensnared in an alcoholic haze, lounged over the couch, her shaking finger accusingly pointed in my direction.
"Did you forget that I get migraines?"
The smell of tequila permeated the air, filling my nostrils as soon as I crossed the threshold. I sighed, hoping for a lifeline.
"Is dad home?"
My mother sank back onto the couch, her voice a whisper
"No."
My father, the only one who occasionally lent an ear when I complained about Mikey, was perpetually chained to his cubicle, another cog in the corporate machine.
I ascended the stairs, each creaking step a harmony to the melancholic rhythm of the dark. The silent house held the weight of my unease, my chest tightening with an indescribable yearning. Tucked away in the solitude of my room, I pulled out my phone, the screen's glow illuminating my apprehensive features. I typed out a tentative message to Emilia, a small confession of the feelings that had long been gnawing at my insides.
"Hey, Emilia, I..."
First message sent. But before I could finish my second text, the dreaded words - 'Message Failed to Send' stared back at me. My heart sank. Was it a sign? Maybe the universe was intervening, telling me it wasn't the right time, or perhaps, it never would be. Disheartened, I slung my phone aside, letting the unsent feelings hover in the digital void. Slipping under the comforting shroud of my blanket, I drifted off into a sleep, with dreams tinted in hues of Emilia and unspoken words.
The next morning started out ordinary until it was splattered with the color of angst when I pleaded with Mikey that morning to stay away from Emila. His response?
"Amelia, the freshman? Didn't know you had a thing for her."
His nonchalance was maddening.
"Emila. As your brother, I'm asking you to back off"
I clarified, hoping it would penetrate his stubborn exterior.
His perplexed expression turned into a nonchalant shrug.
"Damn, been saying her name wrong the few times we spoke, and she never bothered to correct me."
Mikey shrugged and walked away, leaving me feeling dismissed and unheard.
Feeling a mix of frustration and confusion, I left for school and shook off the encounter with my brother and headed to my first-period class. As I stepped into the room, I expected to see my usual teacher, Ms. Thompson, waiting at her desk. However, to my surprise, it was someone else entirely—a teacher I had never seen before. I had really liked Ms. Thompson too so to see she got a substitute on the last day was dissapointing. Yet his resemblance to Ms. Thompson was uncanny, from the way he held himself to the tone of his voice. I knew something was off.
I glanced around the classroom, taking in the unfamiliar arrangement of notes and papers hanging on the walls. The subjects and diagrams were foreign to me, not matching the usual decor that adorned this space. It was as if I had entered an alternate dimension, where everything seemed the same yet completely different.
As the class went on, the new teacher droned on with the same monotony I had grown accustomed to, but it felt hollow, lacking the genuine concern and passion that Ms. Thompson always displayed. The other students seemed oblivious to the change, talking and cutting up as if nothing was amiss. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
Throughout the rest of class, my mind wandered, retracing the events of the past few days. Antonios unexpected absence, the failed text to Emila, Mikey's nonchalant reaction to my warning about Emila, the strange teacher in place of Ms. Thompson—it all felt like pieces of a puzzle that didn't quite fit together. For the first time, I realized how little attention I had paid to the details of my daily routine. But now, with this subtle shift in my surroundings, I couldn't help but question everything.
As the class finally came to an end, I gathered my things and made my way out.
The unfolding of the remaining classes before lunch did nothing to alleviate the paranoia that was steadily creeping over me. In my second-period class, usually dedicated to cleaning out the science lab, I noticed a set of instruments that we'd never used before. My peers didn't bat an eyelid, but to me, the incongruity was unsettling. Then in English, our final class reading didn't correspond to the assigned book. The text seemed different, as though it had been subtly altered.
Physical education, typically a free play session on the last day, was different too. Coach Peters was blowing a whistle I'd never seen before, its pitch more grating than the usual. And just before lunch, during the end-of-year assembly, the principal's speech, usually so predictable, seemed off. It contained references to events and achievements that didn't match my memories.
As lunchtime arrived, a mix of anticipation and anxiety filled the air. Even with my world falling apart I found time to worry about Mikey's presence around Emila. However, Emila was nowhere to be found. When I mentioned this to the group as I took my seat, my words were met with silence, as if I had become invisible.
Sitting alone at the edge of the table, I sought solace in our group pictures, hoping to catch a glimpse of Emila. I opened Snapchat and scrolled through my camera roll until I found my favorite picture of her. But to my surprise, Emila was inexplicably absent from the image. I blinked in disbelief, rubbed my eyes, and questioned my own perception. How could she have vanished? In the photo, my arm had once embraced her, but now it hung empty at my side.
"Guys, where's Emila?"
I asked, passing my phone to Elijah. He stared at the screen for a long moment, as if emerging from a trance.
"Who?"
He finally responded absentmindedly, his attention quickly diverted by a video shared by another friend.
Taking back my phone, I desperately searched for more pictures, only to find that they had vanished—her Instagram, Snapchat, even her parents' Facebook profiles. Panic gripped me, and I screamed
"WHERE IS EMILA!?"
My voice resonating through the cafeteria, reverberating off the walls. The entire room fell into an eerie silence, and all eyes turned to me, their gazes fixed with a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Her social media is gone. I feel like I'm going insane, and none of you even acknowledge me!"
My voice cracked with desperation as I pleaded for answers.
Mikey and Elijah rose from their seats, their expressions filled with compassion, ready to console me. But I couldn't bear their pity, their feeble attempts to calm my tormented mind. Their words would be meaningless. With a surge of frantic energy, I pushed my chair back and fled the suffocating atmosphere of the cafeteria.
As I stumbled out of the school, my surroundings blurred in a whirlwind of confusion and distress. The world itself seemed to warp and twist, mocking my feeble attempts to comprehend the inexplicable. Thoughts tumbled through my mind, colliding and fragmenting like shattered glass. Where had Emila gone? How could she vanish so completely, leaving no trace behind? Was I losing my grip on reality?
A light drizzle began peppering the surroundings, setting a somber atmosphere. Hours slipped away as I aimlessly wandered, searching for answers. Maybe someone had slipped me acid-laced food, or perhaps I was crazy like my mother. The thought of my brother's affinity for drugs crossed my mind, but I had never dabbled. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to find a sense of respite in my vape once again.
Entering the 7-Eleven, a chilling sensation overcame me as I discovered the same elderly man behind the counter. Without uttering a word, I hopped over the counter, desperate to find any clue.
"Kid, you can't be back there!"
The man exclaimed, attempting to restrain me. Swiftly, I pushed him away, unearthing the work schedule from the wall.
"Where's Antonio?" I stammered.
The old man, seemed to recognize me.
"I asked about that. Antonio doesn't work here"
He said, struggling to regain his footing. Overwhelmed with a sense of paranoia, I bolted out of the gas station, gasping for breath only when I reached the safety of my home.
In the dim light of the early evening, I found myself sprawled on the unkempt grass of the front yard. The recent rain had left the ground sodden, but I barely noticed the wetness seeping into my clothes. As the rain mingled with my silent tears, I heard the familiar rumble of my older brother Mikey's truck pulling into the driveway.
"Hey pussy"
He exclaimed, pushing his rain-soaked hair back from his forehead. His voice carried a light-hearted jest that felt foreign amidst the somber atmosphere. He was always like this, quick to crack a joke even in the gloomiest of moments. It was his way of diffusing tension, I suppose. He reached out, pulling me up and leading me towards the house. Once inside and in his room, an aroma filled my nose – a peculiar mix of stale pizza and mildewy old books – that somehow comforted me in a strange, indescribable way. It was an olfactory reminder of a time before things got so complicated.
Catching my eye, Mikey reached into his drawer and withdrew an intricately designed glass bong. I had seen it before, on one of those rare occasions when Mikey would let me into his private world. Now, he was extending the invitation again. He passed me the bong, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
I hesitated for a moment, my mind flashing back to times when mom would sit us down in front of the TV after school, her kind and comforting presence a strong reassurance of love and security. That was before the alcohol took over, before the comforting light in her eyes had been replaced by a glassy, distant look. The thought of her brought an odd sense of calmness, as if her spirit was there with me, in Mikey, guiding me through this haze.
Taking the bong from Mikey, I let out a nervous chuckle, matching his playful demeanor. As I took a hit, we fell into a comfortable laughter, punctuated only by the deafening theme song of Family Guy playing on the large TV in the corner of his room. The memory of our shared laughter resonated deeply within me, a balm to the churning unrest I had been feeling.
"It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and -"
Suddenly, the television vanished, replaced by a weathered dresser that had been stored in the attic.
Mikey's phone suddenly blared a familiar jingle.
"Ah, man. One sec, bro,"
"-sex on TV." My brother's phone blared at maximum volume.
"Sorry, bro, my friend texted me"
He explained, placing the phone between us.
"Where's the TV?"
I muttered, the words hardly audible. As the high intensified, the room started to spin, the familiar comfort of Mickey's presence fading away. I reached out in a futile attempt to steady myself but fell onto the cold, hardwood floor. The room seemed to swirl around me, familiar objects distorting into unrecognizable shapes and colors.
Pulling myself up, I lurched out of the room, navigating the labyrinthine house as fragments of memories flooded my mind. It felt like I was walking through a dream – a vivid, disorienting journey through time and space. Stepping outside, I saw the lawn had morphed into a neatly trimmed landscape, A new 'For Sale' sign swaying gently in the evening breeze, dissolved away as quickly as I noticed it.
The sounds of laughter drew my attention to the house. The windows were aglow with warm, inviting light, revealing an unfamiliar family engrossed in their game night. Their joy was a stark contrast to my growing desolation.
As days rolled on, my world reshaped, transforming from the familiar to an enigmatic panorama. Faces blurred, places mutated, my identity itself seemed to wane, fading into oblivion.
Caught in this mutating reality, I felt a quiet observer, my existence phasing out into the ether. Friends, family, Emila - all were melting away into the canvas of my evaporating memory.
Then, amidst the dissolving haze, clarity dawned, presenting a profound revelation. Our Earth was yearning for equilibrium, burdened with the weight of 8 billion souls, a possibly infinite and cruel humanity, now quickly seeking balance before it was too late.
We had pushed our home to her brink. Now, a beautiful transformation is underway. Smiling strangers began to color my world, their joy reflecting the Earth's newfound harmony. Merchandise, once an extravagant luxury, now seemed accessible to all. The battlefield in Ukraine had given way to peace, a testament to the world healing its wounds.
As I type this out in a clean and rather nicely lit alleyway. I find myself blending into the cosmic expanse, my hands and arms fading away before returning as if the universe wants me to finish. As I turn from a solid entity into an echo of existence. The world moves on, its stride unperturbed by my fading presence. Yet, in my diminishing, I realize my contribution to Earth's balance.
Earth is in the midst of achieving perfection. Many of you won't make it and will be gutted like myself, some of you will stay. The rest of you, I catch glimpses of as I fade, timeliness unaffected and left to die without God.
My final thoughts are not of sorrow, but of serene acceptance and profound understanding. As I phase into the ether, I became a cosmic whisper, a gentle reminder of the necessity for balance and respect for our fragile planet.

I've been practicing leetcode for over a month and it's hard. Sometimes it takes me a long time to write a bug-free optimal solution for easy problems. I can usually only solve a medium problem optimally if I've solved a similar problem in the before.
While I do think I could eventually work my way up to pass FAANG level interviews, it will take me a lot of time and effort. I'm guessing nearly a year of consistent effort. I'm having a really tough time with two pointer and sliding window problems in particular.
Do FAANG engineers need to dedicate a huge amount of time preparing for interviews before landing their job? I have a hard time believing that the average engineer at these companies spent a ton of time grinding leetcode considering I rarely hear about it in real life. Are they just naturally gifted?

The Game map. Playing as doctor.
Killed Vittorio on hook because no one unhooked him after his first and only hook.
Hooked Feng, who had been unhooked twice by Vittorio.
Downed a Kate with boil over while she was trying to unhook Feng, who had spent half the game jumping in and out of a locker, picked her up but put down because couldn’t find a hook.
Leon goes in to the area that they’re both in, let’s Feng die on hook, spent half of the game tbagging whenever we got in a chase, did not heal Kate and instead just ran around her, and I literally waited a minute or so to see if he was gonna get her up but nope he continued jumping over a pallet to draw attention.
So I down him in the same area Kate was in, he had boil over too and same scenario no nearby hook that I could see and someone had petrified oak so I left him downed mainly because he hadn’t helped his team mates, and was pissing around.
Kate ended up dying, and unfortunately the Leon managed to crawl and get hatch as it spawned right near him I play on console and Leon went as far as to message me saying “karma” bc he got hatch 😂
Karma for what? Letting him die?? Is that not part of my job as killer? Was he not supposed to have healed Kate? Or unhooked Feng? I was baffled. Still am. AITA? Where did I go wrong lmao

I've been really missing my team and customers and (select few) peers.
it hurts me to know that this company preaches nurturing the human spirit, but stores have managers who don't give a single damn about their people and let their position of power go to their heads.
it hurts knowing that managers think the solution to their problems are corrective actions without any thought as to what might be going on in people's personal lives.
it hurts to know my efforts and capabilities were not valued or recognized, and that I was seperated for being compassionate.
it hurts to know that I was seperated for 'stealing time' (15-30 total minutes) when I worked hours and hours off the clock.
it hurts to know that partners viewed me as a their favorite manager and i had a bright future with the company but my career progression got cut short.

I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is that I want. I was hoping I could get an assist from the group here.
Im very familiar with counting calories, its pretty much the only thing that has every worked for me.
But I can't quite put my finger on why I don't want to do it any more. I guess im just so over it, burned out. I've got hundreds & hundreds of memorized calorie counts in my head. Its to the point where if calories are brought up in just about any capacity I can regurgitate how many calories are in it atleast ball park if not exactly.
My coworker walked in with a chicken strip basket from DQ & said something like, "this can't be good for me" and I was like, "Ooof, ya thats like 1300 calories."...I hate myself for this. I don't even hear food names in my brain. Someone would be like, "You want a banana?" & I hear, "You want a 100 calories?"...Then if I don't know it, I WANT to know it. Ill be at a friends house & maybe taking a mental break from counting calories, im eating some chips or whatever & Ill think, "I wonder if these chips have a similar calorie count as the tortilla chips I like or if they are more? Was it 130 for 12 chips, or was it for 18 chips? I should have never changed brands, im getting all mixed up."...
My point is when I feel burnt out & want to take a break from calorie counting...I still cant...my memory kicks in & I can't seem to shut it off. So I think, well, im still not weighing things or starring at the label & asking Alexa a bunch of math problems & conversions so its still like taking a rest. But what's happening is that I still feel like im counting calories & just doing a poor job of it. Resulting in nearly the same amount of mental effort with way less results.
I want to try something else for a while.
I just don't know what.
Im against eliminating food groups. I used to do Paleo, Atkins & Keto & was even a Vegetarian way back in the day...none of that fits my lifestyle. I need to be able to eat whatever I want, but in moderation. Its much easier for me to eat less of something than its is to deny myself it entirely.
In my quest to find an alternative to counting calories...the only thing that keeps popping up is Weight Watchers. I have recently been clobbered with their newest advertising as well. I searched for WW posts on this sub & read a few that were mostly not supportive of it. Soooo....any suggestions for me?

Contact me on (+44) 7593880762 on Telegram/WhatsApp if you have interest in Biaheza's Dropshipping course.
The course focuses on practical steps that take you from zero to a profitable dropshipping store in no time.
Biaheza's Dropshipping course guarantees real results, not just theories!
Experience the thrill of launching your own store and making over one thousand dollars on day one. Biaheza will guide you through every step, explaining how to scale your business for even greater success.
You will learn how to:
- Dominate with TikTok ads
- Create a high-converting website with ease
- Learn to create a simple yet powerful website that achieves world-class conversion rates...
.,, and more!
Biaheza's Dropshipping course witll show you how to captivate your audience, drive sales, and maximize your profits effortlessly.
If you are interested in Biaheza's Dropshipping course contact us on:
Reddit DM to u/CourseAccess
WhatApp/Telegram: (+44) 7593880762
Email: silverlakestore/@/yandex.com (remove the brackets).

Contact me on (+44) 7593880762 on Telegram/WhatsApp if you have interest in Biaheza's Dropshipping course.
The course focuses on practical steps that take you from zero to a profitable dropshipping store in no time.
Biaheza's Dropshipping course guarantees real results, not just theories!
Experience the thrill of launching your own store and making over one thousand dollars on day one. Biaheza will guide you through every step, explaining how to scale your business for even greater success.
You will learn how to:
- Dominate with TikTok ads
- Create a high-converting website with ease
- Learn to create a simple yet powerful website that achieves world-class conversion rates...
.,, and more!
Biaheza's Dropshipping course witll show you how to captivate your audience, drive sales, and maximize your profits effortlessly.
If you are interested in Biaheza's Dropshipping course contact us on:
Reddit DM to u/CourseAccess
WhatApp/Telegram: (+44) 7593880762
Email: silverlakestore/@/yandex.com (remove the brackets).

I have a charger that has been driven once a month max to the corner store less than a mile away. Vehicle is old and unreliable for anything more than light local city driving, so it’s been a secondary vehicle for me that just wasn’t worth trying to sell.
All that to say, fca is and has long been desperate to get me to fix this recall that I’ve never really worried about bc I don’t drive the car. Fast forward to today; I get this in the mail.
Not only are they willing to come to me and fix for FREE, but they will also send me a $100 prepaid MasterCard for defusing the landmine of liability that is my airbag.
My question is: does this imply there is upside to continuing my holdout? How high might they go to get this dealt with? Any precedents or guidance I should consider?
I’d be a happy camper with $100 and a brand new airbag — but my business sense is tingling. If nothing jumps off the page, I’ll just take em up on this offer and gladly so. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Not in a ‘something really awful happened to me’ but in a ‘I decided to be a little silly this week’. Idk, I’m very chaotic at the best of times and I think I go through periods of chilling, being alone, lots of introspectiveness, really engaged w therapy in and outside of the room vs going a little loopy, making silly decisions and just generally being chaotic. Anyway the point of this post is that I haven’t seen my therapist in nearly 3 weeks and I need to tell her I impulsively booked a flight to Spain the day before going, spent the trip driving around the mountains with people i’d just met and began preemptively processing the ending of a situationship I’ve been in for 7 months that I’m going to end tomorrow. Just some spice for the plot!!!

So fucking tired of living in a country that doesn't care if it's people live or die. Can't get surgery, can't find a psychiatrist that will work with my insurance and provide me with brain numbing drugs. Genuinely what do they want me to do? Off myself? Would probably be cheaper for everyone in the long run anyways. I am so fucking frustrated. I can't afford to pay a psychiatrist $500 a week out of pocket and surgery isn't happening anytime soon. Death is the only option. have been fighting with my insurance for a year and I have twice the required letters from mental health professionals but none of that matters. No one cares that I'm living in a body that causes me physical pain and discomfort to the point of making me consider ending it all. I have been this fucking close to offing myself since November and I don't know what to do anymore. It seems like the only option for me to find peace. Ever single day since l've grasped the concept of sex and gender I have wanted to die because my body is different from other women. So fucking close to pumping my body full of drugs and hoping I never wake up. I am in so much pain, so fucking much that I can't even describe it in words. I am so fucking close to just preforming a penectomy on myself and forcing the ER doctors to complete the job before I bleed out. But honestly, maybe bleeding out is the right option in my case. Fuck the healthcare system, who the fuck has $35-$80k just lying around for reconstructive surgery. I really don't know what to do anymore and I don't see a future for myself if I have to live any longer with my current configuration. I might turn myself into a fucking statistic but atleast I'll prove a point. The American healthcare system is killing all of us unless you have elite insurance or are rich, especially trans people. So done, just so fucking done. No one is going to hear from me in the near future, and the’ll all know why, they’ll know the healthcare system failed a 19 year old girl who desperately seeked out life saving surgery and has spent the past year in intensive therapy programs. All I do all day is just rot in bed and wait for better days. But those better days will never come. I won’t last for another year without this surgery. I won’t. I refuse to. They can either provide me with life saving surgery or my life will just be over and my body will be buried deep in the ground or cremated and shoved in some urn. It’s all I fantasize about all fucking day. I can’t get into a car or any form of transport anymore without wishing and begging that I’ll end up in some horrific accident. This is what it's like to have your teenage and young adult years ripped away from you because you can't cope with living in a body with a male gender marker. All of the progress l've made in my transition, the years of hormone replacement therapy, the orchiectomy, completely living socially as a female, it all means nothing aslong as I've got this fucking tumor between my legs. I am ready to be out of this planet and society if I can't get this done. I can only tuck and distract myself for so long. There is nothing I can do to improve my situation, I just need to accept my fate and do what should've been done so long ago. I can't pee, I can't shower, I wear the same clothes for a week straight to avoid my parts as much as possible. I am fucking tired and it's over, it's all over for me. Genuinely, what the fuck am I supposed do? How am I supposed to stop fantasizing about being taken out of this world and becoming a cold, stiff, rotting corpse. It's all I want, all I dream about during the rare occurrences I do dream. I need a fucking lobotomy, I need my brain turned to mush so I can't think anymore. Or maybe extreme electroshock therapy to destroy my brain.

The last few years that I’ve been visiting, I’m noticing less and less friendly faces on the Island, extending to shops, grocery stores, and just people in general. Hilton Head, to me, has become the more like the Los Angeles of the south. At first I thought that maybe it was just me noticing this. Then I started to read the reviews around restaurants, shops, any location in general, and noticed the line “It seemed like I was a inconvenience to them as a customer” was getting more and more popular. Things didn’t used to be like this even a few years ago, everybody used to greet you with a “Welcome to _____!”. Am I the only one who thinks this? What changed? (Obviously there’s exceptions to this, but unfortunately it’s become a rare exception).

Hi all! I grew up outside of Portland, went to college in Portland, lived on PI while working downtown, then moved to Boston in my mid-late 20’s. My partner and our daughter plan to move back to Maine hopefully this summer. We are looking north for a slice of coast which puts us near Harpswell/Bath/Phippsburg. I never thought of myself as a city gal, but I am very social and the idea of having a smaller pool of neighbors/people to casually socialize with is giving me cold feet. Right now we walk outside, see some neighbor friends and it turns into an impromptu dinnedrinks/kiddo play date. For those of you who moved from a big city to rural Maine, how did you ease the transition? Any regrets?

I'm looking for self hosted security camera solution that doesn't require cloud storage or for my cameras to be accessible only from their website. I want to capture, process and store everything locally and I want the cameras to be accessible locally via browser and hopefully a android app. Seems like the ones that offer a app for your phone require it to connect to their servers. I am hoping to find a solution that allows me to connect via the app for remote viewing without going through a vendor. Same with notifications..I am hoping to have remote notifications via the app I'd assume via push without relying on a vendor. Can a local system push notifications like this? A lot of times I'm away far enough from the house that I'd rely on mobile data or just out in general like work but I'd like to get notified of events and view them.
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I'm planning on 8-12 cameras for monitoring and notifying of events that are important in rural areas such as people coming onto the property, monitoring a barn for wild animals getting in, monitoring outbuildings like a shop, sound events etc. Do any of you chaps live rural and can suggest what your using? I'd prefer opensource and free or at least cheap as in a one time sub. I really didn't want to get into a ongoing monthly fee. Something that's easy to setup and picks up the cameras without too much fuss. Face recognition would be nice so I only get alerts on motion by people not recognized and in the home it would be nice if it recognized dogs/cats so I don't get a lot of alerts for this. Also a home mode or whatever so I can tell it to turn off alerts when were home for zones located inside the house. I'm a newbie on this so I'm just spitballing what I might like if it's available. Anybody rural might understand.
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I've been looking at the following:
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1. zoneminder *seems to be really antiquated.
2. xprotect free *wish it had a few more cameras.
3. frigate *seems to be missing a decent ui and app
4. shinobi *seems promising but seems like it has a ongoing fee and no app yet.
5. blueiris
6. bluecherry

I'll be running this on a I5/7 and I generally use linux and linux containers but can use windows on proxmox...really hate windows. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

This is a throwaway account. I am a fairly new clerk started in February and I love almost everyone I work with...except this ra. He is a menace. I won't go into details but what I want to know is, how should I handle him calling me names? I am a different gender than I was born as and he doesn't respect this or see me as a person. He called me a "she, he, it" to another clerk. I'm tired of it. It's making me miserable to come to work. Any advice on how to talk to the store manager? Or whoever I need to take it to? Thanks!