For any mamas planning to breastfeed, I just wanted to share that I found a very affordable nursing sports bra at Target that I basically live in. https://www.target.com/p/women-39-s-nursing-yoga-bra-auden-8482-heathered-gray-m/-/A-54179005?sidd=&ref=tgt_adv_xsp&AFID=google&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012577775&CPNG=PLA_Women%2BShopping%7CWomen_Ecomm_AA&adgroup=SC_Women&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=m&location=9003367&targetid=pla-894125489894&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1241788&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD-5dfYdC93PdiC1SrpW1lZSDhxCl&gclsrc=ds
They call it a yoga bra, but imo it is supportive enough for more high impact activities, unless you are very large busted, perhaps. It’s not ugly, super comfortable, and very functional. I’m a 34DD, I’m sure I could where the medium but I prefer the support of a snug fit so I went with a small.
Also, these bike shorts from Halara are cute and have nice tummy support, especially post c-section… not quite as much as some of the leggings etc that are specifically for postpartum, but now that I’m 6 weeks postpartum and starting to work out again they’re just right.
https://thehalara.com/products/high-waisted-v-shaped-sandwich-waistband-tummy-control-side-pocket-yoga-biker-shorts-3?pmui=10.1.product.recommend.8.high-waisted-biker-shorts_1004,1006&pmuih=high-waisted-biker-shorts&requestId=1915393458436487&variant=44053923561638

Hello everyone! I found other posts about people talking about their biscalp experience super helpful leading up to my surgery, so I wanted to post my experience as well! I just had my surgery Monday morning, about two days ago.
I'm a 31 cisgender white woman, and I got my procedure done through University of Michigan Health. Honestly, I had such a positive experience! I've never had any kind of surgery done before, so I didn't know how my body would handle it. I'm also heavier, and I wasn't sure if my weight would be an issue. Long story short, I had zero issues or complications, and my surgery only took 37 minutes!
The entire care team was super warm, and I had a lot of people checking in on me, going over the procedure, and so on. Since U of M Health is a big teaching organization, it felt like I had double the people checking on me - both the seasoned doctors/nurses/anesthesiologists and the younger residents. Honestly, it was more comforting than I expected, and I was happy that the majority of my care team, including my surgeon and surgical resident, were women!
They gave me warm blankets after I changed into my gown, and it took them a bit of time to find a vein for my IV. My hand is a little bruised since they couldn't find a good vein there. I'm actually glad they went with my inner elbow instead - hand IVs suck imo. They gave me Tylenol and anti-nausea meds orally and started the IV.
Then, various people stopped by to review recovery, confirm the procedure, and do the anesthesiology checks. They also took my post-op snack and drink requests! I probably waited like 30 minutes in pre-op, and we actually got to go to the OR ahead of schedule. When it was time to go, things kicked into motion pretty quickly. They gave me some medication in my IV that "would make me feel like I had a few stiff drinks." Things got fuzzy at this point, but I think it was like some kind of anti-anxiety med. They rolled me into the OR, where I scooted over to the operating table. They started doing all their verbal checks, and they gave me a mask with oxygen. I remember being told to breathe deeply, then I think they said they were switching to the anesthesia. I was out immediately, and I remember absolutely nothing past that point!
During my surgery, my partner got text updates in the waiting room, and he went to the in-house pharmacy to get my post-op meds. The surgeon called him when the surgery was over and said it went well! They kept him in the waiting room until I started waking up. The surgery itself only took 37 minutes, and they said I slept afterward for about 40 minutes or so.
When I woke up, I actually felt pretty good! I wasn't in much pain at all, and I was able to have relatively lucid conversations. I got ginger ale, crackers, and graham crackers, and the nurse made sure I took my time waking up. Apparently, I started humming/singing Hot to Go while I was coming to 😂. The nurse took off the various stickers and the puffy leg things they put on you in surgery. I felt like I had to pee, so I slowly got dressed and went to the bathroom with my partner's help. Turns out I didn't really have to pee, it was more just a feeling of pressure.
After I was more awake, my partner pulled the car around and they sent me on my way!
They called the morning after to check up on me. They also gave me laparoscopic photos of the surgery, which I wasn't expecting! They are both weird and fascinating to look at. One of my surgeons wrote, "No tubes!" in one of the post-scalp photos, lol. In my patient portal, there are also fairly detailed descriptions of how the anesthesia and surgery went.
I was prescribed Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Miralax, and five Oxycodone. I've been taking the first two in shifts, and I only take the Oxycodone to sleep. I've taken the Miralax a bit. Granted, I only had my surgery on Monday (two days ago), but I've been able to use the bathroom. I'm also drinking a ton of water, ginger ale, and kombucha.
For recovery, the biggest things have been keeping cats off my lap, avoiding any sort of strained movements, using lots of pillows to get comfy, and working with my appetite. I'm not really nauseous, but only certain things sound good. I've been using a lot of pillows to get comfy on a recliner, and I'm trying to both get up and walk a bit without overdoing it. I have a bit of shoulder discomfort, and my throat is still kinda sore and phlegmy from being intubated. I also just feel generally wiped out. My incisions are sore, but honestly, it's not bad. My abdomen is tender and bloated.
So now it's just the 4-week recovery period. No heavy lifting or strain on the abdomen for 4 weeks, which includes things like vacuuming. And, no using tampons for two weeks.
I don't want to jinx myself, but the whole thing is not as bad as I anticipated. Obviously, everyone's body is different, but I hope this helps put some folks at ease - it can go really smoothly! My surgeon is seriously a wizard. She thought she might have to make a larger incision since I carry weight around my belly, but she didn't! And I can't get over how quickly it went! I appreciate how much information I got about the surgery, too.
I feel lucky that I had such a positive experience. It's a huge weight off my shoulders, and I'm super proud that I took this step!
​

I tried. I get no sleep and I’m stressed. I can barely peel myself out of before to care for baby, let aline sit there with a pump attached to me for 15 - 30 mins. Then put everything away properly, and get myself back sleep before baby wakes again. Am I damaging my supply if I don’t pump at night? Baby nurses 2-3 times in the middle of the night already. I tried to be proactive. I set up two different pumps, made sure the parts were clean and nearby, charged and plugged everything in, and set timers, but I still can’t do it. I nearly fall asleep while nursing the baby. Even consistently pumping throughout the day is a challenge. I took a break for a little while because balancing feeds, pumping, personal hygine, and chores was next to impossible and I was starting to lose my cool with everyone in the house. Please tell me night time pumping isn’t necessary if you’re mainly nursing! My little guy gets maybe two pumped bottles a day to fill his hollow leg for an extra hour or two throughout the day.

Part 14.3

Heracles VS Lernaean Hydra

Author Note: I was thinking about it and I really wish that GT9 used more draconic symbolism throughout the story when (or if) I revisit Team Crowley VS Rosencreutz I'll have symbolism of Aleister (TheBeast666), Aiwass (Codename: DRAGON) and Coronzon (The Dragon of the Abyss) all have symbology of them being Dragons preying on a God/Hero like CRC and the reversed conflict of Chaos VS Order you see in mythology, I also wanted to achieve something similar with Kakine Teitoku as he can represent the Fallen Angel and the Seraphim but for now I'll try adding draconian symbolism into Gunha VS CRC.
True Expert Christian Rosencreutz, with his golden rosy cross sword, clashed relentlessly against the indomitable force of the Strongest Gemstone, Sogiita Gunha. With each clash of their powers, the air crackled and compressed, and the pavement trembled beneath.
CRC, observed Sogiita with a mixture of intrigue and disdain. "You fight like the legendary Heracles," he remarked, his voice carrying over the din of battle. "But know this, I am the Lernaean Hydra, and no matter how many heads you sever, I shall always rise again!" Rosencreutz roared to slice the #7’s midsection.
Sogiita, his entire body wreathed in unknowable energy, met CRC's blade unyielding. "Bring it on, old man!" he retorted, his voice brimming with confidence. "I'll knock you down as many times as it takes! I won't stop till you come to your senses and remember your roots, like the roses you love so much, Rosencreutz!!"
Their clash intensified, that old man’s higher dimensional sword colliding with the raw power of that boy’s fists and kicks as they pushed each other to their limits with each sword swing, punch, kick and flash.
Sogiita unleashed a barrage of punches, each strike carrying the force of a meteor, while that silver young man countered: he wielded his sword in his right hand and released impacts followed by white light that was enough to previously take down all of The Bridge Builders Cabal.
As the battle raged on, the very fabric of reality seemed to warp and shift around them, bearing witness to the titanic struggle between two unparalleled forces.
The founder of Rosicrucianism who intimidated reality itself to obey his will and that Gemstone with an unstable personal reality that could change on a whim.
The atmosphere crackled with electrifying distortion.
Sogiita's fists tore through the air with the ferocity of meteors, their velocity enhanced by his ability to adapt and accelerate, surpassing even CRC's speed. As each blow was released, the friction with the surrounding air molecules ignited a scorching heat, intensifying the impact.
The rapid movement of molecules generated an escalating thermal energy, causing the air to seethe with increasing temperature. It was akin to a tempest of incandescent projectiles hurtling towards CRC, their speed surpassing the limits of human perception.
It was like a storm of brilliant fiery arrows was fired at Rosencreutz.
These blazing arrows of force were reminiscent of the elusive strikes employed by the Rose & Cross Leader, ignoring distance with deceptive agility.
With each thunderous punch, that bandana boy sought to overpower his adversary through sheer kinetic force, his unwavering resolve palpable in every motion.
But that wasn't enough for this superhuman.
CRC, wielding his cross sword with precision and skill, deflected each and every one Sogiita's flaming arrows with calculated strikes of his own. Each impact unleashed a burst of blinding white light, sending shockwaves rippling through the chaotic city.
"You think brute strength alone will defeat me?" the silver man taunted, his voice cutting through the chaos of battle. "You may be strong, but strength without strategy is nothing but raw power wasted."
Sogiita grinned, his confidence unshaken. "Strategies for cowards who can't handle a real fight," he retorted, his voice ringing with defiance. "I'll K.O. you with my fists and guts alone!!!!"
Rosencreutz's eyes narrowed as he parried another of Sogiita's punches. "Your arrogance will be your downfall," he warned, his tone tinged with certainty. "I may not match your overall speed, but I have something you lack: intellect and precision.”
Christian Rosencreutz then plunged his cross sword into the ground.
"This is what harmed Kamijou Touma," he declared, grinning and unleashing a torrent of lethal invisible attacks from his outstretched palms.
However, the #7 countered with a relentless barrage of flaming arrows from the thermal aftershock of his punches.
Each strike akin to a particle accelerator in its intensity and speed. That Gemstone was the particles being fired on the right and that True Expert was the particles fired on the left.
As the attacks clashed, the battlefield became a spectacle of raw power and precision.
“Roar!” CRC held his open palm to his mouth and blew gently on the tip of the middle finger.
That was all it took for a blaze easily outdoing a flamethrower to rush out. And this was not just any fire. It fed on the power of a ley line and stole vitality from space itself. This overwhelming mass of light and heat was wielded for no other purpose than to take lives. Anyone who tried to survive it using simple composite armor or special fibers would dry up and burn away in less than a second.
But that wouldn't kill another superhuman would it?
Of course not.
“Aaaaarghhhh!!!!” screamed the #7.
Some assaults bypassed the fray entirely, slipping through the chaos like elusive particles in a collider.
A smokescreen.
Those brilliant fireworks from hell weren't meant to take Sogiita’s life. They were meant to disrupt the Gemstone's senses and sight so he couldn't counter all of that old man’s deadly attacks.
Invisible strikes found their mark on that Gemstone, and the searing arrows of the arrows scorched Rosencreutz.
CRC was wounded but he rejected to make any whimpers. Instead with a sudden burst of velocity, the young silver man picked up his cross sword from the ground and launched a flurry of strikes, cutting at the #7’s body with pinpoint accuracy.
His arms, his head, his face, his stomach, his legs, his midsection, his back.
Each blow landed with devastating force, causing Sogiita to stagger back under the onslaught.
If that bandana boy hadn't had his defenses and general stats raised by the #5 he’d be cut to pieces.
The #7 fell on his back.
"There's a fire," Sogiita declared, his voice ringing out amidst the chaos of battle.
With each attempt to break his spirit, Sogiita's resolve only grew stronger, fueling the flames of his determination. "Every time someone tries to make me give up, it's like wind feeding my flames, making them burn even brighter just like my punches," he explained, his words carrying the weight of his unwavering determination.
He refused to stay down.
With a roar of defiance, Sogiita surged forward once more, his movements blurring with speed as he disappeared from view. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind Christian Rosencreutz, catching the magician off guard.
"Hey, old man," Sogiita taunted, his voice filled with confidence as he seized Rosencreutz from behind.
Christian Rosencreutz's eyes widened in surprise as he realized he had been outmaneuvered.
As Sogiita Gunha faced off against Christian Rosencreutz in their airborne duel, he felt the flames of determination burning within him, driving him forward with unstoppable force.
Before he could react, the boy lifted him effortlessly and slammed him onto the pavement below with a resounding thud.
"I'm not just a kick-boxer!!" Sogiita sang.
As the impact reverberated through the air, the young silver man let out a pained cry. The force of the collision compressed the surrounding air, heating it up until it crackled with energy. Christian Rosencreutz's head struck the ground with a velocity equivalent to mach 20, igniting his body in flames upon impact.
This move is called a suplex.
Struggling to regain his bearings, Rosencreutz muttered in a daze, "The House of the Holy Spirit...the seven walls..."
"You said it yourself, didn't you?" the gutsy boy retorted, cocky. "My power and my guts can break through your impenetrable walls. And I can spread those same guts to the world around me."
With a grimace, Christian Rosencreutz acknowledged the truth of the boy's words. "Your uncontrolled AIM field grants you the ability to imbue non-organic objects with the properties of your virus," he observed, his voice tinged with begrudging admiration. "Allowing them to bypass even the defenses of the seven-walled tomb.”
"A virus? Don't be so gutless, CRC," the #7 retorted, his voice filled with defiance. "This battleground ruled by wills is a two-way road between you and me."
Christian Rosencreutz raised an eyebrow at the boy's words. "Hey Gemstone, you could've killed me if I weren't a superhuman with an idealized body that accomplished The Great Work and crossed the Ungrund, what then short-stack?" he questioned while fitting an insult against his height.
Even without the seven-walled tomb or sheets of diamonds Rosencreutz was cartoonishly durable.
"Sorry, old man," Sogiita retorted, a hint of irritation lacing his words at the jab about his height. "I may have let my enthusiasm get the better of me, but rest assured, I understand the magnitude of this battle. Just like the Hydra, no matter how many heads you regrow, I'll persevere until I've completed my labors.”
"Mhm, so you do know your mythology," CRC remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "The Lernaean Hydra, or simply Hydra, is a serpentine lake monster in Greek and Roman mythology. Its lair was the lake of Lerna in the Argolid, known as an entrance to the Underworld. In the canonical myth, the monster is slain by Heracles as part of his Twelve Labors."
"Yeah, I know," Sogiita replied confidently. "I studied the tales of great gutsy heroes in school.”
"So, short-stack," Christian Rosencreutz began, his voice carrying a hint of scholarly interest. “Have you ever considered the parallels between our battle and ancient Near Eastern religions?”
Sogiita listened intently. "Are you saying you see yourself as a god of war or a hunter?" he inquired.
CRC chuckled softly. "In a sense, indeed. We are both assuming roles in this grand theater, are we not? I, the Hydra, and you, Heracles."
He continued, "Consider the Second Labor of Heracles. Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns, sent Heracles to slay the Hydra, which Hera had raised specifically to defeat him. Heracles approached the swamp near Lake Lerna, where the Hydra dwelled. To protect himself from the poisonous fumes, he covered his mouth and nose with a cloth and shot flaming arrows into the Hydra's lair, causing it to emerge and terrorize the surrounding villages."
CRC paused, drawing a comparison. “In our own clash, the flaming arrows that Heracles hurled at the Hydra find their echo in your lightning-fast fists, generating shockwaves that ignite the air with their speed and force. It's as though each strike of yours is akin to shooting a flaming arrow, much like Heracles did.”
“Huh? Are you suggesting we're caught in a time loop? That some enigmatic group, like the Bridge Builders Cabal, manipulated events to resurrect you, pitting us against each other in a timeless struggle? I've never met them, and I'm certainly no child of Zeus. Are you implying that our battle will be distorted into a Greek legend by a meddling time traveler?!” frantically asked the boy.
“No, no, you simpleton. This world contains synchronicities. In Sumerian, Babylonian, and Assyrian mythology, the war and hunting god Ninurta was celebrated for his deeds. The Angim credited him with slaying eleven monsters during an expedition to the mountains, including a seven-headed serpent, possibly identical to the Mushmahhu, and Bashmu, whose constellation was later associated with the Hydra by the Greeks. In Babylonian contexts, the Hydra's constellation is also linked to Marduk's dragon, the Mushhushshu.”
“Uhhh….” That shounen boy was dumbfounded.
"Hhm, I suppose calling it a time loop isn't technically wrong," Christian Rosencreutz began, his tone measured. "I'll break it down from history class and reconstruct it through the lens of the occult. Historic recurrence, young Gemstone, is the phenomenon of events echoing throughout time. Whether it's the rise and fall of empires or the repetitive cycles within a single society, it's all part of this grand plan that was decided when Adam ate the forbidden fruit."
The #7 with his guard up but curious listened: "So, history just keeps repeating itself? Just a series of coincidences?"
Christian Rosencreutz shook his head sagely. "There is no such thing as coincidences. Take, for instance, the Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence, pondered upon by thinkers like Heinrich Heine and Friedrich Nietzsche. While it's said that 'history repeats itself,' it's not quite that simple. Rather, these recurrences stem from identifiable circumstances and chains of causality."
He continued, his voice carrying the weight of centuries of philosophical debate. "Consider the phenomenon of multiple independent discoveries in science or the reproducible findings in natural and social sciences. These recurrences, whether in the form of rigorous experimentation or comparative research, are vital to our understanding of the world."
Christian Rosencreutz paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in. "G.W. Trompf, in his seminal work, The Idea of Historical Recurrence in Western Thought, illustrates the recurring patterns of political thought and behavior since ancient times. Through these patterns, history offers us invaluable lessons, often leading to a sense of resonance or déjà vu."
Their words reverberated like a challenge to destiny itself, a testament to their unyielding determination in the face of adversity.
That Gemstone didn't surrender his characteristic fervor. "History echoing through time, huh? It's like the universe itself is stuck on repeat, and we're just caught in the cycle. But you know what? If history's gonna keep looping, then let's break the pattern! Let's smash through those chains of causality and forge our own path. Who cares about déjà vu? We'll create something entirely new, something that'll shake the very foundations of this world and we’ll do it with guts!!!" He defied that silver monster.
But Rosencreutz wasn't finished. He pulled out his Crystal World Map.
The supposedly old man listened intently to that boy's impassioned response, his expression inscrutable behind his clairvoyant card. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.
“Gemstone, you speak of breaking free from the chains of repetition, of forging a new destiny against the backdrop of eternal return. It is a noble aspiration, indeed. However, consider this: eternal return is not merely a philosophical concept or a whimsical notion of fate. It is the very fabric of existence, woven into the nature of time itself.” He pressed his finger on the Miniature Garden and a 3D holographic projection flew out—
“In ancient times, the Stoics grappled with the idea, seeing in it both a sense of cosmic order and a challenge to individual agency. Augustine and others recoiled from its implications, fearing it as a negation of free will and salvation. And yet, Nietzsche, in his brilliance, dared to confront the concept anew, exploring its depths in the crucible of human consciousness.”
Didn't Aleister Crowley say that he had to shatter every single phase in order to eliminate the concept of fate?
“I will shatter every last phase and put an end to all mysticism. It can be helped and we need not restrain our tears and bite our lip when faced with tragedy. I will bring back the pure world in which everyone can feel anger like normal and question it all like normal!!”
And didn't Coronzon appear to break down all the phases including the Pure World?
Partial destruction would be meaningless. If anything remains and an eternal distortion is born from that, then it will all happen again. I will eliminate the ten spheres, the twenty-two pathways, and the hidden eleventh symbol. Collisions between phases? Sparks and spray? You cannot save anyone if you only treat those symptoms. All of the fundamental clogs must be removed. All so we can pass the baton to whoever comes next.”
“Sparks and Sprays…” Rosencreutz muttered.
“Eh?” The #7 didn't quite hear him.
"Beside time stands fate, cruelty's steadfast herald. In the silent chambers of the soul, whispers the most profound wisdom. Humanity, in its folly, neglected to exalt life's splendor, its radiance, its grandeur. Truly, it is a rare gift to comprehend the forces that shape our existence.” That magician spoke in despair.
“From the moment man ate the fruit of knowledge, he guaranteed your species’ failure... Entrusting his future to the whims of fate, man clutches to a flickering hope. Yet, within the Miniature Garden lies the key to all revelation. Beyond the well-trodden path lies the ultimate terminus. It matters not who you are; Death is the sole certainty awaiting all.” he finished with scorn.
Shokuhou Misaki was currently linked to Sogiita Gunha so she was overhearing the entire conversation.
“Are you okay, Leader?” asked Kamijou back at the hospital.
“Yeah…” she responded.
*“Really?” Mikoto breathed a white sigh. “It wasn’t the shock of seeing their school destroyed. Nor was it the fear of having those rioters attack. …They’re afraid of their own power. And after learning how exactly to use that power to survive, they’re not sure they can just switch it off and return to their normal lives. So their gears have ground to a halt.”
Tokiwadai Middle School was a prestigious esper development school.*
The young ladies registered there were Level 3 at the lowest and Level 5 at the highest.
Almost all of the students had a power that surpassed that of a blade or handgun if used properly, but something had become twisted.
Yes.
“A lot of them weren’t really sure why they were training their powers.”
Shokuhou breathed a white breath, wrapped her own arms around herself, and rubbed her thighs together.
Why are you studying?
How many people could give a proper answer to that question? Because my parents told me to, because my teachers taught me to, because that’s how the world works. Those would be most people’s answers. Even the students with a clear vision of their future would only have something vague like “for the entrance exams” or “for my future”.
Only a small handful would have specific puzzle pieces in mind, such as “I need to learn how to use this equation so I can build a rocket”.
The young ladies of Tokiwadai Middle School were the same.
What if the very gears that humans have…their actions, reactions, inactions were all the result of some transcendental entity hovering above.
Like God or The Devil watching over humanity’s reality sphere and ordering around his system like everyone was a pre-programmed NPC that had specific events occur to them to get them to develop in the way that they did and determined their genetic bloodline that composed their psyche?
Is there truly a free will?
It was said that in order for you to break out of the system of society that the working class was stuck in you had to climb to the top where the corrupt elites resided.
Imagine Breaker negated sparks, Aleister Crowley could see through the veil thanks to Holy Guardian Angel Aiwass, Great Demon Coronzon could always see the cogs.
Christian Rosencreutz could view the entire world through his Miniature Garden.
The rest of humanity was at the mercy of their own destinies.
A Guardian Angel wouldn't arrive to save a parent’s child from fate every single time.
"Okay, nice poetry, can we get back to fighting already?" asked the #7 impatiently.
"Seems I got carried away," the old man conceded with a nod. "The synchronicities of this world, akin to the astral configurations in astrology, serve as an example of synchronicity, according to Jung. It describes circumstances that appear meaningfully related yet lack a causal connection, much like the parallel relationship between celestial and terrestrial phenomena. Synchronicity experiences entail subjective encounters where coincidences between events in one's mind and the external world may lack a clear causal link but still harbor an unknown connection.”
"Ah," Sogiita chimed in, recalling his philosophy class discussions. "We talked about synchronicity back then. Jung thought it was a good thing for the mind, but said it could get dicey in psychosis. He cooked up this theory as a kind of mental link between those meaningful coincidences, calling it a noncausal principle. This term came about in the late 1920s, and then he teamed up with physicist Wolfgang Pauli to dive deeper. Their work, The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche, dropped in 1952. They were big on this idea that these connections, even the ones that don't seem to have a cause, could still teach us a lot about how our minds and the world work."
“Mhm, you know more than you lead on, Gemstone.” pondered CRC.
“Oh this? My teachers say I'm not good at remembering speeches hahaha…” The #7 looked slightly nervous. “You know, analytical psychologists really push for folks to get what these experiences mean to boost their awareness instead of just feeding into superstitions. But funny thing is, when clients spill about their synchronicity experiences, they often feel like no one's really hearing them out, or getting where they're coming from. And hey, having a bunch of these meaningful coincidences flying around can sometimes ring the schizo bell. Delusions aren't healthy.”
Where was this conversation going?
"Delusion! Hah! That's a good one coming from you," CRC fired back.
"The real delusion is thinking humanity isn't worth a darn," Sogiita shot back, pulling out some info from Johansen and Osman. "Some scientists think coincidences are just random flukes, but counselors and psychoanalysts reckon there's more to it, like some deep-down stuff needing to come out. Unconscious material to be expressed."
Rosencreutz interjected, his expression reflecting a mix of confusion and concern. "Aleister Crowley's actions have left a lasting scar on this world and this city," he began, his voice weighted with solemnity. “The vacuum-like dichotomy between magic and science created by the use of that colossal psychotronic weapon, has damaged this world's memory almost irreparably.”
Psychotronic weapon?
The Archetype Controller?
He paused, his gaze piercing as he continued, "Jung's exploration of synchronicity as evidence of the paranormal paved the way for further inquiry, notably by Koestler and the subsequent embrace of these ideas by the New Age movement.”
Sogiita shrugged, "Some folks say synchronicity is impossible to test or prove, so it gets labeled as pseudoscience. Jung even acknowledged that these synchronicity events are basically just coincidences, statistically speaking. But hey, who's to say what's really going on without some solid scientific studies, right?"
"Dubious as his experiments may have been," CRC interrupted, "Jung believed in a connection between synchronicity and the paranormal, drawing parallels to the uncertainty principle and works by parapsychologist Joseph B. Rhine.” CRC posed a thought-provoking question, "How are we to recognize acausal combinations of events, since it is obviously impossible to examine all chance happenings for their causality? The answer lies in the fact that acausal events are most readily expected where a causal connection appears inconceivable upon closer reflection. It's impossible, with our current resources, to explain ESP or meaningful coincidences as mere phenomena of energy. This challenges the very notion of cause and effect, as these events occur simultaneously rather than in a linear cause-and-effect manner. Hence, I have coined the term 'synchronicity' to describe this phenomenon, placing it on equal footing with causality as a principle of explanation."
Getting closer to that Gemstone, CRC emphasized, "Esper abilities cannot be fully understood with science alone. They defy traditional cause-and-effect explanations, instead representing a convergence of factors that create a quantum phenomenon affecting both the micro and macro. Why were there the naturally gifted and the naturally ungifted?”
Why did some students get praised for their abilities while others needed to work harder?
Others among them would have worked every hour of their free time and not progressed anywhere in this city’s leveling curriculum.
Why did this city present such an unfair and unpredictable status quo of potential?
Why did hard work barely matter in a city of empirical evidence to record any possible progress?
Sogiita Gunha wasn't a normal Level 5 but he wasn't always this powerful. He went through the curriculum same as everyone but if the outside conditions for his Gemstone ability to manifest didn't form in the exact way that it did, in such an acausal form then would he even be here to challenge Christian Rosencreutz right now?
Everything just happened to fall right into place.
All those puzzle pieces that would lead to this moment here and now.
Was it all just talent? God picking a fool as his champion?
The #7 leaned back, absorbing CRC's words with a thoughtful expression. "So, what you're saying is, there's this whole other layer to reality that we can't quite wrap our heads around," he summarized, nodding slowly. "I mean, it's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands—slippery and elusive."
He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Historic recurrence, synchronicities, all these things—they're like pieces of a puzzle scattered across this substantial reality. And sometimes, they just... click into place, right? It's like the universe has its own plan, and we're just along for the ride."
That bandana wearing boy's gaze drifted, lost in thought. "You know, CRC, it's funny," he remarked, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Here we are, with all our powers and potential, but at the end of the day, we're still grappling with the same questions as everyone else. Talent, destiny, divine intervention—maybe they're all just different sides of the same coin."
He shrugged, the weight of the philosophical musings settling over the broken city. "Who knows? Maybe God does have a sense of humor, after all.” that boy chuckled.
There was a deep silence between them.
Rosencreutz’ response was swift and resolute, his tone filled with certainty. "All this ‘universe has a plan’ banter is just a distraction from the inevitable," he declared, his eyes narrowing. "We can debate the nature of us being all-powerful yet struggling with mortal issues until the sun burns out, but it won't change the fact that our fate was sealed upon the knowledge Adam learned."
“To think so many trivialities have developed while this old man wasn’t watching. Heh heh. Then I should assume the thread of fate has again begun to weave its strange connections between myself and some unknown human.”
He rose forward, his movements purposeful. "It's time to put an end to this dance of platitudes," CRC continued, his voice cold and unwavering. "We'll settle this the only way that somewhat matters—through objective action in this grand play."
“Silence, preserved doll. Illusionists are meant to remain silent. That is all we magicians are: wielders of substanceless illusions. Opening your mouth serves only to break the illusion.”
With a flicker of resolve in his eyes, he locked gazes with the #7. "I am Hydra, Gemstone," he said, his voice carrying a hint of challenge. "Our battle ends now.” CRC opened both his palms and began shooting at their surroundings, the buildings, the pavement, the apartments, the rubble.
It probably wasn't random as it seemed to create a pattern.
“Huh are you getting senile old man?” asked the young Gemstone.
“What fun. I never imagined someone would bother diligently polishing their skills this far while knowing it is all essentially an illusion. Didn’t you ever feel silly going to the effort?”
Rosencreutz dropped to all fours, his rosy cross sword gripped tightly in his right hand.
He moved—
“Arrgh!” Sogiita yelled amidst the relentless and precise and precise strikes from that golden cross. “Old man?” he asked.
That magician didn't say anything.
That silver man’s movements became more beastly.
Faster.
Stronger.
Fiercer.
Something new was beginning to manifest.
With each strike of his higher dimensional blade that old man’s blows seemed infused with an otherworldly energy.
The wounds inflicted by his weapon burned with a venomous intensity, sending searing pain coursing through Sogiita's body.
That boy grimaced as the poison from that silver man’s strikes surged through his being, each wound feeling like it was ablaze with venomous fire.
"Damn... That burns…like a killer hornet’s sting," he muttered through clenched teeth, his voice strained with effort. Gritting, he fought to maintain his focus, despite the agony threatening to overwhelm him.
Was this another application of The Four Stages? Citrinitas? No, there was nothing yellow here, it was more like a dirty purple.
But it wasn't just the physical damage that posed a threat.
As the Rosy Cross leader leaped on all fours his movements took on an almost erratic quality, he was bouncing from one building to another with an animalistic agility.
With each jump, a shockwave rippled through the air, carrying with it a palpable sense of dread.
Something was spreading.
The air around them seemed to thicken with a toxic miasma. The #7 struggled to breathe, the noxious fumes clouding his senses.
Like a chaotic monster’s venomous poison breath.
The once-clear air now felt thick and suffocating.
Gasping for breath, the bandana boy struggled to maintain his focus amidst the swirling chaos.
His vision blurred, his movements sluggish as he fought against the oppressive atmosphere.
Blinded that heroic boy could only fire a flame arrow without his sight.
His fists striking out with all the strength he could muster. Igniting in that poisonous compressed air.
It seemed to be flammable like a dragon’s breath.
???
At the hospital, Shokuhou's voice carried a mix of surprise and relief. “He caused real damage.” she exclaimed.
Kamijou turned his attention to her, intrigued. “What happened?”
“It's hard to see clearly, but it looks like the #7 managed to blast off CRC's left arm,” she explained. “Though, I'd say it was more of a lucky shot. I can read he acted on pure instinct.”
Kamijou nodded, a hint of melancholy in his tone. “Yeah... the psychic link and all.”
Had the #7 Level 5 given up on the old man?
Back on the battlefield, Sogiita cursed under his breath. “Dammit... Sorry, old man,” he muttered. “I was aiming to hit your whole body to maximize the surface area, maybe break a few bones as a casualty. We can probably get your arm reattached at the hospital. Heaven Canceller has enough guts to even fix me.”
It was clear—he hadn't given up.
It was an accidental strike of his arm.
“As each ghastly head was severed from its serpentine form, dreadfully, two more writhed forth from the abyss.” a cryptic voice amidst the chaos spoke.
Wasn't it said that the Hydra’s lair was the lake of Lerna in the Argolid.
Lerna was reputed to be an entrance to the Underworld.
The abyss.
The Ungrund.
There is no limit to the depth of the Alcyonian Lake, and I know of nobody who by any contrivance has been able to reach the bottom of it since not even Nero, who had ropes made several stades long and fastened them together, tying lead to them, and omitting nothing that might help his experiment, was able to discover any limit to its depth. This, too, I heard. The water of the lake is, to all appearance, calm and quiet but, although it is such to look at, every swimmer who ventures to cross it is dragged down, sucked into the depths, and swept away.
The keeper of the gate to the Underworld that lay in the waters of Lerna was the Hydra.
The serpentine Lake Monster.
“Rosencreutz……?” The #7 muttered.
That magician chuckled ominously. "No, young Heracles, Hydra." he intoned, his voice echoing with a bizarre resonance. “The Lernaean Hydra's curse is upon you now.” as he said that he cut off a bit of his arm that was cuterarised with his golden blade and it began bleeding.
Anna Sprengel’s blood was said to create unknown miracles when spilled.
Christian Rosencreutz’ blood was so virulent that even its scent was deadly.
As Sogiita Gunha glanced at his severed arm lying on the ground, a creeping sense of horror enveloped him. "All of fate is a curse and that curse," he murmured, his words barely audible over the din of battle, "extends even to my severed limb.”
Christian Rosencreutz’ left arm grew back.
No.
Two new arms grew in its place.
The fate of chaoskampf? The hero battling the dragon?
The arm was fully functioning with no defects.
Although one of the arms appeared somewhat scaly and lanky like a serpent.
It had human anatomy but something was abnormal here.
He almost looked like a spider as he emerged from the poisonous fog as he remained on all fours.
“So short-stack. Are you ready to complete your final labor: Crossing the abyss!!!” He challenged that boy with his cross sword facing him.
"Boss, what's up? You look kinda stuck," Kamijou asked, his tone concerned.
Two students were sitting together in the waiting room at a hospital.
"—abyss, Hydra, curse, synchronicities, Historic recurrence." she replied, her words carrying a weight of unease.
"Huh? What? Can you give me the lowdown?" Kamijou prodded, his urgency evident.
"Can't quite wrap my head around it. But what I can tell you is that after CRC started talking about these esoteric concepts, he leveled up his power ability, managed to seriously hurt the #7 despite me cranking up all his stats for the win condition," the honey-blonde girl explained, frustration creeping into her voice.
"Can you beam all that stuff into my head, like a memory download? You're a psychological esper, right? My right hand won't mess with it, and we've done the telepathy thing before," Kamijou suggested.
"Memory download's not quite it, but I can send you a recording," she clarified.
"Got it," Kamijou muttered as he absorbed the info.
"You got any ideas to help the #7’s situation ability, Kamijou-san? We're kinda desperate here," she asked.
"I wish Index was still here, dammit.” he lamented, “But you know about magic, right?" he queried.
"Yeah, people converting their delusions into reality right?," she admitted.
"Well, magic's not just about delusions; it can be tied up to the whole world. Not sure if it's relevant, but based on Idol Theory, Rosencreutz might be pulling in 'energy’ from the Greek 'phase’ of Heracles for an edge," Kamijou theorized.
"Like a chessboard flip?" Shokuhou Misaki inquired, her brow furrowed with concern.
"No, more like... imagine you're playing checkers with a buddy, and you're totally crushing it because you're a checkers pro. Then suddenly, your buddy switches it up and challenges you to an arm wrestling match, and you lose because, well, arm wrestling isn't your forte," Kamijou Touma explained, trying to paint a vivid picture.
"So, by taking on the role of the Hydra from Greek myth, he's essentially forcing the #7 into the role of Heracles? But didn't Heracles defeat the Hydra?" Shokuhou sought clarification.
"Yeah, but..." Kamijou recalled the tale from the movies he'd seen. "Lichas gave Heracles a shirt soaked in the Hydra's poisonous blood from his arrows, which ends up killing him by tearing his flesh down to the bone," he elaborated.
"It was actually Nessus seeking vengeance and tricking Deianira into giving it to Heracles as a gift, delivered by Lichas without disclosing the tunic's lethal bloodstained secret from the Lernaean Hydra, but you're right," Shokuhou corrected gently. "So, Rosencreutz is harnessing the power of that legend to slowly poison the #7?"
"Not literal. I mean the poison is real but his slashes do significant harm now so it's more like shifting the paradigm in his favor…shifting his position.” The spiky-haired boy wasn't in the mood to explain Phases, “Earlier, he mentioned Sogiita spreading his 'virus' throughout the world. A virus isn't a poison in the traditional sense, but the Rosicrucians originally sought to create a universal cure for all illnesses. Now, CRC is spreading a literal poison, positioning himself as the ultimate predator and his opponents as prey rather than his savior role, the paradigm has been shifted." Kamijou concluded, his voice tinged with gravity.
“So he’s changed the environment to get the win condition? The #7’s durability doesn't matter in the face of the world being forced to go about a certain way because of Rosencreutz stage play?” The girl asked.
“Yeah…if things keep going this way…Sogiita will….goddamnit….” The spiky haired boy swore. “I can't let someone else die after all that's happened but I feel like if I go out there I really will kill him…” he muttered that last bit while clenching his right fist that began shaking uncontrollably.
The girl’s eyes seemed confused.
“What did you say?” The honey blonde middle schooler asked.
“Nothing, just mumbling to myself.” he spat out.
That boy and girl could never come to the right conclusion on their own without the aid of former Magic God Othinus by their side.
“Did you think I had challenged you with no hope of succeeding, you cesspool? The magic born on earth is bound by the directions based on the earth’s magnetic field and by the density and composition of the air which is determined by air pressure which is in turn influenced by gravity. That is inevitable when you are focused on the cardinal directions of north, south, east, and west or on the basic elements of fire, water, wind, and earth. But what you will find upon leaving the atmosphere is an unknown. Coronzon, are you sure there will be no malfunction in the magic giving you control of Avatar Lola? And before, my power was bound by the puny speck named earth which failed to become a black hole or even a sun, but once we enter outer space, just how far do you think that power will be released? I do not mind at all that I will lose the support of Academy City.”
Well the boy was half right.
“Let us test it out, you cuspidor. On one side, we have you using the planet and bound to an avatar. On the other, we have me exposed and freed from the planet. Now, who will be the star of this show?”
Christian Rosencreutz did not shoot at his surroundings for no reason.
The battlefield transformed into Rosencreutz's canvas, resembling the legendary battleground of Lerna where Heracles once clashed with the Hydra.
Yes.
He didn't unleash his powers randomly; every action was deliberate.
In the magical side of Idol Theory, mimicking an object, event, or person allowed one to tap into a fraction of its power.
And that even applied to locations that essentially worked as stage plays.
Idol Theory was so absolute that even the basic cross held a portion of the son of God’s power.
As Above, So Below.
As Below, So Above.
Macro to micro.
Micro to macro.
And the macrocosm and the microcosm are always linked.

I wanted to detail my experience and hopefully bring a bit of positivity to future people obsessively hitting this sub because I feel like the majority of what i see here is very negative.
TLDR; seriously, the most important thing is to KEEP YOUR HEAD UP. do not let bad thoughts infect your mind.
im a 29M and on 4.4.2024 i tore my meniscus skiing in canada on vacation. I almost immediately couldnt bear weight on it and got crutches the next day (off doordash lol). Since im insured in Germany, knew i needed an MRI, and still had about 10 days till my flight back I decided to ride out the rest of my vacation disabled. (makes the airport incredibly pleasant). Some maybe important context is, 8 years ago i tore my acl with a grade 2 tear. I chose not to go for the surgery because i wanted to avoid the trauma, and did PT + PRP shot. Luckily my ACL had completely healed.
As soon as i arrived in Germany i got my MRI and confirmed it was a medial meniscus bucket handle tear. 7 days later i had my partial meniscectomy where the doc removed about 20% of my meniscus. The surgeon told me he does about 300 operations per year and arthroscopy to me seemed WAY less barbaric in comparison to an ACL surgery hence why I had a cooler head going into it. The consistent pain my leg was causing, i couldn't see a way around it. he said there is an option to do either repair or removal but he cannot say until hes inside me (lol) if a repair would make sense, because it heavily depends on if the tear is in an area where blood can flow.
Day 1 - they stuck this fluid bag in my leg that was so incredibly uncomfortable that i had to down myself in ibuprofen. Im a little freaked out by pain meds so this was the only day i took them. this was by far the worst thing about this experience but in the end it was probably better than having my leg blow up from swelling. The nurse yanking the tube out of my leg the next day however, haunts me to this day.
Day 2-3 - between pain from the scars, weakness of muscles, and general trauma of hurting my delicate leg i toyed with putting pressure on my leg with crutches while hobbling around at home. I was instructed that i really should start working my leg back into normalcy ASAP because it is part of the general healing process for a meniscectomy. I was also icing 2-3 times a day to bring down the swelling.
days 3-9 - with an ace bandage on, i started some mild PT at home. heel slides and leg raises mostly, to start building up my atrophied muscles. around day 5 or 6 i abandoned my crutches entirely, which felt empowering. I live on the first (second in US) floor and stairs were a bit of an obstacle as i had to strategically place one leg at a time and keep my balance. small activities would still wear me out so i limited myself to my small exercises, going to the kitchen, playing MTG Arena and on TTS, and rewatching scrubs. still icing 1-2 times a day.
days 10-17 - got my stitches out, had my first shower since the surgery(!!!), started PT and was given a few exercises and a thera-band to do at home, which i did religiously daily. started talking a bit longer adventures walking for a coffee etc. still having a bit of a limp and my calf and ankle would get hella sore after a long stretch of walking. i also always wear my stabilising knee band when i go out. but still a noticeable amount of progress and freedom. icing maybe once a day.
days 18-22 (now) - im feeling a lot more confident in my ability and stamina to walk. stairs are starting to feel almost completely natural and am working it out in PT. I rode my bike and drove my car out of the city to catch the northern lights. im really focusing on bringing up my surrounding muscles to support my knee and i can see the progress in how much i can straighten my leg. The area where the arthrocopes went in (specifically the medial side) still has a noticeable bump, and im told that scar tissue is whats causing the occasional pain in joints when i straighten my leg. but each day the gets less and less. I really do feel like I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. my leg looks basically normal in size and im still wearing my knee band when i go out. I still cant think about jumping or running but with time im positive it will get there.
There is hope, just be patient and don't let negative thoughts get to you. happy to answer anything i can.

Hey everyone,
5 days ago I fell off a paddle board on a river and slammed my shin really hard into an underwater tree trunk. It took out a chunk of my skin and became infected. Luckily I didn’t break anything, but The doctors said it looks like cellulitis and have me on the following antibiotics: Cephalexin, levoflaxin, and doxycycline They also have me on methocarbamol for pain.
The redness seems to have gone down significantly, and my pain level has definitely gone down as well. However, now the skin around the wound is yellow. There is no pus or anything around the wound.
I assume I t’s just a bruise, because I hit my shin extremely hard, but I wanted to check if it could be something else because they didn’t say to look out for this after I was discharged from the ER. They only asked me to pay attention if the redness was spreading and if I saw any red streaks or anything.
I also notice blood rushes to my leg when I sit up after elevating my leg for long periods of time. This is really painful for a few seconds until I walk around for a bit, then it fades. Is this normal? Compression socks seem to really help reduce this pain.
Demographic info: Age: 25 Height: 5’10 Weight: 255 lbs Gender: Male Prior Medications: Wegovy Medical History: Obesity, no other history Smoking status: never
Thanks!
Images: https://imgur.com/a/LprwVrX

I've been an assistant for a year and 7 months and I love it, even if I have to deal with endless low staff days and needing to take over when the lead has frequent call outs. Our director is weird with the arrangements due to ratio issues and so many kids, so our "pre-k" class ranges 1-5. 14 kids total, usually (hopefully) 3 teachers.
Our kids (usually pre-k, but also ages 3) like to call me silly names and say things that don't make sense. Like "Make me some yogurt!! Real yogurt!! Go to the farm and make me some yogurt!!" While dishing snack. I will tell them that we do not have any cows at school for that, and then another kid will say that im the cow. I just moo and they laugh.
"You wear your glasses in your ear. You put a house on your head. You wear your shoes in your mouth." Type stuff. Or they'll call me a baby and say I'm a teacher baby (and that they're Older than me.) Or call me some weird name like "Hello oozy woozy."
It's awesome because my sense of humor is literally at the pre-k level so they crack up at all my jokes lol. Literally the other day the fridge wasn't working and a cucumber froze over and I asked them if they wanted a cucumber popsicle.
Oh, but don't get me wrong. I have 1-2 yearold humor too. I've started a game that I pretend to take a nap and the 3 of them join me in pretending. One of them makes a noise and I gasp awake (like startled) and they CRACK up. They also do the "round and round" motion with their hands to show me they wanna do wheels on the bus and clap afterwards. And dance. Lots of dancing.
Despite the stress and changing 7 diapers a day 4x a day, I am thankful that this was my first job instead of retail. Funny enough I have visible muscle on my arms now due to it, and have very strong legs and calves. I love those kids, they make it worth it even if I've had moments where I've cried during my lunch break. I feel like I can be myself with them. I truly think my calling is with kids, and I'm only 21.
I am a social work major and I start my internships soon, and I get to intern for early intervention!!

Hi everyone. Long post alert. Im looking for some advice from people who’ve recovered from DVT.
I’m a 33 year old male, 3 weeks ago I managed to break my 5th metatarsal when I slipped and fell on my foot. I consider myself relatively healthy, I run 3-4 days a week, 12-15 miles a week. I’m an average weight and no other health conditions.
I’m a hairstylist and I stand to work for long hours. I purchased an iWalk crutch that allowed me to return to work sooner. My foot has been recovering fast, but I developed a cramp in my calf which I figured must be due to my leg being in the crutch.
I am so thankful for my clients. One of them is a nurse, who overheard someone asking if my crutch caused me pain. When she learned about my calf cramp she told me to be watching for a blood clot. This was the first I ever heard about it.
So I did the usual and googled everything, working up a good anxiety. I have 2 LPNs in the family who kindly listened to me and told me not to worry. I was too young. My leg wasn’t very swollen (only below the ankle from my fracture), no redness and no warmth.
I was relieved, but I planned to bring it up to my podiatrist at my next check-in if I still hurt. That appointment was yesterday. The doctor said looking at me I had no signs of a blood clot other than the cramp, but that he would order the ultrasound to give me peace of mind and because blood clots are possible after a fracture.
The ultrasound was done later that day, sure enough they found 2 clots in my calf. I was diagnosed about a week and a half after the pain started. The treatment is 3 months of an anticoagulant. I was told the clots are small and will dissolve.
I’m very thankful it was caught early. If I didn’t have a podiatrist appointment already scheduled I doubt I would have made the time to get checked out.
Any advice you can share is appreciated, thank you all!

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Treatment.com AI Inc. (CSE: TRUE, OTC: TREIF, Frankfurt: 939) (“Treatment”) is pleased to announce it has signed a Collaborative Agreement with Health Care Services International Inc (o/a Novus Health). (“Novus Health”) to explore utilization of Treatment’s proprietary Global Library of Medicine (“GLM”) to further enhance Novus Health’s Health Risk Assessment programs.
Treatment is partnering with Novus Health, an acknowledged leader in health navigation supporting over 1.5 million members and their families. Over the past 7 years and in collaboration with hundreds of global healthcare professionals, utilizing our proprietary algorithms, Treatment has built one of the world’s most intelligent, personalized healthcare AI engines, the Global Library of Medicine (GLM). Working with a number of leading North American Health Insurers, Novus Health has built a trusted navigation platform that simplifies health care experiences by bringing together everything an individual needs to successfully manage their care journey.
Treatment and Novus Health also intend to explore mutually beneficial opportunities through the partnership, this will include Health Risk Assessment and Medical Second Opinion.
The collaboration also allows Novus Health and Treatment to work closely on testing and development of further new mutual joint commercial applications and/or solutions. The intent of this collaboration is to promote the development, installation, testing, validation, and commercialization of one or more novel solutions that further the goals of both companies and proactively impact the health insurance market.
Dr. Essam Hamza, CEO of Treatment, comments: “We are very excited to partner with a recognized leading healthcare firm in Novus Health. There is a near term opportunity to implement our proprietary AI diagnostic tools into the solutions offered to their vast customer base. However, with this collaboration we also have an opportunity to extend into new mutually developed tools and solutions that have the ability to further improve health care efficiency and patient outcomes.”
Jamie Marcellus, CEO of Novus Health, comments: "We are excited about the potential for Treatment.com’s AI to augment our services. Their platform offers the possibility of unparalleled efficiency and accuracy in health risk assessments, drawing insights from vast data sets to detect patterns and predict potential risks. By leveraging these tools, our members can make better informed decisions swiftly, enhancing care and enabling proactive interventions to mitigate health threats effectively.”
About Treatment. com AI Inc.
Treatment.com AI is a company utilizing AI to positively disrupt the healthcare sector and impact current inefficiencies and challenges. Over the past 7+ years and with the input of hundreds of healthcare professionals globally, Treatment.com AI has built the world’s most intelligent, personalized healthcare AI engine, the Global Library of Medicine (GLM). Providing the highest qualified clinical information and support to all healthcare professionals, the GLM delivers >92%+ accuracy on first diagnosis as well as providing recommended tests (physical and lab), x-rays, and billing codes. The platform’s quality and transparency are unrivaled, as the GLM provides an explanation of every step and likelihood associated with every symptom. Treatment.com AI also focuses on the next generation of healthcare professionals supporting Medical and Nursing schools, who utilize the GLM to help enhance the future clinical skills of their students. Treatment.com AI is focused on using AI for good and utilizing its GLM platform to bring the possibility of health equity and inclusion for disenfranchised communities.
About Novus Health
Novus Health connects people with care and is a leader in health navigation. We deliver personalized support, reputable information, and health-related services in one single destination, using technology to help individuals make informed health decisions. In doing so, we create value for our partners while improving their members’ and customers’ health and well-being.
FULL PR...
Treatment.com AI and Novus Health Partnership Expands Access to its Global Library of Medicine (GLM) (yahoo.com)

i’m 17, was supposed to get this surgery when i was 11 but because of nhs wait times i didn’t get a date until now.
my surgery went well, but recovery has been going horrifically and none of my doctors seem to care. day one after the surgery they kept urging me to get up and walk to the toilet on my own even though i was insisting that my hip was in too much pain to move. i needed to go to the toilet so i tried getting out of bed but just by sitting up i got so dizzy that i started throwing up everywhere. my throat was already in so much pain from the breathing tube and vomiting just made that pain ten times worse. nurse came and just gave me anti sickness meds and left, didnt check in on me after that.
i got better at going to the toilet but it would be so unbelievably painful trying to walk there and it would take me 5 minutes to walk the 1m distance between my bed and the door. the doctors and nurses werent helping me, they’d just stand to the side as i painfully hobbled there and back relying on my mum to help me move. at one point the nurse came to help me move my legs off the bed but when she gentled pulled them about 10° to the left i felt so much pain that i immediately burst into tears and couldn’t stop crying for half an hour. it wasn’t until then that my doctors realised the only painkillers i had been given since coming out of surgery was a paracetamol drip, so they quickly put my on morphine (which for some reason didn’t help).
the next day my doctor came in to see how i was doing and he had the nerve to ask me ‘why do you look so miserable?’. again, i started crying and he just sat there and watched as i tried to piece together the words to say how exhausted i already was with recovery only 2 days in, and that i didn’t want to have to do this for another month. he just said that it will only be a week of recovery and that when younger children get this done they’d usually be home already (this was my second night in hospital, i had to beg my doctors to let me stay another night because i didn’t feel ready to go home and they reluctantly let me stay.) another doctor came in and repeated the sentiment, watched me cry with a blank face then left.
some more doctors came later and thankfully they were a lot more sympathetic to what i was going through. this is how i found out that they had actually done two procedures in one operation (closed the hole and the bone graft) which is why i had been in such extreme discomfort and recovery was going to slow. finding this out reslly pissed me off bc my doctors had been gaslighting me for days (at least that’s how it felt to me) into thinking i was overstating my pain and that i was slowing down my recovery because of how upset i was
final day at the hospital i still didn’t feel anywhere near ready to go home but i didnt bother arguing against it because my doctors were hellbent on me going home because i had already prolonged my stay. i walked around all day because my doctors insisted i would walk to the car myself (didn’t happen, ended up needing a wheelchair). my face and lips were still so swollen that i couldn’t drink water out of a glass because it would all just dribble out but i was vehemently forbidden from using a syringe and nurses would tell me off whenever they caught me.
i got home yesterday in the evening and still going through it. at one point i was so done with everything that i sat fully screaming and crying for about 40 minutes because i don’t know how to cope with this. im not getting any sleep because when im not waking up every 2 hours for meds, im waking up to clean up the blood that has leaked out my mouth down my neck. my face and hair feel vile, and im desperate to shampoo and cleanse the blood that’s still caked onto my hair from the surgery, but i know ill fall if i try to shower and i can’t lean my head back to get my mum to do it for me. worst of all is the hunger, my stomach is in so much pain because i have been starving for days. my diet is limited to melted ice cream and yoghurt and medications, plus soup and custard from the hospital. on my first night i didnt even eat anything of substance because the hospital gave me rice and curry that i couldn’t chew so i had to eat a yoghurt for dinner. now im home and struggling to find filling meals.
sorry if this is a bit nasty but i’ve desperately needed to get this out. i know that a lot of this is my own doing and i need to buckle down and just bear it but im so fucking tired and i wish i had never gotten this surgery at all. my doctors act like compassion and understanding is something i was meant to pay extra for, and whenever i raised an issue they’d bluntly tell me to just do xyz because they won’t ever know how painful and draining it is to drink more water or walk a lap or whatever. i’m only now realising how long this post is so please bear with me. thank you if you read this far.

I’m realizing my brother is narcissist and despite my mom being a malignant one I didn’t piece it together my brother is one until his abuse against my dad has escalated to medical. Everything toxic and bad he does to my dad he lies or reframes it to me doing it to my dad not him. He says I stole money that was paid to a home health nurse after my dad’s stroke. Despite receipts and my dad choosing the nurse himself at the time my dad will side with my bro because he’s scary, sneaky and manipulative.
My dad tried to gift me a small amount of money for my health care for him at one point my bro has reframed it as attempted theft. Despite me never asking for this money or even accepting when my dad told me take the money.
My brother is now POA and gets my dad’s full social security of nearly $4k a month. He removed me from having viewing access of the account 6 months ago so I don’t know what he does with the $4k on but there is no food in the fridge and my brother leaves my dad home all day and doesn’t hire any outside care. Earlier this week I showed up unannounced with spaghetti to try and reason with my dad and let him know I’m here to help. My used two hands to shovel it down he was so hungry . There was no food there, the kitchen is infested with flies and rotting food, and my brother didn’t come home until 5. There was nothing there for him to eat. I brought water flavor additives my dad had asked for last time I saw him in DEC and I sent my bro Amazon links to buy it for him in Dec. he never did.. my dad hates water and has a hard time drinking it without flavor,
I vaccumed his little area full of dog hair changed his pee stained sheets. My dad was happy and Grateful we did arm and leg exercises took his blood pressure and added it to his health apps the last update was in August when he still lived with me my brother hasn’t taken his BP once
My brother comes home i hoped we could talk to set up scheduled help and care for my dad from myself or someone else. My brother starts yelling My dad asked for peace. Sadly, Due to decades of my moms abuse and training he thinks im the reason my brother rages and yells and my bro won’t communicate with me is my fault. So when ever tension is high we all revert to our exodus family roles, where I’m the scapegoat and can’t hold my ground and bro goes AH-Ha see she’s manipulating US by crying :/
This lash time my bro said he hates me and can’t give peace. I now see he’s hurting my dad to hurt me. He said my dad’s care is fine and im not needed and my dad can never leave the house to visit me and im not welcome there. My dad asked for 2 weeks every other month to visit me and his lawyer will be in touch since my brother said he will need paperwork like a custody agreement to allow him out. Insides him to put it in writing that we will be sorting out future visits my bro refused and started cursing and I felt triggered and left. My dad said he was going to talk to the lawyer the next day and call me. He hasn’t called. I can’t call because my brother claims I call to harass my dad when i call. I get it my dad gets confused and frustrated so I can’t ask follow up questions without trigging his frustration on these events.
My brother who hasnt talked to me since he added himself to my dads back account in Jan said he will file a restraining order and call the cops on me if I ever come again and my dad’s lawyer is ready to file it, he even said remember it’s the lawyer YOU said my dad needed. It’s some smiley lawyer my bro found who goes along with my bro. I’ve called a few times but the lawyer is sleazy and old with one foot out the door
. I’ve been my dad’s biggest supporter. My brother withholds info and creates confusion between me and my dad ever since he went to live at his house because I couldn’t afford to keep my dad here since my bro was gate keeping all his money at the time.l despite my dad begging for his money. My bro mad asking for money so stressful and down the wire time and time again it broke me in addition to the full time care and I had a mental breakdown and he was temp sent to my bros but my bro has convinced my dad I kicked him out! I was literally on the verge of unaliving myself due to my brothers financial and emotional abuse and lack of sleeping for 6 months of around the clock beside care for our dad who could not walk or eat on his own, and he holds that over my head. My bro said I made my choices to get in that position, I dug my hole, and I am just manipulative
To make this stuff believable and hard to follow for an old man, I can barley keep up
. My dad’s doctor called APS when my brother stopped filling his meds and my dad got afib. The doctor called me after not being able to get ahold of my dad or bro for a tele health appointment I had been seeing issues on my dad’s Apple Watch for 2 months and told her about it she connected it instantly to the meds.
My brother before even filling the meds changed medical Poa to himself (my dad does whatever anyone says) then my brother told him to get a new pcp because me and the doctor lied and he’s been getting his meds and I gave him the afib from stress by calling him and upsetting him
My dad is now isolated from me and his doctor his only 2 other trusted longtime care takers. My dad has no one else in his life and my brother can start over with no set of backup eyes on his subpar care
He’s killing my dad. My dad’s lawyer doesn’t care since my bro is POA when I call my dad’s lawyer he just tells my bro the concerns I’ve raised who escalates his mental abuse on me and my dad.
My dad refused help from social worker who called APS the report says my dad downplayed the meds l my brother neglected that they’re were filled elsewhere. My brother said it was miscommunications with the doctor because of me getting involved, when I was only called because my brother didn’t answer or return the doctors calls. Even after he filled the meds it was the wrong dosage I could see from my dads heart rate and I texted and called my brother I had to call the doctor to call my dad to convince him to change the dosages. Because When I called my dad my brother said I was lying and everything was fine . .
brother is killing my dad if my dad dies first my mom will leave everything to my brother and he knows it and he will get away with it
There is nothing I can do. I’ve spoken to a ton of lawyers who offer not ways to help besides forcing my dad in to a guardianship and my brother will fight that and kill my dad with stress.
I feel sad and helpless but my dad never protected me from my mom and Bros abuse growing up. Had he done so and left her wouldn’t be in this mess. it’s sad and sick to watch a toxic family’s end cycle that’s all

disclaimer that i am NOT certified. i am simply an NA and have a lot less responsibilities. my hospital trained me for a week and put me on my medsurg/telemetry floor. i basically just run errands for my nurses/patients, do patient care, and act (minimally) as a housekeeper. another disclaimer that this is kind of a long rant.
i’ve been here since March 13, 2023. i love my job, kind of, but god, this job is so, so draining. i miss working simpler jobs where i didn’t take work home with me. i’ve had shifts that left me in a bad mood for days after. i have a lot taking a toll on me OUTSIDE of work. work used to be my escape.
there’s so much workplace drama as well, it’s like primary school all over again. and it’s always the older nurses. don’t get me wrong, there’s several coworkers that i love with all of my heart. we go out for lunch and dinner together, go on hikes, etc.
there’s a select few of my nurses who i have NEVER seen do patient care in my year of working. it’s all task delegation, even when i’m the only aide on my floor of 36 patients. they have a major superiority complex and do everything they can to avoid helping me. some will see that i’m clearly in the middle of something and obviously overwhelmed and ask me to get a set of vitals so they can give their pain meds. i already have to get 18 sets of vitals every 4 hours, which takes me 1-1.5 hours as it is. by the time i’m inished, i’m starting again.
i’ve been physically, verbally, mentally, emotionally abused by patients. i’ve been shamed for my tattoos, my scrubs, my weight, my height. i’ve been physically and verbally sexually harassed way too often.
i’m looked down on by my managers, nurses, NPs, PAs, residents, doctors, etc. but what hurts the most is my patients seeing me as less-than. i know i’m just an assistant, but i don’t want to be seen as “just” an assistant. of course, sometimes i get lovely patients, some of which are frequent fliers who love seeing me again.
most of my patients are geriatric and/or incontinent. most of my days consist of constant bed changes. so many are demented and/or fall risks who won’t stop getting out of bed, and my nurses get annoyed when i ask them for help getting them back in bed.
i have sciatica and it’s dreadful. some days i can barely make it and my legs will hurt for days after my shift. everyone looks down on me for needing to sit down for a while but they don’t understand the pain i’m in (unmedicated and untreated). i was put on a steroid packet for a month and it saved me, but that was only temporary. i can’t get an MRI until i complete 6 weeks of PT 3 days a week so my insurance will cover it, but i don’t have time between work and school, both full time. i told my PCP this so she referred me to a chiropractor. thanks but no thanks.
i’m VERY anemic and i’m on supplements, but they make me so constipated. i have to take them every other day and take laxatives almost daily, which i know is bad for you.
i have bipolar II, anxiety, and possibly ADHD. i can be on the brink of being suicidal and still have to plaster a smile on my face for my patients. they ask me how i am but i tell myself not to complain because i know they’re in a worse position than me and it’s like rubbing it in their faces. i’ll just say “Tired! How about you, honey?”
i’ve had chronic tachycardia since birth. it’s not uncommon for my HR to be in the 140s-150s, but i’ve seen it in the 170s. i’m also addicted to caffeine which is a great combination. i used to drink 3 monsters a day but my partner made me cut back for my health. my coworkers would hide them from me haha. it doesn’t even energize me anymore; it just makes me feel normal.
my back is already killing me. i’m only 20 years old. i know that nursing kills your back as well, but after gaining 2 years of experience and completing my BSN, i will be able to specialize in WOC where i won’t hurt my back as much. my MIL is a WOC nurse who invites me to do rounds with her and shadow her while she charts and does consults, and i’ve decided that’s my dream job. it’s something i’m genuinely looking forward to. my boyfriend asked, “if you could have any job, and pay was the same across the board, what would it be?” i told him i’d still be a WOC nurse.
i’m in pre-nursing right now, but once i’m officially in the nursing program, my hospital will pay for most of my schooling. however, i will have to sign a contract with them (i can’t remember if it’s 3 or 5 years. i think they changed it recently.). i figured it would be fine, since i’ll be specializing at this hospital. but this position is killing my physical and mental health. i don’t know. i can’t bring myself to leave so i’m just venting. thanks for reading if you got this far.

Smartg4control is a leading automation company providing hotel room and hotel guest room automation services. Out patient Clinic Management System, Nurse Call system, Outpatient clinic system, Hotel MUR DND GRMS, Intelliggent Building Lighting Control, Lighting and Dimming Panel, Mood Lighting and Dimming system, Smart Hospital SystemsSmartg4control is a leading automation company providing hotel room and hotel guest room automation services. Out patient Clinic Management System, Nurse Call system, Outpatient clinic system, Hotel MUR DND GRMS, Intelliggent Building Lighting Control, Lighting and Dimming Panel, Mood Lighting and Dimming system, Smart Hospital Systems, control systems, Building Managment System BMS. https://www.smartg4control.com/

Definition and Purpose

BMS is a centralized control system that integrates with various building subsystems to provide real-time monitoring, automated control, and data analysis. Its primary purpose is to create a comfortable, safe, and energy-efficient environment for patients, staff, and visitors while minimizing operational costs and environmental impact.

Key Features of BMS

• Real-time Monitoring: BMS continuously monitors the performance of building systems and equipment, providing insights into energy consumption, temperature levels, and equipment status.
• Automated Control: BMS automates routine tasks such as adjusting thermostat settings, turning lights on/off, and regulating airflow based on predefined parameters and occupancy patterns.
• Data Analytics: BMS collects and analyzes data from sensors and devices to identify trends, detect anomalies, and optimize system performance through predictive maintenance and proactive interventions.
• Integration Capabilities: BMS integrates seamlessly with other Smart hospital systems, such as EHR and security systems, to enable data sharing, interoperability, and centralized management.

Lighting and Dimming PanelMood Lighting and Dimming systemSmart Hospital Systemscontrol systemsBuilding Managment System BMS

Benefits of Implementing BMS in Hospitals

The implementation of BMS offers a wide range of benefits to hospitals, stakeholders, and patients alike.

Efficiency and Cost Savings

By optimizing energy usage, automating routine tasks, and identifying opportunities for improvement, BMS helps hospitals reduce operational costs, lower utility bills, and minimize waste.

Enhanced Patient Experience

A comfortable, well-maintained environment is essential for patient satisfaction and healing. BMS ensures optimal conditions by regulating temperature, humidity, and lighting levels, thereby enhancing the overall patient experience.

Improved Facility Management

BMS provides facilities managers with valuable insights and tools to proactively manage building systems, prioritize maintenance tasks, and respond promptly to issues, minimizing downtime and disruptions.

Challenges in Implementing BMS

While the benefits of BMS are clear, implementing such a system in a hospital setting comes with its own set of challenges.

Initial Costs and Investments

The upfront costs associated with installing and configuring a BMS can be significant, requiring hospitals to allocate resources and budget accordingly. However, the long-term savings and benefits often outweigh the initial investment.

Data Security Concerns

With the increasing connectivity of building systems and devices, ensuring the security and integrity of data becomes a top priority. Hospitals must implement robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized access.

Training and Adoption Issues

Successfully implementing BMS requires buy-in from all stakeholders and effective training programs to ensure staff members understand how to use the system effectively. Resistance to change and lack of training can hinder adoption and limit the system's effectiveness.

Case Studies of Hospitals Using BMS

To illustrate the real-world impact of BMS, let's explore some case studies of hospitals that have successfully implemented and benefited from this technology.

Real-world Examples

• Hospital A: By implementing a BMS, Hospital A was able to reduce energy consumption by 20%, resulting in significant cost savings and environmental benefits.
• Hospital B: BMS helped Hospital B improve patient comfort and safety by monitoring air quality, controlling temperature, and detecting equipment failures in real-time.

Success Stories and Lessons Learned

Through these case studies, hospitals have learned valuable lessons about the importance of strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and ongoing maintenance in maximizing the benefits of BMS.

Future Trends in Smart Hospital Systems

As technology continues to evolve, so too will smart hospital systems and the role of BMS within them.

Advancements in Technology

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced sensors will further enhance the capabilities of BMS, enabling predictive analytics, autonomous operations, and personalized experiences for patients.

Predictions for the Future of BMS

In the future, BMS will become even more integral to hospital operations, acting as the central nervous system that orchestrates and optimizes all aspects of the healthcare environment, from patient care to facility management.

Conclusion

In conclusion, smart hospital systems, powered by technologies such as the Building Management System (BMS), are revolutionizing the healthcare industry by improving efficiency, enhancing patient experiences, and optimizing resource utilization. While challenges exist, the benefits of implementing BMS far outweigh the costs, making it a valuable investment for hospitals seeking to thrive in the digital age., control systems, Building Managment System BMS. https://www.smartg4control.com/

Definition and Purpose

BMS is a centralized control system that integrates with various building subsystems to provide real-time monitoring, automated control, and data analysis. Its primary purpose is to create a comfortable, safe, and energy-efficient environment for patients, staff, and visitors while minimizing operational costs and environmental impact.

Key Features of BMS

• Real-time Monitoring: BMS continuously monitors the performance of building systems and equipment, providing insights into energy consumption, temperature levels, and equipment status.
• Automated Control: BMS automates routine tasks such as adjusting thermostat settings, turning lights on/off, and regulating airflow based on predefined parameters and occupancy patterns.
• Data Analytics: BMS collects and analyzes data from sensors and devices to identify trends, detect anomalies, and optimize system performance through predictive maintenance and proactive interventions.
• Integration Capabilities: BMS integrates seamlessly with other Smart hospital systems, such as EHR and security systems, to enable data sharing, interoperability, and centralized management.

Lighting and Dimming Panel

Male (46yrs), type 1 diabetes since age 4. Generally well managed blood sugar.
Writing this on behalf of my husband: Last night noticed this redness on lower legs (see pics in comments). Warm to touch, not itchy, doesn’t appear to be spreading. No fever or other symptoms, but having difficulty regulating his blood sugar. We suspected cellulitis but went to GP this morning who said she’s unsure what it is but doesn’t suspect infection. He’s heading for blood test results this afternoon but I am feeling very worried and would love a second opinion, please help!

We sleep trained my daughter about 1.5 months ago using CIO and she had been sleeping wonderfully. We were getting about 11 hours of sleep straight a night. The only times she woke up were for very clear reasons, like a poopy diaper or a missed feed during the day.
The last several nights she’s woken up around 3 or 4 AM and not gone back to sleep without intervention (for an hour.) She doesn’t seem overly fussy, so I’m not sure it’s teething pain, although she is starting to teeth. She will eventually go back to sleep after she nurses, so could it be hunger? Like a growth spurt? She’s been eating and nursing the same amounts during the day. I’m afraid that I’m getting her used to MOTN feeds again by letting her nurse at night again.

This story is also being posted on royal road, my username over there is cosmicslime. You can find the rest here: ROYAL ROAD
If you do end up reading this story, then I'd appreciate a follow over on Royal Road. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on it up to chapter twelve. You can share them in the form of a review, mentioning what you did and didn't like about the story, I'll try to get through as many of them as possible.

Chapter Two - Beginning Of Ruin - Part Two

Slowly coming to a halting stop, the wooden boat previously acting as my mode of transport came to a complete rest against the river's gentle current, precisely lining up with the river dock now on my right.
Stepping out of the drifting craft, my feet made contact with the solid ground once more. For some reason the ground below me felt somewhat ethereal after travelling that short distance by water. Laid out in front of me was a paved path that perfectly divided the rows of red spider lilies on either side.
Strewing the familiar weapon across my shoulders, I flicked the timeless hood over my head before traversing the vacant road with no particular destination in mind, as I walked by, the spider lilies blowing in the wind would halt their swaying motions in an unnatural display of primal fear.
No matter how much I tried to tone it down, it seems the ominous pressure being emitted by this body couldn’t help but inspire fear in the hearts of living creatures. Even here in this Celestial realm, it was still the domain of the living so my presence here was hardly ever warranted, nor welcomed for that matter. It wasn’t hard for me to see the effect my presence had on a given setting, it would always elicit a combination of three reactions from those around me.
It was either fear, hatred or anxiety.
That was the case for all but one....just a single girl didn’t seem to mind me being near her at all.
Just as I was about to rescind myself to the inevitable fate that came along with this existence, I saw something or rather, someone approaching in the distance.
It was another young female wearing glasses and speeding towards me as fast as her nimble legs could carry her. She was holding something like a scroll in her right hand and given how awkward her tumbling strides were, it was clear that athletics weren’t her forte.
As soon as she’d gotten within range, her eyes sparked with a sudden realization, and she abruptly placed her right leg in front of her to slow her awkward sprint. Kicking up a fit of dust in the process, the green haired girl stopped just a few footsteps away from me before immediately bowing in a trembling motion.
“G-G-good evening, Sir Shinigami....or would you prefer Sir Reaper instead?” That timid question trailed behind her upturned eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. What is it Minerva? I doubt you sprinted all the way here just to give me such an awkward greeting.”
“Eh....you-you know my name?”
“Naturally.”
I saw her face lose a bit of its color after I spoke those words, but she soon collected herself before correcting her posture.
“Ah! I wanted to ask you about something. You see I’m in charge of managing the souls that get sent to reincarnate from both the overworld and Eden, but something odd has come up.”
“Something odd you say?”
“Yes, I was going through the archives just now and from what I’m seeing, none of the celestial souls that were sent to reincarnate have entered the cycle. Our souls usually tend to take a little longer to recycle but this is just an anomaly, for the past four hundred years very few of the celestial souls have managed to successfully reincarnate. That’s why I was rushing over here, I wanted to see if you could somehow properly escort Luelle instead of just letting things happen the usual way.”
“I saw her off just as she’d requested, she didn’t want me to personally send off her soul for some reason.”
Minerva’s neon eyes drooped a little lower just then, it almost seemed as if she was staring at the scroll now in her hands but after a few seconds it quickly became clear that it wasn’t the case at all.
“I see...so she’s really gone then.”
“Yeah.”
The distant silence that fell over us seemed to drown out even the humming winds now passing through the field of lilies.
“That scroll...doesn’t it automatically record everyone who enters the source?”
“Yes, I was just about to check it myself.”
She unraveled the thick parchment like material, scanning the myriad of letters that were appearing on its surface.
Her eyes widened in anticipation and after a while, a careless stream of words escaped her mouth. “It’s.....not....here.”
That was the beginning of it.
“Not there? You mean her soul....hasn’t returned to the source?”
The edges of the well-aged scroll crumpled under the force now being exerted by her slender fingers.
“Usually if I want to search for a particular soul, I just need to concentrate on the name of the person I'm trying to find. Even a vague image would usually be enough but....no matter how hard I focus, nothing comes up when I skim through the archive for Luelle’s name.”
This was a problem. All souls were originally supposed to return to the source, a realm even beyond reach of the Celestials for reincarnation, but for some reason that just wasn’t happening this time.
Souls did occasionally lose their way along that journey and eventually become evil spirits, but that kind of thing only happened by coincidence, the mere prospect of it ever occurring for a Celestial spirit like Luelle was simply absurd.
“Well, this is a problem. I’m certain I witnessed Luelle’s soul drifting off just now, but I’ll have to look into this. For now, you shoul-”
Before I could even finish speaking, a strange mechanism appeared in the skies above us.
It was a large white crack, the kind of thing you’d almost exclusively see on a mirror. The sprawling white lines spread across the sky, leaving an ominous screeching sound behind every time they expanded their jagged paths. Each fissure seemed to tear through the fabric of the heavens, revealing glimpses of an otherworldly darkness beyond. As the cracks widened, a sense of foreboding filled the air, suffusing the atmosphere with an eerie tension that seemed to reverberate through every fiber of existence.
“What....is that?” Minera barely managed to mutter those words in astonishment.
Soon after, a litany of white cryptic markings began escaping from the jagged openings, spreading across everything from the skies above to even the waves washing below. The strange symbols glowed with a demeaning white light, emanating a strange kind of energy each time it cast its ethereal glow.
“U-Uhm....Shinigami...do you know what this is?” Minerva asked from beside me, timidly surveying our unusual surroundings.
“No....but you should head back just to be-”
Cutting me off once again, the strange markings etched on to the world itself began emitting bright white sparks like a timid, yet persistent firework display. The sparking lights grew fiercer and fiercer by the second, and before I could even execute my next move, the entire world was seemingly engulfed in a blinding cascade of light. It was as if the very essence of existence had been ignited, and we were just insignificant specks adrift in the vast expanse of creation.
Before my vision was completely overpowered by the tormenting flash, I saw Minerva extend a hand towards me with tears flowing from her eyes. I wasn’t able to hear the words that escaped her, but for a second it looked like she was calling out to me.
Apparently, even Celestials found solace in my presence at the end.
The world was divided into three realms. The first of these was the lower realm that the humans inhabited, we called it ‘Terrania’. It was a land festering with humans, a world where only they were able to dominate and reign supreme - Or at least that’s what they thought anyway.
In reality, that realm had only managed to continue functioning because of the efforts of the beings known as ‘Celestials’. These Celestials resided in a realm that was far above Terrania known as ‘Eden’. They were responsible for overseeing the various aspects of the world these humans inhabited and that just meant that they were in charge of maintaining its balance. If things ever started getting out of hand, then they would intervene to re-establish that balance, but that would only happen if it was absolutely necessary. Though they could influence aspects of the world itself, the Celestials weren’t gods but rather akin to something like a superior version of humanity, the humans of the lower realm often referred to them as ‘angels’.
The only thing in the entire world that came close to mirroring anything even close to that level was the entity known as ‘Akasha’ or the ‘Source.’ It wasn’t an actual person but rather, the mechanism in place that managed the influx of both mortal and Celestial souls accordingly, managing them in a timely manner and allowing them to reincarnate given time.
It resided in an exclusive realm that surpassed both Eden and Terrania. Akasha was the recycling mechanism put in place to cleanse and return souls to the mortal cycle. Every time a human died, their souls would naturally return to Akasha over a number of years given that they hadn’t become an evil spirit or deviated from the natural order in some other way. That’s why even as a Reaper, I didn’t actually need to guide the souls of every single mortal that had perished, but rather just the ones still clinging on to the mortal realm or those that had deviated from the natural order.
Seeing as only pure souls could pass between the realms without restrictions, very few Celestials had ever gone directly to Akasha, but just about anyone who wasn’t mortal could detect its overwhelming essence radiating from some far-off place. The same went for me and I was neither mortal nor a Celestial.
That was how it had been, the way in which the world managed to maintain some amount of balance even without outside intervention, but the moment I saw those strange cracks appear in the sky I could already tell that the fragile balance keeping this world afloat was beginning to crumble.

After my long-awaited surgery, the day finally came. I was so nervous lying in the hospital bed as I had never had anesthesia before. Thankfully, I was a bit relieved since my boyfriend and mother were there by my side, comforting me. I also had a very lovely nurse who put on a heating machine for me and made sure I was at ease. When the anesthesiologist came into my room and talked to me about the process, I started to tear up, but not noticeably because I didn’t want to be dramatic. However, I was just very anxious, and it was most likely written all over my face. Anyways, the nurses who were going to be in the OR room came and gave me the anesthesia. However, I did NOT know they were giving it to me and thought they were giving me something else that comes before the anesthesia for some reason. So, I just remembered saying bye to my boyfriend and mom while they held my hand and the nurses rolled me out of the room, and boom, I was out like a light. When I woke up after the surgery, I was so confused; I was dumbfounded. It felt like I teleported through time because I did not remember knocking out, and while you’re knocked out, it’s not like you’re sleeping; it’s like you’re dead. So, I started saying to my mom when I saw her, “they didn’t tell me they were going to put me to sleep,” and then I started hysterically crying because I was so confused. My mom got someone and asked why I was crying; they brought the anesthesiologist in, and he explained that this can happen and it’s most common in women. It’s a normal reaction. While he was explaining all this, I was still crying, saying “I don't know why I’m crying.” I eventually calmed down, but I was still pretty loopy, so I started talking to my nurse about Grey's Anatomy and if I could’ve brought my dog… Honestly, the first day of pain wasn’t so bad, but the days after that, you have to take it real easy, take your medicine, get a heating pad, and lay down. They also gave me these circulating leg machines that compress your legs for circulation, which was really nice. Anyways, that was my experience in the hospital. Please let me know if you can relate to the anesthesia process!

This parent has fired other nurses before. I’ll try keep it short. I’m a new grad RN who has worked on pediatrics for the last 3-4 months. Early in my shift, she asked me if I “just sat and watched her baby cry again” when his CPAP was being applied (he doesn’t tolerate it well but does settle after being swaddled and a few minutes of cuddles). She was short with me all night or simply didn’t respond when I asked if she had questions or concerns. Babe was super irritable and when he was moving, it appeared as if he was desatting on the monitor. Parent was angry I “wasn’t doing anything.” I explained as best I could what a pleth was and how we monitor it, and that it wasn’t a true desat. She got upset I didn’t explain this to her before, and I apologized and told her that I’m here to answer any other questions she may have. I told her I can arrange a family discussion with the care team so she can get any questions she might have answered. She apologized for how she talked to me earlier and I left the room.
Here’s where things get bad lol. I can tell the kid is still irritable, so I go in to offer to turn the monitor in her room off and to help settle the kid because she’s clearly stressed. She says no because she “doesn’t trust us”. I offer to call RT for suctioning as an intervention. She says “why don’t you make the decision, you’re the nurse.” I tell her I think collaborating with her as a parent is important. She then questions my practice and says “I don’t even know what kind of nurse you are” and rips off her kid’s CPAP. I told her straight up that I wouldn’t tolerate the way she was talking to me and that’s when she requested a new nurse.
I know it’s scary for parents and I tried to be empathetic and I feel awful about the whole situation, but at the end of the day I’m not going tolerate that kind of treatment. I’m worried I was a bit harsh but maybe I’m just in my head

TW: Alcoholism, drug addiction, violence, suicidal ideation, sex abuse
This is going to be a LLLLLOOONNNNGGGGG one. This story goes back quite a way, but yesterday was the tenth anniversary of the ending to this story and I'm feeling it, still got some guilt about everything that happened, wondering what I could have done differently and I just want to vent it out and hope to get some closure from it.
This story started in 2010.
Characters in this story (names are fake, duh!):

• Me, Guy, 32M at the time, 45 now.
• My BFF Stephanie, 33F at the time.
• Stephen, 40M at the time, Stephanie's boyfriend.
• Maryse, 27F at the time.

Background and intro
I had known Stephanie for many years and we had the kind of friendship that made her BFs and my GFs uncomfortable to put it lightly. We had never crossed that boundary and I wouldn't consider us in the friendzone, we were just friend, but the kind of friend where she would sit on my lap with her arms around my neck or her head on my shoulder.
At the start of 2010, Stephanie met her then boyfriend, Stephen. He tolerated me and my friendship with Stephanie because I also had a gf back then. She liked Stephanie, wasn't at all jealous of my friendship with her, so he didn't deem me too suspicious. Then my gf and I broke up for reasons unimportant and all hell broke loose for Stephen. He became convinced that I would try and steal Stephanie from him. He insisted that Stephanie introduce me to her female friends or female friends of his. Thus began what I called the year of the 50 blind dates. It was probably closer to 20, but still I like saying the year of 50 blind dates. Most of them were unremarkable and never went beyond the first date. There are some fun stories in there if anyone wants to hear them eventually!
In July of that year, I had to switch gears because I had to focus up and study for a professional exam for a certification important to my career. This exam required close to 600-800 hours of study over a 3-4 month period. So I hunkered down, told Stephanie to stop the blind dates for now because I had to focus on that. She respected my wishes and, other a text here or there, we went low contact for the last two months before the exam.
Except for one fateful night in September. Her birthday was in September and she always threw these big bashes at her house. She would throw a big pool party that started around noon and would go on to the wee hours of the morning. I knew she would harass me to go to her party, so I made some quick math and figured I would lose more energy and time trying to dodge her calls, texts and most likely visits at my place than by just going to the party itself. So when she called me to ask, I just said: "Okay I'll go to your damn party, now git." I texted her I would get there in the evening probably around 8. She texted back "Great, can't wait. Now study, bitch!"
So I ultimately get there around 8PM. Basically everybody is already drunk off their gourd. Stephanie sees me, squeals in excitement and runs to me in her bikini and just jumps in the air and slams into me, wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist and gives me a big hug. I hug her back and just keep walking back to the pool where she had started, carrying her with me. I just duck my head around hers and say hi to Stephen, who just glares at me.
She drops back down and I give her her gift. We chat for a few seconds and says "There's beer in the fridge and food in the dining room." I told her I'd be right back.
I go inside and grab a beer from the fridge. I head to the dining room and the table is against the wall with a buffet of sandwiches, tomato pizza, salads, etc. I grab a plate and start putting food on it. I was focused on the task because I was starving. I barely noticed, sitting at the end of the table one of the most stunning woman I have ever seen. I just see her in my peripheral vision and I do a quick double take, quick glance at her and back to the food. I do that a second time. And finally a third time. At that point she is just straight up staring at me and I can't help but chuckle and whisper under my breath "Subtle Guy, sub-tle".
Thankfully she starts laughing too, saving me some embarassment. I look at her and greet her. She says "Hi, I'm Maryse and I'm guessing you're Guy?" I just nod and we start talking. At that point, I just thought I have no shot with her, she's so far out of my league that I'm just gonna talk to her until she sees one of the "models" hanging out by the pool and ditches me for him.
So I'm not feeling like I'm playing for anything, so I'm just myself and not nervous, just talking to her as I would any friend. We chat and she laughs at all my jokes, she gets all my cultural references. She never gets up or ditches me. The plate of food I had made and the beer I had gotten are sitting on the table next to me untouched, I was too busy with the convo to think about food or beer anymore.
After what felt like only 20-30 minutes, Stephanie comes in and tells me, fake grumpy: "So that's where you disappeared to. I invite my best friend to a party and he spends the whole night talking to someone else." I laugh and go: "What do you mean the whole night? I haven't been here that long." She says "Dude, it's 2AM. You've been here for 6 hours..." My jaw dropped and I just said: "Wow, time flies when you're having fun." Maryse chimes in, with a big smile: "It sure does!" That made me happy as you can imagine.
Now I was a little stuck because where Stephanie lived, there's no night service for the bus and the subway had been closed for an hour or so. I figured I would cab it. So I turn to Maryse and tell her: "It was absolutely lovely to meet you and I enjoyed our conversation very much." She says that she did too. I continued with "At the moment, my schedule is incredibly hectic. I'm basically working full-time, studying full-time and sleeping part-time. So I don't have a lot of free time, but if she was interested, whatever little free time I had, I would love to call her or text her to keep on getting to know her."
I see Stephanie in the backgroudnd, looking like a proud mama at how smooth that came out, knowing I was always anything but smooth with women, as proven by the string of blind dates! Maryse has a big smile and we exchange numbers. I go to Stephanie to wish her a happy birthday again. While I'm talking to her, my phone buzzes with a text from Maryse: "Just checking!"
I asked Stephanie "What's the best cab company to call in this area?" Maryse chimes in: "Where do you live?" I tell her where I lived and she goes "It's on the way to where I live, I can give you a ride if you want." Stephanie raised an eyebrow in surprise. I learned later, she did it because it absolutely was not on the way to her place, like, at all. I say that I would love that as it would give us a chance to keep talking.
We get in her car, driving to my place. We talk, she asks me what I'm studying as I hadn't mentioned it earlier. I tell her all about the boring maths I had to study. Much too quickly, we get to my place. She parks in front of my building and we keep talking. At some point, I tell her: "Normally, this is where I would try to "trick" you into coming up to my place..." She interrupts me: "You wouldn't need to trick me. I'm willing and able!"
I tell her that "As tempting as that sounds, I know who I am and I know that if you come up and things proceed to where they're going, I'm not going to be able to study for the rest of the month. I have a kind of obsessive mind and when I find someone or something I like, I can push everything else to the side in favor of that. So to make sure I can still focus on my studying, I have to go up by myself."
She looks at me, a little disappointed but then says, half-jokingly: "We don't have to go up, there's a backseat right there!" We laugh and I give her a kiss and wish her a good night. I managed to stay strong and go back to my condo. Damn it, why did I have to stay strong!!!
My exam was at the beginning of november. During the month of october, we texted a bunch of times and talked on the phone. We went for coffee a couple of times and dinner once. She respected my boundaries and never pushed for more, which I appreciated but also hated at the same time, if that makes sense. The exam came and it was a monster of a Friday. I slept for basically 18 hours after the exam as the adrenalin dropped and my system crashed.
I texted her when I woke up at around 1PM. She was working at the clothing store Stephanie owned. She said "I'm off at 5PM, wanna meet me." I said: "Duh! Why do you think I'm texting? ;)" So I met her at the store downtown. I asked if she wanted to grab a drink, go for dinner, or what. She proposed going to her place and getting some take out. Stephanie who was closing the store at that moment, came up to us and said: "Hey, so what are we doing?" I said: "WE, that is Maryse and I, are going to her place and getting some takeout. Bye!" I'm sure you'll understand when I tell you that no food was ever ordered that night!
Thus followed a whirlwind month of November where any free time we had was spent together, and I wasn't going to complain!
The troubles
By the start of december, things were still going great with us. One saturday night, we were having dinner at a restaurant and I mention that this coming Friday is my office Christmas party, that it's employees only, so we wouln't see each other that night. She tells me: "Oh sure, that's fine! It'll give me a chance to go see some girlfriends I've been neglecting lately." I said "Great! BTW I also got us a reservation at [this great restaurant she had mentioned a few times] for next Saturday, so we could go there and I'll tell you all about my party and you can tell me all about her night with the girls!"
That was settled, I thought. I was wrong. On Thursday, we had spent the evening together at her place and I was about to leave to go back to my place. She tells me: "So are you coming to meet me at the store tomorrow or do I go to your place?" I reminded her: "Neither, tomorrow is my office Christmas party and we won't see each other tomorrow." She said: "Oh right, I forgot." I asked her if she had made plans with her friends like she had mentioned last saturday. She said that they were all busy tomorrow and weren't available.
She suggested "If your party is boring, maybe you could come meet me." I retorted that it wasn't going to be, knowing who was going to be there.
"Yeah but what if?"
"But it won't"
"But what IFFFFFF?" she kept insisting and I kept saying no. After what felt like 30 minutes of that (probably only 2-3 minutes in reality), I had enough and just said to end the argument: "Okay, if it's boring, I'll come. but it won't be." She said: "Cool" with a big smile on her face. I came to learn that that smile meant "Challenge accepted".
The following night, my colleague and I were pregaming in a conference room before leaving for the party proper and my phone buzzes. Maryse was wishing me a good party. I replied. She texted me again. I replied. She texted again, but I was in a conversation with a colleague so I didn't reply or even look at the phone. My phone buzzes again. Still talking, and didn't want to be rude to my colleague. Another buzz. I just kept talking. Phone buzzes differently, she was now calling because I hadn't answered her texts.
"Why aren't you replying to my texts?"
"Hey, sorry, was talking to my colleague Patrick."
"What? you don't want to talk to me?"
"I am talking to you now."
"Why didn't you reply to my texts?"
"Because it would have been rude to my colleague to pull my phone out while talking to him."
"But you're talking to me now."
"Because I thought something was wrong, maybe it was an emergency."
"I wanted to talk to you, that's all."
"Well, gotta go back to the party. Talk to you later."
She kept texting and if I didn't reply right away, she would call after two or three missed texts. After about 2 hours of this, I stopped answering the texts. When she called back, I asked her: "Aren't you supposed to be working?" which started another round of guilt-tripping of "why are you asking me this? you don't want to talk to me?" At that point I had had enough and wanted to enjoy my party. I remembered that the Blackberry (no shaming old tech!) I had had an annoying feature, but I was hoping to put it to good use at that moment.
Whenever the battery would get really low, like less than 1%, it would let out an ear-piercing BEEP for about 3 seconds, reminiding you to charge it and giving you a heart attack all at the same time. It would do that even when you were in silent mode. It had happened a few days earlier when I was with Maryse. I figured, if I press a button on the Blackberry, it would make a beep too that could be heard through the phone. So while I was talking to Maryse, I pressed my thumb on the space bar for a good 3 seconds and sputtered; "what... the .... what?" trying to put on a somewhat believable performance.
She asked what that noise was and I tell her that it was my blackberry letting me know I was low battery and it might shut off any second. I told her "Listen I'm gonna wish you a good night, I'm having a good time at my party so I'll see you tomorrow at 5PM to go spend our evening together. I hope you have a good....." and hung up mid-sentence. I promptly shut my phone off and went back to the party. I concede that I may be a bit of an AH for that move.
The party was great, I got drunk much quicker than I expected owing to the fact that I hadn't had a drink in over two months because Maryse didn't drink so I didn't either when we were together, and we were always together. At 1AM, I went home and passed out on my bed.
This is another place where I may have been an AH. I didn't turn my cell phone back on and I unplugged my home line too, because I wanted to sleep the deep sleep of the drunkard. I woke up at around 1:30 PM, not knowing it was already too late. In my mind, I was meeting Maryse at 5PM to go out on the town that night. Maryse had other ideas as you'll see.
So like I said, I woke up at 1:30PM and was sticky with alcohol sweat, so I went straight for the shower to get clean again. While in the shower, my stomach grumbled with hunger and I started daydreaming of bacon and eggs. That pushed me out of the shower right quick. I dried myself off quickly, tied the towel around my waist and went to the fridge. No bacon.... booo. Looked at the egg compartment... no eggs... booo again. Okay then, how about a cream cheese bagel. No cream cheese, damn it. Look in the pantry, no bagels.... god. I was starting to get angry. Okay, cereals then. I pick up the cereal box, that mofo was empty and I get mad: "who's the idiot who puts the empty box back in the pantry?" I remembered I live alone.
I close the fridge dejected and see the grocery list stuck on the fridge, taunting me with everything I wanted to eat for breakfast written on it. But I felt like if I went to the grocery store hungry as I Was, I'm just gonna pay 600$ and not get one single healthy thing to eat. I then remembered there's a restaurant next to the grocery store that serves breakfast until 3PM. I get excited! I get dressed quickly, grab my wallet and keys, put my boots on, my coat on, wrap my scarf, my tuque and my gloves and go to the restaurant. If you notice, I didn't mention my phone in there.
I get to the restaurant and confirm that they still have breakfast and get even more excited when she confirms it. I order the "heart attack", at least that's how I nicknamed it: 3 eggs, 3 servings of bacon, 2 sausages, and, I guess to give one peace of mind, fruit (or to be precise, one single solitary slice of orange). Now that the food is ordered and coming I figured I would check if I have any messages. I pat the pocket where my phone always is. No phone. uh-oh. I start clutching evert pocket, no luck.
I wonder if I should go back home after the meal before going to the grocery store and decide against it, it would be too long a detour. So I scarf my breakfast down, rush through the grocery store. I get home and set my bags down in front of the fridge. I go pick up my blackberry. I turn it back on. The little tape icon tells me there are messages on my voicemail, at that time there were no red dots with a number in it to tell you how many.
I connect to the voicemail while starting to put the groceries away. The little automated voice tells me "You have 25 new messages." I pull the phone away from my ear, look at it in disbelief as if saying: "are you f'ing kidding me?" So I press 1 to start playing the messages.
Remember: Maryse knew I was at a party with a dead phone, no chargers and I probably wouldn't get home until 1AM. From 6:30PM, when my phone died, to 11:34 PM, when she went to sleep she left me 9 messages. BTW I know she went to sleep at 11:34PM because she left me a message saying "it's 11:34PM and I'm going to bed. Thinking of you." The 9 messages were in the same vein. These are the salient details, but the messages were all much longer.
She woke up at 7:15 the following day, I'll let you guess how I know that tidbit of information! She left me 5 more messages like those from the day before: 7:15 woke up. 7:35 going to take a shower. 7:55 out of the shower. 8:25 getting ready to leave for work 8:50 walking out of the subway to go to the store.
She leaves me another message at 9 that was different. She sounded very excited as if she had had the best idea in the world: "Hey it's 9AM, I'm about to start my shift. I know we're only supposed to meet after my shift, but what if you came and met me for lunch so you could tell me all about your party." I just did my best Scooby-Doo "Ruh-Roh" and chuckled that I blew that, not thinking the calamity that was awaiting me.
Another couple of messages to talk logistics: "I could take my lunch at 12 or 12:30, let me know which you prefer." "I'm taking my lunch at 12:30"
A slightly worried message: "It's 11:15 and you stil have not said if you were coming or not, are you okay?"
The first bomb goes off and I knew I was in trouble then: "Where are you? We're supposed to meet for lunch and you still haven't given me any sign of life, you're not answering your home phone either, what happened?" Reminder: we were not supposed to meet for lunch, she suggested doing so a couple of hours earlier and I never agreed to anything. I guess she told her colleagues I would meet her for lunch and it was now fact and could perhaps make her look bad in front of her colleagues.
The second bomb drops: "It's almost noon now, WHERE ARE YOU? Stephanie says you're probably sleeping off your drunk, but I don't believe her. I'm sure you got yourself a slut and cheated on me. Didn't you? didn't you, you asshole." Stephanie knows me very well, but that wasn't enough for Maryse it seems.
Ensued four more messages from 12:30 to 1:15, where she starts sounding more and more drunk and accusatory, spewing more attacks like in the message above. At that point I already knew it was over, there was no coming back from that. I can understand having trust issues, but that was nuclear. I don't tolerate jealousy because of horrible experiences with a couple of jealous toxic exes.
A final message comes in, and it's a different voice, that of my best friend being more than a little angry: "Hey Guy, listen, Maryse tells me you had a Christmas party yesterday, so I'm guessing you're sleeping off your drunk, still. But call me when you get this. I put Maryse, who's f'ing drunk, in the backstore so she can dry off and "do inventory". She can't be on the sales floor obviously and I just don't feel safe sending her home in the state she's in. Call me to tell me how you want to handle this."
At that point I had finished putting away my groceries and had put my boots and my coat on and was making my way to the subway to go to the store. I call Stephanie and tell her I got the messages and I was coming. She was right, I was sleeping off my drunk and had just woke up (didn't feel the need to mention the breakfast and grocery store). I ask her if she knows what I'm gonna do when I get there. She says that she knows and understands. She knows my bad history.
When I get out of the subway, I call her again before getting to the store. I ask her how she wants me to do this. It's her store and I don't want to create drama in front of her customers. Does she want me to wait outside and she tells Maryse to meet me in the street or do I go in the store and she takes me to the backstore and I do it there? She says to come to the store.
I walk in the store and every saleswomen on the floor looks at me and gives me the biggest case of the stink-eye. They only have Maryse's side of the story, so they think I did all these horrible things. I see Stephanie in the middle of the store and I walk towards her. She shakes her head and points me towards the cash register. I look over there and see Julia, a salesperson that I've known for a couple of years and really like, who also happens to be the biggest gossip in the store. I understand what Stephanie is trying to do. She's gonna make me tell her my story in front of Julia so Julia can spread the "good news" to the other employees and rehabilitate my name possibly.
So I get to the register and say Hi to Julia. She barely acknoledges me. Steph joins me. She asks me:
"How are you?"
"I was better an hour ago, before I listened to those voicemails. I had gone to our office party last night, had a great night, got drunk off my ass, got home at around 2 and woke up around 2."
Julia asks "Maryse told us you were supposed to meet her for lunch."
"No we weren't. I have a reservation for tonight at XYZ restaurant. I was supposed to take the day to do errands, stuff around the condo and meet her here at closing time. She suggested that it could be fun if I came at lunchtime to meet her, but that was never the plan."
Julia asks again "But why didn't you answer your phone?"
"It ran out of battery last night during the party and when I got home, I was so drunk that I forgot to plug it back in. I only plugged it when I woke up at 2. That's when the messages came in."
Julia asks "She says she tried calling your home line and you didn't answer and your machine didn't kick in."
"Yeah, that one's my fault, I knew I wanted to sleep and telemarketers have a habit of calling me early saturday mornings so I didn't want to be awoken by a call for a rug cleaning service, so I unplugged it yesterday morning, knowing I would be drunk when I got home and forget and be angry if I was awakened by a telemarketer."
Julia gave me a hint of a smile, showing me she was starting to believe me. She asked me a few more questions and then she asked what I was gonna do. I told her that whatever I'll do, I would tell Maryse first.
I looked at Stephanie and said: "Can you open the back store so I can go see her?" So we went to the backstore. As we reached the door, it swung opened and out popped Maryse, looking absolutely terrifying, I actually jumped back when I saw her. Her usual perfect makeup was completely smeared, her mascara streaking down her cheeks from the crying. Her hair was disheveled. She was a mess. Apparently, she had had enough of waiting back there and was planning on leaving the store to go home and had put her coat and boots on.
When she saw me, she went into an unhinged rant about me being an asshole for cheating on her, me not being great in bed, me not treating her right, etc. I let her vent everything she had to say, I looked at Stephanie and apologized for creating such a scene in her store. I tell Maryse we should go outside and talk in private. She keeps on yelling, but when I grab her hand to lead her outside, she follows.
When we get outside, her anger had started to wane a little, or maybe just her energy. I was able to talk to her to explain everything, how I had gotten drunk, had overslept (alone) and woke up at 2PM. I reminded her that we were only supposed to meet at 5PM not for lunch. The anger was leaving her and a smile almost appeared on her face. Through all of this I was being very calm and patient with her, which she interpreted as me not being mad at her. I then said in a firmer tone: "However..." and let it hang for a second.
The beginning smile vanished. I continued: "When you accused me of cheating on you, that broke me. That triggered memories of toxic exes who would always accuse me of cheating, not trusting me when I would tell them where I was, snooping on me, stalking me. Because of those experiences, I have a zero tolerance policy for jealousy. I told her that if she was behaving like after only two months of dating, it didn't bode well for the future and I have to protect myself."
At that, the tears started again and she just turned and ran/waddled away. I told her to wait, but she didn't hear me. I turned towards the entrance of the store to see basically all the employees and customers milling around the door trying to catch the drama. I went back inside to talk to my best friend. The mood had definitely changed and no one was giving me the stink eye anymore, but I didn't really care. I was just sad that it had ended, but proud of myself for having stood up for myself.
So AITA for getting drunk and keeping my phone turned off?
There is a lot more to this story and if you want to learn what happened afterwards, then read on.
The immediate aftermath
So I went back inside the store and talked to Stephanie. I told her that I had a reserrvation for XX restaurant and if she wanted to go with Stephen, she could take it, I wasn't in the mood for a dinner. She said "I already have plans for tonight, but thanks for offering." Julia said she would go with me if I wanted, but I just said that I wasn't in the mood to go out. I just wanted to crash and eat a pizza and get into a food coma.
Stephanie said she didn't feel comfortable leaving me by myself and I should join them at her house. They were having friends over to play board games and it could at least distract me a little. I said why not. So brimming with enthusiasm, I went to play bored games. I left early as I wasn't in the mood. I was feeling a little better, but still a bit down. I thanked Stephanie for the invite and left. I got home and just passed out on the bed.
I woke up at around 7AM the next morning and I saw along the corners of the window the tell-tale signs of a snow-drift and got excited as it was the first snow of the season. I pushed the curtains aside and looked on to see a beautiful white carpet outside. It was early enough that very few cars had marred the whiteness. I was admiring it when I noticed that, against the red bricks of the building across the street, there was a pink blotch. As I focused, the blotch became human shaped and I cleared my eyes enough to realize that it was Maryse and she was raising her cell phone to her ear.
On cue, my phone rings. I pick it up. Still sounding drunk, she asks me if we can speak. I ask her to give me five minutes to get dressed and I'll meet her down there. She asks why she can't come up. I say that I'm not sure I want her in my apartment. She says that it's cold out. I say: "Good, then this will be quick."
I get dressed and meet her outside. I'm still bleary-eyed from having woken up 5 minutes ago, but I try to get my wits together. I tell her that we're going to walk to the subway. It 's a 10-minute walk normally, but with her drunkenness, it might take 15-20 minutes. That's how long she has to tell me what she wants to tell me.
She wants to apologize for accusing me of cheating on her. She says she knows I'm a great guy and... I may be the A-hole at this point too, but I start to drift off in my little bubble and start daydreaming about, if I go back to bed, would there still be some residual heat or would it be cold? I could take a hot shower and warm the bed that way. I could still hear her in the background making excuses, saying how she had been cheated on, but I wasn't really listening.
During the daydreaming I notice it got quite quiet. I look on my left and she's not there, I turn around she's a good 5-6 steps behind me looking angry and she says: "you're not listening" I just say: "when you're right, you're right." I tell her that I understand she's been hurt too in the past, and I hope she can work to resolve her issues, but I was done and I'm going back to bed. I was a bit harsh there, but I was tired and still down.
I walk past her and get maybe 10 paces past her when I hear a scream coming from her. I turn around and I see her messing with something inside her coat. She pulls out a chef's knife with like an 8-inch blade. That wakes me the fuck up. Byebye bleary eyes, hello wakefulness. better than a cup of coffee or a red bull I tell you!
So she's got the knife, she's screaming something that I can't quite understand. She gets quiet and then she charges at me with the knife. If I'm being honest I could have stayed where I was and she probably would have missed me anyways, but someone charges at me with a knife, I'm gonna nope out of there. I take a massive side step and once she gets to where I was and realizes that I'm no longer there, she turns her head towards me and says heyyyyy.
At that point, I have a moment of clarity and see what's gonna happen. She's drunk running one way and looking another, I know she's gonna trip. As I predicted, she stumbled over her feet and starts falling to the ground. I start praying to god and anybody who would listen: "Please don't let her cut herself. I don't want to have to explain this to the doctors, EMTs and nurses. I don't want her drunk ass deciding to take revenge on me by saying I did it."
Thankfully, she winds up in a sitting position on the sidewalk holding the knife up and it was clean. Thank god for small miracles. She starts crying and, other moment of clarity, I know she's gonna turn the knife on herself now. I jump towards her and I realize I was right, the knife starts moving towards her left wrist. I tackle her, grab her right wrist and twist it so she drops the knife. I pick the knife back up and put it in my pocket. She looks at me crying and says: "Why did you stop me?"
I pick her up and take her back to my building. In my building there was a couch in the lobby, so I take her there and I sit her down and plop myself next to her. I look at her and wonder out loud: "What am I gonna do with you? What can I do?"
She goes: "Just let me go, I'll be good." I tell her that's not going to happen. I realize I have three options and I give her the three options.
"So here's the choice I give you.
1- I pull out my phone, call 911 and tell them about the attempted murder back there and they send the police to arrest you. I don't want to do that because that could derail your life and not get you the help you need. Besides, they might not do anything anyway as it's your word against mine.
2= I pull out my phone, call 911 and tell them about the attempted suicide back there and that you need to be placed on a 72 hour hold. I could do that, but at the same time, again it's my word against yours, so maybe they don't believe me.
3- I'm gonna hazard a guess here. From what I've seen, you have alcohol problems. So I'm gonna guess you were in AA, had been sober for a while, I want to say 6 months, maybe less, when we met."
She confirms my guess.
"alright so option 3, I'm guessing you had a sponsor in AA." she nods "we call them up and tell them about your relapse and what happened this morning. Can they come get you and take care of you?"
She takes her phone out and picks a contact and calls. She hands me the phone. Someone answers and I explain the situation. They said they were coming right away. I give them my address, they get here 15 minutes later. Maryse had fallen asleep in the meantime, so I wake her up gently and help her to the car. Off she went.
I went back to my apartment and just crashed back to sleep.
A month later
Mid-january, my phone rings and I see Maryse's number on there. I send her to voice mail. Another call. Voicemail again. 5 minutes later, Private number calling. "Gee I wonder who that could be." Voicemail once more.
Afterwards, I didn't get any unidentified callers for a little over a week. One afternoon, I was at work and my phone rings and it's a number I do not recognize. I pick up.
"Hello."
"Hi, is this Guy?"
"Yes, to whom am I speaking?"
"This is Hannah, Maryse's sponsor. we spoke last month." I started fearing the worst.
"Yes, I remember. How can I help you?"
"Maryse tried to reach you last week and you rejected the calls. I think it could help Maryse if you listened to what she had to say. You're obviously not obligated to entertain her, but I think despite everything that happened, you still care about her or you would not have called me that morning."
"You are right, I do still care about Maryse. I'm just not sure how good it would be for her to meet me this soon after everything that happened. I understand wanting to work through the 9th step and making amends, but..." She interrupts me.
"So you know about the steps."
"Yes I have friends in the program. which is how I could guess that she was in the program too that morning."
"You know it's important."
"I know. I know. How about this: we meet in public at a cafe, you would have to be there. Not necessarily at the table with us, but nearby in case she needs help, in case meeting me causes her pain. Tell her I promise to be in a more receptive mood than I was that morning."
So we make an appointment for that saturday afternoon.
I get to the coffee shop. She's already there, and so is her sponsor. I realize happily that she's not wearing makeup. I say happily because that means she understands that this is not a date, but something serious. She's still stunningly beautiful, and I feel sad almost right away.
I grab a coffee and go join her at the table.
"Hey" I say,
"Hey. So this is gonna be uncomfortable, but thank you for agreeing to meet me and for coming, I appreciate it more than you know. I'm sure you heard I quit the store."
"I have, I'm sorry about that, I hope you didn't do it just because of me."
"No, I needed time to focus on myself for now."
She proceeds to tell me about how I wasn't far off with my guess. She had been sober 4 months when we met. Now she had 39 days. She tells me that in AA, if you are single, they recommend not dating anyone new for at least the first year of your sobriety as it can cause issues, similar to what happened with us. I was like her "drug" and as long as I was available, she could get her fix. But the moment I wasn't available all hell broke loose, and that is what led her back to drinking that day.
I told her I'm glad to see her back sober again this quickly and I hope she can get all the help she needs from it. I ask her if she wants to talk to me about her drinking.
She starts to share a story about how she started drinking at around 11 years old. When puberty hit her, she got into a deep depression because the sexual feelings she was starting to feel were triggering responses. As a child she had been abused by two of her uncles repeatedly and her parents never believed her. They accused her of trying to make herself interesting. That was until they caught one of those uncles red-handed.
They finally believed and took the necessary steps to protect their daughter. But they were poor and they couldn't afford therapy. So she never really got help for it. At 11, she started self medicating the depression with alcohol. When alcohol wasn't enough, she added drugs.
At that point, I was full on crying. She asked me if I wanted her to stop. I told her that she doesn't have to stop. That the tears are there because that was one more thing we had in common. I was also a survivor of sexual assault as a child. In my case, it wasn't a family member, it was only a stranger, so it only happened once. But I also self-medicated with alcohol at the onset of puberty, switching to drugs later on too. I was lucky to avoid the pitfalls of addiction, but I was still dealing with my demons, slowly making peace with them.
So there we were, sitting at a coffee shop, both crying and holding each other. I tell her that I think it's great she's getting help for her alcoholism and addicion, but was she doing anything to help with the underlying issue, the original trauma? She said no, she couldn't afford therapy. I tell her that I am a member of a survivors group and if she is interested, I could get her into a meeting and perhaps learn to heal that part of herself too.
She said that she could give it a try. I tell her I have to talk to the other members to know if I can bring someone new and I would let her know. If they said yes, we would go to her first meeting together, I would introduce her and then we would coordinate so that I never went to meetings where she was. I wanted to do that because I wanted her first few meetings to be about healing and I didn't want our own history to be intertwined or mixed in with that.
After that, we left both feeling content and, while not necesarily happy, at peace if you will. Later on, I contacted Stephanie who was one of the "pillars" of the support group (that's how we met) to ask her if it was okay for me to bring in a new member to the group. She said sure. She asked if it was anyone she knew. I told her she would have to meet her at the meeting if she decides to come.
We were having a meeting the following day. I called Maryse, told her the time and place, and she said she would be there. She came to the group meeting and was shocked to see Stephanie there but Stephanie kinda guessed that it was Maryse I was referring to.
I introduce her, we start sharing stories, talking about how we're feeling, etc. The meeting was good and Maryse liked the vibe. So for the first six months after that, I never saw Maryse and we planned which meeting we would be attending to ensure we didn't cross paths. She started feeling much better.
After maybe 2 and a half years, she finally felt ready and she started dating again. She met someone and she fell for him. They were together for about six months, she looked happy. Unfortunately after about six months, she caught him cheating on her. We tried supporting her, being good friends, cursing his name, doing all the things we could to make sure she didn't relapse. But on April 5th 2014, she ODed on heroin. She was hospitalized for 2 weeks after that.
Hannah took her in and she set up a room for Maryse. She was still in a fragile state, so a group of her friends and I started taking turns watching over Maryse, making sure there was always at least one person there with her to keep her company.
Despite our vigilance, on May 14th 2014, when Hannah was out running a quick errand, she was gone maybe 15 minutes tops, Maryse found a way to cut her wrists and she died. We found a note saying that "the OD was not an accident, and neither was that. Thanks for everything you did for me. I love you all, but I can't do this anymore."
It feels good to write that story (I'll just ignore the fat tears rolling down my face!). Thanks for reading this far and sorry for the long story, I just started writing and couldn't stop. I apologize if it was a bit of a bummer.

This is a long read sorry!
Hi, I (22F) literally just joined, I have been on reddit for a while now, I post here or there but I really need the grace that only reddit seems to have, kisses but you know it's true. So, I guess, I am screaming into the void, because the truth is I am so gutturally confused.
Like the title says- I have always fantasized of being a flower child, a changeling, of turning towards the corner of the yard, the woods beckoning me to run away, the gentleness of which the coyotes would pick my bones clean. My childhood felt like a house fire only I could see.
My father's nightcap of whiskey got less and less watered down as nights were uncomfortable to spend on the family room couch. The one that he fiercely protects, once threatening my friend who mistakenly lounged in his spot. My mother's love felt scarce, a luxury only my younger sister could afford. Between that and her ambition to become the first nurse and college graduate of both families, I was more of my father's daughter. My younger sister and I were doll-like children, meek and polite to the price of our own dignity and self. To give a brief snapshot of what it was like being raised by them \~ even though "I'm remembering it all wrong, or not at all" I will try to go in chronological order, but you can quickly see most of these were not isolated incidents and I jump around:
-daily spankings because of crying during daycare drop off (fair technique)
-tricking us out of the "broken" car, in the rain on a dirt road "get gas" and proceeded to speed past us laughing as we ran after his taillights in the mud, we were in another country, on a solo trip with just our dad, we were both elementary school age.
-In elementary school and 6th grade I lived in a sweatshirt because when I hit puberty. I pleaded to my mother how hard it was to hear my father's constant comments about my womanhood and new body. He started to compare me to a hooker around this time, calling me a slut for trying to wear what my friends wore to school- leggings, shorts shorter than the knee but not offensively short I promise, though I strongly feel as clothing does not mean consent.
-For as long as I can remember, he would take pictures of us when we looked embarrassed then show it to family, friends, whoever in conversation in front of us then scold us when we inevitably felt bad or asked him to stop. He would also promise to delete the photo but would continue the previously mentioned above.
-So far, I have just been harping on my father, but the truth is they are a match made in hell, and though I feel like my mother is a victim in her own way. It was very hard to exist without their constant horrible comments about my appearance and character. They both shamed skinny children to be thinner, critiqued my body through puberty, and felt entitled to touch my body when and how they wanted. Examples include my father's frequent ass grabbing, and then allowing his adult male friend to do the same.
-They both would ridicule me for working minimum wage jobs in high school, while my father funnels out of my sister and I's joint accounts, only when we confront him does he fess that he required the money we earned for ourselves for the "mortgage". He continues as well as set monetary account goals, right before trips or plans, he would always be surprised that we had managed to scrape together enough money. He expects me to find a place that will fire and schedule me on a winter vacation, or to amount 5k in less than 3 months, while paying for my own necessities, thank you for teaching me to live on frugality as a means of survival.
-The name calling I touched on, but I would be the first to come home from school, my father would take his lunch to come home and berate me verbally of how much of a loser I am and will continue to be. The verbal arguments were daily, I fully admit to yelling back but in truth I couldn't leave his spewing red face hurling threats, I had to stay glued in place until he had his fill.
-Another solo trip with my father and sister, my mother had cleaned my room while we were away and had found my treasures- vapes, two beers. I got pulled out of the running shower to be beaten on and off through the night whenever my father took a break from tv, my sister sob in the room with my father to stop and I sat on the couch until morning. We had a tourist excursion the next day and I got it again before we left because I was not to "ruining the rest of his vacation with my bad attitude"
-They locked away my childhood cat, sick with cancer, to die alone in the basement so she would ruin their floors with her incontinence. When she passed, they did not tell me, they buried her in the woods behind our house, I wish I could lay beside her, I'm sorry little one.
-My father would come home and yell at me for not having dinner ready for him, because when my mother worked late or was not home, the next one responsible for dinner was my younger sister or me.
-He physically corners us or refuses to let us leave. Threatened my life when I tried to leave the house during an argument.
-Put his hand through the door a couple of times because I “gave attitude” by responding with ok. Readers, please note I am capable of attitude, but this was not the case, I was scared, and I just wanted to give him whatever answer he wanted
-I'm a summer birthday, so for my big 21st I had my cousin, bf and sister have a pool party in my parents' pool. No one told me the plan all day. I was told to just relax by everyone, because normally I would be running around serving people or helping my parents. No one told me anything, so we played some games in the yard, had some wine coolers and then swam. My father flies outside and starts yelling at me from the side of the pool to get my ass out and blow out my candles because he needs to drive my cousin 20 minutes home each way. So, I blew out my candles, soaking wet staring daggers because my father has always managed to underplay or make me feel bad on my birthday too? Another grievance from my 21st birthday is that my father grilled frozen steaks, and I truly do not want to seem like a stuck-up princess, but he proceeded to buy 300$ of food from my favorite restaurant and his favorite food is steak not mine. Note his birthday is the next day following mine.
I may post in regard to the tribulation that was my childhood in this thread again, but it takes a lot out of me, and I have already had myself a day sorry. Now you're all caught up and I just want you to know-
I have long ruminated over my own words and actions; though I have many regrets I do not feel ashamed of my choices or who I am because I try to treat everyone with kindness and most importantly respectability. I know the lengths my immigrant parents have gone through to build themselves a life. I know the struggles my father had with his father, the alcoholic who raised him with cruelty reserved for not even a barn animal. I know that my mother lived in the shadows as a neglected middle child hoping to find someone who realized all her good in the way her parents did not. I can see and understand that I carry the same wounds, and now it is within my responsibility to be better.
So, my relationship with my parents is strained right now. I have been in low contact with my mother and father for nearly four years, with periods of better contact. We have tried therapy, though it's difficult as my mother uses this as an opportunity to explore her wounds rather than our history or relationship. Though the therapist was helpful in directing the conversation back, I believe that the work can only happen with the person wanting to actually work on themselves, so I feel like I am at a frustrating impasse.
Every time I feel like I can take out a brick between the wall I keep between us, my mother will say something that makes me build another layer. I try not to be sensitive, yet I know my mother likes to cut with her words, though she claims otherwise. In a recent conversation my mother admitted that my father and she spent a great effort in making sure my beauty did not go to my head and did this in order to keep me humble.
For context, my mother’s side of the family does not like my father, and this along with other childhood issues festering into adulthood drove a wedge between my mother and her younger brother. His recent divorce and my mother’s empty nest have given them much time and space to rekindle their sibling relationship. So on our already strained phone calls she hits me with these metaphors of her brother and her relationship to ours. Am I off for thinking that those are two very different relationships, yet both have.. Jealousy? Furthermore, I feel a looney because I am fighting to keep them in my life, and they are fighting to be right.? To be absolved of the guilt and shame that maybe they did do the wrong thing.?
What gives them the right? When we all have to lay away at night with our guilt you want me to hold yours? I want a mother and they want a guiltless soul
Truthfully, I do not know what kind of future lies ahead for us. I think I grieve having bullies instead of parents, of what I missed out on and who I could have been. Like I said I am low contact right now, but after a normal phone call talking about the weather and our pets today, I had an anxiety attack to the point I fought to stay conscious. This has not been the first time I have fainted due to anxiety, mostly surrounding situations that remind me of them or things they punished or did to me in the past. The day after I wished my father a happy birthday after a year of no contact, I got two pills of ativan to the face after a ER visit in which they thought my poor bf was trafficking me. Though this is maybe too much, I am always sweating, my sides literally pour, my hands shake, and I can string together a sentence if I try. I feel like a different person, a moist, meek person.. which is not me, I self tattoo and pierce, I can and have tackled an attacking dog and I have punched touchy men square in the nose. I’m tough because I fought tooth and nail to be kind and gentle, we rescued cats and recently a possum, and we let out spiders and bugs, so our cats don’t terrorize them.
Here’s the thing… we’re getting married!
We’re tying the knot in the woods at the end of May, but I feel like an asshole because I have not told my parents. They know we’re engaged.
My mother, in a recent phone call, told me of this travel nurse that she had gotten close to, that was getting married soon, and invited my mother to go dress shopping with her. My mother told me how sad this girl felt that her family was all the way across the country, coincidently much like we are. This felt like she was guilting me, but she went so far as to send me a picture of a couple, I didn’t verify who it actually was.
Another issue is I am dealing with the guilt of getting a ring and bands elsewhere. My father is a high-end jeweler whose work has been showcased by celebs, my whole life I heard that my father was going to design and make my engagement ring. After long consideration, we picked out a ring from Madrid that felt more like me. When I look at my wedding rings I want to think of my husband not my father. I am more than happy with anything else, rings for other occasions, but it makes my skin crawl and my stomach curling because part of me feels as if it's more of a collar than a ring then.
My mother wants to meet over memorial weekend, she wants me to fly out a day to visit before I’m getting married.
I do not know if I should facetime them and break the news before, after or invite them. It’s already last minute so airfare will be expensive, but I know they are going to be so heartbroken. Part of me does not want them there either because I have felt alone my whole life, I figured I would do my wedding the same way, though it's hard because my fiancé's family will be there, and I will have no one. I wish I could hire a friend... lol typed that with a tear in my eye that's ironic.
Suggestions please

We're still in the process of sleep training so it's still all over the place but we had one good night were my 5 month old only woke up once to nurse at 5 am and that day he only had two naps. Let me paint you the picture: Woke up at 7 am Nap 1 from 9 to 10.30 Nap 2 from 1.05 until 2.25 (he started his nap a bit late according to the 2.25 wake window but he took a while to fall asleep) I tried to make him sleep a third nap but he just didn't fall asleep so I gave up and he finally slept at 6.45.
He woke up at around 9.30 crying for 10 minutes then back asleep without intervention, he does that everyday, not related to not taking his third nap.
He usually wakes up at 2 to nurse but that night he didn't. He just woke up at 5 to nurse then back asleep until 7.15.
What's the deal?! Should I try to only let him sleep twice a day? He doesn't always nap for 1h30 though like he did on that day, sometimes it's only one hour for one nap and then the subsequent naps are 1 hour then like 45/50 minutes. That day he had two +- 1h30 naps.
Help! I'm so tired from nursing him at night. My older kids still wake me up at least once a night and I'm drained

So I'm planning a trip to Taiwan this fall, and since I'm flying out of Vancouver this will be a 12 and a half hour flight. Because this will be my longest flight ever, I'm worried I'll get uncomfortable as my experience with long-haul flights in regular economy in the past were unpleasant to say the least.
I know that there are a lot of posts like this out there, but they're mostly regarding regular economy or premium economy seats. It's been hard finding anything regarding bulkhead seats.
My main priority is to sleep as long as possible to minimize awake time on this very long flight, so comfort and leg room mean the most to me over anything else. That's why I'm considering purchasing a bulkhead seat.
Looking at the prices, the difference between bulkhead economy and bulkhead premium economy is only about $500 CAD, which is something I'm willing to fork out for the extra comfort. Business is obviously out of the question as it's ridiculously higher.
I know I can't expect business class comfort in economy/premium economy bulkhead, but I'm hoping that someone is able to help me choose between the two. Were you able to sleep decently? Was the extra legroom worth it?
From my research both airlines offer very similar products, I've just not been able to find much regarding bulkhead seats.
I am a bit worried that bulkhead's proximity to the lavatory/ nursing seats might hinder my ability to sleep. Would this make bulkhead seats not worth it?
Also If anybody wants to share how they were able to sleep in regular economy/premium economy I'd be more than happy to hear that too!
Thank you :)