There isn't a lot of spoilers but there is some but barely any legit spoilers passed the special exam post desert island arc.
Hey!
Finished reading up to the current Volume of the LN and wanted to share my thoughts on the series as a whole and where I think it may go from here.
I became aware of this season when season 1 first aired through social media and decided to watch the show up until the end of the first season. After it ended, I had to know more and so I looked and found out about the light novel. I was hooked ever since.
My thoughts on the first year were pretty good because the mystery of the school, the students and the MC kept me interested and it was very refreshing having a main character not allow himself to be bullied by his friends or act like a stereotypical virgin whenever a women would talk to him.
I found the beginning to do a very good job of keeping people on their toes as even though this is based in Highschool and has a battle royale based premise, it uses different games then your typical battle royal clone and allows you to basically view how it’s played through the eyes of the protag Kiyo.
Another thing that makes Kiyo interesting is that while he does boast internally that he knows everything on a level that would surpass some of the smartest college students in Japan, he does not immediately flaunt or trivialize the games to the point where there isn't any tension with each game.
Another thing I enjoy is that though it’s a team-based Battle royale, the fact that you get to know the leader of each team and they slowly grow to know Kiyo makes it interesting and sets up potential conflicts of interest before the first year is even halfway over. Personally, I like all of the other class leaders a good bit. I enjoy Ryuuen especially because he still remains true to his nature, but he takes advice from the person who beat him using just as morally questionable tactics as him and works to fine tune those morally questionable tactics so that he doesn't get beat because he is sloppy on his approach. I enjoy Ichinose battle with her "horrible" shop lifting past as much as an American can sympathize on something most over here would consider very minor in terms of criminality. While I can't obviously say it's just fine, I also feel at times it's overblown but again I'm American and at some point, we've all pocketed a pack of gum or added an extra item to our shopping cart we didn't ring up. She is a genuinely good person which is enjoyable when the other people portrayed as rivals are just as likely to stab you in the front as well as they would in the back. While the main goal is to graduate from Class A because somehow everything you ever need in life will somehow be given to you, the thought of making sure everyone makes it to the finish line is a good goal on its own knowing how easy it is for people to be expelled. I Don't mind Arisu but truthfully up until the most recent chapters, she was honestly hard to relate to even more than Kiyo because every time she's on screen she always has a smug grin as if everything is already taken care of and no matter what, she will come out on top. while its charismatic it can kinda drive off any sense of connection. I'm happy she starts getting humbled later on, but it takes a long time.
The series threw me for a loop when they focused heavily on Horikita in the beginning only to seemingly drop her to a side character for the rest of the arc until Kiyo dealt with Ryuuen. It honestly felt like she wasn't that important anymore, so I was pleasantly surprised how she slowly made her way back into the sub-protag role throughout the rest of the 2nd year. I don't really like Horikita compared to most of the other characters, but it speaks more highly to the other characters than anything wrong with her. My reasons for disliking her a little more than the other characters maybe stem from the fact we see more of her than anyone else and could have changed if she was more of a side character than one of the main focuses of the series. I do think that she gradually gets better as a character or more dynamic would be the better way to phrase it, I still think she is very flawed or at least she is written flawed, but the story seems to make things conveniently workout in her favor whenever she desperately needs it. I will say that I find that some of my favorite characters are legitimately side characters some of which have just recently showed up or showed up and went away for a long period of time after. Case in point Tsubaki from class 1-c she is basically kiyotaka but not overpowered like he is. We get a lot of Nanase in the beginning of the second-year arc but basically after the deserted Island exam she barely shows up anymore her split personality also just goes away. Kiryuuin Is also one of my favorites and she is sparingly gets in the story but when she does, she is very interesting and I'm sad that in a few more books she'll probably complete disappear from the story. I was never high on some characters like Kei, Nagumo, Matsushita ( mostly because why isn't she revealing this secret hidden talent that she said she had in the first year) and Manabu. I know Manabu might be a hot take, but I personally feel like his whole schtick about not telling Horkitia that he does love her but wants her to do her own thing for an entire year was so stupid because he just needed to call her to the student council office and literally have the conversation at ANY point in the year why wait till the end. I'm glad that he gives Kiyo a goal or maybe project he wants to complete before he meets Monabu again but other than that he was a blander Kiyotaka.
On that note a few things that have bothered me as the story has gone on,

1. I’m not going to say anything even though I could because then people would look at me weird. And we can’t have that?
   
2. I won't reveal where you came from even though it would be the most detrimental thing, I could do to you whether people believe it or not, but I won't because I never intended to use it as a tactic no matter what. why not?
   
3. You betrayed us and kicked our friend out of the school so I'm going to dropout so we lose but I will wait for a week or so to do it because I wanted to see the festival first. huh? Why wait for something stupid like that? You're already planning on Jeopardizing your whole class but decide to wait because of a festival that theoretically doesn't matter anymore. Not only that but the fact that you don't leak what happened that caused the friend to be expelled while you waited to expel yourself, further causing an issue for them when you are gone, just doesn't make any sense at all.
   
4. Horikita has lucked into some of the most micky mouse wins I've ever seen. Like I said before the plot sometimes seems to not make sense in a real word aspect but because the other can control how 120 kids always behave you can give bad reasons for something to work out and it always will because the plot needed it to. I really truly feel like that exam where Sakura was expelled was damn good all the way up until her best friend decided not to follow through with her plans to sink the class in retaliation. There was literally nothing anyone could have done to stop her or Kushida from sinking the class once the exam was over. I truly thought it would have been checkmate for the class and maybe you shift away from class 2-D the same way it feels like Kiyo is doing now and consider it a failed experiment. I would have LOVED it if she flunked the class even though Kiyo and Horikita did everything possible to bring them close to being class A. Actions have consequences, you expelled my friend and not the traitor and making excuses that it work out if Kushida complies from that point forward. OK fine I'll screw everyone like they screwed my good friend by dropping out willingly. Could you imagine the fallout knowing you failed even if you made the right decision in that moment. Basically, halfway through the second year 1 class has officially lost the race but just like Nagumo said, it's still possible to transfer out of a class to a different one so it doesn't mean the story ends for Kiyotaka or any of the students, but that class has lost.
   
5. Koenji is literally my least liked character in the series at this point and it's strictly based off what I THINK will happen in the future. The author has done absolutely zero to give backstory to Koenji and why he is so good at everything. Zilch. At least as unreasonable as it sounds, we know why Kiyo and the other white room students are so broken. The most we know about Koenji is that he is a blonde Adonis who studied in China and for some reason just laps everyone at everything. My thoughts on this are that if and when Kiyo decides to leave the class, Horikita and by proxy (Koenji) will be the final boss.
   

I don't like 4 the most and 5 the second most because it starts to make you doubt any haymakers are coming that legitimately don't feel like an asspull anymore. I can't be engrossed in the story if I feel like Horikita is going to be the final boss. I can't be engrossed in the story if I know that Horikita is going to use Koenji to actually make it hard for Kiyo to win that final round. I can't feel engrossed if I have a feeling one of the leaders is about to be expelled or completely sidelined for some completely stupid reason so that we can get this obvious conclusion started. That's why I can stand those last two points I didn't see Kiyo allowing Kei to get beat up and tortured multiple times to further his goals or plots. I didn't foresee a not so random secret agent being planted in the school and immediately striking Kiyo while he's talking with Arisu the daughter of the man he just ousted. I didn't foresee Kiyo convincing one of his would be rivals to come back to the school because it would be a little boring if that class completely fell apart without him to lead it. I didn't foresee Kiyotaka making as many "friends" the way he has since the start of series and most of those relationships feel natural which is why it has been fun following Kiyo and the people he encounters.
Overall, I'm happy with this series and it has made me look for more LNs to fill in my time while we wait for more to come out.
I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on the series as a whole as well.
Tldr; I like almost everything but the things that I dislike are becoming more prevalent in the story than in the beginning.

Hi everyone,
On Tuesday afternoon, I got in my car and as I lent against my seat I noticed pain just below my bra strap area on the right hand side. It felt like a bad case of sunburn (haven’t been in the sun at all, live in the UK) but it was only on the right side, an area about the size of my hand. I was in a rush so thought I’d have a look at it when I got home as I was sure I must have something there to be causing my pain. But no, upon inspection there was nothing at all there. I thought that was weird and kinda just dealt with it for the rest of the day. Woke up the next morning and the pain was now both on my back and my stomach - the area of pain on my stomach was directly in line with my back pain (think just below breast). This morning, things are the same. No new areas of pain and no rash. I’m so confused.
For context, I’m 33F. Had surgery in Feb to remove ovarian torsion, then got a sinus infection, antibiotics for that gave me c diff. It’s been about a month since I finished c diff medication.
Any ideas? I’m feeling quite worried about it now🙁

Ivaxa has been well known for his high BPM stream plays along with his obscene singletapping skills over the course of a few weeks at the time of writing. His most notable achievement is his S rank on Deceit [pishi’s Extra] +DT (Score) (Replay). However there is some unusual behavior that Ivaxa has that should be looked into. This thread will look into quite a few cases of these weird findings.
As of the current date, May 16th, 2024, we have collected enough information to submit our public review of Ivaxa’s activity. We are asking the osu! staff and other independent researchers to validate our information and proof-check every single aspect of it. If our findings would be proven to be incorrect and/or not substantial - that's completely fine. Our goal is not to just blindly accuse but to establish the truth.
This document contains currently collected information about Ivaxa, his scores, profiles, and potential connections to other “alt” accounts in the game. We, as an independent team, are trying to establish the legitimacy or lack thereof of said player.
As always, harassment of any of the people mentioned/involved in the report is inappropriate. Please be civil when partaking in the discussion.
Replays, and VODs can be found in a google drive at the end of the thread so you can investigate and see moments listed in the thread yourself.
But first, here's a few things to consider:

1. Ivaxa’s mouse is a HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2, he allegedly plays on 800 DPI with a 0.62x sens multiplier on osu!. The only reason as to why it’s alleged is because of his recent streams, his sensitivity seems higher than it actually is.
2. He plays with a Sayu O3C keypad that runs at 8000hz (Peripheral information can be found from Ivaxa’s Twitch channel.)
3. He is able to singletap 191 BPM streams consistently.
4. Ivaxa used to be a DT aim player, not much of a stream player until recently.
5. The player does have skill, however he may be using some sort of outside assistance software-wise like aim assist or relax hacks.
6. All replays in this thread were inspected using Circleguard.
7. Most of the information down below was conducted in the empirical (perceived) sense, so take all of it with a grain of salt.

Section one: Replays

There are a few moments within Ivaxa’s recent replays that felt unusual or very strange; mostly unusual edge hits, but also weird UR bar behavior.
The Deceit +DT
There are a few things to mention about this score. The first is an unusual UR bar behavior from 91076 ms (~1 minute 31 seconds) to 93123 ms (~1 minute 33 seconds). The UR bar looks like this in the end. This type of UR bar behavior is often found in 125 hz keyboards with a map that has a BPM that is a multiple of 125 (125 BPM, 250 BPM, 375 BPM, etc.). However, Ivaxa doesn’t use a 125hz keyboard or keypad, he uses one that is rated at 8000hz. This is rather unusual since this type of UR is only found in this section of the map only. Also, if he were to play on a 125hz keyboard/keypad, the type of UR that was shown above would be all over the map since the Deceit with DT is mostly 375 BPM.
The second would be his aim, particularly at around 1885 combo, his cursor shakes at an abnormal magnitude from the rest of the map. This shake can be caused by nerves, tapping strain of the left hand, or a mix of both. But, Ivaxa’s alleged sensitivity is so low that the shake that has been shown in the replay is either really hard to do or impossible.
Gotta go Fast +DTSO
This score has one thing that is quite suspicious. at 47582 ms (~48 seconds) into the map, an awkward edge hit is found where he over-aimed and seemingly snapped back to the circle. This kind of edge hit is something that a normal osu! player wouldn’t be able to hit entirely, especially at the speed at which the map is being played at. Another edge hit can be found in the same map at 28852 ms (~29 seconds), where the cursor doesn’t naturally curve at the end, instead snapping to the edge of the circle. Both cases may allude to the usage of some sort of aim assist.
Metal Crusher +DT
There are two things to note about this score, the first is some unusual cursor movement at the ending section of the map. Ivaxa’s cursor slightly follows the slider at 59128 ms (~59 seconds), and another right after at 60400 ms (~one minute). Movement like this paired with the speed at which the map is being played at just seems unusual/suspicious.
There are also five edge hits within the map, four out of the five edge hits are at the very edge of a circle. The probability of hitting these types of edge hits is rather low, especially when there are four of them in one map.
Edge Hit #1: https://i.imgur.com/g3VlDoz.png
Edge Hit #2: https://i.imgur.com/vpTKuw7.png
Edge Hit #3: https://i.imgur.com/oQiEwVR.png
Edge Hit #4: https://i.imgur.com/nJyVbiq.png
Edge Hit #5: https://i.imgur.com/MN9MfwN.png
Sendan Life +DTHD
There is something to be said about some of the 100’s that Ivaxa is hitting. More specifically some 100’s within a few of the maps that have been observed so far are very near the barrier of being a 300 hit regardless of whether the note is early or late (https://i.imgur.com/cxFSdjf.png, https://i.imgur.com/bHLurZn.png). The sayu is precise enough to actually hit these types of 100’s, however it feels like these have occurred too often, so much so that this play has half of the 100’s in the map has these “edge 100’s,” for a lack of a better term. There are also two 100’s (100 #1 and 100 #2) that have been hit at exactly the same lateness/timing.
100 #1: https://i.imgur.com/KR4BhWe.png
100 #2: https://i.imgur.com/pzg7zMn.png
100 #3: https://i.imgur.com/z5qIocV.png
100 #4: https://i.imgur.com/pgEBsKK.png
100 #5: https://i.imgur.com/rQ50Uhs.png
100 #6: https://i.imgur.com/oMkQ3O5.png

Section Two: Twitch Streams

The two pieces of information down below are more focused on his single tapping skills, along with some weird/suspicious moments during his stream.
Stream title: #18 #2PL we back boys PL/ENG
At 15:37, Ivaxa is seen to be double tapping 270 bpm streams even though he S ranked the Deceit with DT around three days after said stream (390 BPM). At 49:15 mins of the same stream: he is seen to singletap 191 BPM streams, probably because he was warm when playing at his point.
Stream title: #17 #2PL Yomi yori 3 mod pass happening right now wtf,
On March 31st, 2024, on the VOD where he S ranked The Deceit +DT, at the end of the VOD at 2:58:42 Ivaxa is seen singletapping a 390 BPM burst. After which he paused the game and blamed Steam notifications. Despite the bottom half of his monitor being visible on stream through the webcam, where no steam notifications or pop-ups are visible, he then opened Steam to "change notifications settings.'' After allegedly changing the settings, his cursor trajectory on the visible parts of the monitor on stream tells us that he moved the mouse from the top most left corner, while usually Steam settings are located in a pop-up window at the center of the screen. Afterwards His stream allegedly "crashed."
To see the moment, play the following .mp4 file: 20240331 #17 #2PL Yomi yori 3 mod pass happening right now wtf Part 3 and go to the near end.
Stream title: #9 #2PL if i want to i'll farm req closed
On April 7th, 2024 Ivaxa showed on the osu! Game discord server that he is able to singletap 191 BPM (better picture of the graph), however six days later after the message, on his stream on April 13th, 2024 Ivaxa showed that he was able to singletap PoNo’s Yomi Yori 220 BPM streams at the end. This type of BPM jump in such a short amount of time can only be reasoned with by hardware abuse via rapid trigger. Either that, or some sort of relax hack that assists the player in tapping.

Section Three: Multiaccounting

There are many pieces of information that suspect that Ivaxa is multiaccounting, however there is currently no concrete evidence on whether or not he is indeed multiaccounting. Please keep this in mind when reading this section of the thread.
The Mulitiaccount & Play Count Graphs
Pipecat is the suspected multiaccount. First of all, both Pipecat and Ivaxa are placed 1st and 2nd on the osu!mania leaderboard in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland (This is done by using osu! subdivide nations). Both play count graphs also seem to compensate for each other as of 2024, April 4th (the graph for Ivaxa has been warped in order to have a better visualization).
Time-pp Scatter Chart & Best Performances
The same thing happens with their Best Performance Time-pp Scatter Chart from ameobea/osu!track (Pipecat's Mania Chart and Ivaxa's Mania Chart non warped). Both graphs seem to compensate for each other, especially at around the month of March, as of 2024, April 5th (again, Ivaxa's chart has been warped for better visualization of score submissions).
Speaking of pp, both accounts have similar maps in their best performances list (Ivaxa is on the left, Pipecat on the right). If you want to see more, just check their mania profiles.
This may ask the reason as to why Ivaxa hasn’t played any vsrg (Vertical Scrolling Rhythm Game), and yet his performance in mania is abnormal for his time played. As seen from the play count graph from above, Ivaxa would’ve most likely played mania first on the Pipecat account, and then proceeded to play mania again on the other.
Names/Naming Scheme & Last Seen
Their naming scheme can also be taken into account as, Ivaxa’s name was inspired by Vaxei, and Pipecat was inspired by Whitecat.
It is also worth noting that Ivaxa and Pipecat’s Last Seen times are near each other, being more or less one hour apart from each other.
https://i.imgur.com/uVucqXr.png
https://i.imgur.com/lYh4Gbb.png

Section Four: Misc, additional “facts,” and Speculations

This section is dedicated to the additional miscellaneous information and our speculation formed from the data we discovered during the process of the investigation. These entries are not verbosely written due to us not finding enough evidence/information to make them included in the previous sections.
For ease of understanding the entry's level of absurdity, we marked them with color tags. The marking process for each entry was completely subjective so even the most absurd ones could be a potential aid for independent investigators/osu! staff as an additional lead where we “hit the wall.”
Fact: Could be used as a potential lead
Fact + Assumption: Not substantial enough to be included in previous sections/Assumption
Pure Speculation: Completely speculative fact/information
Fact: BayOfEvil (Ivaxa’s old username), does have an osu!report on it, although the report isn’t very helpful. One of the thread's replies includes a Discord recording with Ivaxa playing as “proof” of him being legit. This should be investigated further (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVQDdw1SSLs).
Fact: Ivaxa’s Mania score on Ne uchi +DT was set 22 days after his no-mod score.
Fact: In Pipecat's osu profile a discord server can be found (https://discord.gg/jkMydV3PTB), upon searching "Ivaxa" the only two mentions of the name is from the user Pipecat (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/577365869949354025/1225631393820708914/image0.jpg?ex=6621d52f&is=660f602f&hm=e3589cb93e9ffb2b7c0ef7ffbdedcc3b09df919a7082d11468035ff4f4f6e65e&).
Fact: Guitar to Kodou to Aoi Hoshi: Edge hit at the very edge at 202358 ms (~3 minutes 22 seconds) (https://i.imgur.com/PAWsyh7.png) Similar to the edge hit on FUCK YOU.
Fact + Assumption: FUCK YOU: Very erratic cursor movement at 4485 ms (~4.5 seconds) (https://i.imgur.com/mkRw4Ki.png) combined with his sensitivity and the map’s speed, this is basically impossible. Also he's been under-aiming a lot in this map but that might just be me. There is also an edge hit at the very edge at 60301 ms (~1 min) (https://i.imgur.com/GFxZctS.png), which can be questioned.
Fact + Assumption: Gotta go Fast HDDTHR: The UR bar is acting the same way that was observed with the deceit score from above (Gotta go Fast: https://i.imgur.com/ywA8XAu.png, Deceit: https://imgur.com/cbUtzya). With both maps being 375 BPM with DT, Ivaxa may or may not have used the same method of cheating if he is.
Fact + Assumption: Stream title: #18 #2PL we back boys PL/ENG, at 15:37 mins, Ivaxa is seen to be double tapping 270 bpm streams even though he S ranked the Deceit with DT around three days after said stream (390 BPM).
Fact + Assumption: A Thread created by sampierat on twitter: https://vxtwitter.com/sampierat/status/1775216723743875457?s=20

• https://imgur.com/pC3DBMq

Pure Speculation: During a congregation, several people have noted/proposed that Ivaxa may or may not be using three keys in order to stream higher bpm’s, using a software that alternates the middle key (since he plays ring-index) between key 1 and key 2 to insure that nothing is suspicious with his tapping count.
Pure Speculation: We condone an anonymous survey inside the mania community, including some of the top players, regular 4k, 7k, and 8k players, and some tournament organizers. Most of the participants agree that Ivaxa’s progression and improvement curve is abnormal.
Pure Speculation: Stream title: #18 #2PL we back boys PL/ENG, within the first hour of the stream, Ivaxa is seen to have completely lost his aim (44:46 min), even though he nearly fc'd Brazil on Fiery's Extreme with HDHRDT ten days prior to the stream. Although this evidence may not be as substantial as the others because of retry spamming Brazil.
Pure Speculation: The earliest known screenshots of Ivaxa grinding The Deceit Pishi's Extra, was on 2023, December 22nd (https://twitter.com/Ivaxaosu/status/1738245663631024453, https://twitter.com/Ivaxaosu/status/1738268599129632811, He later achieved an S rank on 2024, March 31st. He would've grinded the map for the past 3 months, however his play count seems to not reflect the grind, only having 237 plays as of 2024, April 5th (https://i.imgur.com/dg4HdSl.png).
Pure Speculation: https://youtu.be/Isp233epRAA the hands, and tapping technique may be similar to Ivaxa.
Pure Speculation: Potential lead/connection between Ivaxa and Pipecat could be found via steam accounts.
Ivaxa’s has two steam accounts (Both Steam profiles were sent to aknzx at one point):

• Main account https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199027517248
• Alt (thanks for Ivaxa posting it on one of the discord servers) https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199081700184
  • Has a VAC ban on it
• Pipecat’s steam account:
  • “Main account” https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199389486073

Pure Speculation: Additional platforms related to Pipecat:

• Their youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@pipe_cat (We tried to use it compare Ivaxa’s voice and Pipecat’s voices already, not enough information)
• Their GD (GeometryDash) profile: https://gdbrowser.comNotPipeCat

Pure Speculation: Pipecat’s Windows username https://imgur.com/a/DCgtC82 (from this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNTTpSl1hHo ) If it could be proven that Ivaxa’s real name is Krzys, it could be a potential lead (despite it being a very popular name in Poland).
Pure Speculation: Pipecat is recording videos on his Youtube channel using both a PC and a Laptop. The PC is running Windows 11, and the Laptop is running Windows 10. This Could be a potential lead.

Verdict

Ivaxa’s single tapping speed is very abnormal, especially considering that he was able to stream 220 BPM in just six days, starting from 191 BPM, all singletapped. His aim on some maps feels weird, and some edge hits are questionable in terms of legitimacy. The incident on his stream on March 31st of this year also felt suspicious and weirdly timed, as if he was covering something up. And Pipecat’s graphs line up in such a way that it seemingly compensated for Ivaxa’s play count, and pp-scatter chart. From the information that was gathered about Ivaxa, there is a likelihood that the player is cheating, via aim assist, partial relax, or a mix of both.
It is suggested/encouraged that you look into this yourself.

Files and Documents

For Ivaxa stream mp4’s, each “part” is in one hour segments (because untwitch). So part 1 would be the first hour of a stream, part 2 would be the second hour of a stream, etc. There are some parts where it didn’t download the full hour, so be aware of that.
We’ve also included one of the “VOD analyzer” test result files, which includes cursor positions from an analyzed stream segment (#11 #2PL 1.3k pp achieved). It was a completely custom-coded solution that analyzed the video frame by frame but it wasn’t used during the investigation, so we are unsure about the accuracy of the cursor detection.
Input data:
Approximate osu! playfield area on a 1920x1080 monitor:

-Top left of playfield area: (384, 126) -Bottom right of playfield area: (1536, 990) 

Ivaxa's Approximate playfield area on stream:

-Top left of playfield area: (329, 120) -Bottom right of playfield area: (1283, 835) 

Analyzed segment: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UOceGo6udbGH0p7jbZKvst4wqsIVWIWF/view?usp=drive_link
Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LTDABXcFHSJnk5KNfHWdH1XPJwcdf4S1?usp=sharing
Streams Timeline

Date	Stream Title	VOD Links
March 20th 2024	we back boys	https://drive.google.com/drive5/folders/1xFtwoU82d_qAKPyp7qEm2v4JVd8m-PDF
March 31st 2024	Yomi Yori 3 mod pass	https://drive.google.com/drive5/folders/1PJQOhrao4CFsaeLg4wcwFPtBybdocAnB
March 31st 2024	1.3k pp achieved	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UOceGo6udbGH0p7jbZKvst4wqsIVWIWF/view
April 1st 2024	play game and then deceit farming	https://drive.google.com/drive5/folders/1TsTmiNzDRIMpFn4lmUzwzS6n3AjyE3rY
April 9th 2024	Yomi Yori DT Farming Right now	N/A
April 13th 2024	singletap practice	N/A

Jesus was confused with Satan by some cultures and even worshipped as such – despite the fact that he was considered a "good" Satan and a "positive" Devil that sided with the weak and vulnerable and betrayed the "powerful ones" in order to dedicate himself and his life completely to the poor. (Such notion is not alien at all even to the texts – because Jesus is expressly called the Morning Star in 2 Peter 1:19 and in Revelation 2:28).
This is apparent in the fact that the Hebrews for example did not recognize Christ as the Messiah and they even called him "evil" and applied to him the title "Satan" (from the Hebrew: "śāṭān" meaning: "adversary, enemy"). The definition of "evil" here is relative – because since Jesus went against the teachings that the Hebrews held as sacred and he also went against the teachings that the Muslims for example also regarded as sacred (and he went against many other cultures as well for that matter; because the figure of Jesus was pagan and it actually belonged worldwide to all cultures of the world and he was claimed to have opposed all of them trying to reform them) – he was thus called "evil" in relative terms by some of these cultures; meaning an "enemy" or "adversary" of those doctrines. Originally not even the Christians considered Christ as a positive figure; because Christ professed a lot of ideals that were inconceivable and impossible to apply according to the mentality of the powerful castes that rule society – like the priesthood for example; because Jesus claimed many times that the wealthy ones must renounce everything they have, they must give their money to the poor and then and only then – will they be allowed to follow Christ.
But the Church completely ignored and bypassed this teaching of Christ because they knew that if they had started preaching this to their believers; they would lose all believers in one second since no one wants to give up their house, their wealth and their life to follow the Church. So even the Church had to rearrange and modify a lot of the teachings of Christ while straight up censoring and ignoring others; in order to create a religion out of it. The only difference is that the Christian Church decided that it was worth investing their time and money in turning Jesus into the symbol of their faith and into a figure that would appeal to the masses (basically deifying him and using his name and memory to attract people into the religion) – while the other two religions (Judaism and Islam) completely disregarded Jesus altogether and considered him a madman instead and even went as far as to call him "evil" and a "Devil" precisely because he had preached such revolutionary notions that were just impossible to accept for the rich and wealthy. (Another reason for this is also because Judaism had a different idea of the Messiah altogether and they followed a different Messiah – and this other idea of the Messiah along with the other Messiah – were also very different from the "Jesus Christ" concept altogether – but that’s besides the point).
The symbology of the spring refers to the blood of Christ which gives life and makes vegetation grow on the earth much like the water of a spring; but it also holds literal meaning because the pagan figures who correspond to "Jesus" were all claimed to have met their demise or to have had a life-changing experience happen near a spring or near a water-source more generally speaking. Such is the case for Hermaphroditus who was rendered female by his union with Salmacis near a spring; or also the castration of one of the gods called "Uranus" – because according to Cicero in his "De Natura Deorum" there were multiple Uranuses and one of them was the "younger" one – and he’s the same who was said to have been castrated near a spring by Phoenician mythology. (The fact that Hermaphroditus was joined to Salmacis thus becoming definitively feminine near the waters of a spring – refers to the confusion that happened in the myth due to the nature of the two characters taken into analysis; because Hermaphroditus and Salmacis were actually brother and sister in other iterations of the story and they were claimed to have been conjoined thus essentially making up a single being who was a "man-woman" united. But then after their birth they were separated and their bodies were not conjoined anymore; although the male – in this case Hermaphroditus – was claimed to have been castrated in further iterations of the story so it looked as though he had returned to being a female and was thus "rejoined" to his female nature which is why the Greek myth confused it and claimed that Hermaphroditus lost his manhood but he lost it by being rejoined to his twin-sister Salmacis. In reality he was castrated near the waters of that spring – the "conjoined" part referring instead to the myth of their birth, but the two accounts were later confused and amalgamated into a single story for the Hermaphroditus myth; thus confusing also the timeline on when exactly was it that the two siblings were conjoined – whether it was at the beginning of their lives or at the end of it as in the case of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis).
The god Attar of the planet Venus was worshipped as "Atarsamain" (Attar of heaven) by the Arabs and equated with Allat i.e. Athena (a fact that has left academics dumbfounded even to this day as for how is it possible that a male god was completely equated and identified with a female one. But the answer is found in the mythology and themes of the god himself – where he was considered of androgynous nature and was claimed to have underwent castration which made him be perceived as a female by some cultures). He was furthermore equated with the goddess Anat in the form of "Ninurta" – because the Mesopotamian warrior-god Ninurta being equivalent to Attar (and Atarsamain) himself – he was directly equated with the Canaanite goddess "Anat" and the name of Anat was also written as "NIN.URTA" in cuneiform. There is an epithet of Anat which calls the deity: "the strength of life" and this particular epithet is applied to Ninurta continuously throughout Sumerian mythology because he’s consistently called the "strength of Enlil" – the "one with superior strength" – the "son in whose strength the father rejoices" – the one with the "strength of a lion" and Ninurta was also in charge of ditches and canals being the one who created the canal-system in Sumer and who was claimed to have brought to everyone the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as a result. The epithet of Anat – in this case referring to the male Anat who was though still worshipped as female regardless because the god possessed androgynous qualities (and not coincidentally the term "Nin" which comprises the name "Nin-urta" is actually more often than not utilized for female goddesses in Sumerian culture; for example "Ninhursag", "Ninisina", "Ninlil" etc. as it usually means "lady" – but in this case the word assumes a neutral meaning and its connotation is given by the context; so since the god is male it’s translated as "lord" – but the androgynous aspect of this deity is still kept intact nonetheless by using "Nin" instead of "En" ("En" being more traditionally used in Sumerian to mean "lord") – and the title thus refers for the concept of "the strength of life" to the strength of life as a life-giver; because Ninurta being associated with water and with the fertilizing effects of water having been the one who brought canals and ditches to Sumer; the meaning of the term thus acquired such connotation.
This deity is also always associated with physical beauty; for example in the case of Dumuzi (the Mesopotamian god of vegetation) who was called "the one with the beautiful eyes" and even in the form of "Ishtaran" (a form of Dumuzi worshipped as the "heavenly serpent") – where there are several references to his "beautiful face". This notion of beauty is once again reinforced and repeated for all other versions of this pagan god as he was called by many different names throughout cultures – for example also in the form of "Joseph" the biblical son of Jacob; who was claimed to be so beautiful that while a slave in Egypt the women could not resist him – or even in the form of Japheth the third son of Noah (who corresponds still to the same character) – where the word "Japheth" is connected to the root meaning "to be beautiful".
Thus the ideals of "strength and beauty" refer to him. (The pagan imagery of this god depicts him joyous and free as he dances through the flower-fields and while bringing the springing of vegetation to the seasons – often times represented with ears of corn or garlands adorning his head; as in the case of his Slavic counterpart "Potrimpo" for example).
Christ furthermore corresponds also to the pagan god Dionysus as mentioned in other posts; and Dionysus had a particular epithet in Rome which later ended up becoming his main name (or one of his many names alongside the more renown "Bacchus") and this particular title was that of "Liber" i.e. "the free one", one who embodies "freedom".
In form of "Ishtaran" Dumuzi was worshipped as "Anu" as well – since they called Ishtaran with the epithet "AN.GAL" i.e. "great Anu"; thus meaning that Dumuzi was so beloved and his cult had risen to such prominence at some point – that some local traditions (smaller ones) worshiped him as God the Creator himself and substituted him in place of Anu or at the very least differentiated him from the main "Anu" by calling him "AN.GAL" – "the great Anu" or "greater Anu". This is why Hermaphroditus/Jesus corresponds also in Phoenician mythology to the one "Uranus" who was said to have been castrated near a fountain-spring – Uranus being the Greek equivalent of the Sumerian "Anu" and this is why he was addressed with the name "Uranus" and worshipped as one of the "Uranuses" (the younger Uranus, because the older Uranus is instead the father of Cronus/Saturn and he’s a much older Uranus).
Given how Dumuzi was worshipped as the male Ishtar and as Attar in Canaanite lands (from whom the name "Ishtar" came from because the name of the goddess "Ishtar" is actually in the masculine gender and the goddess inherited that name from the male god who was called "Attar", "Ashtar" and "Ishtar" himself); one has to take into account that the male god was worshipped as androgynous though – which is why he was later equated with the female goddess Inanna in Mesopotamia and became indistinguishable from her to the point that she also came to be called Ishtar herself. The rosette is the symbol of Venus and of this male god of Venus who corresponds to Christ himself.
But at the same time the rosette is also the symbol of the female Venus as well and of the goddess Inanna (the female form of Ishtar) so the rosette refers to both Ishtars; the male and female one referring to the planet Venus in general.
Now, seeing as to how the figure of the "son of god" was worshipped as "the creator" himself by some more local cultures who idolized him to such degree that they ended up seeing him as the superior god over others – this explains one of the symbologies present on the modern representation of the apparent "pagan god" of the Templars; where he’s depicted with the head of a goat and the five pointed star facing downward. The five pointed star being a symbol of the divine – it represents through the symbology present on the idol the fact that the god in question is not the one who resides in the sky (in which case the five pointed star would have to be pointing upwards instead); but they worshipped on the other hand a creator who was "the creator on earth" thus being "the one below" – so their god was represented by the pointed star facing downwards. (This is for the representations that depict the idol with the star facing down; otherwise in other cases the star is absent altogether).
Now, according to the Atbash ciphering interpretation done on the name "Baphomet" which becomes: "Sophia" – if the interpretation is indeed correct (that Baphomet=Sophia) it would make total sense given how the name of Christ himself was actually "Sophia" and the why that is was explained in this previous post: https://www.reddit.com/EsotericOccult/s/P3ZkDJvXdM – where essentially there was talk on the Christ’s physical appearance and the fact that he was born with androgynous traits. This for example made it so that the character in question also displayed overly-sized pectorals that were rather exposed when compared to the rest of his body and were also rounded and protruding; sometimes even resembling female breasts (and that’s where the symbology of the rooster sticking its chest out and of Christ "with breasts" came from: – the rooster in the act of sticking its chest out: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/81/a6/a5/81a6a5da3c527f3ce0fe1648a7650001.jpg – and the depiction of Christ "with breasts" on the Notre-Dame church: https://gcm.rmnet.be/clients/rmnet/content/medias/christus_750.jpg). This (physical) androgynous nature of the "son of god" was then explained through metaphors and in spiritual terms by Christianity and Gnosticism with the fact that when Sophia incarnated she incarnated as "Jesus Christ".
But – there was also a female-incarnated Sophia; which incarnated as a woman and the figure in question is sometimes identified with the "Thetokos" i.e. "mother of god" Mary – or alternatively substituted by Mary Magdalene the consort of Jesus (being called the "Bride of Christ"). The fact that the Templars were claimed to have worshipped the prophetic head of a female alongside their god refers to the cult of the pagan goddess who corresponded to the Magdalene – where; she was claimed in pagan mythology to have been decapitated or to have been "half-decapitated" (her throat cut significantly to the point of almost detaching her head from her neck) and the goddess in question possessed oracular as well as prophetic gifts. The notion of Magdalene who corresponds to this pagan goddess was addressed in this previous post: https://www.reddit.com/EsotericOccult/s/iHlaRrZnzL. (The head that the Templars held was of course symbolic and not the literal real head. But what was important is what that symbol represented to them – rather than to whom the skull belonged because it was a simple human skull taken from a cadaver).
So essentially the Templars were worshipping both Christ and Magdalene through pagan imagery (Christ being "Sophia" himself and Magdalene being the "female Sophia" who’s the counterpart of the Messiah); something which was not acceptable to the Church – and also because they were worshipping Christ in his real nature as opposed to the heavily filtered and altered version that Christianity gave of him – thus opposing the "official" canon established by the Church altogether.

Reaching out due to curiosity and hoping for some advice. For the past month I’ve been experiencing strong cramps that comes and goes . It’s not an everyday thing . But it has been more frequent. I currently breastfeed, pump, and supplement with formula. I’ve been getting cramps during pumping sessions and breast feeding . In general I also cramp throughout the day. I keep thinking it’s my period coming but she never shows. I’ve taken pregnancy tests all negative. Any one experience sporadic cramps then eventually get there period?. I also had a C-section as well.

My daughter is 1 month old now and feeding is generally going well, she's packing on weight.
For at least a week I've had a sore nipple on one side, tender enough that my breast pads are a bit uncomfortable against the nipple. And then I have intermittent shooting pain in the nipple and breast. I had antibiotics after my c section, then vaginal thrush so I'm pretty paranoid it's thrush on my breast.
I've seen an LC who is happy with my latch. Dr sort of fobbed me off so I'm not sure whether to push back.
Baby has no symptoms really and my other breast is currently fine. Has anyone else had this experience - what was the cause?

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Hornet - Invictus Blue and Gold Paint	$10
Reliant - Invictus Blue and Gold Paint	$8
Retaliator - Invictus Blue and Gold Paint	$28
Vanguard - Invictus Blue and Gold Paint	$18
Aphorite Mining Paint Pack	$35
Dolivine Mining Paint Pack	$35
Hadanite Mining Paint Pack	$35
Overdrive Racing Paint Pack	$11
Slipstream Racing Paint Pack	$11
Turbocharged Racing Paint Pack	$11
Aspire Paint Pack	$18
Central Tower Paint Pack	$18
Hosanna Paint Pack	$18
100 Series - Sand Wave Paint	$8
100 Series - Melrose Paint	$8
400i - Meridian Paint	$20
400i - Penumbra Paint	$20
600i - Cold Forge Paint	$14
600i - Sterling Paint	$19
Arrastra - Nocturne Paint	$17🔥
Aurora ILW 2950 Paint Pack	$18
Aurora - Light and Dark Grey Paint	$8
Aurora - Green and Gold Paint	$8
Avenger ILW 2950 Paint Pack	$20
Avenger - Solar Winds Paint	$10
Avenger - Copernicus Paint	$8
Avenger - Kepler Paint	$8
Avenger - De Biasio Paint	$8
Centurion - Beachhead Paint	$8
Constellation ILW 2950 Paint Pack	$27
Constellation - Dark Green Paint	$13
Cutlass Black - Skull & Crossbones Paint	$12
Defender - Platinum Paint	$15
Defender - Harmony Paint	$15
LIBERATOR - VIP exclusive Condor Paint	$33🔥
Mercury Star Runner - 2951 Fortuna Paint	$14
MOLE Aphorite Paint	$12
MOLE Dolivine Paint	$12
MOLE Hadanite Paint	$12
Nox - Harmony Paint	$8
Odyssey - Windrider Paint	$28
PERSEUS - A VIP exclusive, the Thundercloud Paint	$33🔥
Prospector Aphorite Paint	$11
Prospector Dolivine Paint	$11
Prospector Hadanite Paint	$11
Prowler - Ocellus Paint	$20
Prowler - Harmony Paint	$20
Railen - Hyaotan Paint	$20
Retaliator ILW 2950 Paint Pack	$38
Reclaimer Aphorite Paint	$15
Reclaimer Dolivine Paint	$15
Reclaimer Hadanite Paint	$15
ROC Aphorite Paint	$7
ROC Dolivine Paint	$7
ROC Hadanite Paint	$7
Scorpius - Stinger Paint	$30
Scorpius - Tiburon Paint	$12
STV - Blue Steel Paint	$5
Talon - Cobalt Paint	$10
Talon - Crimson Paint	$10
Talon - Ocellus Paint	$10
Talon - Harmony Paint	$10
Talon - Paint Pack	$30
Valkyrie ILW 2950 Paint Pack	$40
Vanguard - Solar Winds Paint	$15
Zeus Mk II - Solstice Paint	$12

 

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Set	Includes	Price
Takuetsu Replica Figurines	6 exhibits	$35
Kastak Arms Custodian SMG CitizenCon 2947 Edition	1 item	$30
Atzkav "DEADEYE" Sniper rifle	1 item	$10
Yubarev "DEADEYE" Pistol	1 item	$10
WowBlast "Blue" Desperado Toy Pistol	1 item	$8
WowBlast "Orange" Desperado Toy Pistol	1 item	$8
WowBlast "Red" Desperado Toy Pistol	1 item	$8
WowBlast "Teal" Desperado Toy Pistol	1 item	$8
Overlord Helmets DOUBLE TROUBLE	2 items	$7
Overlord Helmets FORCES OF NATURE	2 items	$7
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Overlord "Dust Storm" Armor Set	3 items	$9
Overlord "Predator" Armor Set	3 items	$9
Overlord "Riptide" Armor Set	3 items	$9
Overlord "Stinger" Armor Set	3 items	$9
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Caudillo Helmets Pack 1	2 items	$8
Caudillo Helmets Pack 2	2 items	$8
Caudillo Helmets Pack 3	2 items	$8
NIGHTFIRE - Paladin Helmet	1 item	$6
SINGULARITY - Paladin Helmet	1 item	$6
ICEBORN - Paladin Helmet	1 item	$6
Fieldsbury Dark Bear Helmet	1 item	$8
Fieldsbury Dark Bear Helmet – ORANGE	1 item	$8
Fieldsbury Dark Bear Helmet – LIME	1 item	$8
Fieldsbury Dark Bear Helmet – BLUEBERRY	1 item	$8
Fieldsbury Dark Bear Helmet – GRAPE	1 item	$8
Fieldsbury Dark Bear Helmet – GUAVA	1 item	$8
Fieldsbury Dark Bear Sinister SIX-PACK	6 items	$26
Giocoso Helmet - Azure	1 item	$7
Giocoso Helmet - Ivory	1 item	$7
Giocoso Helmet - Obsidian	1 item	$7
Giocoso Helmet - Triple Pack	1 item	$15
Sawtooth "Sirocco" Combat Knife	1 item	$5
Sawtooth "Squall" Combat Knife	1 item	$5
Sawtooth "Bloodstone" Combat Knife	1 item	$5
Pyro RYT "Ghost" Multi-Tool	1 item	$6
Pyro RYT "Mirage" Multi-Tool	1 item	$6
Pyro RYT "Bloodline" Multi-Tool	1 item	$6
GP-33 Mod "ASHFALL" Grenade Launcher	1 item	$9
GP-33 Mod "COPPERHEAD" Grenade Launcher	1 item	$9
GP-33 Mod "THUNDERCLAP" Grenade Launcher	1 item	$9
Aves Armor & Helmet Set	4 items	$16
Aves Talon Shrike Armor and Helmet Set	4 items	$16
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Neoni "Onna" Helmet	1 item	$7
Neoni "Tengubi" Helmet	1 item	$7
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Star Kittyen "SALLY" Set	4 items	$14
Star Kittyen "DAMON" Set	4 items	$14
Pembroke RSI Sunburst Exploration Armor	3 items	$15
Pembroke RSI Ivory Exploration Armor	3 items	$15
Pembroke RSI Graphite Exploration Armor	3 items	$15
Morozov Aftershock Armor	5 items	$15
Morozov Terracotta Armor	5 items	$15
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Zeus Exploration Suit	3 items	$15
Zeus Exploration Suit Solar	3 items	$15
Zeus Exploration Suit Starscape	3 items	$15
Xanthule Flight Suit	2 items	$13
Xanthule Sehya Flight Suit	2 items	$13
Xanthule Tahn Flight Suit	2 items	$13
CSP-68L Backpack Night Camo	1 item	$6
CSP-68L Backpack Cayman	1 item	$6
CSP-68L Backpack Forest Camo	1 item	$6
CitizenCon 2951 Digital Goodies	7 items	$10
CitizenCon 2951 Trophy	7 items	$10

 

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SHIP	TARGET SHIP	<	Upgrade from	Price
400I
	400I	<	CONSTELLATION ANDROMEDA	$15
600I EXPLORER
	600I EXPLORER	<	PROWLER	$70
ARGO MOLE
	ARGO MOLE	<	CONSTELLATION AQUILA	$7
	ARGO MOLE	<	MERCURY STAR RUNNER	$59
	ARGO MOLE	<	VANGUARD WARDEN	$59
	ARGO MOLE	<	RETALIATOR BOMBER	$43
	ARGO MOLE	<	VANGUARD SENTINEL	$43
	ARGO MOLE	<	APOLLO MEDIVAC	$43
	ARGO MOLE	<	ESPERIA VANDUUL BLADE	$43
	ARGO MOLE	<	VANGUARD HARBINGER	$27
	ARGO MOLE	<	REDEEMER	$70
	ARGO MOLE	<	HULL C	$70
	ARGO MOLE	<	APOLLO TRIAGE	$70
ARROW
	ARROW	<	AURORA MR	$50
	ARROW	<	MUSTANG ALPHA	$50
	ARROW	<	C8X PISCES EXPEDITION	$35
	ARROW	<	100i	$30
	ARROW	<	AVENGER TITAN	$25
	ARROW	<	RELIANT KORE	$15
CATERPILLAR BEST IN SHOW EDITION
	CATERPILLAR BISE	<	VANGUARD HARBINGER	$100
CORSAIR
	CORSAIR	<	TAURUS	$60
CRUCIBLE
	CRUCIBLE	<	STARFARER GEMINI	$21
CUTLASS BLACK BEST IN SHOW EDITION
	CUTLASS BLACK BISE	<	GLADIUS	$70
CUTLASS RED Subscriber
	CUTLASS RED Subscriber	<	F7C-S HORNET GHOST	$25
CUTLASS BLUE
	CUTLASS BLUE	<	PROSPECTOR	$30
DEFENDER
	DEFENDER	<	CORSAIR	$15
	DEFENDER	<	HORNET F7C-M HEARTSEEKER	$37
GLADIUS
	GLADIUS	<	AURORA MR	$65
	GLADIUS	<	MUSTANG ALPHA	$65
	GLADIUS	<	C8X PISCES EXPEDITION	$50
	GLADIUS	<	100i	$45
	GLADIUS	<	AVENGER TITAN	$40
	GLADIUS	<	RELIANT KORE	$30
	GLADIUS	<	ARROW	$20
HAMMERHEAD
	HAMMERHEAD	<	CARRACK	$150
	HAMMERHEAD	<	CARRACK EXPEDITION W/C8X	$100
HULL C
	HULL C	<	CATERPILLAR	$175
MERCHANTMAN
	MERCHANTMAN	<	STARFARER GEMINI	$300
	MERCHANTMAN	<	ARGO MOLE	$345
NAUTILUS
	NAUTILUS	<	CARRACK	$175
PERSEUS
	PERSEUS	<	CARRACK Expedition W/C8X	$40
	PERSEUS	<	CARRACK	$90
	PERSEUS	<	ORION	$115
	PERSEUS	<	600I EXPLORER	$220
	PERSEUS	<	MERCHANTMAN	$248
	PERSEUS	<	ARGO MOLE	$380
	PERSEUS	<	ANDROMEDA	$485
POLARIS
	POLARIS	<	PERSEUS	$70
	POLARIS	<	HAMMERHEAD	$70
	POLARIS	<	NAUTILUS	$60
	POLARIS	<	CARRACK	$250
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	RECLAIMER BIS 2949	<	VALKYRIE	$300
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An hour after getting back from the Mason apartment, Bruce Kenner had the distinct misfortune of meeting Bertha Henderson.
A plump, gaudy woman with wrinkles and sun beaten skin only an alligator could love, Bertha Henderson wore bright red lipstick, bright red rouge, and way too much mascara. Her tangled hair was a dull red color and her clothes - pink pants and a white floral top - stretched tight across her bulbous frame. She looked like the kind of woman who lived in a trailer with velvet pictures of Elvis on the wall and pink flamingos in the front yard.
She acted like one too.
From the moment she stormed into his office, she hadn’t shut up once. She scolded, chided, accused, and badgered, sometimes even wagging one fat finger in his face like he was a naughty little boy. Ten minutes into the dressing down and Bruce was beginning to fantasize about police brutality.
It took him another ten minutes to find out what the hell she even wanted.
“It’s my granddaughter,” she shot back, “she’s missing in your town.”
My town? Lady, this is barely my office. I share it with three other people.
“Well, if you’ll calm down, maybe I can help.”
Jesus Christ was that the wrong thing to say. She hit the roof and didn’t come down again until Bruce was this close to arresting her for assault on a police officer. “Young man, I do not appreciate the way you’re talking to me. My tax dollars are the only reason you have a job. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be working at a car wash.”
At least I wouldn’t have to deal with you.
Bruce took a deep breath and held his tongue in check. “How can I help you?” he asked.
“I told you, my granddaughter is missing. If you listened to me, you’d know this already.”
Bertha produced a picture and slid it across the desk. Bruce studied it. A girl, roughly sixteen with black hair, blue eyes, and dimples smiled back at him. “She;’s with that Rossi man, I just know it,” she said bitterly.
“Who?” Bruce asked.
Rolling her eyes like he was stupid, the old woman told him the story. Jessie - the dimple faced girl - had the rotten luck of having to live with Grandma Bertha after her parents went to jail on drug charges. They lived in Sand Lake, a little town in the mountains outside Albany, where Bertha was no doubt loved and admired by all. One day, Jessie, who her grandmother lovingly described as “A little troublemaker”, ran off. Bruce didn’t blame her. He’d known Bertha for half an hour and he wanted to run off. Bertha did some snooping on Jessie’s laptop and found that the “little whore” had been chatting with an older man, Joe Rossi. Rossi, or so Facebook said, lived in Albany and worked at Club Vlad.
“I want him arrested for pedophilia,” Bertha said and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “He’s a dog just like all men. She’s probably pregnant already. Another mouth I have to feed.”
Behind the old battle ax, Vanessa appeared in the doorway and lifted her brows as if to say What a piece of work. Knowing her, she’d probably been standing just out of sight this whole time with McKenny, the elderly evidence clerk, and snickering into her hand like a little girl. LOL she called him young man.
Bertha noticed him looking over her shoulder and started to turn. Vanessa’s face went white and she ducked out of the way, narrowly avoiding detection. “I’m glad you think this is funny,” Bertha said to Bruce. “Meanwhile, if I don’t get Jessie back, the state’s going to stop sending me my checks. I need that income. I can’t work, you know. I have gout.”
Too bad being an asshole isn’t a job, you’d be world-famous
“I’ll go talk to him,” Bruce said.
“I want more than talk, young man, I want action.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When Bertha finally decided to waddle off and ruin someone else’s day, Vanessa came in and sat in the chair the old woman had so recently occupied. “Oh, my God,” she said, “that was intense. I was this close to radioing in a 1015.”
1015 was code for officer down.
“Funny,” Bruce said without a trace of humor. He had kids going missing, a dead guy someone moved around like a goddamn Barbie doll, and now this. What next, hemorrhoids?
“What do you think? Code 1 or code 2?”
Code 1 meant top priority. Code 2 meant not a top priority. Bruce thought for a moment. It didn’t sound like Jessie Henderson was in danger. It sounded like she met a guy - granted, one too old for her - and decided to hide out with him from her psycho grandma. Maybe it could be something more, but he had a gut feeling that it wasn’t…and his gut feelings were usually right. “2,” he finally said. “I got shit to do.”
By shit, he meant “Talk to the families of those missing boys again.” He’d been interviewing them for two days looking for clues, but there was nothing. It’s like they just vanished. Bruce didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Vanessa said and slapped the desk.
When she was gone, Bruce sighed.
Never a dull moment, he thought.
***
Ed Harris - no relation to the Hollywood actor - had been the medical examiner for the City of Albany since 2002, and in all that time, he had never seen anything quite like this.
It was Wednesday evening and Ed was locked away in the cold, sterile space beneath the city offices that comprised his domain. With its puke green tiles, harsh lights, and cloying smells of disinfectant, the .coroner's office creeped most people out, but not Ed. He was at home here, as comfortable surrounded by toe-tagged bodies as a cactus was surrounded by desert. A thin man in his fifties with curly, steel gray hair thinning in the middle, he wore a white smock, blood stained over his clothes that made him look like a butcher instead of a low level government functionary. He had a dark and dry sense of humor, but then again, so do all people who play with dead bodies for fun and profit.
The coroner’s office was a vast, utilitarian vault segmented into multiple different rooms. Here, where the magic happened, three stainless steel tables stood in a row; a bank of refrigerated drawers kept watch, making sure nothing funny happened. One of the cold fluorescent lights overhead flickered with a hum of electricity, and water dripped rhythmically from a faucet. It was a cold, eerie place, but to Ed, it was home.
On most nights, only one of the tables was occupied, but tonight, two were. On one lay an old lady who died of what appeared to be cyanide poisoning. On the other was Dominick Mason.
Naked save for a white cloth draped over his groin to protect his dignity, Dom was the most corpsy corpse you’d ever hope to see. In fact, if you looked up dead guy in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of him. His body was pale and sunken, one side covered in purple splotches where his blood had pooled, and his eyes were closed. His abdomen was slightly distended with the expected build up of gas, and his flesh stuck fast to the bones beneath. In other words, he was text book. A normal corpse.
Mostly normal.
As men of his trade are wont to do when strange bodies mysteriously appear, Ed had opened Dom up, making a Y shaped incision from his neck to his groin. He hummed to himself as he did so, his hands wielding his sharp and shiny tools with the deft assuredness of a seasoned surgeon. Done cutting, he dipped his gloved hands into the cavity and started removing organs. A spleen here, a liver there, nothing Dom would miss. When he got to the heart, however, he stopped.
There was something…off…about it. At first glance, it was black and withered like an oversized raisin. An odd and putrid odor emanated from it and though he was familiar with the various smells and stenches the human body produced after death, this wasn’t one of them. Try as he might, he couldn’t place it, couldn’t even compare it to anything. Plucking a magnifying glass from the metal cart next to the table, he peeled back part of Dom’s chest and examined the heart closer.
That’s when things got really weird.
Dominick Mason’s heart was, indeed, shriveled, but it was not black. Instead, it was almost entirely covered by an interlacing crisscross of what appeared to be black mold. Here and there, Ed could glimpse flashes of the heart beneath: It was wrinkled and a sickly gray color. “What is this?” Ed asked himself at length. He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the tray and carefully, very carefully, attempted to remove a piece of the mold for analysis. The moment the cold metal tips touched the heart, it gave a violent spasm that sent Ed falling back with a shocked gasp, the tweezers falling from his hand and clinking to the tiled floor.
The heart began to pulse like an alien egg sac, slowly at first, then more rapidly. For a moment, Ed was frozen in place, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Once you die, your heart ceases beating. That’s that. Only living hearts beat, and Dominick Mason was certainly dead. He was dead from the moment Ed first laid eyes on him earlier that day and he was dead now. Yet there was his heart, beating anyway.
It could be a muscle spasm. They usually aren’t that violent and consistent, but dead bodies sometimes do strange things. As he watched the blackened muscle expanding and contracting, however, Ed had the most eerie feeling. He went to rub the back of his neck, realized he was still wearing blood soaked gloves, and stripped them off. He was spooking himself out; he needed a break and a hot cup of coffee. He’d come back fresh and start over again.
With that mold.
Could you really blame him for being creeped out? That stuff wasn’t normal. He’d never seen anything like that before, not even in textbooks. Dom was scrawny and didn’t get enough vitamins in life, but overall, he was healthy; that mold…or whatever it was…had no business being there.
Going over to the coffee pot, which stood in the same room to save travel time, Ed grabbed a styrofoam cup. When he was done here, he planned to go home and -
A terrible, metallic clatter rang out, and Ed jumped. He turned around, and when he saw Dominick Mason standing next to the table, hunched slightly over and staring at him, an electric burst of fright shot up his spine and exploded in his brain, so strong it made the edges turn gray. Pale, hands hooked into talons, and the flaps of his chest hanging open to reveal the cavity beneath, Dominick Mason looked for all the world like a boy who’d been caught sneaking out to meet his girlfriend. A weak, involuntary, “Oh, God,” slipped from Ed’s trembling lips, and the spell was broken. Dom came alive and ran toward the door leading out to the parking lot. He slammed through it, and the sound of it crashing open and then falling closed again echoed through the empty chamber.
Shaking, panting for air, and soaked in piss, Ed sank to the floor in a sitting position, his eyes wide and staring like those of a soldier returning damaged from the front.
It was a long time before he composed himself enough to call the police.
***
Dazed and caught in a nightmarish twilight realm where nothing made sense, Dominick Mason limped painfully down the sidewalk, a stranger lost in a strange land filled with danger and hostile creatures. Barefoot and shrouded in a white sheet, he trembled with cold and struggled to ignore the dark, threatening shapes looming from the fog in his brain, shapes that would turn into unspeakable truths if he let them.
Passersby openly stared at him, their expressions either morbidly curious, disgusted, or alarmed. A man put his arm protectively around his girlfriend; a woman pulled her little boy to her breast, and another man sneered at him, his nose crinkling. Dom, his glazed eyes narrowed against the harsh glare of the many street lamps, headlights, and storefronts, lumbered headlong toward nowhere, his fear growing until he was shambling. He imagined he could hear every cough, every whisper; smell the odor of every unwashed body. Each car horn was deafening, every whiff of ass or armpits sent his stomach churning. The rustle of a passing pedestrian’s jacket jammed into his ears like icepicks, and the approaching globes of LED headlamps burned his eyes. He gritted his teeth and groaned against the pain.
The dense mist wrapping his brain made it hard to think. Like a frightened animal, he made his way on instinct alone. Home. He needed to get home. Out here, on the street, he was exposed. At home, locked away in his small apartment, he would be safe.
A car passed in the street, bass heavy rap music blaring from its open windows, and Dom’s brain exploded with agony. He threw himself against a street sign and held on for dear life, his legs weak. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and he almost went down. He was also cold.
So, so cold.
People around him quickened their step; they never took their eyes off him, as though he were a venomous snake that would strike at any moment. He needed to get away from them. They were going to hurt him; people always hurt him.
Pushing away from the sign, he began to hobble once more toward home, wherever home was. He looked over his shoulder several times as he made his way down Central Avenue, and each time, he saw that no one was following him as he had feared.
No one, that is, except for the man in sunglasses.
Tall and lank with curly hair, he wore dark Aviators and a leather motorcycle jacket over a button up shirt. His hands were thrust deep into his pockets and his face showed no expression. He was always there, always a few steps closer. Outside Capital Fried Chicken, a group of people openly stared at him, He heard their whispers as he passed. What’s wrong with him? Dude’s straight tweakin. And the one that struck him the most. That guy looks dead.
Dom hobbled faster, as if to outrun the realization that he was, in fact, dead. The man in sunglasses was closer now, his footsteps so loud that Dom winced. He turned around, and the man was impossibly in front of him. Dom ran into him and bounced backward, going ass over tea kettle and landing on the former. They were in front of a church on a darkened corner, the lights here either burned out or shot out - you could never tell in Albany. Even though it was dark, Dom could see everything with crystal clarity. Dom tried to scurry away, but he was too weak to escape. Right there and then, he decided to give up. Come what may, he just wanted this nightmare to be over.
The man stared down at him, emotionless, unspeaking.
Dom squirmed.
“You’re real lucky I came along,” the man said. His tone was flat, even.
Dead.
“Get up,” he said, “I’ll take you home.”
Home?
Yes.
Dom wanted to go home.
The man helped him up, and Dom followed him into the night.
***
Bruce Kenner stood in the middle of the medical examiner’s office at half past nine that evening with his hands on his hips and stared doubtfully down at Ed Harris. The lonely cavern was alive with activity as cops went over everything, all of them looking either bemused or a mused. Bruce was neither. He’d been at home, sitting in his chair and having a beer in front of AEW Dynamite when Vanessa called. “You might wanna get down here,” she said, sounding confused, “something really strange is going on.”
Ed Harris - no relation to that one guy - sat in a straight back chair beside his cluttered desk and gripped a styrofoam cup of coffee in both hands, putting Bruce - for some reason - in mind of a monkey. When Bruce came in, the old man was white as a sheet and shook like a leaf. In the last half hour, little had changed.
“Tell me again,” Bruce said.
He and Ed were pretty good friends. He knew that Ed knew standard police procedure. Cops don’t ask you to repeat your story a thousand times over because they’re forgetful fucks, they do it because telling it again and again helps to jog loose details that you might have forgotten. Ed, therefore, did not protest. “I turned my back,” he said and chopped the chair like Jackie Chan, “and I heard the noise.”
His voice was thick, unsteady, and halting. He sounded as squirrely as he looked…and he looked pretty damn squirrelly right now.
“I turned around…and he was looking at me. He was standing there and he was looking at me.”
This was the fourth time he’d had Ed go through the story, and nothing had changed. Bruce felt something stirring deep inside his gut. It was either disquiet…or he had to fart. He opened his mouth to speak, but sighed.
“You don’t believe me,” Ed said.
“I dunno, Ed. Dead bodies don’t just get up and walk away.”
Ed flashed. “I know that, goddamn it, but this one did.”
Bruce glanced at Vanessa. She looked uncomfortable.
“Are you sure he was dead?” Bruce asked.
Ed opened his mouth, closed it again, and said, “I did the autopsy.” His voice broke on the last word, and he sounded almost like he was pleading. “His fucking liver’s on the floor. He stepped on it. The man has nothing in him. I-I’m telling you, there’s no way he’s alive.”
During the autopsy, Ed had sat Dominick Mason’s organs on the little tray table where he kept his pointy things. Mason knocked it over while getting up. Indeed, there were human organs on the floor, and one of them did look kind of squished. Bare, bloody footprints led to the exit door, up a set of concrete steps, and then disappeared in the alley behind the office.
“You said you left his heart,” Bruce said.
“And his brain,” Vanessa helpfully added.
Ed pinched the bridge of his nose like a put upon professor dealing with two particularly stupid students. “Even with his heart and his brain, he’s dead. You saw the livor mortis. He was cold, he was stiff. His heart wasn’t beating, he wasn’t breathing. He was in one of those drawers for nine hours, not breathing, no blood flow - it’s impossible. It’s just…it’s impossible. I don’t care what you think, he was dead. And even if somehow he wasn’t, I cut out almost everything. I opened his stomach, I took his spleen - you don’t just get up from that. You don’t walk away from that, much less run.”
Bruce chewed the inside of his bottom lip because he didn’t have a Twix. He didn’t look like the smartest man in the world…and he wasn’t…but he knew a dead body when he saw one, and the body they took out of Dominick Mason’s apartment was D.E.A.D. And like Ed said, even if by some freak fluke of nature he wasn’t, he couldn’t just get up and go about his day with no liver, spleen, or kidneys. Hell, Bruce had his gallbladder out and he couldn’t even walk away from that.
“You said there was something funny about his heart,” Vanessa said.
Ed finished off his coffee. “Yeah. It was…moldy. I-I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Is it possible that…has something to do with it?”
“Unless the rules of biology have changed overnight, no,” Ed stated.
While Ed poured himself another cup of Joe, spilling some because he was still shaking, Vanessa took Bruce aside. “So what do you think?” she asked. “Is he telling the truth?”
For that, Bruce did not have an immediate answer. All else aside, he was a cop. He followed the evidence - and his gut instinct - wherever it led him. Ed was a sober man - he was not a drunk, insane, or stupid - and no man on earth could fake the look of trauma in his eyes. Bruce’s eyes went to the bloody footprints leading away from the exam table and his stomach roiled. It might be cliched, but there had to be a rational explanation. “Yeah,” he finally said. “The kid got up like he said, but there’s no way he was dead. Maybe…I dunno, he had a surge of adrenaline or something. I’m not a doctor.”
“That’ll only get him so far,” Vanessa said. “We’ll probably find him on the street somewhere.”
He went back to the purple splotches on Dom’s face, to his cold stiffness. There’s no way he was dead?
Bruce was confused, and he hated being confused.
“I dunno,” he said, “maybe.”
But he had the gnawing feeling that they wouldn’t. They would never find him…and Bruce would be confused forever.
Goddamn it, Mason, he thought, where are you?

Hi All,
This is a very long story, so thanks in advance for reading and letting me vent about the last week.
I had my baby boy on 5/7 at 38+2 via c section for breech presentation after being diagnosed with cholestasis. I ended up developing postpartum preeclampsia and required magnesium drip x 24 hours which prolonged my hospital stay to 6 days.
My SIL is a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital I was at. The night before the section, she asked if she could be present in the OR. She is making us a baby book and wanted to take pictures. She also said she could offer support during the spinal until my husband was allowed in. She offered to be “stork” which is where the nurse takes the babies weight, VS, etc. I said no to everything except that it would be okay for her to present for pictures only. Well, she ended up doing everything. She held him first, she did the weight, VS, and was taking pictures with him in the OR. Meanwhile, I was not tolerating things well and didn’t get to hold my baby until I got to the PACU. I realize this is common for a c section, but it gives me a weird feeling that she was the first one to hold him.
My SIL then went on to be my RN overnight 3 times during my stay. She fought with other nurses to be able to do that. Multiple nurses said to me I could say no, but I know that would cause drama with her and probably my MIL. She took my son overnight while my husband and I slept. She continued to take pictures with him and of him and held him all night long except when she was tending to another patient. She pushed me to give him formula when my preference was to do donor milk until my milk came in. Then, she came into work while not on shift and slept in an empty patient room and took him all night and again was taking more pictures with him and him. I know this because there is a shared album. There is one picture of her laying in bed with him almost looking like his mother about to breastfeed….
I was so out of because of the stress of developing preeclampsia after having no issues during my pregnancy and of course because of the magnesium drip. If you’ve ever had to do that, then you know what I’m talking about. I feel like I wasn’t in a good place to consent to my SILs heavy involvement in my medical care. My husband is not very confrontational and I believe he was so desperate for sleep after needing to be primary care taker since I could barely pick my son up.
Now that I am home, I am reflecting on the last week and becoming uncomfortable. My SIL keeps offering to sleep at our house and my MIL says “you should take her up on the offer”. My SIL and MIL come over and they stay for 8 hours and hold him the entire time. They completely take over the care of my son and continue to push me to go lay down or tell my husband and I to go out to eat. They want to FaceTime and my SIL is constantly asking for updates about how baby is doing and how is doctors appointments are. The night we got home from the hospital, SIL offered to stay over and said my son “needed her”. This was really upsetting for me and insulting. This morning, she texted my husband and asked to sleep over so she can hang out with baby….
I am not very confrontational, but I am at the point of telling her off. My husband respectfully said she can visit, but no sleepovers. My MIL is constantly offering to come over and watch him. Then she stays for 8 hours and just holds him the entire time. We took her up on the offer yesterday while I went to the OB and she gave him formula instead of my pumped breast milk after we showed her how to use the warmer…
I just feel so uncomfortable and not respected. Are my feelings valid or are my hormones making me crazy?? A lot of times my SIL is really great and helpful, but I feel like it’s getting weird.
Thanks for reading.

An hour after getting back from the Mason apartment, Bruce Kenner had the distinct misfortune of meeting Bertha Henderson.
A plump, gaudy woman with wrinkles and sun beaten skin only an alligator could love, Bertha Henderson wore bright red lipstick, bright red rouge, and way too much mascara. Her tangled hair was a dull red color and her clothes - pink pants and a white floral top - stretched tight across her bulbous frame. She looked like the kind of woman who lived in a trailer with velvet pictures of Elvis on the wall and pink flamingos in the front yard.
She acted like one too.
From the moment she stormed into his office, she hadn’t shut up once. She scolded, chided, accused, and badgered, sometimes even wagging one fat finger in his face like he was a naughty little boy. Ten minutes into the dressing down and Bruce was beginning to fantasize about police brutality.
It took him another ten minutes to find out what the hell she even wanted.
“It’s my granddaughter,” she shot back, “she’s missing in your town.”
My town? Lady, this is barely my office. I share it with three other people.
“Well, if you’ll calm down, maybe I can help.”
Jesus Christ was that the wrong thing to say. She hit the roof and didn’t come down again until Bruce was this close to arresting her for assault on a police officer. “Young man, I do not appreciate the way you’re talking to me. My tax dollars are the only reason you have a job. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be working at a car wash.”
At least I wouldn’t have to deal with you.
Bruce took a deep breath and held his tongue in check. “How can I help you?” he asked.
“I told you, my granddaughter is missing. If you listened to me, you’d know this already.”
Bertha produced a picture and slid it across the desk. Bruce studied it. A girl, roughly sixteen with black hair, blue eyes, and dimples smiled back at him. “She;’s with that Rossi man, I just know it,” she said bitterly.
“Who?” Bruce asked.
Rolling her eyes like he was stupid, the old woman told him the story. Jessie - the dimple faced girl - had the rotten luck of having to live with Grandma Bertha after her parents went to jail on drug charges. They lived in Sand Lake, a little town in the mountains outside Albany, where Bertha was no doubt loved and admired by all. One day, Jessie, who her grandmother lovingly described as “A little troublemaker”, ran off. Bruce didn’t blame her. He’d known Bertha for half an hour and he wanted to run off. Bertha did some snooping on Jessie’s laptop and found that the “little whore” had been chatting with an older man, Joe Rossi. Rossi, or so Facebook said, lived in Albany and worked at Club Vlad.
“I want him arrested for pedophilia,” Bertha said and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “He’s a dog just like all men. She’s probably pregnant already. Another mouth I have to feed.”
Behind the old battle ax, Vanessa appeared in the doorway and lifted her brows as if to say What a piece of work. Knowing her, she’d probably been standing just out of sight this whole time with McKenny, the elderly evidence clerk, and snickering into her hand like a little girl. LOL she called him young man.
Bertha noticed him looking over her shoulder and started to turn. Vanessa’s face went white and she ducked out of the way, narrowly avoiding detection. “I’m glad you think this is funny,” Bertha said to Bruce. “Meanwhile, if I don’t get Jessie back, the state’s going to stop sending me my checks. I need that income. I can’t work, you know. I have gout.”
Too bad being an asshole isn’t a job, you’d be world-famous
“I’ll go talk to him,” Bruce said.
“I want more than talk, young man, I want action.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When Bertha finally decided to waddle off and ruin someone else’s day, Vanessa came in and sat in the chair the old woman had so recently occupied. “Oh, my God,” she said, “that was intense. I was this close to radioing in a 1015.”
1015 was code for officer down.
“Funny,” Bruce said without a trace of humor. He had kids going missing, a dead guy someone moved around like a goddamn Barbie doll, and now this. What next, hemorrhoids?
“What do you think? Code 1 or code 2?”
Code 1 meant top priority. Code 2 meant not a top priority. Bruce thought for a moment. It didn’t sound like Jessie Henderson was in danger. It sounded like she met a guy - granted, one too old for her - and decided to hide out with him from her psycho grandma. Maybe it could be something more, but he had a gut feeling that it wasn’t…and his gut feelings were usually right. “2,” he finally said. “I got shit to do.”
By shit, he meant “Talk to the families of those missing boys again.” He’d been interviewing them for two days looking for clues, but there was nothing. It’s like they just vanished. Bruce didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Vanessa said and slapped the desk.
When she was gone, Bruce sighed.
Never a dull moment, he thought.
***
Ed Harris - no relation to the Hollywood actor - had been the medical examiner for the City of Albany since 2002, and in all that time, he had never seen anything quite like this.
It was Wednesday evening and Ed was locked away in the cold, sterile space beneath the city offices that comprised his domain. With its puke green tiles, harsh lights, and cloying smells of disinfectant, the .coroner's office creeped most people out, but not Ed. He was at home here, as comfortable surrounded by toe-tagged bodies as a cactus was surrounded by desert. A thin man in his fifties with curly, steel gray hair thinning in the middle, he wore a white smock, blood stained over his clothes that made him look like a butcher instead of a low level government functionary. He had a dark and dry sense of humor, but then again, so do all people who play with dead bodies for fun and profit.
The coroner’s office was a vast, utilitarian vault segmented into multiple different rooms. Here, where the magic happened, three stainless steel tables stood in a row; a bank of refrigerated drawers kept watch, making sure nothing funny happened. One of the cold fluorescent lights overhead flickered with a hum of electricity, and water dripped rhythmically from a faucet. It was a cold, eerie place, but to Ed, it was home.
On most nights, only one of the tables was occupied, but tonight, two were. On one lay an old lady who died of what appeared to be cyanide poisoning. On the other was Dominick Mason.
Naked save for a white cloth draped over his groin to protect his dignity, Dom was the most corpsy corpse you’d ever hope to see. In fact, if you looked up dead guy in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of him. His body was pale and sunken, one side covered in purple splotches where his blood had pooled, and his eyes were closed. His abdomen was slightly distended with the expected build up of gas, and his flesh stuck fast to the bones beneath. In other words, he was text book. A normal corpse.
Mostly normal.
As men of his trade are wont to do when strange bodies mysteriously appear, Ed had opened Dom up, making a Y shaped incision from his neck to his groin. He hummed to himself as he did so, his hands wielding his sharp and shiny tools with the deft assuredness of a seasoned surgeon. Done cutting, he dipped his gloved hands into the cavity and started removing organs. A spleen here, a liver there, nothing Dom would miss. When he got to the heart, however, he stopped.
There was something…off…about it. At first glance, it was black and withered like an oversized raisin. An odd and putrid odor emanated from it and though he was familiar with the various smells and stenches the human body produced after death, this wasn’t one of them. Try as he might, he couldn’t place it, couldn’t even compare it to anything. Plucking a magnifying glass from the metal cart next to the table, he peeled back part of Dom’s chest and examined the heart closer.
That’s when things got really weird.
Dominick Mason’s heart was, indeed, shriveled, but it was not black. Instead, it was almost entirely covered by an interlacing crisscross of what appeared to be black mold. Here and there, Ed could glimpse flashes of the heart beneath: It was wrinkled and a sickly gray color. “What is this?” Ed asked himself at length. He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the tray and carefully, very carefully, attempted to remove a piece of the mold for analysis. The moment the cold metal tips touched the heart, it gave a violent spasm that sent Ed falling back with a shocked gasp, the tweezers falling from his hand and clinking to the tiled floor.
The heart began to pulse like an alien egg sac, slowly at first, then more rapidly. For a moment, Ed was frozen in place, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Once you die, your heart ceases beating. That’s that. Only living hearts beat, and Dominick Mason was certainly dead. He was dead from the moment Ed first laid eyes on him earlier that day and he was dead now. Yet there was his heart, beating anyway.
It could be a muscle spasm. They usually aren’t that violent and consistent, but dead bodies sometimes do strange things. As he watched the blackened muscle expanding and contracting, however, Ed had the most eerie feeling. He went to rub the back of his neck, realized he was still wearing blood soaked gloves, and stripped them off. He was spooking himself out; he needed a break and a hot cup of coffee. He’d come back fresh and start over again.
With that mold.
Could you really blame him for being creeped out? That stuff wasn’t normal. He’d never seen anything like that before, not even in textbooks. Dom was scrawny and didn’t get enough vitamins in life, but overall, he was healthy; that mold…or whatever it was…had no business being there.
Going over to the coffee pot, which stood in the same room to save travel time, Ed grabbed a styrofoam cup. When he was done here, he planned to go home and -
A terrible, metallic clatter rang out, and Ed jumped. He turned around, and when he saw Dominick Mason standing next to the table, hunched slightly over and staring at him, an electric burst of fright shot up his spine and exploded in his brain, so strong it made the edges turn gray. Pale, hands hooked into talons, and the flaps of his chest hanging open to reveal the cavity beneath, Dominick Mason looked for all the world like a boy who’d been caught sneaking out to meet his girlfriend. A weak, involuntary, “Oh, God,” slipped from Ed’s trembling lips, and the spell was broken. Dom came alive and ran toward the door leading out to the parking lot. He slammed through it, and the sound of it crashing open and then falling closed again echoed through the empty chamber.
Shaking, panting for air, and soaked in piss, Ed sank to the floor in a sitting position, his eyes wide and staring like those of a soldier returning damaged from the front.
It was a long time before he composed himself enough to call the police.
***
Dazed and caught in a nightmarish twilight realm where nothing made sense, Dominick Mason limped painfully down the sidewalk, a stranger lost in a strange land filled with danger and hostile creatures. Barefoot and shrouded in a white sheet, he trembled with cold and struggled to ignore the dark, threatening shapes looming from the fog in his brain, shapes that would turn into unspeakable truths if he let them.
Passersby openly stared at him, their expressions either morbidly curious, disgusted, or alarmed. A man put his arm protectively around his girlfriend; a woman pulled her little boy to her breast, and another man sneered at him, his nose crinkling. Dom, his glazed eyes narrowed against the harsh glare of the many street lamps, headlights, and storefronts, lumbered headlong toward nowhere, his fear growing until he was shambling. He imagined he could hear every cough, every whisper; smell the odor of every unwashed body. Each car horn was deafening, every whiff of ass or armpits sent his stomach churning. The rustle of a passing pedestrian’s jacket jammed into his ears like icepicks, and the approaching globes of LED headlamps burned his eyes. He gritted his teeth and groaned against the pain.
The dense mist wrapping his brain made it hard to think. Like a frightened animal, he made his way on instinct alone. Home. He needed to get home. Out here, on the street, he was exposed. At home, locked away in his small apartment, he would be safe.
A car passed in the street, bass heavy rap music blaring from its open windows, and Dom’s brain exploded with agony. He threw himself against a street sign and held on for dear life, his legs weak. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and he almost went down. He was also cold.
So, so cold.
People around him quickened their step; they never took their eyes off him, as though he were a venomous snake that would strike at any moment. He needed to get away from them. They were going to hurt him; people always hurt him.
Pushing away from the sign, he began to hobble once more toward home, wherever home was. He looked over his shoulder several times as he made his way down Central Avenue, and each time, he saw that no one was following him as he had feared.
No one, that is, except for the man in sunglasses.
Tall and lank with curly hair, he wore dark Aviators and a leather motorcycle jacket over a button up shirt. His hands were thrust deep into his pockets and his face showed no expression. He was always there, always a few steps closer. Outside Capital Fried Chicken, a group of people openly stared at him, He heard their whispers as he passed. What’s wrong with him? Dude’s straight tweakin. And the one that struck him the most. That guy looks dead.
Dom hobbled faster, as if to outrun the realization that he was, in fact, dead. The man in sunglasses was closer now, his footsteps so loud that Dom winced. He turned around, and the man was impossibly in front of him. Dom ran into him and bounced backward, going ass over tea kettle and landing on the former. They were in front of a church on a darkened corner, the lights here either burned out or shot out - you could never tell in Albany. Even though it was dark, Dom could see everything with crystal clarity. Dom tried to scurry away, but he was too weak to escape. Right there and then, he decided to give up. Come what may, he just wanted this nightmare to be over.
The man stared down at him, emotionless, unspeaking.
Dom squirmed.
“You’re real lucky I came along,” the man said. His tone was flat, even.
Dead.
“Get up,” he said, “I’ll take you home.”
Home?
Yes.
Dom wanted to go home.
The man helped him up, and Dom followed him into the night.
***
Bruce Kenner stood in the middle of the medical examiner’s office at half past nine that evening with his hands on his hips and stared doubtfully down at Ed Harris. The lonely cavern was alive with activity as cops went over everything, all of them looking either bemused or a mused. Bruce was neither. He’d been at home, sitting in his chair and having a beer in front of AEW Dynamite when Vanessa called. “You might wanna get down here,” she said, sounding confused, “something really strange is going on.”
Ed Harris - no relation to that one guy - sat in a straight back chair beside his cluttered desk and gripped a styrofoam cup of coffee in both hands, putting Bruce - for some reason - in mind of a monkey. When Bruce came in, the old man was white as a sheet and shook like a leaf. In the last half hour, little had changed.
“Tell me again,” Bruce said.
He and Ed were pretty good friends. He knew that Ed knew standard police procedure. Cops don’t ask you to repeat your story a thousand times over because they’re forgetful fucks, they do it because telling it again and again helps to jog loose details that you might have forgotten. Ed, therefore, did not protest. “I turned my back,” he said and chopped the chair like Jackie Chan, “and I heard the noise.”
His voice was thick, unsteady, and halting. He sounded as squirrely as he looked…and he looked pretty damn squirrelly right now.
“I turned around…and he was looking at me. He was standing there and he was looking at me.”
This was the fourth time he’d had Ed go through the story, and nothing had changed. Bruce felt something stirring deep inside his gut. It was either disquiet…or he had to fart. He opened his mouth to speak, but sighed.
“You don’t believe me,” Ed said.
“I dunno, Ed. Dead bodies don’t just get up and walk away.”
Ed flashed. “I know that, goddamn it, but this one did.”
Bruce glanced at Vanessa. She looked uncomfortable.
“Are you sure he was dead?” Bruce asked.
Ed opened his mouth, closed it again, and said, “I did the autopsy.” His voice broke on the last word, and he sounded almost like he was pleading. “His fucking liver’s on the floor. He stepped on it. The man has nothing in him. I-I’m telling you, there’s no way he’s alive.”
During the autopsy, Ed had sat Dominick Mason’s organs on the little tray table where he kept his pointy things. Mason knocked it over while getting up. Indeed, there were human organs on the floor, and one of them did look kind of squished. Bare, bloody footprints led to the exit door, up a set of concrete steps, and then disappeared in the alley behind the office.
“You said you left his heart,” Bruce said.
“And his brain,” Vanessa helpfully added.
Ed pinched the bridge of his nose like a put upon professor dealing with two particularly stupid students. “Even with his heart and his brain, he’s dead. You saw the livor mortis. He was cold, he was stiff. His heart wasn’t beating, he wasn’t breathing. He was in one of those drawers for nine hours, not breathing, no blood flow - it’s impossible. It’s just…it’s impossible. I don’t care what you think, he was dead. And even if somehow he wasn’t, I cut out almost everything. I opened his stomach, I took his spleen - you don’t just get up from that. You don’t walk away from that, much less run.”
Bruce chewed the inside of his bottom lip because he didn’t have a Twix. He didn’t look like the smartest man in the world…and he wasn’t…but he knew a dead body when he saw one, and the body they took out of Dominick Mason’s apartment was D.E.A.D. And like Ed said, even if by some freak fluke of nature he wasn’t, he couldn’t just get up and go about his day with no liver, spleen, or kidneys. Hell, Bruce had his gallbladder out and he couldn’t even walk away from that.
“You said there was something funny about his heart,” Vanessa said.
Ed finished off his coffee. “Yeah. It was…moldy. I-I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Is it possible that…has something to do with it?”
“Unless the rules of biology have changed overnight, no,” Ed stated.
While Ed poured himself another cup of Joe, spilling some because he was still shaking, Vanessa took Bruce aside. “So what do you think?” she asked. “Is he telling the truth?”
For that, Bruce did not have an immediate answer. All else aside, he was a cop. He followed the evidence - and his gut instinct - wherever it led him. Ed was a sober man - he was not a drunk, insane, or stupid - and no man on earth could fake the look of trauma in his eyes. Bruce’s eyes went to the bloody footprints leading away from the exam table and his stomach roiled. It might be cliched, but there had to be a rational explanation. “Yeah,” he finally said. “The kid got up like he said, but there’s no way he was dead. Maybe…I dunno, he had a surge of adrenaline or something. I’m not a doctor.”
“That’ll only get him so far,” Vanessa said. “We’ll probably find him on the street somewhere.”
He went back to the purple splotches on Dom’s face, to his cold stiffness. There’s no way he was dead?
Bruce was confused, and he hated being confused.
“I dunno,” he said, “maybe.”
But he had the gnawing feeling that they wouldn’t. They would never find him…and Bruce would be confused forever.
Goddamn it, Mason, he thought, where are you?

A Daily chronicle of AI Innovations May 16th 2024:

🤔 Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions 🪫 Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell
🍎Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts
🤖Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o
💸Stability AI seeks buyer amid financial woes
📽️Mozilla Firefox incorporates NVIDIA RTX video to improve video quality on Windows
☁️Musk's AI firm xAI In talks with Oracle for $10 billion cloud deal
❄️Snowflake invests in Metaplane to enhance data quality
😱 Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI
📱 Android phones enter the AI era
🗣️ How to clone your voice using AI
🤔 Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions

• Microsoft's commitment to being carbon-negative by 2030 is threatened by a 30% increase in its carbon emissions, largely due to its growing focus on AI technologies.
• The company's expansion of AI operations necessitates building more data centers, which rely on energy-intensive materials like steel, concrete, and microchips, further complicating their carbon reduction goals.
• Despite its renewable energy claims, Microsoft is acknowledged for using instruments like renewable energy credits (RECs) that might mask actual carbon emissions, indicating a challenging path ahead to meet its sustainability targets.
• Source

Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell

• Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion.
• The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney.
• Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023.
• Source

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.

Another noteworthy addition is Music Haptics, designed for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. When enabled, the Taptic Engine in iPhones plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations synchronized with music audio.
Additionally, Apple has introduced Voice Shortcut, which allows users to create custom voice commands for specific actions on their devices. With Voice Shortcut, users can perform tasks hands-free by simply speaking their personalized commands
Why does this matter?
This would encourage the development and advancement of AI technologies in the accessibility domain, ultimately benefiting individuals with disabilities across different platforms and devices.
Source

Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o

Humane has upgraded its popular AI Pin product with the GPT-4o model. This upgrade aims to enhance the AI Pin’s performance. The new version runs faster, provides more accurate answers, and offers richer information.
[ca
Why does this matter?
As more sophisticated AI models become accessible, we can expect further improvements in various applications, from digital assistants to natural language understanding and generation.
Source

Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI

OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever announced that he is leaving the company — following months of speculation of Sutskever’s role from the November 2023 Sam Altman ousting.

• Sutskever said he is confident that OpenAI will ‘build AGI that is both safe and beneficial’ under the current leadership.
• Also leaving is Sutskever’s superalignment group co-lead Jan Leike, announcing his departure with a cryptic resignation post.
• The news follows months of departures largely coming from OpenAI’s superalignment and safety teams, fueling speculation.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman named Jakub Pachocki as the new chief scientist, a key researcher on the creation of GPT-4.

After months of tensions, the speculation around Ilya’s future with Sam is finally put to rest. But questions surrounding the safety team departures still remain. Also important to watch is where Sutskever and Leike land next, with two of AI’s brightest minds now officially on the market.

Android phones enter the AI era

Google announced a host of new AI integrations coming to Android phones at its I/O Developer Conference, bringing its powerful Gemini model on-device to enable upgraded smartphone experiences.

• Google’s Gemini Nano model will be integrated into the Pixel later this year, allowing for enhanced multimodal capabilities.
• Gemini features will be easily accessible with a new overlay, which improves and understand context to provide dynamic suggestions.
• A Circle to Search feature, allowing users to query anything on screen, gains homework help features via a LearnLM model.
• Google is also bringing a new AI security feature soon, providing real-time alerts on calls that appear to be scams.

While everyone awaits the iPhone AI announcements, Google’s Android AI era is rolling. With Gemini coming directly on-board, the potential is there — but if Apple integrates ChatGPT, it may remain tough sledding against the dominant market leader.
Source

AI TRAINING How to clone your voice using AI

A new model on Replicate called OpenVoice lets you clone any voice for free with just an audio file and the desired text to be turned into speech.
Step-by-step: Access OpenVoice on Replicate here and log in with your GitHub account. Upload the audio file of the voice you want to clone where it says ‘audio’. The longer, the better. Fill the ‘Text’ field with the text you want to convert into a speech. Click on the ‘Run’ button and listen/download the generated audio with the cloned voice!

New AI Job Opportunities on May 16th 2024

• Lambda - Manufacturing Quality Engineer
• Anthropic - People Operations Coordinator
• Figure AI - Humanoid Robot Pilot
• Luma AI - Senior Software engineer- Data infrastructure

What Else Is Happening in AI on May 16th 2024

‍Instagram co-founder joins Anthropic as head of product
Anthropic has appointed Mike Krieger, the co-founder of Instagram and Artifact, as head of product. In this pivotal role, Krieger will steer the company's product engineering, management, and design efforts as Anthropic expands its suite of AI apps and aims to bring Claude to a wider audience. (Link)
IBM plans 800 new jobs in Ireland
IBM plans to hire up to 800 more people in Ireland to help build advanced software underpinned by AI technology. This is the biggest job announcement in the country’s multinational sector this year. The roles will be in research and development, digital sales, and consulting. (Link)
Mozilla Firefox incorporates NVIDIA RTX video to improve video quality on Windows
Mozilla Firefox has incorporated NVIDIA RTX Video, a technology that leverages AI to improve video quality on Windows PCs and workstations. This brings a host of AI-powered enhancements to online videos, including upscaling and HDR, for a more immersive viewing experience. Users can easily access these features by updating GeForce RTX drivers and activating Windows HDR. (Link)
Musk's AI firm xAI In talks with Oracle for $10 billion cloud deal
Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, is in talks with Oracle executives about a $10 billion deal to rent cloud servers from Oracle over several years. This move comes as Musk’s company seeks to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google to dominate the AI field. (Link)
Snowflake invests in Metaplane to enhance data quality
Snowflake, a data cloud platform, has invested in Metaplane, a Boston-based startup. Metaplane focuses on helping enterprises identify and rectify data quality issues using an end-to-end AI-powered platform. The investment aims to enhance integration between Metaplane’s data observability offering and the Snowflake data cloud. (Link)

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Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions

• Microsoft's commitment to being carbon-negative by 2030 is threatened by a 30% increase in its carbon emissions, largely due to its growing focus on AI technologies.
• The company's expansion of AI operations necessitates building more data centers, which rely on energy-intensive materials like steel, concrete, and microchips, further complicating their carbon reduction goals.
• Despite its renewable energy claims, Microsoft is acknowledged for using instruments like renewable energy credits (RECs) that might mask actual carbon emissions, indicating a challenging path ahead to meet its sustainability targets.
• Source

Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell

• Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion.
• The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney.
• Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023.
• Source

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.

Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions

• Microsoft's commitment to being carbon-negative by 2030 is threatened by a 30% increase in its carbon emissions, largely due to its growing focus on AI technologies.
• The company's expansion of AI operations necessitates building more data centers, which rely on energy-intensive materials like steel, concrete, and microchips, further complicating their carbon reduction goals.
• Despite its renewable energy claims, Microsoft is acknowledged for using instruments like renewable energy credits (RECs) that might mask actual carbon emissions, indicating a challenging path ahead to meet its sustainability targets.
• Source

Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell

• Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion.
• The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney.
• Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023.
• Source

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-ai-push-imperils-climate-160020868.html
🪫 Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell
Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion. The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney. Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023. Source: https://the-decoder.com/stability-ai-reportedly-runs-out-of-money-and-in-negotiations-to-sell/
Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts
Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
Another noteworthy addition is Music Haptics, designed for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. When enabled, the Taptic Engine in iPhones plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations synchronized with music audio.
Additionally, Apple has introduced Voice Shortcut, which allows users to create custom voice commands for specific actions on their devices. With Voice Shortcut, users can perform tasks hands-free by simply speaking their personalized commands
Why does this matter?
This would encourage the development and advancement of AI technologies in the accessibility domain, ultimately benefiting individuals with disabilities across different platforms and devices.
Source: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/05/apple-announces-new-accessibility-features-including-eye-tracking
Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o
Humane has upgraded its popular AI Pin product with the GPT-4o model. This upgrade aims to enhance the AI Pin’s performance. The new version runs faster, provides more accurate answers, and offers richer information.
Why does this matter?
As more sophisticated AI models become accessible, we can expect further improvements in various applications, from digital assistants to natural language understanding and generation.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/15/24157731/humane-says-its-ai-pins-just-got-a-gpt-4o-upgrade
😱 Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI
Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever announced that he is leaving the company — following months of speculation of Sutskever’s role from the November 2023 Sam Altman ousting.
Sutskever said he is confident that OpenAI will ‘build AGI that is both safe and beneficial’ under the current leadership.
Also leaving is Sutskever’s superalignment group co-lead Jan Leike, announcing his departure with a cryptic resignation post.
The news follows months of departures largely coming from OpenAI’s superalignment and safety teams, fueling speculation.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman named Jakub Pachocki as the new chief scientist, a key researcher on the creation of GPT-4.
After months of tensions, the speculation around Ilya’s future with Sam is finally put to rest. But questions surrounding the safety team departures still remain. Also important to watch is where Sutskever and Leike land next, with two of AI’s brightest minds now officially on the market.
📱 Android phones enter the AI era
Android phones enter the AI era Google announced a host of new AI integrations coming to Android phones at its I/O Developer Conference, bringing its powerful Gemini model on-device to enable upgraded smartphone experiences.
Google’s Gemini Nano model will be integrated into the Pixel later this year, allowing for enhanced multimodal capabilities.
Gemini features will be easily accessible with a new overlay, which improves and understand context to provide dynamic suggestions.
A Circle to Search feature, allowing users to query anything on screen, gains homework help features via a LearnLM model.
Google is also bringing a new AI security feature soon, providing real-time alerts on calls that appear to be scams.
While everyone awaits the iPhone AI announcements, Google’s Android AI era is rolling. With Gemini coming directly on-board, the potential is there — but if Apple integrates ChatGPT, it may remain tough sledding against the dominant market leader.
Source: https://blog.google/products/android/google-ai-android-update-io-2024
AI TRAINING 🗣️ How to clone your voice using AI
How to clone your voice using AI
A new model on Replicate called OpenVoice lets you clone any voice for free with just an audio file and the desired text to be turned into speech.
Step-by-step:
Access OpenVoice on Replicate here at https://replicate.com/cjwbw/openvoice and log in with your GitHub account.
Upload the audio file of the voice you want to clone where it says ‘audio’. The longer, the better.
Fill the ‘Text’ field with the text you want to convert into a speech.
Click on the ‘Run’ button and listen/download the generated audio with the cloned voice!
New AI Job Opportunities on May 16th 2024
🔬 Lambda - Manufacturing Quality Engineer: https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59796724-manufacturing-quality-enginee
📋 Anthropic - People Operations Coordinator:
https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59882127-people-operations-coordinator
🤖 Figure AI - Humanoid Robot Pilot: https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59875233-humanoid-robot-pilot-evening-shift
💻 Luma AI - Senior Software engineer- Data infrastructure: https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59880695-senior-software-engineer-data-infrastructure
What Else Is Happening in AI on May 16th 2024❗
🧑‍Instagram co-founder joins Anthropic as head of product
Anthropic has appointed Mike Krieger, the co-founder of Instagram and Artifact, as head of product. In this pivotal role, Krieger will steer the company's product engineering, management, and design efforts as Anthropic expands its suite of AI apps and aims to bring Claude to a wider audience. (Link: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/15/anthropic-hires-instagram-co-founder-as-head-of-product)
💼 IBM plans 800 new jobs in Ireland
IBM plans to hire up to 800 more people in Ireland to help build advanced software underpinned by AI technology. This is the biggest job announcement in the country’s multinational sector this year. The roles will be in research and development, digital sales, and consulting. (Link: https://www.reuters.com/technology/ibm-add-800-ai-related-jobs-ireland-2024-05-15)
📽️Mozilla Firefox incorporates NVIDIA RTX video to improve video quality on Windows
Mozilla Firefox has incorporated NVIDIA RTX Video, a technology that leverages AI to improve video quality on Windows PCs and workstations. This brings a host of AI-powered enhancements to online videos, including upscaling and HDR, for a more immersive viewing experience. Users can easily access these features by updating GeForce RTX drivers and activating Windows HDR. (Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/ai-decoded-rtxvideo-firefox)
☁️Musk's AI firm xAI In talks with Oracle for $10 billion cloud deal
Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, is in talks with Oracle executives about a $10 billion deal to rent cloud servers from Oracle over several years. This move comes as Musk’s company seeks to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google to dominate the AI field. (Link; https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musks-xai-nears-10-bln-deal-rent-oracles-ai-servers-information-reports-2024-05-14)
❄️Snowflake invests in Metaplane to enhance data quality
Snowflake, a data cloud platform, has invested in Metaplane, a Boston-based startup. Metaplane focuses on helping enterprises identify and rectify data quality issues using an end-to-end AI-powered platform. The investment aims to enhance integration between Metaplane’s data observability offering and the Snowflake data cloud. (Link: https://venturebeat.com/data-infrastructure/snowflake-invests-in-metaplane-to-solve-data-quality-issues-plaguing-ai-development)
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Salut à tous, My goal in this post is to share my raw TAPIF experience from this year now that I’m home and have reflected. I will be listing challenges that I and others faced (I’ll be discussing the cons rather than the pros).
For reference, I’m American and was placed in primary in the Académie d’Orléans-Tours. I had already worked 8-5 in a school the previous year so I came in with a fair amount of savings and work experience working in language schools.
• You might have to act as the sole English teacher of your school(s). This includes creating curriculum sometimes from scratch with little to no guidance. The term “assistant” can be very misleading. At the primary level it is unfortunately common that you will be leading 30+ students per class while the teacher uses this time for a coffee break. Some might think you are an intervenant(e) and not an assistant(e) who takes over the whole classroom even though they have worked with assistants in the past. Even your principals might not know your role (or care). It’s your responsibility to advocate for yourself in order not to be taken advantage of and break the cycle so the next assistant doesn’t have to go through this.
• You might have a housing crisis. I arrived and spent nearly $2000 to stay in an airbnb for a month. I didn’t have a French guarantor and with the low tapif salary it is virtually impossible to find an apt through an agency. They will reject you. I did the online guarantor called “VISALE” and they granted me a max rent of 380€ a month. I applied to live with two French roommates “en coloc” but couldn’t be accepted as the rent was 450€ and VISALE granted me 380. I eventually was so desperate to have a permanent address (for bureaucratic stuff) that I found an apt on leboncoin with an independent landlord who didn’t need me to supply any guarantor. The rent only had water included and was 820€ a month (the entirety of our monthly salary). I had to, without any help, order and install the wifi and tv box and set up an electricity account through EDF. BEWARE if you didn’t know- electricity/heating in France is extremely expensive. I ended up having to keep my heat around 15 C (59 F) in order to not have the bill exceed 100€ per month during the cold months (I.e. the duration of our assistantships). When I moved out 2 weeks ago, the landlord blew up on me saying everything was “dégueulasse” or disgustingly filthy- which surprise it wasn’t- it’s a typical tactic to take money out of your initial deposit (dépôt de garantie), which he plans on doing. You will be vulnerable as a foreigner in this position. I would recommend NOT renting an apt by yourself unless it’s last resort as it was for me.
• The nature of the program can be VERY isolating. As others have emphasized, this is NOT any way similar to a study abroad. No one is keeping tabs on you or making sure you are adjusting well. Depending on your schools and schedule, you might not be able to form close relationships with your colleagues either. You MUST be okay with spending time by yourself in a foreign country. Many people end up leaving at Christmas because of these difficulties, usually citing they have a “family situation” to tend to back at home. I encourage you, if single, to try to befriend or date French nationals, as it will provide extra support and protection to you as a foreigner living in France.
• Mental Health- just to expand on my point above, you will need decent mental health to complete this program. If you are on medication it’s best to see if you can ween off before coming to France as certain meds are hard to find or impossible for doctors to prescribe. For example, adderall, for ADHD, is virtually impossible to have prescribed in Europe.
• Seasonal Depression- Unless you are from the Pacific Northwest in the US, you are more than likely going to experience some seasonal depression as the majority of France becomes very gloomy during the months of the assistantship. If you are from California, Florida, or anywhere in the south or southwest, you will more than likely miss seeing the sun more than once every two weeks. In my region, it wasn’t uncommon for it to rain several times a week with no glimpse of the sun. Of course, if you are placed in the Côte d’Azur or DOM TOMs this will not apply to you.
• Incompetent Prof Refs/Conseillère Pédagogique–your person of contact who will meet with at the beginning of the program may very well be misinformed and useless. I was told by people at my rectorat that I wouldn’t receive my carte vitale (health insurance) as it’s only for French nationals. When I tried to explain that we are all entitled to health insurance with this job they became hostile towards me. Again ADVOCATE for yourself!!! I learned more from the WhatsApp chat and Facebook group than I ever did asking my schools or local rectorat for help. I would have literally NEVER received my carte vitale if I had listened to my “superiors” in this program. They told me incorrect things several times.
Thank you for reading this far! These are some of the realities I and others encountered. I plan on making a list of pros as well if anyone would be interested. (:

Was studying the circle of fifths today and came to the realization that for the # majors, all you have to do is look at the right most # and add a half step and that’s the name of the major.
Naturals (the B is “raised” naturally) - C major
F# - G major
F#C# - D major
F#C#G# - A major
F#C#G#D# - E major
F#C#G#D#A# - B major
F#C#G#D#A#E# - F# major
F#C#G#D#A#E#B# - C# major
For the flat majors take the right most flat and count up four letters
Naturals (the F is “lowered” naturally) - C major
Bb - F major
BbEb - Bb major
BbEbAb - Eb major
BbEbAbDb - Ab major
BbEbAbDbGb - Db major
BbEbAbDbGbCb - Gb major
BbEbAbDbGbCbFb - Cb major
Interestingly, the new flat for each major flat is the same name as the flat major after it.

When it comes to lawn care, one of the decisions that homeowners frequently face is whether to mulch or bag grass clippings after mowing. Both methods have their benefits and can be suitable depending on your lawn care goals, environmental considerations, and the specific condition of your lawn. Here's a detailed guide to help you understand the differences between mulching and bagging, and how to choose the best option for your lawn.
What is Mulching?
Definition: Mulching involves cutting grass clippings into fine pieces which are then left on the lawn. These tiny clippings decompose quickly and return nutrients back into the soil.
Benefits:
1. Nutrient Recycling: As the clippings decompose, they return nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium back to the soil, which can reduce the need for chemical fertilisers.
2. Moisture Retention: Mulching helps retain soil moisture by providing a cover layer that reduces water evaporation from the soil, benefiting the lawn during hot weather.
3. Weed Suppression: The layer of mulched grass can help suppress weeds by blocking sunlight from reaching weed seeds, thereby preventing their germination.
4. Cost-Effective: It saves time and effort as you don’t need to stop to empty the mower bag. Also, it reduces the need for additional yard waste bags and decreases waste production.
Considerations:
Mulching is most effective when the grass is dry and when only the top third of the grass blade is cut. Wet grass or cutting too much at once can lead to clumping.
Over-mulching or mulching diseased grass can spread pathogens and may contribute to thatch build-up if not done properly.
What is Bagging?
· Definition: Bagging involves collecting grass clippings in a mower bag as you mow, which are then disposed of or composted separately.
· Benefits:
a) Clean Appearance: Bagging removes clippings from the lawn, which maintains a tidy, neat appearance immediately after mowing.
b) Disease Management: If your lawn is diseased, bagging the clippings can help prevent the spread of disease to other areas of the lawn.
c) Versatility: Bagged clippings can be composted or used as mulch in garden beds, providing a beneficial use for them outside the lawn.
· Considerations:
a) Bagging requires more effort and time, especially if you have a large yard, as you will need to empty the mower bag regularly.
b) Removing clippings can deprive the lawn of natural nutrients, possibly increasing the dependency on artificial fertilisers.
c) Disposing of grass clippings, if not composted, can contribute to waste, although many communities turn yard waste into community compost.
Choosing Between Mulching and Bagging
Consider Your Lawn’s Health and Needs:
· If your lawn is healthy, mulching can be beneficial as it naturally fertilises the lawn and is environmentally friendly.
· If you are dealing with a diseased lawn or if there are a lot of weeds, bagging may be the better option to prevent the spread of disease and seeds.
Think About Your Desired Lawn Appearance:
For a pristine, clean-looking lawn, especially before events or if you prefer an immaculate appearance, bagging might be your preferred choice.
If you are more focused on sustainability and soil health, mulching could be more suitable.
Ultimately, the choice between mulching and bagging depends on your specific lawn care goals, environmental considerations, and the practicality of each method for your situation. By understanding the benefits and considerations of each, you can make an informed decision that ensures your lawn is not only beautiful but also healthy.

I feel like if I'm going to ask anywhere, it'd have to be here, right?
Winter's rolling up where I live at, and I'm working on the ULTIMATE, PERFECT chicken noodle soup. I live in a country where we use mainly natural ingredients, so things like storebought chicken broth are not a thing, but I do love me some enhancers such as bullion.
My recipe is as follows:
Mirrepoix: goes in first, minimal amount of deglazing, I'm not after that flavour profile after all. Everything chunky, I like it that way. This goes over olive oil, for that golden shine. Chicken Breasts: 2, with the bone connecting them, same with sinew. goes in before the water over the veg to get it soaked in those flavours. Later removed and shredded with a hand blender (love this since I found out its a thing lol) Potatoes: That starch is soooooooo good. Leek: Alongisde the mirrepoix, a little later, for the sake of not burning it. Garlic: Lots of it. Herbs: Bayleaf, rosemary, thyme. Spices: Salt and pepper, some MSG if needed. Bullion: 1 chicken 1 veg, for that extra kick. Cheese: The meltiness is just sooooo good.
I cook everything down for about 2 hours to get it to that magical spot. Then small portion ladeled into a smaller pot to cook the noodles in the broth (I make a big pot of stock and then portion out every time I'm going to eat, I fricking love soup).
That's my recipe, needless to say it works like an absolute charm, a 9/10 in my book, but I'm after that extra point!
My current thoughts are:
Mushrooms?: Maybe dried pine mushrooms, rehydrated in the stock? my worry there is flavour profiling. Also thought about button mushrooms, but I can't imagine the texture would be good enough?
Pancetta: Some smoked pancetta bits, rendered in the olive oil, to boost the WHOLE thing up, and leave me with salty little bombs. This is currently my biggest idea.
Soy Sauce?: No idea tbh, thinking of soy sauce bases in ramen maybe?
Any ideas appreciated!

This topic is difficult to research online, given how little discussion there is around it, if any. Still, I believe it is possible to regenerate glans penis tissue, given that our bodies' cells are in a constant process of regeneration (death and birth) at a controlled rate. When it gets out control, it's called cancer but that's another topic; this needs to be a controlled, effective and safe kind of treatment. Glans regeneration (regrowth, tissue repair, however you wish to call it) may also be possible with some kind of stem cell therapy. If some kind of wound or burn happens on it, it obviously can heal to a considerable degree if you're healthy, so there must be a way to stimulate the procreation of new cells in this part of the body.
The reason why I'm asking is because, throughout the months, I washed my glans penis too frequently and too intensely in the shower due to my OCD. It was a grave and stupid mistake of mine that I really regret, and I'm looking for a solution. What happened: I ended up slightly deforming my glans penis, making it a bit flatter on top and slimmer on the sides, giving it a slightly conical shape, and reducing the protuberance of my urethra opening. This has made me feel like my sexual wellbeing has considerably decreased.
Furthermore, I have a couple of ideas in my mind to stimulate glans tissue regrowth or regeneration: Applying honey or olive oil, or both (going the natural, non-pharmaceutical route).

• "Everything to Know About the Health Benefits of Honey" This Healthline article mentions the healing properties of honey for wounds and burns, along with the following scientific citations:
  
• "Honey as a topical treatment for wounds"
  
• "Health Benefits of Manuka Honey as an Essential Constituent for Tissue Regeneration"
  

Furthermore:

• "11 Proven Benefits of Olive Oil": This article mentions it has large amounts of antioxidants, as well as vitamins E and K which may benefit. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.
  
• "Benefits of Olive Oil for Your Skin "
  

Also, of course, including plenty of protein in diet (like a carnivore diet or thorugh protein supplements) is important for tissue repair. And olive oil, or extra-virgin olive oil more specifically, has a downside which is the risk of yeast infection, as far as I'm concerned. So a way to properly sterilize olive oil for healing as a topical treatment, without having it lose its beneficial chemical properties, is needed. I guess there's also coconut oil but I don't know if it can be of any help, since I've heard it's used for other reasons... Including plenty of vitamin C in the diet can also help the body produce its own collagen, as far as I'm concerned, and collagen is necessary for tissue to be healthy, is it not?
So do you have any suggestions? Please help, thank you! If you're just going to comment something like "regeneration isn't possible" or "there's nothing you can do" then don't even bother doing so, since that kind of answer is unhelpful and arrogant (because science is in a constant process of evolution and discovery, and just because you think it isn't possible, doesn't mean it actually isn't).

I was reminded of this legislation included in this year's NDAA, separate from the UAP Disclosure Act, in a recent article on the Hill by former intel analyst Marik Von Rennenkampff.
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4646417-top-senators-believe-the-us-secretly-recovered-ufos/
The article itself is fantastic and it details some of the high profile senators who all believe the US has recovered exotic craft of non human origin.
I want to focus on a piece of legislation he mentions because I think this largely flew under the radar in the shadow of the UAP disclosure act or the Schumer amendment.
It is a very short piece of legislation but very powerful. https://www.congress.gov/118/plaws/publ31/PLAW-118publ31.pdf#page=487
SEC. 1687. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR CERTAIN UNREPORTED PROGRAMS

LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended in support of any activities involving unidentified anomalous phenomena protected under any form of special access or restricted access limitations unless the Secretary of Defense has provided the details of the activity to the appropriate congressional committees and congressional leadership, including for any activities described in a report released by the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office in fiscal year 2024.
(b) LIMITATION REGARDING INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT independent research and development funding relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena shall not be allowable as indirect expenses for purposes of contracts covered by such instruction, unless such material and information is made available to the appropriate congressional committees and congressional leadership.
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: (1) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— (A) the congressional defense committees; and (B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. (2) The term ‘‘congressional leadership’’ means— (A) the majority leader of the Senate; (B) the minority leader of the Senate; (C) the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and (D) the minority leader of the House of Representatives. (3) The term ‘‘unidentified anomalous phenomena’’ has the meaning given such term in section 1683(n)of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 U.S.C. 3373(n)), as amended by section 6802(a) of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263).

So this piece of legislation basically says if you are running any program that has to do with UFOs the secretary of defense must inform the intel committees in both house and Senate and the rest of congressional leadership. The leadership and those committees must be read in on these programs so that we can reestablish proper congressional oversight.
If you don’t read these members of congress well then the funding to your program gets cut. You might be asking how they know what funding goes where. David Grusch handed all of that information over to those committees years ago, they likely know which programs to cut funding to because they’ve been having whistleblowers provide this information over the last several years. The Department of Justice has been investigating not only David Grusch’s claims of these programs, but likely also other whistleblowers' claims as well.
This is huge. Defense contractors aren’t going to be happy when their contracts are revoked because their government handlers didn’t disclose the true nature of the programs they are running. They’re going to get cut off if they don’t comply with this new mandate.
We the public are still in the dark and unaware of the details the investigations going on behind the scenes have revealed thus far. Also, what is the actual enforcement mechanism here? I don’t see a date by which things must be disclosed, have they already begun reading in congressional leadership because this is already in law?
Remember, this is separate from the Schumer legislation which had a date of October 18th by which all UAP realted information must be turned over the national archives so perhaps the gang of 8 has already begun being read into these programs by now and if so that’s monumental.
Yet another huge piece of news not getting picked up by the media.
I discuss this legislation, the UAP investigation efforts in Canada, the downfall of AARO/Kirkpatrick, and Karl Nell at SALT here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB7iMeCrYec
Do you think this law will actually have an impact and is the gang of 8 being read in or do you think somehow the DOD will just ignore the threat of cut funding?

I was reminded of this legislation included in this year's NDAA, separate from the UAP Disclosure Act, in a recent article on the Hill by former intel analyst Marik Von Rennenkampff.
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4646417-top-senators-believe-the-us-secretly-recovered-ufos/
The article itself is fantastic and it details some of the high profile senators who all believe the US has recovered exotic craft of non human origin.
I want to focus on a piece of legislation he mentions because I think this largely flew under the radar in the shadow of the UAP disclosure act or the Schumer amendment.
It is a very short piece of legislation but very powerful. https://www.congress.gov/118/plaws/publ31/PLAW-118publ31.pdf#page=487
SEC. 1687. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR CERTAIN UNREPORTED PROGRAMS

LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be obligated or expended in support of any activities involving unidentified anomalous phenomena protected under any form of special access or restricted access limitations unless the Secretary of Defense has provided the details of the activity to the appropriate congressional committees and congressional leadership, including for any activities described in a report released by the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office in fiscal year 2024.
(b) LIMITATION REGARDING INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT independent research and development funding relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena shall not be allowable as indirect expenses for purposes of contracts covered by such instruction, unless such material and information is made available to the appropriate congressional committees and congressional leadership.
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: (1) The term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means— (A) the congressional defense committees; and (B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate. (2) The term ‘‘congressional leadership’’ means— (A) the majority leader of the Senate; (B) the minority leader of the Senate; (C) the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and (D) the minority leader of the House of Representatives. (3) The term ‘‘unidentified anomalous phenomena’’ has the meaning given such term in section 1683(n)of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (50 U.S.C. 3373(n)), as amended by section 6802(a) of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263).

So this piece of legislation basically says if you are running any program that has to do with UFOs the secretary of defense must inform the intel committees in both house and Senate and the rest of congressional leadership. The leadership and those committees must be read in on these programs so that we can reestablish proper congressional oversight.
If you don’t read these members of congress well then the funding to your program gets cut. You might be asking how they know what funding goes where. David Grusch handed all of that information over to those committees years ago, they likely know which programs to cut funding to because they’ve been having whistleblowers provide this information over the last several years. The Department of Justice has been investigating not only David Grusch’s claims of these programs, but likely also other whistleblowers' claims as well.
This is huge. Defense contractors aren’t going to be happy when their contracts are revoked because their government handlers didn’t disclose the true nature of the programs they are running. They’re going to get cut off if they don’t comply with this new mandate.
We the public are still in the dark and unaware of the details the investigations going on behind the scenes have revealed thus far. Also, what is the actual enforcement mechanism here? I don’t see a date by which things must be disclosed, have they already begun reading in congressional leadership because this is already in law?
Remember, this is separate from the Schumer legislation which had a date of October 18th by which all UAP realted information must be turned over the national archives so perhaps the gang of 8 has already begun being read into these programs by now and if so that’s monumental.
Yet another huge piece of news not getting picked up by the media.
I discuss this legislation, the UAP investigation efforts in Canada, the downfall of AARO/Kirkpatrick, and Karl Nell at SALT here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB7iMeCrYec
Do you think this law will actually have an impact and is the gang of 8 being read in or do you think somehow the DOD will just ignore the threat of cut funding?

Place: A house in Gangseo
The gentle rays peeked through the curtains. They illuminated a room. Inside the room, a woman and a toddler were sleeping. The toddler was a carbon copy of the woman -- black hair and pale skin.
A teenager gently nudged the door of the room. He had white hair and pale skin. He wore a black T-shirt, yellow shorts and an apron with "Certified Chef". He tiptoed into the room.
He saw the duo sleeping. The little one was hugging her mother and was drooling. The boy took out his phone and quietly took photos of the duo.
??? (thinking): My new home screen.
Hae-in: Zy...? Zygarde (quietly): Hey. Breakfast is ready sleepyhead.
He crouched and softly tousled her hair.
[Zygarde Lee]: 193 cm, 90 kg; XX, XXX, A+ (Ascended), SS, XX
[Hae-in Kim]: 181cm, 70kg; MR, LR+, A(Awakened), B, MR+
[Yeon Hwa Lee]: 86cm, 15kg; ???, ???, S, ???, ???
Hae-in (groggy): What time is it... Zygarde: 9 am.
Hae-in was startled. She woke up with a start.
Hae-In: Oh my god! I- Zygarde: It's fine~ Breakfast is ready.
Zygarde gently lifted Yeon Hwa and patted her back.
Zygarde: Yeon. Wake up. I made your favourite!
Yeon yawned and rubbed her eyes.
Yeon (groggy): Mmmm... Zygarde: Yeon! Look it's Taiyo! Yeon (awake): Tayo? Tayo!
The mother-and-daughter duo freshened up and sat down at the table.
Zygarde: Presenting... drumrolls, please... Zygarde: Yeon! Table tap.
Yeon Hwa began flailing her arms and tapping the table.
Zygarde: Samgyeopsal! Yeon: Samamamama! Zygarde: Samamamama!
The trio feasted.
A short while later...
Hae-in: Thanks for the food. I'll do the dishes. Yeon: Play!
Suddenly Zygarde's phone rang.
Zygarde: Who can it be? Oh, it's Yun. Zygarde: Yo man? Right now? Sure...
Zygarde cut the call and looked at Yeon forlornly.
Yeon: Papaa? Zygarde: Papa. Out. Sorry. Yeon: Papa back? Zygarde: Soon.
Zygarde nuzzled Yeon and she squealed and giggled.
Zygarde: I'll be back honey!
Place: A warehouse in Gangseo
[Seongji Yun]: 180 cm, 92 kg; XX, X, S(Ascended), B, XX
Yun: Thanks for coming down. I hope I didn't disturb your family time. Zygarde: Not at all! Tell me. What can I do for you?
Yun explained his predicament.
Zygarde: Do you have to follow his path? Don't get me wrong.
Zygarde gave a reassuring pat on his back.
Zygarde: Is chasing his shadow the only way you can get stronger?
Yun pondered.
Zygarde: Don't give me an answer right away. Could you keep this at the back of your mind? I want you to find your path.
Zygarde's phone rang. He chuckled.
Zygarde: It seems like some people miss me. I'll be off.
Place: A hospital in Gangseo
[Kim Seol Jin]: 184 cm, 79 kg; X, X, B(Ascended), C, XX
Seol Jin sat on the chair with a defeated expression.
Seol Jin: How bad is it? Doctor: His left kidney and stomach have ruptured. His condition has stabilised after surgery. We have to keep him in the ICU. Seol Jin: It's all my-
The doctor exhaled and patted him.
Doctor: I'm sorry to hear about the incident It's important to remember that it's not your fault.
He sat beside Seol Jin.
Doctor: These things happen, and it's natural to feel overwhelmed. Seeking support can be helpful during difficult times.
The doctor handed out a business card.
Doctor: If you feel very disturbed, I can arrange for you to meet one of our counsellors. Seol Jin: I don't think I need it.
The doctor prised the card into his hands.
Doctor: Take it, boy, and get something to eat! You've been here for the past 16 hours!
Seol Jin: Y-yes sir
A few hours later...
Place: A house in Gangseo
Hae-in: Looks like someone needs a nap. Yeon: Noooo... Zygarde: C'mere.
Zygarde gently lifted her.
Zygarde: Hold gently like a burger.
He cradled her and sang her a lullaby. Yeon soon drifted off.
Hae-In: I still have no idea how you do that every time. Zygarde: The secret is being the favourite parent! Hae-in: As if?!
The family sat on the balcony, enjoying the gentle breeze carrying the earthy scent of fallen leaves and the sight of vibrant, colourful foliage swaying in the wind, accompanied by the soothing sounds of rustling leaves and melodic wind chimes.
Hae-in: How long has it been since we had some free time... Zygarde: I know...
Zygarde lay on her lap and glanced at Hae-in. He rested the sleeping toddler on his belly. She was sleeping soundly and hugging her favourite Sanrio plush.
Zygarde: As I look up, the waning sun in the distance perfectly angles with Hae-in, as if a holy aura is surrounding her. Hae-in: Where did that- Zygarde: Her black eyes are akin to a pair of black onyxes. Hae-in: I- Go on? Zygarde: Her lips are like rose petals, soft and delicate, with a natural rosy hue that complements her graceful smile. Hae-in: Wow I- Zygarde: There's more! Hae-in: Go on...
Zygarde gently grabs Hae-in's head and pulls it closer.
Zygarde: And did you know that no matter what...
Hae-in tensed up.
Zygarde: I-
Hae-in lips touched Zygarde's. It certainly wasn't their first rodeo. But it was certainly their first one in a long time.
Their tongues intertwined. And their breathing had a shared rhythm. They closed their eyes to deepen their passion.
Zygarde: Mmm! Hae-in: Hmm? Zygarde (prying himself off): Yeon...
Hae-in became flustered.
Much to their surprise, she had not been disturbed by the whole event.
The duo softly giggled and continued their day.