Beat story mode (with lost chapter), unlock and S rank all levels and all difficulty and you 100% beat this game, you cat rest. Or... You actually can do 1M BP and you will have a beautiful coin in your BP collection. Then it's over, for real, really. Only multiplayer is not letting this game to die completely. But sooner or later you will get bored from all 53 levels, and to play more you need to came up with a challenge (example: try to beat without dashing, but IMHO it's pointless, upside down gamepad etc.) There was a 1.6.50 update some weeks ago, but it's just steam deck support and "minor bug fixes". What did they fixed? A that 25BP which isn't appeared? (Yeah, this is fix, not a new thing) Did they fixed desync issues? No. Did they fixed that "Tokyo skies" bug? Also not. Developers said like "we are small team and we are working on other game", but can't you like first half doing JSAB and second is other games? Or one month you doing other games and other month JSAB? I honestly not that strong in this question. Editor? Nah, it's cancelled Cross platform? Also nah. To play with Veslepus I need a whole Nintendo switch. Ultra hardcore? No, but you actually can do it if you already did a hardcore. 5M BP coin? It's actually will make sense with ultra hardcore, but no. More players in multiplayer? No, even if JSAB has a files with other 2 players, cmon. More in-game achievements? No. May be at least customize your shapes and colors? Need to ask devs about it And also having a more info about your play? (Example: A rank, 2 hits, 41 dash, 3 friends rescued) - also need to ask them If we will get only 5 levels every two years - then this is right way to kill the game. Geometry Dash is still popular, because it has editor and cross platform.

Hi!
Bonus to you if you get the Cinnamon Girl Type O Negative reference :P
My name is Dylan and I’m a 21 year old single guy from northeastern Illinois in the US.
I’m seeking some kind of close connection with someone around my age or older. Friendship being the main thing, however, I’m definitely open to things getting a bit spicier than that, whether that’s something where we remain friends yet can be flirty or romantic such as a friend with benefits for example.
I like to say upfront that I will always be mindful and considerate of your feelings and boundaries, especially concerning anything flirty or more intimate that we might get into. It’s important to me and we’d never have to do anything we weren’t comfortable with or ready for.
Physically I'm 6ft tall, I'm average/slim build, and I'm white/Caucasian with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. I wear glasses too.
I don’t have any preference on body type for whom I find attractive. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. I’m also attracted to people older than me as well, hence being so open to meeting people.
I’m currently living at home, trying to get a job at a warehouse but long term career goals so far is to do something in the electrical field/trades such as a fire alarm systems technician as I’m good with technical things like that. I’ve got older parents and I live on a main road in a small farm house so I’ve been feeling pretty lonely most of my life. I’ve listed some interests of mine below!
Now that we've established who I am and what I'm looking for, here are a few interests of mine to get to know me better!
• Fall/Autumn season
I had to list this one because I just adore the fall and everything that comes with it. My birthday is in October too so it's always been my favorite month. I much prefer fall and winter over a muggy humid summer. In the cooler seasons there's always ways to warm up.
• Candles and Incense
I love scented candles and incense and stuff like this!! I feel like you don't find guys into this stuff that much but I definitely am an exception. Right now I’m burning a citrus and sage one from Yankee Candle! Smells so nice.
• Technology
I'm good at fixing electronics and I'm quite nerdy in that aspect. So if something breaks I can fix it ;) I'm also good with my hands and quite inclined mechanically and quite the nerd.
• Music
I love genres such as classic rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, punk, post punk, hardcore, etc. My current favorite bands are The Cure and Joy Division/New Order. But I like tons of older and newer bands as well. such as: Bauhaus, Velvet Underground, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Type O Negative, Nirvana, Rush, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, the Wipers, Spacemen 3, Meshuggah, Megadeth, Buzzcocks, MC5, Stooges, 13th Floor Elevators, Screaming Trees, Green Day, Alice in Chains, Asylum Party, My Bloody Valentine, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Jefferson Airplane, etc.
• Cooking and Baking
I like to cook and learn new recipes, as well as bake fun things too! It's always nice when the house feels nice and cozy and smells good. I appreciate the simple pleasures in life, a cozy cup of tea and music or a movie in bed or sitting outside is so nice!
• Animals
I love animals of all types, and I currently have an older cat which I adore to death! We rescued her from the local shelter. She's the sweetest thing. (I think I love her more than anyone in the house lol, she just makes me so happy) :) I also don't kill insects or bugs, I catch and release them outside.
• Art
I enjoy art, both creating it from time to time such as drawing, and admiring other peoples work. There's just something so fun about it and seeing things so beautiful.
• Houseplants
I love houseplants and really anything nature related and also spiritual such as crystals and rocks. I love to help my mom in caring for all of our plants and also gardening outside when its a good growing season. Its fun! I also like cottage core and goblin core type vibes and enjoy sitting out on the deck burning incense, its peaceful :)
• Photography
I recently got a DSLR camera, a Nikon D5500 and a D200 and I've really been enjoying taking photos of my cat and nature landscapes! This includes closeups, photos of trees, the fields, etc. I've been working a lot on composition, long exposures, getting nice blurred backgrounds, depth of field, etc. It's interesting to me.
That’s me! I hope you get a good taste of what I am like and if any of this catches your interest I’d love to hear from you and we can get to know each other further. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from you soon.
Me: https://ibb.co/mqNwyRp https://ibb.co/YdxZtcH https://ibb.co/NLLmpvt https://ibb.co/4pT04Kk https://ibb.co/sF4q4TR https://ibb.co/Kj21Tmp https://ibb.co/Hh0n7wN

Once upon a time a dumb decision shaped the internet forever, when tumblr in trying to crush a bug destroyed a continent by trying to fight cp by banning porn on their website, scaring and exiling tumblr users to other platforms such as Twitter where small radicals were given a voice on a mainstream website, and that’s how things like cancel culture, extreme political views and other problems would pollute the rest of the internet. Now Twitter wasn’t ever sane, it was a bit off but the tumblr exiles just made a small fire even bigger. So what might’ve happened if tumblr backed off on its porn ban or never even tried to implement it in the first place? How might that shape internet culture and to an extend the real world as well?

I used to think success was driving down a beach-front highway having to choose between breathing in the new car smell from your convertible, or putting the top down for some salt air.
1 week ago, I had neither of those choices and today the very thought of beach air and new car smell makes me fucking sick.
Before I get into this, let me be clear: this is not a confession of guilt for anything I’ve done. I never wanted all this shit. From the very start it was only about one thing: Getting my son, James a birthday present.
I wasn’t even trying to get him the BEST or the BIGGEST or the most EXPENSIVE birthday present. Just
A present. The present I set out to get.
But instead...
I went to the 7/11 on Santa Monica and bought a MegaMillions lotto ticket.
My name is Daniel Baxter, and this is the day I thought I won the lottery.
​
April 8, 2022 – 2:03AM
It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I’m at the Hollywood Casino. I’ve got every penny to my name spread across the craps table and some dickhead on his bachelor party holds the dice of fate in his clammy little hands.
My last 3 meals have been from discarded room service trays at LAX Hilton, my truck doesn’t start without a prayer and the tires have been leaking air for the last month which is fine because now I know the location of every free air filling station in LA County.
If I’d paid my phone bill, it’d be buzzing a crater in my leg from my ex, Lenora, asking if I’d picked up our son’s birthday gift with the $200 she gave me.
“Gave me” isn’t quite the right term. She handed it to me with a scowl then told me “if you gamble this shit you’ll never fucking see him again.” Things had been tense lately.
But none of that matters because this guy’s been hot and it’s with his help that I’ve turned that 200 hundred into almost 3 grand. The only question is; are the rhythms with me or not?
Maybe you call it God. Maybe you call it Karma or the natural vibe of the earth or mercury or whatever. When the rhythms are on, everything goes your way. You crush your yearly review at work and get the raise you’re after or you’re at some party and you’ve got everyone eating outta the palm of your hand.
Most things are math. Craps is math. Poker is math. Phone bills are math. Divorce rates are math and if I keep having to eat off of room service trays, the likelihood of me waking up with diarrhea is math.
It’s all just probability. But when the rhythms are on, the probability doesn’t matter. You could take a 1 and a million shot back-to-back and hit it twice. That’s what the rhythm can do for you.
Summer of 2018 I was up over 2 million. I couldn’t lose a hand of blackjack, I couldn’t crap out if I tried, I couldn’t say the wrong thing to Lenora and every time I walked into the room my son, James, would light up like a fucking lantern.
It used to be me and Lenora at the tables. The place was always open, the food is fine and the drinks are free. If we weren’t at the tables we were in the lounge talking Black Jack strategy or in the bar talking game theory or hanging out at the slots like a couple’a mice pressing a button and waiting for the cheese to pop out.
Sometimes it’s nice to be a mouse. I’ve got rats in my house. They don’t pay rent or go food shopping. All they have to do is avoid eating a piece of death cheese or poison and honestly that’s not too far off from how I live anyways.
When we had James, things changed though. As Lenora put it “risking your son’s dinner isn’t chasing something it’s chasing nothing.” And I guess the 45-minute commute to the Hollywood wasn’t a valuable use of her time. Lots of people commute to work even longer. When I was working at Goldman, I commuted an hour and a half each way from Connecticut. Granted I was on a train but the point is we all commute to work.
It was nice having her here. It was nice seeing James with a smile. It was nice to check my bank account and feel a life raft around me, rather than a black hole forming in my bellybutton.
But the rhythms shifted.
Now it’s just me here next to Lenny with the beard, Jackie with the cigar and Jonie who’s been serving drinks here so long her face should be on the highway billboards. After Lenora broke it off with me she got together with Kelton who works for a hedge fund which (for the record) is still gambling. He’s just doing it with other people’s money.
James’ 9th birthday is three days away. He wants an iPad and soon as I cash out, I’ll be able to pick one up, maybe kick some back to Lenora and spread some cash around to the litany of people I’m on the hook to.
I’m one big night away from wiping it all out. I just need one hit. One night of pure rhythm... and I’ll be back.
The shooter shakes the dice in his hand then tosses ‘em. I watch them clack on the table walls below me, but before they even settle on the pass line, I can already feel the star implode in my stomach.
In a flash, my hard work is raked away by some new guy named Carl with a moustache and not a single ounce of sympathy.
The party’s at Lenora (and Kelton’s) which was fine because honestly, I didn’t just have rats.
The rats came in chasing the cockroaches but when a bunch of them got into my Cadbury Mini Egg stash and died under the living room floor, a pack of fleas picked the carcass clean before making their way into the carpet above. So, yeah...at the moment I have fleas, cockroaches and rats. I had a bug bomb guy coming in a couple days but things were gonna be a little itchy until then.
It's three days until the party. I’ve got no gift and if I show up without that 200 bucks I may never see my kid again.
​
April 8, 2022 – 6:32AM
There’s only so much you can do on a security guard’s salary and being paid $12 an hour to guard millions of dollars in Mercedes automobiles is hilarious. What am I supposed to do if some guy comes in to steal a car? Lay my life on the line and hope my out-of-pocket HMO covers bullet wounds?
I don’t even have dental. I got a root canal that needed to be recapped 10 minutes after it was put in.
I’ve been on Mr. Jenkins about a raise but he keeps telling me “we gotta sell more cars, Davey,” as if I’m the one selling cars. I’m a fucking security guard what the hell’s that gotta do with me? Last I checked it was my job to keep cars on the lot and getting them off was yours.
Jenkins owns every car dealer on Van Nuys. Maybe you’ve seen his ads on TV where he slides into frame wearing a suit while riding a surfboard just to say “COME ON DOWN!” He can afford to buy a surfboard for tv ad that has no mention of surfing or aquatic sports of any kind but he can’t pay me an extra $3 an hour so I can re-introduce cold foods to my diet.
I spend most of my shift eyeing the mint green on onyx black SLS convertible they keep in the lobby. It’s flashy but it’s got a nut sack under the hood so you know you could back it up if you went toe-to-toe with some clown at a red light. Sometimes I just stare at it but I never touch it. I only wanna touch it when it’s mine. Which it would be...
Maybe I could steal it and sell it to get the iPad and some other shit. I know all the codes but then again I wouldn’t need the whole car. The thing costs half a mill. Maybe I could lift a rear-view mirror. Who would notice? Then again with the way the rhythm’s set I’d probably bump into the fucking FBI on the way out.
I’ve been doing my best to get things together but the cards aren’t falling my way and there’s not much you can really do about that. I’ve been going to the Hollywood for 15 years so I know I’m due for a run.
Me and Lenny talking about this all the time at the lounge. Sometimes you’re on the downbeat and sometimes you’re on the upbeat. Lately I feel like it’s been all downs but the thing about being a father though, is that you’re not the only one on that ride.
It used to be that I could take a few down weeks or months even. Sleep in the car, call the landlord and talk them out of breaking down the door but when you got a kid everything changes. You suffer, he suffers. Lately Lenora’s been paying for that but you see she keeps a tally. She says she doesn’t but she does.
Every time she has to pay for something she looks at me like I’m the biggest piece of shit then says “It’s ok, David.” Which it really isn’t.
The fees and stuff aren’t the real problem. It’s being able to take James out and take care of him. She wants to take that away from me and honestly I don’t blame her.
Last week my card got declined trying to pay for ice cream. James had already eaten half of his and the lady made us give it back. He didn’t talk to me the whole way home then 2 days later Lenora told me James didn’t really like spending time with me anymore. A week after that she filed for sole custody and told me they were thinking about moving to Chicago. Who the fuck would want to live there? It’s cold as fuck and the people are assholes.
​
April 8, 2022 – 12:20PM
I do pickups for a porta-john company on the side. It’s just temporary. I don’t clean the shit I just spray down the units and suck out cans and shit with a wet-vac before this guy named Pete sticks a hose in the back and drains the whole thing out.
I’m always surprised by what people put on the walls of a john. Usually it’s just drawings like hearts and shit but sometimes the rhythm finds you there too. One time I spotted a phone number Sharpied on a toilet seat but it was missing 1 number. 8 digits. Kinda like 4 roulette numbers right?
I took em to the Hollywood and won 5 grand on one roll! Hasn’t worked again for me yet... but that’s the thing about it man.
But today I’m cleaning out a row of johns after some music festival which by the way is far and away the worst clean ups to get. Sure you see these kids all cleaned up online in some tweed outfit or some shit but you should see the shit that comes out of these kids. It’s like paving tar with glitter and red bull cans.
I look down in the last john I’m hosing down and I see something. Peaking out of the mounds I see: a $20 bill.
I stared at it for a second but I could hear Pete coming down the line about to suck it into oblivion. I never seen cash in the john before. Sometimes you hear a coin clank through the hose but a 20 bill just staring you right in the face?
I did what any man would do. I grabbed it and when I pulled my hand out I was half expecting it to be missing a layer of skin.
Later I’m sitting in the truck staring at this 20 bucks thinking “why would this come to me?” There had to be a reason. It wasn’t just on the floor of some john. It was in the last john after the nastiest event at a time when all I needed was one shot.
It was the rhythm.
But having to do that for just $20 didn’t add up. There had to have been a greater purpose and you know what they say about money. You don’t let it sleep. You wanna get that money out and get it working.
Craps kicked my teeth in this morning and you can’t do shit with 20 bucks on a blackjack table. I had to think bigger.
Then I’m driving home from work and I see the 7/11. Powerball was at 2.11 BILLION. The biggest in history. If you got all 6 numbers right you got the whole chicken. If you got 5 you got just shy of 8 million bucks. Boom.
I had my usual numbers but this wasn’t a usual day. I told the cashier to give me “all randoms today.” 10 slips at $2 each.
That night I sat down on my couch waiting for the Powerball to come on tv... then I blacked out.
The next thing I knew I was staring at 6 numbers lit up on my tv screen: 08, 07, 14, 29, 40, 16
And on my slip: 08, 07, 14, 29, 40, 22
I had 5 out of 6 numbers. I’d just won 8 million dollars
​
April 9, 2022 – 9:01AM
I’m standing in line at the California Lottery Offices. It’s not some huge expansive place. It’s a shitty little line up of people with various ailments trying to dispute their $5 winning ticket.
My mind is racing. Who do I pay back first? Do they give me the cash here? Is it in a duffel bag? When do I have to hold that big ass check? Do I wear a mask? I saw a guy do it in a scream mask once to maintain his anonymity. Honestly it might be nice to be seen. Not only has everyone seen me as a piece of shit forever but also I haven’t exactly kept a detailed list of everyone I owe money to.
It’d be good for people to just hit me up, I can cut a check and tell them “thanks for your patience.” Maybe I’d even give them a little off the top as a tip.
The guy a the counter basically spat in my face; “It’s gotta be reviewed. Takes 2-5 days. We’ll email you a link to collect any winnings.” It was like I just accused him of something. No congratulations or anything which at first, I was pissed about but then I realized that clearly I wasn’t the first asshole who thought they won the lottery.
Except I really did. 2-5 days was nothing. I’d been living in the shit for years I could do another few days.
Stepping outside, everything looked the same. The air wasn’t purer or the sunlight any more sunlightier and I still had to fill up my tires at the Shell on Cahuenga. There’s something about being rich without actually having any appearance of being rich.
That secret alone is like having a bomb in your pocket. People treat you regular, they smile and make conversation but deep down you think...if I pulled this out I could kill you with it.
But when people do think you have money, the more of it they give you.
I rolled in the doors of the Hollywood like I always did. Lenny called me a bullshitter, Jackie barely even put her cigarette down and Jonie didn’t even bring me a drink because I didn’t actually have any money on the table. I didn’t even have money in my pocket. I’d spent it all on the Megamillions and I hadn’t eaten since perusing the halls for leftover room service the night before.
Then news hit. My face was on every TV in the place. “Local man wins 8 million dollar jackpot.”
I checked my phone to see if it was blowing up, then remembered I still hadn’t paid the bill in months. So I was good there.
​
April 9, 2022 – 11:11AM
If you’ve ever been on a casino floor you know that it’s never silent. But I swear to God if you were on the floor when that news hit, you could’ve heard the rats eating my Mini Eggs 20 miles away. Everyone’s eyes were trained on me. For a second I even felt all the security cams shift over in my direction.
I couldn’t stand being on the floor with nothing to play with so Lenny set me up with his guy who got me a little walking around money. Japanese guy who I met in a Burger King across the street. Weird dude. Not sure what his name was.
I didn’t wanna go too nuts so I just took out a small loan. 50k at 20 points. I thought about it for a second then realized I didn’t really give a shit about the interest. 10 grand to me in a week doesn’t mean nearly as much as 50 does now. It’s just value proposition. It would have been stupid NOT to take out the loan honestly.
Walking into the casino with 50 grand in my pocket and slamming it down on the table feels a lot like taking out your dick at an orgy only when your dick comes out it’s a 60 foot cigarette boat with flames painted on the side.
But then I learned what I remembered years ago. Losing money and gaining money at that point meant almost nothing.
So losing 2 grand a hand wasn’t such a big deal because I could be making 5 on the next. That’s why I needed a little more when I lost the full 50.
Another 100k or so at another 20 points should do the trick.
It didn’t take long to realize that both winning and losing money meant almost nothing to me. So I ventured out.
A tailored suit for me (ready in 2-3 days on a rush).
An iPad for James with all the bells and whistles.
6 dozen roses sent to Lenora’s house signed “your secret admirer.” just to fuck with Kelton.
A watch for me, Lenny and Jodie.
Some special cigar Jackie had always been eyeing.
New pairs of Nikes for all of us.
And a limousine to my dentist’s office.
I paid in cash for the cap replacement, they gave me some pills and told me not to mix them with alcohol but honestly I was a little distracted by the old molar cap sitting on the table. I had an idea.
“Are you gonna just throw that away?” I asked her.
By now I realized I didn’t have a phone to receive my winnings via email. So, I stopped a guy in the lobby and paid him 2 grand cash for his before popping a few pills and slugging some champagne in the limo.
There was barely enough time to sit back and relax. I had a lifetime of debt and yearning for shit to burn through.
We made it to the Mercedes dealership but the pain killers kicked in and I could barely feel my hands as they ran across the SLS’s mint green paint. Bummer.
Jenkins sauntered over asking if I was working today and all I remember saying was “I want it.” He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, so I put the remaining cash I had down on the table and said it again. “I WANT IT.”
They ran my credit (which was dog shit. Didn’t matter) and I looked Jenkins in his fat little face again and said “I don’t give a fuck.” He sold it to me, financed at 25 percent interest. Then when he went to fetch my paperwork and keys I took a shit on his desk, shoved the molar cap and a $20 bill in it before using his jacket to wipe my ass. Felt right. Don’t really know why.
I had walked into the CA lottery offices at 9am to start the review process on my ticket’s authenticity.
By 11am, I was watching news break from the Hollywood Casino.
By 10pm I had accrued more debt than a small country.
I hadn’t received a dime from the lotto.
And I needed more walking around money.
​
April 10, 11, 12 – who the fuck knows what time
The next few days were a blur but there are a few things I’ll never forget.
Quitting my job.
Hiring the limo for the week.
Trying to shit after 3 days of having nothing but fast food, champagne and pain killers.
Fielding questions at the party from Kelton’s asshole friends who told me “lotto rich isn’t real rich.”
And the heat of my house burning to the ground as James and I stood there watching with a can of gas in our hands.
He didn’t even want the iPad.
The rhythms were sliding back. James had that smile plastered back in his face and even Lenora was happy to see me.
​
April 16, 7:35AM
“Dear Mr. Baxter. Congratulations! You’ve successfully matched FOUR of six winning numbers. Below please find a link to collect your winnings of $10,000.”
I read it over and over again. Over and over and over.
When I called the offices an nice woman on the phone informed me that due to a printing malfunction the ticket had appeared to show the number 8 when in fact it was a 6.
They even managed to maintain a sense of excitement. I mean why wouldn’t they? They think I just won $10,000. They had no idea I’d bought a car I couldn’t afford, burned my house down, taken a shit on my boss’ desk, maxed out 3 new credit cards and borrowed a inordinate amount of money from people at a borderline illegal interest rate.
The limo company took my ride away and with no home I’ve spent the last 2 days parked on the Pacific Coast Highway, sleeping in the brand new Mercedes I can’t afford, in a suit I shouldn’t have bought, showering in the YMCA down the street, and eating 2-day-old coconut shrimp.
All of a sudden I’m fucked again. But as I stare out at the Pacific, my phone dings. It’s an alert from the Chase banking app. My lotto winnings of $10,000 have just hit my account and the only question is...
Are the rhythms with me or not?

Hi,
My cat (11 yo lady) started to poopoo on my bathroom mat last week. Since it it not in her habit, I read some forums and apparently it might be the sign of a urinary or digestion problem. I don’t want to go to the vet yet if it’s a false alarm, because of the cost of the exam. I saw online that some litters have health monitoring properties, do any of you have any experience with that? I thought it might be a cheap way to know if there’s blood in her stools/urine.
I saw an ad for pretty litter, which claims to detect health issues. I also found this: https://www.royalcanin.com/au/cats/products/hematuria-detection-by-blucare. Anyone tried of these?

Hi!
My name is Dylan and I’m a 21 year old mature for his age single man from northeastern Illinois in the US.
I’m seeking some kind of close connection with someone in their 30s and up! With friendship being the main thing, however, I’m definitely open to things getting a bit spicier than that, whether that’s something where we remain friends yet can be flirty or romantic such as a friend with benefits for example.
I like to say upfront that I will always be mindful and considerate of your feelings and boundaries, especially concerning anything flirty or more intimate that we might get into. It’s important to me and we’d never have to do anything we weren’t comfortable with or ready for.
Physically I'm 6ft tall, I'm average/slim build, and I'm white/Caucasian with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. I wear glasses too.
I don’t have any preference on body type for whom I find attractive. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. I’m also attracted to people older than me as well, hence being so open to meeting people.
I’m currently living at home, trying to get a job at a warehouse but long term career goals so far is to do something in the electrical field/trades such as a fire alarm systems technician as I’m good with technical things like that. I’ve got older parents and I live on a main road in a small farm house so I’ve been feeling pretty lonely most of my life. I’ve listed some interests of mine below!
Now that we've established who I am and what I'm looking for, here are a few interests of mine to get to know me better!
• Fall/Autumn season
I had to list this one because I just adore the fall and everything that comes with it. My birthday is in October too so it's always been my favorite month. I much prefer fall and winter over a muggy humid summer. In the cooler seasons there's always ways to warm up.
• Candles and Incense
I love scented candles and incense and stuff like this!! I feel like you don't find guys into this stuff that much but I definitely am an exception. Right now I’m burning a citrus and sage one from Yankee Candle! Smells so nice.
• Technology
I'm good at fixing electronics and I'm quite nerdy in that aspect. So if something breaks I can fix it ;) I'm also good with my hands and quite inclined mechanically and quite the nerd.
• Music
I love genres such as classic rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, punk, post punk, hardcore, etc. My current favorite bands are The Cure and Joy Division/New Order. But I like tons of older and newer bands as well. such as: Bauhaus, Velvet Underground, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Type O Negative, Nirvana, Rush, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, the Wipers, Spacemen 3, Meshuggah, Megadeth, Buzzcocks, MC5, Stooges, 13th Floor Elevators, Screaming Trees, Green Day, Alice in Chains, Asylum Party, My Bloody Valentine, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Jefferson Airplane, etc.
• Cooking and Baking
I like to cook and learn new recipes, as well as bake fun things too! It's always nice when the house feels nice and cozy and smells good. I appreciate the simple pleasures in life, a cozy cup of tea and music or a movie in bed or sitting outside is so nice!
• Animals
I love animals of all types, and I currently have an older cat which I adore to death! We rescued her from the local shelter. She's the sweetest thing. (I think I love her more than anyone in the house lol, she just makes me so happy) :) I also don't kill insects or bugs, I catch and release them outside.
• Art
I enjoy art, both creating it from time to time such as drawing, and admiring other peoples work. There's just something so fun about it and seeing things so beautiful.
• Houseplants
I love houseplants and really anything nature related and also spiritual such as crystals and rocks. I love to help my mom in caring for all of our plants and also gardening outside when its a good growing season. Its fun! I also like cottage core and goblin core type vibes and enjoy sitting out on the deck burning incense, its peaceful :)
• Photography
I recently got a DSLR camera, a Nikon D5500 and a D200 and I've really been enjoying taking photos of my cat and nature landscapes! This includes closeups, photos of trees, the fields, etc. I've been working a lot on composition, long exposures, getting nice blurred backgrounds, depth of field, etc. It's interesting to me.
That’s me! I hope you get a good taste of what I am like and if any of this catches your interest I’d love to hear from you and we can get to know each other further. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from you soon.
Me: https://ibb.co/mqNwyRp https://ibb.co/YdxZtcH https://ibb.co/NLLmpvt https://ibb.co/4pT04Kk https://ibb.co/sF4q4TR https://ibb.co/Kj21Tmp https://ibb.co/Hh0n7wN

I'm all moved in to my new home, and found myself in the mood for spring cleaning, so I'm destashing a big chunk of my collection.
Purchase Information

• Minimum order is $10.00 after any discounts.
• Shipping is $5.00 flat for anything light enough to go First Class. This may go up a couple of dollars if the package is too heavy for First Class mail.
• Things that are grayed out on the spreadsheet are sold.
• If you want to make an offer on an item or group of items, please do so publicly-- please do not claim items and then attempt to haggle privately.
• I am willing to swap for bottles (full or partial) of Darling Clandestine My Lady Ser, NAVA Eternal Ankh Malachite, or an EDP (any size) of Sixteen92 Party at the Moon Tower.

Discounts

• Buy 3 bottles, get a 4th bottle of equal or lesser value for free.
• Pick a free sample with each order (while supplies last).

Here's my spreadsheet link with notes and condition information. If there is a conflict between this post and the spreadsheet, the spreadsheet is more recent.

Available Bottles

Maker	Scent Name	Price
Alkemia	September Harvest Fruits Alchemy	$5.00
Alkemia	Luminae (EDP)	$30.00
Alkemia	Seven Watermelon Suns	$12.00
Alpha Musk	Bluebird in my Heart	$10.00
Alpha Musk	Elvis	$10.00
Alpha Musk	Matcha Tea and Sugared Rose	$10.00
Alpha Musk	Paperdoll	$10.00
Alpha Musk	Quiver	$10.00
Alpha Musk	Red Bean Musk	$10.00
Alpha Musk	Wild Heart Musk	$10.00
Arcana Craves	Peaches Crave Beaches	$14.00
Arcana Wildcraft	Touch	$16.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	A Humorous Jest	$12.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Bastet	$14.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Dirge	$3.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Please Scream Inside Your Snake Oil	$22.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Plum Blossom Twig Hair Gloss	$14.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Prince Lir	$25.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Single Note: Burning Book	$14.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	White Larry	$20.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Why and What Art Thou Dreaming Here	$14.00
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab	Zorya Polunochnaya	$12.00
Darling Clandestine	Falchion	$10.00
Darling Clandestine	Vortex	$10.00
Death & Floral	World famous for 15 minutes (EDP)	$15.00
Death & Floral	Someday I'll Get on that Train	$10.00
Death & Floral	Kodachrome	$10.00
Death & Floral	Goth Dolly	$10.00
Death & Floral	Lucid dreams	$8.00
Death & Floral	The Great War	$10.00
Deconstructing Eden	Living Dead Girl	$8.00
Deconstructing Eden	Moon Over Seoul	$10.00
Fyrinnae	Lesvos (EDP)	$28.00
Fyrinnae	Tubby Tabby	$16.00
Haus of Gloi	Leather & Buttercream	$8.00
Lotus Noir	Bon Matin	$12.00
LunarLife Apothecary	Type O Positive-ly Gorgeous	$8.00
Luvmilk	Dream Eater (Sweet Heart)	$8.00
MadLabs Studios	Alicent Hightower	$8.00
Moonalisa/MooScents	Black Bread and Marmalade	$10.00
Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA	Alchemist Jasmine	$22.00
Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA	Blueberry Musk	$28.00
Nui Cobalt	Cranberry Sauce	$14.00
Nui Cobalt	Favorite Sweater	$14.00
Oil Perfumery	Impression of Jo Malone London - Mimosa & Cardamom	$10.00
Oil Perfumery	Impression of Melanie Martinez - Cry Baby Perfume Milk	$10.00
Poesie	Black Cat Cuddles	$14.00
Poesie	Persephone	$14.00
Poesie	Ritual	$14.00
Poesie	Versailles	$12.00
Poesie	Whisper Your Bitter Things	$12.00
Possets	Dutch Adonis	$12.00
Possets	Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw	$12.00
Possets	JFK and Jackie	$12.00
Possets	Mrs. Rabbit's Carrot Cake	$12.00
Possets	Schrodinger's Mouse	$12.00
Possets	The 7 Gates of the House of Osiris	$12.00
Sixteen92	Even Flow (EDP)	$35.00
Sixteen92	French 75 (EDP)	$35.00
Sixteen92	Mein Herr Marquis	$16.00
Sixteen92	The Turn of the Screw	$12.00
Smelly Yeti	The Illuminati is Real and Yes I Am In It	$10.00
Solstice Scents	Orient Rose	$14.00
Sugar and Spite	Sister Witch	$5.00
Traveling Vardo	Corvus Corax	$8.00
Traveling Vardo	Dragon's Keep	$8.00
Traveling Vardo	Shalott	$8.00
Whisper Sisters	Eirwen	$10.00
Whisper Sisters	Fossil Britches	$8.00
Whisper Sisters	Star Star	$5.00

​

I personally think Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir is overrated. It feels like the same things happen in every episode. It’s predictable and kinda boring.
Yet, everyone has their own opinions and I know some people really like the show.
Why or why don’t you like it?

Hello!

I've been seeing the reading comprehension devil growing far too strong lately, so to correct this, I am trying to get a thought-out interpretation of today's chapter out there. This is not definitive and you can feel free to comment on anything you think I've gotten wrong or missed. I'm thinking of making a series of these, so here's a link to the last chapter's analysis. Now, on to the analysis.

Chapter 124

Starting with a bit of action, we get a tiny bit more insight into the War devil's power: it can also use parts of its own body to form weapons. This seems to be a last resort however as it's shown that doing so causes pain. This may potentially explain why Chainsaw Man was only able to half-eat Yoru in hell, which would be interesting. Then, following this train of action, we get to see a bit of Yoru's intelligence, able to quickly deduce what the devil is, its potential source, and what to her seems the optimal play to maintain control and stay alive, although this doesn't work out the best for her.
Speaking of that, we get to see more of Asa's cat trauma and other fears (she just like me fr) and more importantly than that, Yoru's reaction to it. The first time we see a little bit of her trauma, the orphanage lady, Yoru doesn't really have a response other than to tell Asa to get her shit together. The next time, however, she visibly pauses before going into action. The third time, she's audibly confused and tries to tell Asa to stop being scared, to which Asa does the classic rant, to which she again pauses. This is a sign that she may actually develop as a character sometime soon, hopefully during this arc, into actually giving a shit about Asa and not just using her as a puppet.
This also lays the groundwork for Yoru actually becoming less of a devil and more of a person, both from an emotional aspect and from a practical one. The emotional aspect is already there, I mean she's literally feeling the same emotions as a person what more can you ask for, but the practical aspect to it is just being revealed, which is that she can't get stronger through fear anymore. Her strength is now almost totally reliant on her relationship with Asa and how well she can convince her to do things. If she doesn't grow now, Asa will be permanently scared of her, forcing her out of Asa's body whenever she attempts to do anything along with, and even if she does get control, she won't feel guilty if she hasn't grown and still can't do anything.
After this important moment for character growth, we get back into the action with the falling devil. She is revealing even more tricks to her powers such as being able to kill things, able to conjure up basically anything including a soup plate and cart, able to completely immobilize someone, and able to just randomly open up a door into hell. It's funny to see her going full-in on the cooking thing (Fujimoto heard us). Following this, we get to see a caterpillar-shaped devil with a bib on eating people, which is probably one of the "residents of hell" she mentioned in the last chapter. What devil it is most likely won't be important, but it's most likely the bug devil or gluttony devil (although Fami already has that spot).
We also get confirmation that the falling devil is after Asa and Yoru and a potential reveal as to what exactly Asa and Yoru actually are. First off, the confirmation. Because we know that she's after Asa and Yoru, this opens up a few potentials as to who exactly these "residents of hell" are that sent her to Earth. The most obvious choice is Fami, who, in the absence of any other mind-reading techniques, would be the only person to know Yoru's name, however, it could also be the justice devil going off of Yuko's memory of Yoru's name, although I believe that Fami and justice are one and the same. Secondly, the reveal. The falling devil says that they are a "fusion", which could mean a few things. Asa and Yoru are a hybrid, she's calling them a fusion in reference to the meal, or both. It is my personal belief that she is only calling them a fusion in reference to the meal, which I think is backed by the context of her having this cook persona and that she's referring to them as ingredients, acting like she's preparing some exotic cultural "fusion" of devil and human, but I could be wrong, who knows.
TL:DR, Asa is still having a bad time but Yoru kind of knocks her out of it enough for them to get to relative safety as Asa has a verbal panic attack instead of an internal one, the falling devil is still dangerous, also she's apparently after Asa and Yoru, uh oh where's that Chainsaw Man when you need him

※ TRANSLATED NAMES ARE BEST GUESS PLACEHOLDERS UNTIL AN OFFICIAL RELEASE BY WFS ※
Introducing Another Style Lovely: https://twitter.com/rpg_AE/status/1640911908642631680?cxt=HHwWgMDR5fur2MUtAAAA
Based on the video, tweet, and notice, here are some interesting things of note:

• Her Class name is Love Bird
• All-You-Can-Smack has been Updated to now Deploy the Blunt Zone. Yes, it works with her NS version too.
• Her Basic Attack has been replaced with the Skill: Today's Daily Challenge
  • Preemptive Activates Guard (2 turns)
  • When Lovely is attacked by a physical or magical attack she counters with the following effects (2 Turns)
    • Type Resistance of all enemies -50% (5 Turns, Max Stack 3), Inflicts Megapoison and Recovers AF gauge
  • This move can only be used once
• Quick Sauté! (MP 58): Fire Type Blunt attack on all enemies (XL) and Blunt resistance -50% (3 Turns) and Power and Speed of the user +50% (3 Turns)
  • When Used within the first 3 turns of battle: Buff and Debuff effects increases (x2) and grants Knockback immunity to self (3 times)
• Lovelyn's Full Course (MP 58): Fire Type Blunt attack to all enemies and Inflicts Megapoison
  • Increase Damage when the enemy is poisoned (x4)
  • When in Another Force: Adds 2 hits and Another Force Combo Up.

And now for some additional news...

• Fateful for Lovely AS (Use 2 times)
• Apocrypha Travel Memories Part 5: Featuring Mariel ES and Yipha AS both at 1%
• Lokido True Manifestation
• Lovely Cat Set
• Bug Fixes
• JP 6th Anni Popularity Poll is also live
• There's going to be another JP live stream going to be happening in a few hours. Don't expect any news.

My dog is an aussie, so she likes to herd and chase. She often chases our 1 year old cat, who instigates it half the time. Other times though, my dog will sneak up behind her and slam her HARD into the ground and make a snarl face/put her mouth around her, and shove into her with her front paws, lay on her, and our cat will just flop and take it, and start batting her face back half heartedly until she can snag a moment to escape.
Cat doesn't defend herself at all, but I've seen her hiss before at other strange dogs we've had over before, so I think she'd know to fight back if she's uncomfortable. It's just my dog slams her so hard and puts all her weight sometimes on our cat (dog is 40 lbs, cat is only like 5) but she never fights back or so much as meows. And she bugs our dog daily to play? Chase her? Idk, just instigate some sort of interaction.
It's stressing me out going back and forth between if this is okay or not. Husbands view is our cat won't let herself get hurt, so the behavior is okay, especially cause cat instigates that sort of play sometimes and is ALWAYS back on her feet, ready to play more. My view is dog is partaking on chase behavior and has the possitibility to escalate into a dangerous situation. It scares me for our cat, but my husband reassures me constantly it's ok.
It just happened again and I'm stressed out about it, so I'm asking here.

My 3y old female cat, Panini, 8 lbs, has had some stomach problems all her life. As a kitten she was diagnosed with having a chicken allergy and we switched to hydrolyzed protein dry food which went well. We eventually tried introducing tuna wet food, limited ingredients and she was fine with that. After reevaluation with the vet, we started feeding her a limited ingredient wet food and dry food, featuring fish as the protein. During that time she gained weight, had good energy but did suffer from diarrhea off and on.
2 years later we made a big cross country move and made no food changes. Panini got sick along with her brother a few weeks after we arrived. Throwing up and lack of appetite. We took them to the vet and they were diagnosed with a stomach bug which was treated with antibiotics. That solved the problem BUT ever since she has not been able to eat any dry food. We have tried multiple different kinds but no matter how slow or how many kibbles she eats, it comes back up a few hours later. Her litter mate, went through the same antibiotic treatment but does not have any remaining problems.
The two cats do not fight about food and have separate food bowls. I always ensure they both have plenty of food access. I even give Panini extra “secret” meals through out the day when her brother is sleeping to make sure she gets enough calories.
Now she eats only wet food, fish only. Poops are all good but about 1-2 times a week she throws up pretty majorly, an entire sitting of food. She has good energy and looks great aside from being pretty slender.
We consulted our vet and he did not have any ideas. Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts 😺

To start off, I am a Rover sitter, and I also have hired a walker from Rover for my own dogs. I have been on Rover for years and have really only ever had 2 weird interactions.
This one that's been bugging me happened very recently. A few months ago, my husband and I were looking for a walker for our dogs for when I'm on work trips and husband is at work. I reached out to a few people before finding the walker we use now, one of which was this lady who it never went past a Rover convo with because her availability didn't work for our needs. Nothing weird, nothing strange.
Anyways, totally forgot about her. Then a few weeks ago I get a message as a sitting request for 3 cats. I go in to read it and the message says "Hi I was curious, for house sitting do you really charge $15/night for cats?" After looking for a minute, I realized it was the same lady I had been talking to about dog walking that didn't work out. I was a bit confused by the message, I actually don't usually sit cats without a dog and so that's the add-on rate for a cat. I explained this to her and she never responded again since.
I'm just confused still about why she asked that to be honest. Is that low for cats? High? Do people not charge for cats? I just don't understand what she was getting at with that question.

​
This story contains existential material some readers may find distressing. Please be advised.
​
—
​
Nine o'clock on the dot on a Sunday morning, James Newton put on his suit and tie—tweed and checkered yellow, the ones he wore to his parents' funeral—and spent fifteen minutes in front of the mirror psyching himself up. "Come on, James," he urged his reflection. "A miracle, that's what you need. Gimme a miracle, somethin' that'll make this whole thing go away!"
He told himself that, and he got excited for the good news he would surely receive, and he got ready to go out the door. Three times he did this, and right as his hand touched the knob, he suddenly found he had to go back for another go at it.
Eventually, though, there was only so much psyching up he could muster. He finally left his apartment, walked down many flights of stairs, and got on his way walking down the street to his appointment.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear of any clouds or smog, a rare thing indeed, and the sun was merrily shining. Birds chirped, though their song was somewhat obscured by the roar of passing aeromobiles as they zipped by in the skyways. Below, where roads were needed no longer, the people were out and about on the promenade in their Sunday best, going about their business and having a grand old time.
James fit right in, a smile plastered on his face and a nod for everyone he passed. He swung his arms easily and let his gait fall into a comfortable strut, and no one would suspect a thing was wrong; no sir, no one at all.
James' path took him right into the heart of the city, where buildings rose to two and even three stories tall, brick-built all of them, with a marble state building here and a library there, and the sky was filled with aeromobiles. Trees grew in their little holes in the center of the promenades, and small gardens and parks littered the places where parking lots used to be. A flock of pigeons pecked at the ground around the garbage bin for people's leftovers. James scattered some crumbs from his pocket that he'd prepared just for them. "Good will to all the world!" he said heartily to the flying rats. "Good will, or who knows what might happen? Ha ha!"
His destination was a private practice in the middle of a lot park, fenced in with a tree in each corner, ferns and vines imported from somewhere stretching from leafy branch to leafy branch. The building itself was brick, of course (God's chosen building material, that), and space enough for only one corridor and three rooms—a waiting room, the good doctor's office, and the operating room. Humility was all anyone needed these days, and by God the owner of this establishment was practically drowning in it.
James pushed through the glass door into the waiting room with gusto. "Morning, Caroline!" he greeted the secretary by her desk. "I'm here for my appointment!"
She smiled up at him. Caroline was a sweetheart to be sure. "Hello Mister Newton," she told him. "The doctor's in if you want to get to it. You know he doesn't have anyone else to see."
"That I do, miss, that I do." James unbuttoned his suit and went to hang it on the coatrack in the corner. "Don't mind if I leave my jacket here, do you, Miss Caroline?"
"Please do!"
"Thaaank you kindly." James cleared his throat. "I'll just be on my way back then!" He stepped back into the corridor and strode to the good doctor's office with a whistlin' tune and readjusting his tie. Good thoughts, James, he reminded himself. Good thoughts and good will only, and you're sure to get good news in return!
—
"I'm terribly sorry, Mister Newton." The good doctor's voice was tinny and cool as his steel exterior. "Your diagnosis has not changed. I predict you have six months to live, possibly less."
James couldn't look at him. He couldn't look anywhere 'cept the linoleum beneath his best brown dress shoes. The ones he wore to his parents' funeral.
He didn't know if he could speak. He tried anyway. "I thought—" He swallowed the frog in his throat. "I thought I was gettin' better."
The good doctor leaned forward across his desk, his metal hands folded in front of him. "Mister Newton, I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that your chances were good, even probable. The truth is that very few people with your diagnosis live long after symptoms begin to appear, and you are well on your way to showing symptoms. I believe you were told—"
"I remember," James said hoarsely. He chanced a look at the wall to his left, then had to look away again. It had a poster of a cat hanging to a branch that said, Hang in there! in a speech bubble. It didn't make him feel better.
He tried looking at the good doctor instead. That was a mistake as well; James couldn't help it, and he knew it weren't fair, but something about the doctor's unmoving expression and cold lamplit eyes gave him the chills something awful.
He looked back down at his shoes. "What can I— what can I expect?" His voice wobbled. "Is it gonna hurt? When the symptoms start showing up?"
"Oh, I imagine so," the good doctor replied. He stood and went to pull a projector screen from its holster in the ceiling, as wide as man's wingspan. The doctor touched something at the top, and graphs and timelines filled the screen. It was one of those special screens; the ones that didn't need light shining on them to show pictures.
"See here," the doctor said, pointing to one of the graphs. "Around this time, about a week from now I'd say if my projections hold, your throat will begin to constrict and lose some of its elasticity, making it harder to breath and swallow food and drink. It will only take a week more before you're completely unable to do either. I suggest seeking hospice before then, the medical professionals should be more than capable of providing equipment that can ease the burden on your body to perform these functions. During this time, however, you'll have these symptoms to start looking out for as well…"
The good doctor's voice blurred and became background noise. James clenched his hands tighter and tighter together between his knees as the robot droned on and on about the terrible, painful things he would endure before he finally died.
Good things, James, he thought to himself desperately. Good will and good news will come to you eventually. Good will and good news will…
But the good doctor just kept droning on.
—
The drink plunked down on the bar before him. "There you are, chum, your fifth Molly's Got It All of the night! You sure are looking to forget something fierce, aren't ya?"
James pushed up his head and looked at the robot serving drinks at an awkward angle. The bartender's voice was just as unnatural as the good doctor's; only, where the doctor was cool and neutral even with a scalpel in hand and a terminal diagnosis in his processor, the bartender was painfully, infinitely cheerful.
He took his drink and swallowed half of it. "Thanks barkeep," James slurred. "Y' really know how to take care of a guy." He sluggishly raised his glass in celebration, but the bartender had already moved on to the next customer, that tinny, unnatural cheer stabbing James' ears.
He shook his head and scoffed into his glass before he took another drink. Good news and good news and good news.
"Bartender's right," a voice to his left said. A human voice, teasing. "You really are lookin' to forget."
James listed that way and looked at the person up and down. The lady was dressed in oversized overalls, big black construction boots and a button-up beneath it all, flatcap pushing her unruly curls into submission. Construction worker chic. She had a smile on her face just shy of a smirk.
James looked for a moment more before grunting and turning back to his drink. "I got my diagnosis back today," he said, not caring who heard. "I'm on my way south."
"Aw, shoot," the woman said sympathetically. "Well that's too bad, I'm sorry to hear it."
"Yeah." James polished off the last half of his drink and raised his hand to get the bartender's attention. "Same thing that killed my daddy." And my mama, he added in his head, but she din't have the same disease. Naw, it was his daddy dying from it that killed her. She couldn't live without him.
"Nothing the doc can do?" the woman asked gently as the bartender came over.
"Naw." James ordered another Molly's Got It All. Dangerous, he knew, but he was already going to die, so he might as well splurge. No one to take care of at home, no one to take care of him, so he din't have to care.
"You be sure to drink some water now, friend," the barkeep said even as he made a new drink and set it before James. "You're deep in your cups now."
"Yeah, yeah." James waved the bartender away and sipped from his sixth Molly before realizing the woman was still looking at him. "What?" The question came out ruder than he meant.
Her eyes sparkled in the low-key bar light. "I find you interesting." Her smirk stretched into a smile of the same kind.
James flushed. He liked her attention, but… "Sorry," he said, looking into his cup. "I don't think you want to get mixed up with me. Dying and all."
"Oh, who said anything about anything?" the woman dismissed. She scooted her stool closer to James' and leaned her chin on her hands, looking at him with that smile of hers. "Annabelle," she introduced herself, "if you'd like to know. And if you'd want to return the favor…" she trailed off expectantly.
James flushed deeper and found himself smiling back. "Jem—" He cleared his throat and tried to focus his drunken brain. "I'm James." He thrust his hand towards her for a handshake without thinking about it and felt stupid.
Annabelle looked at his hand with raised eyebrows, then took his hand in hers and shook it. "It's very nice to meet you, Mister James," she said in a serious tone. It was the twinkle in her eyes what betrayed her. "Now why don't you tell me what's going on?"
—
They talked for hours after that. Well, James talked, mostly, but whenever he tried to direct a question at Annabelle she returned the prompt to him, asking a deeper, more thoughtful question than a heavily inebriated man could come up with, so of course he went along with her. They talked so late nearly everyone else had gone, but there were no closing hours courtesy of the barkeep, so there was no rush. James couldn't get anymore Mollys after a time, though, owing to the alcohol limit law programmed in the bartender's processor and all.
But he didn't care. He was enthralled with Annabelle and her thoughtful questions and her genuine interest in him. At least, she seemed genuine, but James was too drunk to tell. All he knew was that it felt nice to have someone to talk to, finally.
And he did talk a lot. He told Annabelle things he hadn't told anybody, alcohol loosening his lips. He talked about his mama and his daddy, his childhood home out in the boonies where they didn't have no aeromobiles or robot doctors, his friends growing up and the games they used to play. He talked about school, and neighbors, and hopes and dreams, and sorrows, too.
He told her about his parents' deaths. That wasn't the first or last time he'd cried that night. He told her about his daddy's affliction, the thing what put him in the grave, and the thing that would put him there too. "It was so hard, watchin' him those last few days," James said, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. "He couldn't get out of bed, with all those tubes in him and what not, and he couldn't talk, obviously, and Mama couldn't stand it either even if she didn't say so, but the doctors said, they always said, 'It's our oath to help people, ma'am, if there's even a percent of a chance we can save them.'" He shook his head. "My mama used to say to that, she used to say," he gave a snort of amusement, "'doctors: they're gonna help you, even if it kills you.'"
Annabelle smiled at that and rubbed his back. She'd gotten real close to him over the night's conversation. So close James could feel her there even when he wasn't lookin'. It made him flush and blush and gave him the butterflies, the amount of attention she was giving him. Thoughts of his impending demise were banished by her wonderful smile.
He didn't want her to go away. He didn't want to think about death again. "Hey," he said hesitantly, wondering if his request was appropriate. "D'you think… well, do you think we could—"
Annabelle smiled wider and put a hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. "Honey, I was thinking the exact same thing." She patted his hand. "Just let me freshen up in the ladies' room and we can get going, yeah?"
James' heart leapt into heaven. He agreed enthusiastically, and Annabelle slipped off her stool and went into the back to the ladies' restroom, leaving James by himself positively brimming with joy.
Ten minutes went by. Then fifteen. Then twenty.
James started to get anxious. He wanted to go and check on her, but, well, was that too much? The bartender asked him if he wanted to pay his bill, but James distractedly said he'd pay while he was heading out with Annabelle.
Thirty minutes passed. Forty.
"Y'know," he said aloud, mostly to himself as he got up from his seat, "I think I will check on her, y'know, in case something happened to her." He wouldn't go in, obviously, but he could always knock, right? So James went to the back of the bar and knocked on the door to the ladies' room. "Annabelle? You okay in there?"
There was no answer.
James' fear peaked. "Barkeep," he called, "can you check the ladies' room with your sensors? I think my friend might be hurt."
The metal man behind the bar looked up from the glass he was polishing. "I'm sorry, mate, I didn't want to say anything according to how much I saw you enjoying her company, but I'm pretty sure your lady friend up and booked it from my establishment almost an hour ago. My scanners are only picking up one body signature, and that's yours." Analytical words, all spoken with the stupid cheer of an empty-headed tin man.
Fear became disappointment. "You sure?" James asked, hoping against hope.
"Scanners don't lie!" the bartender replied.
Peachy. Just excellent. Good news and good news, James thought bitterly. Crestfallen, he slumped back to the bar and sighed, "Guess I'll pay my bill, then."
"Right-o!" The bartender whipped over to the cash register and waited for James to sullenly follow him there.
He reached into his suit pocket. Then his other one.
Where was his wallet?
"Something the matter?" the bartender pipped.
James couldn't handle the robot's overly happy voice right now. "Yes, just—give me a moment," he nearly growled, reaching inside his suit jacket to the pocket there.
Nothing. He patted his pants and the back of his pants. Nothing. James crouched low to look at the ground beneath his stool and nothing. "I—" He didn't know what to say. He'd had his wallet walking in. Had to; needed his worker card to get served. Where could it have—
By now the alcohol had worn off enough that James could mostly use his brain. He put two and two together and realized what had happened. "I'm sorry, but I think my wallet was stolen," he told the bartender, stricken. He hadn't noticed; but of course he hadn't noticed. He'd been drunk. Very drunk. And Annabelle had known that, if that was even her real name.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that!" Again, the unnatural cheer, especially considering his next words. "And I'm sorry to say that if you can't pay, I'll have to be calling the sheriffs!"
"What?" James stared at the bartender. "I can't just open a tab and pay it off later?"
"Sorry, no can do!" The robot was already moving towards the rotary phone on his side of the bar. "My processor isn't powerful enough to retain information longer or more complicated than my regulars' names and the laws I was programmed with, and I'm afraid I wasn't programmed to read or write! If you want to blame anyone, blame the Howie Blayton Manufacturing Company!"
Good news and good news and good news. James felt a horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. Stranded in the local detainment center while his body collapsed in on itself? No way!
"Hey there officer!" the bartender said brightly into the transmitter. "I'd like to report a miscreant here at—hey, where are you going?"
The door was already closing behind James as he fled into the night.
—
He ran until he was sweating through his nice tweed suit and breathing so heavy he wheezed. He hadn't made it as far as he would have just weeks ago. It felt like his throat was caving in.
James looked around. He was standing on a little bridge that spanned a creek to a forest path, an overgrown jungle of a place. The grass was so long it hung from the lip of the creek bed to the still water below.
He was still in the heart of the city, but the roar of aeromobile traffic was far away. He must be at the edge of one of the city's massive replanting projects.
He sat down heavily on the bridge, letting his legs dangle. Good news, his mama always said. Good thoughts and good will, and good news will come to you. She said that while daddy was sick in bed and she sat by his side. She never left his side, really. James had had to work double shift at his delivery job just to keep things afloat, there.
And now he was soon to be right where his daddy was, and no one like his mama would be there for him.
James thought he had cried all he could cry that night, but tears began to form in his eyes and spill down his cheeks nonetheless. He put his face in his hands and let the sobs wrack his aching throat once again.
As he cried, a secret memory unearthed itself in James' mind. It was a memory from long ago, back when his daddy was dying, on one of the rare moments his mama left to go to her job and take care of things on her own instead of relying on James. James, like his mama, barely left his daddy's side when he could manage it.
And on that day, while his mama was far away, James watched as his daddy suddenly began to thrash and writhe, flinging the tubes in his mouth and his stomach and his private parts every which way, his eyes rolled back in his head. Little ten-year-old James didn't know whether his daddy was awake or half-comatose, but he knew he was scared, and he couldn't be scared. Scared weren't a good thought, and James needed to think good thoughts.
So he tried to calm his daddy by telling him how brave he was, how everything was gonna be alright and mama would be home any minute—but his father couldn't hear him.
"Shauna!" his daddy shouted, voice obscured by the tube jammed down his throat. "James! I can't see, Goddammit—Shauna! Shauna, where are you?!"
James was terrified. He reached to grab his daddy's hand before remembering that he couldn't touch him 'cause it would hurt him. "Daddy," James cried. "Daddy, it's alright, I'm here!"
"Shauna! Shauna!" Tears were rolling down Daddy's cheeks, his unseeing eyes staring terrified at the ceiling. "Shauna!" he sobbed. "Shauna, I'm scared! I'm scared!"
"No!" James shouted over his daddy. "No, you can't say that, daddy, good thoughts! Only good thoughts, you gotta—"
His father's thrashing grew more violent as he continued to be unable to hear his son. One of the tubes lashed James across the face, and he fell to the ground screaming. On the floor, James could only see the writhing blankets and the occasional flash of a hand, all while his daddy sobbed and screamed like a child having a nightmare he couldn't wake up from.
Mama came home to find James sobbing on the floor and her husband dead under the covers.
A secret memory, and a secret fear. James remembered the terror on his daddy's face as he died. He remembered his father's blindness, his father's deafness, all caused by his disease. He remembered his father, unable to be touched, machines surrounding him, nothing anyone could do for him.
James remembered his daddy crying for his wife, unable to tell that his son was right next to him. Even with someone there, his daddy had died alone.
Alone. And there was nothing anyone could do.
James clutched at his hair and breathed through gritted teeth. He didn't want to die alone. He moaned in fear, his teeth chattered, he rocked himself back and forth on the edge of that little bridge. He didn't want to die alone.
But he would. Even if he wasn't, he would die alone, and all the good intentions and good thoughts in the world wouldn't save him. Everyone dies alone. No one can share in your last moments, even if they're right next to you. No one will know, even if they care so much for you they'd die without you. You're trapped in your head until the bitterest end.
James wailed and beat at his legs with his fists and screamed at the unfairness. He didn't want to die alone!
"I don't want to die alone!" he shouted into the night. The night did not respond.
He continued to sob and scream and wail, all alone.

Okay, last week we pulled up for a quick book caucus, and it wasn't so bad. It wasn't nearly as cold as I thought it would be. Two new people showed up, Aurora_the_Off-White and MunsonTime, and we need a few new dudes. We went right into How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, and most of us actually read it this time, so good timing.
Aurora told us the author started writing it over a decade ago and the pandemic elements are a coincidence to our experience over the last couple of years. She really appreciated the last chapter and thought it really brought the disparate stories together. Munson said that the theme of the stories was people dealing with their grief and mourning of lost loved ones. He liked the style of seemingly disparate stories about ordinary people dealing with their circumstance. Everyone had a high opinion of the book, though I thought there was some inconsistency and we could maybe have done without the pig boy story.
Incorrigible_muffin said How High We Go reminded her of The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, which she said was a series of loosely connected vignettes and stories. Candy House is a sequel of A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, but Muffin says you don't need to it to fully enjoy The Candy House.
Someone else threw out World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, which is the prototype of the strongly themed short story collections. We talked about other near future post-apocalyptic works, and lamented that there were few well-written ones. Coconut thought Station Eleven belonged in the discussion and we all agreed that it was excellent. We talked about Emily St. John Mandel's other works The Glass Hotel and Sea of Tranquility and those of use who had read them had a high opinion of them. I recently read The Dog Stars by Peter Heller and can recommended it as a mashup of post apocalyptic gun nuts and spicy romance done by a high quality author.
We talked about N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became and we had mixed appreciation for it. Muffin thought it was amazing, and thought the same of its sequel, The World We Make. She has spent a lot of time in New York and the story elements really resonated for her. Apparently there's also a Great Cities 0.5 that I haven't heard of before called The City Born Great.
We discussed some of NK Jemesin's other series such as the Broken Earth series starting with The Fifth Seasonand The Inheritance Cycle, starting with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Munson had only been to New York once and couldn't relate to the city like Muffin or Coconut could. He gave it a shot and then switched to a different book. I was listening to the audio book, and the narrator started acting out the book and that ruined it for me. She'd whisper parts and I'd have to turn it up, and then she's yell parts and it just got more and more annoying. I usually listen to nonfiction books.
We talked about the compulsion to finish books. Everyone has a position. Some people feel like they're failing if they abandon a book. I say if you're not enjoying the book, you're wasting your time. Munson talked about reading Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon with a group of his friends, and finding it such a slog that he ended up not reading anything for three months because he couldn't swallow any more of Against the Day.
Munson is most excited about hard science fiction, and is currently finishing the third book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past series by Cixin Liu, which I think is The Redemption of Time. The other two books are the The Three-Body Problem and Death's End.
Aurora is working on the the Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas and is liking it. She says very similar things as Laucchi when she was reading it, notably that it started as practically YA and become more adult and pretty spicy in later books. She liked the depiction of the Fae Court being darker and more complex than simpler stories tend to depict. She noted how similar it was to the one in the The Dresden Files and we talked about the wizard with a shotgun motif. She also mentioned a new book by the author of Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer but I didn't know which one it was.
Quite a few of the people who had read the Dresden books found them to be misogynistic or at least condescending towards women. Muffin talked about a common convention in urban fantasy where the hero adopts a patronizing attitude and tries to handle all the problems in the world. The hero tries to keep his friends safe rather than allow them to help themselves or utilize those resources to take care of their common problems. She pointed out places in the Harry Potter series where that was happening. I always recommend the Alex Verus series for urban fantasy, and it has some of those tendencies as well.
Speaking of urban fantasy, Muffin read the third book of The Checquy Files, but didn't think it was as good as the second book, which itself was not as good as the first. So now I'm less excited about reading it, but I'll probably still give it a try. All of us really liked The Rook. We talked about the Laundry Files by Charles Stross as having a similar urban fantasy/Ministry of Information flavor.
Muffin heartily recommends Pusheen the Cat's Guide to Everything by Claire Belton, giving it 5 out of 5 paws. She doesn't normally drift into historical fiction, but picked up The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. She says it surprised her by having a typical Dutch sailor and the courtesan romance, but said the two halves of the relationship were fairly equal and it was less condescending toward the female character than she expected.
She read Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo, sequel to Ninth House, saying it was well plotted and well paced. The premise of the books is that there were eight secret societies at Yale that were indulging in various dark sorceries, and a ninth house that was supposed to keep them in line. She also rather liked Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn, saying it was The Golden Girls meets Murder Inc.
We talked extensively about Neal Stephenson and each of us had a different favorite book by him. I said that Quicksilver was my favorite Neal Stephenson book but then Coconut mentioned The Diamond Age, and I had to change my answer to that. We talked about:

• Snow Crash
  
• Anathem
  
• Cryptonomicon
  
• The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer
  
• Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell
  
• Reamde
  
• Seveneves
  
• Termination Shock
  

We decided to add a Neal Stephenson book to the list, and settled on Fall or Dodge in Hell. Or you can just pick whichever one you like.
We talked about audiobooks, and Munson said that the graphic audio version of Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson was a lot of fun, and recommended Life is So Good by George Dawson read by Levar Burton. We also covered Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, The Past is Red by Catherine Valente, and The Measure by Nikki Erlick.
Coming Up on April 23

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• Trans-Galactic Bike Ride: Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction Stories of Transgender and Nonbinary Adventurers edited by Lydia Rogue

Coming Up on May 21

• I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
• Blitz by Daniel O'Malley

Coming Up on June 18

• Fall; Or, Dodge in Hell
• or some other Neal Stephenson book

Coming Up on July 23

• Just pick a book in your To Be Read pile and tell us about it. We were lamenting the large backlog that each of each is carrying around and decided to just knock some of them out.

For starters, I'm an idiot. I had a small bug inside of my monitor (I've been dealing with small bugs in my room since I moved my cats in here) and I pressed down on my screen and smushed it without thinking, and now there is a big red blotch where it was. My monitor is a ZOWIE XL2546K 240Hz monitor, so its not like I can really justify spending $450 to replace it over this. I am very technologically dumb when it comes to hands on stuff. I mean I installed my ram upside down levels of dumb. Does anyone know if there is anything I can do that would not require some crazy, or even intermediate technical knowledge to get it out ?
Also I notice I put my twice in the title Im very stressed out right now trying to figure out if Im just going to have to have bug blood in my peripheral vision all the time now.