Hi friends, We recently started writing about Danish idioms on our newsletter the Simple Danish Newsletter - I also started posting them here on Reddit, but I have not been great at keeping up, and so now I am 12 weeks behind here on Reddit, and rather than space out 12 different posts, I thought I would do one big post and hopefully get back on track with the postings 😅 So here’s a bunch of Danish idioms for you!
At have det som blommen i et æg
Litterally; to feel like the yolk in an egg. I like this idiom a lot because of how visual it is. It means that you feel good, you feel comfortable, protected, and in the right place.
For example:
A: Se de søde killinger der sover.
B: Åårh, de har sikkert som blommen i et æg.
En heldig kartoffel
Literally, a lucky potato. If someone is especially lucky, in Danish ,you can call them a lucky potato. As far as I can read, the expression comes from an old sailors game, where you would pass a potato around in a circle, and a person in the middle would try to catch it. If the person in the middle could not catch the potato, it was said to be a lucky potato.
For example: A: Jeg har fri på fredag, så jeg kan nyde det gode vejr.
B: Din heldige kartoffel.
A: Har du hørt at Jonas har vundet i lotto? B: Sikke en heldig kartoffel!
En varm kartoffel
Something can also be a hot potato. It is the same expression as in english, where an issue can be a hot potato. Something so hot that it is painful to touch, and so something you would want to avoid. This expression is less used in Denmark, and mostly by newspapers or the older generations.
Lokummet brænder
Litterally: The toilet is on fire.
Either you are in big trouble or you are about to be in big trouble when your toilet is on fire.
Lokum in Danish used to refer to the old shed behind the house, where hole-in-the-ground-with-seat type toilets with no running water were found. Nowadays the word can also refer, with some disgust, to normal toilets.
For example:

• Danskerne er gode til at få psykologisk hjælp når lokummet brænder.
  
• Når lokummet brænder, ved jeg at jeg altid kan regne med dig.
  

Så er den ged barberet
Litterally translating to; then the goat is shaved. Means that something is done or solved. You can use it if you got an annoying task out of the way, either by avoiding the task entirely (and then ironically using så er den ged barberet to humorously say that it was easy), or by actually finishing it.
Example 1: Jeg skal lige færdiggøre den sidste del af præsentationen, og så er den ged barberet.
Example 2: FCK scorede et hurtigt mål mod Brøndby, og så var den ged barberet.
Hvor kragerne vender
Where the crows turn around is used to to mean the same as in the middle of nowhere, although I like the illustrativeness of the Danish phrase much more than in the middle of nowhere. It means somewhere so far away, that even the crows don’t dare go there. You can for example say; Rasmus er vokset op på landet. Der hvor kragerne vender. Or if someone asks you what you did this weekend, you can say: jeg var ude at gå en tur, helt derude hvor kragerne vender. Or if people ask you where you are from: jeg er fra en lille by ude hvor kragerne vender.
Den der kommer først til mølle, får først malet
Litterally; The one who arrives first at the mill will get milled first. This is pretty much the the Danish equivalent of first come, first serve, mixed with a bit of the early bird gets the worm. However in everyday life, you pretty much only hear the first part; først til mølle or you might see something like; “efter først til mølle princip” which was recently added to the Danish dictionary. You might see the phrase if you are looking at items being given away for free or being sold online. I can definitely see how the isolated phrase can confuse new learners though: “Selling sneakers. First to the mill.”
So now you know 😊
at spille kong gulerod
At spille kong gulerod, to play king-carrot. You can use this expression if someone is acting arrogant, cocky, or superior in a pretentious way. You can for example say du skal ikke komme her og spille kong gulerod if someone is being pompous around you. The phrase apparently comes from an old french, satirical opera from 1872, where vegetables from the garden take control over France. Or so I’ve heard. Don’t cite me on that.
At købe katten i sækken
Literally meaning to buy the cat in the sack. To buy the cat in the sack, means you got cheated in a trade, or that you were not diligent enough when checking what you were buying and got something not worth a lot. You can change the person or the idiom in the idiom as in jeg har købt katten i sækken meaning you already made the bad deal, or you can say hun køber katten i sækken in the 3rd person future tense if someone is going to make a bad decision. You can use it as a warning to someone Pas på du ikke køber katten i sækken if you think there’s a risk they will not make a good choice later.
At gå som katten om den varme grød
Litterally; to walk like the cat around the hot porridge. We use this idiom when someone hesitates to speak directly about a sensitive subject, when they skirt around the issue. I imagine a cat, interested in eating a nice bowl of hot porridge, but the cat is hesitant because it is afraid of burning its tongue.
Example: I forbindelse med spørgsmålet om klimaforandringer, gik politikerne som katten om den varme grød.
at skyde papegøjen
To shoot the parrot, or to have shot the parrot, means to be very lucky. It can also mean to have gotten hold of a very valuable object or person. It is in a sensee the opposite of having bought the cat in the sack. Here’s a few examples:
Rasmus har skudt papegøjen med hende Antonina. Hun er godt nok sød. Jeg har skudt papegøjen her I weekenden på loppemarkedet.
Det med småt
“that with small/little” or more legibly: the fine print.
Har du læst det med småt? Did you read the fine print? You will often see this when websites are trying to be transparent or quirky about their terms and conditions. So you might encounter a link or a website titled “det med småt” if you are trying to buy something.
That was all for now 😅 I apologize in advance for formatting problems, as I am writing this on mobile as apparently this is the only way Reddit will allow me to post multiple images.

DAY: MAY 13, 2024

• 5-13-2024BIKING REVEALED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH LESS KNEE PAIN LATER IN LIFE A study reveals that people who participated in regular bicycling over their lifetime had a lower prevalence of frequent knee pain, radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) and symptomatic radiographic osteoarthritis (SOA). Rheumatologists often encourage regular physical activity for the prevention of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. However, some exercises are more effective than others.
• 5-13-2024STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS CAN INCREASE YOUR RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one or divorce, put a person at greater risk of developing dementia in later life, a recent study has found. But only if the stressful event happened in childhood or midlife. The study included 1,290 people at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers looked at 18 stressful life events and when in people’s lives they happened.
• 5-13-2024TIPS FOR LOWERING STROKE RISK May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and as part of everyday awareness, Mayo Clinic health care professionals suggest reducing stroke risk and knowing the signs. A stroke happens every 40 seconds in the U.S., and the likelihood of stroke increases with age, according to the National Institutes of Health. Preventing a stroke is a crucial aspect of health care, as about 80% of all strokes are preventable. The focus is on managing risk factors to reduce the long-term risk of stroke.
• 5-13-2024IT’S TIME TO USE TIKTOK TO TALK TO YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT OBESITY, SAYS RESEARCHER There is an urgent need to harness the potential of TikTok and other social media channels to provide scientific information about obesity to young people in engaging and accessible way . The popularity and broad reach of such platforms provides the opportunity to reach diverse audiences, including teenagers and young adults, explains lead researcher Dr. Antonella Franceschelli, of Unicamillus International Medical University, Rome, Italy.
• 5-13-2024WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER TAKE NUTRITION ADVICE FROM A CENTENARIAN It’s a cliche of reporting on people who reach 100 years of age, or even 110, to ask them some variation of the question: “What did you do to live this long?” Inevitably, some interesting and unexpected answer is highlighted. Fish and chips every Friday. Drinking a glass of strong liquor every day. Bacon for breakfast every morning. Wine and chocolate. While a popular news story, this is a relatively meaningless question that doesn’t help us understand why certain people have lived so long.
• 5-13-2024JUNK FOOD MARKETING ON VIDEOGAME LIVESTREAMING PLATFORMS INCREASES PURCHASES AND CONSUMPTION AMONG TEENS, STUDY FINDS Food and drink advertisements on videogame livestreaming platforms (VGLSPs) like Twitch are associated with more positive attitudes towards, and purchases and intake of, unhealthy foods that are high in fat, salt and/or sugar (HFSS) like energy drinks among adolescents aged 18 or younger. The concerning findings prompt researchers to call for stronger regulations on digital marketing of unhealthy foods to young people on these platforms, where there is currently no effective regulation
• 5-13-2024HIGHER BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL AT GESTATIONAL DIABETES DIAGNOSIS LINKED TO HARMFUL OUTCOMES FOR MOTHERS AND BABIES The higher the blood sugar level in pregnant women when first diagnosed with diabetes, the higher the risk of complications around and after birth
• 5-13-2024ASKING ADULTS WITH OBESITY ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT DURING CHILDHOOD COULD HELP DETERMINE THEIR MORTALITY RISK Being asked whether you considered yourself a normal weight, plumper or thinner as a child when attending a doctor’s appointment as an adult might appear like a very strange question to ask, but new research suggests that such questions can help identify increased mortality risk in adults living with obesity.
• 5-13-2024ENERGY DRINKS CAN LEAD TO SERIOUS HEART ISSUES IN KIDS AND TEENS, HEALTH EXPERTS SAY Hennessy Sepulveda thought she was going to die. “I began dissociating as I was driving. I was 10 minutes away from my house. My vision started warping and the lights were hitting me really bright,” she said. “I felt my chest pounding, I felt a wave of panic hit me—I knew something was wrong.” Sepulveda, a Florida International University student who was 19 at the time, was admitted to the hospital, and was surprised by the cause of her symptoms
• 5-13-2024A BLOOD TEST TO HELP DETECT LUNG CANCER? NEW TEST OFFERED AT 18 LOCATIONS Julie Harris had never been tested for lung cancer. A low-dose CT scan, the only recommended screening for adults at risk of developing lung cancer, was not something she’d ever found time to do. But when her primary care doctor recently suggested a new blood test to help look for signs of the disease, Harris was intrigued. She had her blood drawn the same day, in the same building as her doctor’s appointment.
• 5-13-2024STUDY SHOWS EXERCISING SLOWS OUR PERCEPTION OF TIME results of a new study show for the first time that individuals tend to experience time as moving slower when they are exercising compared to when they are resting or after completing their exercise.
• 5-13-2024BREAKTHROUGH THERAPIES ARE SAVING LIVES, BUT CAN WE AFFORD THEM? Harnessing the body’s own cells to fight disease, long a medical dream, is finally a reality. Now comes the bill. Last month, Stanford became the first hospital in the nation to use a new $515,000 cell therapy to treat a patient with advanced melanoma. A related approach, costing $420,000 to $475,000, is offering hope to patients with lethal blood cancers. Meanwhile, cells fixed by gene therapy can slow, even stop, the progression of intractable diseases like sickle cell or beta thalassemia—
• 5-13-2024RESEARCH FINDS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME SPELLS BAD NEWS FOR HEALTHY HABITS
• 5-13-2024HOW READING HELPS YOUNG CHILDREN LEARN ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF PAIN
• 5-13-2024HEART FAILURE PATIENTS WHO DO YOGA HAVE STRONGER HEARTS AND CAN BE MORE ACTIVE, RESEARCH SUGGESTS
• 5-13-2024ITALIAN STUDY FINDS EVIDENCE OF BODY DYSMORPHIA IN PROFILE PICTURES OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH OBESITY
• 5-13-2024UNDERSTANDING AND PREVENTING BLADDER CANCER
• 5-13-2024OUR BRAINS TRICK US INTO THINKING CONSCIOUSNESS CAN RESIDE OUTSIDE THE BODY, RESEARCH ARGUES
• 5-13-2024YOGA SHOWS ‘MOST IMPROVEMENT’ IN RESTORING BRAIN HEALTH IN LONG-TERM CANCER SURVIVORS, RESEARCHER SAYS
• 5-13-2024DISTURBING NEW TRENDS ARE DRIVING UP THE NUMBERS
• 5-13-2024SUPPORTING WEIGHT-LOSS MEDICATIONS WITH ADEQUATE, TAILORED NUTRITION
• 5-13-2024WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE A SLEEPWALKER’S BRAIN?
• 5-13-2024COMING OFF OZEMPIC SLOWLY COULD PREVENT WEIGHT GAIN, STUDY SHOWS
• 5-13-2024STUDY SHOWS ALARMING RISE OF ELECTRONIC VAPING USE IN US ADOLESCENTS
• 5-13-2024UK SURVEY FINDS ‘DISGUST FACTOR’ NEEDS TO BE OVERCOME IF EATING INSECTS IS TO BECOME TRULY MAINSTREAM
• 5-13-2024SEMAGLUTIDE CAN YIELD WEIGHT LOSS, LOWER HEART ISSUES FOR AT LEAST FOUR YEARS IN NON-DIABETIC ADULTS WITH OVERWEIGHT
• 5-13-2024BETTER NUTRITION CAN HELP FIREFIGHTERS FIGHT CANCER
• 5-13-2024EXPLORING THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR RESILIENCE
• 5-13-2024REMOTE HEART FAILURE MONITORING DEVICE COULD PREVENT HOSPITALIZATIONS
• 5-13-2024IDENTICAL ODORS SEEM DIFFERENT WHEN GIVEN DIFFERENT NAMES
• 5-13-2024HOW CANNABIS AND PSILOCYBIN MIGHT HELP SOME OF THE 50 MILLION AMERICANS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING CHRONIC PAIN
• 5-13-2024AUTISTIC CHILDREN COULD BE THE REAL WINNERS FROM ONLINE GAMES
• 5-13-2024TEENAGE USERS OF HIGH-THC CANNABIS VARIETIES TWICE AS LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE PSYCHOTIC EPISODES
• 5-13-2024PEPTIDE-BASED HYDROGEL SHOWS PROMISE FOR A WIDE RANGE OF TISSUE AND ORGAN REPAIR
• 5-13-2024TO AVENGE OR NOT TO AVENGE? PSYCHOLOGISTS DIG DEEPER INTO HOW PEOPLE SEE REVENGE AND THOSE WHO DO IT
• 5-13-2024TRANSGENDER PRETEENS REPORT 13 HOURS OF DAILY SCREEN TIME
• 5-13-2024STUDY FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE BENEFIT TO PEDIATRIC CELIAC DISEASE MASS SCREENING
• 5-13-2024COMMONLY USED ANTIBIOTIC BRINGS MORE COMPLICATIONS, DEATH IN THE SICKEST PATIENTS
• 5-13-2024NEW PAPER EXAMINES POTENTIAL POWER AND PITFALLS OF HARNESSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR SLEEP MEDICINE
• 5-13-2024VARIATIONS IN TELOMERE LENGTHENING GENES MAY PREDISPOSE SOME PEOPLE TO PAPILLARY THYROID CANCER
• 5-13-2024WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF AN ATHLETE BEING ‘MEDICALLY RETIRED’ DUE TO CONCUSSION?
• 5-13-2024NOT SURE ABOUT VACCINES? HOW MESSAGING IS FRAMED MAKES A DIFFERENCE, NEW RESEARCH SHOWS
• 5-13-2024NEW STUDY REVEALS THE KEY ROLE OF MITOCHONDRIAL PROTEINS IN CARDIAC REGENERATION
• 5-13-2024NEW SYNTHETIC BIOMARKER TECHNOLOGY DIFFERENTIATES BETWEEN PRIOR ZIKA AND DENGUE INFECTIONS
• 5-13-2024IN SEARCH OF THE BEST TEST FOR HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY
• 5-13-2024ORGANIZATIONS PUBLISH JOINT GUIDELINE ON GLUCOCORTICOID-INDUCED ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY
• 5-13-2024CLINICAL TRIAL INVESTIGATING AFICAMTEN MEETS PRIMARY ENDPOINT IN OBSTRUCTIVE HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY
• 5-13-2024RESEARCH INVESTIGATES LIMITED EFFICACY OF COMMON LOCAL ANESTHETIC
• 5-13-2024HOW SCIENCE CLEARED THE AIR OVER INHALED HEALTH RISKS
• 5-13-2024WHAT’S KEEPING THE US FROM ALLOWING BETTER SUNSCREENS?
• 5-13-2024PATIENTS CAN NOW STAY CONNECTED BY WEARING ONE
• 5-13-2024THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR HYPERMUTATED UROTHELIAL CARCINOMAS BEYOND IMMUNOTHERAPY
• 5-13-2024RESEARCHERS REVEAL THE DOUBLE-EDGED-SWORD EFFECT OF OVERCONFIDENCE ON GAMBLING
• 5-13-2024TEAM STUDIES FACTORS RELATED TO A SENSE OF ECONOMIC INSECURITY IN OLDER ADULTS
• 5-13-2024PEDIATRICIAN OFFERS TIPS ON HOW TO SUPPORT HEALTHY MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR CHILD
• 5-13-2024NEW DEVICE COULD IDENTIFY WHICH BABIES WILL STRUGGLE WITH BREASTFEEDING
• 5-13-2024COULD FLIRT LEAD TO A SUMMER UPTICK?
• 5-13-2024RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS DRAMATIC INCREASE IN FENTANYL SEIZED BY AUTHORITIES IN LAST SIX YEARS
• 5-13-2024CHILD MEASLES CASE AT SACRAMENTO HOSPITAL MAY HAVE EXPOSED 200 PEOPLE, HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY
• 5-13-2024AN AUXILIARY CHD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM BASED ON MULTI-VIEW AND MULTI-MODAL TRANSTHORACIC ECHOCARDIOGRAMS
• 5-13-2024PROJECTED ESTIMATES OF CANCER IN CANADA IN 2024: STUDY
• 5-13-2024REPORT FINDS PRIVATE HEALTH PLANS PAID HOSPITALS 254% OF WHAT MEDICARE WOULD PAY DURING 2022
• 5-13-2024HOW OBESITY AND METABOLIC SYNDROME AFFECTS WOMEN’S RISKS OF BREAST CANCER AND CANCER-RELATED DEATH
• 5-13-2024CANCER AND COVID DROVE PATIENT TO DOUBLE-LUNG TRANSPLANT
• 5-13-2024CHOLERA OUTBREAK INTENSIFYING IN YEMEN, UN WARNS
• 5-13-2024RESEARCH TAKES ELECTRORETINOGRAPHY TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH A SOFT MULTI-ELECTRODE SYSTEM
• 5-13-2024NEW STUDY SHOWS CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF ANTIVIRAL PROTEINS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LUPUS SYMPTOMS
• 5-13-2024DID A WORM REALLY EAT PART OF ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.’S BRAIN?
• 5-13-2024REINING IN ROGUE OBAMACARE AGENTS WITHOUT SLOWING ENROLLMENT
• 5-13-2024IS ‘HERD IMMUNITY’ IN INTENSIVE CARE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD?
• 5-13-2024TOO MANY AUSTRALIANS AREN’T GETTING A FLU VACCINE—WHY, AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
• 5-13-2024RESEARCHERS FIND 13% REDUCTION IN ASTHMA IN CHILDREN BORN IN AN URBAN LOW EMISSION ZONE
• 5-13-2024RESEARCHERS USE DUAL DRUG STRATEGY TO ADVANCE MELANOMA TREATMENT AGAINST RESISTANCE
• 5-13-2024ENGINEERING MINI HUMAN HEARTS TO STUDY PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS AND BIRTH DEFECTS
• 5-13-2024FOR TREATING RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY, RESEARCH PROVES THAT RANIBIZUMAB IS SAFE
• 5-13-2024STUDY FINDS SENSE OF SHARED SIMULTANEITY INCREASES WITH GROUP SIZE
• 5-13-2024WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• 5-13-2024ATTACKING BIRTH CONTROL PILLS, US INFLUENCERS PUSH MISINFORMATION
• 5-13-2024UN NEARS LANDMARK DEAL ON COMBATING BIOPIRACY
• 5-13-2024VARIATIONS IN ‘ANCIENT’ IMMUNE CELLS LINKED TO PATIENTS’ SURVIVAL IN CANCER
• 5-13-2024SOURCE OF SUGAR MAY BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN AMOUNT WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OBESITY IN CHILDREN
• 5-13-2024UK STUDY INVOLVING OVER 80,000 ADULTS FINDS SMOKERS TEND TO EAT LESS AND HAVE A LESS HEALTHY DIET THAN NON-SMOKERS
• 5-13-2024TRIAL REVEALS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY POWER OF AEROBIC EXERCISE IN ADULTS WITH OBESITY
• 5-13-2024LARGE-SCALE FINNISH STUDY DISCOVERS LINK BETWEEN PREMATURE MENOPAUSE AND MORTALITY RISK
• 5-13-2024SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS TIED TO REHAB USE DURING CRITICAL ILLNESS HOSPITALIZATION
• 5-13-2024AVOID OVERHEATING DANGERS WHEN RECHARGING MEDICAL DEVICES
• 5-13-2024LOWER PREVALENCE OF EMPLOYMENT SEEN FOR SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER
• 5-13-2024BLOOD PRESSURE DOWN WITH SELF-MONITORING, SELF-TITRATION OF MEDICATIONS
• 5-13-2024PSILOCYBIN MAY REVERSE ANOREXIA’S COGNITIVE RIGIDITY
• 5-13-2024STUDY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR CELL-TYPE-SPECIFIC THERAPIES IN TREATMENT OF HIV
• 5-13-2024INTENSE ULTRASOUND EXTRACTS GENETIC INFO FOR LESS INVASIVE CANCER BIOPSIES
• 5-13-2024WEIGHT LOSS DRUG LINKED WITH REDUCED NEED FOR DIURETICS IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS
• 5-13-2024EVIDENCE OF A TRAVEL DIRECTION SIGNAL THAT IS INDEPENDENT FROM HEAD DIRECTION IN HUMANS
• 5-13-2024STUDY SHOWS CHATGPT CAN ACCURATELY ANALYZE MEDICAL CHARTS FOR CLINICAL RESEARCH, OTHER APPLICATIONS
• 5-13-2024WHAT MAKES A MEMORY? IT MAY BE RELATED TO HOW HARD YOUR BRAIN HAD TO WORK
• 5-13-2024BIRTH BY C-SECTION MORE THAN DOUBLES ODDS OF MEASLES VACCINE FAILURE, STUDY FINDS
• 5-13-2024SCIENTISTS FIND SLEEP MAY NOT CLEAR BRAIN TOXINS

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satisfy, sauce, save, saving, say, scale, scandal, scare, scatter, scenario, scene, schedule, scheme, scholar, scholarship, school, science, scientific, scientist, scope, score, scream, screen, script, sea, search, season, seat, second, secondary, secret, secretary, section, sector, secure, security, see, seed, seek, seem, segment, seize, select, selection, self, sell, Senate, senator, send, senior, sense, sensitive, sentence, separate, sequence, series, serious, seriously, servant, serve, service, session, set, setting, settle, settlement, seven, several, severe, sex, sexual, shade, shadow, shake, shall, shallow, shape, share, sharp, she, sheet, shelf, shell, shelter, shift, shine, ship, shirt, shock, shoe, shoot, shooting, shop, shopping, short, shortly, shot, should, shoulder, shout, show, shower, shrug, shut, shy, sibling, sick, side, sigh, sight, sign, signal, significant, significantly, silence, silent, silver, similar, similarly, simple, simply, sin, since, sing, singer, single, sink, sir, sister, sit, site, situation, six, size, ski, skill, skin, skirt, sky, slave, sleep, slice, slide, slight, slightly, slip, slow, slowly, small, smart, smell, smile, smoke, smooth, snap, snow, so, so-called, soccer, social, society, soft, software, soil, solar, soldier, sole, solid, solution, solve, some, somebody, somehow, someone, something, sometimes, somewhat, somewhere, son, song, soon, sophisticated, sorry, sort, soul, sound, soup, source, south, southern, Soviet, space, Spanish, speak, speaker, special, specialist, species, specific, specifically, specify, speech, speed, spend, spending, spin, spirit, spiritual, split, spoil, sponsor, sport, spot, spray, spread, spring, square, squeeze, stability, stable, staff, stage, stain, stair, stake, stand, standard, standing, star, stare, start, state, statement, station, statistical, status, stay, steady, steal, steel, steep, stem, step, stick, still, stimulate, stimulus, stir, stock, stomach, stone, stop, storage, store, storm, story, straight, strange, stranger, strategic, strategy, stream, street, strength, strengthen, stress, stretch, strike, string, strip, stroke, strong, strongly, structural, structure, struggle, student, studio, study, stuff, stupid, style, subject, submit, subsequent, substance, substantial, substitute, succeed, success, successful, successfully, such, sudden, suddenly, sue, suffer, sufficient, sugar, suggest, suggestion, suicide, suit, summer, summit, sun, super, supply, support, supporter, suppose, supposed, Supreme, sure, surely, surface, surgery, surprise, surprised, surprising, surprisingly, surround, survey, survival, survive, survivor, suspect, sustain, swear, sweep, sweet, swim, swing, switch, symbol, symptom, system, table, tactic, tail, take, tale, talent, talk, tall, tank, tap, tape, target, task, taste, tax, taxi, tea, teach, teacher, teaching, team, tear, technical, technique, technology, teen, teenager, telephone, telescope, television, tell, temperature, 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weather, web, website, wedding, week, weekend, weekly, weigh, weight, welcome, welfare, well, west, western, wet, what, whatever, wheel, when, whenever, where, whereas, whether, which, while, whisper, white, who, whole, whom, whose, why, wide, widely, widespread, wife, wild, wildlife, will, willing, win, wind, window, wine, wing, winner, winter, wipe, wire, wisdom, wise, wish, with, withdraw, within, without, witness, woman, wonder, wonderful, wood, wooden, word, work, worker, working, workout, workplace, works, workshop, world, worried, worry, worth, would, wound, wrap, write, writer, writing, wrong, yard, yeah, year, yell, yellow, yes, yesterday, yet, yield, you, young, your, yours, yourself, youth, zone.

Wade took a breath as he picked up his old duffel bag, now loaded with his DD uniform and a few other items from the Ceres mines as he slotted it to his side, with the large band handle around his neck. Having gathered his belongings, he joined Tina, who was waiting near the ship's open bay door as he walked over to her. The couple watched several of the other troopers inside marching out as well, some carrying crates of supplies and items out of the craft as they departed for the base outside. Kelly was one of the last ones still on board, checking on a section of the cargo bay as she did what Wade presumed was some maintenance work.
With the way now clear, Wade and Tina stepped off the transport, glancing at the massive base around them as they touched the roughened pavement. Throughout the large landing port were several more chameleon dropships, their crews disembarking with similar items and loads of rescued drones aboard. Beyond the ships were several hangar bays and fighter craft, mostly A-20s and their space-borne cousins docked in lines going across the pad. And beyond the landing zone, towering over several buildings at the base, were the few cruisers docked to the large clamps holding them in place.
Walking ahead with Tina, Wade observed some of the departing Coalition troops as they neared one of several tents stationed near an inactive group of planes, the military personnel interacting and exchanging the crates with the Coalition officers upon reaching each other. Hearing a low roar of engines from afar, the lover drones looked upward to see the large USN warship that was present at the factory earlier, having followed the transport convoy home and now was beginning to descend for landing. Wade gave a silent gasp as he caught a glimpse of the ship's name and SIC number at the side, remembering it from the ship he and Ron saw while returning to Earth.
"Always a wondrous thing to see, isn't it Wade?" Tina said as she and her boyfriend watched the ship slowly come lower to the unoccupied dockyard clamps below it.
"Sure is, wonder how they built those babies?" Wade replied as the two looked upon the landing starship, the former worker drone smirking as he added, "I could've swore I saw that same exact ship over Henderson when Ron and I came back, before we got mugged earlier."
Tina glanced to Wade with surprise as she spoke up on his claim. "Really? Well, that had to be the one that helped our friends here back at the factory. I think I saw the same name on it too!"
"Wouldn't surprise me, seeing all that's happened today." Wade replied as he chortled a bit, Tina doing the same as the former spoke further. "I wonder, what kind of ship is the... Vickers again? You know?"
"Autumn class, dear. A heavy destroyer variant, not as strong as those enormous Yamato dreadnoughts or Adelaide battlecruisers, but she'll put up a good fight for whatever comes at her." Tina explained as she held back another chuckle, thinking of her education on various USN craft as she teased Wade lightly. "You know, I may just have to grab one of those ship roster tabs when we get in the base. I'd love to show you all they got in their arsenal."
Wade chortled again as he gave his thoughts on the idea. "Well, it wouldn't be bad to have a little more knowledge in ship-story."
Tina almost burst out laughing at his crude pun, Wade smiling at her as F and Nathan jogged over to the two, the latter carrying his own backpack behind him as he spoke. "Well, not a bad place, huh? You guys heading to the clearance station?"
"Oh yes, we were just admiring the ships around us while we walked." Tina said with a stifled laugh, easing herself as she chatted with her new friends. Wade, however, was quickly overcome with panic as he remembered something. Checking his pockets, his fears were confirmed as he failed to find one of his key possessions: his ID card. Wade felt he must have lost it when he was stripped of his old clothing while in the factory.
Oh no, guys? I don't think I can pass through." Wade said with greenish-yellow circles for eyes as Tina and the others looked to him in concern, the drone feeling through his pockets once more before stating his issue. "My ID, they must've taken it off me when they turned me into a disassembly drone!" Wade began to hyperventilate lightly as he grew fearful of the potential outcomes when they reached the security gate ahead. "Oouuugghh, if I don't have my ID, they'll have to keep me lo-"
"Wade, Wade... it's okay. I'll have them make a pass for you, surely we can get them to after getting them to understand what's happened." Tina stated as she put her hand to Wade's chest, who eased his panic as he looked to his girlfriend.
"Yeah, and besides Wade, those people over there went around gathering what ever items the company stole from the drones during their conversion. I'm sure that once they find it, they'll have it sent off to be given back to you!" Nathan said as F nodded in agreement, shunting Wade's panic out of him with their words as he replied to the hopeful responses.
"Right, yeah, they should do that. Sorry." Holding Tina's hand, Wade spoke to her once more. "Lead the way."
Tina nodded to Wade before the two began to walk over to the security gate nearby, several people, drones and humans alike, already in the line as they checked themselves in to the base to relax after the hard-fought battle. Once they reached the line, the four stood together as they waited for the line to slowly go up, more troops and rescued drones coming over to add to the long line. During the wait, a loud, mechanical 'SLAM' erupted through the air, prompting Wade and Tina to glance over to the direction of the noise. The two felt at ease once more as they saw the Vickers finally landed at the base, the loud clang being the docking clamps attaching to the ships hull just moments ago.
As the line moved up further to the gate, Wade and Tina caught sight of a pair of A-20 aircraft passing over them, the two watching as the planes slowed down while descending onto the runway nearby. The four drones' collective viewing of the fighters landing ceased as they caught sight of J, who took flight as she departed the transport nearby before flying over to the tents near the hangar bays.
"Huh, wonder what she's over there for?" Nathan said as he observed J landing onto the ground in front of one of the tents.
"Probably checking on the drones we got back, or meeting up with one of those commanders there." F said as she motioned an arm towards the tents, J walking under one as she made her way to one of the soldiers coming over to her. "Seems like the latter, from the looks of it."
Wade shrugged as he responded to the group's pondering over J's actions. "Well, she'll be here with us if we need her, right? Shouldn't be much to worry about."
Returning their focus to the line ahead, Wade and his team waited as the line moved up over the next few minutes, moving impressively fast as the people in front cleared themselves in one at a time. Eventually, the four of them were up, Tina stepping up to show her ID for clearance. "Hello, it's been a busy day, hasn't it?"
The security agent smirked at Tina's small-talk. "Hah, not too busy here until you all showed up."
As the guard finished scanning Tina's ID, she handed the card back to her as she raised a finger to begin her request. "Oh, um, there's a little issue we need to resolve." Putting a hand to Wade's arm, Tina explained her boyfriend. "This is my dear friend Wade, Wade Carter. We both managed to escape that blasted factory with the help of those Coalition folks there." Wade gave a pleading look as Tina continued. "Unfortunately, Wade was converted into a disassembly drone before he was rescued, and it seems those people at the company took all his belongings he had on him, including his ID. Do you think there's... anyway you could write up something to let him by?"
Stepping forward, F gave her end of the story. "I can vouch for him, Ma'am. Wade and I we're among the teams helping in getting the worker drones out of the factory during the operation." The disassembly drone pulled out a pair of cards as she finished her explanation, one of them being her company-issued Disassembly Service Passcard, which resembled a normal civilian ID in appearance, save for the 'JCJenson (In Spaaace!) Logo on the top left and hazard markings around the rim of the card. As for the other card, it was a well worn, still legitimate ID card, showing F as how she appeared when she was a worker drone. At the side of her picture was a name with an initial. "FELICITY A LEE"
Taking the two cards in her hand, she looked them over and scanned them as Nathan tried to back Wade up as well. "So can I, Ma'am! I helped there too, when he was under the company's control. We all got him out of the factory so we could get him back in order." Pulling out his own ID, Nathan handed it out as the guard returned F's IDs to her.
The guard accepted Nathan's ID as she spoke over what to do with Wade. "Well, normally it takes clearance from higher ranked personnel here to allow someone inside without a legitimate form of identification. We can't just take someone's word on things like this, after all." Tina seemed to frown in disappointment as the guard explained her protocols, Wade looking down at the ground as he felt his worries were about to be proven correct. Going over Nathan's ID further, she gave an intrigued expression at the card before continuing. "Huh, interesting. Got two veteran folks here, I see?" She glanced to Nathan and F as she said that, taking into account their former military background as the former spoke up.
"Three, actually. My pal Kurtis is somewhere back there, I think. He should be heading down here later this evening." The guard glanced back at Nathan's ID as she took in the veteran drone's reply, sighing as she decided to make a slight amendment to the issue put before her and the four friends.
"Well, seeing you two here, I believe I can write something up. The Major won't be happy with me for this, but I think I can trust you with appropriate behavior." Taking a small sticky name-tag, the woman pulled out a pen before starting to write on it. Initially, she glanced to Wade, who stated his name again before she began to write his name on the tag. Once she was finished, the guard gave the tag to Wade, who slapped it onto his jacket before she spoke to him. "You should be fine to enter for the most part, just stick close to your friends and don't cause any trouble. Understood?"
Wade gave a stern salute to the security officer, who held back a chuckle at the honest, yet amusing effort the disassembly drone showed to her. Giving a simple nod and a flick of her hand, she permitted Wade and his friends entrance to the base, the four walking past the walkway barricades as they made their way past the gate.
Wade let out a heavy sigh of relief as he thanked his allies. "I owe you both so much for this, thanks!"
"Don't mention it, Wade." F said warmly as she and Nathan laughed at his joyful face.
"Yeah, just doing what any good friend should." Nathan said as Tina wrapped an arm around Wade, holding him tightly as the two walked together.
Looking to his girlfriend, Wade spoke to Tina about what to do next. "Well, since we're in, you wanna go fi-" He ceased his words as he remembered that there was someone else they needed to find amongst the base. "Oh, I almost forgot about her,"
"Jasmine!" Tina and Wade said aloud together as the former remembered her sister, Wade's words snapping her mind to Jasmine in an instant. "We should look for her, you think she might be here somewhere?"
"Probably. If they got Ron after they captured me, they have to 've picked her up too." Wade stated, Nathan raising a hand as he offered to help.
"I could go looking for her! You know what she looks like?" Readying a holo-projector, he tried to display an image of Jasmine from one of his many memories of her. The picture was, while pixelated and under a blue hue, incredibly well-detailed. And for Nathan, that was all he needed to see to note Jasmine's appearance in his memory. Nodding, he spoke again to his friends. "Got it! I'll see if she's around!" Then, turning to run down one of the paths leading to a nearby base facility, he stopped as he asked one more question. "Oh! One more thing, you got a smartcomm on ya, Wade?"
Readying one from his holo-projector hand, he nodded as he spoke into it. "Seems so, though I don't seem to have all my contacts added in."
Running back over, Nathan pulled out his own smartcomm before putting it up against Wade's hand one, allowing the two devices to exchange information. Upon the devices beeping, Wade and Nathan nodded to each other, the former ignoring a pop-up that stated, "New Contact Added" while the latter spoke once more. "Okay, I'll call you once I spot her!" With that, he began running down the path once more, intent on finding Tina's sister at the base, wherever she could be.
"Fowley! Her last name's Fowley!" Tina said aloud to the departing Nathan, hoping he heard her words before turning away from the miner drone and facing Wade and F again.
As Tina sighed in partial relief, Wade put his own arm around her before asking the question he tried to ask before. "So, uh, with that out of the way for now... You wanna go look for one of those ship tabs?"
Putting a hand to Wade's chest, Tina smiled as she replied. "Oh, certainly." Then, as the three began walking down a different path that Nathan hadn't taken, the pilot drone continued with a chuckle. "I hear they have a place here that sells model kits too!"
...
Jasmine sat in silent sorrow as she took another gulp of her glass of Proxi-Vodka, a tasty, but heavy alcoholic beverage produced at the colony of Proxima 2... and one of Jasmine's preferred drinks to have when she wasn't in a good mood. When she awoke after being stunned by the station guards, she found that she was just recovered by a group that called themselves the 'United Earth Coalition', and that her drone friend, Tina, was unfortunately taken by the JCJenson corporation to be turned into one of their horrid disassembly drones. While the people that saved her offered to help her find Tina, so far there had been no luck in doing so. No successful calls, no response from Wade nor Ron, nothing.
The whole situation widdled at her like scrapes to her form, slowly draining any bit of hope that she had in finding her sister. And once the mission at that factory was over, the ship began heading back to the Nellis Base to escort the recovered drones back to a safe area. Unfortunately for Jasmine, Tina's presence was not given confirmation. Alone, she walked off to one of the bars down at the base, specifically Drexler's Cantina, one of the more popular bars down at the military starport. Thankfully, though she didn't openly exhibit feelings of wanting to be alone in her wallowing, she was glad the place was nearly barren of patrons, with only a few at a couple of tables within the bar.
The stage at the back of the bar also had a few singer drones performing aloud, the lead singer girl reciting the words of a quiet, yet exciting song that, instrumentally, consisted of a strange mix of bass, techno, and a hint of opera. The song itself was one Jasmine had heard a good many times before in her life, known as, 'You Complete My World' by a decades old Earth band by the name of HeartStar. The song, as Jasmine and many others who'd heard it interpreted it, was about someone who described their world like a puzzle, and that the one whom the main singer cared for beyond all was the only thing that could keep their world from shattering into ruin before them.
An oddly fitting tune, given what had just happened on the JCJ Central earlier. For all Jasmine knew, Tina was either alive beyond her knowledge, hopefully searching for her wherever she could, or, the answer Jasmine feared... Dead.
Not wanting to even consider the thought, the human pilot took another swig of the colonial Vodka, relishing in its taste before forcing herself to swallow, almost gagging from the strength of the drink. Easing herself, she glanced out to one of the windows of the bar, taking the faint glimpse of night into her eyes. Then, looking to the clock at the wall ahead of her, she saw the time was about a little over an hour to 10 pm. Jasmine gave a sigh to herself, certain she would be alone for the rest of the night.
Unbeknownst to her, however, Jasmine had been spied upon a little while ago. Nathan, in his search for the woman Tina called Jasmine Fowley, had spotted a woman matching the physical appearance of the target. Knowing Jasmine wouldn't know who he was if he tried to talk to her himself, Nathan immediately went looking for Wade, easing his return to his team by calling the former worker drone and signaling him about his findings.
Deciding to check on the news, Jasmine slowly pulled out her smartcomm, resisting her urge to press the contacts button as she tapped the news app. Looking through it, she spotted a recent story that was posted just over an hour ago, titled, "JCJenson 'Recall' effort sabotaged by joint Government/Militia forces! The Truth Exposed!" Above the article was a video, a play button in front of it teasing Jasmine. Curious over this sudden development, she pressed the button, her attention in complete focus on the video as it began to play.
After the news station's logo appeared on-screen for a short few seconds, the current host for the story, Mrs. Tiffany Joy, appeared at her seat before beginning the story. "Good evening, this is Nevada-78, I'm your host, Tiffany Joy. Tonight, we start with a rapid development for the 'drone recall' incidents propagated by the business conglomerate JCJenson In Space. Throughout the afternoon up to now, several advanced factories under the ownership of the corporation have fallen under violent assault by various militarized forces, ranging from official United Nations operatives to private militia groups with varying goals." The small screen to Joy's left shifted to show the state of Nevada, zooming into it to show a portion of the Mojave desert as Joy continued her story.
"Among these facilities, one such factory based right here in southern Nevada has recently succumbed to the successful efforts of the USN Defense Force and a group by the name of the United Earth Coalition, an alliance consisting of humans and automatons working to create a unified world for both species." The screen shifted again to show the logo for the UEC, which appeared as one half of a human head outline and another of a drone's, along with two arms behind the heads belonging to both beings pictured. "With the attack having concluded just hours ago, we have reporters gathering at the New Nellis Staryards near Henderson City to bring you the aftermath of the conflict. We go to Mr. Jelico, on the scene in five."
The camera shifted after the countdown of five to show Mr. Jelico in front of the camera, the cameraman filming a large tent housing several worker drones being tended to by the base soldiers. "Alright, Jelico here, we're on station at New Nellis. What you're all seeing here are some of the recovered worker drones, many of them were pretty spooked by the events that unfolded in that factory earlier." As the camera panned over the lot of drones, some of them looked to the camera, curious at the news crew filming them as Jelico continued. "A few of them are real glad to be here, Joy. Seems like they feel safe here, as far as I can tell."
As the camera moved to show Jelico again, a plane could be seen taking off as he spoke. "Yeah, these people did them quite a service. The staff here are working to find their original owners and families, it'll probably be a little bit before they can get them all home." The camera switched once again to another view of the base, the lights of various buildings illuminating the night as the news story continued.
At the entrance, Nathan pushed open the door to the bar, the chime failing to catch anyone's attention as he, Wade, F and Tina stepped inside. Carefully pointing at Jasmine, he whispered to Tina, "That's her, from the looks of it. She's been here for a good minute!"
Taking another drink of the Proxi-Vodka, Jasmine listened further to the story. "The authorities didn't just recover a majority of the worker drones taken into the factory, however. A recent update provided by Mrs. Yuka, shows her interviewing a disassembly drone who claims to be among the unfortunate drones the assault force failed to save before their conversion."
"Jasmine!" Tina called out, the voice instantly grabbing the woman's attention as she paused the news story. Swiftly turning her head, her heart began pounding with immense excitement as she saw her drone sister, who grinned upon seeing her face.
"Tina!" Jasmine said aloud, somewhat weakly from her previous wallowing as she tried to run over to her sister, landing on her knees as the two embraced in a flush of emotions. Wade and his friends stood behind the two girls as they hugged each other, clinging onto one another as tightly as they could give. Jasmine seemed to erupt with a pained cough as she allowed some of her sorrow out of her heart, Tina carressing her back in a comforting manner as she held back her own tears. The sisters held the hug for a long moment, not daring to let go of one another for fear of losing each other again. Eventually, however, they did, the two sisters taking heavy breaths as Jasmine spoke up while wiping her face. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Can't say I didn't feel the same way, love." Tina replied as she broke out in light laughter, glancing to Wade before continuing. "But, fortunately, those Coalition boys helped out quite a bit. Though, not as much as my knight in his new armor."
Standing herself up, Jasmine took Tina's helping hand as she looked to the one her sister spoke of. A grateful smile formed on Jasmine's face as she saw Wade, standing in front of her and Tina as he returned the expression. Looking upon her family friend, Jasmine noticed something... different about Wade. He was taller now, his arms were shaped like white cones rather than the silver bendy tubes he and Tina normally had. As for his face, his pure green eyes were replaced with a set of greenish-yellow ones, and above his forehead was a band holding five yellow bulbs that she didn't know the function of.
While the pieces started to click together in her head, Jasmine took Wade's held out hand as she spoke to him. "Wade, I'm so glad to see you! You look different, too. Did something... happen to you?" She already guessed it by this point, but feigned confusion as she opted to hear Wade's take on the matter.
"Yeah, I hope you don't mind your sister dating a vampire from now on." Tina chortled in amusement at Wade's comment at himself, Jasmine raising an eyebrow in confusion at the former worker drone as he returned his expression to a more sincere smile. "The company got me too, and unlike the workers we got out... they managed to turn me into a disassembly drone. From now on, I'm gonna need to take in more oil than I usually did before I was turned. My cooling system's not as good as it should be, from what I've heard." Pulling out his two full canteens, Wade finished his partial explanation. "Don't worry, though. I've got some to keep me down."
Jasmine took in the news with immense surprise, noticing the hazard stripes at the rims of Wade's arms as she replied to her friend. "Oh... Well, if Tina's fine with it, then I see no problem with that, Wade." Admittedly, she was a bit unnerved by the change, concerned for both him and Tina's safety due to this supposed oil coolant issue. Trying to sound as nice as she could on the matter, Jasmine hesitantly asked Wade, "Though... I am a bit concerned with that bad cooling problem you mention. You... don't think you would-"
"Hurt Tina?!" Wade assumed, understanding Jasmine's concern as he gave a horrified glance to the two sisters. Standing with his fists to his hips, he gave his answer to Jasmine's presumed question. "Don't even say such a thing, Jasmine. I'd rather overheat than dare strike her."
Admittedly amused as well as concerned for Wade's selflessness, Tina chuckled at him before speaking up on the matter. "Now now, Wade. It won't be so bad. We'll manage."
Jasmine nodded as she agreed with her sister's optimistic view on the problem. "Indeed we will, we always do." Then, taking notice of the other two drones in the room, Jasmine smiled at them before speaking again. "Ah, I see you brought some friends too."
Wade and Tina glanced over to Nathan and F upon Jasmine's statement, the two friends smiling pleasantly as Wade spoke up. "Oh, yeah. These are some of my work buddies from Ceres, Jasmine. This is Nathan, I first met him when Ron and I came to the mines, showed us around a bit too." Putting a hand on F's shoulder, Wade introduced her too. "And this is Serial Designation F, or, just F. She was one of the guards keeping watch on the place while we worked."
F seemed to blush out of embarrassment as she remembered her and Wade's first meeting. "I... did come off a little rough on them when they first came in, though. Stopped Nathan's touring run too. Just following colony protocol."
Nathan patted F's back as he tried to ease F's guilt. "Oh, it's nothing F. We had to start work in a few minutes anyway. Besides, it's a bit more fun exploring the place yourself without a guide." He winked at the others as he finished his praise. "Trust me, it really is."
Wade, Tina and Jasmine all chuckled at their friend's amusing words, F joining in as she replied to Nathan's encouragement. "Alright, alright."
Walking up to the two, Tina put her hand onto Nathan's as she gave her own praises. "And they may not look like it, dear, but Nathan and F were both formerly in the military, from what Wade's told me."
Jasmine gave a proud smirk at the two as she responded to her sister's claim. "Well, that's quite something. Did she tell you we used to fly for them some years back?"
"Oh, she did, Mrs. Fowley." Nathan replied as he chuckled lightly, F giving a smile of her own as she added her own part to the story.
"Yeah, and given what's happening now, maybe they might call you back for service again. Wade told me you two were excellent pilots."
It was now Jasmine's turn to blush as she chuckled from the compliment, knowing Wade's high praise for her and her sister's flying as she replied. "Well, I can't say that's wrong, Tina saved the day during the flight back here. We ran into an asteroid cluster while in the middle of a jump."
Wade patted Tina on her back as he quietly cheered his love on. "That's what I'm talking about, she's a wonder among the stars, I'm telling you!"
The group fell into an excited fit of laughter at the conversation, a few of the bar patrons taking notice of the bunch as they eventually ceased their joyful moment.
As everyone calmed down, Jasmine spoke up, intending to bring the discussion to another place. "Well, with all that said, it feels great to see you all here. It was such a terrible day after all those company folk showed up." Then, as she scanned the group of friends around her, she noticed someone else missing from this puzzle. "Hey, uh... is Ron here? Did he head off somewhere?"
The mood was quickly put down to a mournful aura as Wade and Tina glanced to the floor in sadness, Nathan and F giving uncomfortable postures as they awaited for someone to speak up on the matter.
Eventually, Wade was the one to open his mouth, breathing steadily as he tried to speak to Jasmine. "Um, Jasmine? Things, uh... really took a nose dive after we got captured. You think we could find a place to sit? It's a lot to talk about."
Looking to the four drones with concern, Jasmine eased her returning fear as she nodded to Wade in agreement. "...Sure, there's plenty of space at the table here." Pointing her arm to the table, which was surrounded by a U-shaped seating bench, Wade and his friends began to move to the table as Tina spoke up.
"I can get us some drinks for the talk, you all want anything?"
"Just some oil, thanks. "Wade answered as F and Nathan gave their own nods to Tina, the drone girl walking over to the bartender near the stage as she went to purchase some beverages.
Sitting down, Jasmine picked up her smartcomm from the table, glancing to it as she spoke up on her half-finished drink. "Heh, and to think I was drowning myself in this drag of a drink before. Probably have to find a different glass."
"Proxi-Vodka? Haven't seen you touch that since we lost Aunt Susan." Wade said solemnly as he examined Jasmine's drink, sighing as he reluctantly continued. "Well, maybe it can go for a few more sips."
Looking to the vodka, Jasmine nodded as she put her smartcomm in her pocket. "I figured, I didn't think this was gonna sound good."
"I wish it did." Wade replied as Tina walked back to the table, a plate of three oil glasses resting on her careful hand as she set it down.
After delivering the drinks, Tina took a seat next to Wade, holding his hand as Jasmine spoke up. "So, where do we start this terrible story?"
Wade gulped a bit as he began to recount the events that transpired today. "Well, it all started when Ron and I came back from the mining colony."

Compromise
First Prev
“Alright, so uh...” Alex picked the last larva out of the bowl and ate it. A burst of umami and the unexpected taste of alcohol. Now that it had soaked up some of the spice from the broth, it was pretty good. Not particularly flavorful, but a better eating experience than he would expect from a grub. “Why did Eleya put two towns into a warship?”
“I do not know.” Carbon was less fussy about the variety of ingredients presented, eating without playing favorites. It was what she’d picked out when pressed to recommend something for him, and the speed of the devastation she was enacting on what had been a bowl nearly filled to the brim said that it was actually a personal favorite. “I had heard some suggesting converting retired Naval ships into housing, using a decommissioned carrier as a space station once it could be towed into a proper location. Swapping out launch bays for community towers is not a long bridge.”
“That seems...” It seemed desperate. But given what he’d seen, desperate was where they had been in the weeks following the disaster. Where they still were, even if things were improving.
Were things improving?
“Born out of desperation, yes.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “We did not have many colonies, we had not built so many stations. We only kept old ships for parts as another means of efficiency in our fleets. There had been hundreds of thousands in transit all over the Empire at the time. On their way home, on their way to relieve others who now no longer had a home to return to.”
“Yeah, that-” He shifted some of the shredded cabbage-potato around his bowl, trying to figure out what to say. The ‘that sucks’ he had stopped himself from blurting out felt offensively inadequate. “That does present a huge challenge. Did they end up bringing ships online for that?”
“Oh, we did everything. Any idea that was not completely untenable got the blue light. Repurposing ships, building sealed micro-arcologies on less habitable planets, mining out sufficiently large asteroids, asking the Confederation for help. I saw one proposal that suggested an inflatable space station. I thought it was a completely deranged idea.” She paused and picked up the bowl, slurping out some of the broth. “Then Humans arrive to bring aid, and do you know what the first structure they brought with them was?”
“An inflatable space station.” He saw that coming. Everyone - well, everyone who was sufficiently interested in space ships - would recognize the Redoubt class from that description alone. The very definition of form following function, each ship was little more than a central cylinder with hard points for a dozen habitat modules, and engines bolted to one end. Light, fast, cheap. Once deployed, you had a small space station that could be packed up when you were done. Old technology, sure, but they were everywhere, and the configuration options were extensive.
“Exactly. Forgive me, but I laughed. I knew the intent was to help, but having seen that proposal just weeks before...” She smiled and laughed despite having just apologized for such a thing.
“No I get it, it’s a goofy looking ship.” He could see the humor in the situation as well. Having gone from ‘this is too dangerous’ to ‘of course the Humans brought one’ was pretty funny. It put a smirk on his face and got him close to laughing along with her. “Probably used it as a command post until something heavier arrived. Kind of the primary use case for those in Search and Rescue, which is what I think the aid mission was first considered.”
“I was not involved with that aspect of recovery operations, but it stands to reason.” She set her utensils aside in a very specific way, sliding the bowl towards the end of the table. “I cannot tell you why they put all these people here. My first guess would be that it was a somewhat straightforward swap. The bays are very securely attached to the structure, but they are intended to be removed and replaced. It would be important that Eleya use her ship as a proof of concept.”
“Royals lead?” Seemed the logical jump.
Carbon nodded. “The Sword is recognized as her flagship. It is named after her. The Stronghold is based heavily on the Imperial Palace in Ama’o - may it rest. Taking in civilians, thousands of them, is hard proof that she is not simply hiding in here. Having the senate on board also brings with it the need for support staff, creating a symbiotic relationship. It is... a good compromise.”
“Okay, wait. How is The Sword of the Morning Light named after Eleya?” That legitimately confused him. “All I know is the -ya suffix is feminine.”
“Another name mauled by your automatic translation, though this time it is a portion of the Empress’ full formal titles.” She gave him a pointed look, a little smirk hiding on the side of her muzzle. “The strictest translation would be ‘the sword that is used to cut back the night,’ but that is even worse. If I were doing translations and feeling poetic, perhaps I would call it Dawnsword. It would convey the meaning of the name well enough, I think, without being verbose.”
“Then why do you call it the Sword like we do?” He figured just using the actual Tsla name would be easy enough if Dawnsword was a better translation.
“When in Rome.” Carbon snickered. “The Confederate systems I was working with before leaving for the Haultain were not set up to handle Tsla, and none of the Humans I spoke to recognized the name when I said it, so it became a force of habit.”
“Ah, that’d do it.” He’d ask about the actual name another time - it being one of Eleya’s titles felt like a natural transition to learning the rest of her titles, and he didn’t give a single damn about doing that right now.
“Alright, Eleya needs places to put people, and a place to put a temporary capital until the new location can be properly sorted. Two birds with one stone, I suppose. Wouldn’t staying at Schoen be more of the... leader thing to do?”
“If she were to stay here beyond the end of this endeavor, perhaps so. For now, having this ship - and its civilians - as a base of operations, in what even we consider to be one of the most secure solar systems, is reasonable. Most governing at that level has been done remotely since before the disaster, so it doesn’t impede anything.” She paused to sip her tea. “No one needs a senator to be on site anyway. Their presence traditionally just interferes with real work.”
That did get a laugh out of Alex. “The more things change.”
“The more they stay the same, yes?” She said with a grin.
“It is so. All right, mystery of the Dawnsword’s surprise towns is put to rest.” He stopped talking as Haraya came out of the woodwork to remove Carbon’s dishes, bustling away with even less stiffness than before. Why did he feel like he was forgetting something? “Heck. Did... Did anyone tell you we have an appointment to see a designer about our uh, our insignia?”
“No, but my communicator has been going off like I am being told something like that.” Carbon laughed and leaned back into her chair, fishing the slim black device from her jacket, the screen coming on.
Alex was not intentionally staring at his wife’s abdomen as he pushed the bowl away and set his chopsticks out like she had done. “Zenshen said it was this afternoon.”
“Mmh, afternoon. Another curious translation.” She teased him gently, flicking items off her screen one by one. “Neya says it is with Aetena Lyshen, at three. He has stated that his schedule is open today, and we may come in earlier if we so desire. Oh. How unexpected.”
Three o'clock, Tsla’o time, was probably like a solid five or six hours away. Plenty of time to have a deeply personal conversation about what Neya had told him. Or, perhaps, just go talk to the guy sooner. It wasn’t like he was putting it off... but he was putting it off for now. “What’s up?”
“Neya contacted the Colonel to make sure that Zenshen was attached to your detail properly - it turns out she was. You are both already on the artifact project, so it was just a slight shift of duties. The Empress went through appropriate channels, and Lehnan agrees with her decision.” She glanced up at him as she processed that. “I did not expect it to be so proper.”
“She is trying to turn over a new leaf, at least as far as you are concerned. Ensuring I have the help to not fuck things up, and doing it properly, could be a part of that.” He managed to make it sound like a statement, even though it was very much a question. Did his insistence that Eleya needed to start following through on her words actually sink in?
“It is possible. She will need to do more than fill out a little paperwork to prove herself.”
“Yeah, obviously. It’s just that you seemed surprised, so I was left with the impression that was unusual.”
Carbon stared down at the phone in her hands. “I do not know. From what I have seen, she will normally adhere to formal channels. But in the past, when it has come to dealings with me, she has not. Relied on her word being law to make things happen.”
Like making it legal to marry a Human. Changed who knows how much legal history with a stroke of a pen, to unfold some new machinations. “Zenshen made it sound like she was mostly there to act as a buffer between me and the military, keep me from offending anyone. Which strikes me as Eleya looking after her investment.”
“That is a reasonable assumption. I fear she has more intent sunk into you than we can see, so...” She also stopped talking when their waitress returned for Alex’s dishes, giving the young woman a warm smile. “Perhaps it really is.”
Alex, being privy to at least one plan that Carbon was unaware of, instantly did not want to comment on that. “Like you say, it lies with her to prove... herself good.”
“So it does.” Carbon smiled at his butchering of their turn of phrase before glancing down at her communicator again. “All right. Do you have any further plans for this morning?”
“Not a one. Want to push up the meeting with Lyshen? For that matter, do we have any plans tonight?”
“I do want to get that done. Designers can be particular. Best to get started sooner, and also have a meal that we can excuse ourselves for without appearing rude.” She smirked, displaying a little bit of the knowledge she had accumulated growing up in an elevated class, and started tapping away at the screen with both thumbs. “As for this evening, nothing that Neya has made me aware of.”
“Sounds good to me.” Left the evening open to actually have a sit down with Neya, perfect. “Oh shit, that reminds me. Neya wants us to bring her breakfast.”
“Does she. Very upset about not being able to come along?” The tone she had said that Carbon was familiar with Neya pretending to be put out by that, as did the barely hidden smile and tiny little snort of a laugh.
“Absolutely heartbroken.” He played along. “I had to promise that we’d get her something this morning and that you’d make breakfast again tomorrow.”
“Mh. We will see who is making breakfast when the time comes, but I will have something sent to her and we will proceed to our appointment.” She flipped through the applications on her phone and started typing something else out. “There.”
Carbon slipped the slim black screen back into her jacket and stood, stretching a little bit before walking over to the end of the bar, Haraya hustling out to meet them with a small device like the one Carbon had used to pay in the other little restaurant. She set her palm down on it, it processed for a moment and played a happy little tune.
“Thank you both, it was an honor to serve you.” Haraya bowed again now that the transaction was done.
“You did well, thank you.” Carbon said it in Tsla as she returned the bow, glancing over at Alex to ensure he was doing the same thing.
“Sa meha.” He was. Paying attention to what Carbon was doing was getting him pretty far, as was having memorized how to say ‘thank you’ in Tsla.
They turned to leave, but Haraya spoke again before they could take a step. Quiet, and very timid. “May I ask you a question?”
Carbon didn’t even think about it as she looked back. “Of course.”
“I was mostly asking the prince, I am very sorry.” She looked just this side of terrified to be correcting a Royal.
“Oh yeah, shoot.” Alex caught himself speaking in English way too late. He pursed his lips and inhaled, just barely preventing himself from rolling his eyes at that little faux pas. Based on what Carbon had said about Haraya getting her information about how nobles work from movies, she would have interpreted that as aimed at her. He queued up a very quick reply. “Please do.”
“After you left, last night.” She glanced over at the bartender, who was not paying them any attention at all. “Adana kept saying a strange word, I assume it to be Human - untranslatable.”
The irony of the translator not being able to digest something in English was not lost on Alex. What had he said to the kid?
Carbon, meanwhile, thought it was hilarious. “It is actually two words, a phrase. Oh, busted. In this case I believe it means that he got caught doing something he should not have been doing.” She laughed, looking up at Alex with a grin.
Haraya’s relief at how this turned out was immediately visible. She was still tense, but didn’t look like she might have just caught an execution. “Adana likes to play with the door controls. They beep and flash, and he can activate the viewscreen... And open the door. That is what he was doing when he found the prince in the hallway, when he should have been in bed. It is not an offensive term?”
“Et.” Alex shook his head no. Score another point for knowing the basics.
“It is as he says. A harmless statement.” Carbon picked up the slack from Alex trying not to advertise that he spoke their language yet. She looked over to him again. “Perhaps used to tease a friend when they get caught out?”
He nodded as sagely as he could, a smirk barely suppressed as he caught that shade she was directing at him.
“His mother will be so glad. She has been concerned it was some kind of swearing, or something worse. I told her that the prince had been kind in my interaction with him, but she was-” Haraya exhaled sharply, wide brown eyes darting between them with a hint of that fear creeping back in. “She was afraid despite that.”
“Ah. If that does not settle her, please get in contact with me.” She pulled her communicator out, swiping along the screen for a moment and holding it out to the young woman. “We can arrange a meeting to clear anything up.”
She looked down at a swirling orange circle on Carbon’s phone, “I am not allowed to carry my- May I get it?”
“Of course.” Carbon smiled.
Alex lowered his voice as Haraya hustled away. “You sure giving her your number is a good idea?”
“No. But she is earnest and correct in her assessment of you.” She shook her head, her words quiet and sharp. “That boy learned a simple phrase, and his mother thinks it is a curse? I know why she did. I have met my own people. I think a gentle nudge may be in order to prevent it from being passed along.”
“When you say gentle nudge...”
She held a hand out to ease his concern. “I was thinking tea.”
Haraya returned, phone in hand and followed by an older, grumpy looking male dressed in the same natural fiber clothes save for a vibrant red scarf around his neck, voice raised as he tried to keep up with the excited teen. “You may not use your-”
“Akai.” Alex gave what he assumed was a manager a needlessly cheery greeting with a little wave of his fingers. Oh man, he had loved being a shit to managers when he was younger, particularly if they were on a power trip. The opportunity hadn’t presented itself recently, and the urge to abuse the power that he allegedly had now was so tempting.
“Floor boss!” Carbon was a step ahead of him, greeting the gray male in their own language loud enough to draw his attention away from their waitress. “What is it that I may not use?”
Alex’s translator sat unused for several seconds as the sounds that guy made never made it past shocked guttural noises, the realization of who he’d been yelling in the general direction of sinking in. Haraya was too busy getting Carbon’s contact information to notice, or might have just been ignoring this exchange as hard as the bartender was.
“It was- My words- Did not for you.” He held up his hands and backed away.
“Ah, a simple misunderstanding?” Carbon offered him as the phone dinged complete, and she slipped it back into her jacket.
“Yes, of course.” Couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Haraya bowed again as she hid her communicator, the same black rectangle that Carbon and Alex appeared to have. “Thank you. I hope I will not have to contact you, but that you have offered...”
“The prince has shown me who he is, what is in his heart... It will not do to have anyone doubting his character.” Carbon smiled and returned the bow.
Alex followed suit.
The fear in her eyes was gone, and if anything there was a little bit of admiration in there now as she thanked them again, quietly, before running off to whatever her next duty was.
They left the same way they had come in, through the main dining area. The crowd had shifted, some groups gone, new ones in their place. Conversations to fill boredom, meals he didn’t recognize being consumed at every pace conceivable. Once again, he was pretty sure this was his kind of joint.
It only took the gentlest of questions to get Carbon talking about what she’d been doing all morning as they walked back to the tram, riding all the way to the stop closest to the bow this time. Alex was only slightly familiar about what she was talking about - had something to do with preventative maintenance checks on one of the shuttles. It was interesting to find out they had developed a very similar system to what he was used to, checking in on functionality after so many hours of use.
He didn’t understand the majority of what she was describing, but he enjoyed listening to her talk about things with such enthusiasm.
Lyshen’s office was easily the furthest forward he had been on the ship yet. Took the elevator up to deck 20 and then just walked towards the bow for another five minutes. He must have been as close as one could get to the plate armor and whatever buffer they put between it and the habitable areas. It seemed almost entirely unused - he was sure some of the bulkheads had dust on them.
For Alex, there were two potential reasons for this. Aetena Lyshen preferred the solitude of the area. It was actually very quiet, even compared to the hall in front of their cabin. Or, he had pissed someone off and gotten banished to a spot as far away as possible.
Whichever option, Lyshen had put some work into his workspace. The door was ringed in a delicate gold filigree, a lacework of glittering geometric shapes with his name and title contained in a small banner above the door. They were meeting with a Royal Artisan.
Carbon tapped the door controls and it slides open almost instantly. The young woman with light red fur inside is dressed nearly as formally as they had been last night, though in muted grays. She bows. Not too deep. “Welcome, the Chief Artisan is preparing for your arrival. It should be just a few minutes.”
Chief Artisan. Well. Alex shot Carbon a sidelong glance as the receptionist turned and they followed her through a waiting room. A simple rectangular area, with a few upholstered chairs and benches scattered around. It was the most Human looking area he’d been in so far.
The far wall caught his eye as they walked through, windows looking into a workshop. Alex walked over, the large floor beyond housing a dozen or so Tsla’o, all seated at desks or workbenches, engrossed in whatever they were working on. Almost to the last, they were using hand tools.
Alex had never really seen craftsmen up close, doing their thing. In movies, or videos, sure. But not right here a few steps away, carefully engraving some sort of... Breastplate? Cuirass? Big chunk of metal that looked like it went over the chest.
“I believe that is yours.” Carbon stepped up next to him, a smirk in her voice as she leaned against his shoulder. “To go with your gauntlets, and the rest of the armor that is no doubt being fabricated.”
“What makes you say that?” How could she pick that up from looking at it for, what, three or four seconds?
“Consider the size.” She nodded at it, the artist working on it laying out a star near the shoulder. “Who else would wear such a piece?”
“Huh.” Compared to the guy who was doing the work, it wasn’t exactly massive, but he would need a lot of padding to wear that. This raised a few questions for him about the ethics of receiving such gifts. But he wasn’t a politician... Not as far as the Confederation was concerned. “I guess it is.”
They stood in silence and watched work progress. A woman in the back was carving something, perhaps a chair leg. One guy in the corner making hinges with an induction forge and a tiny, specialized anvil.
Before long, the secretary approached them again. “The Chief Artisan is prepared for you now. Please.” She gestured to the only door that went somewhere other than the corridor.
The Chief Artisan was sitting behind his desk, wearing an outfit similar to his receptionist, pale green eyes switching back and forth between two screens. The primary one was built into the desk, and had been jury rigged to a Human made laptop that sat on top of it, a rat’s nest of cables connecting the two. There was a holoprojector built into the desk, a jumble of images floating over it. He waved them in and gestured to the chairs across from him, “Please, sit.”
Alex was quick to oblige, glad to be just some guy for the moment. Carbon didn’t seem to mind either, taking the seat beside him without a word. Aetena was the first green Tsla’o Alex had seen, sort of a dark forest green with jade stripes visible on his neck. Apparently a bit of a rarity given how often he saw the other colors on the ship.
“I am sorry to keep you waiting, the connection to your Solanet has gone down. Despite that, I believe I have enough saved locally to begin the process.” Lyshen trailed off, lost between the two displays before closing a dozen images from the holo. He picked a pen up from the table and arranged the remaining pictures neatly, four different coats of arms that claimed to belong to a Sorenson. The red enamel barrel blurred into an arc as he spun the pen in his fingers, voice picking up speed as he locked on to Alex. “There is a large amount of heraldry available for your surname, do you know which coat of arms belongs to your particular family?”
There was a deer, a deer head, a rearing horse and a weird shaped star. Maybe it was a flower, or a drip of paint. They were all surrounded by leaves and the occasional knight’s helmet. Alex wasn’t sure what any of it meant and up until now, he’d never even thought about it. Knights and damsels in distress had never really been his thing. “Uh, can’t say that I do, no.”
“Mmh. What geographic region does your lineage trace back to? I could find no significant references to the Berkley Soresons on your Solanet.” He leaned back and the pen continued to trace crimson circles in his hand.
“The name comes from Europe, but the last couple of generations have lived in California, and America before that for who knows how long... We’re from a little bit of everywhere.” It was an inside joke with the family, which had ties back into nearly every corner of the globe at this point. Now they had a relative from somewhere way off the globe as well.
That puzzled Aetena, ears flicking as he turned back to the Human screen and picked over the keyboard slowly. He didn’t like what he found. “All of these originate from the continent of Europe. Do you happen to know which country?”
“No, I’m not sure. Had an uncle do the family tree thing once, but between the civil wars and The Collapse, the lineage got spotty about a hundred years ago.” Alex wasn’t really into the whole ancestry thing once you got outside of living relatives. It was novel, sure, but right now all he really wanted to do was ask if he could borrow that Solanet access when it came back up. The rest of the ship had access to the Confed’s milnet, which tightly restricted what he could be sending across it - he just wanted to download a couple of movies and some music, but milnet barely overlapped with the wider public network.
Lyshen set his hand down and the pen switched back and forth like a metronome, clicking on his desk at the end of each arc. He closed his eyes for a moment, jaw working silently before he closed the images and started pulling up new ones. “Perhaps we should move on to other aspects of this endeavor. As I have been told that you wish to integrate Tsla’o and Human cultures in your marriage, I had intended to blend the existing Tshalan sigil with some of the Sorenson family heraldry. I thought it would be best to use the gear-star surround from the Princess’ family crest as a base to build from. Something that is immediately familiar to Tsla’o, to put the viewer at ease. As it is indicative of starship commands, exploration and the outer colonies, it will solidly represent both of you and the way you met.”
Alex raised an eyebrow at Carbon, “sound reasonable?” He had no idea if it was or not, but it did sound like it. Also, if they were serious about integrating parts of Tsla’o and Human cultures, they needed to actually get on that.
“Yes. I agree, that would be a good place to start.”
“Thank you.” He busied himself bringing up a few more pictures, rough combinations of the ten point gear-star and the various items from the Sorenson crests, bits of decoration and detail work.
The door chimed behind them and Lyshen stopped with a sharp glare. He eyed the clock and sighed, a whispered curse under his breath before he set his pen down and straightened up. “Come.”
There was a soldier partially concealed behind the door, the rank plate on his uniform loaded with details, not that Alex could read them yet. He swept the room with a rifle as he entered, the short barrel ending up pointed just a hair under Alex’s sternum. A pair of soldiers took up positions on either side of the door and covered him, a few more lined up in the waiting room.
When he spoke, it was crisp and authoritative. “Please back away from the Human.”
 
First Prev
*****
Never a dull moment on that ship.
Art pile: Carbon reference sheet. Art by Tyo_Dem

Unsure whether vent is a better flair, longer one but title is sort of the tl;dr. Sis having a drinking problem for 4-5 years now and is living in my mom's house again (turns 30 soon) Wife mostly ended contact with her , didn't want to have our son visit her for some time but we found it kinda working that son and me visit my mom and sister every now and then. Yesterday it escalated once more. Picked them both up to visit my grandma/uncle/cousin and we shared the ride. Was already in a hurry cuz son (3 y o) took longer and we left late. Had tennis courts booked for match we son and I told my mom and sis to be ready. Sister took longer and was in her typical been slightly drinking already mood but not yet fully off the charts (at 9am). Car ride was kinda chill beside her trying to get attention/ acting up by vaping in my new car (despite knowing exactly I hate that). Was okayish at the relatives , dizzy as always but not too bad. Had my on on her lap for lunch, basically all good I thought. After lunch we drove home. Seems at some point she drank some brandy (usually it's white wine. Her liver is in a state hardly being able to process alcohol anymore). On the drive home she just slept in the passenger seat. At my mom's place she wouldn't respond , tried to wake her but passed out. Couldn't wake her up and that's where my mom fully enraged (that's the point cannot Cope with it anymore ) came to the passenger door , slapped her to wake her and had me drag her out of the car. As I was late to my nephews birthday I pulled her out, put her onto the roadside and drove off.
It's always worse before summer (may , around her and my birthday and the day of death of our dad). But overall it's been bad for 4 years straight with some sober weeks during stationary withdrawal and maybe a week after that, but often "partying withdrawal is over" and drinking right after. Her whole social environment is guys from the Stationary withdrawal by now. No friends from earlier as always changed environment when having a new boyfriend. Last boyfriend was a good friend from mine which was annoying, and I tried to reduce contact to her. For my mom it's very taxing as she has to care for her daughter and partly for her mom (my grandma) and I fully understand her reaction of smacking (even if it sounds hard) and also admire her patience and support for her daughter. Organized withdrawal, provides her with food, a home and supports her where necessary, so fully co-dependant and not being able to just chill out / enjoy retirement (has some hustles nevertheless and needs action , but caring for / living with her daughter surely wasn't her plan). But after some incidents last week she said she would try to get some distance from her daughter, then she invited her to come with us yesterday (probably more in fear of stupid things she could do at home when alone. Like have a cigarette lighted up and fall asleep/passing out or when cooking).
My main dilemma is basically how to minimize contact with my sister while not abandoning my mom and not preventing her to see me and her grandson (my son). And also finding a way how to support my mom as the whole situation is more and more getting out of hand with my sister needing and seeking more attention (regular hospital stays, fucking up something). My mom looks after my son on one evening per week at my place , but on occasional weekends it's usually we visiting her. Which then leads to my mom trying to do more stuff with us , which is getting a bit too much for my wife as she also wants family time between her, me and kid. So tangled situation where my role is a bit more outsider but just aborting contact isn't possible due to the housing situation (which is hard to change , but options are sought. Needs to be something kind of medically accompanied housing for such cases).
Any advice or comments are appreciated

MASSACHUSETTS NUMEROLOGY DECODE

Interestingly enough, we don't hear much about this state. It's almost easy to overlook or straight up forget unless you are looking at a map. We are going to decode this state using Numerology and point out the reasons/indications that point towards it being such a silent city or at least not popular and frequented like other places. This will get very informative so enjoy the read.
We will now begin decoding each letter in detail.
M - This is The 13th letter of the alphabet Making this letter vibrate at the energy of 4. The energy of four represents privacy and caution. When it comes to 13 and the energy of 4, you have a person or an energy where it's more focused on self rather than connecting with others. So, like I mentioned, 4 is about privacy, caution, and withholding. 4 is pretty restrictive so when a person or place has this name, that you know these are very cautious people or you know that these are not people that take action without thinking. 4 is a very organized type of energy. As a state, this can translate to being a very restrictive state or a state that has particular rules in place. People who live in this state can even have some of these traits. This isn't the type of place to move to unless you want some type of restriction or a relaxed type of energy in your life. M is the strongest energy of this state since it is the first letter of the state's name. So, that alone can start speaking to why this isn't a state that is talked about as much as, let's say, New York or Florida.
A - This is the letter that represents number one as it is the first letter of the alphabet which lets you know that this is about initiation or fresh starts. When it comes to people, this speaks to having that focus on self or being self-motivated.
S - As the 19th letter of the alphabet, this letter vibrates at the energy of one, but it is from a place of being in power or being extremely independent. As a state, that's why the state can seem alone or like a stand alone and not really talked about because we already have a lot of indications that talk about being too self absorbed or too withheld.
S - As the 19th letter of the alphabet, this letter vibrates at the energy of one, but it is from a place of being in power or being extremely independent. As a state, that's why the state can seem alone or like a stand alone and not really talked about because we already have a lot of indications that talk about being too self absorbed or too withheld.
A - This is the letter that represents number one as it is the first letter of the alphabet which lets you know that this is about initiation or fresh starts. When it comes to people, this speaks to having that focus on self or being self-motivated. This is the second time we got this letter and energy.
C - 3rd letter of the alphabet which can represent communication and creativity
H - 8th letter of the alphabet which talks about structure, pressure, seriousness, and mastery.
U - 21st letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 3. This shows compassion, especially when an individual has this in their name. This also can add more creative juices to a person or the state.
S - As mentioned above, this is the 19th letter of the alphabet and vibrates at the energy of 1.
E - 5th letter of the alphabet which points to combat, creativity, romance, joy, change, and events.
T - 20th letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 2 which can point to cooperation, stability, comfort, and proactivity. This is a money number just like the number 8, but 2 represents more frequency.
T - 20th letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 2 which can point to cooperation, stability, comfort, and proactivity. This is a money number just like the number 8, but 2 represents more frequency.
S - As mentioned above, this is the 19th letter of the alphabet and vibrates at the energy of 1.
As you can see, Massachusetts has 6 letters that vibrate at the energy of 1 which equals 6. 6 is about comfort, family, beauty, and discipline. We can see that this may be a state that values discipline which goes well with the fact that it starts with M which is similar to discipline because 4 energy is responsible and even family oriented. We can assume that this state operates from a place of balance and fairness. They may not tolerate what a lot of other states tolerate. Jobs could possibly be a little easier to get here just based on how a lot of the numeric values barely get to the number 9. 1 is the main number that stands out within this state which can point to them doing their own thing and not wanting to identify with how other states do things.
Very individualistic type of energy. People that live in this state could either be workaholics, dogmatic, serious, responsible, controlling, family oriented, shy, or even mean. Routine could be a big thing here. Some or a lot of the residents could even be big on being business owners. This could even be a state where couponing is or can be a big deal. This state may not have too many outside visitors like Florida or Nevada does and the residents could have been there for a long time.
This is a good place to live if you plan on settling down with your own family or partner, if you want a simple and quiet life, if it's just you and only you, if you want to downsize, etc. You get the point. The energy of Massachusetts is very much on the personal and private side.
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Benefits of Moving to a Pluto Line in Astrocartography
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1. Career Empowerment (MC/10th House):

• As a user considering a Pluto line, especially if it aligns with your Midheaven or falls in your 10th house, you can anticipate significant empowerment in your professional life. This placement often leads to transformative career changes, potentially elevating you to positions of influence or redirecting your professional path towards more fulfilling endeavors.
• Deep Emotional and Relational Transformation (8th House):
• If Pluto activates your 8th house, you're likely to experience profound shifts in your emotional and intimate life. This could mean deeper connections, transformative relationship experiences, and significant personal evolution, especially in areas of intimacy and shared resources.
• Inner Work and Spiritual Growth (12th House):
• A Pluto line in the 12th house focuses on the subconscious and hidden aspects of life. For you, this could mean a period of profound psychological and spiritual insights, helping you to uncover and address your deepest fears, secrets, or subconscious patterns.
• Family Dynamics and Personal Foundations (4th House):
• With Pluto in the 4th house, you might find significant changes within your family dynamics or your sense of security and roots. This can be an opportunity for deep emotional healing and transforming your foundational personal beliefs and feelings.
• Enhanced Self-Discovery:
• Living on a Pluto line offers a unique chance for deep psychological exploration. This could be particularly beneficial if you're interested in therapy, self-reflection, or understanding more about the deeper, often hidden aspects of your personality.
• Navigating Power Dynamics in Relationships:
• These lines can bring issues of control and power in relationships to the surface. For you, this might be an opportunity to develop healthier dynamics and resolve longstanding issues related to power and control.
• Commitment to Transformation:
• Moving to a Pluto line indicates a readiness for long-term, profound change. This can be a transformative journey, leading to a more authentic and empowered version of yourself.
• Overcoming Deep-Rooted Challenges:
• Such a relocation can surface deep-seated psychological issues for healing. This is an opportunity for you to confront and work through these challenges, leading to significant personal growth and transformation.

It’s essential to check how Pluto is aspected in your natal chart. Beneficial aspects may ease the intensity of these transformations, while challenging aspects could signal more profound and possibly difficult changes. Remember, Pluto is not a "bad" planet; its influence, while intense, is geared towards profound transformation and growth. Your specific experiences will vary based on Pluto’s house placement and the aspects it forms in your natal chart.

Every month I assemble the “Blankman List,” which includes a wide range of events happening in New York City for every day of the month. In the free highlights below, I focus in on one part of June in NYC: Pride—a month for honoring people who are LGBTQIA+. After all, it’s local history; pride month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in NYC.
The citywide culmination of Pride is the June 30 march down 5th Avenue, but you have my full sympathy if cramming your way into the sidelines of a packed Manhattan parade isn’t your thing. (Though the events below includes a few similar options if it is!)
Pride is bigger than a parade. It is a chance to recognize and honor that people are not all cut from the same cloth. So for one month, I offer a variety of events to honor people along all the colors of the rainbow. Here is May’s free events for the remainder of the month.
Disclaimer: Before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, location, cost, and description using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar and may change. I try to vet quality and describe accurately, but I may misjudge. All views are my own.

Exercise Your Rights

Whether you’re looking to run or swim competitively or simply cheer on from the sidelines, many sports and athletic organizations throughout the city set aside an event in celebration of pride month. I’m especially psyched for the Brooklyn Cyclones rainbow jerseys.

• Wednesday, June 5: Walking Tour: LGBTQ History in Greenwich Village
  • Walking tour of historic sites associated with the Stonewall Riots and early LGBTQIA+ activism and community; 6–7:30 pm
  • $25 general / $20 student
  • Meet at Christopher Park
  • 38-64 Christopher St (West Village, Manhattan)
• Thursday, June 6: Brooklyn Cyclones Pride Night
  • Minor league baseball game against the visiting Aberdeen IronBirds, with pride caps and pride jerseys available first-come, first-served; 7 pm
  • $28
  • Maimonides Park
  • 1904 Surf Ave (Coney Island, Brooklyn)
• Saturday, June 8: Brooklyn Pride LGBTQIA+ 5K Run/Walk
  • 5-kilomete3.1-mile fun run/walk through Prospect Park; 10 am–12 pm
  • $35–$40 (price depends on date of purchase)
  • Meet at Bartel-Pritchard Lot
  • Prospect Park Southwest (South Slope, Brooklyn)
• Saturday, June 22: Pride Swim Manhattan
  • 1.5-mile/2.5-kilometer open water swim race for all experience levels; 9:30 am
  • $200
  • Hudson River, past West Village
  • Pier 26 at Hudson River Park (Tribeca, Manhattan)

Queer Artists

Commemorating members of the LGBTQIA+ community can be as simple as engaging with their art. Of special note this June are the objects that belonged to Stephen Sondheim, the legendary (and gay) musical theater composer who passed away in 2021 and whose collection is on display before being sold at auction.

• Wednesday, June 12: treya lam: Otherland - Our Queer Earth
  • 70-minute performance of song, movement, poetry, and other arts on the theme of building “queer liberatory futures”; 7 pm (6 pm doors)
  • $20, plus two drink or one food item minimum
  • The Public Theater
  • 425 Lafayette St (Astor Place, Manhattan)
• Friday, June 14–Monday, June 17: The Collection of Stephen Sondheim
  • Exhibition of memorabilia and objects from Stephen Sondheim’s homes, in advance of auction on Jun 18; 12–5 pm
  • Free
  • Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers New York
  • 175 E 87th St (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
• Saturday, June 15: Pomme
  • French folk rock singer (Pomme Instagram); 7:30 pm (6:30 pm doors)
  • $35
  • Webster Hall
  • 125 E 11th St (East Village, Manhattan)
• Tuesday, June 25–Saturday, June 29: Woolf Works - American Ballet Theater
  • Ballet triptych based on three novels by modernist author Virginia Woolf; start times at 2 & 7:30 pm
  • $33–$243
  • Metropolitan Opera House
  • 30 Lincoln Center Plaza (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)

The T of LGBT

It’s impossible for me to ignore the deeply misguided social and political discourse that I sometimes hear around being transgender. There are plenty of events year-round that tell the stories and elevate the voices of people who are transgender and gender nonconforming. June is the perfect month to make time to hear them.

• Thursday, June 13: Bristol Fashion Film Screening
  • Screening of Bristol Fashion, a 2022 drama film about a young transgender woman escaping from a troubled home, featuring the filmmaker and cast members; 5:30–9 pm
  • Free
  • The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
  • 208 W 13th St (Meatpacking District, Manhattan)
• Friday, June 21–Sunday, June 23: She He Me
  • The first Arab transgender play, following the true stories of three Arab characters who challenge gender norms; 2 pm; Jun 21–23; part of Criminal Queerness Festival
  • Pay-what-you-wish, ranging from $15–$120
  • Perelman Performing Arts Center
  • 251 Fulton St (Financial District, Manhattan)
• Sunday, June 23: Melissa Ferrick with Gracie and Rachel
  • Folk-rock concert featuring singer-songwriter (and gender nonconforming) Melissa Ferrick; 7:30 pm (6 pm doors)
  • $25–$35 entry (full food and drink menu available)
  • City Winery NYC
  • 25 11th Ave (Chelsea, Manhattan)
• Through Saturday, June 29: Leah Devun: Resemblance
  • Exhibition of photographs featuring artist Leah DeVun, her son, and her transgender partner; hours depend on day but are generally 11 am–6 pm
  • Free
  • Mrs. Gallery
  • 60-40 56th Dr (Maspeth, Queens)

Queer Film and Literature

• Monday, June 3: The Other Olympians
  • Book talk on the subject of early trans athletes and Olympic bureaucrats, with author Michael Waters; 7–8 pm
  • Free (entry only) / $33 (includes book)
  • The Invisible Dog Art Center
  • 51 Bergen St (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn)
• Wednesday, June 5: All You Need Is...Love? Book Club with Genay
  • Discussion on Truly, Madly, Deeply, queer rom-com book by Lambda Literary Award winner Alexandria Bellefleur
  • $5 (RSVP required; includes $5 store credit)
  • McNally Jackson Downtown Brooklyn
  • 445 Gold St, City Point BKLYN (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)
• Thursday, June 6; Tuesday, June 11 & Saturday, June 15: Shorts: It’s Complicated
  • Screening of LGBTQIA+-themed short films; time depends on day; part of the Tribeca Film Festival
  • $19–$32, depending on start time (passes for multiple film festival screenings start at $110)
  • AMC 19th St East 6
  • 890 Broadway (Flatiron District, Manhattan)
• Friday, June 7: But I’m a Cheerleader
  • Screening of a 1999 teen romantic comedy taking place at a conversion therapy camp; 10:30 pm
  • $21
  • Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan
  • 28 Liberty St (Financial District, Manhattan)

Dance and Celebrate

NYC is a premiere world destination to glitter and be gay. With its star-studded, blocks-wide festivities, a lot of the celebration around pride involves parades, parties, and dancing. The appeal of NYC runs deeper though; the city also offers plenty of more subdued safe spaces for people who like to dance, too.

• Every Sunday: Pride Salsa
  • Class on learning to New York Style on 2 salsa, in a safe space for queer folx and allies; 3 pm beginner class, 5 pm advanced beginner class
  • $20
  • Houghton Hall Arts Community
  • 22 E 30th St (Koreatown, Manhattan)
• Wednesday, June 26: Queer Swing Dance Class
  • Drop-in introduction to swing dance class in a queer-friendly environment; 6–8 pm
  • Pay what you can
  • Brooklyn Pride Center Bed-Stuy
  • 1360 Fulton St (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)
• Friday, June 28: Horse Meat Disco NYC Pride
  • All-night pride-themed rave hosted by the British DJ collective Horse Meat Disco; 10 pm–5 am
  • $119
  • Knockdown Center
  • 52-19 Flushing Ave (Maspeth, Queens)
• Sunday, June 30: Annual NYC Pride March
  • Annual parade celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community; 11 am
  • Free
  • Begins on 25th St & 5th Ave, crosses through the Stonewall National Monument
  • Route will be posted on NYC Pride website (West Village, Manhattan)

Celebrate with Food

Does your ideal celebration of pride simply involve a colorful cocktail or a cleverly-named dish? This city can deliver on that, too! Plenty of bars, restaurants, and food-centered spaces commemorate the month in one way or another.

• Sunday, June 2: Beyoncé + Rihanna Drag Brunch
  • Brunch with drag performances set to music by Beyoncé and Rihanna; seatings at 11:45 am & 2:30 pm
  • $20 entry (dishes range from $8–$32, plus tips for the performers)
  • Stella 34 Trattoria & Bar (inside Macy’s)
  • 151 W 34th St (Midtown South, Manhattan)
• Thursday, June 6: Queer Happy Hour
  • Bar happy hour serving Nigerian food and pride-themed drinks; 7 pm–2 am
  • Free entry (reservation required)
  • Acoustik Garden Lounge
  • 1515 Atlantic Ave (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)
• Saturday, June 22: Stone Street Historic District Pride Fest
  • Packed block party along the Stone Street Historic District featuring bars and restaurants selling pride-themed food and drinks; 12 pm
  • Free entry; restaurants range in price
  • Stone Street Historic District
  • 30 Stone St (Financial District, Manhattan)
• Saturday, June 29: Pride Joyride Tasting
  • 5-course queer-themed menu with wine pairing prepared by chef David Goldman; 7–10 pm
  • $195
  • The Brooklyn Point Chef’s Table
  • 138 Willoughby St (Downtown Brooklyn)

DISCLAIMER: I'd like to note that I do not consider myself an expert on many of the topics he talks about or even economics in general but a lot of what I'm about to say is pretty easily verifiable and basic, and I'll try to be clear that I'm expressing my opinion and not fact when I'm doing so. Given my lack of expertise, none of what I say here should be considered as the final authority on these topics, it's a reddit post for fucks sake, I encourage everyone to search up the relevant data and information on the topics they are interested in or claims they find dubious. It's really not that hard and all the links and data I'm gonna cite here took me less than five minutes to find for each piece of information. If you're not familiar with where to find this data it might take you longer but I promise that anyone with access to the internet can do the same thing I'm doing. Finally, for those looking for some opinionless, academic argument, that's not what this is, this is gonna sound like a rant because it is, I'm posting this for nothing more than my own satisfaction, take from it what you will.
Ok I'm writing this after I finished the whole thing and I said that I'd try to be clear that I'm expressing my opinion and not fact when I'm doing so and the basically entire second half of this is my opinion and I don't make that very clear so sorry about that.
Honestly I'd love to be wrong because I really do think that younger people are at a disadvantage compared to previous generations at the same age but the arguments he makes and the data he uses throughout his talk just sound like such bullshit to me.
https://www.ted.com/talks/scott\_galloway\_how\_the\_us\_is\_destroying\_young\_people\_s\_future?
https://www.profgalloway.com/war-on-the-young/
Scott Galloway recently did a Ted talk titled "How the US is destroying young people's future", as well as an accompanying blog post. He's made some fair points about how young people have been put at an inherent disadvantage and that they have it harder than previous generations. That's most likely true and I personally support that point of view, but the a lot data and numbers he makes this argument with seem to be cherry picked, misleading, or just straight up wrong. So let's break his talk down. u/JustTaxLandLol made a pretty good post about him comparing median wages to the S&P500 (https://www.reddit.com/badeconomics/comments/1cc3rs8/scott\_galloway\_compares\_median\_wage\_to\_sp500/) but I think that Galloway's mistakes are much more comprehensive than just that particular slide.
The first slide with data makes a claim about how pre-tax income, adjusted for inflation, has decreased across generations from grandparents to parents to kids, and that cost of public colleges and home prices have increased significantly across generations too. First of all, categorising generations by whether they have children or grandchildren is kinda nuts. That's a very wide, overlapping, range of ages. If he has actually fixed age ranges for each generation that don't overlap and just made these categorisations for the sake of understandability to a nonacademic audience, I still think that's the wrong choice but fine. However, his claim that real income has decreased across generations is weak at best. This working paper (https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/files/2024007pap.pdf) from the Fed Reserve was published February 2024, and from the figures that start at page 35, shows that by almost every categorisation they could think of, GenZ earns more at the same age than every previous generation before them. There's some conflict here with Raj Chetty's work but I don't have the time or knowledge to reconcile the two perspectives but at best, the pre-tax income numbers Galloway presents are questionable at best. Furthermore, he doesn't provide anyone a chance at even checking the sources he gets this information from. Not once in his entire talk does he cite a single source. He couldn't even have some tiny text at the bottom of his tables or diagrams saying what organisation he got this data from. Ok so that crossed out bit is wrong, he does have sources they're just very very faint and you can see them if you squint hard enough at the bottom left corner of his graphs. But the source he gives for this slide is a joke. Here's the link https://www.profgalloway.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Table-01.png
His "source" is his own analysis. Ok so by his analysis, the average cost of public college is 56000*0.43 = 24080. I'm gonna use numbers from this US News page (https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/paying-for-college-infographic), which might not be the most reliable source in the world, but it's probably somewhere in the ballpark. So according to US News, average tuition for the 2023-2024 school year for out of state students going to a public school is 23,630 and 10,662 for in state students. If these numbers are anywhere near accurate, the only conclusion I can draw is that Galloway has cherry-picked his data by only including the cost for out of state students in his analysis. First of all, public schools in the US are there to provide affordable access to higher education FOR RESIDENTS OF ITS STATE. Using only out of state numbers is absolutely ridiculous. Secondly, even if he used only the in state numbers, 10662/56000 is approximately equal to 19%. So if I use his very very questionable pre-tax income numbers, cost of public college for in state students has still increased across his categorisation of generations. It's not like his point would have been invalidated if he had used the in-state numbers, a trend of tuition increasing as a percentage of real income across multiple generations is still very bad. This is my opinion but I guess that he just wanted to find a nice shocking number. I didn't catch this but in their post, u/JustTaxLandLol notes that later on Galloway says "real median income from labor is up 40% since 1974" so he's also contradicting himself in the same talk.
I couldn't be bothered to look into the house price to income column he has so I don't have any comments on that.
His next slide is a point about how the percentage of 30 year olds earning more than their parents did at 30 has been decreasing very significantly over time. This is from a paper in 2016 by Raj Chetty (link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aal4617). I've seen some counterarguments about the methods used in the paper but there are counterarguments for basically every inequality paper in existence so I'd take them with a grain of salt. Those points are more complex than the scope of this post and I lack the expertise to be making them anyways so I believe this slide. I'll admit that Galloway makes a good argument for this slide.
Right after this slide he says "As a result, people over the age of 55 feel pretty good about America, but less than one in five people under the age of 34 feel very good about America. This creates an incendiary, righteous movement...". He supports this with data on the percentage of US adults who feel "extremely proud" to be American.
Before I talk about the data on this slide, I'd like to be a little anal about things and pick apart his wording and causal claims he makes. When Galloway says "as a result" he's making a causal claim about the relationship between a young person's earning ability and their national pride. Leaving aside the econometric issues of making random causal claims, this is a ridiculous marginalisation of all the other critically important issues in the US. It seems pretty clear to me that reduced national pride amongst younger individuals is a combination of a lack of social mobility (or however you want to word your version of the fading American dream), the continued existence of systematic racism and sexism, US response to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, bodily autonomy (abortion), and many other issues. Not to say that the economic disadvantages of young people doesn't play a role in causing this lack of national pride but come on. He also says "this creates an incendiary righteous movement...". Ok if the "as a result" from the last sentence could be interpreted as the economic disadvantages of young people play some part in their dissatisfaction with the government, it should be obvious to anyone not living under a rock that many of the political conflicts and movements that have erupted in the US over the past few years have little, if anything, to do with earning ability. In the slide after the poll data he shows three photos, one of a MeToo protest, one of a BLM protest, and another of a pro-Palestine protest. I can only interpret this as him making the claim that the younger generations economic difficulties are causally linked to those movements, which is totally bananas.
Now lets talk about the data. He got this from the Gallup polls (link: https://news.gallup.com/poll/394202/record-low-extremely-proud-american.aspx, there's a link to download the pdf with the poll numbers at the end of this article). There are 5 options for the Gallup poll: "Extremely proud"; "Very proud"; "Moderately proud"; "Only a little proud"; or "Not at all proud". So Galloway is cherry-picking again. To be fair, it's true that even including the rest of the answers, a quick glance at the data suggests (very strongly) that young people are less proud than older people. There are also more young people who choose "Not at all proud" (11% for 18-34 and 1% for 55+). Though there is probably some argument to be made about whether "extreme" pride is a good thing. Furthermore, "pretty good" and "very good" do not reflect the extremity of choosing, well, the most extreme option.
As an introduction to his next slide he says that "a decent proxy for how much we value youth labor is minimum wage". I've never heard of this before and am very very skeptical but I'm willing to attribute this to my own ignorance so I'll leave that sentence alone. So on this slide there's a graph with two lines, one is minimum wage across time adjusted for inflation, the other is whats supposed to be minimum wage if adjusted for productivity (also adjusted to inflation I assume). Galloway got this data form the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) (https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/), which shows that this gap between productivity began around 1979. This was when Carter was president and right before the Reagan administration. Those who know about the economic history of this time probably won't be surprised since a lot of the policies of this time were rather inegalitarian and heavily favoured the wealthy. I agree that many of the policies of the time contributed heavily to the inequality America faces today and though I haven't read any studies about how this affects minimum wage workers, I believe that minimum wage workers or low income workers in general today have significantly lower purchasing power relative to a few decades ago.
What I have a problem with here is the idea that productivity and minimum wage should increase in tandem. According to the EPI, "Productivity measures how much total economywide income is generated (i.e., for workers, business owners, landlords, and everybody else together) in an average hour of work" and "pay is defined as the average compensation (wages and benefits) of production and nonsupervisory workers. The pay for this group is one appropriate benchmark for 'typical worker pay' because production and nonsupervisory workers have made up roughly 80% of the U.S. workforce over the entire period shown in the figure and because the data for production and nonsupervisory workers exclude extremely highly paid managerial workers like CEOs and other corporate executives". Before I try to break down my complaints with the measures used, my immediate reaction when I saw this was that it seems rather stupid to compare the relationship between average productivity and minimum wage in an industrial economy against the same relationship in a service oriented one. There are just more jobs now that let you make an impact on the economy far beyond what you are paid and it is so so difficult to quantify this change. Using a similar argument, I really have no clue how macro people make models or do estimates for things like productivity but I'm quite skeptical about the reliability of using such a measure of productivity because of the increased prevalence of second, third, or n-th order effects that would be present in a measure of something like total gdp but pretty much impossible to identify for any employer. For those who want to read more about this difference between productivity and compensation I think this is the most relevant paper from EPI (https://files.epi.org/2015/understanding-productivity-pay-divergence-final.pdf). There are some points I'm not satisfied with in this paper like them attributing the entirety of the difference between median hourly compensation to average consumer hourly compensation but that would take more time than I want to spend on this.
Now we're still on the same slide. Galloway says "we've kept it [minimum wage] purposely pretty low" twice in three sentences. Now he's suggesting that there's some collective out there that has the political power and desire to keep minimum wage low. By "we" I think he means to suggest that the old-timers have banded together to screw the young people over. Ok buddy. I'm stepping outside the bounds of what's considered strictly economics here a little but pinning the injustices of society on some ethereal enemy whose existence can never be disproven is the same as taking "advantage of the flaws in our species with medieval institutions, Paleolithic instincts, and godlike technology" (Galloway's words, same TED talk) to me. Maybe there really is some cabal of scheming geezers out there who have some twisted desire to keep the minimum wage low, but I'm more inclined to believe that a lot of these "injustices" are a result of our existing political and societal institutions being poor and inefficient aggregators of our desires as a society, rewarding selfishness instead of cooperation. This certainly makes the problem harder to solve than if there were just some evil 'others' we could get rid of and be done with. Having a target to direct our outrage at, believing that I am good and they are bad, is easier than facing the reality that everyone is born with the selfishness that creates the injustices we live with but that's not gonna make people more agreeable. As an economist, I study the theory of incentives to use the same human selfishness that creates all the problems Galloway talks about to create solutions that hopefully improve our quality of life. This is what I believe is the beauty of being human, all the good and bad that happens stem from the same desires, it is our job to create institutions and systems that allow us to channel our desires in a way that benefits everyone, but I digress. The point is, this enemy that Galloway creates is an effective tactic at convincing people of his argument, but I don't believe such a perspective benefits society at all. Mistakes should be corrected, that doesn't mean they're always the result of ill intentions.
His next slide compares the difference between percentage increase in median household income against percentage increase in median home price, as well as a comparison of the median monthly mortgage between 2019 and 2024. I have nothing to say about the graph, I agree that over time, home prices have increased to an unacceptable level. The Fed funds rate went from 2.4 percent in Feb 2019 to 5.33 percent in Feb 2024 (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/fedfunds). To his credit, Galloway does attribute this increase in mortgage payments to "an acceleration in interest rates" but what's the alternative? Don't increase interest rates? Then if I was Galloway I'd make the same TED talk and talk about how the continued low interest rates contributed to rampant inflation that made all the poor people even poorer. It seems like he's decided to take whatever bad economic event that seems somewhat relevant and made it to be the result of some group's dogged determination to keep the younger generation down. Why is the increase from pre- to post-covid prices on anything surprising. I'd like to meet the genius who saw covid coming and intentionally created this increase in home prices.
He also says "the most expensive homes in the world, based on this metric, are number three, Vancouver. Why? Because 60 percent of the cost of building a home goes to permits...". I have no idea what point he's making here. Based on what metric, median home price? Monthly mortgage payments? Why do I care about Vancouver, a Canadian city, being number three? Then he talks about how "the incumbents that own assets have weaponized government". Either he's switched to talking about oligopolistic lobbyists in general without saying so or he's still talking about Canada. I dunno. Someone please explain. Then he says "this is the transfer I'm going to be speaking about". Also, everything he just said is talking about how there exists a group of people trying to PREVENT transfers of wealth to new entrants. And there was huge applause after that sentence. Nutsos, all of them.
Ok next slide. Galloway presents two pie charts, comparing the share of household wealth by age in 1989 to 2023. So he's talking directly about inequality in wealth now. Inequality in the US is really really bad, that's a fact. I'm a big fan of the work of Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman, and Thomas Piketty. These people have been at the forefront of research on inequality for many years now and though their work is not flawless, I'm convinced by the data they present and the methods by which they have aggregated the data and what they show is that inequality is worse than even what the pie charts Galloway presents suggest. However, this is not to say that Galloway makes a valid argument. Please note the grey bits in the pie chart. If Galloway has shown the numbers for everyone under 40 and above 70, the group that's excluded are those between 40 and 70. So those in the age range of 40-70 owned 100 - 19 - 12 = 69% of household wealth in 1989 and 100 - 30 - 7 = 63% in 2023. I could probably go and find how the age demographics of the population have changed over time and I think that with declining birth rates, the percentage change in age demographics would be pretty close to the percentage change in household wealth but I'm tired of beating every slide to death so I'll leave that to someone else if anyone's motivated enough to do that (if my hypothesis is wrong here just comment and I'll make that change). My first thought when I saw this though was again, this guy has paid no regard to structural change in society. Given the increased accessibility of buying stocks over the past three decades is it really that surprising that older people who have had more time and cash at the start of the digital age to invest in companies that are now massive mega-corporations have experienced a higher return on their capital. This is not to say that none of this change in the share of wealth held by those under 40 is due to some inherent unfairness in our society and I have neither the time nor knowledge to separate these effects out but to say that this was a "purposeful" effort to cut their wealth in half is complete and utter bullshit. Also, this guy makes another causal claim WITH NOTHING BUT A CHANGE IN SHARE OF HOUSEHOLD WEALTH. Congratulations everyone Scott Galloway has just made every econometrician in the world redundant, I always knew my professors were just trying to confuse me with funny symbols and Greek letters, someone get this guy a Nobel Prize.
Then while introducing his next slide Galloway says that his analyst's presence in the audience "brings the average age of the entire conference down in 11 days". So he's saying that TED knows exactly who's showing up to their event before it happens and that they have the exact birthdates of everyone in the audience too and that they've given this information to one of their speakers. A friend of mine has told me he's just making a joke and that I should let this point go because I'm being too anal about things but yeah I become anal about things when someone suggests sweeping institutional changes in a talk viewed by millions of people so thought I'd include it anyways just as another example of the bullshit this guy has been spewing.
When he moves on to the actual content in the slide the first point he makes is about lower acceptance rates in schools. So I don't have data on this because I couldn't be bothered to go find any so again, I'll change my statement if anyone has reliable data indicating otherwise but I think its pretty safe to say that way less people used to apply than before and combined with an increase in international student applications and enrollments the competition is just way higher than before. The most obvious explanation would be that higher education institutions have made the mistake of not increasing enrollments at a rate quick enough to meet demand. However, according to US News (https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-many-universities-are-in-the-us-and-why-that-number-is-changing) there were 3982 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the US. and UCLA is ranked 15th in national universities. So why is it surprising now that university education is becoming more popular that higher ranked universities are harder to get into. So instead of expanding enrollment I think that a well thought out plan of affirmative action would be a much better option of giving "unremarkable kids and giving them a shot at being remarkable" (what this well thought out plan may be I don't know, I honestly didn't even search up any statistics about affirmative action this was just the first solution I thought of that didn't involve ignoring the crowning achievement of statistics). To his credit, Galloway does include a point about income-based affirmative action at the end of his talk, though he overwhelmingly emphasises increasing enrollment in schools. I don't have any data about that but I think that class sizes at public universities are large enough as it is.
The rest of the slide gives numbers on college debt of house price compared to first year income. College debt is ridiculously high and many people struggle because of it. I don't have the solution and neither does Galloway because he doesn't really mention it. I think that house price-to-first year income is a poor comparison because it doesn't take into account average rate of income increase and no normal person from any generation is looking to buy a house with first year income but there's probably a more appropriate metric out there that shows a similar change anyways so I'm ok with that.
Then he talks about him and his "colleagues" who "artificially constrain supply to create aspiration and scarcity". I would like to meet the professors who have control over enrollment rates because none of mine did. Then he says "to my colleagues in higher ed: we're public servants, not fucking Chanel bags". The marketing professor from NYU says he's a public servant...ok.
The slide after that compares Harvard's increase in endowment compared to their increase in enrollment and he calls them a "hedge fund offering classes". I see no issue with this point, he made a great argument, can't really criticise anything here.
Don't worry though he makes up for it by immediately making one of the most egregious statements in this whole talk. We're looking at his next slide, the one titled "Grand Bargain" now. He says that the government should take some of the money that's supposed to be used to forgive existing loans to about 500 of the top public universities to reduce tuition by 2% and year, expand enrollments by 6% a year, and increase vocational programs to 20% of the degrees granted. Then the slide after that, claims this will double freshman seats and cut costs in half in just 10 years. Ok so he thinks that most of the money "earmarked to bail out the one third of people that got to go to college on the backs of the two thirds that didn't" should go to future students instead because, I assume from the tone of his words, he doesn't think they need or deserve all that loan forgiveness. So why bring up the increase in college debt previously (the slide I talked about three paragraphs ago)? Anyways that's not the crazy thing. Let's see what happens if you reduce tuition by 2% a year for 10 years. So the calculation goes like this 0.98^{10} is approximately equal to 0.81. So with the number he puts up, tuition decreases by 19% in ten years. If everything before this slide could be attributed to cherry-picking, stupidity, or lack of good data, then fine he's just ignorant even though he shouldn't have been if he went up there to make that talk. But now this is just a FUCKING BAREFACED LIE. I cannot think of a greater insult to the audience's intelligence than the fact that this guy didn't think anyone would pull out a fucking calculator and do the calculation themselves. I won't blame the audience for not saying anything because I'm not sure I would have wanted to do that either but at least from youtube and reddit comments there are a decent number of people who didn't realise this. A similar calculation shows that expanding enrollment by 6% per year increases seats by about 80% total (1.06^{10}). Not sure how that translates in terms of freshman seats but at least this is closer than the tuition claim.
Then his next slide compares wages to the s&p500. This is the point of u/JustTaxLandLol's post and I think his post and the discussion in the comments covers most if not all of my thoughts so you can just read that. https://www.reddit.com/badeconomics/comments/1cc3rs8/scott_galloway_compares_median_wage_to_sp500/
Ok next slide, "The Transfer: Purposeful". Oh yay he's about to make another causal claim with nothing but a graph on the change in top marginal tax rates for corporations and individuals. And if we skip ahead to the next slide we'll realise that this claim is that the gradual decrease in top marginal tax rates for corporations and individuals results in lowered senior poverty and child poverty either remains constant or increases. Yes everybody the newest advancement in economic research has just been released. Lowering top tax rates decreases senior poverty and increases child poverty. And Scott Galloway made that argument in 24 seconds (transcript on TED website has time markers).
Man I really set out with the intention to keep the tone of this post as neutral as I could but I'm just writing out my internal dialogue with less swearing now. I apologise to those who would have preferred a more careful and less emotional knee-jerk response of an analysis but this is a reddit post, its not like there are standards.
Now he moves on to talking about social security. Galloway says "it would cost 11 billion dollars to expand the child tax credit. But that gets stripped out of the infrastructure bill". So zero explanation about why it would cost 11 billion dollars to expand the child tax credit, why not more or less, no comment about how many children it would affect, how much money it would mean for each child or family, just some number that you have to accept. Most of the time there's no why to the amount of funding that the government allocates to policies but at least there's some breakdown to how its going to be used, Galloway doesn't even have that. This is before we even consider the fact that child tax credit was expanded this year (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/child-tax-credit-2024-who-qualifies/). Maybe he's talking about some other issue that I'm not aware of but I don't think so. He says he got the social security spending data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which is a think tank. I don't want to sort through their website to fact check so I'll accept it as the truth but as far as I know the actual social security administration releases their facts and figures for the year August of next year so I'm not sure why he didn't just use the 2022 numbers from a more reliable source.
His next few couple slides are about the increasing age of politicians. I think this is a great point but he probably should have used a better example of a younger politician than Justin Trudeau.
Then at around the 10 minute mark, using his slide titled "Generational Theft", Galloway claims that "we pumped the economy" during covid so that the Nasdaq would gain value, causing "intergenerational theft". I don't know if he thinks it was intentional or not but how is he going to completely ignore the fact that the stimulus checks were primarily for households that were struggling due to the greatest unemployment rate we have seen in our lifetime (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/06/11/unemployment-rose-higher-in-three-months-of-covid-19-than-it-did-in-two-years-of-the-great-recession/). I'm really kind of tired of this so I'll let those at the CBR make my argument for me. "Within the first 10 days, households spent an average of 29 cents from every dollar received. The bulk of this spending was on food, rent, and bills" (https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/how-effective-were-stimulus-checks-us). Damn so turns out struggling families did need these stimulus checks pretty urgently. Shocker. I also think that most people in finance would agree that tech stocks surged over covid because people needed fucking technology... People built PCs to play video games, used online shopping services because they couldn't go to malls, all that.
The next slide is supposed to support his point that the increase in stock prices doesn't allow young people to find "disruption". What. The only thing that matters to any investor is the percentage increase in value of the stock price after you've invested. It doesn't matter if 7 dollars is 1 share of apple or 0.04 of a share of apple. Its stock price going up by 100% means you get 14 dollars either way. I think this guy's arguments are getting dumber as the talk goes on, I actually had to go and find data to refute his points earlier on. Now arithmetic does the work for me, I should have hired a grade schooler to do my analysis.
His next point is about how algorithmic content selection is bad. Yeah its bad. Its bad for everyone, turns everyone into psychos. Though I think there's a very good argument to be made about how such content could affect developing brains. He makes a point about age-gating social media at the end of the talk. This is actually the only drastic measure he proposes that I agree with so I'll leave this alone too.
After a couple slides about Zuckerberg and TikTok (which I agree with, though I think Zuckerberg's damage probably leans more towards older people than young now), he gives a bunch of graphs showing upward trends in all sorts of terrible things happening to young people. Every single one is an issue of critical importance in the US, but importantly, no comparison to older people. For all we know, the trend on every graph could be the same or even worse for older generations. If I had written about this first then I'd go and find the data for it but at this point I just want to be done with this but can't stop without getting to the end so I'm just gonna slap this slide with lack of comparisons and move on.
His next slide shows the difference in 30 to 34 year olds who have at least one child, some of that is probably due to family planning but I still think its a great indicator of people not wanting to have children because its not affordable. Great point, I believe in it.
Next slide, oh god it's a happiness report. I think happiness reports are a fun conversational tidbit but I see no way for it to be reliable enough to be used as an argument in any semi-serious setting. That said, I have no idea how they do these measurements so maybe I'm wrong.
As if the happiness report wasn't bad enough, Galloway is gonna compare the biggest one-day market cap gain (in an unspecified time frame) to the budget of several policies implemented by the government. Oh man. This is too stupid, there's so many things to pick from it'd take too much effort to sort through them. Someone else please make the argument for me.
Then he says universal basic income should have been called negative income tax. Wow the frequency of good points is going up, though I think this is accompanied by an increase in the frequency of absolutely idiotic arguments.
Then he says we should eliminate capital gains tax deduction. The issue of taxing capital gains is a very serious one, but I don't think it actually matters that much how much we tax realised capital gains. Again, not an expert but here's my understanding. If you have a high net worth with a lot of it in stocks and you need cash, you don't have to sell them and get taxed on the realised gains. You go to the bank and say I want to borrow money, I'm going to put these stocks up as collateral so if I can't pay you back you can take these stocks which are somewhere around the value of the principal amount plus total interest over the course of this loan. Because the bank is now convinced they'll get the money back regardless of if you make the payments or not, they say ok here's the money you asked for at a nice low interest rate. Then you take the money, you keep your stocks, which will probably gain value at a rate that exceeds the interest rate by a pretty decent margin, and you can probably make your interest payments pretty easily because hey, you were rich to begin with. If you're really strapped for cash a couple years down the line, you can sell some of the stocks that are now worth more than they were before and cover your payments and not have to pay taxes on the rest that you don't have to sell. Free money. There's plenty more ways to avoid taxes if you're rich but you get my point by now. Now that's a lot of problems without a solution. Luckily we have some economists far more skilled than I am who work very hard to find solutions to these problems. Here's one example of a policy that may help (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/03/opinion/global-billionaires-tax.html). This is an opinion piece written by Gabriel Zucman (famous economist), for the New York Times. If you don't have an NYT subscription, sorry for giving a link you can't read but if you search Gabriel Zucman billionaire tax, you could probably get a decent idea of what this talks about. Here's Zucman tweeting his proposal for his suggestion (https://twitter.com/gabriel\_zucman/status/1763253132572729623). It probably requires a little more thinking than the NYT article but he did present this at the G20 so that might sound more exciting to you than some news article.
Then Galloway says "we need to remove 230 protection for all algorithmically-elevated content". Zero mention on what 230 protection is so here's an explanation (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230). Basically that was a fancy way of saying that companies should be held accountable of the content on their platform, even if it's posted by an unrelated third party. I'm not sure getting rid of it in its entirety is a great idea (though I have no arguments against that except Orwellian ones) but I certainly agree that most if not all social media platforms have abused this protection and it should be at the very least restricted. To what extent? Again, I have no clue.
Then he goes "break up Big Tech". That's the whole suggestion. This is a terrible idea but the fact that he doesn't elaborate more on how to do this, the ramifications of doing so, or really provide any explanation at all makes me automatically ignore this. Then he makes his point about age-gating social media, like I said before, I agree with it.
His next suggestions are universal pre-K, great idea, then "reinstate the expanded child-tax credit". Not sure what he's going on about here, child tax credit exists and like I said before, was just expanded. Then it's income-based affirmative action. I don't know what kind of affirmative action is best and that sounds like an interesting idea so I won't criticise it. I think the rest of his suggestions are pretty normative arguments so I'll leave those alone too.
Don't get me wrong, I wholeheartedly agree with the overall theme of his talk. I believe that young people in the US (and many places worldwide) are at a massive disadvantage when it comes to accumulating wealth, buying homes, inter-generational transfers, etc. But you cannot go up on a popular platform like this, make claims as sweeping as he has, and make suggestions as radical and drastic as he has, with garbage arguments and data like this. Saying the right things for the wrong reasons is arguably worse than just saying the wrong thing because it makes it easy for those who want the status quo to remain to make counterarguments. Given how divisive opinions have become over the past decade or so I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how many people are eating this up but it kinda scares me how easily people will eat up this shit as long as its for a cause that sounds like its going for some kind of radical change for the good of all and has some imaginary "them" as the common enemy to everyone.
So that's it, I've finally covered all his points. I'm free, thank fuck. I should really proofread this but this has been my past eight hours and my back is breaking from all this sitting, I'm just gonna post this and read it over tomorrow. Maybe do a tl;dr, fix some formatting.
EDIT: As u/myphriendmike and u/Mordoci have pointed out, my dummy corp example was just tax fraud, that's illegal and so it's a bad example, I've removed it. Zucman has some estimates on the "real" tax rate wealthy people (mostly billionaires) pay, maybe I'll include that at some point.
I also corrected my wording in some places.

Asking for suggestions seems to be a common theme on this sub-reddit, so I’ve updated my list of the best dining restaurants on the Cape for 2024.
This is absolutely one subjective opinion, but I like to think it's at least a qualified opinion. Having lived on the Cape for 20+ years, worked in the industry in the past, and dined out around the world for business/pleasure, I have a decent sense of what a stellar restaurant experience should be like.
I've been lucky enough to dine at a number of Michelin Star ranked establishments over the years while traveling. While none on the Cape is going to be earning that honor (especially since it’s only given in a few major cities) I’ve experienced what great can be like enough times to recognize the glimmer of it here at home. With each of these I'm still dreaming about the meal days later and want to go back as soon as possible.

The Best Dining On Cape:

1. Ceraldi (Wellfleet) $$$$
2. Water Street Kitchen (Woods Hole) $$$
3. Twenty Eight Atlantic (Harwich) $$$$ - Kid Friendly
4. The Pheasant (Dennis) $$$ - Kid Friendly
5. La Tacodilla (Dennis) $ - Kid Friendly
6. Ten Yen (Orleans) $$$

These are the only places that make the cut here, as nowhere else I’ve been to quite rises to this amazing level these provide. Yes, the Cape is a big place, but each of these is well worth the drive from Falmouth or P-town.
Changes for 2024:

• Ten Yen moved down a little. Michael still serves the best sushi on the Cape, but they reduced variety by dropping their ala carte nigiri offerings. (-1 consistency/variety - EDIT: Comments mentioned they will likely have more variety once the summer starts, will update!)
• La Tacodilla moved down a little. Still amazing street food, but their open days/hours keep changing (-1 to consistency/variety). Don't let that stop you though, the food is still amazing and an extraordinary value in todays food inflation climate.
• Ocean House moved off to Runners Up. Still one of the better cocktails and dinner views on the Cape, but total meal prices are up, variety is down, and quality is down. They removed the lower priced burgers and flatbreads, limited vegetarian options and no longer have a viable vegan option on the menu; grilled cauliflower is not a meal and egregious for $33! We also had a few quality problems last season. They dropped below my cut off of 45 points to remain on the best list. (-1 to food, -1 to consistency/variety, -1 to value)

Coincidentally, there is something for every budget. Ceraldi deserves the top spot but is a tough reservation to get and expensive with their fixed menu. They also added a delightfully inventive no reservations taken first come communal table menu that was fabulous, and they’re amazing about allergies and accommodating most food restrictions. The others don't have to break the special occasion bank if you pick the right options.
At Ten Yen you can stay under $50 and get a couple of world class sushi rolls and a glass of sake or spend over $200 eating an amazing sushi meal with drinks.
La Tacodilla is the real deal and has 2 for $6 street tacos on Taco Tuesday, as long as you don’t mind waiting an hour+ when they are busy.

Runners Up:

If you can’t get a reservation at the above, there are other very good restaurants around the Cape that are well worth the visit if they have availability. These are all pricey though, so certainly shoot for the ones above first when possible. Note, these are just in alphabetical order.

• Bleu – Mashpee $$$
• Cape Sea Grill – Harwich $$$
• Chillingsworth – Brewster $$$$
• Cuvee - Chatham $$$$$
• Fin – Dennis - $$$
• Inaho – Yarmouth $$$
• Misaki – Hyannis $$$
• Outer Bar and Grille – Harwich $$ - Kid Friendly
• Pain d’Avingnon – Hyannis $$
• The Mews - Provincetown $$$
• The Nor'East Beer Garden - Provincetown $$$
• The Ocean House – Dennis $$$$

Honorable Mentions:

I didn't want to leave these next ones out, as they are consistent standards when friends drop in for a visit and want to eat out. Most of these don’t take reservations and you have a good chance of getting a table eventually, especially for lunch or if you are willing to arrive early for dinner:

• Anejo - Falmouth (Hyannis location is fine, not as good as Falmouth though)
• Crisp – Osterville
• Drifters – Chatham
• Terra Luna - Truro CLOSED
• The Block and Tackle – Eastham
• The Canteen – Provincetown
• Bread + Roses Bookstore and Café – Hyannis - 100% vegan!

My Rating Scale:

1. Food: starts with food that is over the top great and changes variety for repeat visits.
2. Service: has to be consistently excellent.
3. Location/Scene: Does it set the terroir for the food, is it nice to be there, do they have a good view, do they maximize the space they have, things like parking, bathroom vibe, etc. For example, La Tacodilla is just a little window in a little house with a fake turf seating area right on 28, but it’s hands down the best street food on the Cape and the location/scene is super appropriate for the food. Cuvee is the opposite, with super high end food but served in a cramped under ventilated room with no outside view, dirt parking lot, and no valet parking.
4. Consistency & Variety: must hold up to greatness over multiple visits. Do they have vegetarian and vegan options? Does the menu or specials change regularly?
5. Cocktails/Wine/Drinks: extra points for being creative and delicious. The head bartenders at Water Street Kitchen take things to another level. Ceraldi’s wine pairings are great, and their homemade soft drink pairing is always inspired for those who don’t drink alcohol. Having an expansive & pricy wine list is less appealing to me than a creative cocktail menu with the bar skill to elevate the craft.
6. Value: how much of the above 5 items do you get per dollar spent.

I keep a spreadsheet with 1-10 rankings for each of these categories for all the top restaurants (and some of the bottom ones as calibration). Here are examples of my rating scale:
Water Street Kitchen:

• Food: 9
• Service: 8
• Scene: 8
• Consistency: 9
• Drinks: 9
• Value: 9
• Total: 50

La Tacodilla:

• Food: 8
• Service: 7
• Scene: 7
• Consistency: 8
• Drinks: 5
• Value: 10
• Total: 45

Cuvee:

• Food: 9
• Service: 9
• Scene: 5
• Consistency: 8
• Drinks: 8
• Value: 4
• Total: 43

List To Try Based On Recommendations:

Here are some others I’ve heard good things about but have not had the chance to eat at yet, I’m sure some of them belong on the lists above. I managed to try ~10 places in the offseason and shrink the previous recommendations list. Falmouth is overrepresented here as I live mid-cape and gravitate to Water Street Kitchen repeatedly when headed to Falmouth, it’s that good!
I’ve starred* the ones we're trying to hit next.

• Abroad - Orleans
• Belfry Inne and Bistro - Sandwich
• Blackfish* - Truro
• Branches - Chatham
• Brewster Fish House* - Brewster
• Bubalas By The Bay - Provincetown
• Bucatino - North Falmouth
• Carolines - Eastham
• Casa Del Cabo* - Eastham
• Clean Slate Eatery - Dennis
• Del Mar* - Chatham
• Dan’l Webster Inn
• Devour* - Falmouth (Lunch only)
• Epic Oyster - North Falmouth
• Estia - Mashpee
• Flying Bridge - Falmouth
• Freemans - Provincetown
• Front Street - Provincetown
• Geraldi's - South Yarmouth
• Hanger B - Chatham
• Impudent Oyster - Chatham
• Island Cafe & Grill - Hyannis
• La Cucina Sul Mare - Falmouth
• Le Bon Jour* - Falmouth
• Leonesa** - Yarmouth Port
• Liz's Cafe - Provincetown
• Lobster Trap - Bourne
• Local 186 - Provincetown
• Lune*
• Mac's - Provincetown, Wellfleet, Chatham
• Mahoney’s Atlantic - Orleans
• Navillus - Orleans
• Osteria La Civita - Falmouth
• Pates - Chatham
• Pilot House - Sandwich
• Pisces* - Chatham
• Sesuit Harbor Café - Dennis
• Spinnakers - Brewster
• The Beacon Room - Orleans
• The Bookstore - Wellfleet
• The Buffalo Jump - Falmouth
• The Chatham Cut - Chatham
• The Glass Onion* - Falmouth
• The Lobster Pot - Provincetown
• The Red Inn - Provincetown
• Victors - Provincetown

All The Rest

Below are all the other (non major chain) Cape restaurants I’ve eaten at in the past ~10 years in no particular order, although I’m sure I’ve missed a couple.
Most of these are fine spots, just not close to the caliber of top spots above. For example, Kream n Kone in Dennis is our go to fried food spot, but I wouldn’t go out of the way vs whatever fried seafood spot is closest to you. Some of these I haven’t gone back to in years with good reason. I would love to hear opinions on any that have improved and are worth returning to!

• 3 Monkeys
• 908 Bistro
• Bangkok Thai
• Barbyann’s
• Baxter’s
• Bluefins
• Bobby Byrnes
• Buca's - Harwich
• Brax Landing
• Brazilian Grill
• British Beer Works
• Brothers Pizza
• Captain Parker’s
• Chapins
• Chatham Bars Inn
• Chatham Squire
• Chatham Wayside Inn
• Ciro and Sals
• Clancy’s
• Colombo’s
• Common Ground Cafe
• Cooke’s
• Craigvile Pizza and Mexican
• Crown and Anchor
• Dennisport House of Pizza
• Double Dragon
• Embargo
• Encore
• Ember
• Firestarter Pizza
• Fisherman’s View
• Five Bays Bistro
• George’s House of Pizza
• Governor Bradford
• Golden Fountain
• Guapos
• Hearth n Kettle
• Knockout Pizza
• Kream n Kone
• L’Alouette
• Landfall
• Liam McGuire's
• Mattakeese Wharf
• Mike’s Pizza
• Mom & Pops Burgers
• Mooncussers Tavern
• Naked Oyster
• Noble House
• Nor’East Beer Garden
• Not Your Average Joe’s
• O’Shea's
• Old Yarmouth Inn
• Pepe’s Wharf
• Pizza Barbone
• Portside Tavern
• Quarterdeck
• Quicks Hole Tavern
• RCs Pizza
• Royal Family
• Saga Sushi
• Sam Diegos
• Scargo Cafe
• Sea Dog Brew Pub
• Sea Street Cafe
• Seafood Sam’s
• Spanky’s Clam Shack
• Spinners
• STARS at Chatham Bars Inn
• Starbucks (gone)
• Sundancers
• Sweet Tomato’s
• Tap City Grille
• Taste of Siam
• Thai Ocha
• The Black Cat
• The Chart Room
• The Kettle Ho
• The Knack
• The Marshside
• The Original Seafood Restaurant
• The Oyster Company
• The Pelham House
• The Port
• The Red Nun
• The Roadhouse (gone)
• The Squealing Pig
• The West End
• Thuan Loi
• Tiki Port
• Trader Ed’s
• Tumi
• Viera on Main
• Wee Packet
• West End
• Wicked
• Wimpy's
• Wooden Shoe
• Zoe’s Pizza

Hope this list helps some locals and tourists alike have an amazing meal!
Edit #1: Removed Gina's By the Sea, Brine, C-Salt, and Terra Luna as closed, added Spinnaker's and Flying Bridge to the list to try next.
Edit #2: Starred Leonessa and Lune to try next based on a recommendation. Fixed Drifters location. Added Bubalas By The Bay, The Lobster Pot, Dan’l Webster Inn, La Cucina Sul Mare, Navillus, The Island Blue Crab, and Hanger B to try.
Edit #3: Moved La Tacodilla up, removed dig about how they stopped serving alcohol based on comments. I hope they reopen Friday's though, that's my go to end of week lunch spot.

SMA-outfits

Explicit analysis of SMA outfit (blackbox) use in public equity markets for real-time insight into wealth distribution and direct stock market control. A call for transparency and public discourse.

Repository Structure

This repository is organized to provide a comprehensive understanding of SMA (Simple Moving Average) outfits and their direct impact on market dynamics. Each directory contains specific resources tailored to different aspects of SMA analysis:

SMA_Analysis/

• Introduction.md: Provides an overview of the SMA analysis conducted.
• Overview.md: Prepares reader with necessary background knowledge.
• Methodology.md: Explains the methods and analytical techniques used.
• Background_and_Research.md: Discusses the theoretical underpinnings and historical context of the SMA strategies.

Technical_Explanation/

• Executive_Definitions.md: Summarizes key trading strategies and operational definitions used in SMA outfits. Detailed definitions on arbitrage terms such as Precision Buying Algorithm, Automated Short Order, Darkpool, Institutional Trading Hours, and Signal Generation can be found here.

Data_and_Analysis/

• SMA_Outfits_Raw_Data/: Repository for unprocessed market data.
• Processed_Data/: Contains data that has been prepared for analysis.

Visualizations/

• Market_Impact_Charts/: Visuals demonstrating the impact of SMA outfits facilitating trends in the markets.
• Strategic_SMA_Operations/: Charts that highlight strategic precision trade operations driven by SMA configurations.

Documentation/

• Technical_Papers/: Contains detailed reports and scholarly articles on the technical underpinnings of SMA strategies.
• Operational_Reviews.md: Periodic reviews evaluating the performance and effectiveness of SMA-driven strategies.
• Real_Time_Operations/:
  • This section is devoted to the documentation of SMA outfits as they are executed in real-time during United States public equity market hours. It includes frame-by-frame analysis and live-threaded examples that showcase the dynamic, immediate, and continuous impact of these operations.
  • Live Documentation Importance: Each operation within this directory is documented live and threaded to provide a comprehensive narrative of its impact and execution. This ensures that the analysis reflects the immediacy and precision of the SMA strategies as they properly control market dynamics.

Tools_and_Scripts/

• Analytical_Tools/: Scripts and tools designed for market data analysis.
• Simulation_Models/: Models for simulating market conditions to test SMA strategies.

Note: Certain sections, particularly those containing sensitive information or requiring legal review, may not be immediately available. The contributor is working to ensure that all content shared complies with relevant regulations and best practices. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Introduction

This repository is dedicated to organizing the structure of the utility of Simple Moving Average (SMA) Outfits in public equity markets and controlled system's impact on wealth distribution. Simple Moving Average Outfits are the core operations of the United States Equity Markets' blackbox systems. The following information examines the AI-assisted decision-making processes that effectively create all principal market behaviors. This information details the specific tools utilized by the largest aggressive wealth conglomerates, with sophisticated trading divisions, to provide liquidity, enable domestic and international market efficiency, and function in a manner intended to manipulate the market. It is crucial to recognize that the data presented here directly informs global financial strategies, rewards long-term market participants, and is the fulcrum of the American financial system. This strategic integration ensures that every significant market action is underpinned by data-driven, algorithmically enhanced decision-making, that reflect the sophistication and precision of modern financial engineering.

Overview

SMA outfits fundamentally dictate when and where the largest equity managers direct liquidity, thus operating the flow of capital that shapes the entire market structure. The precision and application of SMA outfits are critical, considering every Stock Market transaction is influenced by these configurations. Clear and actionable signals with incredible precision ensure that all market participants can operate with full awareness of market conditions, which quite literally forge market efficiency.
For those new to financial markets, it is an extreme leap to understand the magnitude of capital that is mobilized through public equity markets. These "outfits" are not optional elements, instead are core components that are what have prompted effective markets since the start of automated quotations in the NASDAQ. This repository should serve to set the stage for layman, academics, mathematicians, quantitative researches, and regulatory bodies to have full unabridged access to the global financial system catalyzed by financiers of the United States of America.

Methodology

This research relies on high-precision data sourced primarily from desktop Lightspeed (brokerage) and Webull platforms, both of which are known for their near-total accuracy in data provision. However, periodic data inconsistencies have been observed with Webull, notably on March 18th, 2024, which involved data discrepancies potentially linked to cache errors. Lightspeed Broker has consistently delivered accurate data barring isolated incidents directly attributed to errors from the NYSE or NASDAQ. To manage and store the extensive volume of historical price action data required for this analysis, InfluxDB was employed due to its robust data handling capabilities. The InfluxDB system was chosen for its efficiency in storing time-series data, allowing for rapid queries and retrieval necessary for the rapid real-time nature of equity market analysis. This setup ensures that all data used is normalized and processed with the highest standards of accuracy, serving as the backbone for all subsequent analytical tasks.
All data handling and trading practices detailed within this research strictly comply with relevant financial regulations and data protection laws, including GDPR, SEC regulations, and other applicable standards, ensuring integrity and legality in all operational aspects.

Data Handling and Analysis Framework

The SMA calculation engine relies on a dual-source input system, incorporating real-time and historical market data from Lightspeed and Webull, two renowned trading platforms known for their precision and reliability in data provision.

Data Sources and Integration

• Lightspeed: Known for its robustness and favored by professional traders, Lightspeed provides high-frequency data that includes every trade, quote, and order book change. This data is critical for developing real-time SMA calculations that can respond instantaneously to market movements.
• Webull: Offers comprehensive market data that includes not only transactional information but also extensive metadata on trading instruments, which is vital for contextual analysis in SMA calculations.
• JSON (JavaScript Object Notation): This format is used for its flexibility and ease of integration with web technologies. JSON structures allow for a detailed representation of nested data, which is particularly useful for encapsulating the various attributes of market data, such as timestamps, prices, volumes, and metadata.
• CSV (Comma-Separated Values): This format is employed for its simplicity and efficiency in handling large datasets that are typical in historical data analysis. CSV formats are particularly advantageous for batch processing and long-term historical analysis, where data manipulation and storage efficiency are paramount.

Pre-processing for SMA Calculation Readiness

To maintain the highest standards of data quality and consistency, the following pre-processing steps are implemented:

• Data Cleansing: The initial step involves scrubbing the data to remove or correct data anomalies that could skew SMA calculations. This includes:
  
  • Removing any records with null or missing values in critical fields such as timestamps or prices.
  • Identifying and correcting outliers that fall outside of a statistically reasonable range, possibly due to data entry errors or system glitches.
• Timestamp Normalization: Given the global nature of financial markets, data from various sources may come with different time zones. All timestamps are converted to a uniform timezone (EST) to maintain consistency across the dataset. Additionally, timestamps are normalized to the highest resolution needed for real-time trading decisions, typically to the millisecond, to ensure precise alignment in time-series analysis.
  

Filtering Incomplete Data

• Entries that do not meet the complete information criteria, such as those missing essential metadata like trade volume or instrument type, are filtered out to ensure the reliability of the SMA outputs. This includes entries with zero, negative, or unrealistically low prices that might indicate data errors or placeholder values used during data entry mishaps.
• Data entries that lack timestamp information, which are critical for placing the price in a temporal context are omitted.
• Missing crucial metadata like stock ticker symbols, market identifiers, or other descriptors that prevent clear association with specific trading instruments are adjusted.
• Sudden spikes or drops in price or volume that do not align with known market behaviors or news events, suggesting potential data errors that deviate significantly from a moving average or median value and do not correlate with market events are omitted.

Data Consistency Checks

• Consistency checks are performed to ensure that data across different sources aligns correctly. For example, price data from Lightspeed is cross-verified with Webull data for the same instruments at the same timestamps. Discrepancies are logged and investigated to maintain a high integrity data set.
• Identical entries recorded multiple times due to data entry errors or system glitches. These duplicates can artificially inflate the importance of a single data point within the SMA calculation.

Error Handling

• Robust error handling mechanisms are built to address data feed interruptions or anomalies dynamically. This includes fallback procedures to retrieve data from alternative sources or to use the last known good data point as a placeholder until the feed is restored.

Data Integration

• Data from various sources is integrated into a unified format within a staging area before final storage in InfluxDB. This involves aligning data fields, both harmonizing and isolating data formats, and consolidating records to prepare for efficient querying and analysis.

A SMA calculation engine ensures that the data fed into the system is of the highest quality, providing accurate market analysis. The SMA calculations support both scalability and adaptability for Data Processing.

Data Processing

Data processing is the core operational phase where raw market data is transformed into actionable insights through SMA calculations and trading signal generation. This stage is crucial for implementing trading strategies based on the calculated SMA values.

Computational Algorithms

• SMA Calculations: Implement algorithms to calculate Simple Moving Averages over various time windows as specified by the user or system requirements. This involves computing the average of stock prices over a set number of past data points continuously as new data comes in.
• Signal Generation: Develop algorithms that analyze SMA lines for typical trading signals such as crossovers. A signal is generated when a short-term SMA crosses above (buy signal) or below (sell signal) a long-term SMA, indicating potential market movements.
• Algorithm Complexity: Manage the complexity of these algorithms to handle large datasets without degrading performance, ensuring that calculations can keep pace with real-time data flow.

Performance Optimization

• Resource Management: Optimize the use of computational resources to process data efficiently, minimizing latency, which is essential in high-frequency trading environments.
• Parallel Processing: Implement parallel processing techniques where feasible, especially for computationally intensive tasks like real-time SMA recalculations across multiple instruments.
• Caching Strategies: Utilize advanced caching mechanisms to store interim computational results, reducing redundancy in calculations and speeding up response times for frequently requested data in order to implement real time executions.

Integrating SMA Outfits with OHLC Data

To operationalize SMA outfits effectively, our algorithms integrate cleaned and processed OHLC data to detect specific patterns aligned with predefined SMA configurations. This integration is pivotal for identifying trade opportunities based on real-time market behaviors.

Frequency Detection and Trigger Mechanisms

• Frequency Detection: Algorithms scan OHLC data for frequency patterns that align with the SMA outfits, identifying precision trading operations that have a historical repertoire in real time.
• Trigger Mechanism: Upon detecting a historically operated pattern, advanced arbitrage outfit detection systems automatically trigger buying and/or selling protocols, executing trades based on precise, real-time analysis of SMA, OHLC, Timeframe data intersections.

By refining computational algorithms and optimizing performance, the data processing stage ensures that trading strategies based on SMA calculations are both reliable and timely, capable of operating effectively in real time market environments.

Background and Research

The exploration of the significance of the integer Three in public equities initiated a year-long academic inquiry, encompassing areas such as quantum mechanics, cryptography, mathematical abstractions, and logic. This journey was informed by the foundational contributions of Alan Turing to current mathematical pedagogy. In the course of this scholarly pursuit, the research encountered the seminal works of Edward Waring and David Hilbert, two mathematicians whose theories have profoundly influenced the field of mathematics and computer science. It was within this context that the researcher discovered the conjecture known as David Hilbert's Waring's Problem.
WARING'S PROBLEM is a profound natural number theory conjecture. In layman terms it explores proof that every number can be broken down into a certain type of smaller number. More importantly, if every number can be expressed using a limited set of patterns. That is where you get the integers 19/37/73/143/279/548 that, for the sake of simplicity apparently are the six integers global wealth operators have elected to use as one of the SMA outfits. This effective research, in conjunction with heuristic (trial based, rule based frameworks) search and brute-force (systematic probing of combinations) application of Waring's Problem integers, evolved into a method of empirical optimization that further refined my investigative approach.
Given my academic background in sociology I wasn't taken aback to learn that the machinations of the U.S. financial project are meant to be complicated. The facade of finance is premised on the reality that the Elite, Capitalist beneficiaries, Public who work to live and contribute to an IRA/Pension/401K/Taxes, and International Subjects rely on this sophisticated system. My research focused immediately on identifying the technical foundation of the public equity markets, recognizing it as a multi-millionaire, multi-billionaire, and multi-trillion dollar economic growth and exploitation project.
Detailed below are the procedures and selection process governed by exceptionally intricate parameters. These parameters, despite their complexity, facilitate straightforward visualization, documentation, and real-time recording. The proof here is what has garnered the public's reception. Public equities are a product of a multidisciplinary combination of data science, software engineering integrating Data Acquisition from real time & historical market data, broker API integration, & real time selections.
There is a more singular breakdown that should be addressed and asserted. Consider the SMA outfits as singular and explicit proof that, backed by ten of thousands of instances of real time data recently made public, under critical scrutiny by agencies of intelligence and regulatory bodies, points to the financial ecosystem plainly reflecting our socio-cultural construct. Consider that any understanding of wealth is tied to symbols and meaning of which we as people imbue in numbers. While the selection of specific SMA parameters may be technically arbitrary, it is the precision and consistency of these chosen configurations that have been proven to facilitate and document substantial wealth transfer via the financial markets. These SMA configurations are chosen by intelligence agencies to add complexity and flexibility, allowing only well-informed and strategic financial firms to benefit significantly and collaboratively.

Technical Explanation

Simple Moving Average (SMA) outfits are sets of predetermined SMAs that institutions with aggressive trading divisions use as triggers for executing trades in high volume liquid trading vehicles (stocks). A Simple Moving Average (SMA) is a technical analysis tool that calculates the average OHLC (open, high, low, close) prices, over a certain number of periods. Each outfit consists of multiple SMAs with different time periods. By employing SMA outfits effectively on multiple vehicles, large financial institutions with aggressive trading divisions maximize on every singular point shift in the public equity markets. Since these institutions manage vast sums of money, their trades move the market in the direction of their trades, effectively redistributing wealth to aggressive trading divisions and eventually long-term market participants.

Parameter Limitation

The parameter set for SMA outfits is strictly maintained between 1 and 999 to preserve these benefits across all trading platforms and scenarios. This boundary not only supports a structured and simplified analysis framework but also ensures that all market participants can engage with the data in a clear and organized manner. Standardizing SMA parameters within this range ensures uniformity across different markets and asset classes, allowing trading divisions and algorithms to apply consistent operations whether trading stocks, forex, cryptocurrencies, or commodities. This uniformity simplifies the development and implementation of automated trading systems, reducing complexity and enhancing reliability. Algorithms from advanced trading divisions benefit from a standardized approach, which supports more straightforward programming, rigorous testing, and effective execution of trading. By avoiding extremes the data remains relevant and actionable without succumbing to redundancy or irrelevance.

Executive Definitions

This section provides detailed definitions of key terms and strategies used in the context of SMA operations and trading algorithms. Understanding these definitions will aid in understanding the behavior of the market as directly influenced by SMA outfits.

Precision Buying Algorithm

A Precision Buying Algorithm is performed by advanced trading systems that leverage both historical market data and real-time conditions, and sophisticated statistical analyses. The primary function of Precision Buying Algorithms are to stimulate capital in and out of the public equity markets by rigorously analyzing patterns and specific price points within Open, High, Low, and Close (OHLC) market data. The core mechanism of these algorithms involves the detection of precise market conditions triggered by specific Simple Moving Average (SMA) outfit selections. This occurs particularly after a market drawdown, where firms with leading algorithm detection tools identify a collaborative and historically relevant arbitrage opportunity. This operation ensures continuity in market conditions that aggressive trading divisions exploit for sustained engagement or the maximization of returns through precisely times intervention. In practice, a precision buying algorithm activates when an arbitrage detection system identifies a precision OHLC relationship within a singular timeframe, singular equity, and singular SMA Outfit that has been historically or statistically significant following an SMA-induced drawdown. This SMA selection serves as a critical signal that conditions are primed for a profitable buying operation. The algorithm then executes buy orders at these meticulously calculated moments from the second of its selection, in order to capitalize on rapid price movement, thus optimizing capital gains. The operational success of these algorithms is fundamentally reliant on extreme liquidity in the vehicle, the system's ability to discern and act upon these finely-tuned market cues, ensuring high precision in the timing and execution of the budgeted selection. This precision in targeting exact price points ensures the reliability of public equity markets. The technical efficacy achieved through precise SMA outfit detection and historical operations ensures that trading division maximize from algorithmic thresholds, not on perceived inefficiencies or unpredictable market sentiments.

Automated Short Orders

An Automated Short Order involves the placement of trades to sell securities that are not currently owned by the seller, but borrowed, with the intention to repurchase shares at a lower price. This trading strategy hinges on the anticipation of a price decline, which is facilitated by the SMA outfits designed to analyze specific OHLC patterns and market indicators that facilitate impending drops in stock prices. Automated Short Orders, or Precision Short Orders, are executed by high-frequency trading programs that capitalize on rapid, real-time market movements. These programs are finely calibrated to detect arbitrage opportunities and are functionally deployed by wealth conglomerates possessing substantial capital. This allows them to effectively manipulate market trends and maximize profits. The initiation of Automated Short Orders are critically dependent on systems interpreting market data, more specifically the SMA outfits, ensuring that trades are placed at the precise moment optimal conditions are detected, thereby enhancing profitability and market influence.

Singular Point Hard Stop Order

A Singular Point Hard Stop Order is a predetermined price level at which a trading position must be closed automatically. The Singular Point Hard Stop Order component is integral to the operation of precision Buying Algorithms and Automated Short Orders. By enforcing the execution of trades with rigorously calculated precision, Singular Point Hard Stop Orders operate to control high volume equity pivots in price action. This action automatically liquidates positions on a singular penny or "point" breach of a Precision Buying Algorithm to facilitate a swift execution of sell orders that maximize on price declines. Singular Point Hard Stop Orders are only operable due to the combination of liquidity in public equity markets and access to darkpool trading. This level of precision enables advanced trading divisions to execute and liquidate orders at the precise moment a singular point of penny breach occurs on a Precision Buying Algorithm or Automated Short Order, optimizing trade execution down to the millisecond.

Dark Pools

Dark Pools are institutional private trading routes that allow institutional trading divisions to access liquidity in order to trade large blocks of securities. Dark Pools or "Dark Assault Routes" preserves trading exposure to the public markets to minimize market impact for large transactions. This specific anonymity provided by Dark Pools allow for extreme discretion for aggressive wealth firms to capitalize on and execute Precision Buying Algorithms, Automated Short Orders, and Singular Point Hard Stop Orders using the SMA outfits. The reduced impact of visible volume in the public markets ensure that significant trades can be executed precisely at singular point or penny entries or breaches without often without immediate impact. Dark Pools inherently obscure specific trading activity; breaches of precision Singular Point Hard Stop Orders are followed by large volume candles as substantial trading decisions have already been executed beyond the typical market view. Detailed examples will follow in subsequent sections, providing explicit demonstrations of market activities and these specific trading mechanisms.

Institutional Hour Session

The Institutional Hour Session is the standard trading hours when major stock exchanges are active, typically between 9:30 AM and 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST). During these hours, trading volumes are higher, and the market operates on robust liquidity directly operating by the activities of large financial institutions. Moreover, the closing of the Institutional Hour Session often sets the stage for the Extended Hour Trading Session, where trading continues under different market conditions, typically marked by lower liquidity and higher volatility.

Signal Generation

Signal Generation in trading is the process by which advanced trading systems identify opportunities to buy or sell assets based on specific criteria or patterns derived from market data, more specifically the SMA outfits. This form of signal generation leverages quantitative models that integrates SMA data to fine-tune the timing and accuracy of trades. By focusing on SMA outfits, the signal generation process ensures that all trading actions are precisely aligned with organization, thereby maximizing the efficiency and profitability of trades. This exclusive reliance on SMA-based signal generation highlights its critical role in shaping the financial institution, ensuring that each trading decisions are backed by robust and predictive analytical science.

Data and Analysis

This section details the SMA outfits and associated parameters, covering the wide spectrum of timeframes and leading equities that are essential in the algorithmic precision that collaboratively drive public equity markets.

SMA Outfits Raw Data

Sma Configuration (base fx) Description 10/50/200 S&P 20/100/250 NAS 30/60/90/300/600/900 DJI 33/66/99/333/666/999 AN 11/44/88/111/444/888 AN 22/55/77/222/555/777 AN 19/37/73/143/279/548 Waring's Problem 16/32/64/128/256/512 Base 2/NVDA 27/53/105/210/420/840 (420) TSLA 23/46/91/183/365/730 (365) Time 23/46/92/183/366/732 (366) Time 18/36/72/144/288/576 (144(0) Time 25/51/101/202/404/808 (404) Resource missing 29/57/114/227/455/911 (45) U.S. president seat (23/46/92/184/368/736 (46) U.S. president seat 28/56/112/224/448/896 (56) U.S. speaker of the house seat 28/57/114/228/456/911 (911) World Trade Center homage 16/31/63/125/250/500 (2000) Russia's president seat year 2000

SMA Outfit Timeframes

The SMA calculations are performed over the following timeframes to enable precision complexity during periods of high or low volume and volatility. The specific timeframes include:

• Ultra Short-Term: 1T (tick), 1S (second) during extreme high-volume volatility
• Sub-Minute: 5s, 15s, 30s
• Minute to Hour: 1m, 2m, 3m, 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m, 30m, 1h, 2h, 4h
• Longer Periods: 1D (daily), 1W (weekly), 1M (monthly), 1Q (quarterly)

Monitoring Market Sessions

• Institutional vs. Extended Hours: Arbitrage detection systems are meticulously designed to monitor and react to transitions between the SMA Outfit detection to operate on either the institutional trading hour and extended trading hour session. These periods often exhibit different liquidity and volatility characteristics, which impact arbitrage models. The systems are configured to dynamically adjust their strategies based on real-time market data to capitalize on unique conditions presented during either session. This adaptability ensures optimal execution of SMA strategies, maximizing efficiency and profitability for aggressive firms during transitioning market conditions.

Associated Parameters and Leading Equities

This section lists the leading equities and their respective tickers, which are critical components of the SMA-based trading strategies. These equities are monitored with abject precision to ensure optimal execution of arbitrage opportunities within the U.S. equity markets.

List of Key Tickers and Associated Leading Equities

This table lists (and is not limited to) the ticker symbols first, followed by the names of the corresponding leading equities, which are crucial for advanced arbitrage.
Ticker Equity Description
SPX S&P 500 Index SPY S&P 500 ETF IXIC NASDAQ Composite Index QQQ NASDAQ 100 ETF DJI Dow Jones Industrial Average DIA Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF UPRO UltraPro S&P500 TQQQ UltraPro QQQ SQQQ UltraPro Short QQQ WEBS Direxion Daily Dow Jones Internet Bear 3X Shares UDOW UltraPro Dow30 SDOW UltraShort Dow30 VIX CBOE Volatility Index VXX iPath B S&P 500 VXX BATS SVIX Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF UVXY Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF SVXY Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF SOXS Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares SOXL Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares UWM Ultra Russell2000 IWM Russell 2000 ETF AAPL Apple Inc. MSFT Microsoft Corp. AMZN Amazon.com Inc. GOOG Alphabet Inc. NVDA NVIDIA Corp. META Meta Platforms Inc. TSLA Tesla Inc. AMD Advanced Micro Devices Inc. NFLX Netflix Inc. INTC Intel Corp. COIN Coinbase Global Inc. QCOM Qualcomm Inc. PYPL PayPal Holdings Inc. UPST Upstart Holdings Inc. RBLX Roblox Corp. AI C3.ai Inc. ARM Arm Holdings BRK-B Berkshire Hathaway Inc. GM General Motors Co. JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co. V Visa Inc. UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc. ENPH Enphase Energy Inc. BTCUSD Bitcoin USD ETHUSD Ethereum USD BITO Bitcoin ETF HSI Hang Seng Index DAX German Stock Index BABA Alibaba Group Holding Ltd TSM Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd AAPD Australian Associated Press AAPU Apple Inc. Direxion Daily 2X Shares TSLT T-REX 2X Long Tesla Daily Target ETF TSLQ AXS Tesla Bear Daily ETF ERX Direxion Daily Energy Bull 3X Shares LABU Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X Shares GUSH Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exp. & Prod. Bull 3X Shares DRIP Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exp. & Prod. Bear 3X Shares BOIL ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Natural Gas DRN Direxion Daily Real Estate Bull 3X Shares REK Short Real Estate GLD SPDR Gold Shares XAUUSD Spot Gold DXY US Dollar Index USO United States Oil NYSEARCA TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF TBT ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury TNX 10-Year Treasury Note Yield

Note

This work does not allow for any utility without the application of abject precision in arbitrage detection. The entire framework of U.S. equity markets operates specifically on the precision of these arbitrage detections and the outlined parameters. Any market activity outside of this defined scope is fundamentally based on guessing or unoptimized approaches, not supported by the actual framework of the public equity markets.
A "ticker" or "ticker symbol" is a unique series of letters assigned to a security for trading purposes on stock exchanges. Each ticker symbol represents a specific stock, ETF (Exchange Traded Fund), or other financial instrument and is used by traders and investors to uniquely identify and trade that security. For example, the ticker symbol "SPY" represents the S&P 500 ETF, which tracks the performance of the S&P 500 index, and "MSFT" stands for Microsoft Corporation. Tickers are essential for executing trades on electronic financial markets and are used globally to streamline and standardize the process of buying and selling shares.
These datasets are stored in highly structured formats to facilitate complex statistical analysis, supporting both time-series analyses and real-time manufactured events.
They are typically normalized to ensure accuracy and reliability in statistical modeling and machine learning applications used in predictive analytics and algorithmic trading strategies. Aggressive trading operations are implemented with extremely calculated budgets.
These selections involve multiple simultaneous operations, as wealth entities leverage specific SMA configurations to exploit market efficiencies using singular selections on a singular SMA outfit, singular timeframe, and leading instruments (equities, ETFs, Bonds, Treasuries, indices). It's important to clarify that these operations optimize market efficiencies, NOT market "inefficiencies", a concept often misinterpreted through traditional definitions of arbitrage.
The precision of these SMA Outfits, operating in real time, forge capital flows across the U.S's financial vehicles, including the DXY dollar, volatility indices, individual equities, bonds/treasuries, leading ETFs, and major indices like the NASDAQ, S&P 500, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, along with their tangential ProShare ETFs. This systematized framework is the foundation of U.S. public equity markets which rely on precision and effectiveness of SMA outfits in exploiting equity movements for profit, both in upward and downward movements at a multitude of frequencies.
The real-time, threaded, sharing of the analysis is proving to be pivotal in demanding transparency of the public equity markets. By openly sharing the operations of Simple Moving Average (SMA) configurations across 44,000 real-time instances, this body of work provides not just snapshots but a continuous, live-streamed narrative detailing how precision moves in the stock market can be mapped and predicted. This extensive evidence serves as direct proof of consistent, measurable mechanics of specific SMA setups operating the entire automated financial landscape.

Documentation

Real Time Operations

This section contains detailed Twitter threads that illustrate various instances of "Precision Buy Algorithms" executed in real-time. These threads provide insights into the specific moments and conditions under which these algorithms are triggered, showcasing their effectiveness in the live market:

1. Case Study #1: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
2. Case Study #2: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
3. Case Study #3: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
4. Case Study #4: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
5. Case Study #5: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
6. Case Study #6: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
7. Case Study #7: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
8. Case Study #8: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
9. Case Study #9: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
10. Case Study #10: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
11. Case Study #11: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
12. Case Study #12: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
13. Case Study #13: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
14. Case Study #14: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
15. Case Study #15: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
16. Case Study #16: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
17. Case Study #17: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread
18. Case Study #18: Precision Buy Algorithm - View Thread

This is a non-exhaustive list of digestible threads published from the researcher publicly documenting arbitrage selections in real time.

Findings and Implications

SMA outfits are used by behemoth financial conglomerates with aggressive trading divisions. By entering or exiting positions at certain precise SMA outfit signals, institutions aim to maximize gains, which contribute directly to wealth generation or preservation within.

How to Use This Repository

This repository provides a detailed examination of Simple Moving Average (SMA) outfits and their role in the real-time coordinated transfer of wealth within public equity markets. The contents here reveal the mechanisms through which wealth is strategically and systematically managed and redistributed among market participants. It is important for users of this repository to understand the depth and implications of the data and analyses provided.

Educational and Research Purposes

• Understand the Framework: Users are encouraged to deeply understand the operational frameworks detailed here that demonstrate how SMA outfits function as tools of abject precision for financial modulation and market control.
• Analyze Data: Utilize the provided data and analytical tools to study the impact of SMA strategies on market dynamics. This repository is a resource for developing a nuanced understanding of complex market manipulations.

Ethical Considerations

• Ethical Use: This repository should be used with an awareness of the ethical implications of disseminating and applying the knowledge contained within. Users should consider the broader impact of this information on market fairness and integrity.
• Advocacy and Transparency: Promote transparency and advocate for ethical standards in financial markets. This repository serves as a tool for educating the public and policymakers about the real-time dynamics of equity markets and the need for robust regulatory frameworks.

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All weekend - Ralph Barbosa Stand Up @ Houston Improv
All weekend - ‘Someone Like You: The Music of Adele’ Concert @ Art Factory This powerful concert experience, delivered in an intimate candlelit setting, promises an unforgettable evening of Adele’s chart-topping hits.
All weekend - ‘The Sound of Music’ Opera @ Wortham Theater LAST CHANCE - Acclaimed director Francesca Zambello incorporates songs from both the theatrical version and its famous cinematic adaptation into her new opera production.
All weekend - ‘Othello: The Remix’ Musical @ Stages Repertory Theatre This production takes ‘The Tragedy of Othello’ to a whole new level in this lit Hip Hop remix as an onstage DJ spins Shakespeare’s legendary masterpiece of jealousy, revenge and passion.
All weekend - ‘The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical’ @ Crighton Theatre Adapted from the best-selling book by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score this new musical production is an action-packed mythical adventure for the whole family!
All weekend - ‘The Emporium’ Play @ Alley Theatre Thornton Wilder’s unfinished masterpiece comes to life for the first time, and the audience gets to be an active participant in the very fabric of the play!
All weekend - ‘On Midnight, Friday the Thirteenth’ Play @ Ensemble Theatre Help investigate a murder mystery in this intriguing and exciting dark comedy.
All weekend - ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ Play @ The George Theatre LAST CHANCE - This story about a unique and unlikely friendship between a Jewsih woman and a Black man in 1940s in Georgia reminds us of the common humanity and the value of life.
All weekend - ‘The Father’ Play @ 4th Wall Theatre LAST CHANCE - The play questions the nature of identity, memory, and the human experience, as it explores the profound impact that dementia can have on individuals and their loved ones.

Ongoing Special Events and Museum Exhibitions

Ongoing - ‘Jurassic World’ Exhibition @ Katy Mills The limited-time globally sold-out exhibition immerses audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the beloved film. Discover the science of jurassic world and walk in the land of jurassic giants, closer than ever before!
Ongoing - Dinosaurs @ Houston Zoo Trek through a lush forest trail to see life-sized animatronic creatures, including the fan favorite T-rex, Brachiosaurus, Edmontonia, and more!
Ongoing - Sloomoo Exhibition @ Marq E Entertainment Center Immerse yourself in the joy of sensory play with Sloomoo Institute’s colorful world of never-ending, hand-crafted slime, yummy scents, and soothing ASMR delights.
Ongoing - ‘Vertigo of Color: Matisse, Derain, and the Origins of Fauvism’ Exhibition @ MFAH The exhibition presents, for the first time in the United States, the origins and legacy of fauvism through paintings, drawings, and watercolors by Henri Matisse and André Derain.
Ongoing - ‘Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence’ Exhibition @ MFAH Wiley’s monumental, large-scale paintings of Black and Brown individuals confront and challenge the silence surrounding systemic violence and injustice.
Ongoing - ‘Ruth Asawa Through Line’ Exhibition @ Menil The exhibition presents drawings, collages, watercolors, and sketchbooks showing the breadth of Ruth Asawa’s innovative and profound practice.
Ongoing - ‘Janet Sobel: All-Over’ Exhibition @ Menil See the pioneering work of Janet Sobel and her ‘All-Over’ abstract expressionist painting technique which inspired generations of artists, including Jackson Pollock.
Ongoing - ‘Hayv Kahraman: The Foreign Us’ Exhibition @ Moody Center for the Arts LAST CHANCE - Kahraman’s first solo exhibition features works informed by the artist’s Iraqi-Kurdish heritage and experience as a refugee while highlighting her research-driven practice.

Wing and a Prayer part 1
Atodine Space Academy, West Wing
Zrieri made her way down the academy hallway. The feathers around her neck were ruffled with annoyance. It was bad enough for a student to show up late for class, but for a professor it was even worse. Still, it was unavoidable given the situation. Zrieri paused to smooth down her feathers before entering the classroom. The chattering between the students quickly fell off as she walked into the room. Zrieri walked with purpose to the podium in front of the class.
“My apologies for my tardiness.” Zrieri said after switching the large display behind her from idle to the presentation file she had prepared. “Let us begin with today’s lesson.”
The Rachanit, an advanced spacefaring species, marked the first contact between the Atodine people and an alien civilization. These insectoid beings, despite their initially unsettling appearance, exuded an apparent friendliness that led to a request for trade and the establishment of an embassy on Atodine Prime. Though the leaders initially hesitated, they eventually consented, allowing the Rachanits to settle into an embassy with minimal disruption. However, as time progressed, a chilling realization began to seep through the cracks of diplomatic pretense.
People began mysteriously disappearing in the vicinity of the Rachanit embassy, prompting suspicions of foul play. These suspicions were confirmed when a civilian inadvertently stumbled upon undeniable evidence of the Rachanits' true nature as a carnivorous species. It became abundantly clear that the embassy had served as a sinister testing ground for assessing their efficacy at hunting and consuming Atodine flesh.
Shortly after this alarming discovery, the Rachanits discarded any lingering pretense and declared a full-blown war against us. In the face of this unforeseen aggression, the Atodine were thrust into a protracted and grueling defensive battle. However, throughout the course of this conflict, a glimmer of hope emerged.
The Atodine, tenacious and resourceful, managed to acquire first hand knowledge of the Rachanits' spacecraft technology. Each skirmish and engagement became an invaluable lesson in the art of combating these formidable adversaries. Despite the odds stacked against them, the Atodine successfully repelled the Rachanits' attacks, preventing them from reaching their vulnerable homeworld.
An unintended consequence of their resistance would prove enlightening, if somewhat terrifying. Upon salvaging the wreckage of Rachanit spacecraft, it became apparent that their empire sprawled across vast reaches of space, far eclipsing anything the Atodine could fathom. The asymmetry in size and power was stunningly conspicuous, rendering the Atodine acutely aware of the inevitable disparity they faced.
Nevertheless, the Rachanits remained unwavering in their singular focus: the utter annihilation of Atodine fleets. It was unmistakable that their intent was to obliterate any possibility of retaliation or counterattack. The Atodine, fully cognizant of their limitations, dedicated themselves to fortifying their defenses with renewed fervor, continually refining their strategies and capabilities.
At the heart of this epic cosmic struggle laid Atodine Prime, the cherished nest world of the Atodines. Suspended in the delicate balance between preservation and potential devastation, it has become both a symbol and a stronghold where the fate of an entire civilization hung in the balance. The echoes of battle reverberated through its valleys and mountains, its cities, and countryside, as the Atodine brace themselves against the relentless onslaught of their enigmatic and carnivorous foe.
After meticulously sifting through an extensive array of data harvested from numerous Rachanit ship databases, a comprehensive star map has emerged, painting a detailed picture of the systems strategically occupied by these enigmatic beings and the array of species they subjugated under their oppressive rule. Amidst the disturbing revelations, one unsettling discovery stood out among all others; the de-sentience and complete objectification of certain species that were tragically reduced to nothing more than mere livestock, subjected to unimaginable suffering and exploitation at the hands of their Rachanit overlords.
However, the latest influx of information procured directly from the Rachanits themselves shed light on particular systems that starkly diverged from their controlled territories. These exceptional star systems were distinctly demarcated as a desolate dead zone, an eerie aberration within the otherwise vast web of domains firmly under Rachanit control.
The absence of their iron grip in this particular region raised eyebrows among the Atodine research team, prompting a flurry of questions and stirring curiosity about the secrets it may hold. Why were these particular systems omitted from the domineering reach of the Rachanits? What significance did it hold in the grand tapestry of their galactic conquest? Such queries fueled the Atodine determination to dig deeper into this enigmatic anomaly, propelling us further into uncharted territory where answers awaited our unwavering investigation.
Atodine Orbital Station, Hangar 3
“This is the ship?” Zrieri's concern was evident in her voice as she confronted the chief scientist about the makeshift spacecraft.
With a mix of curiosity and skepticism, she questioned whether this mixture of Rachanit scrap and their own technology would truly suffice for the journey to the Dead Zone. As Zrieri ran her feathered hands across the hull, one couldn't help but sense her apprehension. Krenuk, the lead researcher, was slightly irritated by Zrieri's doubt, puffed up his feathers in annoyance before responding.
“I assure you, the ship is completely space worthy. Yes there has been extensive use of recycled materials, but do not doubt my personal expertise in shipbuilding.”
Zrieri chuckled at his indignation, but bowed slightly in apology.
“This ship is not just a crude amalgamation of resources.” Krenuk continued. “It is a carefully crafted vessel. What's more, it is equipped with a functioning faster than light, or FTL drive.”
Zrieri looked back to the ship. “I wasn’t aware we had finally unlocked that secret from the Rachanit.”
The chief scientist shifted his stance. “We have come to an understanding of the underlying fundamentals of FTL travel. In this case, however, the ship is utilizing a drive salvaged from a Rachanit craft. We are hopeful with the maiden flight to gather enough data to construct our own FTL drives moving forward.” Krenuk's expression turned grave. “This is, however, more than just a test flight. The purpose of venturing into this so-called Dead Zone is to unravel the mystery surrounding it.” He smoothed down the feathers around his neck before continuing. “The Rachanits, either out of fear or some deliberate choice, avoid this area altogether. It’s crucial to investigate why.”
“Do we know anything at all about this area of space other than the Rachanit avoid it like an irradiated wasteland?”
“The truth is, our knowledge of this system is limited beyond major celestial bodies. The dead zone has remained shrouded in enigma despite our attempts to probe the area.”
“Thus, the decision to construct the spacecraft using any salvageable materials we could find.”
“We are making do with what we have. Materials are scarce with the war effort and the loss of most of our off-world resources.” Krenuk folded his feathered hands behind his back. “At the very least, it’s a more robust vehicle than our first star-fliers boarded to enter space.”
Zrieri was raised as a chick on the stories of the early star-fliers. It was part of the reason she had joined the Starcorps. Zrieri was also aware that not all of those brave pathfinders returned home to Atodine Prime. She realized she was now taking the same kind of risks as her predecessors, not simply for knowledge and technological advancement, but to save her people.
“I just hope that this improbable combination of Rachanit scrap and our own technology will get us the answers we need.” she said, gently patting the hull of the ship. “So, what is the ship’s name?”
***
Three hours later the experimental craft, freshy christened Voidflyer, lifted out the hangar bay and made its first flight into space.
Zrieri worked through the controls making sure everything was in working order. She could trust the main proposition systems at least. The station crew had stocked up Voidflyer with plenty of supplies, enough to last her months out in space if necessary. Zrieri meticulously performed her routine checks on the myriad of controls in the cockpit. She was familiar with the controls as it had been ripped right out of a VF-70, the Atodine main-line fighter craft. With her checks complete, Zrieri reached out to command to request the necessary clearance for her imminent departure.
All systems seemed to be functioning optimally, or at least all of the systems that originated from her own civilization. Something was wrong with the FTL navigation system. Zrieri was puzzled by the unexpected errors that began to populate the display screen after entering the coordinates. Her curiosity was further peaked when she realized that the information was being presented in the intricate and alien Rachanit script. The computer was supposed to translate any information into the Atodine language, yet for some reason the error messages seemed to be bypassing the translation subsystems. She was completely unfamiliar with Rachanit, meaning she couldn’t easily diagnose whatever the problem was.
That didn’t mean she was about to give up. The determined pilot carefully retrieved the dataslate of documents Krenuk had provided earlier. Leafing through them diligently, she sought to extract any useful insights that might shed light on this perplexing predicament. Each line and every cryptic symbol on those ancient pages demanded her complete attention and scrutiny. Guided by a resolute spirit, Zrieri cautiously maneuvered through the constrained confines of the spacecraft, making her way towards the heart of its technological prowess, the FTL drive.
A testament to Atodine ingenuity, this intricate piece of alien machinery was somehow interfaced with their own spacefaring technology. It was far from a simple hack-job, but it was obvious a lot of improvising had been done in the integration of disparate technologies. But beyond the integration into the Voidflyer, There was an entire custom built monitoring system added on to observe it in action and gather as much data as possible. It held the key to hyper-dimensional travel capabilities for the Atodine civilization.
With utmost care, she unscrewed a side panel from its sturdy casing. Zrieri was aware how rarely any drive system survived the destruction of the ship it was housed in. The fact the FTL drive had been recovered intact was almost enough to make the Atodine thank the long abandoned gods of her people, because it was a miracle. After exposing the complex network of circuitry and delicate crystalline cards that lay within, Zrieri placed a data slate adjacent to the humming drive.
She concentrated her focused gaze upon each of the crystalline cards, meticulously examining their arrangement and configuration. Taking solace in Krenuk's meticulous notes that he had shared, which documented his extensive research on the craft's inner workings, Zrieri embarked on an arduous task of ascertaining the precise function of each card and testing them. Weighing each possibility with both caution and precision, she soon encountered one card that baffled even the seasoned researcher.
Summoning her audacity and expertise, Zrieri delicately removed this enigmatic card from its designated slot. Strangely, this caused no obvious change in the gentle humming of the drive. She ran a diagnostic, or at least that’s what the program was labeled as. According to Krenuk's notes, the readouts indicated the drive was in working order.
The Rachanit went as far as to put a lock-out chip in the drive itself to keep away from the Dead Zone. I wonder, is it because of some kind of suicidal curiosity in their warriors, or is it really that dangerous?
Zrieri pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind as she closed the access panel. She placed the crystalline card into a padded box and stored it in a nearby equipment locker before retreating back to the familiar comfort of her seat. Zrieri’s feathered hands flowed over the control console, preparing the ship once more for the jump to FTL. She cautiously reentered the complex matrix of coordinates that would lead them to the elusive enemy-free expanse of space.
Before hitting the final conformation, Zrieri looked out at her home of Atodine Prime, then out into the starry void. She thought back to Janaria , the first Atodine to enter space, whose pod ultimately did not survive reentry. Now Zrieri found herself about to take the same kind of risk.
One way or another, I’ll be joining you in the history files, Janaria. Zrieri reached out and engaged the FTL drive.
This time, to her immense relief and satisfaction, the powerful FTL drive seamlessly spooled up, producing a mesmerizing cascade of energy that gracefully enveloped the small craft. With a surge of anticipation, Zrieri expertly guided her vessel through the dazzling vortices of swirling cosmic energies, initiating the seamless transition into the space fold. As the ship disappeared into the rippling fabric of the universe, an exhilarating wave of accomplishment washed over Zrieri.
Was this what it felt like when Janaria first pushed past the atmosphere and looked down on Atodine Prime? She wondered.
Dead Zone, System 001
The Voidflyer emerged from Hyperspace, only to be greeted with the sudden blare of the proximity alarm. The klaxon reverberated through the cockpit, causing Zrieri's heart to lurch. Her instincts kicked in immediately, the adrenaline-fueled surge urging her into swift action. Looking at the main screen, she found herself face to face with a colossal object, ominously positioned right at her Hyperspace lane exit point. A collision seemed inevitable, a disaster looming on the horizon. However, Zrieri was chosen for this mission for a reason. Her years of piloting experience and natural dexterity came to the fore as she deftly maneuvered the ship, skillfully navigating her way around the massive obstacle. With mere centimeters to spare, she managed to avert catastrophe, her pulse still racing with the close call.
But little did she know that the challenge was far from over. As she glided further through the cosmic expanse, her sensors pinged multiple objects all in close proximity to her small ship. This time, Zrieri knew she couldn't rely solely on her reflexes and luck to navigate what had to be a debris field. Instead she had to execute precise calculations and strategic movements to avoid a potentially devastating impact. Mid-action, countless variables raced through her mind as Zrieri quickly mapped out a course, but didn’t have time for the computer to double check it. She carefully dodged and weaved through the treacherous path, desperately seeking a clear passage to safety. Finally, Zrieri managed to break free from the seemingly endless maze of debris that had been her welcoming committee.
Zrieri took a moment to collect herself, before gently guiding the ship away from the wreckage. This allowed her to survey the scene with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. A thorough scan followed, revealing a disconcerting sight. Much of the shattered fragments and twisted metal matched the unmistakable signature of Rachanit ships. The distinctive marks and faded insignias were evident, signifying the remnants of what must have once been a formidable fleet. However, some of the debris appeared significantly older, betraying the passage of time and hinting at past encounters. It was as though Zrieri had stumbled upon a graveyard of battles long forgotten.
Yet, amidst the mangled wreckage of Rachanit derelicts, the scan brought forth an unsettling revelation. Interspersed among their battered Rachanit ships, were vessels of an entirely unknown origin. Even in their destroyed state, these unidentified ships possessed an air of mystique and promise. Unlike their counterparts, they seemed remarkably intact, their hulls still retaining a semblance of functionality. They were enigmas within the chaos, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the already intricate tapestry of cosmic intrigue that enshrouded Zrieri's surroundings.
With a careful hand, Zrieri adjusted the heading of her vessel. She maneuvered the sleek and agile Voidflyer back into the sprawling debris field, if at a much reduced velocity. Her desire for a closer examination of the mysterious unknown derelicts overwhelmed her, urging her to explore the unknown. As Zrieri drew closer, she flicked a switch, activating the floodlights that adorned the exterior of the Voindflyer. The resulting luminosity revealed a distinctively boxy design amidst the dilapidated wreckage, catching her attention instantly.
However, it was not just the peculiar shape that captured Zrieri's focus; it was a symbol etched onto the hull that truly intrigued her. It depicted a blue sphere covered with equally vibrant green shapes, all of which was accentuated by bold and striking white markings. Puzzled, Zrieri directed her scrutiny towards the battered and scored black hull, contemplating its origins and purpose. Seeking answers, she turned her gaze towards the consoles of the Voidflyer, hoping that her ship's computer could assist her in uncovering the enigmatic text adorning the derelict.
To her surprise, the ship's computer managed to decipher and translate the cryptic message emblazoned on the hull, revealing two significant pieces of information. First, the text read "UNSD Providence," a name that indicated the derelict was once a formidable heavy cruiser. Fascinated by this unexpected revelation, Zrieri felt her curiosity deepen even further. Delving into her thoughts, she contemplated the implications of discovering a seemingly abandoned spaceship amidst the wreckage-filled void.
Despite her enthusiasm, a hint of caution tinged Zrieri's decisions as she carefully piloted the Voidflyer closer to the drifting hulk. Her gaze fixed upon what appeared to be a docking port, offering a potential connection point between the two vessels. However, her uncertainty regarding the compatibility of the Voidflyer's own docking port with that of the Providence caused a momentary hesitation to grip her. The last thing she desired was to initiate a risky and potentially hazardous docking process. Yet, as Zrieri observed the Providence more attentively, she noticed an intriguing detail — the seemingly dormant vessel still retained a glimmer of power. This revelation sparked a flicker of hope within her adventurous spirit. Against her initial reservations, Zrieri's gaze fixated upon the extended docking port of the Providence, reaching out as if inviting the Voidflyer to establish a connection. The juxtaposition of uncertainty and possibility warred within her as she weighed the risks and rewards, ultimately poised to make a daring decision that could potentially reshape her journey.
As Zrieri expertly maneuvered the sleek Voidflyer closer to the Providence docking port, her eyes widened with surprise as she noticed that the aliens' docking mechanism perfectly aligned with her ship's. It was a rare stroke of luck amidst the inhospitable reaches of space. Strapping on her trusty space suit and securing her helmet, she prepared herself for the treacherous journey ahead. With a resolute determination, Zrieri made her way towards the airlock, the gateway into the unidentified vessel. As she stepped inside the airlock, her eyes immediately fixed upon the readout, which displayed alarming details. Multiple breaches in the hull of the Providence had resulted in a vacuum and complete absence of gravity within its confines. However given how long the derelict had been adrift neither condition was altogether surprising.
A sense of inconvenience filled the air, as Zrieri grumbled to herself about her distaste for weightlessness while deftly cycling the airlock. She remembered how unpleasant that part of her training had been at the academy. The airlock opened, revealing a disconcerting spectacle before her. The interior of the ship was shrouded in blinking red emergency lighting, amplifying the eerie atmosphere that enveloped her. The fact that there was still reserve power left spoke volumes of the ship design. Uncertain of the path that lay ahead, Zrieri cautiously embarked upon the red-lit corridor, her senses heightened with each tentative step of her gravtalons.
Along her journey through the labyrinthine passageway, she encountered various rooms, some preserved in a state of integrity while others ominously opened up to the unforgiving empty void of space. Each room silently bearing witness to the mysterious events that had unfolded within the bowels of the derelict vessel. Finally, reaching the end of the corridor, Zrieri's keen eyes caught sight of a vertical shaft ascending above her. An upward path beckoned her, promising a potential answer to the enigmatic depths of the ship.
Caution prevailing over curiosity, Zrieri meticulously marked her previous locations, ensuring that she wouldn't succumb to the disorienting expanse of this forsaken place. Her determination echoed through the corridor as she muttered to herself, vowing not to lose her way amidst this derelict maze. She turned off her gravtalons and began to ascend the shaft with a blend of nimbleness and concentration.
Zrieri eventually reached the pinnacle, only to be confronted by a formidable pair of sealed doors. A glimmer of frustration danced across her features as she tirelessly attempted to budge them, employing every ounce of her strength. Yet, fate seemed to conspire against her, refusing to grant access to the secrets that lay beyond those imposing barriers. Undeterred by this setback, resolve surged through her being as she descended back down the shaft, propelled by an unwavering determination to discover a tool that could pry open those obstinate doors.
Zreini retraced her steps down the cold, dimly lit shaft, her mind focused on finding a solution to the sealed doors blocking her path. Every step echoed against the metallic walls as she scanned her surroundings, desperately seeking an object that could serve as a makeshift pry bar. After what felt like an eternity, her eyes caught a glimmer of hope, a long piece of metal hidden among the debris. Without hesitation, she snatched it up, feeling the weight and sturdiness it held. Ascending the shaft once again, Zreini's determination grew as she approached the sealed doors.
With a determined expression, she inserted the metal bar between the unforgiving panels, channeling every ounce of her strength into prying them apart. The doors resisted stubbornly, as if mocking her efforts.
Frustration bubbling inside her, she muttered aloud, "Stubborn doors!" her words swallowed by the vast emptiness of the ship's corridors.
Yet, Zreini refused to yield. Summoning her resolve, she persisted, pouring all her energy into forcing the doors open. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of exertion, the doors relented, reluctantly sliding apart. Yet, victory came at a price. Caught off guard by their sudden movement, Zreini stumbled, crashing into the cold bulkhead opposite the opening. The impact sent the metal bar flying in the opposite direction, clattering noiselessly as it bounced against the floor and out into the void.
Ignoring the ache in her shoulder and the taste of defeat lingering in her beak, Zreini straightened herself, reaching up to adjust her helmet. Her gaze fixed upon the widened door opening, curiosity mingling with anticipation as she peered into the darkness beyond. It didn't take long for realization to dawn upon her. She had discovered the bridge of the Providence, or rather, what was left of it. The telltale signs of Rachanit weaponry ravaged the room, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.
Undeterred by the destruction, Zreini carefully maneuvered her way into the bridge. Her eyes scanned the remnants of what once was a bustling hub of activity, finally settling on the raised seat at its center. There, she found the remains of the Providence's captain, preserved in his breached spacesuit, desiccated but in-tact. The space mummy was still strapped into the seat. A sense of melancholy washed over her, dying to the void was a fear in every spacer’s heart. At the same time, she felt a sense of awe at the silent dedication displayed by the fallen leader, standing watch eternally as his ship drifted.
Approaching the seat with reverence, Zreini examined the captain's final resting place. Despite her eagerness to gather information, she vowed to disturb the scene as little as possible. Zreini had no clue what this species’ burial rites were, but she wanted to show nothing but respect to the fallen spacer. With delicate movements, she gently pushed the captain's arm aside, revealing a functioning screen nestled in the seat's armrest. The ship's mainframe was still functioning, at least somewhat. The last remnants of the Providence's technological spirit flickered on the screen.
Without wasting another moment, Zreini retrieved her scanner, her nimble fingers deftly navigating its interface. Its soft blue light illuminated her face as she aimed it towards the mainframe, hoping to extract any fragment of valuable information, a lifeline of knowledge hidden within the ship's core. To her surprise and relief, the scanner successfully retrieved an abundance of data, promising a glimpse into the Providence's secrets and history.
As Zreini meticulously sifted through the retrieved information, her gaze inadvertently wandered to the badge adorning the captain's chest area. Illuminated by the flickering lights, the insignia held a profound significance. She directed her scanner towards it, her curiosity demanding answers. In an instant, the translation software swiftly deciphered the inscription etched upon the badge: "Rory Parks, Commanding Officer, UNSD Providence."
The discovery sent a shiver down her spine. Names became more than mere words or titles. They embodied lives, stories, and sacrifices. Zreini couldn't help but wonder about the brave souls who once inhabited this ship, each with their own tale, now buried deep within its steel and circuitry. Motivated by preservation and a duty to honor those who came before, she transmitted the gathered data to the Voidflyers' computer, ensuring that the legacy of the UNSD Providence would not fade into oblivion.
Zreini, her expression somber and contemplative, crossed her arms as she slowly lowered herself down in front of the fallen commander. Her eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy, she spoke in a hushed yet confident voice, addressing Commander Rory Parker.
"I must admit, dear Commander, that I haven't had the opportunity to encounter your kind or, indeed, any being quite like you before," Zreini's voice carried an air of respect and reverence, as she acknowledged the uniqueness of their encounter. "But now, in this moment, fate has brought us together. From this void, you shall watch over and protect your people, forever enshrined in their collective memory, Commander Rory Parker."
With these words of farewell hanging in the air, Zreini gracefully rose from her bowed position and set off towards her trusted Voidflyer. As she made her way back, there was an uncanny synchronicity to the scene that unfolded before her. It appeared as though the UNSD Providence, the massive spacecraft that had been her destination, had been awaiting her visit. Its presence was a testament to the peculiarities of the universe, always finding ways to manifest remarkable coincidences. However, it was at this very moment, upon entering the airlock, that a disconcerting disruption shattered the tranquility.
The emergency lighting within the vessel flickered erratically, casting eerie shadows and sending shivers down Zreini's spine. A surge of anticipation coursed through her veins, hinting at something extraordinary about to unfold. Outside the confines of the airlock, Zreini's eyes widened with disbelieving awe. It seemed as though Commander Rory Parker himself stood summing near, his ghostly figure illuminated by the tumultuous illumination of the faltering emergency lights. In a poetic gesture, he raised his arm in a quiet salute, characterizing a final farewell before the lighting altogether faded into darkness, leaving Zreini alone in her bewilderment.
Startled and perplexed by what she had just witnessed, Zreini reached for her trusty light, the beam of its illumination slicing through the pervasive darkness. She meticulously scanned her surroundings, eager to uncover any trace of the enigmatic Commander Rory. But alas, there was nothingness. No signs, no traces; simply an impenetrable void. Craving answers, doubts began to swirl within her mind like a chaotic maelstrom. She checked her life support systems for any issues, but they came back all green. Was she just tired, or was it something more?
"What was that…apparition? Was it just my imagination, or was it actually the fleeting specter of the departed commander?" Zreini questioned herself amid the solitude of the airlock.
The implications of such an encounter with the ethereal world sent shivers down her spine, making her question the boundaries of reality itself. One thing she was sure of, there would be no mention of it in her report. Gathering her wits and wrestling her emotions under control, Zreini closed the airlock behind her, sealing off the mysteries that lay beyond. Stepping back into the familiar confines of her ship, she activated the cycle sequence, disconnecting from the Providence.
Slowly but surely, the Voidflyer broke free from the gravitational grip of the human vessel, propelling itself out carefully from the debris field. After the ship was safely out of any immediate danger, Zrieri engaged with the data she had meticulously gathered from the ship. She knew now the race called themselves humans and they originated on the third planet of this very system. Zreini's star charts underwent a transformation. The seamless integration of the acquired information initiated an update, revealing new cosmic coordinates within the vast tapestry of the universe.
And then, facilitated by the translation software, an unexpected revelation emerged, a message intended for the Providence, concealed amidst the data. Anchored to the coordinates that had materialized before her, a message finally unraveled, demanding her attention.
"Earth has fallen, fall back to Alpha Centauri."
The words struck at the core of Zreini's being, triggering a surge of empathy and concern. She turned her ship's sensors towards the third planet of the system. Even with the horrors of the war with the Rachanit fresh in her mind, Zrieri was not ready for what she saw. The planet was destroyed, Not just glassed from an orbital bombardment, the planet had been cracked in two, all the way to its core. Earth’s once life-giving atmosphere had been stripped away by the solar winds of its own star when its magnetic field collapsed.
“Monsters…” Zrieri whispered. With clenched fists and a resolute expression, Zreini punched in the coded star system coordinates, her voice filled with a measured determination. "I pray that this Alpha Centauri still exists, that something remains of these people! The universe needs some measure of hope at least."
Zrieri was well aware that the message she had unveiled was distressingly dated, possibly an echo from a bygone era. But it didn’t matter, she needed to know. Without hesitation, driven by the yearning for answers and the spark of hope, Zreini once again activated the FTL drive, plunging herself and her vessel into the abyssal depths of interstellar travel. The destination lay before her, shrouded in mystery
Dead Zone, System 002 (Alpha Centauri)
As the Voidflyer hurtled through hyper-dimensional space, its sophisticated translation software strained to piece together a comprehensive Lexicon from the fragments of data Zreini had managed to extract from the human spaceship. Nonetheless, before the system could complete its task, Zreini's attention was abruptly yanked away by the blaring of the proximity alarm at the hyperlane exit, signaling a looming threat.
“Not again!” she chirped as she took hold of the controls tightly.
An immense and ominous presence awaited her, and Zreini instinctively exerted all her strength, desperately maneuvering to dodge the colossal object. Even with the maneuverability of the Voidflyer and her own skill and experience, an inevitable disaster struck with full force. The Voidflyer collided with the object, scraping along her underside. Alarms and claxons rang in Zrieri’s ears before her head collided with her console, plunging her into unconsciousness.
***
When Zreini finally regained consciousness and surveyed her surroundings, she was met with a bewildering revelation: she was miraculously alive.
“I guess I won’t be meeting Janaria today after all.” She muttered as she rubbed her forehead gently.
However, the same fate could not be claimed for the crippled Voidflyer, which now lay dormant and powerless in the enshrouding darkness of the cockpit. There were numerous hull breaches, but the cockpit was still fully pressurized. Emergency power was keeping the life support systems online for the time being, but every other system seemed to be offline. Peering through the cockpit windows, her gaze fell upon a disheartening sight; a trail of coolant and vapors spiraling from her damaged vessel.
And there, in stark defiance against the backdrop of the cold celestial abyss, loomed the cause of her misfortune: an enormous, angular, obsidian ship. Its design bore a striking resemblance to that of the UNSD Providence, but what sent a shiver down Zreini's spine was the sight of the behemoth's menacing turrets trained directly upon her vulnerable craft. As if it would take more than one shot to vaporize the Voidflyer.
The implications of this encounter fueled a fearful realization within her; humanity still lingered in the cosmos. As Zreini intently studied the illuminated lettering adorning the side of the imposing vessel, She had been on smaller space stations than this singular ship. It was reminiscent in certain design elements to the Providence, and a sudden surge of urgency propelled her to hastily employ her scanner in an attempt to decipher the meaning. With bated breath, she witnessed the screen illuminate with its translation: "UNSD Relentless."
The humans were indeed present; evoking a maelstrom of emotions within her already frayed nerves. In that critical moment, the Relentless maneuvered itself alongside her ship, looming large and casting a daunting shadow over her world. Peering over the edge of her cockpit, Zreini's eyes widened as she beheld a mammoth bay door slowly creaking open, revealing a glimpse into the depths of the unknown. However, before her curiosity could be sated, she was startled by resounding thudding sounds reverberating through the wounded hull of the Voidflyer; a vivid auditory reminder of her predicament. In a matter of moments she found herself being inexorably drawn towards the embrace of the gargantuan Relentless.
The sensation of gravity returning to her body was comforting as she came under the sway of the Relentless’ gravity generators. The flood of bay lights cut through the darkness like beacons, illuminating the once-desolate interior of the cockpit and exposing a bustling hive of activity within the bay. Zreini swiftly deduced that her unintended collision with the Relentless had triggered an alarm within its crew, setting in motion their rescue efforts. Without delay or fanfare, the distorted remnants of the Voidflyer were delicately lowered onto the solid floor of the bay; an act of careful precision amid the tumultuous events unfolding.
Zreini gingerly unstrapped herself from her seat, a jolt of pain coursing through her as she realized that something was painfully broken. Waves of discomfort radiated from her ribcage, making it excruciating to take even the slightest breath, while her right leg throbbed mercilessly, rendering it unable to bear any weight. Determined to escape her crippled vessel, she mustered all the strength she could find and stumbled towards the airlock. Summoning the last vestiges of her energy, Zreini desperately pulled off a side panel, revealing the emergency locks securing the doors. With trembling fingers, she released them, the clunking sound echoing in the confined space. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Zreini exerted what little force she could muster to push open the inner door.
The dank air of the airlock greeted her as she did the same with the outer door, its resistance ultimately giving way to a pneumatic hiss. Peering into the expansive bay beyond, Zreini's eyes widened at the sight that met her gaze. A group of humans, clad in formidable armored spacesuits, stood before her, their weapons ominously trained on her battered form. A rush of adrenaline coiled within her, propelling her senses to heightened alertness. Just as panic threatened to consume her, a voice pierced through the tense silence, commanding the armed human contingent to stand down. Instantly obeying the authoritative command, they lowered their weapons, revealing a glimmer of hope within Zreini's battered soul. Yet, before she could extend her gratitude or even gather her thoughts coherently, Zreini succumbed to the relentless darkness tugging at the edges of her consciousness. Her frail form succumbed to the physical and emotional trauma, surrendering to oblivion.

Live Music

• Jim Lamb, Mill Top Tavern, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
• Tony Scozzaro, The Cellar Upstairs Wine Bar & Restaurant, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
• JC Hatfield Trio, Conch House Marina Resort, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm,
• Trevor Compton, St. Augustine Shores Golf Club, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm,
• Dewey Via, Guy Harvey Resort, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm,
• Jonathan Lee Dotson, Fuzion 904 Eatery, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm,
• ZaZa Flamenca, Fuzion 904 Eatery, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm,
• Ivan Smith, Casa de Vino 57, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm,
• Danielle Eva, Prohibition Kitchen, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

St. Augustine History Fest Special Tours, 2024

The St. Augustine History Festival celebrates the "Nation's Oldest City" with activities at historical sites throughout the town.
Created by the University of Florida, Historic St. Augustine Inc., and the Lastinger Family Foundation, the festival showcases every era of St. Augustine's long and storied past through special events and tours of historic venues. The activities include tours, presentations, book signings, a re-enactment, and a special concert featuring music by Black composers.

Tours of Historic Houses of Worship

Ancient City Baptist Church

What: Tours of the historic church
When: May 10 & 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Address: 27 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

What: A "Behind the Scenes" tour of the Cathedral Basilica, including the choir loft, sacristy, confessional, baptistry, and chapel.
When: May 8 - May 12, at 1:00 pm.
Address: 38 Cathedral Place, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

First Congregation Sons of Israel

What: Tours of the oldest synagogue in the state of Florida.
When: May 8, 9, and 12, from 10:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Address: 161 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Memorial Presbyterian Church

What: A docent-guided tour of the church built by Henry Flagler
When: May 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 12, from 12:15 to 3:30 p.m.
Where: 32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

National Shrine of Our Lady of la Leche

What: Self-guided tours.
When: May 8 - 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. May 12, from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Where: 101 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

What: Daily tours. The tours are free and reservations are required.
When: May 8 - 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: 41 St George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Trinity Parish

What: Docent-guided tours.
When: May 9 - 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: 215 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
Admission: House of Worship tours are free.
When: Wednesday, May 8 - Sunday, May 12, 2024. Times and locations vary.
Tours of Historic Cemeteries
Representatives of each cemetery will be present to answer questions.

Tolomato Cemetery

What: A tour of Tolomato Cemetery
When: May 10, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Where: 14 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

St. Augustine National Cemetery

What: Dr. Amy Larner Giroux, UCF, "No Longer Unknown: Native American POWs, Civil War soldiers, and Second Seminole War casualties."
When: May 11, at 10:30 a.m.
Where: St. Augustine National Cemetery, 104 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries for Black Persons

What: A tour of these two cemeteries set aside for Black citizens of St. Augustine, both free and enslaved.
When: May 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: N. Nassau and Pearl Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 (In the West King area.)

First Congregation Sons of Israel Cemetery Tour

What: A tour of the First Congregation Sons of Israel Cemetery
When: May 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: 111 Evergreen Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 (In the West King area.)

Tours of Historic Gardens

Father Miguel O'Reilly House and Gardens

What: A docent-led tour of the gardens. (The house is still closed for renovations.)
Admission: Free
When: May 8 - 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. May 11 - 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: 32 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida, 32084

Nombre de Dios Historic Gardens

What: Walk through the historic gardens at the Nombre de Dios.
Admission: Free
When: May 8 - 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. May 12, from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Where: At the Mission Nombre De Dios, 101 San Marcos Avenue, St. Augustine 32084

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

What: A free tour of the gardens at the museum, which includes fruit trees and a kitchen garden. There will also be an archaeology table for kids to practice finding artifacts.
Admission: The garden tour at 10:00 a.m. is free. You can also purchase tickets for an audio tour of the home and complex.
When: Saturday, May 11, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Ximenez-Fatio House, 20 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Historic Gardens at Ticketed Attractions

Fountain of Youth

What: Guided tours of the Fountain of Youth gardens. (There will be peacocks.)
Admission: Normal ticket prices apply. Outside the ticketed area is a pocket park, free to view, featuring a bronze statue of Pedro Menendez.
When: May 8 and 9, 2024 at 2:30 and 4:00 p.m.
Where: 11 Magnolia Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Spanish Military Hospital

What: Every tour at the Spanish Military Hospital includes the apothecary gardens where they grow healing herbs and plants to be used in poultices.
When: May 8 - 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Reservations are recommended.)
Where: 3 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Chamber Music Series: John Daugherty

• John Daugherty will perform for the Romanza Festival on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at noon at the Memorial Presbyterian Church on Sevilla Street.
• From Albuquerque, New Mexico, John attended a performance of Don Giovanni when he was eight, and took the stage as a pickpocket in La Bohème one year later. Now a baritone with a masterful voice, John performs in operas, recitals, and oratorio, and is proficient in several styles and genres. Recently, he performed as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Joseph de Rocher in Heggies' Dead Man Walking, and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. In April 2024, he performs as Moralès and Le Dancaïre when the Jacksonville Symphony produces Carmen.
• Michael Giuliani will accompany John on piano. Michael is the pianist for the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus and the Director of Music and Organist at Trinity Parish.
• Admission: Free.
• When: Thursday, May 9, 2024, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
• Where: Memorial Presbyterian Church, 32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• This event is part of the Romanza Festivale of Music and the Arts, an annual festival of two weeks of historical, cultural, and creative events celebrating all things St. Augustine. From May 3 -19, the nation's oldest city will be jam-packed with music and dance concerts, living history events and historical tours, live theater, and art exhibits.

Boozin' on the Boulevard

• Boozin' on the Boulevard takes guests on a hop-on hop-off service to some of the local restaurants on Anastasia Island.
• This bar crawl begins at Kaiser's Deli & Market and Sogno Restaurant from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Guests will then be taken to Blackfly and Odd Birds Cocktail Lounge and Kitchen from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The tour will end at Candlelight South at 8:00 p.m.
• Each eatery will have food and drink specials — individuals must purchase a drink first from Kaiser's or Sogno Restaurant to receive a wristband. This band enables entry onto the Old Town Connect bus — a free transportation service for participants.
• Admission: Food and drink prices vary at each establishment. Transportation is provided by Old Town Connect once a drink is purchased at Kaiser's Deli or Sogno Restaurant.
• When: Every Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Note: Dates and times could be adjusted based on the number of sign-ups.
• Where: Starts at Kaiser's Deli & Market at 4 White Street East, St. Augustine, Florida 32080.

Jeffrey Gaines at Cafe Eleven

• Café Eleven welcomes Jeffrey Gaines on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 8:00 p.m.
• Renowned for his self-titled debut album, Jeffrey Gaines, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist gained significant radio attention for his distinctive approach to crafting rock, pop, and folk music.
• His chart-topping hit, "Scares Me More," garnered attention on the Billboard charts, while his rendition of "In Your Eyes" achieved national recognition. Gaines made notable live appearances on shows such as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Breakfast with the Arts, and Friday Night Videos.
• Adding to his rich musical journey, Gaines toured alongside acclaimed artists like Tracy Chapman, Greg Allman, Melissa Etheridge, Stevie Nicks, and others, further enriching his musical experiences.
• Among his discography are albums such as Jeffrey Gaines, Somewhat Slightly Dazed, Galore, Always Be, Toward the Sun, Live in Europe, and Alright.
• Admission: Tickets cost $20.00 if purchased in advance and $25.00 on the day of the show. Reserved table seating costs $30.00. Purchase tickets in advance online or purchase them at Café Eleven on the day of the show.
• When: Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 8:00 p.m.
• Where: Café Eleven, 501 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, Florida 32080. On the corner of A1A and 11th Street, one block from St. Augustine Beach.

I am unable to post the sources because they are getting flagged as spam since they are all similar in name. So please visit this site for the list.
Written out urls here tinyurl.com/yjkw32kd

For future events please visit the Discord.

https://discord.gg/NG4eZSWAgR

Live Music

• Jim Lamb, Mill Top Tavern, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
• Tony Scozzaro, The Cellar Upstairs Wine Bar & Restaurant, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm,
• JC Hatfield Trio, Conch House Marina Resort, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm,
• Trevor Compton, St. Augustine Shores Golf Club, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm,
• Dewey Via, Guy Harvey Resort, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm,
• Jonathan Lee Dotson, Fuzion 904 Eatery, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm,
• ZaZa Flamenca, Fuzion 904 Eatery, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm,
• Ivan Smith, Casa de Vino 57, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm,
• Danielle Eva, Prohibition Kitchen, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

St. Augustine History Fest Special Tours, 2024

The St. Augustine History Festival celebrates the "Nation's Oldest City" with activities at historical sites throughout the town.
Created by the University of Florida, Historic St. Augustine Inc., and the Lastinger Family Foundation, the festival showcases every era of St. Augustine's long and storied past through special events and tours of historic venues. The activities include tours, presentations, book signings, a re-enactment, and a special concert featuring music by Black composers.

Tours of Historic Houses of Worship

Ancient City Baptist Church

What: Tours of the historic church
When: May 10 & 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Address: 27 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

What: A "Behind the Scenes" tour of the Cathedral Basilica, including the choir loft, sacristy, confessional, baptistry, and chapel.
When: May 8 - May 12, at 1:00 pm.
Address: 38 Cathedral Place, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

First Congregation Sons of Israel

What: Tours of the oldest synagogue in the state of Florida.
When: May 8, 9, and 12, from 10:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Address: 161 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Memorial Presbyterian Church

What: A docent-guided tour of the church built by Henry Flagler
When: May 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 12, from 12:15 to 3:30 p.m.
Where: 32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

National Shrine of Our Lady of la Leche

What: Self-guided tours.
When: May 8 - 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. May 12, from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Where: 101 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

What: Daily tours. The tours are free and reservations are required.
When: May 8 - 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Where: 41 St George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Trinity Parish

What: Docent-guided tours.
When: May 9 - 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: 215 St. George Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
Admission: House of Worship tours are free.
When: Wednesday, May 8 - Sunday, May 12, 2024. Times and locations vary.
Tours of Historic Cemeteries
Representatives of each cemetery will be present to answer questions.

Tolomato Cemetery

What: A tour of Tolomato Cemetery
When: May 10, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Where: 14 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

St. Augustine National Cemetery

What: Dr. Amy Larner Giroux, UCF, "No Longer Unknown: Native American POWs, Civil War soldiers, and Second Seminole War casualties."
When: May 11, at 10:30 a.m.
Where: St. Augustine National Cemetery, 104 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries for Black Persons

What: A tour of these two cemeteries set aside for Black citizens of St. Augustine, both free and enslaved.
When: May 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: N. Nassau and Pearl Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 (In the West King area.)

First Congregation Sons of Israel Cemetery Tour

What: A tour of the First Congregation Sons of Israel Cemetery
When: May 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: 111 Evergreen Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084 (In the West King area.)

Tours of Historic Gardens

Father Miguel O'Reilly House and Gardens

What: A docent-led tour of the gardens. (The house is still closed for renovations.)
Admission: Free
When: May 8 - 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. May 11 - 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: 32 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida, 32084

Nombre de Dios Historic Gardens

What: Walk through the historic gardens at the Nombre de Dios.
Admission: Free
When: May 8 - 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. May 12, from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Where: At the Mission Nombre De Dios, 101 San Marcos Avenue, St. Augustine 32084

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

What: A free tour of the gardens at the museum, which includes fruit trees and a kitchen garden. There will also be an archaeology table for kids to practice finding artifacts.
Admission: The garden tour at 10:00 a.m. is free. You can also purchase tickets for an audio tour of the home and complex.
When: Saturday, May 11, at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Ximenez-Fatio House, 20 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Historic Gardens at Ticketed Attractions

Fountain of Youth

What: Guided tours of the Fountain of Youth gardens. (There will be peacocks.)
Admission: Normal ticket prices apply. Outside the ticketed area is a pocket park, free to view, featuring a bronze statue of Pedro Menendez.
When: May 8 and 9, 2024 at 2:30 and 4:00 p.m.
Where: 11 Magnolia Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Spanish Military Hospital

What: Every tour at the Spanish Military Hospital includes the apothecary gardens where they grow healing herbs and plants to be used in poultices.
When: May 8 - 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Reservations are recommended.)
Where: 3 Aviles Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084

Chamber Music Series: John Daugherty

• John Daugherty will perform for the Romanza Festival on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at noon at the Memorial Presbyterian Church on Sevilla Street.
• From Albuquerque, New Mexico, John attended a performance of Don Giovanni when he was eight, and took the stage as a pickpocket in La Bohème one year later. Now a baritone with a masterful voice, John performs in operas, recitals, and oratorio, and is proficient in several styles and genres. Recently, he performed as Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Joseph de Rocher in Heggies' Dead Man Walking, and Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. In April 2024, he performs as Moralès and Le Dancaïre when the Jacksonville Symphony produces Carmen.
• Michael Giuliani will accompany John on piano. Michael is the pianist for the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus and the Director of Music and Organist at Trinity Parish.
• Admission: Free.
• When: Thursday, May 9, 2024, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
• Where: Memorial Presbyterian Church, 32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
• This event is part of the Romanza Festivale of Music and the Arts, an annual festival of two weeks of historical, cultural, and creative events celebrating all things St. Augustine. From May 3 -19, the nation's oldest city will be jam-packed with music and dance concerts, living history events and historical tours, live theater, and art exhibits.

Boozin' on the Boulevard

• Boozin' on the Boulevard takes guests on a hop-on hop-off service to some of the local restaurants on Anastasia Island.
• This bar crawl begins at Kaiser's Deli & Market and Sogno Restaurant from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Guests will then be taken to Blackfly and Odd Birds Cocktail Lounge and Kitchen from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The tour will end at Candlelight South at 8:00 p.m.
• Each eatery will have food and drink specials — individuals must purchase a drink first from Kaiser's or Sogno Restaurant to receive a wristband. This band enables entry onto the Old Town Connect bus — a free transportation service for participants.
• Admission: Food and drink prices vary at each establishment. Transportation is provided by Old Town Connect once a drink is purchased at Kaiser's Deli or Sogno Restaurant.
• When: Every Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Note: Dates and times could be adjusted based on the number of sign-ups.
• Where: Starts at Kaiser's Deli & Market at 4 White Street East, St. Augustine, Florida 32080.

Jeffrey Gaines at Cafe Eleven

• Café Eleven welcomes Jeffrey Gaines on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 8:00 p.m.
• Renowned for his self-titled debut album, Jeffrey Gaines, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist gained significant radio attention for his distinctive approach to crafting rock, pop, and folk music.
• His chart-topping hit, "Scares Me More," garnered attention on the Billboard charts, while his rendition of "In Your Eyes" achieved national recognition. Gaines made notable live appearances on shows such as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Breakfast with the Arts, and Friday Night Videos.
• Adding to his rich musical journey, Gaines toured alongside acclaimed artists like Tracy Chapman, Greg Allman, Melissa Etheridge, Stevie Nicks, and others, further enriching his musical experiences.
• Among his discography are albums such as Jeffrey Gaines, Somewhat Slightly Dazed, Galore, Always Be, Toward the Sun, Live in Europe, and Alright.
• Admission: Tickets cost $20.00 if purchased in advance and $25.00 on the day of the show. Reserved table seating costs $30.00. Purchase tickets in advance online or purchase them at Café Eleven on the day of the show.
• When: Thursday, May 9, 2024, at 8:00 p.m.
• Where: Café Eleven, 501 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, Florida 32080. On the corner of A1A and 11th Street, one block from St. Augustine Beach.

I am unable to post the sources because they are getting flagged as spam since they are all similar in name. So please visit this site for the list.
Written out urls here tinyurl.com/yjkw32kd

For future events please visit the Discord.

https://discord.gg/NG4eZSWAgR

Benefits of Moving to a Pluto Line in Astrocartography
​

1. Career Empowerment (MC/10th House):

• As a user considering a Pluto line, especially if it aligns with your Midheaven or falls in your 10th house, you can anticipate significant empowerment in your professional life. This placement often leads to transformative career changes, potentially elevating you to positions of influence or redirecting your professional path towards more fulfilling endeavors.
• Deep Emotional and Relational Transformation (8th House):
• If Pluto activates your 8th house, you're likely to experience profound shifts in your emotional and intimate life. This could mean deeper connections, transformative relationship experiences, and significant personal evolution, especially in areas of intimacy and shared resources.
• Inner Work and Spiritual Growth (12th House):
• A Pluto line in the 12th house focuses on the subconscious and hidden aspects of life. For you, this could mean a period of profound psychological and spiritual insights, helping you to uncover and address your deepest fears, secrets, or subconscious patterns.
• Family Dynamics and Personal Foundations (4th House):
• With Pluto in the 4th house, you might find significant changes within your family dynamics or your sense of security and roots. This can be an opportunity for deep emotional healing and transforming your foundational personal beliefs and feelings.
• Enhanced Self-Discovery:
• Living on a Pluto line offers a unique chance for deep psychological exploration. This could be particularly beneficial if you're interested in therapy, self-reflection, or understanding more about the deeper, often hidden aspects of your personality.
• Navigating Power Dynamics in Relationships:
• These lines can bring issues of control and power in relationships to the surface. For you, this might be an opportunity to develop healthier dynamics and resolve longstanding issues related to power and control.
• Commitment to Transformation:
• Moving to a Pluto line indicates a readiness for long-term, profound change. This can be a transformative journey, leading to a more authentic and empowered version of yourself.
• Overcoming Deep-Rooted Challenges:
• Such a relocation can surface deep-seated psychological issues for healing. This is an opportunity for you to confront and work through these challenges, leading to significant personal growth and transformation.

It’s essential to check how Pluto is aspected in your natal chart. Beneficial aspects may ease the intensity of these transformations, while challenging aspects could signal more profound and possibly difficult changes. Remember, Pluto is not a "bad" planet; its influence, while intense, is geared towards profound transformation and growth. Your specific experiences will vary based on Pluto’s house placement and the aspects it forms in your natal chart.

So my wedding day is less than 2 months away and I spent the day working on the seating arrangements for the reception with my mom and my fiancé’s mom and she has so many opinions and needs to meet that I can’t meet with what I wanted for the table layout. We were going to do 4 long harvest tables with aunts/uncles on one side and cousins and friends on the other side. I had her across from my parents at the closest table to us but she didn’t like it because she doesn’t want her back to us so I move her to sit beside my parents, and then in their old spot put my 2 relatives who are travelling from South America and don’t speak English (this matters later) so they can have my parents to talk to. She doesn’t want her family in a corner so I put them at the table behind her, even though they don’t fill up an entire harvest table and I have to divide all my aunts and uncles awkwardly so half of them can’t socialize with each other or my parents during dinner. I also have my god mother and my mom-aunt (she’s like another godmother) really far away from me which I also don’t like. t’s important to note too that half of my aunts/uncles coming are travelling from the states and have health issues so it’s a big deal that they’re coming this way. So I divide them, meaning she is beside people who don’t speak fluent English very well. What’s the problem now? She is worried about not being able to communicate to the people she’s sat around because they don’t speak English, so she’s thinking she doesn’t want her family closer to her… in the corner. My mom is fine with whatever and so is my fiancé, but I want to avoid future resentments so I restarted my reception floor plan so there’s a mix of round and rectangle tables. I don’t really like it to be completely honest - it doesn’t works as well with the aesthetic I was going for and even though it’s silly, I’m disappointed that my original vision is changing. Luckily I have a lot of cousins and aunts who will be around to help decorate so that it can still look cute but I’m kind of unmotivated to replan my decor even though I really need to. I’m going to take her needs into account when I do another seating chart and have her look at it with my fiancé this time so he can keep her in check. I feel like such a brat for being mad about all of this but our wedding isn’t really just about my fiancé and I - my parents have put in an insane amount of work getting the house ready for the wedding (it’s at their house) and they are helping us with it financially even though I know it’s hard on them all while keeping a positive attitude about everything and accepting the choices we made. It’s just so much pressure and I’m tired lol

For those with a deep-seated yearning to immerse themselves in new or different cultures, astrocartography and relocation astrology can be invaluable tools. These disciplines offer insights into how various geographical locations might resonate with your personal astrological makeup, potentially enhancing your cultural experiences and understanding.
Relocated Chart Insights for Cultural Enrichment
A relocated chart can reveal which areas of the world might offer the most enriching cultural experiences:
Significant House Positions:

• 9th House (Foreign Cultures and Long-Distance Travel): A strong 9th house in your relocated chart can signify a profound connection with foreign cultures and a deep desire to explore and understand them.
• 3rd House (Communication and Short Trips): Positive aspects in the 3rd house can enhance your ability to engage with local communities and grasp cultural nuances.
• 11th House (Friendships and Social Groups): Beneficial influences here might facilitate connections with diverse social circles and integration into different cultural groups.

Key Planetary Aspects:

• Jupiter for Cultural Expansion: Favorable aspects to Jupiter, the planet of exploration and travel, can enrich your cultural experiences and broaden your worldview.
• Mercury for Communication and Learning: Positive Mercury aspects are essential for language acquisition, understanding different cultural contexts, and effective communication.
• Venus for Social Harmony and Appreciation: Harmonious aspects to Venus can foster a deeper appreciation of different cultural aesthetics and smoother social interactions.

Planetary Combinations for Cultural Immersion:

• Sun-Jupiter: Promotes an optimistic, open-minded approach to different cultures.
• Moon-Venus: Enhances emotional connections with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Mercury-Neptune: Stimulates an intuitive understanding of foreign cultures and traditions.

Astrocartography for Cultural Experiences
Astrocartography can help identify places where planetary energies align with your desire for cultural exploration:

• Jupiter Lines for Broadening Horizons: Jupiter lines are ideal for expanding cultural understanding and experiencing personal growth through travel.
• Venus Lines for Cultural Appreciation: Venus lines can enhance your appreciation of cultural beauty, art, and harmony.
• Mercury Lines for Learning and Communication: Mercury lines support language learning and effective communication, vital for immersing yourself in a new culture.

Integrating Relocated Chart and Astrocartography for Cultural Experiences
Combining insights from your relocated chart and astrocartography can guide you to locations that not only enrich your cultural understanding but also resonate with your personal astrological profile. For instance, a Jupiter line might bring broad cultural experiences, while a strong 9th house in your relocated chart could deepen your understanding and appreciation of those experiences.
Natal Chart Considerations
Your natal chart provides a foundation for understanding your inherent inclinations and potentials in cultural exploration:

• Natal 9th and 11th Houses: Insights into your natural affinity for different cultures and social groups.
• Natal Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus: Their placements and aspects can reveal your intrinsic capabilities for cultural adaptation, learning, and appreciation.
• Aspects to the Midheaven: Can influence your public identity and career in relation to cultural experiences.

For people wanting to enrich their lives through cultural experiences, astrocartography and relocation astrology offer unique perspectives. By understanding the astrological influences of different locations and how they interact with your natal chart, you can find environments that not only expose you to new cultures but also align with your personal journey of cultural discovery and appreciation. Remember, your openness, respect, and willingness to learn are key to making the most of these global experiences.

CW Domestic Abuse, graphic violence
Laurens' stomach seemed to flip and jolt with every bump of the road heading to the motel outside of town just past the main supermarket. Tears ran down her face. The car seemed to fishtail a little as she pulled in. There were several problems with her marriage. Namely that he had a tendency to hit her and accuse her of cheating on him, the most current problem was that he was cheating on her in a motel where everyone they knew could see. Lauren wasn’t thinking clearly as she banged on the door, she knew right away which one it would be, she could hear his voice coming out from it.
“OPEN UP!” She screamed as she pounded on the door. Lauren could feel the general sensation of her hand resisting the door. It would more than likely hurt at some point when she came off the adrenaline.
Then, the door did open. Daniel Anderson took up most of the frame and he was angry. Lauren could hear the other girl screaming inside but couldn’t seem to make out what she was saying. Her heart stopped as she looked into Daniels face. He was Angry. The kind of angry that meant he was going to hurt her, whether anyone could see it or not. Lauren backed up from the door to avoid being pulled in the room but Daniel followed her out.
“What are you doing here?” Daniel asked, his voice was even and low.
“I got 3 calls about you being here with some whore.” Lauren retorted. She had started edging towards her car at this point, seemingly just now realizing she had made a mistake in coming here. Her heart seemed to stop altogether as he reached for her.
Lauren ducked but he caught her by her hair, winding the strands in between his fingers and yanking her face so that her ear was next to her mouth.
“What did you call her?” He whispered through clenched teeth. Lauren remained mute at this point. She felt her heart speed up and she tried to figure out how to get out of this. He’d never hit her in public. If she could remind him where they were… “I asked you a question Bitch.
If Lauren had thought about answering at that point, she wasn’t given much of a chance. He swung her head up and then forward, the momentum knocking her to the ground. Then he kicked her, pain blossomed through her midsection stunning her and she had trouble catching her breath. His hands came back down and he began throwing her face into the bumper of his bright red truck. After a minute he threw her face in a different direction and she could taste gravel.
“Apologize.” Daniel said in a warning voice. Lauren tried to stand but he mimicked grabbing at her and she shrunk back. “Apologize to her for calling her a whore.”
Lauren said nothing, somewhat in shock and mostly in pain. She could taste blood and felt it running down her face. This time he did grab her by the arm and yanked her up in one movement.
“I Said. Apologize. “ his words were clear.
Lauren did. Stuttering out an I’m sorry in the other woman’s direction.
“You best be home when I get back.” With that Daniel turned around and went back in the room.
Lauren assessed her options but she couldn’t seem to think. She reached into her car and pulled out her purse and started walking. She couldn’t see out of one eye hardly at all and her head hurt in the back. Lauren knew that he had pulled out a significant amount of hair. She thought she recalled some sharp pain as her face was pulled back from the bumper but she couldn’t remember what had happened in any sort of order.
It was at least 2 miles to her friend’s house. Lauren knocked on the door and when Natalie opened the door Lauren pushed her way in. Natalie hissed as she looked at Lauren.
“What the fuck happened?” Natalie gingerly touched her eye, or at least Laurent thought it was the area heer eye should be in. She hadn’t realized how numb she’d been getting here until she wasn’t numb anymore and the throbbing started up. Todd, Natalie’s husband came from the bedrooms and audibly gasped as well. Lauren headed for the hair salon in the back as Natalie whispered to Todd.
Natalie found Lauren in the salon, lights on and sitting in the chair.
“I’ve got enough here for a haircut but I’ll have to get back to you on the last minute/middle of the night fee. I need it all chopped off if you would. I know he ripped a bit in the back so it’s uneven anyway. Honestly it’s irresponsible to keep my hair this long anyway,do people still do that Kate plus Eight hair? The may I speak to your manager hair?” Lauren had trouble forming the words but she kept going hoping that Natalie understood her. She purposefully faced away from the mirror.
“I can cut your hair for sure. Wouldn’t you rather go to a hospital?” Natalie asked carefully playing with Lauren’s hair. Lauren shookher head quickly and immediately regretted it. Todd came in the room with an ice pack and a washcloth. Natalie filled up a bowl of water and started carefully patting away dried blood and finding the actual cuts. There was water and ibuprofen with a few tylenol mixed in, Lauren had trouble with it.
Natalie cut her hair silently. Working around one spot and then going back to it before announcing that it was as good as it was going to get there until the massive cut healed.
“You want to stay here tonight babe?” Natalie asked as she once more took to wiping her face from the still open cuts.
“No I couldn't do that to you, he told me to go home and when he finds that I’m not there… I left my car at the motel. '' Lauren knew on some level she had and knew there had been a reason, but now that the adrenaline was amping down and quickly she had no idea what she was going to do now.
“The motel?”
“Yeah, he met that girl..that one… Beth, that’s her name. They were up there and I had 3 people call me to tell me his truck was there. I just lost it and drove up there. I didn’t expect this to happen. I figured he’d be caught and apologetic.”
“That fucking bitch, I know her. She has no shame. Anyone gives her a little attention and she thinks they’re married. Tells everyone about it. She smells to high heaven too.” Natalie said incensed.
“Well I got up there and confronted him and he did this until I apologi-apolo-. “ Lauren felt sick suddenly and didn’t bother to finish. It hurt more to talk anyway.
“Why don’t you kick him out? It’s your house, the bills are in your name, you survived years without him before so it’s not like you need to worry about money. Serve him with eviction papers and go hide out somewhere until the month is up. Then bar him from the house.”
“I can’t afford a vacation and last time I tried to kick him out, it didn’t go well.I’ve got nothing in savings or otherwise. I can’t stay with anyone because he’ll come find me and hurt someone else in the process. My kids are already going to be pissed about this and if I disappear it's them he’ll hassle.I can’t afford the medical bills if I go in for this and I can’t afford the next beating if I don’t go home and get there before he does. Plus he knows exactly where I work.”
“You aren’t going to have a job if you're dead and he’s going to kill you.. At this point we’re just waiting for when. I can help you. I can loan you money, Fuck, I’ll just give you the god damn money. “
“We both know you don’t have any more than I do. “ Lauren said leaning back
“Well, you aren’t going home tonight, call your kids and warn them that he’ll be calling and to get a police car out there or something. I’ll call Lottie and explain that you are taking a few days off, and you most certainly are taking a few days off ma’am. You can’t go in looking like that, Lottie’ll kick you back out as soon as you show up. I know where you can go for now.”
Lauren went out back, wincing as she lit up a cigarette and took a few good drags before calling her oldest daughter and explaining that Daniel was going to be angry and to be on the lookout and if she could please call her siblings because she just did not have the energy tonight. Lauren promised to go to the hospital, figuring she’d end up going at some point and assured her daughter that she would be fine. After hanging up Todd got her attention at the edge of the yard and gestured toward the car. Lauren got up and limped over to it to climb in and wondering why the actual fuck she had worn flip flops tonight for this. .
It was a long drive out of town and into the mountains. Lauren apologized profusely every time she looked at the car clock. Todd waved his hand dismissively and handed her a fresh ice pack.
“We’re going to see my cousin, he lives up in the woods doing work for the park. He’s pretty far out there and doesn’t come into town much so Daniel won’t know about him. I’d turn your phone off as a precaution though. GPS trackers and whatnot.”
Lauren had already turned her phone off and felt herself dozing off. Unsure of how long she had slept she was awoken by the car stopping. Todd told her to wait where she was while he talked to his cousin. Lauren wondered what she was going to do if this guy didn’t let her stay here tonight. A few minutes later Todd was back and helping her hobble inside. The other man looked like he’d been woken up. He looked Lauren up and down and then waved Todd away. Todd slumped his shoulders and walked back to the car.
“I’m Eric, you’ll get my room. I’ve got some shirts on the bed to sleep in. The dog might insist on laying with you don’t mind dogs too much. I’ll be right out here on the couch if you need anything, bathroom is over here. I can get you a water and some more ibuprofen.” Eric seemed nice. Lauren worried that Daniel would find her out here with another man and finish what he started at the motel. The motel that seemed to be eons ago. Lauren felt her knees start to buckle and she swayed. Eric grabbed her and helped to the bed. Lauren rolled over and managed to get under the blankets before passing out.
Lauren came to hazily and found that the man here was in the room, he seemed taller as in a lot taller.
“I just want to touch you.” Eric slurred out. He swayed awkwardly and seemed to float to the bed, his hands grabbed at her. Lauren was frozen and then noticed to her horror that her husband was right behind him. Daniel came around to the other side of the bed smiling as if he’d known all along that she would be here. Lauren pulled her legs back and tried to scoot back into the headboard as the men got on the bed and started pulling her legs apart and shoving their palms into her collarbone to push her back. Lauren cried out screaming at them to stop as they started biting at her hips and inner thighs. Then they were laughing as they bit into her and pulled her skin off. Eric moved his mouth to her face and bit into her forehead and that set off fireworks of pain through her head.
Lauren awoke gasping and throwing her hands up defensively. Grey light filtered into the room through the blinds and Lauren was soaked in sweat. Her head most definitely did hurt. Badly. The memory of the men all over her made her sick and she jumped out of the bed and scrambled to the hallway towards where she thought the bathroom would be. She tried to grab at her hair to hold it out of the way only to come up short. It was cut. By the time she had finished throwing up and was leaning over the toilet trying to regain her breath, Eric had appeared wiping sleep out of his eyes. Lauren was slightly relieved to see him at his normal size although she shrunk from his touch when he reached out to steady her. He put his hands up to show that he was backing off.
“Hungry? I can make you something to eat to take some painkillers with so you don’t get so sick again. I’m going to run you into town when you think you’re ready. We can go to the ER if you’d like or maybe the prompt care? But you will have to go in. Looks like you broke your face.” Eric spoke slowly to her, keeping his hands where she could see them. Lauren just nodded at him dumbly. Which sent a new wave of agony through her body and she started to crumble. Eric reached carefully and steadied her with as little physical contact as possible. He led her to the couch and got her sat down, bringing her toast and ibuprofen with water.
Lauren tried to relax into the pain until the ibuprofen kicked in. She tried to disappear into herself, she counted by 13s. Finally after what seemed like forever, the painkillers kicked in taking a very large edge off of her pain. She let out a very audible moan as the pain abated ever so slightly. Her shoulders dropped.
“If we’re going into town and avoiding your husband maybe you should wear some different clothes? I’ve got some guy clothes that will fit you ok.” Eric said, handing her folded jeans and a shirt. Lauren just took them and went into the room to change. Mens jeans seemed to change her entire body shape and she did feel a little safer. Lauren had no idea what she was going to do when it came down to it. She was serious last night about not knowing how to leave him. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, she had tried once before to end things, he called his son over to help him carry his stuff out and then when his son arrived he had held Lauren still while Daniel beat the shit out of her stomach and explained that he wasn’t leaving. Lauren needed her job, the house was paid off, she had gotten it in the divorce and had worked hard to pay it up over the years, but there were other bills and taxes and at some point Lauren wanted to retire long enough to enjoy it.
The car ride to town was nerve wracking. Lauren had used Eric’s phone to call ahead to the doctors office and let them know she would be there and that she would like to be brought back as soon as possible. Lauren waited until they were back in town to turn her phone back on. It powered up and looked fine until the phone started registering the texts and voicemails that had been coming in since last night. Once upon a time Daniel had reacted very negatively to her not responding to his message fast enough so Lauren had eventually set his ringer as an alarm so she knew right away to pick her phone up. Eric’s car sounded like a national disaster was going on. Lauren thought about throwing it out the window as her panic started to grow. Eric grabbed it from her and shoved it under his leg muffling the sound slightly.
“Sorry.” Lauren mumbled. Eric shrugged and didn’t look at her, instead keeping his eyes on the road. “I need to stop at the courthouse first to fill out paperwork for an order of protection and get it filed. Then the doctor's office. That way if he figures out where I am they’re already ready for me. “
Lauren checked her phone for any messages not from Daniel and responded to any that needed it and then she turned it back off as they pulled up to the courthouse. Eric handed her his ball cap to hide her face and they casually walked in together. The security guard stopped her and she lifted her hat and faced him head on. He winced and gave her the floor she needed.
“I still haven’t looked, how bad is it?” Lauren asked as they waited for the elevator.
“It’s pretty bad. But it’s your face and it’s probably mostly swelling. “ Eric said without looking at her.
Lauren knew the clerk and judging by the look on her face she ought to hurry to the doctor’s office.
The doctor’s office was it’s own sort of hell. First, the receptionist didn’t want to send her straight back before the nurse came out. Second, Lauren had been in town long enough that she was paranoid every time someone walked in, which she felt she wouldn’t be if they had sent her back like they had discussed. By the time Odette the nurse came out Lauren was wired and Eric had to calm her down just to get her to walk back to the room.
The doctor came in and looked at her and sighed.
“He really got you this time.” Dr. Livingston said, checking the chart.
“I need pictures to add to the rest, I’ve started the proceedings for an OOP and I’d like to bring in all the pictures.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll have Etta come in with the camera and give you copies to take with you so if they’re lost somehow you can get more from us. Then I’ll do an exam. Does he know where you are?”
“I’m not sure,Eric here has been driving me around and playing my bodyguard. I’d like to move as quickly as possible. I want to be out of town when he catches wind of the OOP.”
“I’ll have them let me know if he shows up.’
The pictures were as intrusive as ever. Etta smiled sympathetically as she helped Lauren tilt her head in different directions to catch every angle. After the pictures Dr. Livingston did a thorough exam and had an XRay done. Prescribed decent painkillers and did a few stitches on her forehead and somewhere in the back that Lauren hadn’t realized was cut up.
Daniel did show up so Eric and Lauren took off out the back and left, the office kept him busy and promised to give her a call as soon as he left. Eric dropped her off a block from her house to grab her things. Her truck was in the driveway. Lauren walked past it and into the house. Though she hadn’t checked the messages she had assumed that the house would be trashed from one of his fits but it wasn’t. She grabbed a few loose outfits and makeup. Glasses and medicine and a charger for a phone she was afraid to turn on. The office called to let her know he had left 2 minutes before. Her chest began to beat erratically. She couldn’t breathe.
“Notsafenotsafenotsafe.” She said to herself repeatedly to get her moving. She remembered to grab socks and real shoes, she even took extra time to get them on. The plan was to meet Eric 2 streets from the backyard in hopes of avoiding Daniel or someone that knew them and might tell Daniel who she had left with. Lauren locked the back door as she slipped out and was stopped by the next door woman who was entirely too nosey and judgemental. Grace had decided she didn’t like Lauren 20 some odd years ago when Grace had moved in. Daniel on the other hand, well she seemed to adore him. Daniel came over and mowed her yard for free and fixed her broken what the fuck ever was broken that day. Lauren knew for a fact that Grace fed Daniel information whether it was true or just some idea that Grace had gotten through her head.
“Well, what happened? Where are you headed then?” Grace asked quickly, trying to engage Lauren.
“Just a tumble and off to check something for The Jakobi's across the yard. See you later Grace.” Lauren kept walking trying to smile pleasantly.
“Oh wait, I need you to ask Danny to do something for me!” Grace hollered after Lauren, Lauren responded by running faster. Daniel’s truck roared around the corner so Lauren decided to take a different route that would involve going through the woods and meeting Eric somewhere else.
Adrenaline poured through Lauren and she put her all into it until she came out a mile up by the gas station. Lauren went inside and borrowed the landline there to call Eric to meet her at the trail head a little further on. She also bought an energy drink and chugged it before leaving. The rush made her eyes feel like they were going to pop out of her head and she laughed before running back into the woods. She imagined she must look like a mess with the backpack on and her short hair sticking everywhere with her eyes wild from the excess caffeine being chugged so quickly. Lauren kept herself going by imagining that she could hear his truck following her, that she could smell his cologne in the air behind her. Before she could stop herself she was hearing her footsteps and feeling the sensation of her head being pulled back and back into the bumper.
BAM bam BAM bam BAM bam BAM bam BAM bam BAM bam. By the time she had exploded off the trail and into the poorly kept parking lot she had completely forgotten what she was doing.
Lauren dropped her hands on her knees and panted heavily. It was Todd who threw his hands around her waist and held her steady. Lauren surprised herself by screaming and slapping at him before Todd could get her to come out of her stupor. Sobbing, she fell into his chest and bawled. She started crying about the day and then it was the day before and then the year and then her entire marriage and then it was the time her youngest daughter came home from her dad’s early and accused her of always being drunk and looking at her disgustedly. Then it was the divorce and the time she let their older daughter wear lipstick and her ex husband had smacked her in front of them and announced that Lauren was not in fact, the deciding parent on the rules in the house.
It was a very long time before Lauren was done crying. Her face hurt dully in the area that had been so intimate with the bumper, snot covered her cheeks and mouth from the futile wiping it with her sleeves. Her good eye was now also swollen and she could barely see through it now. She fell to her knees and then collapsed the rest of the way to the ground so that getting up was difficult because of how stiff she was now from the odd position. Lauren hobbled with Todd holding her upright to his truck. He went ahead and lifted her up into the seat and helped her buckle. Lauren was too tired to swat his hand away and do it herself. She just relaxed her body back in the seat and let herself try to doze.
They hit the dirt road leading to Eric’s house which woke her up again. She could see more out of her good eye and finally flipped the visor down and braced herself for the reflection she had been avoiding.
Half of her face was a mix of purple and blue, someone had said something about her cheekbone on the right being fractured a little, hey right eyebrow was not only swollen but split in the corner and a small stitch held it. Her right eye was a mix of colors and swollen shut, bruises ran down her jawline and she could see why Dr. Livingston had recommended admitting her to the hospital, Lauren herself might’ve considered it if she hadn't been terrified it would’ve made it easier for Daniel to find her and kill her. Lauren fingered her hair that was cut close to her head and tried to smooth some of the longer strands that had indeed started to poke out at different directions. The left side of her face red and blotchy from crying and it occurred to Lauren that she looked like a very fat bloated version of herself and for some reason it struck her as hysterical and she began to laugh until her stomach hurt and she was doubled over howling with laughter. Todd glanced at her and then the road, flipping back and forth between the road and Lauren. Lauren who had gone from a deep sadness to a manic laughter within a short period of time.
By the time they pulled up to Eric’s, Lauren was still laughing but had calmed a little. Todd patted her thigh and told her to stay put. To go warn Eric she presumed. When he came back he carried her from the car to the bed and Eric stood waiting with pills and water and more toast. Lauren did some concentrated breathing until she could swallow them without choking. The pills seemed to kick in immediately. Her face numbed much more than the ibuprofen had managed earlier. As her mind started to fade in and out Eric told her he had purchased her a new phone and had put her old numbers into her new phone in town and tossed the old phone.
A week later Lauren returned from town at the hearing where Daniel was served with a permanent Order Of Protection good for a year. While her face was still pretty fucked up, she was able to see out of both eyes now. The judge had seen her face and granted the order. Daniel had been arrested and would be held for awhile but she had stayed with Eric for a few more days so he could keep an eye on her mental state. Lauren was having trouble returning to her home, she had been placed on a sort of leave at work, Lauren was unsure if they could legally do that after a domestic assault but she wasn’t in the mindset to argue so she just gave up.
“You think you’re safe to go home tomorrow? “ Eric asked Lauren as they set up a fire outside.
“I think so. I don’t know if I really want to stay there anymore.” Lauren admitted. She stacked some more wood off to the side so they wouldn’t have to get back up as often.
“I have a friend who owns some cabins in the woods, he rents them out. There’s 12 or so I think, anyway he recently lost his caretaker and has been looking for someone who can stay up there year round and clean the cabins and handle the rentals. It pays well, obviously you have your own cabin to live in.” Eric passed her a joint that Lauren accepted.
“I’ll think about it.” Lauren said before breathing in and relaxing back into her camping chair and drifting away.
Lauren finished setting the table with her son, Greyson. Her daughters Cora and Audrey, were supposed to be here soon. Liam, Greyson’s 5 month old wailed from the living room and Lauren waved at Greyson to let her go tend to him. Lauren picked up the wailing baby and put her nose on top of his head, remembering the newborn smell. Her youngest was Audrey and she was 23. Liam settled as soon as he was picked up. Lauren thought of how much she was going to miss her grandkids. She lifted him up so she could blow on his baby tummy and he squealed with delight.
“I think the girls are pulling in now.” Greyson said coming in with a bottle. Liam caught sight of Daddy and his bottle and flailed toward them. Lauren handed her grandson to her own son and kissed his forehead.
“I am so proud of you. I don’t think I know any single dads who have their kids full time.” Lauren brushed Greysons hair from his forehead and smiled.
The girls came in, Audrey carrying Cora’s 3 year old son and then Cora behind her dragging an 8 year old girl whose eyes were locked on a tablet screen.
“Diana Renee, turn it off for a few minutes and walk. Jesus. You’re going to trip, say hi to grandma.” Cora said in a surly tone looking exhausted. Her face looked rounder and Lauren had a feeling Cora was pregnant again. She had the look and Lauren felt a pang that she wasn’t going to be around this time, and that she had already missed quite a bit of time. It hadn’t taken any of the kids long to catch onto Daniel being controlling and possessive and even though Lauren had argued for her kids being over every Sunday the children on their own had slowly found excuses to quit coming around the house.Not that Audrey had needed much push. For whatever reason Audrey and Lauren had never seen eye to eye. Lauren blamed her father but it was more than that too, a drive to be independent. Diana and Clayton hugged Lauren fiercely and she sat on the floor with them crawling on her while they told her anything interesting they could think of. The bruises on Lauren’s face had faded quite a bit but the kids kept looking at them without saying anything, biting their lips. Lauren assumed Cora had instructed them not to ask. Lauren had purposely waited to bring her kids over to make her announcement until her face looked better and wouldn’t scare anyone. After a while the kids ran out into the backyard to play.
“So is he really gone?” Audrey asked as the sliding door closed. Lauren sighed pretending not to notice the tone in her voice.
“Yes. He was arrested. The pictures I had taken at the doctor’s office helped. I know you guys weren’t impressed he was here as long as he was but I was working on it. “ That of course was a lie. She had snuck off to the doctors after he had beaten her and had it documented so that they would have a suspect if he killed her but the kids didn’t need to know that. At least this way they seemed to retain a little respect for their flakey mom who brought the evil villain into their lives.
“I’m just glad you’re safe mom. We were worried. Especially after you called me that night.” Cora said rocking Liam who was starting to doze off after his bottle.
“That’s why I called you guys over actually. After that happened I did some thinking. It’s just me in this big house and after everything that happened I decided to sell the house and move. I took a job the next state over up in the mountains. I’m a caretaker for cabins that get rented out to hunters and families, I’ll be living there.” Lauren smiled and started passing a brochure for the company and the area to each of her children.
“What the fuck mom? You can’t move, or at the very least you can’t sell the house. We grew up here.” Audrey said loudly, tears forming already. Lauren remembered the time her friends had all gone out for a girls weekend and Greyson had spiked a fever and Lauren had to stay home to take care of him, how suffocating it had felt to be their mother and have no life of her own. But the kids were in their twenties now, not little. They didn’t need her the same way.
“Eventually Daniel will be released and I would like to be gone when he is. I would like to live somewhere that I can make new, happier memories. You guys don’t need me as much and I’m only an hour away. I can still take grand kids when you need me and I’m not so far that I can’t come over for lunch. Plus I can offer you guys a pretty good discount in the off season. Imagine Christmas in the mountains and everyone has their own cabin to stay in instead of arguing over a bedroom.” Lauren said, hoping no one would note that it had been a very long time since anyone had spent the night here and they’d never really fought over space.
“I think it’s a good idea mom. We’ll miss the house but you’re right.” Cora said glaring at her sister. “You deserve to move forward.”
“I can help you move up there. Are you taking your furniture or is the furniture provided already? Is it safe up there? Who will come check on you? I don’t want something to happen to you and you’re stranded out there for days with no help. “ Greyson asked, looking concerned.
“I’m not sure, we can set up a system so you know I’m ok.” Lauren said pleased with her son’s concern. “As far as furniture, you guys can pick anything you want, I’m selling the rest. I’ll keep some of the dishes and my baking stuff. Plus the photograph albums, I’ll get rid of everything else.”
“Does Dad know?” Autumn asked accusingly.
“I haven’t told him, it’s really not any of his business. Nothing in this house belongs to him and his name hasn’t been on the house in at least 15 years.”
“This is our house too.” Audrey argued
“No it really isn’t anymore. You haven’t lived here in at least 5 years.”
“Audrey, chill, it’s not that big of a deal.” Cora warned. Lauren began to feel she was missing something.
“Well, you could rent it out to someone instead of getting rid of it. You could always use the extra income.” Audrey argued, looking around at everyone.
“I’d make a lot more money selling the house than I would renting it out. If there were a repair to be made I don’t want to be responsible. I’m too old to deal with all of that.” Lauren waved her hand around the house gesturing at the idea of all the work there would need to be done. “Besides someone has already made an offer, I’m fairly certain I’m going to accept it.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Yes, she can. Knock it off. She doesn’t want to live here all alone.” Greyson retorted.
The 3 of them argued together at each other and Lauren sank back into her recliner helplessly. A thought occurred to her.
“Audrey are you angry you’re losing a piece of your childhood or a piece of your inheritance?” Lauren asked icily. Audrey’s face turned red and Cora looked at the window desperate not to make eye contact. Greyson grabbed Liam and started fussing over him.”Ah. I see, and you all 3 have discussed it.”
“No, not exactly like that. Dad had a scare 2 years ago and he was faced with being put in a home for awhile. We didn’t know how he was going to pay for it, we talked about selling his house and that was sort of how it came up, renting instead of selling I mean.” Greyson muttered.
“Not to keep it until he died so the money or the house went to us, but to protect him. We naturally discussed you as well and different scenarios. Then when we started to really worry Daniel was going to kill you, we were worried about him taking possession of the house and everything in it.” Cora explained a little more. “Obviously all THREE of us want you to do what makes you feel the happiest and safest.”
Audrey stared at the wall.
“I have a lot of happy memories here of all 3 of you. I brought you all home from the hospital through that door. I nursed you all back to health when you were sick and sang you lullabies in this room. I listened to you talk about your days in the kitchen, and when your dad moved out we all sat in my room with the big TV and watched movies all day because he wasn’t here to tell us it was wrong. I potty trained you all in the bathrooms here. I taught you to walk and speak here.” Lauren wiped at her eyes remembering them running through. “But over there in that corner was where your dad smacked me because I told Cora she could wear lipstick. And I was standing on the stairs when he came out of the bedroom with his suitcase in hand, telling me he was leaving. It was in the kitchen where I got the call that my mother died. That was the door frame Daniel's son leaned against as he held me up while Daniel pummeled my midsection until I decided that I didn’t want him to move out after all. I just want to start over. I’m allowed to do that. I gave my entire life to raise you guys and no one worked harder than me to keep us afloat. My time is now and I’m taking it. “

Elyria
Elyria Sarkin brushes down her dress, checking herself quickly as she walks towards the massive armored door that marks the entrance to the Bridger family's private quarters. She'd never actually been in the Den before, and while she still talked to Erana- Aqi, still talked to Aqi, normally enough via communicator, in person she felt a compulsion to dress up a little bit now that she knew her best friend's secret identity. She couldn't just wear sweatpants to see a princess! Not that she'd leave her own home in sweat pants for anything but the gym.
Even if they were incredibly comfortable.
Elyria presents herself to the security panel and presses the call button.
"Elyria Sarkin, I've come to see Princess Aquilar."
"Madame Sarkin, we've been expecting you. Wait a moment."
The prim and proper voice with the slightly 'sharp' accent on the consonants in galactic trade told Elyria that one of Aqi's household staff had been monitoring security, not a Bridger. The Bridger women were all very identifiable by voice, where the Apuk household staff women were identifiable by the specific way they spoke galactic trade, an artifact of the training that the women had been put through, Elyria was sure.
She didn't know what it took to be a handmaiden or staff member to the Imperial household, but she suspected a charm school that was more analogous to Marine Corps boot camp but in pastel and with lessons on how to host a tea party instead of olive drab with lessons on how to best organize an amphibious assault.
She had gotten the hint that the imperial handmaidens were a bit more than they appeared... but had determined that discretion on asking about that subject was the better part of valor.
The hatch to the Den smoothly retracts, revealing one of the Apuk handmaidens, now dressed in a black and white outfit that Elyria recognized as a maid's outfit from human media. A choice on Admiral Bridger's part? A choice on the woman herself's part? Was it a prank? An attempt to appeal to Jerry?
‘Oooh. Story idea!’
Elyria mentally starts writing down a brief plot sketch of a maid who's fallen in love with her master, a charming and powerful prince, admiral? Admiral would be too obvious in terms of inspiration. Prince was always good. Who didn't want to be the less scary kind of princess? The maid would need to work quite hard to woo such a desirable man of course. A very challenging relationship for a more normal kind of prince than Jerry who gave, as Tyler put it, 'zero fucks', about things like social status.
Elyria tenses, realizing she'd been motionless and silent for a few seconds and covers getting distracted by a book idea with a deep curtsy.
"Madame, I can show you to the princess's chambers if you'd like."
"Yes, please, I haven't visited the Den before."
Elyria is shown through the vestibule and a second heavily armored door as the first shuts behind her and she starts to appreciate just how heavily defended this particular part of the ship is to say nothing of the dangerous combatants that actually lived here. The Apuk staff alone were almost certainly very capable, and Elyria swears she can remember a movie where an Apuk imperial nanny went on a warpath that would make a sorcerer proud after one of her charges was kidnapped by some nebulous evil organization. It was just a movie of course... but that didn't mean there wasn't some truth in fiction right?
A brief walk down a long corridor has Elyria doing her best to not gawk like a tourist as all four of her eyes process the world around her, taking in the family's taste in art, rugs, concealed defenses that could likely drop a starfighter. All the usual furnishings for a lovingly maintained home. Which the Den clearly was. Firi Bridger had clearly pumped a lot of love into this place.
At the far end of the hall, a young Volpiri woman that Elyria doesn't recognize emerges from her room and turns to the right, and her brow furrows momentarily. Who could that be?
They turn the corner and Elyria sees the young mystery vixen heading through another heavily armored door that had markings for the 'nursery' and Elyria manages to put two and two together. The mystery vixen was almost certainly Sylindra's mother, Inara. She'd heard that she'd been reduced in age significantly following the terrorist attack on the ship, but she was really young.
Considering rumors also said that she was allegedly courting Jerry now... well. Being back to the peak of youthful good health probably wasn't the worst thing in the world, even if it did dampen her near legendary mom energy somewhat.
Elyria suppresses a giggle. Inara and Firi both had mega mom energy on a scale barely comprehensible by many mortals. The whole crew agreed that Jerry had dad energy in the terawatt range... and his alleged acquisition of a fifth Cannidor daughter after yesterday's orbital assault only added to the storied ability of the admiral to make even wild animals and inanimate objects see him as a father figure.
Finally the handmaiden stops at a door and curtsies again. "Just knock, I'm sure her highness is eagerly awaiting you. If you need anything please don't hesitate to call. I'll fetch some tea and snacks!"
With a rustle of her skirts, she's gone and Elyria reaches out and knocks softly on Aqi's door.
"Just a second!"
The door slides open and reveals the princess herself... dressed in sweats, her hair up in a messy ponytail, wearing glasses that Elyria instantly recognized as a tool to ease eye strain when working with certain kinds of computer interface.
"Elyria! I-"
Aqi stops mid sentence, looking her friend up and down, then looking at herself.
"...One second."
The door shuts and there's silence for approximately a minute before the door opens again, revealing the princess in a regal and beautiful gown, just a touch of makeup, hair perfect, crowns shining like they're under a spotlight.
"...How in the goddess's name did you do that?"
She might be Aqi, but the mischievous grin she gives Elyria is all Erana as far as the Seramali woman's concerned.
"Princess secret, please, come in!"
Aqi shows Elyria into her chambers and she finds herself in essentially a decent sized one bedroom apartment without a kitchenette. There's a decent sized space for entertaining and Aqi's writing desk dominates the corner, along with a holo projector and a stack of video games in the opposite corner revealing another nerdy hobby for the powerful princess. The desk's... not quite a wreck, but it's the kind of organized chaos that Elyria's entirely familiar with. A mix of data pads, hand scrawled notes on paper or flimsy, a type of metamaterial that's a reusable 'paper', charts, even posters covering things like weapon design and armor tolerance under impact from those same weapons.
"I'm sorry Aqi I didn't mean to catch you in the middle of working."
"Oh no, it's my fault. I lost track of time and I ah... admit I wasn't expecting to be dressed quite that casually but I was going to be dressing a bit more casually than normal."
Elyria giggles. "And here's me dressing up because I'm worried about being too casual while spending time with a princess!"
Aqi waves the concern off with a delicate motion of her hand. "Oh please. Think nothing of that. Not when it's just us. You're one of my oldest friends that I'm not blood related to... and you know my secret. Not that it's much of a secret anymore. Not among select groups of people anyway. My sister wives and my closest blade sisters all know about my secret identity now after all. It's simply not spoken of frequently, but that doesn't mandate formality for everything. You're just meeting me for hanging out, not being summoned by my mother for an official appearance before the court."
Elyria opens all four of her eyes wide and spreads her wings a bit, feigning shock.
"I don't think I have anything in my wardrobe for an event like that..."
"I shall be sure to shield you from mother's official curiosity to spare you what would no doubt be a very arduous shopping process."
Both women break into giggles, the tension dispelled instantly by the mutual joke.
Elyria gestures to Aqi's desk with a wing.
"So what are you working on? Did you finish the rewrites to the book recasting Vernon Shay and Princess Miro'Noir as Apuk fantasy characters?"
"Ah yes, about a month and a half back. I'll have a proof copy sent to you so you can have a read. My publisher's quite pleased, and the director of the movie's even more pleased with the final result. I'm a little involved with adapting the screenplay but mostly oversight and answering questions, so light work. No, I've started on my new project!"
"Another of your romances?" Elyria spots a prime opportunity to tease her friend a bit. "Perhaps have some ideas on how to spice up scenes now that you have a husband of your own to do 'research' with?"
Aqi blushes but quickly regains control of herself.
"Ah no. Nothing like that. A slightly more serious piece, though it certainly has a romance. It's a historical tale, the story of Princess Mira'Tok, sometimes called the Crownborn. She was the first imperial battle princess. The concept had existed before of course, but Mira'Tok's ascension was the formalization of it as it was brought under the wing of the imperial house."
The name immediately connects with another Apuk Elyria knew of. "Any relation to Princess Miri'Tok?"
"Her direct bloodline ancestor. The Tok family have been bound to the imperial house for a very long time, and are much beloved vassals. Miri'Tok of course being my closest friend besides you, and until recently one of the only people who knew my secret."
"So all the notes...?"
"Some of them are from Miri of course. She asked me personally to write a book, and hopefully a movie, telling Mira'Tok's story, she's become a bit forgotten in modern Apuk society and the Tok clan would dearly like to change that. At the same time they're very protective of that story and their ancestor's legacy."
"As you would expect from a noble Apuk household with such a storied past. So what's all the charts and what have you?"
"I took advantage of my position and requested data from the imperial archives and the imperial armory. The types of armor being used during Mira'Tok's era, how the weapons she used would interact with those armors. I like a good battle scene as much as the next Apuk girl, and for a historical drama I want to ensure that they're authentic."
"Not accurate?"
"For history I maintain authenticity is more important to accuracy. Some will care about exactly how many buttons were on Mira'Tok's blouse, but they are but a few. More however will be taken out of the story if I can't authentically portray Mira'Tok's Serbow as she knew it. What people ate. How they talked. Apuk cuisine has changed quite a bit since Mira'Tok's day. How the weapons and tactics of the time functioned together. It's involved but well worth it for the sake of immersing my audience in a time long past."
"Well you certainly seem like the woman for the job. Miri'Tok must be excited."
"Oh she is. Very much so. I. In fact." Aqi stops for a second and taps her chin. "You could ask her about it yourself if you like. The other princesses and I try to take tea together for enjoyment and companionship instead of business at least once a week. We've recently had a few guests. Would you be interested in attending?"
"...Did you just invite me to a tea party with a bunch of battle princesses?"
Aqi gives her a weak, slightly nervous smile.
"Yes?"
"I'd love to!"
The Apuk warrior's more confident smile returns. "Excellent, I'm sure you'll enjoy your time, and you won't be the only uncrowned head in the room. We've recently started inviting Dar'Vok and Masha'Nelindra to our little girl's club."
"That's going to be a very interesting group of people to be around."
"Of course! Can't have anyone thinking my mother's elite warriors are boring, can we?"
"I suppose not. Still enough about work... shall we... order something unhealthy for us and play some video games perhaps?"
"I know just the thing!"
Elyria grins as she settles back more comfortably in her seat. Perhaps being best friends with a princess was easier than she thought.
First Last Next

Yesterday we decided we were going to fly back to the states from Venice instead of Rome. We were flying Main plus on the Rome flight. As we made the reservation from Venice I asked where I would be seated. The lady said the seating chart was not available at the moment. Will they keep me in Main plus or will the seat us anywhere they want? As of now the changes aren’t showing on AA website. It does on the app but there is still no seating chart.