Locs retwist near me

So I gotta say that I'm really enjoying where the new 40k is going. I for one have railed against just how bloated the game had become, in particular the main culprits (IMHO) were Strategems, and sub-factions within each army had made the game nearly unplayable to me.
But, I'm actually extreme disappointed in how psykers work in 10th. Like, they trivialized them entirely. I'd have been fine with getting rid of the psychic phase and rolling it in with the command phase. But to seemingly eradicate psychic powers from the game?... way off. Now, admittedly we haven't seen all the data cards, but we have seen the Librarian and the core rules. The librarian has effectively no powers, one is smite and the other is an ability comparable to a captain. That's in. Presto! It sucks.
Now, I'd agree that psychic powers contributed to the bloat. But I don't think it was the way that powers were implemented, it was because they came out with like a billion new psychic disciplines. Literally every time they released a new psyker it came with its own unique discipline.
If they could have kept psychic powers as they were, but had like 5-6 universal ones, with 1-2 unique army ones, I think it would have been better. But as it is, I think they've largely trivialized and absolutely demolished the core theme and identity of at least four armies (Tsons, Tzeentch Demons, Eldar, and Grey knights), and many iconic units within each army.
Maybe it'll change a bit when we see the datacards for Tsons or Eldar; but I'm not hopeful as I would have expected to see something on the Librarian. I'll definitely enjoy 10th, but I can see myself shelving my Eldar for the entire edition because of how lame, and unimaginative psychic powers seem to be in this new edition.

I (27F) have recently had 2 bad near misses while driving home in the dark after work. Both times I misjudged the car lights coming towards me thinking that they were further away than they were. The first time a couple weeks ago was so close I don’t know how there wasn’t an accident. The second time tonight it was really foggy and I couldn’t see the turnoff and there was a cars right behind me so I tried to get over but ended up crossing both lanes so I wasn’t even on the road. This is on a main highway. I’m starting to doubt my judgement. I’ve started a new job recently and am tired but the lack of visibility at night is really affecting my judgment. I just panic and do stupid things. Now I keep replaying the scenario in my head for the last 4 hours. 😔

I’m writing this ahead of time on June 5th to send in response to anyone who has been led to believe certain things about my character or feels it necessary to go on the offensive or smear me in relation to my last relationship. I know I touched a wound when I asserted my boundaries and denied this person access to me emotionally, so I anticipate that there will be some aggressive reframing and villification in response. I will make this public in such an event.
Today you realized that the person you loved has been slowly eroding your boundaries. Belittling your hobbies. Criticizing the people you hang out with. Using you for emotional support but telling you to “talk to your friends, not me” when you’re going through something. Resenting you for being content in your own skin, embarrassed of you for enjoying being silly and not taking things seriously. Telling you that you aren’t ‘making an effort’ with their friends and family but being threatened, jealous, or embarrassed of you when you actually do. Not owning their feelings so much as expressing them as character flaws in you. Many such examples.
Other things I ignored and accepted were the fits of rage they experienced whenever they made an honest mistake, the way they’d list off all the ways they’ve been wronged by a person whenever they’re the recipient of gentle criticism (this goes for anyone in their close group of friends as well) and the kind of impulsivity and excuses you’d expect of a child. Also, I happily listened to them speak about their interests and was enthralled and fascinated by our differences - while they would tell me they had “no interest in hearing about [X, Y or Z interest of mine]”. It was really a one way street, and they wanted me to know it and accept it. I also ignored the clear indications of relationship sabotage early on - the hints they dropped about the reason they would ultimately choose to leave the relationship, before doubling down on their commitment and putting the idea of a house and kids in my ear.
They are a mental health professional so they were extremely good at being covert and making me believe they were listening and communicating. I now see that this was a pretty textbook case of idealization followed by discard (if you don’t know, look it up in your preferred attachment/personality disorder literature). Even at the end, I made this mistake of wanting to fight to show them that I could change, not yet seeing the forest for the trees.
I’m not perfect. I struggled a lot to get to a point where I recognized my own triggers and what they mean, started trying to honour peoples boundaries and become less judgemental of them (and myself). As well, realizing that things that upset me in others were my own insecurities and that there are unmet needs that I need to express if I notice these things crop up. Basically, integrating the shadow self. It’s been my life’s journey. I have made mistakes, as we all have, because I am a full - and hurt - person. But I am not a victim, and I recognize that in my mistakes I am human, and in my effort to account for those mistakes I am as well.
Since this step in the process I’ve realized that I have a long road ahead in honouring my own boundaries. Which is difficult in its own right - you push too hard, you’re vindictive, and it’s easy to lose sight and say something you might regret when you feel threatened. You push too little and people walk all over you. But I felt a ‘click’ today when I asserted myself, and I felt the old me I had missed seeping back into my being. I realized the energy I felt before the relationship, my spark, what they had criticized me for losing, was still there. I’d been drained for so long dealing with this person.
Like I said, this is not a perfect science so obviously it’s possible I have been clumsy with my words but, I am still a work in progress. Ultimately it isn’t important to me what someone else thinks, but I am sorry if I said anything hurtful. These are just the facts of what I experienced. Whatever you want to believe is totally up to you. I am not blameless or perfect in the relationship (or out of it) but, I made every effort to be nonjudgemental and kind and to treat them with the respect they deserved - you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who will say they saw otherwise (with the exception of some relatively tame confrontations said in the throes of heartbreak). I just forgot to treat myself well, too.
I do not think that this person is a bad person, and you’re free to believe their truth instead if you’d prefer. I think that they are a hurt person who is confused and has made mistakes that I am all too familiar with. And that they are on the right track. But I am being firm on not wanting to be in their life in any capacity because I am honouring myself. The way they acted during the breakup, insinuating that they’d like to open the relationship, sending mixed signals - telling me one day that they’re gay and the next that they just think my hobbies and personality are a turn off - should raise some red flags. And let’s not forget the light infidelity that occurred near the end, the rage fit when they received a text to tell them of that boundary violation - followed by devaluing that friend and saying they’re thinking about cutting them off; this was of course all about them and I had to ask them whether they were going to apologize to me, their partner. And when I gently expressed that they should maybe respect their friend’s gentle criticism, more rage - and the accountability they denied was chocked up to ‘being in denial of gay feelings’. Oh, and the way they said they were in “no rush to leave” our shared apartment after breaking up with me, and called me “awful” for being polite and pragmatic about their imminent move. This person wanted me heartbroken and pining for them - a source of love that doesn’t threaten their fear of intimacy. It’s sad, but I deserve better than to hang around and grant them their fairytale breakup and continue to be emotionally taken advantage of while they find themselves. I hope this person heals and if you’re in their circle I hope you help them on their way. But please respect my space and privacy and let this whole thing go so that everyone can move on.

Tldr: This got a lot longer than I intended. A lot to catch up on! The first part is about where we were. The second is what we are doing to fix it. We organically folded into a holistic method of dealing with clutter and made a lot of important connections while doing it. The kitchen experience has been, by far, the best and most healthy decision we have made.
It's been a while since I have participated here. Some pretty sad things happened and I had not made much progress. I've never been good at sharing when I am being a fuck up or asking for help. I wasted away my entire winter and now warmer weather is rolling in, which is going to prevent me from working in the garage until this coming winter.
Its not all bad, though. I managed to avoid backsliding and engaging old coping mechanisms that compound the hoarding situation. I managed to hold the house together during a time of grief and while it wasn't ideal, it's about a lifestyle, not a meal. Right? It's not that I haven't felt any guilt over not moving forward. I definitely have. It just hasn't been a particularly helpful or motivating feeling.
Depression and grief wreck everything, though. While that part of my life held the line, I still have a drinking problem and I don't really eat my feelings, but I do care less about my body, in general. I quit being active and let my diet slip enough to gain thirty pounds of organ strangling fat, caused by pouring 2-5 beers on top of 3-6 shots of booze every night. Then day drinking on the weekends. I have never been a day drinker. I've always been a functional alcoholic - meaning I can abstain, but when I start, I dont stop until it is all gone and most of the time I want more. The majority of my life, I would probably drink once every few months. The drinking every day is relatively recent. I know this isn't AA, but I will get to how it's related.
About a month ago, I woke up and thought, living like this is going to kill me. What if something happens to my partner? Because he is right there with me. Along with the unhealthy choices and their consequences, I was not sleeping well. That hard, visceral fat makes it incredibly difficult to breath and get comfortable. That's on top of serious health problems I already have. Six months of this and something had to give.
We woke up and started searching for a healthy eating challenge. You know the whole ADHD thing and turning things into a game usually yields some type of immediate success. We made a grocery list and cleaned out the fridge. We took three garbage bags of expired food out of the fridge. I'm not a food hoarder, even. I could give a shit about anything in there. We've both just been too depressed to worry about cleaning out the fridge - for six months. He went to the store. I did a deep clean on the fridge, which was nearly empty. We unpacked the groceries together, and let me tell you. I was super giddy over seeing all the fresh produce and how clean and organized the fridge was. I opened the fridge a few times, just to look at it, it was such a beautiful thing.
We have carried on this schedule for a month. Wake up on the weekend, meal plan for the week and make a grocery list. He goes to the store, I clean out and wipe down the fridge, check the pantry, and print any recipes we need for the week or grab them from our binder, and put them on a clipboard that hangs on the kitchen wall. Only recipes we love go in that binder. Life is too short to eat mediocre food. If we don't love it, the recipe goes in the trash.
The first week, I started meal prep, which is something I have never done before. Like having smoothies for breakfast - buying just enough bananas for a week, cutting them up, splitting into servings and freezing means zero bananas go in the trash. I haven't thought about making banana bread, that I am obviously not going to make, all month. I also spent enough present and sober time to notice the walls were getting a little dusty and grimy, so I washed most of those. The one left requires moving furniture, so it had to wait.
During the second week, I did some more meal prep and did a cursory clean out of the pantry, checking dates and organizing where everything could be easily accessed and seen. That was another trash bag of expired food out the door.
I used to get so angry because I would spend a week cleaning and organizing the kitchen. He would just stuff things in there, not paying attention to how things were organized. Yesterday I opened one of the cabinets and it struck me. Seeing the contrast between the pantry and fridge and these cabinets, I don't think any of those spaces have ever been organized in a way that makes much sense. We don't have upper cabinets, but instead two six foot tall floor cabinets. One cabinet has been things we use often and the other things we use less. Kind of. Then two cardboard boxes of plastic. God knows what. Then we have a lower cabinet, with random shit shoved in there.
I spent the day reorganizing and keep in mind, I've been through all this stuff at least once in the past two years. Barely anything in the cardboard boxes has been used. Lots of tupperware from the 90s. Lids with no bowls. Stained bowls with no lids. Don't ask me why I didn't toss these last time, because they were gross looking, even when clean. All of that went away and there are no longer two cardboard boxes stuffed in my cabinet. Two trash bags and a box of (recyclable) plastic later and you can see and access everything easily and like items are together. Everything has a place and it's evident where everything goes.
So . . . Now there is no more cabinet, fridge, or pantry Jenga. It's more pleasant to cook in there, easier to clean the fridge, easier to put the dishes away. With food being such an integral part of living, it just makes life easier. I hate to admit it, but for the first time in my life, I understand why having highly organized cabinets matters. And for the first time in a long time, I am not just ready to get rid of things. I feel like going through this process is gently rewiring my brain to think about objects and space a lot differently. I felt nothing but excitement over the prospect of an organized space, as I was tossing all that plastic in the bags. I've been motivated sans the period of depression. I've never been this motivated. I have been aware for a while that I wasn't going to organize my way out of the garage hoard or the house clutter. I believe cleaning out a space, where the objects inside were meaningless to me and seeing just how much of a difference it made has highlighted how much I need to get rid of if I want the rest of my life to be as beautiful as my refrigerator.
Health wise, we quit drinking beer and went from six shots a night to four. We are cutting back as we lose weight. We no longer buy booze for Sunday. We chill and have a few glasses of wine. Cleaning and organizing, I am on my feet more and getting more activity. I'm eating a Mediterranean diet and three meals instead of two. I weighed in this morning and I have lost a total of 12 lbs in a month. I still have another 18 to get to my weight before the depression and another 20 for a healthy weight. My body is squishy again, which is better. I sleep better. I have more energy, which feeds into being able to do more work around the house. I feel better mentally and physically.
So, yeah. I missed out on garage season. It's house season, though and I have a very productive Summer ahead. It's amazing what focusing on my nutrition has done for us. That's not in the general sense that just eating better will fix your mental illness or disorder. But focusing on the entire experience of nourishment and making it easier and more pleasant to cook healthy meals. Bonus points are that we are having fun cooking together and actually saving money by not overbuying and doing a little meal prep. That also resulted in a very insignificant amount of waste over the past month.
Over the Summer, I hope to add a kitchen island for more counter space, give the cabinets a fresh coat of paint, get the brand new dishwasher hooked up, and continue to make my kitchen a pleasant place to spend time.
Anyway . . .
If you made it this far, thanks for joining me on this journey. I know it was a novel. I appreciate you!

So my gf and I have been playing beat saber for a couple of weeks now, and we both enjoy a specific type of song - that is, a song where you can, going purely by reflex, complete a song on first or second try (she usually picks hard, I pick expert - we both are nowhere near skilled enough for expert+). Just installed some mods (SteamVR version of beat saber), can anyone recommend me custom songs that fit this description? No memorizing notes to complete, possible to complete on the first try, and not absurdly hard (ultragigaexpert-twitch-stream-lolicore-remix-hard, you know what I'm talking about)

Been trying for three days to give Nolvus a try. Tons of errors. Tons of frozen downloads. Okay. Cool. Whatever. That happens. But the striking thing to me is that the installer absolutely grinds my computer to a halt like nothing I've ever seen. Maybe it's because I'm comparing it to Wabbajack or whatever but damn did this thing feel like a mess.
In any case I've given up on even trying Nolvus because of this issue. If I can't even run the installer I have no hope for the list running anywhere near satisfying on my computer. I really should just get the patience to manually put together a load order again. Too spoiled on modlists now.
Anyway. Yeah. Odd experience with Nolvus and I can't say their discord helped much either.

Hi all, to start, my golden retriever is currently 3/4 through with his teething. Most of his adult teeth has already came in. He has had a nipping/biting problem since he was 9 weeks old, which i have been trying to train him out of since the very start. Nothing has ever worked. He will show improvements, then suddenly regress. Its not even a matter of accidental nips during play, but all out attacks on me, ignoring any kind of redirection unless put into timeout. Here is what i do for the common reasons that puppies go into full biting mode.
Not enough rest/enforced nap: everytime before i bring him out of his play pen, i always ensure he has at least 2 hours of rest/naps. His rest may sometimes be interuppted as it can get quite noisy in my house hold
Being out too long/Overtiredness: i usually bring him out for 1h to 2hr at a time. However, his biting can be completely random, even 5 mins after he is let out
Overstimulation: the common reason for overstimulate in the household is when he is playing tug. After a short while, he will completely ignore the tug rope and only go for my hands(basically his crazy biting mode) or he likes to bite near where my hand is holding(I use a long tug rope) and always nips my hand. This is why i do not play tug with him unless i am behind a babygate or on a high area like the bed. Even when i use a flirt pole to play with him, i have to be hiding behind a babygate as he may just suddenly go crazy biting mode on me.
Other than the above reasons, here are the other things that may trigger his crazy biting mode

• moving things out of his reach when he is trying to counter surf
  
• trying to carry him( which i avoid unless i really need to as he obviously does not like it)
  
• frustration when he can't get kibble out of his kong wobbler or puzzle toy( this is rare but has happened before)
  
• playing with his toys. If he brings the toy to me, it is a 90% gurantee hes gonna go into crazy biting mode
  
• complete randomness. I can be sitting on a chair with him nearby( i dont let him go around unsurpervised) and he may start biting me. I can be walking together with him to another room and he will start biting me. I can literally be minding my own business and he will decide its time to bite me.
  

I would like to add that very frequently his biting starts off as small, not painful nips. However, no matter what i do, his nips will always escalate into full biting mode.
Redirection? He will bite on the toy for 5-10 seconds, and go back to biting me, but this time he is even more riled up.
Walking away? He will continue jumping up and trying to nib my hands and legs until i go behind a babygate.
Ignoring him while he nips? He will slowly get rougher and rougher, but i rarely ignore it as i do not want him to think its ok to nip hands.
I am basically at my wits end here. I have watched tons of videos on stopping puppy biting, but nothing has ever worked out. I learned about 1/2 month ago that no matter what i do, consistency is key. Thus now I always just go behind a babygate in another room. If he follows me in, he will be put into timeout. If he stays outside(which he does as he knows he will go into timeout), i will close the door and ignore him for 30-60seconds, depending on how fast he finds trouble elsewhere. I would say there has been some improvements, in terms of his bite inhibition when he is tired and at night during. But other than that its pretty much as i stated in this post.
I am getting increasingly worried as his teething is coming to an end, and i do not see an end of his crazy biting anytime soon. This is definitely not a habit that i want him carrying into his teenage and adult years. Any tips or view on how i can do better is appreciated and deeply valued!

Hi guys, I was practicing the breathing method in the past. In the last 2 years, there is rising air pollution here where I am and that left me abandoning breathing method practices.
So, is it safe to do breathing method in polluted cities? Does it help to move to the park or near the river, there are fewer automobiles? How do I approach this?

This feels like a long story to me, so I’ll try to keep it brief. For now, I’ll focus on the physical effects, because the mental and emotional ones are a whole other issue.
I went through premature menopause without the doctors diagnosing what was happening until it had finished.
Last year, I was officially diagnosed as being post-menopausal and told I needed to get on HRT to avoid early osteoporosis. I’d been suffering mild menopause symptoms for almost 5 years. Hot flushes, sleeplessness, depression and anxiety, brain fog, heart palpitations, irregular periods, and a whole raft of other things which I am now able to attribute to peri-menopause. I had blood tests done and saw a specialist, but was told they couldn’t find anything wrong and that I should just monitor and report back if it got worse.
Then covid hit and depression, job loss and other things got in the way and getting in to see a specialist wasn’t high on my list of priorities. My last period had been in 2021 and last year I finally felt mentally strong enough to re investigate what was going on. My suspicions were confirmed. My new specialist put me on HRT, but I delayed starting it a few months while I wrapped my head around it all. Analysis paralysis. All my symptoms had already stopped, except the sleeplessness, and I actually felt great. My mind was clear, I had the amount of energy I had as a teenager, I was super positive and I’d lost 10kg.
I started the HRT in January and it has not been going well. I’ve got near constant headaches, weight gain, constantly tired, feeling foggy and more. 3 months in I had a checkup and my specialist increased my estrogen because she said all the symptoms were estrogen deficiency. I’m on a estrogen gel and progesterone tablet. We chose this because I don’t like the idea of patches and I get really awful mood swings on the pill (also I haven’t given up on the teeny tiny hope that a miracle might happen, so I don’t want to be on birth control). The headaches are less but not gone, I’m still gaining weight, I’m still constantly tired but I’m less foggy. A new symptom though, which I hadn’t noticed before is that I’m losing my hair. (I noticed I was losing more than normal, but I had such thick hair before that I didn’t realise it was a problem until I could start seeing my scalp in places.)
Everything I’m experiencing seems to go against the stories I’ve read of HRT. I’m now about 6 months in and I can’t imagine staying like this for another 10 years.
I’d love to hear your advice, stories, thoughts and suggestions. I’m at a loss. I’m dreading going back to the specialist again to be told there’s nothing else she can do. Please help.

I heard that you can’t recycle goldfish crackers the same way you traditionally would with other items. It has something to do with how the layers of recyclable and non recyclable are put together. Any suggestions on what kind of facilities I could go to to recycle the box? Everything near me seems more geared toward large household items. Thank you!

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Fine. I admit it.
The Royal Dawn is a really nice hotel.
And the best part is, after my... demonstration to the Administrative offices today, I didn't have to order the Hotel to give us some rooms! They just offered rooms to us the minute we walked in!
I was given 'The Empress Suite.' I giggled at the name. I wonder if this had something to do with the royal retinue back in the day. Between the opulence, the name, and the theme it feels possible.
It is possible. There was always more than the Throne for you and your retinue. Every Starbase competed to offer you the most luxurious accommodations. After all, if you didn't like them, you could just rest on your starship.
My room - my suite of rooms actually - are easily the nicest place I've slept in my entire life. I made sure Omar, Ava, Um'reli and I each had our own rooms and while I'm glad that they have their own space, I'm too used to being around other people in the close quarters of FarReach or Starbases back home. I rattle around the rooms opening cabinets and drawers until I see it in the corner near a window overlooking the promenade.
They have a bath here!
It's made of some kind of golden flecked white stone, and is carved to look like it was weathered by the wind and water over millions of years. I figure out the taps, and set a bath going.
Once it's finished, I take off my outfit - Ugh, I wish I packed, this is my only clothes unless I use the Nanites to make more - and slip into the bath. It's blissfully relaxing.
I'm laying back in the tub, just floating, and I wish Ava was here with me.
Where did that come from?
I think for a split second about calling her in, but decide against it. I'm sure she'd come running if I called, I'm sure she'd be... enthusiastic about it, but I don't think I'm ready yet. I comfort myself with the thought, and soak for nearly an hour.
After, I dry and climb into the bed naked. I'll deal with clothes tomorrow.
More wild dreams.
My ship, operated and led by my most trusted Builder, Aeche, carries us to her prized Starbase. Built on her order for me, it's beautiful. She takes me on a tour, and we visit all of the highlights. She is especially proud of the transit system, the largest off planet in the Empire.
A team of 10 Builders live and work at the Reach operating in shifts to make sure all the needs of the residents and builders that live here are taken care of. It's one of the most complex Starbases yet and one of the most impressive.
That night, she comes to my rooms while I'm in the bath. She asks to join me, and I accept. For her, this is a culmination of months of jockeying and positioning to catch my eye, it's the realization of a goal years in the making.
For me, it's a fun night. She is easy on the eyes though, I see no harm in keeping her around for a while.
The next day, she leads me to the Throne. The only larger one exists back home on Imperia and I get the impression that this one is smaller only out of courtesy.
Sitting upon the Throne, with a full contingent of Builders behind me, I'm able to instantly take stock of my Empire. Things are going well. There are new reports from the frontier, and I set them to my ship, Worldshaker, so I have something to read while en route to the K'laxi.
This is the last stop before I go see the K'laxi, turn their Gate back on and remind them what the price of insubordination is. Worldshaker is getting reprovisioned and refreshed as the trip is longer than normal and I want to make sure we can stay a while if needed. On my way out, I'll touch the Gate, and commit an upload.
That night, Aeche visits me again, and we have more fun. After, we go to bed and I lay awake thinking about next steps. Aeche sighs and rolls over in her sleep next to me. I stroke her hair gently. Yes, things are going quiet well. It's nice to have some quiet.
I wake up in my bed, alone, in the hotel room, fully myself again. Not only was that the most... idyllic dream I've had yet, it's the first that I felt like it was me doing the things, not some other Empress.
Yes, the Nanites are doing well. You can probably integrate with the Throne if you were to try. It's up to you however. But remember you told The Smell of Soil after Rain to bring everyone today. We should head over there.
Hmm Good point. Okay, let's get up, get dressed, grab everyone and head over. I look over at my outfit from yesterday. It's nice, and it's impressive, but if I'm going to be presenting as Empress to everyone, I need something... more.
I concentrate and think about what would be right. I don't think about specifics, I let the Nanites take my whims into consideration and see what I get. The fog cloud of them surrounds me and my outfit from yesterday and I when they finish I turn and look in the mirror near the bath.
I'm still in royal blue - good, I like that color - but the outfit now is a... strapless ball gown? It's rather severely low cut - I wonder if that's from dreaming about Aeche - and the dress clings on the top half and billows and flows on the lower half and ends in sparking stars and nebulae on a train that flows behind me, rippling gently as if a breeze is blowing it. I check and... yes, it's not touching the ground. That's a neat trick. I'm wearing taller heels than yesterday too, but at least they're comfortable - for now. It's not something that Lieutenant Mullen would ever wear, but it seems... right for Empress Melody The First. I'll roll with it. In deference to who I am, there is a way to mount my rifle on my back. I click it in place and feel complete. I wonder how many Empresses were armed?
Many were. We even have records of a few who would carry a battle rifle with them.
That brings me some happiness. Even after how different we are, there are still some things that I share with Empresses across time.
As I open the door to leave, I see Omar, Ava and Um'reli in the hall already dressed and ready. They turn to see me and Ava and Um'reli both gasp and blush. Omar grins wickedly. "Melody, I have to say that this is the first time since you told us you were an Empress that you look the part. That is an amazing outfit."
I curtsy slightly "Thank you Omar. Did you all sleep well? I have a hunch with the Nanites you had... intense dreams?"
Ava snaps her had up to me. "I did! I dreamt that I was running a Starbase. We were preparing for your visit and I had so much to do, but I knew how to do all of it, and I had a really strong team, and you complimented our readiness when you arrived!"
Um'reli looks at me with an odd expression. "I did too, but... I dreamt I was a human. A Builder. I was operating a Starship, the Sunrunner. We were tasked by you directly to tour the frontier worlds and build a report about how they were doing, if they needed anything and if we thought there was any unrest. We were very proud because you had personally asked for us."
"What about you Omar?" Ava turns and looks at him.
"Yeah, I had a vivid dream. I dreamt that I was a planetary administrator. I ruled over more than a billion people on a world with two suns. One was white and the other was larger and redder. I remember clearly the odd shadows it cast, and how everything had an odd coloration. You had requested an increase in the delivery of Magnesium. We were able to meet the new quota this time, but I was worried that if you had requested to keep the quote high, how we would be able to make it without overworking the miners."
"Wow, so not only did you dream about being a Builder, not only did you dream about being a powerful Builder, but you all were in direct contact with the Empress. I wonder if that's because you received your Nanites from me directly."
"Who knows?" Um'reli looks at all of us. "But I for one am starving. Let's get some breakfast and go back to the Throne. Melody has a performance to give."
We head downstairs and sure enough there is a restaurant attached to the Hotel. We sit down and immediately I ask for a carafe of boiling hot water to be brought. While we wait, I take out my hand grinder and scale and make some coffee. By the time the water arrives, everything is ready. The Mariens who brought me the water is watching curiously as I make the coffee. Soon enough, it's finished, and I take the first sip of coffee in nearly three days.
Ahh, now, I can rule.
"Pardon my asking, Empress, but what is that?" The Mariens points to my beverage.
"It's called coffee. It's the roasted seed of a plant that's native to the planet we lived on. I like to drink an extraction of it made with boiling water. It does have a chemical, called caffeine, that offers a stimulant effect to Hu-Builders, but we've found it to be toxic to other Sapients, like our friends the K'laxi here. You can smell it if you'd like though." I hold out the cup.
The Mariens leans in and gently inhales. They lean back sharply and look at me. "That smells amazing." Their body language expresses wonder. "Truly, the Builders do amazing things. Now, what will you be having for breakfast?"
We order and eat and walk towards the Throne. As we're walking this time, people are not ignoring us. Children wave, people follow us with their eyes. They don't seem to be fearful of us, more respectful this time. As we turn a corner, I see Rapid River Roaring and The Smell of the Ocean. They look worse for wear. Both of them have matted feathers, even a few bare spots. Wild eyed they're looking around. River is clutching a bag of some kind.
Uh oh.
They turn and see me. Relief washes over them and they run up to me "Empress! My Empress!" They both approach me and bow low, head touching the ground. "We have completed your task. We have found Vivvix and Zemmlin and brought them to you."
Ava looks around. "But, where are they?"
I know where they are.
River opens the bag they're carrying.
Inside are most of Vivvix and Zemmlin.
"I see..." I try to not look unsettled. Omar's face darkens and he turns away. Ava look in and nods, satisfied. Um'reli doesn't look in, but she isn't unsettled by this development either.
Well. What's done is done. "I would have preferred they be brought to me alive, but my fault for not specifying that. Where were they?"
"The cowards were hiding in the docks. They were attempting to board another ship and catch up to that traitor, Ottarn. We were able to surprise them, and carried out your order, Empress."
"Yes, I can see that. Er, thank you both for your hard work. Go to High Line and find Starlight on a Moonless Evening. After this presentation, I plan on visiting the ship to assess it for refitting.
They both bow again. "Empress."
First / Previous / Next

I’ve just been thinking lately, like, maybe doing more of what my parents want me to will, like, fix all this stuff I’ve got going on. That’s, like, what, parents are for, right?
So, like, I wanted to invite them over to dinner, extend the olive branch. I just, like, don’t really know how to cook the high-end meals they’re used to.
Gramps (who I found last night near the zoo) isn’t really on the best speaking terms with my Dad, doesn’t know why I’m doing this on account of them kicking me out when I didn’t want to major in business and then trying to replace me ‘cause like, I wasn’t who they wanted me to become, but like, if I stop fighting them about raising me the way they want me to, I’ll turn out alright, and adjusted, and successful. Maybe I’ve been in the wrong the whole time!
Is someone here really good at cooking that can teach me how to cook a fancy meal for my mom and dad?

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There are many potential ways to introduce someone to Star Trek: the Next Generation, but, upon a recent rewatch, I have concluded that—for me—Season 1’s finale, “The Neutral Zone”, hits all the right notes.
It showcases all of the main cast (save Geordi, who has not yet taken his position in main engineering): Riker, the dependable first officer; Crusher, the hyper-capable doctor who can literally raise people from what we nowadays would call “the dead”; Worf, the fierce and intense Klingon chief of security who represents a break from the Klingons as implacable adversaries from TOS; Troi, as an integral part of the crew who actually delivers good advice and performs her function effectively; Data, the logical and curious android; and finally Picard, the diplomat who has an instinct for knowing when to speak quietly, knowing he always has a big stick in reserve.
Thematically, it uses the people defrosted from the 20th century as an effective way to show how society in the 24th century has moved on, and that things that we currently take for granted, such as hunger or poverty, have been eliminated, and that the culture is no longer dominated by rent-seeking parasites. Instead, life is now all about challenging oneself to improve, and to push the boundaries of knowledge.
Finally, plotwise, it shows the threats out in the galaxy: the reasonably familiar threat from the nefarious Romulans; as well as the unknown threat that has destroyed all outposts, Federation and Romulan, bordering the Neutral Zone. This is a great hook to keep the audience engaged.
I feel that even “Encounter at Farpoint”, though it does explicitly introduce Q and the new Enterprise D, doesn’t introduce the most fundamental show themes and the personalities/skills of the crew anywhere near as effectively, not does it leave us as hungry to find out more as “The Neutral Zone”.

I have a online-non blood related brother (20M) and overall of his treatment, nearly met my Husband material criteria. He's consistent with his doing for almost 8 months. He likes someone else but giving up on his crush, and also me. Nobody ever treated me as right as he do to me. We sometimes argue but mostly only when i get tired with world and late reply-ed on his rant, and again he changed this behaviour after i told him to. Lovely. But as asian i binded with rules that i cant marry a man with different race, and he binded with another rules because he's moslem, he cannot marry woman outside moslem, so i generally become denial when myself asking, "do you love him". can you guys give me advice how to sort this feeling and what to do next? TLDR: I found someone that understand me very well and consistant on it. I might start to catch feeling but still not sure because of our CULTURE boundaries. I need advice

Less than a week ago a girl from my school called me and told me that my closest friend group, along with some other people, threw a huge party. Now this would not bother me in the slightest, and I had already known there was a groupchat without me in it. I figured I did not need to be invited to everything, so I let it go. That was until she called me
She had told me that they said shitty things about us in the group chat when they decided not to invite us. I read some screenshots. Best friend number 2's boyfriend said that I kill the vibe in every function I go to, and multiple people agreed along with best friend number 2, and my ex (who was actively trying to get me back while this was happening.) It was basically just "yeah theres no way shes coming" the same was pretty much said for the other girl. i dont want to get too much details in here because my friends are active on socials like reddit. but my ex in the groupchat also called me a hoe ass mf and a lot of them agreed.
after i learned this information, what hurt me the most was best friend number 1 and 2's disinterest in talking to me or apologizing. i am a really easy person to get things by. if they would have told me about the party, i would accept not being invited a lot easier. in the group chat they decided on the excuse that best friend number 1's boyfriend was not comfortable with me there (me and him have never gotten along, he is disloyal and he texted me to fight with me in the past) so i would have accepted that easily. The thing is when they did say that, i had already read the groupchat when they decided to say that. it was clearly a lie, they just did not want me there. they added me to a facetime, and instead of apologizing, they asked me how i found out. i just played dumb until the other girl texted them and let them know, because i did not know what to do. 3 of them were confronting me at once. after this call, at this point i was very frustrated and upset, so i left all of our groupchats and blocked them on instagram. i did have a brief interaction with best friend 2, she told me to cut them all off and go be friends with the girls i talk shit on. (we were all giving opinions on some stories and situations the day before this happened, and all girls involved know my opinions.) but i was so mad i told her to go get cheated on again. i blocked her after that. i know that was wrong of me. anyway, i forgot to block best friend number 1's main account on insta (she has two.) a day or so later, she had posted on her spam, saying that it is "crazy" that i had blocked one account and not the other. this post was shared to me by the other girl who wasnt invited's best friend. i felt like it spoke volumes that her best friend was invited, and instantly told us. VS my 2 best friends of four years not telling me, talking behind my back and lying to me. i was so angry i sent best friend number 1 a short paragraph on her instagram. i basically said im mad that she hung out with us the entire year and did us like that, and i was mad at her for lying to me, even though the truth would not have made me so mad. i defended the girl who was not invited in this paragraph, but that was not my main point. my main point was that we were friends for 4 years, and she did this to me. i blocked her on instagram after this.
her response was to send a screenshot of best friend number 2 saying "tell her that other girl who wasnt invited told people that OP faked sexual assault." this shook me to my very core. i was angry, i was sad, but over all i was mortified that my 2 best friends would even think to use this information against me. i had so many questions. like, why hold this information until now if you really cared? yes, the girl i am defending in this situation is fake for saying that about me, but i dont even care. she does not dictate whether or not it happened. i was hurt. i replied back with 5 points, basically the questions i had, telling her id never do this to them (i was not the best friend, i am not perfect, i am hot headed sometimes but i would never ever use assault to get under someones skin) and then told her i wanted to break it off maturely. i blocked her after that. its been nearly a week now.
for some background, i have struggled with depression-like symptoms and diagnosed PTSD, as well as diagnosed OCD, self harm, and ED's for a really long time. when i begin to ruminate on situations, i just cant stop and i have noticed that i have been thrown into a really deep depression. i have no motivation to do anything, and without my friends, i feel as if i have nothing. i am extremely lonely, and i am getting really dark thoughts on what to do about it. i saw that they have already replaced me as well, and i am feeling quite worthless. i know its stupid highschool drama (we will be seniors next year) but i think the mention of my assault made it so much worse. i feel like they never really understood me. i know i can be quite literally impulsive, and maybe even annoying, or too excited, and that makes me feel like i deserved everything they said. i am having some really heavy thoughts about suicide, and this hasnt happened in a really long time.
i just dont know what to do with myself. i need some tips on what to do when youre really depressed and having these thoughts. i did not want to relapse on self harm, but i have come to it a few times already. my trichotillomania (i pull my hair out) has gotten a lot worse, but i am not cutting or burning myself. I find it harder to eat, sleep, or do anything I enjoyed. i am currently in the middle of recovering from bulimia, and with this happening, i am having thoughts that i should start again.
i know i can be stronger than this. i just need some help and tips. i am young and i want to live, i want to escape these thoughts.
thank you for reading

Applied minoxidil near the front of my head but it seems that I since, it resulted it in me losing hair in other areas where I did not apply it.
Do I have to apply it to these other areas or could I just continue applying it to the areas I was originally applying it as clearly it has gone systemic?

I don't even know where to start with this. I am reparenting myself and have been for the last 4 years. I am 35, exhausted, and still feel heartbroken frequently.
I am my family's scapegoat. The oldest of 3 girls, all 4.5 years apart. My dad was (and still currently is after nearly 40 years) the district prosecutor in my community. He is a recovering alcoholic who drank heavily throughout my childhood. My mom went back to school to be a social worker when I was 8ish years old, and continued going through two masters degrees. This was the 90's, and online college wasn't a thing; she was frequently gone at school, when I was in middle school she split her time at home half of the week and at school in married housing three hours away the other half. We were kids at home with our alcoholic dad, who was also drunk on his own power. He was abusive verbally and physically, though not in the traditional hitting way. He would grab and push and squeeze my face while pushing me up against the wall. When I was 14, he told me I was his greatest mistake in life and that I should have never been born. I would call my mom at school, and she would side with his lies and that I was a "hysterical and dramatic child".
I started "acting out" in high school around 16. I experimented with alcohol in high school, which still feels like a really fucking normal thing for a kid to do. I had a boyfriend. I lost my virginity at 15. When my mom found out that I had had sex 3 weeks later, a huge fight ensued. Screaming, calling me a 'ho", etc. . My 15 year old brain screamed that I was leaving and my hormonal teenage brain said "I am leaving this house on my own, or you will carry me out." My mom packed me up in the car, drove me to a hospital an hour away, took me to the ER and told them that I was having unprotected sex, needed a pregnancy test, an STD test, and that I should be admitted to a psych facility as I was a "danger to myself". She dropped me off at a psych facility 2 hours from home, and I didn't see them or hear from them for a week. When I got home, my punishment was to never speak to my boyfriend again. I wasn't even allowed to tell the poor kid why, he just never heard from me again. The psych facility had me sign a "contract" that I would never contact him again.
This continued on and on for years. I turned 18 in November of my senior year and I moved out. The next 6 months were nuts. I was arrested twice. Once for minor in consumption, once for minor in possession, and my mom's sister sued me to teach me a lesson over $600 I borrowed to fix my car at 17. Each time I had an interaction with the law, the police told me my mom and dad had called me in to teach me a lesson. When I was grown, the police told me that they were always instructed to bust me first to make an example out of me. Their marriage was a mess, they were unfaithful to each other, hated each other, and the only thing they could agree on and bond over was controlling me.
It has been almost 20 years. I have put myself through college and therapy. I have been married, divorced, ignored for months on end by my family over the years. I have had my own struggles with alcohol and feeling loved. I got a DUI at age 22. I now have 3 college degrees and am a pediatric nurse practitioner. Everyday I want to be the person I needed as a teen for my patients.
I accepted a new job two weeks ago, and in applying for my state licensure, an MIP that I got at age 18 came up on my background check. An MIP that I got from my mom and dad calling me in. I was the sober driver that night, and when I was pulled over I blew 0.00 BAC. I wasn't holding any alcohol, but a person in my backseat had a case of beer. I got an MIP because it was my car and I was the driver, and my DA father set the rules.
17 years later, I have to explain to the board of nursing and my employer why I left high school with a criminal record.
So what did I do? I call my mom. My mom, who I believe has spent years "working on herself". The woman is a goddamned family therapist, and was learning techniques and skills through all of those years. My dad was lenient to everyone in town except me. I think the term was "throw the book at her" growing up.
My mom last night:
"I’m saying that you blame everything on us when you were the one out making decisions that affected your future as well. You were an adult at 18 as well."
"We had no control over your actions at that time. You need to take some responsibility for all you did that got you in trouble."
Me: "I am 35. Don't you think I have taken enough responsibility over the last 17 years?"
They deny it. All of it. I am still being gaslit.
I was a kid. A fucking kid. And now I am an adult, and I am still answering for normal kid things and my parents not being there for me.
What the fuck. What in the absolute fuck. My dad prosecuted me. They both abused their power in our town, and used it to try to control me. Who makes sure their teenager leaves high school with a criminal record to "teach them a lesson" about drinking at 18?!
There is so much else that goes with this story that includes being thrown out with my stuff in trash bags x3 growing up. Once in the rain, I was dropped off at my parent's by a friend, and my stuff was outside in trash bags and the doors were locked. I lived on a friend's couch for 6 months at 19. All the while, my upper middle class family was using ME as their scapegoat for why our family was so fucked. If I threatened to call child services, my dad would say "go ahead, call them. Who do you think prosecutes those cases? Me. Who do you think the police or going to believe? You or me? Me."
I respond like I am told to: "I appreciate that you have your truth, but please respect that I have mine too. I feel like I am owed an apology from you, Dad and my aunt, and I feel like it is time that I get that without being shamed at the same time. We are all adults. If we are going to talk about how I was an adult when I was drinking at age 18, then we should talk about how you all parented at age 45. It’s not okay to look at me at 18 under a microscope and escape any responsibility you had as my parents and aunt."
I am angry, embarrassed, sad, and so so so so so so tired of being gaslit. When I bring up my pain, they deny those things happened and/or tell me that it was all my fault as a teenager and I should hbe thought about my future at the time. My younger sisters learned from an early age that I was "a mess" and "had problems", and that is they way our relationships still play out, even though I am far more successful and driven than either one of them. I no longer have a relationship with alcohol, but by choice. I don't like how it makes me feel physically or emotionally.
Where were my parents? And why can't they see that they were the grown-ups? My heart hurts, and I am beyond embarrassed and exhausted that 17 years later, I still have to answer for an MIP at age 18 because my parents couldn't regulate their own emotions.
That's all. That is my story. I just want to feel loved and normal and have a support system in my family. I operate as an only child now and treat my sisters like cousins. But FFS, I just want someone to acknowledge they didn't make the right decisions as parents. I need the gaslighting to stop.
These things aren't okay. They weren't okay then, and they aren't okay now. I know they are different people 17 years later, but Jesus, can't they objectively look at their parenting choices by this point?
I was just a kid.
Edited to add: I questioned all of this and my reality in my late 20's. I requested my medical records from the psych facility and my criminal background from the state. When you read it, it is even more absurd and nearly identical to how I remember it.

<< FIRST
< PREVIOUS
Hello, spacers!
On this episode, the group takes a stab at historical reenactments, the author takes some… “subtle” comedic jabs at certain contemporary events, and we find out where they’ve been hoarding the post-apocalyptic Twinkies.™
As always, I hope you enjoy. :)
——
As the group exited the Air Force base and began heading towards their destination, Kate looked at the surroundings as they walked. The area looked relatively untouched by the chaos of the past few weeks. The only evidence of it was an enormous pillar of smoke in the distance.
As Jack noticed Kate and a few others in the group staring at it, he nodded in understanding.
“That’s downtown Saint Paul, or at least the remains of it. From what we’ve been able to gather, the nuke we couldn’t stop in time exploded almost directly above the Capitol building. We only managed to put out the last of the fires in what little remains of downtown earlier today.”
“…How many people-“
Anticipating the question, Jack cut her off.
“We don’t know. …We may never know. We can only speculate.”
Kate’s face fell.
“Yeah, I figured that’d be the answer…”
Kate remained morosely silent as they approached the fort. Jack turned to address the crowd.
“Welcome to historic Fort Snelling. …Well, historic to us humans, anyway. Having a fort two centuries old is probably chump change to all of you from a time perspective, eh?”
Kate’s brow furrowed in confusion as she looked up at the stone walls of the fort, its stone tower chock-full of early-1800’s firearm loopholes meant for muskets.
“Wait, what?! …When they said we were going to “Fort Snelling,” I figured it’d be an active military base. Why’re we using a historic site…?”
Jack chuckled.
“It wasn’t actually the military’s decision to do that. A couple days after the bombs fell, a group of survivors moved into the fort. When questioned, I believe the leader of the initial group was quoted as saying “EMPs can’t knock out a big damn wall.” She was right; the stone walls of the fort are a great deterrent to looters and other kinds of people looking for trouble, and it’s easily defensible. Given that we obviously had way bigger things to worry about at the time, we just let them be.
Then, as more and more people showed up to our Air Force base looking for help, we decided the fort would make a good site for a refugee camp. The original group didn’t object; they actually welcomed the security having others around brought, especially once we started the organized armed patrols a few days ago.”
Y’ggdrasog piped up from beside Kate, a bit of indignation in his tone.
<“That’s all well and good, but what about respecting its historic significance? …Preserving the past, and all that?”>
“Relax. The only truly historic things here are a few of the buildings. The vast majority of what was on display inside said buildings- antique-looking tin cups, butter churns, muskets, that sort of thing- were just modern-made replicas, to give visitors an idea of what the fort used to look like back when it was still in use.
…We’ve actually thrown the vast majority of that junk into those “assimilator” thingies you Collective types brought along with you. It was either that, or burn them to keep warm. …Way I figure it, we can always just make more fake “historic” tchotchkes when we’re not fighting for the survival of our species, eh?”
Y’ggdrasog crossed his arms, and while he was clearly still unhappy about it, relented.
<“…Alright, fair enough...”>
As the group finally passed through the fort’s front gate, Kate could see a veritable sea of tents in the center of the area. They had passed plenty of tents on the way there in parking lots, boulevards and so on, but not nearly to this level of density.
Kate marveled at the sight, leaning toward Y’ggdrasog to murmur.
“People must have fought to get placed in here until there was literally no room left, and the tents were packed in like sardines.”
Y’ggdrasog gave her a quizzical look.
<“…What’s a “sardine?””>
“It's just a- …nevermind, it’s not important…”
Migtryl began to speak as the rest of the group filed through the gate.
<“Here and a few spots outside the fort are where you’ll be working for the most part. We reserved several tents for you to use both in and outside the fort, customized with your biologies in mind. I’ll start by giving you all a tour of the premises, so you can familiarize yourself with the different areas you might be needed.
…Starting off, over there you’ll see the impromptu medical center we’ve constructed. If you have any prior medical experience in your work history, you will be placed there. Next, we’ll be moving to…”>
Migtryl began walking off, talking and occasionally pointing with a wing or leg as they went and the group trailed behind them. As Kate tried her best to keep pace with Y’ggdrasog’s long strides, she could see that the crowds of humans inside the fort were parting like a sea around them, just like they behaved at the runway. Many looked at them with fear in their eyes, others with disgusted sneers.
Kate’s shoulders slumped as she finally realized:
Almost no one trusts them yet.
She was so lost in thought over the implications of this that she bumped into Y’ggdrasog, who had abruptly stopped walking. She glanced up at him to see him staring toward a group of humans near the edge of the medical center. His glow was crimson, his eyes haunted. She followed his gaze to see-
Her eyes widened.
Oh no…
The man he was staring at lay on a cot under an improvised tarp-tent. They were being tended to by several medical personnel, both human and alien, that were changing the bandages covering their body, and little wonder; they were absolutely covered in burns.
Before Kate could think of what to do to help her friend, she saw J’Ffrane almost literally materialize between Y’ggdrasog and the bandaged burn victim. Their voice was warm and soothing as they spoke.
<“Feel this moment, accept it, then let it pass. Remember? …Don’t let yourself drown in it.”>
It was like Y’ggdrasog was awakened from a dream as he blinked a few times and glanced at J’Ffrane.
<“Y-yes, I- …I remember...”>
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out in a shaky exhale as he turned to Kate, opening his eyes once more to meet her concerned gaze.
<“Come on, let’s not fall too far behind.”>
“…Are you alright?”
Y’ggdrasog gave her a weak smile, though the crimson of his stressful glow remained.
<“Of course I’m not. …But that’s not going to stop me from helping your people.”>
He took one last glance at the burn victim before turning and setting off once more towards the tour group.
J’Ffrane gave an approving nod as he walked away, leaning towards Kate and whispering.
<“He’s come so far... Half a cycle ago, he likely would have been nearly catatonic for the rest of the day.”>
Despite the encouraging words, Kate’s shoulders fell as she started walking after Y’ggdrasog.
“I should have thought of this... There have to be thousands- no, tens of thousands, maybe even six figures worth of burn victims from the bombs, in these two cities alone!”
<“And we will be with him to hold out a limb to grasp when he needs it. Just as he and I will be there for you, and you two for I, should the need arise.”>
Kate looked up at J’Ffrane, surprised.
“How would we help you?”
J’Ffrane smiled down at her.
<“You already have. Every person who asks for my assistance helps me immensely just by doing so. It helps me remember that I have a place in the world, and that place is giving the help they so desperately need. …Now then, let’s catch back up to the crowd and find out how we can best do that here, hm?”>
And with that, J’Ffrane’s dissipated as they flew forward towards Y’ggdrasog and the rest of the group trailing along behind Migtryl.
“Hey, wait up!”
——
Despite the brief interruption, Kate hadn’t missed much by the time she caught back up, and she was soon learning more and more of the facilities and service centers the Collective had constructed around the fort.
While the local military stationed in the fort were (rather fittingly) occupying the fort’s centuries-old barracks, they were actually the main supplier of the vast majority of the tents around the compound.
“More tents are being constructed every day for use in the surrounding area,” said Jack. “We ran our own supply of military-grade tents dry a few days ago, but we’ve been able to scavenge more from places like camping supply stores, alongside manufacturing our own from tarps and the like. Not exactly comfortable to live in, but we have to take what we can get.”
Kate put her good hand up to ask a question, shivering a bit as she did so in the crisp, late-autumn air.
“How well do they retain heat in all this cold?”
“A very good question. Normally it would be quite the problem, doubly so given just how damned cold Minnesota can get in fall weather alone. Luckily, however, the Collective came up with a solution. …Migtryl?”
<“We used a few of the fabricators we have at our disposal to create personal solar-powered heating units to heat each tent. …It’s a bit inefficient given the cloud cover, but on even the cloudiest of days they’re able to achieve over 150% of the solar exposure needed to get a full, week-long charge in a matter of hours.”>
Jack chimed in with a smile.
“It certainly beats the bonfires we filled with whatever we could lay our hands on to burn before you all got here, that’s for sure!”
From there, they moved on to the camp’s utilities.
As the water purification plants of the area had been rendered mostly inoperable by the EMPs and cyberwarfare attacks, the Collective had repurposed a few industrial sump pumps to direct water from the Mississippi River into an assimilator system. The assimilator broke it down and removed all the pollutants in the river water until all that remained was potable water, and distributed to locals to drink-
<“…or at least, to those who don’t refuse to drink it, that is.”> Migtryl said.
An alien of a species Kate didn’t recognize (one that almost resembled a snake if not for their arms and upright stature, who was strapped to a mechanical walker to get around the terrain) piped up, beating her to the punch.
<“Why wouldn’t they drink it?”>
Migtryl paused, glancing at Jack and weighing their words carefully before speaking.
<“…A small, but nonetheless very vocal portion of the local population seem to be under the mistaken impression we’re putting chemicals, nanites and so on in the water to do things such as influence their actions, up to and including controlling their sexuality, for some reason. …Anyway, such people often choose to simply boil and drink water taken directly from the river itself, instead of taking the purified water rations we offer.”>
In contrast to the shocked and horrified reactions of the aliens around her, Kate merely sighed and rolled her eyes.
Yeah, that sounds about right…
Another alien, this time a kentzaré, timidly raised one of their manipulation tendrils.
<“...Have many people gotten sick from doing that?”>
<“Unfortunately, yes. Even boiling the water sometimes wasn’t enough to prevent many such individuals from developing symptoms of several waterborne-based diseases, and that’s not even going into the possible long-term effects of the various pollutants in the water.
We also have individuals here and there who even refuse the fallout-proof masks we offer. …Something about “not using them before, not using them now” and “not living in fear”…?”>
As Kate facepalmed hard enough to leave a handprint mark on her forehead for a minute or two, Migtryl shook his head in frustration.
<“…We must make an effort to always remember that the majority of these people are hurt, scared, and in all likelihood grieving the death of at least one loved one, friend, or what have you. Most do not trust us. We must simply be patient with them, help those willing to receive it, and not give those who are unwilling any further cause for suspicion or hostility. …Now, come along; we have much more to look at.”>
With that, they both turned and began walking towards a long but narrow stone building. As they reached it, Jack turned to the group.
“This is the commissary. It’s where we keep the supplies we distribute to the civilians. It may look small, but looks can be deceiving. …C’mon, let’s step inside. Just remember to dust yourself off first!”
Y’ggdrasog glanced at the door clearly made for human proportions and shook his head, sighing as he turned to Kate.
<“You two go on ahead. I have no desire to work out the kink in my back later from having to be hunched over inside.”>
Kate smiled in amusement as several other taller species of aliens nodded, muttered their agreement and so on.
“Well, sorry on behalf of humanity for us being so short. …Anyway, see you in a bit, Yiggy!”
He winced.
<“…Kate, please, not in front of others…”>
Kate’s smile only widened as she turned and followed J’Ffrane with the rest of the group as they entered the building.
As they descended a set of stairs, Kate was surprised to see that despite its outer appearances, the building went several stories underground. As she descended down the first flight of stairs, a feeling of unease began to eat away at her. Her hairs began to stand on end, goosebumps rising despite the heaters inside the building.
Jack continued his explanation as they continued descending.
“The ground where this building stands was where they initially quarried out a lot of the stone necessary for building the majority of the fort’s walls and buildings back in the 1800’s. When they finished, the line of thinking was “well, we’ve made a really big hole, may as well use it for something.” So they built this commissary to act as a mega-cellar of sorts; it could store enough food to last the initial inhabitants of the fort an entire year.”
As they descended to the final level, Kate looked out across a sizable collection of boxes of various shapes and sizes stacked upon pallets. As she gazed at them, an eerie feeling of familiarity and something being inexplicably, terribly wrong settled onto her, and she only barely heard Jack continuing to speak.
“Most of the supplies that don’t belong to anyone in particular are either stored here, or wherever we can stuff them in what little free space there is left in the other buildings of the fort. Groups go out every day to scavenge for more food, general supplies, raw materials to put into your “assimilators” to make things like our filtered masks-“
150 spare air filters-
<“-as the assimilators and fabricators can only do so much at one time, we scavenge as much food as possible due to most of their time being taken up purifying the polluted water-“>
75 spare half-year water filters-
“It’s important to keep track of everything else we store here, so a lot of the work is just tallying everything up. It’s tedious, but very important; we need to know what we have to give those with very specific dietary needs-“
500 cans of spinach, 300 cans of olives, 700 cans of baked beans-
“Members of our species still have occasional issues with allergies, diabetes, that sort of thing. I’m told we likely will continue to have those for at least a decade or so before you Collective folks can develop those “immunity implants” necessary to sort them out. …Assuming the average Joe is willing to work with them, when the most advanced tech they had before was-“
3 spare radios, 50 packs of AAA batteries-
Kate only just barely managed to drag herself back to the present as she felt J’Ffrane metallic hand gently tugging at her sleeve. She turned to see them wordlessly gazing at her, a concerned expression on their face. Only after their intervention did she notice she had begun to start breathing erratically as Migtryl kept talking.
<“…Beyond moving the supplies where they need to go, the job’s not very physical. For the most part, it’s just counting how much of any one item we have and writing down the results. We usually give the job to people who are injured or otherwise not at their best, but still want to contribute.”>
Migtryl glanced over at Kate, who unbeknownst to him was having a desperate internal struggle to try and keep herself calm.
<“You’d be a perfect fit here, heh!”>
Kate sunk into herself a bit at his words, and found herself wishing she could turn invisible as the group turned to stare at her. Her voice was barely audible as she felt obligated to murmur out a response.
“…I, uh- pant …d-don’t think that- pant …would be a good idea…”
Not again, not again… Just stay cool, don’t keep hyperventilating, just move on, just- stop it. Stop stop STOP oh god why can’t I just breathe normally?! Just k-keep cool, just- …OH DON’T YOU START CRYING YOU WORTHLESS BI-
She felt the touch of J’Ffrane’s metallic hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to herself.
<“Come on, Stardust; let’s take a walk.”>
Kate hesitantly nodded and let herself be walked away from the group by J’Ffrane’s gentle leading hand, wiping her tears away as she went. Migtryl glanced at Jack, who was staring after the pair, his expression worried.
<“…Was it something I said?”>

Me (28m) and my partner (34m) have been together for nearly 10 years now. We work together in the same department of the same component, and recently I’ve been having these really strong feelings towards one of our co-workers, like I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him for weeks, and I really don’t understand why. I don’t even know the guy that well, we don’t talk much and I didn’t even know he was gay until a couple weeks ago. He’s also not really the type of guy I usually like, but for some reason I’m absolutely smitten. My partner on the other hand is absolutely my type, he’s this amazing man that’s smart and caring, he looks after me, he’s extremely sexy and I know he loves me, but for some reason I just can’t get this other bloke out of my head. What is wrong with me?

I'm looking for a good reputable electric bike repair shop near Bushwick and Ridgewood. Propel bikes usually does a good job, but they are now pretty far for me.
There seems to be a lot of good bike repair shops, and there are some electric places that I see but some of them seem kind of sloppy so looking for a good recommendation.
Any suggestions or favorites?