First / Previous
Jori stood at the edge of the alleyway, pressed up against the wall of The Wandering Fowl as she peered into the narrow street’s depths. Humming echoed from within; a soft, gentle tune that originated from the girl that stood on the snow covered path.
Her sister.
Aria’s attention was not focused towards the end of the street, but rather on the large furred beast in front of her. The auroc groaned gently as the girl moved her brush, patting the bovine as she was lost within the rhythm of her own tune. She reached up and scratched the beast behind its horn, provoking a satisfied bellow from the large animal as it nuzzled up against her. Aria’s giggle broke her melody, ringing out with the same innocent tone that a child’s laugh could only produce.
Just like any other girl.
Pain panged in Jori’s heart, a dull ache that still possessed enough bite to make her clutch at her chest. She looked towards the ground, eyes focusing on the sack that sat at her feet. Its cloth had been pushed to its limit, burgeoning from what had been stuffed within. Jori was content to lose herself for a moment, to forget about the growing hollowness in her stomach, but she was brought out of her trance with a tap on her arm.
“Jori?” Jon asked, her brother’s tone a mix of worry and apprehension.
“I… I’m…” she swallowed, “we could just leave it here. She doesn’t need us bothering her after all she’s been through.”
She started to move away from the alley, but her brother caught her shoulders.
“We’ve come this far Jori, and she leaves today,” he said, his tone heavy, “we can’t back away now.”
She frowned at him, “Brave words for the one making me go first.”
Jon scratched his head, “You’re the oldest, you gotta take charge in these things.”
Jori opened her mouth to respond, but froze as she saw the tremble in her brother’s fingers.
She sighed, “Ok, I’ll do it,” steeling herself, Jori slapped her cheeks, straightened her back, and spun around.
Only to jump at who she saw.
Though he was without armor or helmet, Helbram was easily recognizable in a small town like Redhaven. He was tall, taller than most in the village, but not so much that it would make him a giant, and there were farmers that possessed broader frames than him. However, none carried the same presence as the adventurer. There was an air to the man that threaded the line between gentle and imposing, as if he could switch between the two at the drop of a hat if needed.
As he loomed over the siblings, he trended towards the latter.
He may have been brought into the village in an unconscious state, but any sign of his incapacitation had vanished over the fortnight that it took for him and his party to recover, letting the full weight of his gaze settle over Jori as he looked the two over with unblinking eyes. His vision eventually settled on the bag next to Jori’s feet, and, after a moment of study, a smile broke from his emotionless guise.
He leaned against the wall and tilted his head towards the alley, “Go to her, we will give you some peace.”
Jori tilted her head, eventually realizing that the “we” Helbram mentioned included Leaf, who stood behind him closer to the tavern’s door. The half elven man looked at them with a frown, one that did not reach his eyes, and turned his gaze back to the street, saying nothing.
Jon prodded her in the back, which was enough to get her moving. She picked up the bag and walked past Helbram, marching into the alleyway with enough force behind her steps to echo through the narrowed path.
Echoes that made Aria turn towards her.
As the sisters’ eyes met, both froze. Jon stumbled into Jori’s back, but upon seeing Aria looking at them stopped in his tracks as well. Their sister’s eyebrows were raised in surprise, and the girl leaned against the auroc at her side for support. Her hands clutched at her brush, and the small shake to her fingers revealed the trepidation that the girl felt at the sight of her siblings. It was a sight that made Jori’s heart fall.
But she pressed on.
She walked closer, taking cautious steps towards her sister as she held the bag in front of her. Aria did not react to her approach, but Jori settled at stopping a stone’s throw away. She knelt down and opened the bag.
Revealing the bundles of clothing within.
“We didn’t know how much you needed…” Jori started, “and we didn’t know what your sizes were, so we gathered all we could.”
“We made sure there weren’t any holes in ‘em either,” Jon added in haste, “they may have been ours but they should last you a long while,” like Jori, his eyes were focused towards the ground and not the girl in front of them.
Their sister said nothing.
“We put some blankets in there too,” Jon said, “I know the cold doesn’t bother you but-”
Jori stomped on her brother’s foot. He winced, but upon realizing what he said kept his lips sealed. Cautiously, she looked up towards Aria, staring at the girl’s lips to avoid her eyes.
No reaction.
They stood in silence, the air between them growing more hollow by the moment. It was an emptiness that started to creep back into Jori’s heart, a sense of futility that told her to turn around and walk away. She clenched her hands into fists and pushed that instinct to the side, forcing herself to look her sister in the eye.
“I’m sorry,” she said, the words cracking as her vision blurred, “for abandoning you, for being scared of you. For being an awful, awful sister,” she blinked furiously to keep her tears from falling, “you deserved so much better, and I know there is nothing I can do to make up for what I have done.”
“What we have done,” Jon said, his voice a trembling mess, “I’m sorry too. Sorry for being such a poor brother, for thinking that what I had done was the only… the right thing to do,” he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to steady himself, “It’s not our place to say this, but we hope wherever you go you find the happiness you deserve.”
Still, Aria did not respond.
Any bravery that the siblings held vanished at their sister’s silence. Jori’s gaze fell and, when nothing else was said, she spun around to leave, grabbing her brother’s arm.
“I can’t forgive you.”
Jori’s heart shattered to pieces.
The instinct to run swelled within her, to flee from the burden of guilt that crashed against her shoulders. The shake in her brother’s arm told her that Jon felt the same, but neither of them moved.
Whatever was to be said, they deserved.
“The words are there… but as I try to say them, I can only see you as you were before,” Aria said, “The ones who laughed and played outside my door as I could only look on. The ones who ignored me as they continued to be happy, to be loved. I can’t say it, not after all this time.”
Jori could hear the weeping in her sister’s voice, but neither her nor Jon could bring themselves to look back as their own tears streamed down their faces.
“But I can say thank you,” Aria’s footsteps drew closer, “for the clothes… and for trying to save me.”
It was the sibling’s time to be silent.
“We may never see each other again, but I hope the best for the both of you.”
An impulse washed over Jori then, an urge to turn around and embrace her sister, to cry into the girl’s shoulders and let her do the same, to be like siblings should have been.
But it was too late for that.
“We hope the best for you too,” Jori said, unable to face her sister. She went to say more, but the words caught at her throat.
Unable to take anymore, Jori ran, letting the desire to escape take over. She hurried past the Helbram and Leaf into the street, her steps carrying her far enough into Redhaven that they were out of sight. Jon was at her side, and when their sprint could carry them no further they collapsed to the ground, chests heaving as their sobs hindered their ability to catch their breath.
Tears flowed from their eyes, unending as they traced down their cheeks, splashing onto the street as they continued to cry. They ignored the stares of the townsfolk that walked by, too lost in the tide of emotions that carried them this far. When the tears finally slowed, Jori could still feel the sorrow within her chest, the pain that dug into her heart, unable to leave.
But it had faded.
Their sister’s words did not relieve Jori of the burden of guilt, but it had reduced it to a dull ache. One that she could live with.
Must live with.
Jori wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. She held a hand out to Jon and, after her brother wiped his face, he took it with a firm grip as she helped him up. They met each other’s gaze and shared a nod. They had to continue on, to be the best that they could be, for their sake.
For their sister’s wishes.
___
Aria watched her siblings disappear from the alley’s exit. When they were gone, the grip on her brush relaxed and she let go of the breath that she was holding. She looked towards the bag in front of her and knelt down. Curiosity fueled her hands then, placing the brush down and pulling a piece of clothing from the parcel. It revealed itself to be a shirt as it unfolded, the size only a tad larger than what she needed. It was weaved from a white cloth, and in every way was unremarkable.
Yet the sight of it made her happy.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of oncoming footsteps. Helbram and Leaf approached, and while the usual frown-faced man looked at her with some concern, his companion was more relaxed, yet somehow focused at the same time.
Helbram knelt down in front of her, “Are you alright?”
Aria nodded, “I don’t know if it was the right thing to say.”
He put his hand on her head, “Yours is a situation that is a bit more complicated than right or wrong,” he admitted, “and in such times it is better to instead ask this: did you do all that you needed to do?”
She looked down, thinking for a moment, but moved her gaze up to match his, “Yes, I did.”
Helbram smiled at her, “Then that, for now, is all that matters,” he ruffled her hair and stood up, taking the bag into his hand. He held it out for her to put the shirt back into it and held it out to Leaf, who took it as he walked over to Bessie.
“I’ll get her sorted out,” Leaf said, “now go do what you have to do.”
Helbram let out a breath and looked to Aria, “Are you ready?”
She nodded, one that he returned.
He turned towards the tavern’s side door, but waited for Aria to walk ahead of him before he followed. As they walked through The Wandering Fowl’s kitchen, she caught sight of both Elly and Jahora packing various foodstuffs. The taller woman bit into an apple absentmindedly as she peered into the tavern’s icebox. As she noticed them walk by, her ears perked up, and she met Helbram’s eyes with a knowing gaze. Jahora caught sight of them next, saying nothing but flashing Aria an encouraging smile as they walked through the door and into the tavern’s main hall.
She walked up the building’s stairs and down the hallway of rooms that composed its second floor. As her hand reached towards the door that lay at the end of the path, Helbram placed his hand on the doorknob in her stead.
“Are you certain of this?” he asked, his tone measured, but unable to hide the concern beneath.
The weight of the question gave rise to the doubt that sat beneath her determination. Given what had transpired… it would not be wrong of her to leave the door closed, to leave what lay beyond it behind her.
But her heart said otherwise.
Steeling herself, Aria straightened her back and took in a deep breath, “Yes.”
Helbram patted her shoulder, “Then do what you must.”
He opened the door and followed after her as she walked in, facing the two people at the opposite side of the room.
Cora and Erik.
The two Shade’s were still bound, their hands restricted behind their back with Sealing Cuffs while rope tied their legs together. In all practical ways they could do no harm, but that did not stop the flutter that Aria could feel stirring in her chest. Whilst Erik maintained a neutral expression upon noticing Aria, Cora’s own dejected guise shifted to surprise as her eyes fell upon her. Surprise that gave way to something else, though Aria could not tell what. The girl stepped further into the room, and while Helbram did not loom over her, he shifted his position so that she was never out of his reach.
Aria’s lips trembled as she searched for the words to speak, her breath shaking as they refused to form. She squeezed her hands in frustration, the fluttering in her chest now a rapid pounding as she could not form a sentence no matter how hard she tried. She’d ruminated over it far before this moment, yet the sight of the couple, their silence as they waited for her to speak, pushed all those thoughts from her mind. In its place she could only remember Erik and Cora as they were. That kindly man who fed her, who treated her as something more than a monster to be ignored, to be shunned. The bright woman who sat her in her lap and brushed her hair, giving her the warmth of a mother she never had.
She knew that is not who they were, that it was an act meant to make her like them, to feel indebted to them.
But it felt real, the happiness that it gave her was real, and it was that which stopped the words at her throat. She looked to the floor, unable to look at the two any longer, but took in a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said, “for taking care of me.”
It was a selfish thing to say, something that she could blurt out without damaging the fragile integrity of memories based on falsehood. She’d meant to confront them, but could only find the words to run away.
“Aria.”
She looked up, heart stopping as her eyes met with Cora’s. Gone was the woman’s previous madness, that twisted look in her eyes as she called her a name that was not hers. In its place was the same Cora that she always knew. The one who always wore a smile, who always looked at her with warmth. It was a falsehood, she knew that.
Yet it brought her comfort all the same.
“It is we who should say thank you,” she said, “for giving us a warmth that we’d not felt in so, so long. And it is we who should say sorry, for trying to take that warmth for ourselves.”
“Live your life, Aria.”
The girl’s gaze drifted to Erik, and she could see that man that she’d met in the alley, that man who made her feel like she belonged, and the memories of that moment brought tears to her eyes.
“Walk the path you want to walk, and let none steer you from it,” he said, “it is not our place to say such things, I know, but we should say it nonetheless.”
“May the Matron keep your path clear, your steps steady,” Cora said
Aria bit her lip, and she felt the impulse to walk up and embrace them, but she stopped herself. Even if they were sincere, she could not forget who they truly were, no matter how much her heart wished to. Still, the desire grew, and the tears started to flow down her face. She smiled at the couple and gave a firm nod, then turned and made for the door.
“You take care of her, you hear me?” Cora said to Helbram.
Aria felt his hand on her shoulder as she stopped at the door. He opened it and gently pushed her forward.
“Of that, you should have no doubt.”
___
Ren stood outside The Wandering Fowl, taking in the brisk Winter air as he stood in the street without a coat. The townsfolk looked at him as if he was mad, but that was no different than the look they’d given all of them upon their return. They did give him a wider berth today, but that was due to the wagon that had been moved to the street. A wheeless construct, the vehicle was held aloft by the crystal located in its undercarriage, one that radiated a green light as Aether coursed through it and the rest of the wagon. Various crates and bags were stuffed under its roof, and it was in the process of being loaded even further as Helbram’s party shoved various bags and foodstuffs into its bed. Had he not known that the magitek design meant that their auroc would feel little of the burden, he would have been inclined to feel pity for the beast.
Part of him still did as Elly stuffed a burgeoning sack of books into an already crowded space.
“Do you think you have enough?” he mused towards the group, “one would think you meant to start a village with all you’re taking.”
Helbram, who just walked out of the wagon’s bed, laughed. He walked up to the Cleric while dusting his hands.
“Winter will prove to be a harsh mistress this year,” he said, “and while I have every faith that our hunter is up to the task of keeping us provided, I’d rather not place such a burden upon him.”
“That, and we’d rather not taste bitter herbs for a spell,” Jahora said as she adjusted Aria’s coat, “a month away from such flavors is much too short.”
Leaf’s head poked from behind the wagon, “Oi, if the plants bite back then it's good for ya, don’t blame me for having the wisdom to recognize it.”
“Oh we have the wisdom,” Elly said as she joined Helbram at his side, “we just choose to embrace comfort in its stead.”
“Bunch of soft bellied louts, the lot of ya.”
Aria giggled as Leaf’s grumbles faded into the background. She took Jahora’s hand as the Mage guided her towards Ren. The smaller woman was all smiles when she looked at the girl, but as her eyes cut to the side wariness flashed through her features.
Leon sat on the stairs leading into the tavern. His hands were still bound, and rather than meeting anyone’s eyes he kept his eyes to the ground. Ren frowned as he looked at his companion, partially regretting his decision to push Leon to at least see the party off. He encouraged it anyways; the alternative just didn’t feel right.
He just hoped Leon felt the same.
As Leaf finished adjusting Bessie’s harness, he jogged up and joined with his companions, his caution towards Ren’s companion less concealed than the others as he glared in the Black Cloak’s direction.
“So where are you off to, after all this?” Helbram asked Ren.
“As we originally planned,” the Cleric said, “we make for Blade’s Rest, meeting up with a larger cohort before we travel back to headquarters,” he scratched his head, “Winter will prolong our travels a fair bit, but we’d best be moving as quick as possible now that we’ve fully recovered.”
“Of that, we are of similar minds,” Elly said.
“What of you? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Whitebridge,” Helbram said, “it was where we were heading before all this, and we see no reason not to continue on.”
Ren rubbed his chin, “Whitebridge eh? That is quite the journey…” he looked to Aria. The girl was not cautious around him, he could sense that she was on edge. No doubt due to Leon’s presence. And given his companions actions… she had every right to be.
As he looked upon her, however, he thought towards Erik and Cora, about how they knew that she would be in such a remote village like Redhaven. As he did, he removed the symbol of Velendel from his neck and placed his hand over it. The matching eye on his forehead glowed with a golden light as he made an effort of will, casting a spell over the amulet that left it glowing for a moment before the light faded away. He walked over to Jahora and knelt down in front of the Mage, presenting the amulet to her. She looked at him in confusion, and did not reach for the necklace.
“I am not certain, but I believe someone may possess the means to find Aria from afar. That is the only way I can think of to explain why Erik and Cora decided to settle here of all places.”
“A Scryer, perhaps?” Elly inquired, “Though typically their reach is fairly limited.”
“For the average one, yes,” Ren admitted, “but were the Scryer a Shade… then it may very well be possible,” he looked back at Jahora, “concealment magics are not my speciality, but with enough of Velendel’s grace I do believe that wearing this will keep Aria from their watchful gaze, though the enchantment will need refreshing often. And I do recognize it is suspicious of me to provide this under such pretenses, but I ask that you trust me in this.”
Jahora looked into his eyes and, after a moment, took the amulet from him. She directed her attention to Aria, who had her eyes narrowed in clear effort to keep up with the conversation.
“Do you want to wear this?” she asked the girl, holding the necklace out to her.
Aria reached out and touched the amulet, brow furrowed as she ran her fingers along its various ridges, “It feels… warm.”
The girl nodded and let Jahora put it on her. When the Mage did, Aria looked at it again.
“It’s a bit ugly though,” she said before slipping it under her coat.
Ren snorted, “Of that, we are in agreement.”
“Are you certain of this?” Helbram asked, “I have little knowledge in the ways of divine magic, but a Cleric without their Symbol strikes me as something of a hindrance.”
“We’d hardly be that forminable if a bit of jewelry was our lifeline,” Ren said as he stood up, “Please, pay it no mind. Besides, this is the perfect opportunity to get a new one, perhaps one not so garish,” he winked at Aria, and she smiled at him.
“Well, thank you, again,” Helbram said as he held out his hand, “when we next meet, the round is on me.”
Ren smiled and took the man’s hand, “Multiple rounds, perhaps? I’ve a feeling my superiors will be placing me in a drinking mood soon enough.”
Helbram chuckled, “That can be arranged.”
As they let go of one another Ren clapped his hands, “I’ve delayed you long enough, you’d best be off before Spring sets in.”
The party smiled at him and made their way to the wagon.
All except Helbram.
The man marched towards Leon, who’s posture remained unchanging at his approach. Even if the Black Cloak didn’t look at him, Helbram held his hand out.
“Farewell Leon,” he said, “I hope if we cross swords again it will be as we did the first time, not the last.”
Leon didn’t look up.
Helbram sighed, but rather than drop his hand, he gave Leon a quick pat on the shoulder and went to join his party. Before long their wagon disappeared from Ren’s sight, and his companion still did not move.
The Cleric took a seat next to Leon, “It is going to be quite the burden if I have to transport three bound people,” he said.
The Black Cloak remained silent.
Frowning, Ren made to move back into the tavern, but stopped as Leon finally spoke.
“She seemed so… normal.”
“Aria? Yes, the seal is broken but she appears to be in control of herself,” Ren mused, “an interesting development for one as young as her, but it is not unheard of to gain control of one’s Shade.”
“It was out of control Ren, a power that I had not seen since… since…” he fell silent.
“And yet, there she was, hale and hearty as any child should be.”
“I know… I know,” there was a growing frustration in Leon’s voice, “And it has made me think. Had I called out enough, urged him enough… would he still be here today?”
Ren heart ached for his friend, “We can’t know that.”
“And yet, now we have an idea,” Leon said, “proof that such a thing is possible,” tears dropped from Leon’s face as he looked up, “I was so certain he was lost Ren, and the look he gave me told me he thought so as well, but there she was, in the same position, the same abyss of hopelessness, and she came back.”
There was nothing Ren could say to that.
“How many? How many have I killed thinking that they were too far gone? Thinking that I was putting an end… stopping tragedy before it could happen?” He buried his head in his hands, “I’m sorry Astraeus, I’m so sorry…”
Ren walked in front of his companion and pulled him up, “Look at me Leon.”
When he refused to do so, the Cleric forced his gaze up. The Black Cloak’s eyes were red, and the despair beneath them seemed bottomless.
“I understand your grief,” he said, “And I know that you need time to process all of it, but what you can’t let it do is drag you under. Doing so will not help anyone. It will not honor your brother’s memory.”
Leon closed his eyes.
“Let us make our way back to headquarters, and when we are in more stable conditions, we can work through all of this. We can’t afford to fall apart now, do you understand?”
His companion’s breaths slowed as he controlled himself. When his eyes finally opened, a measure of control had returned. Grief still sat behind them, but for now it did not overwhelm Leon, and that was all Ren could ask for at the moment.
“I understand,” the Black Cloak said.
“Good,” Ren unbound the man’s arms, “and when we get back, know that you will always have my aid. We’ll get through this, of that I have no doubt.”
Leon clasped his arm, “Thank you, truly.”
Ren returned the gesture, “What are friends for?”
___
Helbram yawned as he stretched, leaning back on the wagon’s driver seat.
“Don’t you start with that,” Leaf fussed, “We’ve been on the road for barely an hour.”
“I am afraid I must,” Helbram objected in an overly dramatic tone, “my injuries have left me weakened and unable to handle the wear and tear of the road.”
Leaf pressed his lips thin and rolled his eyes.
Elly snorted from within the wagon, “Perhaps you need a distraction? I could teach you how to use a needle so you may be of some use.”
Helbram looked back at her. The Weaver held the sleeve of a pair of pants in her hands, her hands moving with practiced precision as the needle in her fingers glided in and out of the cloth.
“Nonsense,” Helbram said, “I would only slow you down.”
“Perhaps,” she admitted, “but the company would be appreciated.”
She smiled as they both looked at Aria and Jahora. They both leaned against each other as they slept, a contentment on both their faces that was enough to banish any thoughts of waking them from their nap.
“Another time, perhaps,” Helbram said in a quieter tone.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
He flashed her a smile before turning back in his seat, noting Leaf’s now serious expression.
“Everything alright?”
His companion scratched his head, “Honestly I’m just feeling a bit out of my depth. I don’t know how to raise a child, nor one that happens to be a font of magic,” he sighed, “I’m just trying to process it all.”
Hebram rubbed his chin, “It is quite a lot to take in, I admit, but it is not as if you are doing this alone,” he snorted, “I know Jahora would raise quite the objection were you solely in charge of her care.”
Leaf laughed, “That she would… but still, it’s just… overwhelming.”
“It is, and the how of it all escapes me even now, but I know it is something that we must do.”
“Together,” Elly added.
Helbram nodded, “Together.”
Leaf shook his headband and chuckled, “Well now I just feel foolish. Onwards then?”
Helbram pointed down the road.
“Onwards.”

Hedge Knight Arc Four: The Cursed Child
End.
First / Previous
Author's Note: And there we have it, the end of another arc. Still not gonna get over how I said this was going to be a shorter one and it somehow matched the last arc in length. Overall I'm happy with how this one turned out. It's smaller stakes than the last arc, but I think it was a good exploration of the characters, especially Jahora, Leon, and Aria, and that's kind of the reason I try and keep things small scale like this. I'm finding myself enjoying the character dynamics more and more as I write this story, and I feel like its important to explore these interactions fully to really build investment not only with the party, but any events that may happen to them. To that end I toned back the action a bit, aside from the duel, so we can have a full explosive finish. One that admittedly mentally fried me as I tried to make sense of all that as happening, but I think I prefer that over having action for action's sake.
But, the story will continue! Lots of threads were thrown out here and I did try to wrap up some of the immediate ones, but there are also plenty that could possibly be explored down the line. The focus will remain on Helbram and his party of course, but I do like giving the sense that there is something else going on within the world beyond what the party is seeing.
Let me know what you thought of this arc! Did you prefer this over the last arc and is there anything that stands out in this arc that you either liked/disliked. I'm always trying to improve and your feedback goes a really long way to making sure this is the best content I can make for you.
Till next time everyone, have a good one!
If you wish to read ahead and gain access to the audiobook version of this story, consider supporting me on Patreon (https://patreon.com/criticalscribe). If you want to leave a donation, here is my Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/criticalscribe).

Uploaded 13 MITM scripts. Asked it to write two scripts: one with a prompt from me and one without.
My prompt:
Reese is a billionaire. Having not showered for a month in an attempt to force a girl to dump him, medical science discovered a cure for cancer inside the mould on his body.
He enjoys being petty and lauding his new success over everyone. Malcolm is assistant manager at Lucky Aide; Craig is his boss. Dewey has some success in music. Francis and Piama have many kids. One was killed after the rocket-powered stroller Malcolm built went haywire and crashed into Lucky aide. Hal is Reese's dogsbody at the mansion.
**INT. REESE'S MANSION - DAY**
*The mansion is lavish, but the family’s interactions bring out an absurd contrast. The living room is enormous, filled with expensive decor, and an oversized portrait of Reese hangs on the wall. Lois, now in her early 60s, is sitting on an opulent couch, knitting furiously. Hal, also in his early 60s, is polishing a chandelier awkwardly, occasionally muttering to himself.*
**LOIS**
Hal, if that chandelier sparkles any more, it’s going to blind someone.
**HAL**
(balancing on a ladder)
It’s Reese’s orders, Lois. He wants everything to shine, especially his ego.
*The door opens and Dewey, now 33 and dressed in a casual yet stylish outfit, walks in with a guitar case slung over his shoulder.*
DEWEY
Hey Mom, Dad. Just got back from my latest gig. The crowd actually knew the words to my songs this time.
LOIS
(smiling)
That's wonderful, Dewey. Maybe someday they'll spell your name right on the marquee.
HAL
(teasing)
Don't get your hopes up too high, son. Remember when they called you "Dewey Decimal"?
DEWEY
(sighing)
Yeah, that was a low point.
*Reese, 38, enters, wearing an outlandish designer suit. He’s holding a champagne glass and has an obnoxiously smug grin.*
**REESE**
Ah, the smell of success... and the faint scent of cancer-curing mold. How’s everyone doing in my mansion today?
**DEWEY**
(sighs)
We’re fine, Reese.
*Malcolm, 37, enters wearing a disheveled Lucky Aide uniform, looking defeated.*
**MALCOLM**
Assistant Manager Malcolm reporting for duty. Another day of stacking shelves and avoiding Craig’s motivational speeches.
**CRAIG (O.S.)**
(excitedly)
Malcolm, you're late! There are sales figures to review!
**CRAIG**
(enters, looking chipper)
Malcolm, you need to embody the Lucky Aide spirit! Which, coincidentally, is just like your soul – non-existent!
**MALCOLM**
(deadpan)
Good morning to you too, Craig.
*Francis, 42, enters with Piama, 39, followed by a gaggle of children. They look tired but resilient.*
**FRANCIS**
Hey everyone, the gang’s all here. I barely managed to wrangle the kids into the minivan without losing one.
**PIAMA**
(holding a baby)
Francis, we did lose one. Remember? Little Jamie.
**FRANCIS**
(clearly struggling)
Oh right, how could I forget. Thanks for the rocket-powered stroller, Malcolm.
**MALCOLM**
(muttering)
I was just trying to help...
**REESE**
(laughing)
That’s right! Malcolm’s bright idea to save energy by rocketing Jamie around. Talk about a crash course in parenting.
*Hal finishes polishing and descends the ladder, his back creaking audibly.*
**HAL**
(to Reese)
Is there anything else you need, Master Reese?
**REESE**
(smirking)
Just your dignity, Dad. Oh wait, I already have that hanging on the wall.
*He points to a framed piece of paper that says "Hal’s Dignity" in elaborate calligraphy. Francis tries to gather his children, who are running around the room causing chaos.*
**FRANCIS**
Kids, gather round! Uncle Reese has some... interesting stories about how not to become a complete sociopath.
**REESE**
(grinning)
Careful, Francis, or I might just buy your children and send them to a Swiss boarding school.
*Lois looks up from her knitting, her expression stern.*
**LOIS**
Reese, why don’t you show a little humility?
**REESE**
(mockingly)
Humility? That’s rich coming from the woman who terrorized us all with her iron fist. Remember, Mom, you raised me to be this way.
*Piama finally speaks up, trying to maintain some normalcy.*
**PIAMA**
Reese, why don’t you use some of your money to help Francis and me find a place of our own? This mansion is... a bit much.
**REESE**
(smirking)
Why would I do that? Watching you all squirm is the best entertainment my money can buy. Plus, it keeps you all under my thumb.
*The family looks at each other, a mix of resignation and frustration. Malcolm, trying to muster some hope, speaks up.*
**MALCOLM**
You know, Reese, money can’t buy happiness.
**REESE**
(grinning wider)
No, but it can buy a rocket-powered stroller. Right, Malcolm?
*The family doesn’t laugh. They just continue with their tasks, each of them silently dealing with their own absurd reality.*
REESE Oh, come on. You all are acting like I haven't earned this. Remember when I stopped showering for a month to force my girlfriend to dump me, and medical science found a cancer-curing mold on my body? Yeah, when you become a billionaire by accident, then we can talk about humility and charity.
LOIS (grimly) I still can't believe that's what made you rich. It's like the universe played a cruel joke on us.
HAL (to himself) And I’m the punchline...
Francis tries to calm down one of his screaming kids, who is running around the room with a toy sword.
FRANCIS (to the kid) Hey, buddy, maybe Uncle Reese can buy you a real sword next time.
PIAMA Francis, don't encourage him. The last thing we need is Reese arming the children.
REESE (laughing) Now there's an idea. A fully armed and operational battle station... of children.
Lois, unable to take it anymore, stands up and faces Reese directly.
LOIS Reese, this isn't funny. You're sitting on all this money, while the rest of us are struggling. Have a heart, for once in your life.
REESE (mock sympathy) Oh, I’m sorry, Mom. Did you want a loan? Maybe I could throw you a few million to ease your pain?
DEWEY (flatly) How generous of you, Reese. Maybe after you’re done pretending to care, you could actually do something helpful.
REESE (smirking) Ah, Dewey, always the moral compass. How’s that working out for you in the real world?
Malcolm finally speaks up, tired of Reese's constant gloating.
MALCOLM You know what, Reese? Enjoy it while it lasts. Because at the end of the day, you’re just as miserable as the rest of us. Money can’t fix everything.
REESE (leaning forward) Maybe not, but it sure makes it a hell of a lot more fun.
The family continues their tasks in silence, each of them dealing with their absurd lives. The camera pulls back, showing the entire family together, yet worlds apart.
NARRATOR (MALCOLM) (TC) And there it is. Twenty years later, and we’re still stuck in this crazy dynamic. But hey, at least we’re in it together. Even if together means living under the reign of King Reese.
Fade out as the family continues to interact, each dealing with their bizarre lives.
END.
This is the script ChatGPT generated with no prompts from me.
INT. FAMILY LIVING ROOM - DAY
The living room looks lived-in and somewhat cluttered, but there's an air of warmth. Lois, now in her early 70s, sits on the couch, reading a book. Hal, in his early 70s, is trying to fix a broken lamp.
LOIS Hal, if that lamp could talk, it would ask you to stop torturing it.
HAL (holding wires) I'm almost there, Lois. Just a few more tweaks...
The door bursts open, and in walks Dewey, now 33. He's a music teacher with a calm demeanor but still carries a playful spirit.
DEWEY Guess who just composed an entire symphony based on cat meows?
LOIS (smiling) Let me guess, you?
DEWEY Absolutely. And I think the school might actually play it this time.
Reese, 38, enters, wearing a police uniform. He's matured but still has a mischievous glint in his eye.
REESE Hey, Dewey, did you finally convince them to give you real instruments?
DEWEY You'd be surprised how versatile a classroom full of recorders can be.
Malcolm, 37, walks in with a briefcase. He looks every bit the successful professional but carries the weight of his responsibilities.
MALCOLM (deep sigh) Tough day at the office.
HAL You know, I still don’t understand why you didn’t go for that cushy research job in Switzerland.
MALCOLM It’s called ambition, Dad. Plus, the world needs policymakers who understand quantum physics.
LOIS And your father needs someone who understands how to fix a lamp.
MALCOLM (laughing) Let's call an electrician before Dad electrocutes himself.
Francis, now 42, enters with his wife Piama, 39. Francis looks rugged and has clearly embraced his life on the ranch.
FRANCIS Hey, family! Guess who wrangled two wild horses this morning?
PIAMA (smiling) And then tried to convince them to wear cowboy hats.
HAL Francis, you always did know how to talk to animals.
FRANCIS Too bad it doesn’t work on my kids.
Jamie, now 22, enters, holding a baby. He’s grown into a responsible young man, taking after both Lois and Hal in different ways.
JAMIE Mom, Dad, everyone, meet little Lois.
LOIS (teary-eyed) You named her after me?
JAMIE Of course. We wanted her to have a strong name.
The family gathers around the baby, cooing and fussing over her. The doorbell rings, and Reese opens it to reveal Craig, in his late 60s, holding a cake.
CRAIG I heard there’s a family reunion and thought I’d crash the party with cake!
LOIS (sighs) Come on in, Craig. You’re practically family at this point.
CRAIG (placing the cake on the table) I’m honored. So, who wants to hear about my new job at the library?
MALCOLM (smirking) As long as it doesn’t involve you dressing up as a book.
CRAIG Oh, Malcolm, you wound me.
The family laughs, and the camera pulls back, showing the entire family together, enjoying the moment.
NARRATOR (MALCOLM) (TC) Twenty years later, and we're still as chaotic as ever. But I wouldn’t trade this crazy family for anything. Well, maybe for a Nobel Prize... but then again, probably not.
Fade out as the family continues to chat and laugh.
END.

This is going to be fairly long and probably somewhat depressing post, but I've been wanting to share my story even if it's just with the void.
I remember waking up with some pain in my groin area one morning during my senior year of high school. At the time I didn't think much of it at the time since I'm a tall person and waking up with random pains happens to me frequently. So I walked around with a limp, and the pain persisted. It was like that for a couple of weeks. Eventually my mom and I agreed that I needed to see someone about it. Unfortunately I had fell into the dangerous trap of looking up my symptoms online to try and see what might be wrong with me. I ended up convincing myself that I had a hernia, and when I went to see the doctor on Halloween, I was having difficulty explaining my symptoms to him. My answers to his questions all suggested that something was wrong with my groin muscles, I might've even said the words, "I think it might be a hernia." The doctor was sure that wasn't the problem, but thanks to me downplaying my symptoms, he diagnosed me with a pulled muscle. His advice was to not exercise for a week, even though the pain had lasted for weeks at that point, and the only exercise I did regularly was ride my bike to school (roughly 2 miles round trip). I didn't listen to him, in fact that evening I was running around through my neighborhood on Halloween with my friends. One last hurrah for our senior year. Exactly one week later, my leg gave out on me and I collapsed on the floor walking to my next class. The tumor had grown so big, and I ended up shattering my femur.
I instantly knew my leg was broken, and I was rushed to the hospital. They found the tumor fairly quickly, but were unsure how to proceed. Surgery was a given, as the damage to my leg was massive, but they were also unsure whether or not the tumor was malignant or benign. So I stayed in the hospital for a couple of days living off of painkillers while I waited for the results of the biopsy to come in, and for the surgery to begin. It turned out to be a Ewing's Sarcoma, luckily still localized, even if I didn't feel very lucky at the time. I was sent into surgery immediately where they removed the tumor and gave me a prosthetic femur. The recovery process was really difficult for me. I'll never be able to run or jump anymore (which sucks because I love playing basketball). I walked around with a cane for a while; that was one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life. I still remember all of the weird/sympathetic looks I received. And to this day, I still have difficulty with my mobility, and I walk around with a visible limp. It's difficult to make up excuses for when people ask me why I'm limping, I'll usually just explain that I have a prosthetic femur without mentioning the cancer part, since that kills the vibe.
I started chemo in December of 2019, but the typical treatment regiment was thrown off, thanks to me breaking my leg. Usually the doctors will give around 15 weeks of chemo with heavy and quick dosages, followed by surgery, and then another 15 weeks of chemo. The surgery came first in my case. Chemo was the hardest part of my battle. My dosage was a lot, I had to stay in the hospital overnight so that they could keep me attached to an IV the whole time. It was every other week, and for the etoposide and ifosfamide weeks, it was 5 days at a time. What was difficult though was being away from my friends. I was apart of a very tight knit group of guys. We played DND every Friday after school which I missed greatly in the hospital. My friends were still very supportive, and they tried to include me in any way they possibly could. But I was still really lonely. One of my worst memories was crying on my birthday, because my parents wouldn't let me hang out with my friends for fear of getting sick. I was very suicidal at this point, the chemo made me horribly sick, and I hated staying overnight at the hospital. But then COVID came around in March, and I think that sort of gave me my second wind.
Everything moved online, and I was able to talk with my friends nearly everyday. We played games online together, including DND. I remember one of my friends mentioning to me that at graduation it was going to be so awesome when they called my name, and I would be able walk across the stage in front of everyone, hopefully to a loud applause. It was silly, but that was the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I looked forward to being able to stand in front of my classmates, and sort of say look what I've accomplished. Obviously graduation never happened, but I wasn't too beat up over it, since I finished my treatment in June. I was really looking forward to college, and to meet new people, even if I settled on a school that I wasn't really interested in going to. I didn't want my college decision to be a burden on my parents, especially after all I had put them through. Plus it was a good idea for me to stay local so I could still see my same doctors.
College sucked though. I couldn't make any new friends since everything was virtual, and I hated my online classes. I had an image in my mind of what my life post-cancer would look like, and it was nothing like the reality I was living in. My hair wasn't growing back after the chemo, I was stuck at home with my parents, and college sucked. I didn't care anymore at that point. I didn't try in any of my classes, I remember turning in an assignment in which I had done none of the work, instead I just scribbled all over my paper. I received the lowest grade I had ever earned in my schooling career that quarter. Come December, I hated life. I had built up such grand expectations, and my time during COVID was miserable.
In March of 2021, I relapsed, and the cancer came back. My doctors suspected that it returned because we weren't able to properly treat it the first time. It was still localized, but at this point I was convinced I was going to die. I understood that the tumor coming back was a bad sign, and I was overcome with anxiety. The chemo wasn't as bad this time around, they tried different drugs, none of which required that I stay overnight. I still had to come in 5 days per week on treatment weeks, and was still super sick from the drugs, but at least I didn't have to spend the night. I ended up dropping all of my classes that quarter, and thanks to my mom, I decided to take online GE classes at my local community college over the summer. But I had new problems this time around. Since I was first diagnosed when I was 17, I was being treated by the pediatric oncologists, so I got my chemo dosages in the pediatric clinic. Seeing kids with cancer on a daily basis was difficult. I experienced guilt, shame, and was embarrassed to even think that I had it rough. To this day the survivor's guilt weighs heavily on me. I cried nearly every night during this treatment cycle, whether that was because I was fearful of dying, not being able to live the life I wanted, or having to see kids and parents in such pain.
I finished my treatment for the second time in December of 2021. I felt nothing this time around. I didn't know what I wanted to do, I was lost. I stuck with my classes at community college, but I wasn't making any new friends or doing anything that I really wanted to do. I ended up taking all of my credits, and transferring to a different university. I was optimistic this time around, but still disappointed that I wasn't going to get the real college experience. It was around this time when most of my friends from high school were moving out, getting ready to start their new lives. The school that I transferred to was 20 minutes from my house, going anywhere farther was out of the question at this point, since I figured the cancer was likely going to come back any second now. I commuted for my classes, but had difficulty making any friends. For my first semester at this new school, September 2022, I still walked around with a cane, and my hair hadn't grown back properly. I was embarrassed by the way I looked, and still am to this day. I think about not having hair every single day, and have the same recurring dream once a month in which my hair is starting to grow back properly, only to wake up and feel the top of my head. I hate the way I look, and I hate the fact that I can't walk around in public without a hat.
More scans came and went, and they all turned up negative, even though I had a scare recently in which they found some lesions in my liver and had to perform a biopsy. I've been in remission for about 2 and a half years now, but have been stuck in a rut. I'll chat with my high school friends every once in a while online, but I have no social life outside of that. I spend my Fridays and weekends reading fantasy and comic books, sometimes watching movies. I just feel so lonely. I struggle so much with letting my real personality show and am completely socially inept. It feels like I have barriers in front of me that I can't seem to break down. I've dealt with social anxiety nearly all of my life and I think these problems have only been exasperated from the years of limited social contact. Even at my work, it feels like my coworkers think I'm weird and don't want to interact with me.
Writing this I feel ashamed, because I know it could be so much worse. In another world, I died in the battle with cancer. In another world I had to go through all of that without the support system that I had. I truly believe that I wouldn't have been able to get through all of it without my parents, my friends, all the nurses who treated me, and my talented doctors. Sometimes I think that maybe the cancer and my current situation is deserved, punishment for the things I've done in the past that I'm not proud of. I was so convinced that this most recent liver scare was definitely the cancer coming back to finally finish the job since I'm not worthy of all of the opportunities and privileges I've been given. While I was waiting to get the biopsy done, I challenged myself to be the best person I could possibly be, going out of my way to do random kind things that I wouldn't normally do. Just in case if there is a higher power, maybe it would be more merciful, or if I really was going to die, maybe I could try to put some good into the world before I go. But since it came back negative, I've failed my challenge. I fallen back into the same old habits of indifference.
Thanks for reading all of this, if you've made it this far. I want to end on a positive note, since I am blessed to be in the position that I am today. I've fallen in love with my studies and am excited to pursue grad school once I graduate in a year. I love my job as a tutor for my school's learning resource center, and want to pursue a career teaching. I love my family and the friends that I have. Regardless of how difficult things get in the future, I'm still determined to give it all my best try. It would be selfish of me to not give it everything I can.

Introduction

Given the nature of RH Novels, there are a lot of LIs, and as someone who has read many RH books in the last few years, I have seen a lot of unique LIs but also noticed that most MMCs follow a few tropes.
So, I have decided to make a series of posts highlighting some of my favorite tropes and iconic (or my favorite) LIs that fit them, with this being the first one.
(This will have direct book quotes and a lot of spoilers. Proceed with caution)

Who is The Unhinged Psychopath?

The Unhinged Psychopath is one of the most popular tropes in RH books. Usually found in Dark Romance and Urban Fantasy, the Unhinged Psychopath is probably the easiest trope to distinguish. They are usually impulsive men, who have little to no morals and a penchant for discarding people's lives with no remorse.
Do you remember reding a book, where there is that one character that is always playing with a knife? Or maybe you remember reading a character's POV that had the weirdest train of thought? Or, you were reading an Urban Fantasy book that happens in an academy, and suddenly a character is described as wearing clothes that could be taken from Hot Topic. Perhaps, there is a character that gives a very cheery monologue, clashing with the unhinged content of said monologue.
Well, there is a big chance that this LI is the Unhinged Psychopath. While not all of the MMCs in this category have all of these traits, they are very common. They are also going to be usually feared oand treated cautiously by the other MMCs, with some even warning the FMC about the unstableness of The Unhinged Psychopath.
Since this is my list, my requisite to put a MMC in here was that he had to, at least once, make me have this reaction.

The Spotlight

Damien from Fate Hollow Academy

^{Pain fueled my magic, and I got pleasure out of seeing others suffer.
But for the first time in the twenty-six years I’d been alive, pain made my skin crawl. Maybe it was because I hadn’t inflicted it. Knowing how to create pleasure from pain was something I was good at. Maybe I could teach her to do the same. She needed to learn that pain can empower.
I stalked through the shadows and into room one-zero-three. Something about that wolf named Grayson caused my little bird pain, and I wanted to paint the walls red with his blood. I’d cut off his dick and present it to her on a fucking platter.}

(Damien's POV - Term 1)
Probably one of the most iconic Unhinged LI's in RH novels. Damien is a Pain/Shadow Demon, that needs to cause others pain to get his powers recharged. He also has a traumatic past, that made him hate and distrust humans. Those two things make for a very disturbed individual, who throughout the whole series is a lunatic.
From maiming people left and right, to his Hot Topic sense of style, Damien has become a very popular character, that has probably inspired more than a few RH LI's in the past years, something that earns him the spot on this list.
Highlight

^{He reached into his pocket and grabbed something before holding his hand up with something inside it. I opened my palm under his hand and he dropped a bone.
To be exact, he dropped Grayson’s pinky bone.
My mouth dropped, and I blinked once, twice, and a third time before shutting it. “You took his pinky bone and gave it to me?”
“I made him suck it clean,” he told me, his eyes twinkling. “Turn it over.”
I gripped it in between my thumb and index finger and flipped it over to reveal a white wolf with its head cut off carved into it.}

(Wren's POV - Term 1)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Arion from All The Pretty Monsters

^{My eyes dart to the top of the stairs when a familiar, shirtless man dressed only in a pair of sweatpants that barely hang on his hips starts dancing his way down them, licking blood off his fingertips as his head tips back. He dances up two steps, and then he dances back down the rest of the way, his eyes closed as he moves toward us with the beat of the music.
His eyes open and hone in on mine, sending a trickle of painful awareness and dread coursing throughout me, just as the song changes. A wicked smile curves his lips as he keeps dancing his way down them, hips moving in a salsa rhythm in beat with the music.}

(Violet's POV - Gypsy Blood)
Arion is a vampire that has no soul and was kept in a coffin underground for more than a century. So, to no one's surprise, he is not the most well-adjusted man in the world.
He gains a spot in here because first, I love his official entrance/meeting with the FMC. In this household, we love a camp king. And, secondly, his whole history of absolute devotion to his ex-girlfriend (and then the FMC) and friends is just insane. The more the story went on, and the more Arion kept talking, the more I became absolutely flabbergasted by this character (still love him).

^{Damien and I both swing our gazes to the beta I have penciled to the wall now that he’s released the illusion. And by penciled to the wall, I mean I’ve stabbed two-hundred-and-forty-three slightly long pencils into key places on his body to pin him there. He’s on his tiptoes, and if he steps down, they’ll all snap and we’ll have to start all over again.
“They still need a few more inches of length for this process to be less tedious. It wouldn’t hurt them to be a little stronger, too. Still superior craftsman ship, though,” I say as I lift up the pencils that haven’t spilled off the desk.}

(Arion's POV - Gypsy Freak)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Savage from Her Vicious Beasts

^{“Hold my chicken.”
“Rooster,” Xander corrects, accepting the black bird.
I scowl at my pack-brother because he can take his private school education and shove it up his big dragon ass.
“His name is Eugene,” I snap. Patting said chicken on his red head-frills, I turn back to the trembling cashier of the Opal Feather. The sight of us always makes these humans piss their pants. A dragon, a wolf and a shark walk into a luxury store and, well…they all know what comes next, I suppose.
Or it could be the blood still on my teeth and the bare skin of my torso. On a hunt, I only stop for lunch, you see. Lunch being the two birdie security guards now lying on the shop floor behind me.}

(Savage's POV - Her Feral Beasts)
While this series has only two books and a prequel out as of now, Savage has already been solidified as one of the most unhinged LIs that I have ever read about. As, a mostly feral, wolf shifter who is also part of a gang, Savage is an impulsive man, that lacks morals and common sense, making for some hilarious scenes, despite how disturbing his actions can be.
He get's progressively unhinged (and weird) as the story goes along, and I doubt that will change in the future books.
Highlight

^{I position the final explosive at the base of the anima dorm and beckon to my little leopard friend to follow me as I move back. I can’t very well make sweet love to my beautiful regina if I’m blown to pieces now, can I?
...
The Forklift Brothers spent a little time distracting the guards with a student who “managed” to get his entire arm stuck down a toilet. Bob’s your uncle and now I’m ready to go.
“Ready, spotties?” I ask the gathered felines. “On my count⁠—”
One of the kits whose name I don’t care to know gives me a panicked look under his comb over. “But, Mr Fengari, there are girls in there.”
“Yes,” I say, not so patiently. “But the prettiest one is far beneath the building. This is the way I get to her.”
Pickle, one of the nerdy leopards who made the bomb, clears his throat. “Sir,” he says nervously behind his protective goggles. “Should we, er… give them a chance to get out?”
“Who?” I frown disapprovingly at him.
“Um… the other animas?”
“Oh,” I say slowly. I forgot about other people for the moment. Correction. Didn’t care about them for the moment. “Hear ye, hear ye!” I broadcast into the minds of all the animas in the old building. “Get out of the anima dorm in one minute because I’m about to blast it up to the Wild Mother herself!”}

(Savage's POV - Her Rabid Beasts)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Caspian from Myths and Monsters
Now, Caspian is not as well known as the other MMCs on this list, but, to me, this would not be a complete list without his inclusion. I did ponder if I should add him here, or on a future list of the more calculist psychopaths, but this man goes off the rails during the actual book events, so he stays here.
Now, why is here in this list, you ask? Well... Is he an obsessive monster? Yes. Does he turn into a rockstar, and as soon as the FMC is interested in him, discards his band and goes camping across the US with her? Also yes. Commits mass murder in the name of the FMC? Check. Tries to BITE OFF one of the other MMC's arms? Actually yes.
Highlight

^{Flip— Caspian tackled me to the ground, slashing his claws at my face. I bit into the cigarette as I threw my arms up, trying to protect my head from his attack. I felt a sharp pain in my arm and yelped.
He fucking bit me! I grunted and rolled. He fell into the dirt beside me but kept trying to claw and bite me like a damn cat. I looked no better, batting at his hands and face like I was trying to play-fight a kitten.}

(Mothman's POV - Run & Hide)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Enzo from Kept

“Fucking skank,” Eddy spits out, even as he trembles. “Talking to the cops.”
“Oh,” I breathe in delight, wiggling the blade a little until his chin is tilted high in the air as he works to avoid it. “I’m not a cop, Eddy boy.”
I feel the jolt as he jerks against the needle I slide into the soft flesh of his stomach, a high-pitched grunt leaving his throat.
“Who the hell are you, then?” I love this part. Leaning in, I press my lips right against his ear.
“I’m Batman. Welcome to Gotham City, bitch.”

(Enzo's POV - Kept)
While making the list, I knew that I needed some representation from a Contemporary book, but I couldn't choose _who_. And then I remember the Batman scene, and that was it. I know that me putting this man instead of a more popular MMC will be controversial, but his POV, or even his other scenes were just...He is just so fucking weird. I can't even choose which moments to highlight.

^{"She’s ours, and I’m taking her. Pull your head out of your ass, Ryder. She was fucking made for us, and I’m not letting her go. I don’t give a flying fuck what you and Maverick have to say about it.”}

^{He shoves past me towards the door.
“Or her, come to think of it. None of you get a fucking say in this. Pick her or don’t, but I’ve made my choice. She’s not going anywhere.”}
(Ryder's POV - Kept)
Enzo is a psychopath that redirects his murderous intent to only evil people, such as pedophiles, rapists, men that are violent to their partners, and other scum of the earth. He still has a few screws loose, and it's consistently unhinged throughout the book. He doesn't mask it, it's not a slow burn. From his first scene, you know that you will be on a wild ride during his POVs.
Highlight

^{“Nobody else touches what’s ours.” He says “I will kill them, prey. I will kill them slowly, and then I’ll fuck you on top of their corpse. Tell me you understand.”}

(Zella's POV - Kept)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Lorcan from The Fifth Nicnevin

^{“You’re my redcap.”}

^{He beams, showcasing a mouth full of sharp teeth. With one hand, he pulls off his cable-knit hat—which is as blood red as his species suggests—and waves it in front of him with a flourishing bow.
“Lorcan, or Lore, if you prefer. Not Daddy, though, I’m not into that.”}
(Rhoswyn's POV - Beyond the Faerie Gate)
Lore is an underfae, more specifically, a redcap, a fae species that need their hats to be bathed in blood regularly or they will die, they are known for being ruthless and violent. And, Lore is one of the most famous ones, being thousands of years old and an ex-assassin of the Autumn Court.
Everyone is wary of this man, for good reason, and his thought process is absolutely hilarious sometimes. My favorite scenes involving him are when we are reading from any of the other MMC's POVs since they are always just weirded out and flabbergasted by Lore.

^{Lorcan, on the other hand, doesn’t. “Are you really surprised that she’s special?” He blinks into a different chair. “She’s perfect.”
I wish I was a psychopath. I imagine that life without giving a fuck would be simple.
“The nobles are going to freak,” Jaro shudders. “Regular fae necromancers are treated with suspicion, and their power is limited to whatever they’re born with. Hers…”
“She could raise an army of the dead using her connection to the Goddess,” I confirm.
“Pretty Rose has thorns.” Lorcan looks almost… aroused by the idea.
His pupils are blown wide, and on his head, his knit cap springs upward into a stovepipe hat in a disturbing display that makes me grimace.
To a redcap, I suppose learning your mate has the capacity for untapped slaughter and bloodshed would be a turn on. But the visual was just unnecessary.}

(Drystan's POV - Beyond the Faerie Gate)

Honorable Mentions

Vincent from Saint View Psychos - Vincent fans, I'm so sorry... I love him so much, but he is only 50% psycho.
Everyone from Darkmore Penitentiary - I really wanted to put someone from this series, but I couldn't choose which of the MMCs was more unhinged, so, unfortunately, they were all relegated to the Honorable Mentions. Suffering from sucess, I suppose.
Jude from Dance Butterfly, Dance - He is very kooky, but he never fully reaches the full potential of his unhingeness.
West from Four Horseman - Unhinged man, but all of the MMCs are a little psychotic on this series, so oh well.
Boogeyman from Her Feral Beasts - If the next book was out, I'm sure that I would put him on the actual list, since even Savage thinks he is insane.
Oscar from Ironside Acadamy - While he is unhinged, compared to the other people on this list he is very nice, a golden boy, truly. Still putting him in here because he's absolutely hilarious.
Annex by The Blackened Blade - His outfits were so Hot Topic coded. Does the author think that those are cool? Even Damien dresses better than that. Overall, very unhinged, but there is only one book out as of now.
Ryder from Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac - Before the riot starts, this man will appear on another list of mine. Despite him being a lunatic, I decided that he fitted my other Spotlight more.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
So, what do you think of this trope? And do you have any other Unhinged Psychopaths to add to the list?

My mother and I always had a pretty rocky relationship. When things were good, everything was great, but when things were bad, it was horrible. At the end of the day though, that was my mom, so no matter how bad things ever got I was ALWAYS there for her, as were my children (18F, 12F, 9F, 1F). I was working out of town with my husband, so my 12F and 9F were staying with their mamaw so they could go to school. My 18F daughter was already living my mom because we live way out in the county and she didn't like it out here. On Saturday May 18, 2024 I was at work and my 12F daughter called, I missed the call, so my 18F daughter's boyfriend called. I knew it had to be important since they never called me back to back like that. As I answered, my daughter was calling my husband's phone. I'll never forget the words I heard on the other end on the phone, "mamaw won't wake up and she's cold!) I immediately threw my hard hat in the car and jumped in the driver seat, my husband told me to move because I wasn't going to be able to drive in the condition I was in. It took us about 2.5 hours to get back to where we live from where we were working. In that time frame I found out that all of my daughter's, including my daughter's boyfriend thought she was just sleeping in. My 9F daughter decided to go and wake her mamaw up since she normally doesn't sleep that late when she does sleep in. She was the one to find her mamaw gone. This whole situation has been extremely hard on all of us, but it's obviously been worse for my kids. My 9F daughter that found her mamaw told me last night that she thinks this really traumatized her. I told her that what they went through was a VERY traumatic event and that she would be traumatized by it for awhile. My whole family knows exactly what happened and how/who found my mom. Not one person in my family, besides my Aunt has called to check on my kids or I. Even at my mom's funeral, everyone flocked to my sister making sure her and her kids were okay. My sister didn't even have a relationship with our mom and her kids had only met their grandma a few times. I don't know what to do or say to make my children feel any better. I try to stay as strong as I can around them because I don't want them to see me cry or be upset, and then it make them upset. I've made an appointment with a therapist that specializes in grief for all of us. The funeral home took her finger prints and I can order jewelry with her finger print on it, so I plan on doing that as soon as I get the money. I also plan on getting them necklaces made with her ashes as soon as I get my half. (My sister picked them up and didn't tell me.) What else can I do to help them with their grief and the trauma? I hate seeing them hurt like this, but I don't know how to help them since I can't even figure out how to deal with my grief and my emotions. I'm so lost right now. I've never in my life felt more alone than I do now, even though I know I have my children, my husband, and my Aunt by my side. I've never been as depressed as I am right now and my depression medicine doesn't seem to be working anymore.

Summer 2024 Update - Pre-formatted details and info related to my own experience & techniques - this serves me as a quick compendium for pre-formatted replies of mine that are very frequent. Individual categories are also included as comments for easier filtering and copy-pasting of formatted text.

🎒 TRAVEL LOADOUT - PACKED

This is my typical indefinite loadout for 3 seasons -

• 4+1^✧ 🩲 Boxer Briefs
• 4+1^✧ 🧦 Pairs of Socks
• 4+2^✧ 👕 Top Garments - (1-2 long sleeve, rest short sleeves)
• 1+1^✧ 👖 Trousers - (1 convertible, 1 long trousers)
• 1 💤 Sleepwea🧗🏻‍♂️ Activewear set (shorts, tank top)
• 1^✧ 👟 Pair of shoes (trail running shoes)

^{✧ - Refers to a worn set, not packed}
On top of that I evidently have my toiletry kit, sleep kit, electronics, laundry & misc kit, travel filmmaking gear, and medikit (I am T1D) - my entire loadout fits in an 18L backpack
 

🚶🏻‍♂️ TRAVEL LOADOUT - EDC

As a T1D, I also have to carry specific items. Those critical and less-critical items are stored in a Waist Pouch that is not considered a ''bag'' by airlines, and it is sleek enough to allow me to carry it while seated on planes. It usually contains:

• Insulin Pens with 2-days worth on injection supplies
• Glucose Reader with relevant supplies (testing strips, lancets, lancing device)
• Emergency Glucose Gel (for hypoglycemic events, but only when there are no other sources of carbs available)
• Disinfectant wipes and cleaning wipes
• Tote bag (packable, packs very small)
• Nail Clipper (this one is not used for nail clipping but as a quick, small cutting tool)
• Electronics microkit (SIM Card tool, USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter, USB-C to Micro USB adapter, Micro USB to USB-C adapter)
• Bluetooth Earbuds (noise cancelling)
• Permanent twin-tip Sharpie (one tip is thick as a marker the other is ultra fine as a pen)
• Pills Tube (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Acetylsalicylic Acid tabs)
• Lip balm

 

🎦 TRAVEL FILMMAKING GEAR

While I do own a mirrorless camera and production kit, I rarely use it for travel, unless needed for a commercial shoot or specific projects. That said, I now always travel with a smaller Travel Filmmaking Kit which is basically the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo Kit stored in a Travel Organizer and a few extra accessories -
DJI OSMO POCKET 3 CREATOR COMBO KIT (stored in the travel organizer)

• DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Camera w/ 512 GB micro SD card
• DJI Camera Shell w/ wide angle lens stored within
• DJI Battery Handle
• DJI Mini tripod
• DJI 1/4'' adapter
• DJI Mic 2 TX w/ magnet clip & windscreen
• DJI High Speed USB-C to C cable
• 2 × 512 GB micro SD cards in their SD card adapter & case

OTHER ACCESSORIES (stored or attached in/on the backpack or daypack)

• FREEWELL 8-pack ''All Day'' lens kit
• KAIESS Travel tripod/Selfie Stick combo with Remote
• AUKEY Basix Mini 10 000 mAh quick charge power bank
• PEAK DESIGN Capture Camera Clip paired with the
• PEAK DESIGN POV KIT

 

💊 MEDICAL SUPPLIES

I'm T1D (Type 1 Diabetic) so I need to carry a bunch of critical medical supplies unless I want to die a slow painful death. Most supplies and spares are stored in a Medikit and the daily items I need to use are stored in a waist pouch I always carry as EDC.
Here are my medical supplies for a 21-day trip:
💼 STORED IN THE MEDIKIT
T1D SUPPLIES

• 2 × Continuous Glucose Monitor - FreeStyle Libre 2 - (Spares - a sensor lasts 14 days and I already have an activated one in my arm)
• 5 × Extra pen vials (3 × Bolus, 2 × Basal)
• 4 × Energy Gels
• 100 × Injection Needles (21-days worth + redundancies)

GENERIC SUPPLIES

• 20 × Disinfecting Wipes
• 20 × Cleaning Wipes
• 12 × Self-adhesive bandages of various types and sizes
• 21 × Vitamin D tabs - 2,500 UI
• 3 × Acetylsalicylic Acid tabs - Aspirin
• 5 × Ibuprofen tabs - Advil
• 7 × Paracetamol tabs - Tylenol
• (The over-the-counter pills are stored in a pill tube and often carried in my EDC)

🚶🏻‍♂️ CARRIED AS EDC IN MY WAISTPOUCH

• Bolus Insulin Pen (in Pen Case)
• Basal Insulin Pen (in Pen Case)
• 8 × Injection Needles (in Pen Case)
• 6 × Disinfectant Wipes
• 4 × Cleaning Wipes
• Glucose Reader (in Reader Case)
• Lancing Device (in Reader Case)
• 6 × Lancets (in Reader Case)
• 50 × Glucose Testing Strips (in Reader Case)
• 10 × Ketone Testing Strips (in Reader Case)
• 4 × Energy Gels (used as emergency glucose when no other carbs are available)

 

💉 INSULIN MANAGEMENT

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
T1D here - I've travelled for many many years now and never had to refrigerate my insulins.
Note that insulin starts the denaturing process above ~27°C - it is a slow process and isn't instantaneous. Of course the higher the temp the faster the process, but if you can keep your vials in a cool, dry place out of sun exposure, it can last many weeks-to-a-few-months.
In fact, at or above 27°C, it'll take weeks before there is a noticeable change in potency (see details below)
⚠️ On the opposite end, Freezing insulin will almost immediately denature it
 
I've travelled to pretty hot and humid countries and never had issues

• I usually travel 14-32 days at a time, during Spring or Summer
• I'm on MDI and have 2 pens in my EDC (Bolus insulin, Basal insulin)
• I use a CGM (FreeStyle Libre 2)
• I have an extensive medikit with other supplies and 5-7 spare vials/prefilled pens

 
PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
But if high temperatures are an issue and/or you want absolute peace of mind (though with more complex logistics), here are some accessories that can keep your medication cool:

• NOMAD Portable Cooler for Medication - works with ice packs and insulation, not powered
• Travel Medicine Refrigerator - 8 hour battery, AC adapter, car adapter
• FRIO Cooling Wallets - uses evaporative cooling so make sure relative humidity is below 90% or it won't work. Also requires some water

 
※ SOURCES & SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE

In studies with no clinically relevant loss of insulin activity for human short-acting insulin (SAI), intermediate-acting insulin (IAI) and mixed insulin (MI) temperatures ranged between 28.9 °C and 37 °C for up to four months.
Two studies reported up to 18% loss of insulin activity after one week to 28 days at 37 °C.

• Source - Thermal stability and storage of human insulin

 

a recent study showed that potency of human and analogue insulin remained unchanged at oscillating temperatures of 25–37°C for 28 days and 12 weeks.

• Source - Insulin thermostability in a real-world setting

 
In short, insulin can retain appropriate potency up to 4 months in high temperatures (28-37°C/82.4°F-99°F) before it slowly starts losing potency over time.
 

❄️ COLD CLIMATE - LAYERING

For colder climates I have a pretty lightweight and packable layering system (Base layer, Mid layers, Outer layer) but I never had to bring it/use it while travelling as I typically travel in Spring or Summer and I am easily hot - my layering system is as follow:

• L1 - 💦 Moisture Management - Long-sleeved merino undershirt with thumbholes - PARADOX Drirelease Merino Blend
• L2 - ♨️ Insulation - Some super warm fleece with thumbholes - KALENJI Warm+ Men's Running Zipped Hoodie Fleece
• L3 - 🔥 Insulation B (if needed) - Packable ultra light down jacket with hood - UNIQLO Ultra Light Down Parka
• L4 - ☔ Weatherproofness - Rain & wind jacket with hood to protect from the elements - LABO MONO Urban Jacket
• L5 - 🧤 Accessories - Hat, gloves, scarf/buff, warm socks - Buff, Forclaz, Chaos, Darn Tough

 
^{⚠️ Do note that although I have this system, I get hot very easily so I rarely use it in full - I spent the previous winters in Canada by only using the rain jacket, hat and gloves - if I can stop convection, I can remain comfortably warm! Through freezing days and even blizzards, it has been sufficient for me.}
 

🧼 HAND WASHING GUIDE

While I sometimes wash my clothes as I shower, I always travel with a small laundry kit that includes:

• Scrubba Wash Bag - any regular drybag can do the same
• Travel Clothesline - packs really small and is 5 meters long
• All-in-one Detergent - stored in my toiletry kit as it is multi-purpose

 
This is my hand washing process when using a sink or the Scrubba (any drybag can work as a scrubba)

1. Thoroughly wash the kitchen sink/dry bag
2. Throw dirty laundry in the empty sink/dry bag - the clothes are pulled inside out.
3. Fill sink or drybag with lukewarm to warm water - depending on washing recommendations
4. Add a tiny amount of laundry detergent as the sink/drybag fills with lukewarm water
5. Move things around a bit, shaking the clothing articles, gently rubbing against each other - gotta be gentle, as hard and extensive rubbing can lead to pilling and damaged clothes
6. Let your clothes soak for 2-40 minutes depending on dirtiness, amount, clothing size/thickness/type (see table below)
7. Shake, spin, agitate, gently rub clothing for 3-5 minutes
8. Empty the sink/dry bag
9. Rinse a few times by filling sink/dry bag with clean, cold water, shaking clothes, emptying again. Repeat until the rinsing water is clear and free of gunk, debris, fogginess

 
I clean (or thoroughly rinse) my hands before and after any time I put them in and out of the soapy/dirty water
 
As to how I do not make my hand skin get effed up, not sure how to answer, between that and the over-washing of hands and extensive use of disinfectants due to work, I feel my hands developed some resistance ahahaha (I'm a pretty athletic dude with soft and silky smooth hands. I blame nutrition, genetics, stress-free and active lifestyle, consistent sleeping schedule. Yeah I only blame those.)
 

Mini chart of my own soak times

ITEM TYPE	SOAK DURATION in minutes
Socks 🧦	🕐 2-5
Underwear 🩲	🕐 2-5
T-Shirts 👕	🕐 2-10
Long Sleeved 👔	🕒 5-15
Shorts 🩳	🕓 5-15
Longs (Ha! Regular Pants) 👖	🕔 5-20
Hoodies or other Bulkier items 🧥	🕘 10-40

 
💡 Dish soap is the best solution against oil-based stains
💡 Shampoo is ''safer'' and more gentle for Merino and other wool-based fabrics
 

♨️ DRYING GUIDE

⚠️ Do not wring your clothes

Wringing clothes can and will distort, stretch and damage fibers, textiles & materials, greatly reducing durability.
Instead, ''squeeze,'' ''squash'' and ''compress'' them to squeeze water out.
 
If you have access to a towel, this is a popular trick to quicken drying while travelling:
 
THE TOWEL METHOD

1. Spread a clean and dry towel flat
2. Lay your clothing on top, open and flat
3. Roll the towel+item of clothing into a tight burrito
4. Step/Sit on the roll a few seconds (30-60 seconds) - this will transfer a large volume of water from your wet clothes to the towel
5. Unroll everything
6. Hang the piece of clothing to dry - aim for well ventilated areas where the most of the clothing is exposed.

 
💡 For heavier items, flip them over after a few hours so the inner area is also exposed for drying
💡 For clothes with pockets, pull those pockets inside out
💡 If your hostel/hotel/accommodation has hangers and curtains, hang those hangers on them curtain poles. During the day, the heat of the sun can expedite drying, and if you can open the windows, you'll get better airflow at anytime.
 

🔗 FREQUENT ITEMS & QUICK OVERVIEW

BACKPACKS

GREGORY BORDER 18 Backpack

• 18L
• Dimensions: 47 cm x 28.7 cm x 16 cm / 18.5'' x 11.3'' x 6.3''
• Weight: 771 grams / 1.7 lbs
• Great weather resistance
• Laptop sleeve (15'')
• Water bottle pocket
• Sternum Strap
• Very comfortable with excellent padding
• Trolley sleeve
• Top pocket lined with soft fabric for sunglasses
• Front pocket with another zipped inner pocket
• Inner organization for business papers, 3 pen holders, key leash, large mesh pocket
• Top and Side handles
• Pig Snout/Lash tab
• 4 accessory loops
• 90-120$CAD
• Warranty: Lifetime

 
Quechua Escape NH500 23L Rolltop

• 23L-27L (expandable storage thanks to rolltop)
• Dimensions: 46 cm x 28 cm x 22 cm / 18.1'' x 11'' x 8.6''
• Weight: 830 grams / 1.8 lbs
• Great weather resistance
• Laptop sleeve (15'')
• 2 Water bottle pockets
• Sternum Strap
• Very comfortable with excellent padding
• Trolley sleeve
• Front pocket
• Hidden back pocket
• 9 other inner pockets and inner organization
• Cable passthrough
• Shoulder strap pocket that can accommodate large cellphones
• Pig Snout/Lash tab
• 60$CAD
• Warranty: 10 year

 
Quechua MH500 Hiking Backpack 30L

• 30L
• Dimensions: 55 cm x 30 cm x 23 cm / 21.6'' x 12'' x 9'' - (this is with the brain pocket not saturated)
• Weight: 1200 grams / 2.6 lbs
• Integrated rain cover
• Laptop sleeve (15'') - (doubles as a water bladder compartment)
• 2 Water bottle pockets - (accessible as you wear the backpack)
• Sternum Strap
• Waist straps
• Extremely comfortable, the best backpack I've ever owned thanks to superb weight distribution
• Suspended backpanel for maximal airflow
• 6 pockets including 2 belt pockets
• Compression straps
• Pole straps
• Also has a large J-shape opening on the front to access main compartment
• 90$CAD
• Warranty: 10 year
• The bag itself has a minimal height of 55 cm (21.6'') when the brain pocket is not saturated due to its rigid back frame, making this bag carry-on approved for most airlines

 

PACKING CUBES

Knack Bags Compression Cube - Medium

• Dimensions (Compressed): 30 x 14 cm x 7.62 cm / 12'' x 5.5'' x 3''
• Weight: 82 g / 2.9 ounces
• Carry handle
• See-through breathable Mesh
• Compresses by up to 67%
• Very durable nylon
• Warranty: Limited Lifetime
• 25$USD

 
Knack Bags Compression Cube - Large

• Dimensions (Compressed): 30 x 20.32 cm x 7.62 cm / 12'' x 8'' x 3''
• Weight: 99 g / 3.5 ounces
• Carry handle
• See-through breathable Mesh
• Compresses by up to 60%
• Very durable nylon
• Warranty: Limited Lifetime
• 30$USD

I'll be honest, I've tried so hard to switch to Linux, but it feels like every time I solve a problem a new one comes up, and the problems I have to solve are ones that (supposably) just work on Linux, and they do on my steam deck but somehow never on either of the 2 laptops I've had (I don't have a desktop bc I like portability) When I install a distro, any distro, let's say I install steam, or maybe it was pre-installed with the distro. Whatever the case may be, at least on my favorite games I tend to have audio and performance issues every single time. And the games in question aren't hard to run they are indie games, one of them is A Hat in Time and one is (well technically not one of my favorites yet but has the potential to be once the full version is out) the Billie Bust Up patreon demo. Both of them run perfectly fine on steam deck, but when I try to run them on my thousand dollar laptop I get met with audio issues that sometimes bugs the games out and constant lag. These are solvable problems but they are problems that occur every time I install any distro but apparently nobody else seems to have. And these games run perfectly fine in windows. Or how about just the OS in general, well that's a lot better but still not ideal. I love the desktop environments and they are one of the main reasons I want to switch, those aren't a problem. What is a problem is (not always but on semi-rare occasions) I will not know how to do an action on the terminal, look it up, copy and paste the commands and get an error. I look up the error, find a fix, and the fix only works about 50% of the time in that specific scenario. When it comes to Nvidia drivers I've only found success in the ones pre-installed on Pop!_os and ubuntu specifically. While other distros have the drivers pre-installed out of the ones I've tried they never have the powermizer option in the control panel, and if they aren't pre-installed. Forget it because when I try to install them it never works. And apparently they are supposed to be in the software store in some distros but they are never there and when I try to find the repo that I have to enable in the store's settings it's not there either. And how about audio, audio out always works perfectly but every single microphone I've tried has background noise, although that's not a huge issue because NoiseTorch works perfectly to solve that.
Admittedly I am very biased towards gnome, I strongly prefer how it functions over kde and I love how easy extensions are to install, so I haven't tried most of this stuff in kde. Maybe it's better maybe it's not, but I know plenty of people use gnome and have none of these issues.
I'm just kinda fed up rn with all this rn, is there something I'm doing wrong? Did I just get unlucky with hardware twice? (bc remember a lot of these issues happened on both my old laptop with and CPU and GPU, and my new one with an Intel CPU and Nvidia GPU) All these issues will happen on a clean install of any distro no matter the base (although I haven't really tried an arch base because I don't like pacman, and I'd just prefer a much easier to use and configure distro, but I've tried multiple Debian/Ubuntu based distros and 2 Redhat/Fedora based distros)
I would just assume it's an issue with Linux but like I said a lot of this doesn't happen on my steam deck which I know is also Linux. I guess I could just try an arch based distro but I don't really know where to start on that, arch and even EndeavorOS are a little too complicated for me currently, EndeavorOS not by a huge amount though, and I've heard horror stories about Manjaro as a distro despite it being beginner friendly. But I'd prefer to stick with either redhat/Fedora or especially Debian/Ubuntu base if I can.
I just need some advice because I just don't really know what to do right now.

What a lovely morning!
A teenage girl wakes up in her bed, stretching her arms, yawning a little. She hops off of the bed, and excitedly approaches her closet then opens it. It's full of knitted hats and other things, even dolls! The girl starts to think, her right hand under her chin, 'Hmm, which one should I wear for school? Ooh!'. Her eyes light up as she picks up a cute dog hat, the teen worked on this one pretty hard for two days straight! Wearing it, she hums a happy tune while moving some knitted clothes and takes a jacket out, its color matches the dog hat's. The girl also wears it, she's now ready to leave her house! Cheerily getting out of her house, the teen waits for the school bus to arrive. A few minutes pass, it shows up and pulls over, opening the front door for her. She boards the bus, then thanks the driver, who's a cool dude. Is it the School Bus No. 4? Indeed it is, no one wants to remember HER anymore. The girl sits with her friends at the back, they compliment her knitted hat, to which she happily thanks them, saying that it took her a long time to make it. One of them wants a fish hat, he curiously asks if she could do it for him. The teen nods, smiling cheerfully. Five minutes later, they arrive at the school, the teenagers get off the bus, they are talking to each other about some stuff. The girl and her friends enter the building and reach their classroom. The class already began, but they don't really care anyways.
The next day, the teen is in her classroom, just speaking to her friends about new ideas for her knitted hats and clothes. One of her friends suggests she makes a handbag to put small things in, she likes it, so she writes it down on a notebook. One by one, the girl takes their ideas and then places the notebook in her bag, joyfully telling them that she's going to work on them later. They're happy to hear that! ... For some reason, she has a strange feeling that someone is watching her... The teen looks around the classroom confusedly, but she doesn't see anyone here. Eh, she shrugs it off. The teacher arrives and the class starts. Why is he grey..? He seems to be stuttering a bit...
Now that school is over, the girl is back in her house. It's midnight, she's sleeping soundly in her bed, when she feels like someone is watching her just like before. Opening her eyes a bit, she catches a glimpse of a weird guy standing in the corner of her room, staring at her, then he immediately disappears. The teen's eyes widens, she's kind of nervous.
"Was... that a weird guy in my room for a second..?"
Trying not to think about him, she falls asleep again.
The next day, the girl is in the school with her friends, they're next to their lockers, talking about something. One of them asks her if she started making the handbag, she tells her that it's about to be finished soon in like, a few days or so. She understands and wishes her good luck, the teen thanks her, happily. Her friends walk away to get to their classroom, and before she gets to follow them, the girl has the same feeling of being watched by someone. She gulps a little, then looks over her shoulder. There's no one, except for some other teenagers who are just chilling together. Sweating nervously, she runs after her friends, then they enter the classroom. The teen and her friends sit down at their desks, continuing to discuss about some things. A few minutes pass, the teacher did not show up this time. The teenagers in the room are confused and a bit worried. Did something happen to him...?
School time is over, and the girl is in her house, sleeping peacefully. It's 2AM, someone knocks on the front door, causing the teen to wake up. Tiredly, she hops off of her bed and walks downstairs. 'Ugh, who could it be at this hour..?', she thinks as she approaches the door. Opening it, the girl finds a small knitted rabbit doll on the ground in front of the door, it's holding a note in its stubby hands. Puzzled, she blinks twice, and squats down to read it.
'FRIENDS?'
"Huh..? Who knitted this cute doll? I'm so confused right now..."
The teen looks around outside, but sees no one. It's just darkness. She shrugs and takes the rabbit doll in with her, the note falls to the ground. Shutting the door, the girl heads back upstairs to her room, where she puts the doll on her bed with other animal dolls. She falls asleep again.
The next day, she's at the park with her friends, going for a walk together. One of them asks the teen about the handbag, she tells her that she will finish knitting it today, her friend is excited! What about the other ideas? They are going to be worked on soon. Nervously, the girl informs her friends about the rabbit doll she found outside her house and she doesn't know who made it and WHY they did it. One of her friends gets interested, curiously asking if she has a secret admirer or something. She just shrugs. As they stroll across the park, they stop for some ice cream. After getting their desserts, one of the teen's friends notices something behind her, squinting his eyes a little.
"Hey, is that a weird guy over there, hiding behind that tree?"
Confused, the girl and the rest of her friends turn to look behind them. Yup, there's indeed a weird guy hiding behind a tree a 'bit' far away from them, he looks like he's sweating profusely. He's also staring at the girl. She gulps in fear and asks one of her friends why he's looking at her, they don't know, of course. One of them suggests to just ignore him, and maybe he will go away. So, the teen and her friends continue walking through the park, attempting to not look over their shoulder to check if he's following them. He is, though.
The next day, the girl didn't go to school this time, she's in her house with a friend of hers. They're in her room, the teen is cheerily showing a bunch of knitted stuff to him, he likes them a lot! Yes, the knitted handbag is done, and she gave it to one of her friends who suggested it first. He tries them on one by one, the boy thinks about having an animal hat and he asks her if she could make one for him, she replies by saying sure! The girl explains that they don't take that long, just half a day and that's it. He's impressed! He wants her to knit a frog hat for him, she tells him that it's going to be super-duper easy. The boy laughs happily as he stands up, then he spots something through the bedroom window, sweating a little. The teen gets nervous and she asks if it's the same weird guy from yesterday, the boy nods. The girl gets up, approaching the window and takes a look. The weird guy is standing not that far from her house, he's staring up at the window, still sweating profusely. Now, they can see him a bit clearly, the mute grey adult has an almost-nearly faint mustache. The teen fearfully asks her friend what they should do now, he doesn't know! Though, he suggests that she should go out and see what he wants, the girl refuses. She's scared.
"Why are you so afraid? He won't do anything to you..!"
"But I don't wanna!!"
"It's okay, just calm down, Bea. L-let's just wait and see until he leaves, okay?"
"Okay..."
Two hours later, the weird guy is still outside. He didn't go anywhere. The boy is kind of jealous of him standing for two hours straight without his legs getting tired. He tells the teen to go out already, but she still doesn't want to. It's now getting dark, the pair of teenagers are getting exhausted. The boy pulls out his phone to check the time, he then says to the girl that he's going back home and wishes her good luck. Her friend leaves the room and her house. She's all alone for now. The teen climbs onto her bed and lies down, sweating nervously.
The next 'day' (it's 3AM), the girl wakes up in a house-like building, she's in a room filled with small knitted dolls, clothes, hats, and other things like scarves. Confused and scared, she looks around. 'Wh.. who made those..?! Where am I..?', the teen thinks. Yet again, the weird guy appears, he's peeking into the room, staring at the girl. Is he STILL sweating profusely? Yup. She notices him and also starts to sweat profusely. Five seconds of them simply staring at each other, the weird guy enters the room and approaches her, the teen crawls away for a bit then stops. The mute grey adult kneels down, pulls his phone out and turns it on. He starts to type... and shows her.
'you like knitting too?'
"U-um, yes..? ... Wait, you also knit?"
He nods once. The girl looks around the room again...
"Wow, you made all of these?"
Again, the weird guy nods once, he begins typing once more..
'did you like the doll?'
"You mean.. the rabbit one? Yeah, it's pretty cute!"
He gives her a thumbs up, then he walks up to one of the knitted scarves, picks it up, and approaches the teen again. The weird guy hands it to her and she takes it, the girl is amazed.
"Thanks! Wait, does this scarf have glitter in it? That's awesome!"
One more time, he nods once. She wears it.
"Umm, I'm a 'little' nervous, but... uh, can we be.. friends?"
Once again, the weird guy gives her a thumbs up. Hooray for friendship!! He helps her up, she cheerfully thanks him for the scarf. The teen asks about his knitted stuff and what he's going to do with them, he just shrugs. The girl wants to go home, she's very tired and wants to sleep. The weird guy holds her hand and off they teleport back to her house. In her room, the teen almost instantly falls asleep, so.. her silent friend picks her up and gently puts her on the bed, then tucks her in. The room is dimly lit, the weird guy is able to see her knitted hats and other things. He slowly nods... Leaving her bedroom, he goes downstairs and sits down on the couch in the living room, the mute grey adult takes his phone out again, turns it on and watches random cartoon clips, on low volume, of course.
And that's why you should not be afraid of any weird guy when you notice them following you, they may or may not have something in common with you!
​
​

A relentless drumbeat filled the silence of the night as rain pelted the windshield of a dark Toyota Tocama truck. The vehicle sat idling in the shadows of a deserted alley in the heart of New Orleans, and its occupants huddled inside, seeking shelter from the storm that raged outside.
In the driver's seat, a bald, dark-skinned African American man with a baseball hat pulled low over his eyes, DeAndre, also known as just D, stared out into the darkness. His hands rested on the lower part of the steering wheel while he leaned back in his chair with a bored look. He was dressed in a hoodie, the fabric damp from the rain that had lightly dampened it during his brief time outside.
"More of those damn monsters popped up just outside the city near Lexington," D suddenly spoke up, trying to dispel the awkward silence. "They're all over the place now."
His partner, a pale-skinned man named Mason with dark brown hair, shifted in his seat beside him. He was wearing a North Face jacket, the material glistening with raindrops in the dim light of the street lamps. He tapped his hand against the car door, one of the few nervous tics he indulged in before getting into a big operation.
"Yeah, I know," Mason replied in an equally derisive voice. "DHS thinks they're reproducing like crazy because they don't got any natural predators on the East Coast."
D let out a humorless sound that echoed in the confines of the truck. "No shit," he said, shaking his head. "All the nasty shit that'll kill you is either down south or on the West Coast. What do we got up here? Fuckin' black bears?"
A chuckle left Mason’s mouth as he adjusted the ballistic vest that spelled the words U.S. MARSHALL in big, bold yellow letters. "Maybe we should import some of those West Coast mountain lions," he suggested, only half-joking. "Let them loose in the countryside and see how long these monsters last."
“I actually remember hearing a story about some crazy fucker down in Texas using a mountain lion to hunt hogs,” D said as the rain continued to patter against the windshield. “Dude would just let it loose, and it’d just drag a full-grown hog back for him.”
Mason raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Damn, that's wild," he said, shaking his head. "But I guess when you're dealing with a hog infestation, you gotta get creative."
"Creative is one word for it. Insane is another." D snorted as his eyes remained fixed on the road ahead
They lapsed into silence once more, the gravity of their situation settling over them like a heavy blanket. They were waiting for their mark, a nondescript white van belonging to the local mob and a solitary dark gray luxury sedan carrying a lieutenant. Other units were on standby, ready to swoop in at a moment's notice, but for now, it was just the two of them sitting in a truck on a rainy night, watching and waiting.
"You know what really gets me, though?" Mason said, breaking the silence. "It's not just these monsters we gotta worry about. It's all the other shit that's been popping up lately. Elves, goblins, orcs... even magic humans or whatever."
D sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Tell me about it. It's like something out of that one movie with Will Smith in it. Except all the magic can level an entire block, and it isn’t rare."
"You talking about bright?" Mason asked, huffed in amusement when D snapped his finger and pointed at him in affirmation. "But ya, you right. They're popping up all over the place. Every agency and their mom from Fed to county are trying to round ‘em up. But it's like playing whack-a-mole. You snag one and find out there’s five more bolting around the corner."
D nodded, his expression grim. "Doesn't help that the organized crime and fuck, even gangs are in on it.” He growled in annoyance. “Absolutely hilarious that we might have to start worrying about fireball-slinging gangbangers and mobsters.”
Neither of them, in fact, found it humorous in any way as Mason facepalmed and dragged his hand down his face. The idea of magic-infused crime was a nightmare scenario that law enforcement organizations across the country were scrambling to contain. Intelligence reports revealed a disturbing trend: magical beings from the other side of the rift were harbored by criminal elements in exchange for their services and knowledge. These otherworldly entities would work for the criminal underworld, using their arcane abilities to further illegal activities or, even worse, teach their arts to Earth-native criminals.
It was a development that sent shockwaves through the law enforcement community. The prospect of facing off against criminals wielding supernatural powers was alarming, to say the least. Fireball-slinging gangbangers and mobsters with the ability to level city blocks were no longer the stuff of fantasy - they were becoming a terrifying reality.
The president didn’t even have to issue an executive order, or was one resisted by any level of government when one came. Every agency, from the federal level down to the smallest county sheriff's office, had mobilized to get a lid on the situation. Task forces were formed, special units were trained, and new protocols were implemented to deal with the unique challenges of magical crime.
But it was proving to be a far more difficult task than anyone had anticipated. The magical beings were elusive, able to blend in with human society in ways that made them nearly impossible to detect. They could alter their appearance, change into animals, and in rare cases, some were even able to simply vanish when cornered.
Even more concerning was the fact that these beings were sharing their knowledge with human criminals. The idea of street gangs and organized crime syndicates having access to arcane abilities was a chilling prospect. It threatened to tip the balance of power in the criminal underworld, giving rise to a new breed of superpowered outlaws.
D and Mason sat in their truck, the weight of back-to-back raids, shootouts, and arrests over the past 6 months were taking its toll. They had seen firsthand the devastation that could be wrought by just one rogue magic user from a few weeks ago. A bolt of strange energies ripped through a police cruiser, killing both officers in the blink of an eye. The thought of facing an entire criminal network infused with such powers was almost too much to bear.
"You know, I signed up to take down gangbangers, drug dealers, and mafiosos," Mike started in a low voice that said he didn’t quite believe what he was about to say next. "I never thought I'd be going up against fucking… wizards and shit."
A dark and depreciating laugh left D’s mouth as his hand rubbed his smooth head under his hat. The world had truly made a deranged turn somewhere. He was already under the impression they were living in an unhinged clown world after 2020, but it appeared the universe decided to drive the clown car off the cliff entirely.
"I don’t anyone expected some knife-eared shitter straight out of Lord of the Rings to walk up and point his finger at something and zap it." D continued, rubbing his eyes trying to dispel the headache that was forming. “But we gotta deal with, because if we don't…”
He trailed off, the implication clear. If they failed, the consequences would be catastrophic if the criminal underworld gained a foothold in the arcane arts. The very fabric of society could unravel, plunging the world into a chaos the likes of which had never been seen.
The radio suddenly crackled to life, the helicopter that has been trailing the target vehicles gave situation report. "All units, target vehicles spotted at the intersection of Jefferson and 5th. White utility van and gray luxury sedan, matching the BOLO. They're heading southbound on Jefferson, moving fast. Over."
D and Mason immediately snapped to attention, their postures shifting from relaxed to high alert in a split second. This was the moment they had been waiting for, the culmination of months of hard work and sleepless nights.
"This is Unit 3, roger that on the target vehicles. We're moving to tail. Over." D's voice was calm and controlled as he relayed the information, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed his heightened state of readiness.
Mason was already in motion, reaching into the back of the truck to retrieve their tactical gear. He grabbed two short-barreled AR-15s, specially modified for close-quarters engagements, and began the process of prepping them for action.
As he worked, Mason couldn't help but shake his head at the surreal nature of their situation. "This is some bullshit…" he said, his voice tinged with irritation. "I never imagined I'd be gearing up to take down a bunch of literal sorcerers aided and abetted by fuckin’ mobsters."
A snort left D’s mouth as his eyes fixed on the road ahead as the engine roared to life. "Welcome to New Orleans, brother. Weird shit always happens in New Orleans."
Mason barked out a laugh, the sound harsh and bitter in the confines of the truck. "Yeah, what are they gonna have me saving next? A princess in a castle? What other goddamn fairy tale fucks is gonna pop up in this hell hole and turn it into their own personal magic kingdom?"
The radio crackled again, the voice of dispatch filtering through the static. "Unit 3, be advised. ICE teams and SWAT are in position at the target warehouse. They're ready to breach when you initiate the arrest."
D keyed the mic and responded immediately. "Roger that. We're tailing the target vehicles now, about two blocks behind. Looks like they're heading towards the warehouse. We'll box them in on your signal. Over."
As they navigated the rain-slicked streets, Mason couldn't help but appreciate the irony of the situation. Here they were, U.S. Marshals, the nation's oldest federal law enforcement agency, teaming up with ICE, an organization tasked with border security and immigration control, to take down a bunch of magical illegals and mobsters. It was like a bad joke with a punchline that nobody wanted to hear.
But there was no time for philosophical musings. The target vehicles were in sight, the white utility van and gray luxury sedan moving through traffic rather quickly.
Maintaining a discreet distance, D’s eyes never leave the vehicles ahead. Mason, meanwhile, finished prepping the rifles before the helicopter orchestrating the entire operation came back over the radio. "All units, target vehicles are approaching the warehouse. It looks like they're slowing down and preparing to pull in. Get ready to intercept. Over."
Mason sucked in a deep breath to ready himself while D's grip tightened on the steering wheel as he watched the target vehicles slow down, their turn signals blinking in the rain-soaked night. "This is Unit 3, copy that. We're moving into position for the intercept. Over." D responded in a calm voice that betrayed the tension he felt.
The radio crackled again, the voice of the helicopter operator filling the truck. "All units, SWAT, and the ICE teams are ready to breach. Box those vehicles in and give the signal. Over."
As if orchestrated by a brilliant conductor, multiple unmarked trucks and SUVs converged on two vehicles in different directions. When the target vehicles made the turn into the warehouse compound, D and the other Marshals seemingly made eye contact and gunned their engines. All of the vehicles surged forward with a roar.
"All units, this is Unit 3. We're initiating the stop. ICE teams, breach now! Over." D's voice was loud and clear over the radio, the signal for the carefully orchestrated danc to begin.
Tires squealed as D angled the truck directly at the luxury sedan and slammed into its front. Simultaneously, 4 other Marshals' units converged from the sides, their vehicles screeching to a halt mere inches from the target vehicles or slamming into them directly.
Then, chaos erupted.
"U.S. Marshal Service!! Exit the vehicles with your hands up!" D's voice boomed across the compound as he and Mason leaped from the truck, rifles pointing at the figures in the sedan as they rushed it.
As soon as D's voice echoed across the compound, the luxury sedan's engine roared to life, its tires screeching against the wet pavement as it suddenly threw itself into reverse. The driver was clearly not ready to surrender as he slammed on the gas and sent the vehicle careening backwards, smashing into the white van behind it with a deafening crunch.
The impact caused the white van to rock on its suspension as its occupants were thrown about inside. The side door of the van flew open, and a group of disoriented people tumbled out, their bodies hitting the ground hard as they scrambled to regain their footing.
"Hands!! Show me your fuckin’ hands!!" Another marshal from a different unit rushed forward. His rifle raised as he sprinted towards the driver's side of the sedan, and in an act of pure aggression, the marshal smashed the barrel of his weapon against the window, causing the glass to shatter.
But the sedan's occupants were not going down without a fight. The driver and passenger quickly drew their weapons, but D and Mason were faster. A staccato of harsh cracks left their short-barreled rifles and split the night. Giant fireballs from the muzzle flashes illuminated the rain-soaked darkness as the marshals and the suspects exchanged a furious volley of lead.
Suddenly, the rear door on the sedan's driver's side flew open. A figure then flew out, moving with a speed and grace that seemed almost inhuman. In a blur of motion, the individual closed the distance between himself and another marshal as his hand flashed out to reveal the glint of a long, wicked-looking blade.
But before anyone could react, the blade found its mark, piercing through the marshal's ballistic vest as if it were nothing more than tissue. The marshal screamed in agony, his voice rising above the cacophony of gunfire and shouting as the blade sank deep into his flesh.
A multitude of weapon-mounted flashlights snapped to the two wrestling on the ground, illuminated by harsh, strobing glares. It was then that the marshals found the one wielding the blade was no ordinary person but one of those pointy-eared Elves from Ohio.
The marshals were not about to let this act of brutality go unanswered. As the elf tried to withdraw his blade from the skewered marshal, he was met with a hail of gunfire. Bullets tore through his flesh, sending him stumbling backward and thrashing about as his blood mingled with the rain.
The scene was one of utter pandemonium, the air filled with the sounds of yelling and gunfire from both the vehicles and the warehouses. Using the mayhem that erupted around the sedan and the wounded marshal, the group that had tumbled out of the white van took the opportunity to make their getaway. Desperate to escape the clutches of the law, they scrambled to their feet and made a frantic dash away from the scene.
"STOP!! U.S. MARSHALS!" Mason’s voice boomed over the cacophony of gunfire and the pounding of the rain. But his words were lost in the wind as the suspects fled, their feet pounding against the wet pavement.
Other marshals and D were already in motion as they all took off into a dead sprint with their rifles tucked tight. "STOP, YOU STUPID BITCH!!" D yelled.
Mason joined the pursuit and passed a marshal who had caught one of the slower suspects and started wrestling with them on the ground. Taking a quick look over his shoulder, Mason couldn’t help but still be shocked to see something straight out of a video game: a small 4-foot-tall Goblin wriggling around and trashing as the larger marshal tried to control it.
While 5 marshals broke off from the main assault group to chase the desperately fleeing suspects behind them, the rest of the marshals descended upon them quickly and violently. Commands were yelled out, and weapons were pointed as the doors of both the Sedan and van yanked open the doors. The remaining occupants, who hadn't been riddled by bullets by the initial volley of gunfire, were dragged out and forced to the ground with their faces pressing into the cold, wet asphalt.
D, Mason, and the other marshals continued to chase the fleeing suspects. With the sound of their steady and trained breathing techniques and the clinking of their equipment, they pushed their bodies to the limit as they jumped fences and turned sharp corners.
In the background, the sound of police sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder with each passing second as backup forces swarmed the area. It was the sign that the operation had gone to hell in a handbasket. The carefully orchestrated plan unraveled in the face of otherworldly abilities and magic. It became increasingly clear that they needed to transition to Plan B and use overwhelming force.
As the chasing marshals sprinted through the maze of warehouses and buildings, D caught a glimpse of the suspects darting into an alley. "There!" he shouted, adjusting his course to follow.
The narrow alley was poorly lit, the shadows seeming to reach out and grab at them as they ran. The suspects were just ahead, their forms barely visible in the gloom as they wove between the buildings with desperate speed.
Suddenly, D saw the suspects they were chasing burst through the door of a single-story office building. The sound of splintering wood and shattering glass echoed through the alley as they piled through the small opening.
D and another marshal slowed to a jog, and their weapons snapped up to take aim at the empty doorway in case any dipshit thought to be cute and shove a gun through it or… fling a spell. While the marshals moved cautiously, they couldn’t help but think that notion to be completely absurd, but here they were. With their hearts pounding in their chests, they moved quickly to make entry.
The first marshal took point, his rifle leading the way as he crossed the threshold. But as soon as his weapon breached the entrance, a massive hand belonging to some big fuckin’ dude shot out from the darkness, gripping the barrel with inhuman strength.
Before the marshal could react, a startled cry was let out as the Marshal was yanked violently inside.
***
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To be perfectly clear: NOT WHILE DRIVING. Should go without saying, but apparently doesn’t.
I’m a relatively new AVP owner, and one of my strongly desired use cases is to work on a large screen with a MacBook, or possibly using native VisionOS apps, while a passenger in a car or bus. I recognize that Travel Mode exists, but it’s designed for planes and the tracking gets confused in the presence of large windows showing moving scenery. It sort of works if I’m careful to mostly look down (e.g., into the footwell), especially in the back seat. But windows still jitter a fair bit, and tracking still goes out often enough to be pretty annoying.
Apple might improve this in future OS releases, but I’m not counting on it. I’m sure they could do so from a technical perspective, but it might encourage more idiots to try using it while actually driving, and nobody needs that.
So…I’m trying to work out some “hacks” for improving the passenger-seat or rear-seat experience. I suspect that means blocking my own sight out the windows but not of my hands. I’m willing to try silly things like building a little “tent” from opaque cloth, wearing the top bit of an umbrella as a hat, or anything else that might work (assuming it can be done without meaningfully blocking the actual driver’s sight lines). My google-fu and searching here hasn’t turned up much on the topic, so I thought I’d ask the hive-mind directly before getting started.
Has anyone here tried any DIY solutions to this problem? What worked, and how well? What failed miserably, and why?
Thanks in advance for any info!

As always, thank you to for the wonderful universe that is NoP! Thank you to for proof reading and helping me make this chapter as good as it can be, you're the man! Honestly LoM wouldn't have gone very far without him! If you haven't you should absolutely go read Foundations of Humanity! It's very good! :D
A big thanks to for helping with proofreading! He writes Out of Our Elements which is a very good one! If you like a good fic in the wilderness and a pair of cute 'friends' ;) you'll love OOE!
Also thank you to ! For this wonderful fanart of Taisa. And this one! She's so cute I'm gonna die
And thank you to ! For this adorable fanart of Chris and Renkel! Dear god help he's adorable I love him so much
Thank you , or AsciiSquid on Discord, for makin' Vengineer Taisa Gamin'. She's absolutely adorable, I love her lil' workers apron. She looks so excited to get to work!
Thank you ! For this astounding Pixel Art of Taisa after a few range day dates with Chris! Her little hat and gunbelt are absolutely astounding!
Thank you ! For this Artwork of Taisa and Chris as characters from One Piece! I've never seen or read it before but it's incredibly cute!
Thank you to for their wonderful work of several LoM fanfics!
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Memory Transcription Subject: Taikel, Venlil Farmer, Venlil-Human Exchange Host
Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20th, 2136
Stars above a paw with good news would be appreciated.
The Warren was silent but for the click-clack of Renkel’s claws on my pad as I sat at the island, staring down at my now cold bowl of crispy brown vegetables. Rensa had fallen further over the last paw, sinking well past where she had been after her accident. I think hope, fear and Renkel were the only things keeping me from stumbling into the night beside her.
My attention tracked across the living room as I swiveled the stool around to focus on the window she was sat in front of, with all I could see being the thread of a shadow slowly bringing the glass to her mouth; the only sign to tell me she was still there at all. I’d thought about replacing the gin with something gentler this waking, it had worked for a glass, keeping her marginally more lucid before she’d decided to refill it herself. Then before too long she was back to the same torpid drift she’d lost herself in these last few paws.
The clink of my skewer against the side of the bowl in front of me split the solemn, cold air of the kitchen as I let out a sigh, turning to look at the beads tic-tacing against each other in front of the open window beside the hearth. My eyes hung on the open thread waiting, almost eagerly, to be filled, for the news of our loss so that sordid black bead could find its new home.
My heart sank at the thought of receiving that message.
Of being informed that they really were gone.
Of having to confront the reality of our loss.
Having to explain to Renkel that his sister was never coming home, that Chris would never share his stories with him again.
That two of his best friends in the world had been taken from him.
Rensa falling even further, spiraling well beyond anything I could ever truly help her recover from.
The image of their stars drifting on the basin brought pooling tears to the corners of my eyes, pulling at the threads binding my heart like Night’s whipping winds.
I could feel them threatening to fall as I wrenched my eyes from Kalthet hanging in the window, squeezing them shut to push the horror away, to do anything and everything I could for my family.
For Rensa, for Renkel.
For them.
Come on, gray coat, do it for the-
The familiar chime of my pad drifted from Renkel on the couch, perking my ears to the distinct tune as he mewled curiously, locked onto the pad just as I was.
Was that Tais-
“PAPA!” My son squealed, leaping from the couch to fill the Warren with the rapid pitter-patter of his paws on hardwood followed along with a rapid beat of chime after chime from the pad he all but threw at me.
My heart swayed for a moment, a growing sprout of hope blooming as I gently plucked the pad from his paws, my tail slipping around him, pulling him close as I stared down at the noisy pad. The wheels in my mind spun on slick ground as panic, elation and worry filled my thoughts, my breath hitched, trying to push me onward to read even the first message as they came rushing in like a fresh harvest. Before long they stopped, messages about them going up to a peak to watch, the food Darlene had made, how much she hoped she’d see us again, terror at the Arxur’s arrival, jubilation that the federation had been driven away.
And then they turned to a tide of growing worry as her messages asked where we were, what was going on and how the town was holding up. Questions asking if we were getting the messages flooded in next, creeping closer and closer together before one finally broke the chain with an >Embarassed.< tail sign emote. A heavy sigh of relief tumbled from my mouth as I pulled Renkel a little closer, reading the message aloud to the pup with high ears and a blooming warmth in my chest.
“Hey Papa, looks like relays have been down for… a while. I’m ok, Chris is… mostly ok. I don’t know when you will get this, but whenever you do, I want you to know we’re coming home soon. I love you.”
My attention swung back to the window and the shadow hanging on the curtains between us as Renkel’s paws flew into the air, the pitter-patter of his feet on the hardwood racing around the living room, scooping up his book and bolting upstairs with an elated squeal. My tail fell into an excited wag before I looked back to the pad, the biting worry for Rensa gnawing a little harder at my gut dulled by the fact that they were alive! My daughter and Chris were, seemingly, safe. As worried as I was about reports of the Arxur on Earth, I couldn’t help but be elated at the news. Which certainly didn’t stay my claws from typing out a field of questions of my own as they sprouted to mind.
Taikel:
Oh thank the stars you’re ok, Oil-Spot!
What happened with the ship crash, the U.N. said it started a giant fire???
Are you two safe?
What are the Arxur doing there?
Where are the Arxur?
Where are you?
Her chat-flower bloomed after a few agonizingly long moments, setting the coiled tension in my heart loose as joyful tears slipped free into my wool. I hadn’t thought that little purple flower opening and closing could simultaneously elicit so many emotions.
Taisa:
Papa! Stars above I was worried something had happened.
Venlil ship rammed a fed light cruiser, lit the forest and mountainsides on fire real bad. We spent the last two paws doing our best to help put that out. Its contained and almost gone now so we’re getting shifted.We’re safe, mostly. We’ve got a worrying shipment with a few aid crews for the next paw or two but we’ve been approved to return to Heartwood after that is done.
They helped push the feds back and now they’re helping >Disbelief.< with the rebuilding efforts. Neither of us are particularly pleased with that.
Not sure about all of them but at least three of them are going to be on Polani. >Anger. Worry.<
We’re at Chris’ families, getting Polani ready to go get started with our ‘aid teams’.
How’re Mama and Renkel?
My heart stuck in my throat as I looked up at the window again, peering at Rensa’s shadow as the sound of Renkel excitedly foraging in his room met my ears, searching for the best words to say. I settled on the truth.
Taikel:
Renkel is currently running about the house like he’s had a cup of Chris’ ‘coffee’ again squealing happy. Your Mama is… not doing great right now but hopefully this news helps!
Any idea when you two will be home?
Taisa:
As soon as we can, not sure of exactly how many paws but I promise I’ll keep you updated.
Please let Mama know we’ll be home as soon as we can be.
Taikel:
I will, stay safe for me, Oil-Spot.
Taisa:
We’ll do our best, Papa. Love you.
Taikel:
Love you too.
I set the pad down and found myself staring at the Kalthet again, focusing on the empty space, ecstatic that another black spot wouldn’t yet truly fill our lives.
But it has filled the lives of others. Those people in the shelters… How many have lost family they know they’ll never see again?
>Enough.< A small nod bobbed my chin as I turned, padding up stairs to find Renkel. We’d been cooped up in the Warren long enough; it was harvest-time for all of us to get out and start helping. Besides, stars and I know that if that boy was good at anything other than foraging for new facts it was being a beacon of light in the world.
[Advance Transcript by Time Unit: 1.5 Hours]
Renkel let out an excited giggle, bouncing on his feet as I poured another glass for Rensa, splashing a claw of gin before diluting it with water and fire-fruit oil. Hard stopping hadn’t worked last time and it wouldn’t this time either, not without her howling in pain for paws on end… I couldn’t put her through that for another minute, let alone a few paws. But if I eased her down then it’d be better, it’d be tolerable for her and I was sure that Taisa and Chris’ return would snap her out of her stupor and break the fire just as fast as it’d started.
Or at least I hoped as hard as I could that it would.
Renkel bounds to the door, still jumping in place as his tail lashes about behind him excitedly, barely containing his squeaks as I open the door and wave him on outside. The cool twilight air flows into my wool as the beautiful golden rays dance in my eyes, casting the sky in a beautiful tapestry of colors. I’d seen it a thousand times, every waking of my life and yet, right now, it felt like the first time in forever.
Renkel doesn’t slow, bolting to the truck and calling out an upbeat whistle to Rensa as I stoop at her side, gently extracting the now-empty glass from her paws and replacing it with the new one before nuzzling her crown with an excited, hopeful mewl. “Taisa’s alright darling, they’ll be home in a few paws! Renkel and I are going to the shelter to try and help… do you want to come?”
A noncommittal, foggy grunt of acknowledgment was all I received alongside a weak return of my affections. The knot of pain in my chest tightened down again at the sight of my love, steeping in the fog hanging in her mind. It hurt to see her like this again, especially with the knowledge that the fear and anguish, the very cause of her pain, wasn’t true. Aside from patience and doing my best to gently lift her from the pit she’d dug to hide herself there was little I could do to truly help her.
So patience and a steady paw was what I would provide.
I gave her crown a small lick before I rose, gently easing her back down into her seat with the strongest purr I could manage. “We’ll be back soon, love. Get some rest, things will get better from here, I promise.”
The crunch of gravel beneath bolting paws reached my ears as I turned toward the truck, the excited squeaks, chirps and whistles erupting from Renkel faltered as he slowed to a stop at my side. His voice was a whisper as I turned him to pad to the truck, concern in his voice mirrored in how tight he clutched his book to his chest. “I-Is Mama coming with us?”
“No, Rekan, Mama’s still tired so she’s gonna stay home this time.” I whispered back, my paw squeezing his shoulder as my tail wrapped around his wrist. “But she wants us to go have all the fun we can at the shelter!
“Ok!” The pup’s ears perk, his tail wagging enthusiastically with the answer, tiny claws prodding me onward to the truck before tossing his head over his shoulder to shout to Rensa. “Lets go! Love you Mama! I’ll tell you all about it when we get home!”
A placid >You too.< was all he received.
That didn’t steal the shine from his field though, the joyful sound of his whistling accompanying the rapid prodding of his claws as he pushed me onward to the truck. The passenger door gives its usual whining squeal as it swings open, reminding me once again to call Parnel…
Later. Right now we help.
Renkel’s voice danced with enthusiasm as I hefted him up off his feet and into the seat beside mine, strapping him in as he sang and whistled Taisa’s chime. Before long I found myself joining him as I stepped back, gently swinging the door shut before padding to the drivers side, the hopeful tune dancing in the air around me as I climbed in alongside my son, gently pulling him close for a moment and earning a surprised mewl in return.
“You all ready, Rekan?”
>Yes!<
The truck’s engine shudders to life as Renkel props his book up on his lap, happily reading aloud to me about a new ‘fishy’ the ‘Blue Whale’. The rumble thrums through the truck as I slip it into gear, the familiar sound accompanied by the crunch of gravel under tread before it fades into the whispering hum of slow tires on asphalt. I turned my eyes for a moment, harvesting another look at Rensa lounging beside the Warren’s door.
And that little bloom of hope grew just a bit larger at the thought of them home, of her whole again. Of us whole again. I could handle this, in a paw or two she’d be lucid enough again. Then she’d be happy again.
And stars above that’s all I ever wanted.
Memory Transcription Subject: Christopher A. Dewey, Human Merchant Ship Captain, Crystal Star Shipping Co-Owner
Date [Standardized Human Time]: October 20th, 2136
They’re late.
The heft of my loading suit felt like little more than a heavy coat as I stood at the top of Polani’s ramp, alone. Taisa was still up in the helm, likewise suited and strapped as we waited for the grays to arrive, along with their U.N. Handlers. Neither of us was particularly excited about any of this but we still had to do it. Still had to bend the knee every time the U.N. called us up.
We’d done everything they’d wanted us to do, hauled a few thousand souls off the Cradle, more’n that off Earth in the last few days, a quarter of which from places that just weren’t anymore…
And I still didn’t know if Anna was alright. They couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell me a definitive answer about what happened to her or the museum’s bunker, and it was eating me. Ma’n Pa’d told me I should wait, do my best to keep a level head, keep myself on track and I’d tried. Tried to keep everything straight in my head, to focus on helping people where I could and… and I still couldn’t stop the knife in my gut twisting at losing my little sister.
Patience… Anna’s always been lucky, she’ll be alright. She will.
My eyes turned skyward, looking up at the drifting plume of smoke and ash that still hung in the northern sky. The ash, dust, debris and dreams of a few hundred million people stained the sky that awful gray-brown that stretched for hundreds of miles. Each crater that’d once been a city had looked like over-eager paint smudges from orbit. Looking down at them and biting my lip was about all I could do to keep from crying my eyes out at the idea of what was left of Anna drifting along with… everyone else.
“Still don’t see them, Love!” Taisa whistled through our suit’s comms channel, the upbeat, hopeful lilt dancing in her voice, pulling me from the darkening rapids in my mind. I could practically hear her wagging tail as I shifted to look both ways across the Tarmac, spotting a quartet of white vans and a few loaded cargo trucks.
Damn shame. Would’ve rather just gone home to help Ma an’ Pa rather’n taxi some fuckin’ ‘gators around.
“Hate to rain on our parade here, Darlin’, but I don’t think we’re gettin’ out of it that easy… Fuckin’ half hour late or not.”
Her voice deflated as I heard her sigh filter through the suit’s speakers, a note of fear replacing the hope that’d sung just a moment before. “Ah Speh… and we were so close.”
“Another half hour and I’d’ve called it.” I grumbled back, the heavy clunk of my suit’s boots against the ramp echoing through the cavernous hold as I walked down to the tarmac below. “Stay up in the helm, I’ll get the aid workers, and the fuckin’ ‘gators, settled fast as I can manage.”
“Ok, Love.” Was the only response I received, the fear in her voice building to the point that all I wanted to do was slam the hold shut and comfort her rather than play host to the U.N.’s next great idea for our lives.
Unfortunately that wasn’t an actual option.
The quartet of vans slowed to a stop a hundred yards away, followed by the cargo trucks shuddering to a stop on either side of them, sliding open to reveal the first two were entirely filled with Peacekeepers, Human and Zurulian aid workers and a handful of bags, equipment and medicine, the other pair were packed to the gills with Peacekeepers and Arxur. Suddenly everything felt awful familiar as the horde of scaled bastards slunk from their trucks, their attention bouncing all around the space-port before finally settling on Polani and me.
Some of them bickered back and forth in that grating, growling language as it gutting the air just outside my translator's range and set my nerves alight as they pointed up at the star on Polani’s flank. I could feel the tension in my shoulders growing as they approached, following a few yards behind the first Peacekeeper in the bunch and the pair of shaking Zurulians practically beneath her feet. At least they were a few familiar faces amongst the gray tide rising toward me.
“Captain Dewey! Good to see you again! Was worried about you.” Colonel Connolly called to me, Kelfen and Metek’s scared eyes snapping to me, the pair seeming to relax at least a little.
“Colonel, it's good to see you’re alright as well, I hope things have been better for you than us. Kelfen, Metek, good to see you as well.” I replied with a wary voice, my eyes not leaving the horde lingering behind them.
“That’s a word for it.” Metek grumbled, his ears darting about as he shot worried glances behind him, nervously fiddling with his backpack’s straps. “C-Can we still use the room we were using before? We need to set up which teams a-are going where.”
“Certainly, I presume you know the way?”
>Yes.<
“Hop to it then.” I stated, inviting them past me as Kelfen shouted over her shoulder, calling the other aid workers and a handful of peacekeepers to follow them before they padded upstairs, followed closely by a myriad of Humans, Zurulians, Yotul, Venlil and, surprisingly, a few annoyed looking Arxur.
“Now, onto the cargo.” Connolly stated, stepping up beside me to look out at the gathered trucks. “ORF-SP’s got a few cargo-shovers on the way over we’re good to use for the transfers today. Them and the load should be sub-size for your hold so we’ll still have space for our new friends to stay downstairs with a few of my Peacekeepers. We’ll have you loaded up and on our way in a few minutes at the most.”
“Good.” I stated, not taking my eyes off of the grays as I heard the throaty hum of cargo-shovers rolling around Polani’s bow to take up station behind the cargo trucks, slipping their loads free of the trailers with ease. “Faster this is done the faster I can get Tai somewhere that neither of us are on the edge of a breakdown.”
“Agreed.” She stated, leaning to whisper in, what she assumed, was the suit’s ear. “I’m not exactly a fan of the lizards either, Cap’ but… if they’re willing to help haul people out of the rubble, and behave, then I’m willing to take the help.”
I nodded, letting out a long sigh as I stepped aside to let the first cargo-shover crawl up the ramp with its load, cresting into the hold before settling down with a sharp hiss from its pneumatics. “Neither are we. If any of them fuck’s with me or Taisa…”
“They’ll have to go through me and my Peacekeepers, Cap’; trust me I won’t let that happen if I can help it. Besides, once you’ve dropped us off you’re off the hook for any more Arxur loads, just aid moving for a few days. Old Moose says he’s trying to limit his crews to one Arxur flight each. About how long will it take to get to NYC?”
“‘Bout an hour or so.” I replied, a small smile crossing my face at the mention of the Mercy’s giant of a Captain. It wasn’t often I met someone bigger than me but God and Stars above if that man didn’t make me feel small. “Well I’ll have to thank him for that, next I see him. Still owe him and Charlie a drink; need to sort that out.”
“I’m sure the both of them would be happy with whatever you bring along at this point. Anyhow, you’ve got a ship to fly and I’ve got a bunch of idiots and lizards to wrangle.” She replied, waving the Peacekeepers and Arxur aboard with a shout as the last of the cargo-shovers crawled to a stop and settled down to the decking. “ALRIGHT, NO ONE TOUCHES ANYTHING YOU AREN’T ASKED, OR TOLD, TO! HANSEN, AKSEL, ANTOINE, GET YOUR SECTIONS TOGETHER AND REA-”
I shook my head with a small laugh at the familiar display, turning to walk upstairs to Taisa and the Helm. The sooner this was done and all the ‘gators were off our ship the sooner either of us would feel safe again. The hall to the helm was nearly empty as I crested the stairs, finding only a handful of figures standing around Kelfen and Metek as the pair organized the rescue and aid parties around a few other qualified medics. From how they were talking I figured the pair would be doing much the same on the ground, a small swell of pride filled my chest as Metek looked up, meeting the woman at his side’s eyes as she asked a question, hardly stuttering as he answered.
Though my mood was quickly soured as I noticed a mass of gray scales and scars that’d ‘strayed’ away from the group towards the helm. Even in my suit it was still taller than me by a full head while hunched over staring down at the angular pad in its grip.
And I didn’t much care.
“Back to your group.” I grumbled, the thumping clang of my suit boots on the decking punctuating my words as I passed. “Wouldn’t want you missin’ anyone down there.”
A low, rolling growl tumbled from its throat as it turned its head, looking down to meet my eyes before the sound shifted into a throaty chuckle that sounded far more like an actual ‘gator than I cared for. “I assure you, Captain, I’ve reviewed the documents as thoroughly as should be expected.”
“I hope so, Arxur.” I replied, turning back to the helm and forcing myself forward.
“You know, Human, I was surprised to learn that the very ship that would deliver me to aid this world was the very one I’d tried to drop a building on.” The Arxur purred, stopping me in my tracks as their voice rolled through the air like a saw through a cedar. “Odd that my second went missing shortly after she’d decided to board it.”
“Hmph.” I grunted in return, shifting to look over my shoulder and past them to the light pink stain on the bulkhead. “That’s what’s left of her, if’n you wanna pay your respects.”
The Arxur followed my eyeline, studying the stain and the small indent the shell had left behind before letting out a grating chuff of laughter. “She was overconfident and underskilled as a hunter. I’ve no respects to pay to weaklings such as her. You have done me a favor in ridding me of her.”
“Well I’d rather not have to do any more favors for you. Keep yourself, and your men, out of trouble and away from my helm.”
The Arxur narrowed its eyes, staring at me for a long moment before nodding, a horridly jagged smile splitting its lips. “It is good to finally meet a Human with a spine. I will keep my hunters out of their way and away from your pre- friends.”
“Good.” I stated, turning on my heel to trudge into the helm, the auto-door hissing and clacking shut behind me as I stepped out of sight and inside to join Taisa. She was all but curled up in her seat; clad in her suit she looked more like an over-sized armadillo than a Venlil. Her Tail fell stiff as I stepped in, her eyes whipping around to stare at me before her ears perked, a sigh of relief flooding the comms as she relaxed back into the seat.
“Thank Polani! You’re ok. Are we ready to fly, Love?”
“Yea, we’re ready. Let’s get this shit over with.” I grumbled before powering down the suit and sliding myself free of its confines. My pilot’s seat welcomed me as I slid behind the helm, running through Polani’s starting sequence before turning to meet her eyes again. “I’m feelin’ like we need a fuckin’ dog, Darlin’.”
>Agreed.<
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We can all collectively agree that making friends as an adult is…tough. Honestly, it was easier making pals on the playground. And when you live in a busy city, it’s even harder to build new relationships. But, my dear reader, you are not alone. We asked the best (and most trusted) folks who have been through the trials and tribulations of building friendships in the five boroughs.
Whether you're looking to add a new hobby to your schedule, find stress-free get-togethers with other introverts or discover fun events (and learn more about the bustling city), we have a list for every type of New Yorker. If you’re a native city dweller or just moved here, here’s how to make friends in NYC.

1. Join Interest-Based Clubs

In the past few years, New York has become a mecca for social clubs that bring people together based on similar interests. Whether you’re looking for a book club or an art workshop, there’s a meet-up centered around those activities. “It may seem nerve-wracking (and somewhat grade schoolesque) but I made so many friends through a kickball club I joined last spring,” says Joel Calfee, former associate editor for News & Entertainment at PureWow. To get you started, search for interest-based clubs on Meetup, Eventbrite or Facebook groups.

1. Participate in a Class

Are you down to learning something new? Well, you might find it rewarding to try a class in the city and make new friends in the process. “Take a class! One where there's an opportunity to chat so you can get to know people—improv, theater, ceramics, knitting, writing etc. You'll meet like-minded people you wouldn't have necessarily mingled with before,” says Dara Katz, executive editor at PureWow. You can find free classes at the Brooklyn Brainery and New York Public Library or find something in your local community.

1. Join a General Meet Up Event

Speaking of meet up events, if you want to meet different people that are not tied to a specific interest group, there are big meet ups always happening around NYC. For starters, you can check out No More Lonely Friends, a group hangout that frequently meets in Central Park and that a fellow PureWow editor tried out last summer. There’s also Gather, a non-profit organization that seeks to create spaces and events for women in their mid-20s. “We basically started the org to fill the gap of adult women not being able to find friendships. When you’re just graduating college or moving to a new city for a job, it’s so hard to find deep, meaningful friendships. What we do is open our homes and host events for women to be joined in community and to have vulnerable and authentic discussions,” explains Kim Caputo, social media strategist at Gallery Media Group.

1. Immerse Yourself in Your Culture

NYC is home to so many diverse communities with rich culture and histories in every borough. Learn more about your background by finding groups and events dedicated to celebrating your heritage. "I found Cultura Takeover on Instagram and it's a commuity that connects Latinxs together for fun activities (like making your own vision board to visiting a museum together). I'm going to my first event soon and I'm so pumped to be surround by fellow POCs from the area and dabble in learning more cultural things in the city," says Chelsea Candelario, associate editor at PureWow.

1. Attend a Workout Class

Break a sweat and make friends at the same time. Join a Soulcycle class, bust a move in a Zumba class or try your hand at pickleball. There are plenty of classes out there to try out. Go on Classpass, YMCA or search your local neighborhood for an activity you’ve been eyeing lately. A helpful tip: The best time to chat it up is before a class. You can ask someone if they’ve been to this specific class and spark a conversation by asking for tips on how to navigate the session. Or spend time afterward recapping on what you thought about the class and maybe schedule a future sweat sesh with your new workout buddy.
Another great example is City Girls Who Walk (CGWW), a club that went viral on TikTok for bringing New Yorkers together. This group gives participants the chance to enjoy a lovely stroll by the water, while also connecting with others at the same time. “CGWW is a walking club for girls to make new friends while also getting some steps in! I started CGWW because I was feeling a little lonely and wanted [to find] a way to connect with other girls around the city,” says Brianna Joye, founder of City Girls Who Walk. “Our walks have anywhere between 100 to 700 girls show up so you can always count on leaving with a friend or 10!”

1. Ask Your Friends

Fact: The best reccos always come from our friends. If you already ask them about all the cool restaurants in the city or a new place to shop in Brooklyn then you might as well ask them to connect you with new people, too. A mutual friend = a possible new bestie. “When we first moved here and my husband didn't know anyone, a friend of ours (who lived in LA) connected him with his cousin who was in a similar industry and living in the city. Now, the two of them hang out all the time,” says Alexia Dellner, executive editor at PureWow.

1. Try Speed Dating

OK, our main focus right now is not dating per say, but you’ll find speed dating can be a quick way to make friends in addition to potential partners. Check out SpeedNY Dating, We Met In Real Life or Ambyr for opportunities to meet as many people as you can in under an hour. “If you're dating (and don't see it going anywhere), but are open to being friends, you should try!,” says Destinee Scott, assistant editor of Sales and Deals at PureWow.

1. Volunteer in Your Neighborhood

Make a difference in your community and gain some great pals that share similar passions. Check out your local neighborhood for volunteer opportunities or search online based on a cause you're passionate about. You can spend time with the elderly through Encore Community Service, help out a food bank or visit some adorable pups for the day.

1. Use a Friend Finder App

Speaking of dating, there are a ton of dating apps out there, but did you know there are apps that help friends connect in NYC? A popular option is Bumble BFF, where you can match with other people around the world. It’ll also let you filter by location and interests, so you can find your forever friend. There are also other apps like Lex that can connect you with a new set of friends. “I found a TON of community through an app called Lex that brings together queer women, nonbinary people, and other LGBTQ+ identities to find community, friends, love, etc.” says Delia Curtis, assistant editor at PureWow.

1. Or Download An Events App

There are a bunch of apps dedicated to showing you events and activities happening in the city. From Geneva to The Nudge, these specific apps can point you in the right direction (and give you some neat plans for the weekend). "One of the coolest things that I’ve discovered in the last couple years was a texting service called Nudge that sends you texts of things to do, see and experience in NYC. I’ve been on the app since I moved to NY and it’s led me to try all kinds of fun things. They also have “Nudger” (their affectionate name for the app users) only events where you can meet other app users. Overall, it’s a great experience," says Curtis.

1. Bring Your Doggo to the Park

Hear us out: The dog park is a great place to meet new people and find other dog parents like yourself. While Max is running around with his new friend, consider starting a convo with the owner. “I was able to find a good friend (and fellow dog mom so we could have puppy playdates) through Bumble BFF when I first moved here,” says Emma Lao, shooter and editor at Gallery Media Group. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to talk about their adorable pup all day?

1. Hit Up Your Local Bar

If there’s a big sports game happening, skip watching it at home and be with around hardcore fans. There’s nothing like connecting with strangers than when you’re all feeling strongly about a team’s win. “Hit up a random bar to watch the playoffs for your favorite NYC sports team. It doesn't matter if your team wins or loses—you'll still leave with three new drinking buddies who all buy their jerseys and hats from the same Modell's you shop at. The pain of watching the Knicks lose again brings people together for some reason,” says Elton Jones, lead editor at ONE37pm.

1. Just Be Yourself

We understand it can be discouraging to find and keep friends in NYC. However, it shouldn’t mean you have to dim your light to make people like you. Regardless of what tips you follow above, always remember to be yourself. Plus, you don’t know where a friendship can lead you if you don’t try. “I think you generally have to be open to feeling uncomfortable or awkward to make new friends, because sure, it feels a little weird to introduce yourself or ask someone to hang out, but in all likelihood, they don't think it's weird at all,” says Katherine Gillen, food editor at PureWow.

11 minutes of Armenia coverage by Transcaucasian Telegraph. Follow for regular updates.

from the Thursday Government session

• Additional funds were allocated for provinces to complete infrastructure projects, bringing the total allocated this year to ֏10B ($25M).
• The Government will use eminent domain, compensate the owners, and appropriate an abandoned area in Kapan that's currently owned by several entities. Upon registering it under state ownership, it will become possible to renovate the infrastructure and build a new sports center that will include a soccer stadium and other sports venues.
PASHINYAN: This started in 2018 after my visit to Kapan, where the residents asked to do everything possible to "bring football back to Kapan". The issue was with the complex legal ownership of different parts of the stadium and adjacent structures. Various owners had disputes, and there were disputes with the soccer club as well. The sport was interrupted in Kapan. We negotiated and pleaded with various entities to resume the games and eventually, it became possible to restore the games to a degree, and two soccer clubs have since been formed in Kapan: Gandzasar and Syunik. Gandzasar FC has been performing well and continues to climb up the ladder, which led to another problem for us: Kapan's soccer stadium does not meet the league standards necessary for Gandzasar. Since the legal issues persist with various owners of various parts of the venue, it's practically impossible to convince them to invest in the stadium; nobody wants to invest in a property belonging to someone else. Վերջը. We decided that the best solution is to declare the problematic areas as state properties and draw a plan for their future management. Gandzasar FC is already in a higher league and if Syunik FC also makes it, this will become a whole new story.
MINISTER: We are building 4 soccer schools in provinces and Yerevan as part of our comprehensive program to develop the sport.
PASHINYAN: Last year during a meeting in Batumi, the Prime Minister of Georgia and I reached an agreement to submit a joint bid to host the 2029 FIFA World Cup for [under-22] youth. I'm glad this process is advancing. This is a great opportunity for us to build 3 additional soccer stadiums with international standards. One of them must have 35,000 capacity, and the other two - 10,000.
MINISTER: We are discussing the construction of the two small stadiums in Vanadzor and Ijevan. The existing stadium in Vanadzor could be rebuilt and upgraded; the preliminary work is underway. As for the large stadium, it will be located in the Academic City and it must be ready by 2029 [the Academic City will be built gradually].
PASHINYAN: Yes, we recently visited the Vanadzor sports field. We had an "emergency landing" there [jokes]. The only issue there is with logistics because you have to travel through district roads but I'm told it's a solvable issue. Under "international standards" we always think of the stadium itself but there is also the logistics and adjacent infrastructure part of it. You need capacity for cars, parking space, etc.
GOVERNOR: As for Ijevan stadium, the new one will be built on a 3.5-hectare land plot not far from the existing one. They will be separated by one road. It can become a cluster.
PASHINYAN: The third one is the bigger National Stadium. It was recently discussed as part of the work around the Academic City. Our German colleagues will submit the final master plan in July, followed by the launch of the implementation phase and decisions on how to finance and manage. //
• Armenia is in touch with international partners to launch a restoration of infrastructure damaged by the floods in the north. Several countries have shown interest in rebuilding bridges. Armenia is currently building smaller and temporary bridges for pedestrians and small cars before the construction of the main infrastructure. Pashinyan administration also seeks financial assistance to compensate the residents for lost property.
• The health ministry has been taking water samples in flooded areas and making regular visits to the newly cleaned-up areas to evaluate the possible risk of the spread of diseases. No major issues have been uncovered, no breakouts.
source, source,

over 2,000 volunteers help/ed clean up and restore the flooded zones

A Polish guy moved to teach English in Alaverdi. The floods struck the following day. He had a new mission...
video,

Open Government Partnership: EU for Integrity Programme for the Eastern Partnership forum was held in Yerevan

State officials and civil society groups from several EP states participated in the forum in Yerevan.
Pashinyan's Chief-of-Staff Arayik Harutyunyan thanked the EU for assisting with reforms. He said it's necessary to form a unified front to defend democratic values and combat information warfare and other challenges.
A representative of USAID spoke about cooperating with Armenian partners to increase transparency and accountability.
Eastern Partnership representative Peter Varga said there are extensive reforms in Armenia, including in the anti-corruption and governing system. Varga said PM Pashinyan "has shown dedication" which is "very encouraging" and they are "very optimistic" about Armenia's future.
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deputy commander of the Armenian army Zhirayr Amirkhanyan participated in EU's forum in Yerevan where he spoke about cooperation with West and army reforms

REPORTER: What can you tell us about the principles of the army reforms and the goals?
AMIRKHANYAN: Our adversaries prevented us from focusing on peacetime reforms over the last 3 years by their actions, but in any case, there were structures tasked with unrooting the shortcomings of our system. If we set aside the military aspect, we have serious cultural problems in Armenia. The bureaucratic runaround is a major problem - the "red tape". There is too much circulation of paperwork before something is approved and addressed. There are not enough horizontal connections and too many vertical connections.
REPORTER: Is this an issue with the design of the management system?
AMIRKHANYAN: Yes. You could say this is inherited from the Soviet times but we haven't done enough to fix it over all these years. Our planning system is outdated and doesn't meet the Western standards. We need to set priorities. We don't have a good system of strategic planning. The reforms began immediately after the war, and by 2022 we were mainly focused on two things (1) establishment of a new model for professional sergeant staff, (2) a delegated control system, which we referred to as task management. [With it] We authorize our forces, our commanders, to orient and act more independently without waiting for orders from above because those orders can arrive with delay. Of course, the upper echelon is required to supply them with appropriate resources.
REPORTER: Was that one of the lessons from the 2020 war?
AMIRKHANYAN: Yes. By late 2023 and early 2024, we understood that those two reforms could not be accomplished without a revamp in law, financing system, procurement system, and all of those required deep-rooted reforms. With the help of our friendly states of the US, France, and others, we launched a process that we call a "comprehensive transformation of the defense sphere".
By taking into account the existing and potential threats, we must, and we already have, decide what the main objective is. The main objective is as follows: how to confront an incursion by an aggressive neighbor or neighbors in a fragmented terrain without having allies or under isolation from friendly states, all without having strategic depth. In other words, we are taking into account our geographical punishment, geography's revanche. The newly transformed Armenian army must be capable of carrying out maneuvers while relying on strong engineering structures while channeling the adversary to make them easy targets, with the use of proper firepower, self-sufficiency, and freedom to act. With a proper OODA loop (Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action) even small forces can counter a bigger force; a decision dominance can give you the edge.
REPORTER: The US and France have expressed readiness to assist, and Armenia's army commander visited Western states on numerous occasions and agreements have been reached. The press wrote that the US is providing advisors to Armenia. What can you tell us about the level of their involvement? Can they help us transition from the Soviet model to NATO standards?
AMIRKHANYAN: Not just the US and France, but we have close ties with Greece and Poland as well, and also Germany. But the main partners are the US and France with multi-layer cooperation. Regarding the US, we have a separate cooperation program with the [United States] European Command.
We have separate cooperation with various scientific research centers in the US. For example, the Institute for Security Governance is helping us with the aforementioned transformation.
There is a separate cooperation with the Kansas National Guard.
Yes, the US and France are going to appoint resident advisors who will bring the best international experience.
France is mostly focused on Armenia's tactical level: special forces, mountainous forces, armored vehicles, etc. They will send tutors soon to train on the ground. We are very satisfied with the cooperation with France and we have decided to import those radiolocation devices in addition to the vehicles.
The US legislation is still, you know, they call it "non-lethal" weapons and allow us [to have something], but I think you can't last a long time without lethal weapons in our neighborhoods [smiles]. But we are satisfied with the cooperation, especially since their attitude is not "this is all we can offer, you either take it or you don't". Instead, the demand pulls the wagon; we tell them what we need. For example, we want to improve the strategic training of our ranking officers.
REPORTER: How much time will the advisers spend in Armenia and where will they work, at the defense ministry or the army general staff office?
AMIRKHANYAN: The Ministry and CoGS office are quite integrated and we are flexible. We will help them study our flaws and cooperate with them.
REPORTER: Is there a need for new military academies?
AMIRKHANYAN: The Vazgen Sargsyan Academy is being improved. There was a time when the number of applicants was in the tens. A zero was added after some improvements. Today if you enter a classroom you don't see the standard Soviet-era setup; now it's a round table for more interactive learning. It's a cultural change that introduced a feedback loop.
REPORTER: [Opposition parties] claim the delimitation in Tavush has collapsed our defenses there. Is this true?
AMIRKHANYAN: No. The old line of contact, which was just a կահավորված trench, was dangerous for our soldiers. The new engineering structures are much better.
REPORTER: What will the Armenian army look like? Where are we headed to?
AMIRKHANYAN: We are headed to a professional army model, and by professional I don't mean exclusively contractors. The state hasn't yet finalized the grand strategy on who the enemies, friends, and neutral parties are. Until that's clarified, we will preserve conscription but I think it will be shortened. Perhaps soldiers will spend their time training instead of holding the front lines. So by professional, we mean a drastic increase in preparedness. Today the [conscript's] training lasts 6 months, which is nowhere near enough.
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PM Pashinyan is not expected to attend the COP29 climate change conference in Baku

source,

US envoy Bono discussed the AM-AZ peace process during a visit to Turkey

source,

Moscow says it won't downgrade diplomatic relations with Yerevan and that its Ambassador Kopyrkin will soon return to Yerevan after a recall for consultations

source,

Russia continues to upgrade relations with Azerbaijan

PUTIN: Support for the Russian language in Azerbaijan indicates the importance of ties with Russia. I know that President Aliyev greatly supports the teaching of the Russian language. This is visible in all vectors. This means that the leadership of Azerbaijan assumes that the Russian language will be useful for the citizens of Azerbaijan. //
Putin spoke with satisfaction about the relations between Moscow and Baku, stressing that Russian-Azerbaijani relations are developing "successfully, reliably, very pragmatically".
PUTIN: We feel the desire by the leadership of Azerbaijan to build interstate relations on the basis of mutual interests and, I would even say, with a certain sympathy for each other. There is no other way to explain the presence of three hundred Russian-language schools operating in Azerbaijan.
source,

US State Department urges Azerbaijani authorities to release political prisoners

MR MILLER: We are deeply troubled by the continued arrest of members of Azerbaijani civil society. Those who exercise their fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, should not face arrest for doing so. And we continue to urge the Azerbaijani Government to immediate release – immediately release all individuals who are unjustly detained and to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all.
source,

another Azerbaijani 2020 war veteran commits self-immolation

Adalet Ismailov poured gasoline and set himself on fire. He was transported to a Baku hospital. This brings the number of known suicides to ~80, with another 50 failed attempts. Several Azerbaijani veterans complained about mistreatment and neglect by the state after the 2020 war.
source,

Pashinyan, Modi attach importance to the further development of Armenia-India cooperation

Pashinyan congratulated Modi on the election victory. Modi expressed condolences after the floods.
source,

the other controversial friend of protest co-leader Bagrat Galstanyan

read,

"Nikol, Prime Minister!", "Turk, Turk, you are a Turk"

A group of ARF-led protesters marched in Yerevan with demands for Pashinyan's resignation when a passerby chanted a slogan in support of Pashinyan. It caused the protesters to use vuvuzelas as a sign of disapproval, while others accused the man of being a "Turk".
video,

Armenia among countries with the lowest prison incarceration rates – Council of Europe

Turkey 408 per 100,000
Georgia 256
Azerbaijan 244
Moldova 242
Armenia 79

... total number of inmates including pre-trial detainees

Turkey 348K
Azerbaijan 24.7K
Georgia 9.6K
Moldova 6.1K
Armenia 2.5K

... Armenia's prison population rate from 2013 to 2023

2013: 155
2014: 137
2015: 129
2016: 130
2018: 119
2019: 76
2020: 75
2021: 66
2022: 72
2023: 79

... other inmate stats

6% of inmates were foreigners
There was 1 minor
53% were untried detainees and 47% were sentenced
Average number of inmates per cell: 3
Prison population per 100 places: 52 (Azerbaijani prisons are almost full and Georgia is getting close)

... average length of imprisonment

Azerbaijan 27.2 years
Moldova 25.3
Armenia 18
Switzerland 2.1
source, source,

births and deaths in January-April

10,547 births (-8% YoY)
9,265 deaths (+6% YoY)
55% died from circulatory problems, 19% cancer, 10% respiratory, 5% digestive, ...
source,

Armenia records inflation in May after deflation in Q1

January -0.4%
February -1.7%
March -1.2%
April -0.7%
May +0.3%
World Bank projects 3% inflation this year. Armenian government projects 4%.
source, source,

Azerbaijani pro-democracy activists have lobbied the US to sanction 30 Aliyev regime officials, with another 14 names added to the list at the request of Armenians: Azeri activist in exile Arif Yunusov

The US continues to pressure Azerbaijan, says Yunusov. Citing his sources, Yunusov said there was an actual threat of major clashes earlier this year before the launch of the border delimitation process.
interview,

massive explosion at a gas station located on Yerevan-Sevan highway: VIDEO

The explosion damaged the vehicles on the highway. 7 people were hospitalized. Some of them are in critical condition. There is a threat of another explosion. Developing.
video, video, video, video, video, video, source, source,

an Armenian border guard was injured from a landmine explosion near the newly delimited section of Voskepar

Doctors said there was no danger to his life.
source, source,

video shows newly renovated backyards in Yerevan's Malatya district

From զիբիլնոց to a hangout place. New irrigation systems. A new playground and asphalted roads are underway. New manhole lids.
video,

Armenians suddenly care about weather forecast

Another one is coming, folks. The cyclone will arrive from the Black Sea and bring rain from June 8-11. The rain will be intense in certain regions. Expect hail. The temperature will drop by 6-10 Celsius.
source,

wild tramway accident in Russia

A passenger of a tramway smelled burnt rubber and warned the conductor about it but the warning was ignored. Moments later the tramway's brakes failed and the driver instructed everyone to get down but most passengers had earphones and couldn't hear. The tramway made a sharp turn at a high speed, causing some passengers to fly out of the cabin onto the incoming traffic. The tramway stopped only after it smashed into another one. Passengers say it saved their lives because if it wasn't for the other tramway, their wagon would have proceeded to fall off the bridge. 1 dead, over 100 injured.
video, video,

a Bug Bounty contest was held in Armenia by white hat hackers

Over 50 cybersecurity experts attempted to crack into systems used by public agencies and ACBA Digital. The organizers gave a list of systems to hack, the rules, and offered a reward.
video,

Armenia to acquire American software to supervise crypto transactions

The State Revenue Committee of Armenia will acquire Chainalysis Reactor software to supervise crypto transactions and fiat exchanges. The goal is to combat money laundering.
source,

TLDR: How would you give a piKVM setup reasonably priced, reliable 4g access in the UK?
Hi! I'm soon to be moving to the other end of the country but leaving my home server at my parent's house, and would ideally like to avoid a 16 hour round trip to give it a kick if a bad update or config change causes it to fall over.
The same box is acting as both router and VM host meaning if there's an issue with its fibre internet connection then an IP KVM on the same network isn't going to help, so I'm looking at getting a cheap 4g connection to allow it to be completely independant.
Hardware wise I have a 1gb pi 4 with hdmi csi board I used for piKVM pretty successfully in a different setup, and a pi 0 which I'd ideally use instead as it's lower power and would allow repurposing the 4 for another project, I'm not that bothered by performance as it just needs to allow me basic console access to fix the home server. I think the issue with the pi 0 is having it act as both emulated usb HID for keyboard and usb host to access the 4G dongle but apparently is is possible and guess I could add an arduino to the mix which may have better compatibility too?
I'm mainly considering USB 4G dongles which you can find fairly cheap on ebay but my understanding is there're two types: direct USB where drivers and configuration are needed but latency and performance may be better, and indirect USB where once configured the dongle establishes a mobile connection itself then acts as a USB ethernet nic which should in theory be plug and play with piKVM?
The difficulty seems to be working out which dongles are which types but I'm assuming someone on here has been through a similar process and has some advice? Had a look at pi specific 4G hats too but they seem pretty expensive given they still connect over USB and don't need any additional features like GPS as things have gone pretty badly wrong if the whole server setup starts moving down the street.
The hope is it'll only see minimal use so ideally looking for a reasonably cheap PAYG mobile broadband without a monthly contract from a provider that doesn't do any weird networking and isn't going to randomly kill a long running connection for the fun of it.
I have a small email / web VPS which allows SSH access so plan is to establish a reverse SSH tunnel to it from the piKVM to allow remote access without needing port forwarding, or a static IP, or anything else exotic that would increase the cost, or failing that tailscale which I've heard recommended and apparently free for home usage.
Sorry for the essay as like to work out projects by writing everything out then inflicting it on others 😅

DAY: JUNE 5 2024
6-5-2024

The phenomenon of prospective memory and how to improve it

Have you ever walked into a room and then wondered why you went there? If you’ve experienced this phenomenon, you’ve had a prospective memory lapse. Memory usually means remembering things that have already happened. But prospective memory is the ability to remember to do something in the future—such as stopping to get milk on the way home from work, calling your mom on her birthday or remembering to take your casserole out of the oven. Sometimes, errors lead to heartbreaking results—such as forgetting to take your toddler out of the
6-5-2024

How can busy people also keep fit and healthy? Here’s what the ancient Greeks and Romans did

Many people today worry about how to find time to keep fit and healthy in the midst of their busy lives. Believe it or not, but this was also a problem in ancient times. So, how did ancient people deal with it? A universal problem The physician Galen, who lived from around 129 to 216 AD, dealt with thousands of patients in the city of Rome. He used to complain some people didn’t devote enough
6-5-2024

Infant-toddlers’ play and imagination sparked by adult involvement

Adults play an essential role in helping the development of play and imagination among infants and toddlers, new research by an Australian Catholic University academic in partnership with Monash University shows. The research reveals infants and toddlers as young as four months can engage in collective imagining with the help of adults. They gradually demonstrate an understanding of the changing roles of play items such as toy trucks from being concrete objects, to artifacts, to props. Lead researcher and ACU associate lecturer Susan Yu said the findings showed the importance
6-5-2024

Pregnancy is an engineering challenge—diagnosing, treating preterm birth requires understanding its mechanics

Why are babies born prematurely? Researchers still don’t really know. Obstetricians are very good at managing the process of birth. But when it comes to predicting whether a baby will be born in a timely manner, the science is still catching up. Research on the causes of preterm birth is decades behind that of other conditions such as cancer. That means nurses, doctors, midwives and doulas don’t have the tools and resources they need to do the best job possible when babies are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. One
6-5-2024

Smart thermostats provide sleep insights at home

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting, held in Houston, Texas, June 1–5, offers a framework for an objective, non-invasive and zero-effort sleep monitoring system utilizing smart thermostats equipped with motion sensors. Results show that smart thermostats identified three distinct sleep quality clusters, with clear variations in sleep duration, disturbances and efficiency. Comparative analysis underscored the heterogeneity in sleep quality, highlighting the potential of smart devices and NextGen IoT data sources in identifying sleep patterns and contributing to sleep research without invasive monitoring. “Even though
6-5-2024

Why do teens have sex early? Family, neighborhood are big factors

Teens who come from close-knit neighborhoods and families are less likely to have sex at a young age, while teens’ schools have less influence on their sexual behavior, a new study led by UC San Francisco found. The findings could help educators and public health officials direct resources more effectively to prevent unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and other negative outcomes from having sex at a young age. For the study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers asked 4,001 adolescents from 751 neighborhoods and 115 schools in Alabama, California
6-5-2024

Salmonella outbreak may be linked to recalled cucumbers, CDC says

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows cucumbers recalled for salmonella. Cucumbers contaminated with salmonella bacteria may have sickened and hospitalized dozens of people in at least 25 states, U.S. health officials said Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Cucumbers contaminated with salmonella bacteria may have sickened and hospitalized dozens of people in at least 25 states, U.S. health officials said Wednesday. Testing detected salmonella in a cucumber distributed by Fresh Start Produce, of Delray Beach, Florida, which last
6-5-2024

Researchers find no evidence that sperm counts are dropping

The widely held view that sperm counts in men are dropping around the world may be wrong, according to a new study by University of Manchester, Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada and Cryos International, Denmark. Using data from 6,758 men from four cities in Denmark applying to be sperm donors at the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos International, the study is published in the journal Human Reproduction. Declining sperm counts, identified by two recent and influential meta-analyses—combining and synthesizing the results of previous studies—have become widely publicized in the mainstream 6-5-2024

Brain imaging study shows how THC in cannabis disrupts brain activity and may cause cognitive impairment

A new study led by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital reveals that the main psychoactive component in cannabis or marijuana disrupts the normal connections and activity of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, a region that is crucial for decision-making and self-control. The findings are published in the Neuropsychopharmacology. “We know that ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in cannabis can affect thinking and behavior and potentially lead to cognitive impairment,” said senior author Jodi M. Gilman, Ph.D., director of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts
6-5-2024

Prenatal supplements fall far short in crucial nutrition during pregnancy—most women don’t even know it

If there’s one thing doctors agree on, it’s that all of their pregnant patients should take prenatal supplements. As a result, about 3 in 4 expecting mothers follow their doctor’s advice. But even though they’re crucial for the health of mother and baby alike, prenatal supplements are unregulated. There are no rules that require these supplements to contain any nutrients at all, let alone the appropriate doses. Not surprisingly, research shows that none of the most widely available over-the-counter prenatal supplements—whether they are tablets, capsules, soft gels or gummies—provide adequate
6-5-2024

Study reveals high rate of drowsy driving by teens

A new study presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting found that drowsy driving by teenagers is a common threat to public safety on U.S. roadways. The research abstract was published in an online supplement of the journal Sleep. Results of the National Sleep Foundation study show that approximately one in six adolescent drivers reported having driven drowsy. Based on these responses, the authors project that 1.7 million teenage drivers have driven drowsy, and more than 400,000 teens drive drowsy at least once per week. The majority of teens pointed
6-5-2024

Getting more sleep leads to increased gratitude, resilience and flourishing

A new study found that healthy sleep has a positive impact on gratitude, resilience and flourishing in adults. Results show that subjective sleepiness and mood disturbances improved with earlier bedtimes that extended sleep by an average of 46 minutes per night and worsened with later bedtimes that reduced nightly sleep by an average of 37 minutes. Measures of flourishing, resilience and gratitude significantly improved across the week with sleep extension
6-5-2024

Study suggests parents ‘do’ have power over tweens’ screen use

For many parents, it can feel like curbing kids’ screen use is a losing battle. But new research from UC San Francisco (UCSF) has found the parenting practices that work best to curb screen time and addictive screen behavior: restricting screens in bedrooms and at mealtimes and modeling healthy practices at home. Researchers asked 12- to 13-year-olds how often they used screens for everything but school, including gaming, texting, social media, video chatting, watching videos and browsing the internet; and whether their screen use was problematic. Then, they asked parents
6-5-2024

Shared genetic links between sleep and neuropsychiatric conditions may lead to new treatments

Disturbed sleep is very common in almost all neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions (NDPCs), such as autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. While it is understandable that the symptoms of such conditions would lead to sleep disruption and also that sleep disruption would worsen symptoms in these conditions, Irish researchers have now found new genetic associations between some of these conditions and chronotype, the behavioral manifestations of an individual’s circadian rhythm (“night owl” or “early bird)”. These findings may point the way to the development of new
6-5-2024

Babies use ‘helpless’ infant period to learn powerful foundation models, just as ChatGPT does

Babies’ brains are not as immature as previously thought, rather they are using the period of postnatal “helplessness” to learn powerful foundation models similar to those underpinning generative AI, according to a new study. The study, led by a Trinity College Dublin neuroscientist and just published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, finds for the first time that the classic explanation for infant helplessness is not supported by modern brain data. Compared to many animals, humans are helpless for a long time
6-5-2024

New study redefines how antidepressants aid in treating major depressive disorder

Researchers have established a new framework for understanding how classic antidepressants work in treating major depressive disorder (MDD), reemphasizing their importance and aiming to reframe clinical conversation around their role in treatment. The nature of the dysfunction at the root of MDD has been under investigation for decades. Classic antidepressants, like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac) cause an elevation in the levels
6-5-2024

AI camera could help doctors identify serious infections

It might soon be possible to measure a patient’s pulse, breathing, and blood pressure simply by scanning their face. This technology could offer a future tool for quickly assessing the severity of acute infection and other conditions, according to a thesis from the University of Gothenburg. The severity of an infection is assessed on the basis of vital signs, in other words, the main signs of an individual’s physical condition. These vital signs are currently measured using several different instruments. However, a newly developed method
6-5-2024

Oral insulin drops offer relief for diabetes patients

Diabetes rates continue to rise, with 11.7 million Canadians living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. At UBC, scientists have created a pain-free drug delivery method to help people with diabetes manage the disease and maintain their health more easily. Researchers at the Li Lab have developed oral insulin drops that—when placed under the tongue—are quickly and efficiently absorbed by the body, potentially replacing the need for insulin injections. The drops contain a mixture of insulin and a unique cell-penetrating
6-5-2024

Study finds that changes in daily salt intake may explain eczema flares

A high sodium diet may increase the risk of eczema, according to researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF), who found that eating just one extra gram of sodium per day—the amount in a Big Mac—increases the likelihood of flares by 22%. Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic disease that causes dry, itchy skin. It’s one of the most common skin conditions, affecting more than 31 million people in the U.S., and one in 10 people will develop it at some point. It has become increasingly common in
6-5-2024

Worried about sending your baby to daycare? Research shows they like being in groups

When parents are starting their babies in daycare, a common concern is whether it is good for little ones to be away from their primary caregivers for long periods of time. But as our recent book Babies in Groups shows, babies as young as six months respond to and enjoy being in groups with other babies. This can reassure parents their child will gain something at daycare they are mostly missing at home: opportunities to enjoy supervised time in small groups of their peers—eating, learning and playing together. Our prehistoric
6-5-2024

Could taking certain drugs reduce risk of ruptured brain aneurysm?

A new study suggests that people who take a few common drugs may have a decreased risk of having a bleeding stroke due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. The study is published in the June 5, 2024, online issue of Neurology. The results do not prove that these drugs reduce the risk of this type of aneurysm; they only show an association. “We urgently need new ways to prevent this type of stroke, which occurs at younger ages and with a higher death rate than other types of stroke,” said
6-5-2024

Early life experiences linked to racial disparities in cognition

Negative early life experiences, such as attending segregated schools, contribute significantly to cognitive decline and cognition disparities between older Black and white Americans, according to a new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health. The study is the first to look at the impact of school segregation upon later life cognition using a large representative sample of the U.S. population, said lead author Xi Chen, associate professor of public health (health policy) at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and
6-5-2024

Why this deadly condition is so hard to diagnose

Sepsis is initially triggered by pathogens entering the bloodstream. Tory MP Craig Mackinlay recently returned to Commons for the first time after suffering from a life-threatening bout of sepsis last year. Since his return to public duties, Mackinlay has spoken candidly about his experience with the near-fatal illness that led to the amputation of his hands and feet. Last September, Mackinlay said he’d begun feeling unwell—but didn’t think anything of his symptoms, especially after testing negative for COVID. But his condition quickly worsened throughout the night. When Mackinlay was finally
6-5-2024

Researchers report encouraging Phase 1 data for glioblastoma treatment

Preliminary clinical data for glioblastoma multiforme patients enrolled in a Phase 1 clinical trial at the University of Alabama at Birmingham demonstrated that 92% of evaluable patients treated with INB-200 exceeded a median progression-free survival of seven months with concomitant temozolomide chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 11.7 months.
6-5-2024

Researchers find a poor quality diet may lead to brain changes associated with depression and anxiety

A first-of-its-kind study into brain chemistry and structure and diet quality of 30 volunteers shows that eating a poor quality diet might lead to brain changes that are associated with depression and anxiety. Brain scans show changes in neurotransmitters and gray matter volume in people who have a poor diet,

• 6-5-2024Team reports on synergistic cytotoxicity of HDAC and PARP inhibitors and decitabine in pancreatic cancer cells
• 6-5-2024Researchers identify universal bitter blocker that could help patients take their life-saving medicines as prescribed
• 6-5-2024Skeletal stem cells in bone development, homeostasis and disease
• 6-5-2024Researcher helps advance ‘Food is Medicine’ concept to reach nutrition security goals
• 6-5-2024Study reveals role of neutrophil lipid transfer in lung cancer transition
• 6-5-2024Researcher discovers that endometriosis tricks the immune system in the same way cancer does
• 6-5-2024Immunotherapy before surgery very successful in treating colorectal cancer, trial finds
• 6-5-2024ROCK2 inhibition facilitates drug delivery in fibrotic pancreatic cancer
• 6-5-2024Study finds higher blood pressure is associated with poorer cognition in adolescence
• 6-5-2024Properly fitting face masks can help block particulate pollution
• 6-5-2024Serine racemase expression in the brain during aging in male and female rats
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• 6-5-2024Study suggests father’s diet before conception influences children’s health
• 6-5-2024Why new breast cancer guidelines advising against screening women in their 40s are misguided
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• 6-5-2024Children with special health needs are more likely to come from poorer neighborhoods, researchers say
• 6-5-2024Whose health matters? The diversity deficit in clinical trials
• 6-5-2024Neuroimmune interactions may help explain inflammatory pain, lead to better treatments
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• 6-5-2024Study shows teens with later sleep schedules are less active, eat more carbohydrates
• 6-5-2024Study reveals that nearly half of foster caregivers have given melatonin to their child
• 6-5-2024Dangerous chemicals found in teeth-whitening kits bought online
• 6-5-2024Mass incarceration may worsen gun violence in Black communities, study finds
• 6-5-2024Study looks at links between cognition, psychopathology, weight in preteens
• 6-5-2024Research indicates lowering FIT positivity thresholds improves sensitivity, specificity comparable to mt-sRNA testing
• 6-5-2024Study suggests that adding common bone loss drugs to azoles can improve efficacy when treating fungal infections
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• 6-5-2024Psychologist discovers goosebumps happen far more often than we think
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• 6-5-2024Recommendations for athletes returning to sports with implantable cardiac defibrillators
• 6-5-2024A malaria drug may combat tick-borne babesiosis
• 6-5-2024New AI technique can identify seizure types, including rare forms of epilepsy
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• 6-5-2024Expert shares take on bird flu and general public health risk
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• 6-5-2024Soft fabric necklace monitors care of preterm, low-birth-weight infants
• 6-5-2024Myelination in the brain may drive opioid addiction, say scientists
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• 6-5-2024Research team finds almost a million potential sources of next-gen antibiotics in the natural world
• 6-5-2024Scientists determine how cooperative proteins help the immune system identify and attack invaders
• 6-5-2024Study finds cannabis use common among patients, with most using it to manage a symptom or health condition
• 6-5-2024Patients with a common heart rhythm disorder are at risk of vascular dementia, study finds
• 6-5-2024Experts alert doctors and the public to the arrival of hard-to-treat fungal skin infections in the US
• 6-5-2024Training cognitive control in children does not change brain or behavior, finds study
• 6-5-2024New survey shows worries loom large over safety net programs and health care affordability in the US
• 6-5-2024Panel rejects psychedelic drug MDMA as a PTSD treatment in possible setback for advocates
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• 6-5-2024Leukemia drug passes final trial phase with flying colors
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• 6-5-2024Team reports on comparative study on dual vs. single cardioversion for atrial fibrillation in obese patients
• 6-5-2024Research reveals ethnic minority heart failure patients at higher risk of death than white patients
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Part 1 Part 2
I can't believe we’re in this situation. Not the zombies, I’ve already come to terms with that. Of all the people we could have ended up with it had to be…I’m getting ahead of myself. This morning Drake and Me were discussing possible escape routes. Aside from the obvious human flesh cravers, the main obstacle will be getting around abandoned vehicles.
The idea we came up with was going to the roof of the tallest building in town. It would give us the best vantage point to see if any clear roads were leading out. This did pose a risk as it meant going closer to the zombies. It’s not as if that’s a hazard that can be avoided outright. We prepared first with some stretching followed by breakfast.
We didn’t want anything too heavy since we’d be moving around a lot. We each had several bowls of instant fruit oats with some bananas, bagels, and coffee. For our venture, we were bringing some protein bars I snagged at Walmart and some water.
“Alright, how long do you want to spend on this?” I asked as we stood up from the table.
I collected the styrofoam bowls and plasticware as Drake replied.
“We can’t use our GPS so we’ll have to write down street names.”
“Do you think the town hall might have some maps?”
“Oh yeah, good idea. We’ll have to keep an eye out for that.”
For self-defense, we had our nail guns as well as axes. The kitchen has some knife sharpeners that we tried on the heads and we also made slings for them. Both of these seemed to have worked pretty well. As I’ve mentioned, close melee is something we want to avoid. If we have to engage, though, we want to end it quickly. Drake waited by the entrance as I was brushing my teeth upstairs in our room.
I think it makes more sense to do this after eating. Drake believes that as long as you brush twice a day, it doesn’t matter. I came back down to see him on his phone. Noises from the game Tetris came from it.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yeah and I got the binoculars,” I replied, holding them up as they hung around my neck.
“Cool, let’s go.”
We moved the chairs we’d set up in front of the doors and unlocked them, then stepped outside.
“Are we taking your truck or do you think that might attract too much attention?”
“It should be safe for a certain distance. We can walk the rest of the way.”
There’s something especially unnerving about driving through a town that’s devoid of people. To think, all this went down only a few days ago. I guess it goes to show that things can go to Hell fast. We went about three-fourths of the way and then Drake pulled his car to a stop.
“Remember, we parked at the barber shop.”
“Noted, are you leaving the keys?”
“No, are you crazy? My truck might get stolen.”
“What about the starting problem?”
“Don’t worry. I took a look at that the other day. It should be good.”
We got out, being mindful of how hard we closed the doors. We stayed low as we were making our way to the town hall. It was going smoothly, only having the occasional close calls. Two zombies spotted us. We used our nail guns to make short work of them before they could alert any others.
Reaching the town hall, we became apprehensive due to the entrance being ajar.
“We might have company here. Stay sharp,” Drake said.
I glanced around and my eye fell on the water fountain.
“Hang on.”
I went over to it, reached into the water, and grabbed a handful of rocks.
“What are you those for?”
“Distractions.”
We went up the steps and then peered inside. Once confirming it was safe, we proceeded, locking the door behind us in case any surprises wandered in. Since our steps echoed, we were making sure to move carefully. Every so often I would peek through the binoculars to get a better view of what was ahead.
“Hang on,” I whispered.
“What?” Drake replied as we both halted.
Scanning the floor ahead, I could see the reflection of several zombies along the marble flooring.
“Get your weapons ready. We got a lot to clear out,” I informed him.
We each took cover behind the wall on opposite sides. I checked one of the rocks and sent it skittering across the floor. The moaning and growling of the living dead soon followed. The first of them shambled around the corner. Drake fired his nail gun, hitting it in the head.
As soon as it collapsed, more were coming into view. I took out the next one, then Drake the one after. This repeated and for a while, we were making quick work.
“How many of them are there?” I asked as one was running at me. “They just keep coming.”
I fired, getting it in the throat.
“Just keep it up. It's not like we'll be out of ammo anytime soon.”
One zombie that was just an upper torso had been clawing its way toward Drake. Being occupied with the others he hadn't noticed it.
“Hey, the floor,” yelled.
He gasped when it was almost to him and shot it in the eye. It reached out to him and then fell still.
“Thanks.”
“Don't mention it. Well, I guess that takes care of…”
“Gus, is something wrong?”
“Is it just me or did I just hear something drip?”
We glanced at the floor behind us and saw a red split. We glanced up in time to see a zombie that was clinging to the ceiling, dropping down to try and pounce on us. We moved out of the way in time, screaming as we did. This thing was new. It scurried on all fours, snarling at us.
We aimed and pulled our triggers only for nothing to happen.
“They're jammed,” I said.
“No shit.”
We backed away slowly as it eyed us with a deep famine. Maybe it was the fear messing with my head, but I could have also sworn I could see the faintest hint of intelligence in its yellowed eyes.
“Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way,” Drake said and put a hand on his ax handle.
I did the same. The crawling zombie let out a screech and lunged at us. Yanking out my ax, I swung, smashing the zombie across the face with the flat side and partially gashing its face with the edge.
It was back almost as soon as it hit the wall. Assuming Drake was easier prey, it went after him.
Unlike me, he had more time to get in position. Unfortunately, he misjudged the arc range of his swing. Instead of getting the zombie's head, he got it in the chest.
“Gus, help,” he yelled, holding it back as it clawed at him while it was balancing on the ax blade.
Drake tripped backward over a corpse and fell to the floor. All he could do was keep a leg up to keep from getting torn into. Heart pounding, I rushed over to him, and with one swipe, buried my ax in the zombie's temple. It swayed to the side and Drake shoved it away, immediately scooting back as soon as he did.
I was going to check on him until I noticed the fucking thing was still moving. Raising my weapon, I brought it down like splitting firewood. At the moment of its cranium crunching and bits of its brain getting stuck to my ax head, it stopped moving. I glanced at it, then the bits of gray matter, and found my breakfast making an unexpected upward exit.
“You good?” Drake asked, patting me on the back.
“Yeah, I just need a minute,” I replied between deep breaths.
My legs were wobbling so I was steadying myself against the wall.
“It's a lot worse when it's up close.”
“I know the feeling.”
The hall leading to the Mayor’s office was caked in dried blood. Under the light, there were scratch marks as if people had been dragged away. Disturbing though that was, what unnerved us more was the state of our elected, a term I use loosely, leader's workspace. Pushing the door open, we were greeted by a spotless office. Given what we dealt with earlier, this didn't sit right with either of us.
Not to mention, all the rooms we passed were in complete disarray.
“I’m guessing Schneider got out of dodge when things went south,” I said.
Mayor Bill Schneider wasn't known for what he did so much as what he didn't do. Ask anyone living among one of the many pothole-filled streets what they think about him. You will be hard-pressed to get a flattering response.
“Of course that good-for-nothing shit sucker abandoned this town,” Drake grumbled. “Whatever, let's just find that map and then get to the roof.”
We got one from the desk along with a pen and then took the stairs going up.
“Sart looking and let me know if you see anywhere viable. I'll make sure to mark it here,” Drake said.
Raising the binoculars to my eyes I began searching.
“Cars are blocking most of the roads,” I said. “The police station is empty, though.”
“No surprise there.”
When we first moved into town, we dealt with a break-in. We tried calling 911
However, after ten minutes of having our stuff ransacked, we decided to handle things the baseball bat way. The cops then arrived promptly to take our statements two hours later.
“Hang on, that might work,” I said, hopefully.
“What might?”
I informed Drake that there was a dirt road behind one of the neighborhoods stretching outside of town. He marked the route leading to it on the map.
“Alright, I say we head back and pack. That way we can…” he said, trailing off.
“What?”
“Do you hear that?”
I listened closely, only detecting the noises of roaming zombies. Then there was another sound, a rumbling that was familiar to us. Looking through the binoculars again, I saw Roscoe. He was in his white Hummer speeding through town. Behind him were some of his buddies in their own vehicles except for the last one.
“Drake, you might want to see that hat this.”
His jaw dropped upon using the binoculars.
“They stole my fucking truck,” he roared.
Roscoe and his group drove by a building across from the town hall. Drake began foaming at the mouth, mentioning all the unspeakable things he would do to them.
“Hey, relax, man,” I said. “Let's talk with them. I'm sure we can smooth things…”
The person driving his truck made too sharp of a turn, going over a curb, and crashing into a tree.
“Out,” I finished.
Stumbling out, the driver had a bottle of beer in one hand and a beer in the other. Drake's screaming caused birds to take flight. My heart sank because this was the equivalent of ringing a dinner bell. Roscoe and his friends, on the other hand, were ecstatic and not subtle about expressing it either.
“It’s hunting time, boys,” Roscoe hollered.
They cheered and began firing at the zombies as they came.
“Maybe we should wait a bit,” I said.
We left the roof and decided to check the other rooms more thoroughly until the gunfire died down. Most of them didn’t have much use. The last one, on the other hand, contained something unexpected.
“This one’s locked,” I said, jiggling the handle. “Here, maybe we can wedge-”
Yelling, Drake smashed the window of it with his ax, then reached inside and unlocked it.
“Or that works too, I guess.”
Stepping over broken glass, the office we entered was stacked with paperwork.
“I feel sorry for the poor bastard who had to work in here,” I said.
“Gus, is that you?” we heard someone ask.
Peeking out from behind the desk was the familiar and disheveled face of Van. From his odor, he was overdue for a shower.
“What are you doing here?” Drake asked.
He explained that back in our neighborhood, he’d managed to get away. Without a car, the only place he could get to safely was the town hall.
“I’ve been sneaking into the kitchen and then back here for days. I don't know how I've managed to avoid them for so long.”
“Do you know anything about why this is happening?” I inquired.
“Sorry, I'm as clueless as anyone else. Not to be too forward, but do you have anywhere safe I can stay?”
By the time all three of us were outside, Roscoe and his ilk were guzzling down beer. Several of them were dancing on Drake's truck. His grip on his ax handle tightened. I put an arm out in front of him and then spoke up.
“Excuse me.”
They all turned
“Oh shit,” Roscoe exclaimed, “I thought you guys were dead.”
He noticed Van and frowned.
“Surprised to still see you kicking, pussy.”
Van smiled in return.
“And I see that being a drunk fuck is still all you're good at.”
Sensing an altercation brewing, I intervened.
“Roscoe, listen, you do know the truck your friend was driving belonged to Drake, right?”
He blinked a few times, then glanced at it still smoking in front of the tree and back at Drake.
“Oh shit, my bad man. We saw it parked at the barber shop and my buddy, Clint, knows how to hotwire that model so we thought we'd take it for a spin.”
“Well, I'm short one truck thanks to that,” Drake replied, irritably.
“Don't sweat it, man. We can get you another one. Isn't that right, fellas?”
They answered yes in a rousing cheer.
“Want some beer?” Roscoe asked.
“Not right now,” I said.
I was going to explain me and Drake's escape plan when all hell broke loose. From the roof of the building close to us jumped about a dozen of the crawling zombies. It all happened so fast there was no time to warn anyone. The next thing we knew there was panicked shrieking and firing. Our encounter with the one earlier made us better prepared for it and we began hacking away.
Even then, we survived by the skin of our teeth. Now it was Me, Drake, Van, and Roscoe staring down the brutalized remains of his friends.
“So we've been staying at a hotel,” I said, averting my gaze from the aftermath of the carnage. “Mind driving us there?”
Roscoe, still in shock, nodded. Then we got in his Hummer and rode in silence. That brings me to now. Trying to keep the peace between Roscoe and Van has been nothing short of migraine-inducing. Oh well, hopefully, we'll be out of town tomorrow so we won't have to deal with this anymore. Until then, I hope we can keep from losing our heads.
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/1da25dz/out_of_the_apartment_part_4/ (Not the ideal situation, I can tell you that)

** ALL WEEKEND (FRI 6/7 - SUN 6/9) *\*
10 AM - 4 PM Pride Tea Party Snapdragon Tea, 115 Harvard Dr. SE We're celebrating the wonderful diversity in the LGBTQIA+ community! We welcome kids of all ages, and provide children’s menus upon request. Special gluten free/vegan/vegetarian menus available upon request. Reservations required
San Felipe de Neri Church Fiestas Old Town, 2005 N. Plaza St. NW Join us for our annual Fiestas celebration in Old Town! This year, we will be featuring amazing local musical artists, food trucks and fun for the entire family!

• FRI 6/7 -- 6:00 Opening Prayer and Introduction of Royal Court, 6:15 Simpatico, 8:00 Darren Lee and Dynette Marie Cordova
• SAT 6/8 -- 11:00 La Rondalla, 12:00 Amber Felicia, 12:45 Tripple X, 2:00 Robbie Jude, 3:15 Baila Baila, 4:00 Fiesta Mass – Silence will be observed, 5:00 Procession and Introduction of Royal Court, 6:15 Los Blue Ventures de Louis Sanchez, 8:00 Cuarenta y Cinco
• SUN 6/9 -- 10:00 Mass on the Grass with Mariachi Amigos de Nuevo Mexico, 11:30 Introduction of Royal Court, 12:00 Los Tapatios de Frances Lujan and Los Bailadores de Oro, 12:45 Antonio Reyna, 1:45 Marisol y Los Primos, 3:00 Red Wine, 4:15 Str8 Shot, 5:30 Black Pearl, 7:00 Raffle Drawing

** BOTH SAT 6/8 AND SUN 6/9 *\*
9 AM - 4 PM FOCL Spring Book Sale Corrales Community Library, 84 W La Entrada, Corrales Thousands of books and media for $2 or less! Proceeds go to the Corrales Library. On Sun from 2-4pm, $5 Bag of Books deal
** Fri 6/7 *\*
Fri 5 - 9 PM ABQ Artwalk Downtown ABQ This edition we will be hosting a series of art markets, art exhibits, mural tours, performances & live art! Kick off our summer season!
Fri 6 – 10 AM Free Summer Fun National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, 601 Eubank Blvd. SE Presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of NM. Register to win $1000 that we'll give away at the end of the summer. Get signed up at each Free Summer Fun event! Jackie, Tony and Ryan are celebrating summer with a full summer of FREE SUMMER FUN. Admission is FREE as long as you're in by 10am!
Fri 12 – 5 PM School’s Out, Get Your Skates Out! Skate-O-Mania, 400 Paisano St. NE Starting June 3rd, we’re rolling every weekday from 12-5 PM. Enjoy all-day fun for just $10, including skate rentals if needed! Beat the heat with our brand-new air conditioners – we’re the coolest spot in town this summer!
Fri 5 – 8 PM Sublime Synergies: Interactions of Light and Ink Remarque Print Workshop, 3812 Central Ave SE, Ste 100B Join us for the opening of our annual photo and printmaking show! Featuring 27 artists from all over the country, showing an incredible variety of photo based prints and alternative photo techniques. (Refreshments and excellent conversation provided in addition to the art!)
Fri 5 – 8 PM ARTScrawl - Youth Pride Art Show and Fundraiser The Gallery ABQ, 8210 Menaul Blvd. NE This is a fundraiser for Casa Q House, which provides safe living and advocacy for LGBTQ+ youths. Plus art by George ‘Hauie’ Hayes III and Gwenda McLamb. Refreshments provided. Come join us!
Fri 5 – 10 PM All The Things Mini Cocktail Flight Party & Drawing Tractor Brewing, 118 Tulane Dr. SE It's our final day of New Mexico Craft Cocktail Week and we're featuring a flight of our All The Things ready to drink craft cocktails! Come get yourself a flight of four mini cocktails and be entered into a raffle to win some awesome Tractor swag. Choose between Paloma, Marg, Mule, Limeade, or ging lemonade. Then pick one to take home with you!
Fri 6 PM Boot Scootin' Boogie Night - Western Music & Wine Pasando Tiempo Winery, 3741 NM-528 NW Saddle Up for Country Western Night! Dust off your cowboy hats, shine up your boots, and get ready to two-step the night away. Live country music, wine, and a best-dressed contest. Music by @ roundthewayentertainment
Fri 6 PM Grand Opening Northeast Heights! Fan Tang, 9004 Montgomery Blvd. NE Lion dancer and firecrackers to ring in our newest store!
Fri 6 PM Country Social Dance CSP Dance Studios, 1624 Eubank Blvd. NE We'll be playing the best country music for dancing where you'll be able to practice your Country Two Step, Night Club, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Waltz, Rhythm Two Step, 4-count Swing, Line Dancing and more! $10 cash at the door. Don't forget we have a welcome lesson from 6:00-6:30pm
Fri 6 PM Science on Tap: Trials, Triumphs & Tragedy of EagleCam National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, 601 Eubank Blvd. SE Prepare to be captivated and enlightened by the EagleCam Project. Lead Engineer, Dr. Christopher Hays will present the trials, triumphs, and tragedy of EagleCam, a university project designed to provide the first-ever third-person view of a lunar landing. Embark on an extraordinary journey filled with adventure as we delve into the captivating saga of the Eagle Cam project. Discover the remarkable story of a group of daring college students who accepted the challenge to push the boundaries of innovation and exploration. Be inspired by their courage and dedication as they strive to achieve what no university has dared to dream before. Doors 6pm, presentation 6:30pm (tickets)
Fri 6 – 9 PM Pizza Paint & Craft Night Canvas and Coffee, 6700 4th St. NW, Los Ranchos Join us for a special Pizza Paint Night where kids will create a charming painting and a heartfelt craft, perfect for gifting to Dad on Father's Day. Ages: 6 and up. Parents are welcome too! Please Arrive Early: Doors swing open at 5:50 PM. Pizza Party: Drop your kiddos off hungry. We fill their bellies! Creative Projects: Each session offers a unique theme with TWO take-home art projects. All Supplies Provided: We’ve got everything your child will need. Materials may include canvas, wood, beads, ribbon, mod podge, glue, acrylic paint, watercolors, and more. Material Fee: $5.00, cash, due at drop-off. Special Dietary Needs: We understand Pizza is not every child's thing, so feel free to have them bring their own snack/meal. Drop-Off Class: Perfect for giving parents a break! However, parents are welcome to stay and join the fun (tickets $35)
Fri 7 PM Micky Cruz: Salsa Under the Stars Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd. NW Micky Cruz has performed extensively for many years as one of the premier acts taking the stage at the hottest clubs in the southwest, Casino nightclubs, and the big stages like Legends theatre and Las Vegas. Micky Cruz is an award winning Latino musician having received the coveted Los 15 Grandes award several times in past years, including one in 2010! He has conducted many TV interviews, and well as several hits on Radio! Micky's music is best described as Cumbia, Salsa, and Reggae with an interesting, refreshing twist where Micky has combined styles together and invented "Cumbegue" music. Totally unique, cumbegue music takes the best elements of cumbia-salsa-reggae and combines them into a very strong and danceable beat coupled with great melodic hooks and harmonies, then capped off with exciting soloing throughout the band. Featuring: Hugo Reyes, Ruben Garcia, Tony Gonzales, Giselle Cruz, Alex Perez, Stefa Cantu, Marissa Moreno, Sandra Valerio (tickets)
Fri 7 – 8:30 PM Zoo Music- Grupo Bella ABQ BioPark Zoo, 903 10th St. SW Bring the family to the the first Zoo Music of the summer to spend an evening with wildlife, food, and family fun. From Boleros to Cumbia to R&B, Grupo Bella can play it all! Rooted in Mexican tradition, resilience, and hope, seek to expand musical language with traditional Mexican instruments and inspire communal connection, story-sharing, and the joy of cultural pride. Their message is simple: “Somos de todos y la música está viva”...we belong to the people and the music is alive! Dusk is one of the more active times for animals and a great time to learn about the Zoo’s conservation initiatives. Gates 6 pm, Music 7 pm (tickets)
Fri 7 PM AND 8 PM Purple Rain Birthday Celebration Flix Brewhouse, 3236 La Orilla Rd. NW We're celebrating Prince's birthday with a special screening of PURPLE RAIN! Admission includes a free slice of birthday cake (tickets)
Fri 7 – 9 PM First Fridays Comedy Contest Tractor Brewing - Wells Park, 1800 4th St. NW First Friday's Comedy Contest is back with 10 of Abq's hottest up-and-coming comedians duking it out to see who is crowned this month's funniest comedian in the 505! Hosted by Rusty Rutherford, it's a battle to the last laugh. Come laugh, drink, and vote to decide the winner, at this FREE comedy show!
Fri 7 – 9 PM World's Best Trivia Poke Serrano, 3755 Southern Blvd. SE, Rio Rancho Enjoy a night of FREE TRIVIA, great food and drink specials, music and prizes - see you there!
Fri 8 PM An Evening of Comedy with Hari Kondabolu Historic Lobo Theater, 3013 Central Ave NE Comedian Hari Kondabolu is coming to The Historic Lobo Theater for an epic evening of comedy! (tickets)
Fri 8 – 10 PM Karaoke Sunday Service Motor Co., 2701 4th St. NW Drop in every other Friday! Great Drinks, Awesome Jams, Better People! Show us what you got and compete for prizes, free drinks and bragging rights!
Fri 8 PM – 12 AM Leftover Soul Sister, 407 Central Ave NW Leftover Soul, Albuquerque’s longest running vinyl only soul night returns! This month, DJ Leftovers is joined byguest DJ Garronteed from Santa Fe and live video mixing by No Reservations Production. Garronteed is a staple in the New Mexico party scene, building on his expertise by rocking analog and digital parties for over 20 years. Come get down to the funky sights and sounds of the golden era of soul! $5
Fri 8 PM – 2 AM DeeCee’s Soul Shakedown Reggae Party with Bobby Hustle & guests performing live Insideout, 622 Central Ave SW International reggae artist Bobby Hustle plus special guests Dre Z performing live at Albuquerque’s biggest reggae party. MC for the night Mister Kali. Resident DJs: Rootz Rocka, DJ La Ruda, Selectah C , & Selecta DeeCee will be bringing the best in reggae, dancehall, afrobeats, & remixes
Fri 9 PM Salsa Under the Stars After Party Juno, 1501 1st St. NW Salsa, Bachata, Meringue, Cumbia, and Reggaeton with DJ Tony and guests. On the patio. Keep the party going after the museum, or start your late night Latin dance party with us. On the patio every Friday after salsa under the stars. 21+
Fri 10:30 PM NME Movie Night: Buffy the Vampire Slayer The Guild Cinema, 3403 Central Ave NE Get ready for an electrifying night of vampire-slaying action! Join New Mexico Entertainment for an exclusive screening of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With Earlybird presale tickets, you'll secure your spot for this thrilling event, and stand a chance to win door prizes from local businesses and organizations, including the renowned Bubonicon and the talented artist Jeremy Montoya. But hurry, only 59 presale tickets are available, so grab yours before they vanish into the night! For Buffy Summers (Kristy Swanson), nothing is the same after she meets Merrick Jamison-Smythe (Donald Sutherland). Merrick tells the teen that he's been sent to train her to fight vampires, and he proves himself by displaying his supernatural powers. Buffy is a quick study, and soon takes fellow student Oliver Pike (Luke Perry) under her wing, repeatedly saving him from fierce bloodsuckers. But, when a very dangerous vampire (Rutger Hauer) gets rambunctious, she must go to war again
** Sat 6/8 *\*
Sat 8 AM – 12 PM Downtown Growers' Market Robinson Park, 810 Copper Ave NW Every Saturday from 8 am - NOON! This vibrant community event connects local farmers, growers, artisans, wellness makers, and hot food vendors with the local community from mid-April to early-November. Bring friends / family or come solo to enjoy fresh food made on sight, a variety of seasonal produce, unique arts and crafts, live music, and special programming all in the heart of downtown
Sat 8 AM – 1 PM Pride in Nob Hill Tractor Brewing, 122 Tulane Dr. SE The Pride Parade is hitting Central and we're celebrating love at our Nob Hill location! We're opening super early at 8am and featuring some Cider-Momoas ,wait we mean Mimosas, our delicious house Bloody Mary and of course Micheladas or whatever you can dream up! Then the absolutely incredible DJ Kaleido will be hitting the turn tables at noon for your Pride Parade after party pleasure!
Sat 8 AM – 7:30 PM Juneteenth Celebration Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Blvd. NW Join us for a FREE, all-ages, family-friendly, celebration, including live music, storytelling, a dance class, poetry, and more! There will also be food trucks, face painting from Arveyah Williams, and free Juneteenth shirts (while supplies last). 8:00am-9:30am A hike in the Bosque (call to reserve your spot), 10:00am -12:00pm What Happened to Blackdom? Presented by Historian Dr. Timothy E. Nelson (inside) (call to reserve your spot), 12:00pm -2:00pm Capoeira Workshop with North Star Capoeira (call to reserve your spot), 1:00pm-3:00pm Anthems of Belonging: For a New America (Music, dance, poetry) - Presented by Hakim Bellamy (Inside) (call to reserve your spot), 2:00pm Storytelling with Ms. Brenda Hollingsworth-Marley (outside), 2:30pm Arts and Crafts with Ms. Brenda Hollingsworth-Marley (inside), 2:30-3:30pm (Drumming and Flute ensemble with Jah Trupedors), 3:30-8:00pm Entertainment (B-Boy Crew Francois, Conservation Carnivale (black carnies), Poetry, Music by Sweet Roll, Music by DaJerney), 8:00-8:30pm Jah Tupedors Hopefully this group will close us out as things are being packed up and loaded (more info)
Sat 9 AM – 1 PM SUMMER AT THE MARKETPLACE - a patio pop-up event! Poulin Marketplace, 8600 Pan American Fwy NE, Ste B We’re hosting “Patio Pop-Up Events” to bring you one-of-a-kind items from the amazing artisans in our community. A rotating offering of local artisans display their goods between 9 AM and 1 PM every Sat, June thru July, excluding July 6. SIP delicious and refreshing summer specialty drinks. Try our new seasonal house-made blackberry syrup. Enjoy the glorious summer weather in the shade of our solar-powered patio. SHOP offerings from local artisans and Poulin Marketplace’s curated home + decor collection. BE INSPIRED by our space and stylings for creative ideas to transform your home!
Sat 10 AM – 4 PM Father’s Day Native Art Market FNCH Traditional Wellness Program, 634 Manzano St. NE There will be food, arts, crafts, & fun! Come visit our program offices to also learn more about the services we provide
Sat 10:15 AM – 2:30 PM Kaijune Arty Party New Mexico Ferments, 2506 Washington St. NE Celebrate with pride the magnificent monster within by stomping around the arty party creating your very own Kaiju! We welcome all monsters any age and size to join in the free for all Arty Party Kaijune!
Sat 11 AM – 2 PM Felines and Flowers: Rescue Adoption Event Osuna Nursery, 501 Osuna Rd. NE Join us for a purr-fect day filled with both paws and petals. Spread the love by finding forever homes for our furry friends from Jemez Angel Cat Rescue. There will be a meet and greet for a whole line up of angels of all ages. Whether you're looking for a new cuddle buddy or just want to enjoy the company of these charming felines, we welcome you with open paws! We'll be celebrating all day long with tasty treats and event exclusive discounts till close! Between our felines and flowers it's the perfect opportunity to secure new lifelong friends
Sat 11 AM – 5 PM Re Leaf & Myzfits Gallery presents “Summer Parking Lot Pop-Up” Releaf Cannabis Co., 5704 Lomas Blvd. NE Come join us for a day filled with vendors food, and entertainment!
Sat 11 AM – 5 PM Fun In The Sun ABQ Food Park, 6951 San Antonio Dr. NE Join us for a day filled with adventure and excitement. Climb to new heights on our thrilling rock wall, play in the water, challenge your friends and family to outdoor games, and indulge in delicious bites from our food trucks. Let your imagination run wild with our fantastic face painting station. Whether you want to become a fierce tiger or a magical unicorn, our talented artists will bring your vision to life. There's something for everyone, so gather your loved ones and make unforgettable memories together!
Sat 1 – 3 PM Beer Brewing Class - Advanced All Grain Southwest Grape & Grain, 3401 Candelaria Blvd. NE Take your beer brewing to the next level with our all grain brewing class. Learn everything you need to brew all grain recipes! You now have a couple of batches of beer under your belt, ready to take your skill to the next level? This class focuses on the transition from pure extract use to all grain brewing. We will go more in depth on the various ingredients and talk about recipe formulation. All Grain Brewing requires additional equipment that you didn’t need for extract brewing. Learn what that equipment is and how to utilize it. You’ll leave this class knowing everything required to start brewing beer 100% from scratch! NOTE: We recommend that you have taken our Beginner Brewing Brewing class or have some homebrewing experience prior to taking this class (tickets)
Sat 1 – 4 PM Hot Dog Fundraiser! La Cumbre Brewing, 3313 Girard Blvd. NE Come support our Valley Vikings 12U Pop Warner team at La Cumbre Brewing Company located at 3313 Girard. Cash, Debit/Credit Card, Cashapp, Paypal, and Venmo are all accepted! 100% of the profit goes to our team’s equipment, uniforms, and out of state travel!
Sat 1 – 4 PM RJ Perez at Summer Music Saturdays Canteen Brewhouse, 2381 Aztec Rd. NE We are so excited to kick off our Summer Music Saturdays with one of our favorites, RJ Perez! Join us for a chill afternoon on the patio with great beer, food and music!
Sat 2 PM 505 Blackened Death Fest Ren's Den, 900 4th St. SW Death Mantra, Nocturne, Inferno Antichrist, Rotten Intestines, Spectral Decay, Thrall, Eye, Stygian Rot, Holocaustic, Frail Limbs, Forbidden Witchery, Etherial Moon. $10 before 5pm, $15 after
Sat 3 – 6 PM Brewathlon Brew Lab 101, 3201 Southern Blvd SE, Rio Rancho Teams sign up to compete in the Pong and Cornhole tournament. $50 Per team of 2 people. All proceeds go to Honor Flight of Northern NM, which is a nonprofit organization to help veterans see monuments dedicated to them with all expenses paid. There are sponsorship spaces available! Help Honor Flight of Northern NM and to get your business out there with local community
Sat 3 – 8 PM Grand Opening Bosque West, 2220 Unser Blvd. NW Featuring performances by Sweet Roll, Hot Ham and the Crispi Boys, Baracutanga, and DJ Wild Wes. Photo Booth by Mobile Glam Shots. Featuring local vendors: 505 Resin Works, Tia Mom’s Cookies, Angels and Things, Blazen Glass Art, Jeanette’s Creative Designs, Love at First Bite, Haus of Flame, Balaté Naturals, Revenant Creations, Desert Spark Permanent Jewelry. Face Painting by Andrea’s Face Painting
Sat 4 PM Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Flix Brewhouse, 3236 La Orilla Rd. NW Join us for the first part of the cinematic journey of friendship and heroism in Middle-earth with our screening of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (tickets)
Sat 4:30 – 6 PM Cuidando los Niños Fundraiser Cookie Class Sweet Pea Bakery, 2500 Central Ave SW Join us for a fun night out while making an impact in our community! Light House Studio and Sweet Pea Bakery are teaming up to host a cookie decorating class to benefit Cuidando los Ninos. This will be a full, 1.5 hour class where local cookie artist Katie Sacoman walks you through decorating three floral themed sugar cookies. Each participant also receives a personalized cookie with their name on it. 50% of each ticket sold goes to benefit Cuidando los Ninos, a local organization working to break the cycle of homelessness for children and families by providing high-quality early childhood education, case management, supportive housing, and parent education. *This class will be good for participants age 10+. You know your child best!* Tickets include: -Personalized cookie in a different flavor -Materials for class (Cookies, icing, etc.) -Guided instruction from a professional cookie decorator
Sat 5:30 PM Pottery on the Patio with Three On A Match LIVE Entertainment - $5 to reserve Kelly Jo Designs by Wine, 6829 4th St. NW Join our Saturday Night Pottery Social! Come PYOP (Paint Your Own Pottery). We have loads of shapes to choose from and staff artists ready to help get you on your way! Enjoy music by Three On A Match, starting at 7pm. Reserve your spot today! Seats are limited. The $5 fee will be applied to whichever shape you select to paint. You are welcome to paint any time between 5:30pm-9pm
Sat 6 PM Spring Season Community Event Mile High Little League, 725 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE End of the season celebration! Food and Fun! Showing Sandlot, bring blankets and chairs! Concessions will be open along with Pop-Pops ice. Raffle: 5 tickets $20 or $5 each, lots of prizes available! Bouncy houses, games, and water fun! Equipment exchange: bring your old equipment to donate. Used equipment will also be available for great prices, Cash only!
Sat 7 PM Swing Dance Night w/Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd. NW Founded in 1982 by Pancho Romero, the 18-member AJO has been delighting audiences throughout the Southwest for more than thirty years. For many years under the leadership of trombonist John Sanks, the band has performed with an impressive list of guest artists, including Toshiko Akiyoshi, Pete Christlieb, Jim Pugh, Scott Wendholt, Dick Oatts, John Fedchock, Wayne Bergeron, Bob McChesney, Jeff Coffin, Butch Miles and jazz trumpet legend and Albuquerque native Bobby Shew, who served as the Musical Director of AJO from 2007 to 2010. The band features professional and semi-professional musicians, and public school and university educators. Come on out and dance! (tickets)
Sat 7 – 9 PM Sesh N' Flow at the Bside! Los Ranchos Bakery, 6920 4th St. NW, Los Ranchos Bring your mat and a friend and join us for a chill sesh and fun yoga flow! Please BYOB (no canna items for sale... and there's always plenty to go around) Limited space available, get your tickets early!
Sat 7 PM – 12 AM Women's Pride Dance Juno, 1501 1st St. NW Hot Flash ABQ Women's Pride Dance is back and better than ever, in conjunction with the electrifying Foxy Festival, celebrating all the Foxy people out there! Featuring the sensational beats of International DJ Tatiana and our very own Resident DJ - DJ Bex, get ready to dance the night away in a celebration of love and inclusivity. Dance your heart out to the pulsating rhythms. Explore our vendors offering unique treasures. Compete in thrilling contests and win amazing prizes. Indulge in delicious delights from our food truck(s). And for your safety and convenience, designated drivers will be available to ensure you and your car make it home safely - for a fee. By joining us, you'll also be supporting A Barking Chance Animal Rescue, as a portion of the proceeds from this event go to this worthy cause. Located at the Juno Brewery indoooutdoor space, we're proud to be the Official Women's Pride Headquarters, creating an atmosphere where everyone can come together and celebrate love in all its forms
Sat 8 – 11 PM Summer S'mores Marble Brewery Westside Tap Room, 5735 Night Whisper Rd. NW Join us every Saturday! Grab your s'more kit for $14 or $12 if your a current Brew Club Members (members must present a valid BC card) from 8-11pm. Kits make up to 8 s'mores (beverages not included), be sure to ask a server for details!
Sat 8:15 – 10:30 PM Movies in the Park - Emperor's New Groove Tiguex Park, 552 19th St. NW Presented by Recreation Division's Outdoor Adventure. Experience the hilarious and heartwarming journey of Emperor Kuzco on a giant outdoor screen, starting at dusk just after the sun sets at 8:20 p.m. Bring your friends, family, and a blanket for an unforgettable movie night in the park!
Sat 9 PM – 1 AM SABOR Latin Night - Guest DJ PEDRO Bama's 1865, 6007 Osuna Rd. NE DJ Gabriel Goza & friends will be serving you the saucy Salsa, Bachata, Cumbia, Merengue y Mas! UNM / CNM Students $5 cover, Ample Parking, Safe Environment, Beautiful Venue, Good Food, Good Music, Good Vibes. 21+ / $10 cover