This story is very long and complicated so I apologize, this is a long one.
So I, 17F, have a friend. He is also 17, and is transmasc. In middle school, before covid, we were apart of the same friend group. I would not describe us as particularly close, as I was closer friends with some other girls in the group than with him. When he came out as trans when we were in 8th grade, he felt the need to send a letter to my parents explaining it. I told him that I didn’t think that was a good idea, but he insisted on it.
My parents, to clarify, have never been rude to him. Although it is true that they do not believe he should be getting the surgeries and hormones he has been on since he was 14, they have never said anything to his face. They have always been courteous with him. The only issue has been that they have said that if he is a boy now, I am not allowed over to his house, as it is against my parents morals to allow me over to a boy’s house. Especially for sleepovers.
I live in an urban area, and my friend’s family is very wealthy. However, my father is from city slums and my mother is from extremely rural Mississippi. So although my parent’s views may seem outdated, I can assure you they aren’t malicious and my parent’s are simply from a different world. After my friend came out to my parents, my parents looked through my phone, and found my tiktok account (i hadn’t told them i didn’t have one i just never mentioned it lol) and got mad and grounded me for a year. Because of this, I wasn’t able to text him or my other friends so we all grew distant. When school finally changed back to in person, I did not wear a mask. Cases at my school were near 0 and anyone who was at higher risk for covid was asked to stay online. I am compromised myself as I have very weak lungs, but it was my decision to not wear a mask. At this time, I believe my friend began to gain some resentment for me. We got into an argument over my choice not to wear a mask, which ended in him blocking me on all platforms and not speaking to me at school.
Additionally, during the argument, he claimed that my parents hated him and that I let them misgender him. I told him that’s not the case, and that he hadn’t even spoken to my parents since he came out so i didn’t even know why he thought they were misgendering him. Apparently, one of my other friends had told him she overheard my parents using she/her pronouns for him at my house. I told him that was true, but that they simply couldn’t comprehend this whole thing. It’s not something they understand, and they try their hardest not to be rude about it, which is a big reason why they never speak to him. He called me complicit in their “bigotry” and said that I was letting them be transphobic.
I told him he was being ridiculous, and he told me he never wanted to speak to me again. Honestly, that was fine with me. I no longer enjoyed his company, and honestly never had to begin with, and being associated with him at school was disastrous for my reputation. I didn’t have any classes with him in high school, so it was easy to never talk to him. And that was how it was, peaceful for about a year and a half. Just as Sophomore year started, and homecoming came around, a girl asked me to homecoming. I do not like women, I am straight, but I felt pressured to say yes. The entire affair was awkward for both of us and I clarified after the dance that I did not want to date her.
Yet strangely, for the next few weeks, I got random people, especially in the year above me, coming up to me and congratulating me on my “relationship” with the girl. I consistently corrected them until finally I asked one who they heard that I was dating this girl from. They told me the name of a boy I didn’t recognize at all. I asked around, and he was a junior at the time, and one of my close female friends talked to him occasionally. I asked her to tell him that I wasn’t dating this girl, and to tell him I wasn’t a lesbian. After confronting him, she texted me and said he had a super weird reaction. He said he was sure I was a “little cottagecore lesbian”. This was honestly super creepy and weird to me, so I began to wonder how on earth he got that idea. He didn’t even know the girl I went to homecoming with. One day, when I was absent from school, my friend claims that he came up to her and asked where her girlfriend was, describing my appearance. She told him that we were both straight women and he reacted again, super strangely, saying we would be so cute together.
At this point, both of us are creeped out. I ask around some more, and I figure out that he is friends with my trans friend. By this point, it’s near the end of the year, so I decide to drop it and just hope he forgets about us. Well, this year, my junior year, started out fine. But around November, the same rumors started popping up again. They claimed I was dating a multitude of girls, and one of my new female friends. I got really angry, as I had worked really hard this year to finally be seen differently. I put effort into my appearance, I stopped wearing tacky merch, I tried being more social. But all these rumors just felt like I was being thrust back into square one. I found out it was the same guy again, and from one of my friends from middle school, I found out he’s actually dating my trans friend.
I planned on confronting my friend, but I actually managed to get partnered up with his boyfriend for a group project. I confronted him and I told him to stop it with the rumors, I didn’t even know him. He seemed receptive, and going into Holiday break I thought everything was fine. However, when I returned in January, there were STILL rumors going around, new ones too, and they didn’t stop after a few months.
I ended up cornering my trans friend after school and yelling at him. I knew from the rumor mill some pretty nasty stuff about him, his parents were getting a divorced and there were screenshots of him begging one of the popular guys in my grade to date him (while he was with his creepy boyfriend). I didn’t hold anything back, I just yelled and yelled. I knew he had to be behind the rumors. His boyfriend was weird but not weird enough to make up rumors about me for almost 2 years straight, it had to be him.
I’ll admit, I called him absolutely terrible names and I took jabs at things I probably shouldn’t have. He didn’t have much to say when I yelled at him, I think he was mostly in shock, but he did confirm he told his boyfriend to start the rumors. The next day, I actually felt so terrible about what I said I felt physically ill and stayed home. Yet I was still so angry after getting the confirmation I wanted, that I refused to let myself apologize to him.
I ended up just going back to school as normal, when about a month later I get a text on instagram. I guess he unblocked me, because he sent me a very long winded paragraph. Essentially, he said he thought I was a “closeted lesbian” who was being suppressed by my religious, conservative and abusive parents. He said he wanted to make it easier for me to come out, and that he loved me as a friend. He went on to list a string of mental illnesses he supposedly had, including Anxiety and BPD. He told me that he had a panic attack after I had yelled at him, and It caused him to throw up uncontrollably. According to him, he ended up throwing up all over his phone, and in conjunction with him dropping his phone into his pool because of his panic attack, his phone broke and he had to get it professionally repaired.
Honestly, I don’t even know how much I believe this story, but he claims the repairs cost him $200. I texted him back and said that story was absurd, and quite harshly I told him that I didn’t believe a lick of it, and even if it was true, I said it was his problem not mine, and that he should just use the money he spends on testosterone to buy it instead. I also mentioned that I don’t believe he has all of the mental illnesses he claims to have. Mind you, although I’m aware his parents are going through a divorce, they both make a ton of money. I see no reason why he needs my money. His parents are not the type to make him pay for it (as far as I am aware of). Additionally, I just started a part time job about a month ago now, so I am suspicious that perhaps he is just asking because he knows I have it and have been saving up money.
But, that being said, I do know I was being very harsh and probably unfair in my words. I am afraid that it was wrong of me to use what I heard about him against him, and that my remark about the money he spends on testosterone was uncalled for. I know I probably don’t owe him the money, but I am afraid my refusal is too mean. Part of me wants to apologize to him, but I also just want to wipe my hands of him honestly. I no longer have the energy to deal with him any more. So, AITA for making that comment and dismissing his illness?

This is just to serve as a healthy reminder that we are dealing with very serious shit and to ensure the safety of yourself and the integrity of this group, there are some things we should keep in mind.

1. Unverified information should really be kept at a minimum or perhaps have a disclaimer that it MAY be a LEAD. AKA almost a rumor! When we follow and post every thread, like Ebony price or these other random twitter accounts posting cryptic messages without concrete evidence, it can blow up and be spun to break any credibility with this group and what we are talking/exposing here. Aka it will be easier to make the masses think were crazy schizos. Research ANY claims from ANY content creator and find a source before sharing

Posted earlier by u/YellowBirdLadyFinger:
"REMEMBER Drake and UMG’s team are 100% in here reading EVERYTHING and coming up with a plan to make us look nuts and make this whole thing go away. There’s a lot of powerful people’s money that could be effected by our efforts. So best believe whatever you post, or whatever public sleuthing you do, could be used against us as a group later.
Like, hypothetically, for example, even if people don’t contact this guy [Christopher Alvarez] directly, they could put out an article that says we did, right? And then anyone who reads that, goes and checks out this group, reads this post, reads all the comments, and believes him. It’s important to be aware of how our research will come across, especially to the uninformed and naive, unfortunately."
Be as clear as possible on what are your opinions and what are facts

1. FOLLOW THE MONEY FOR REAL CONCRETE EVIDENCE (Business/Court Docs perhaps?)

u/YellowBirdLadyFinger:
"So this guys instagram and inappropriate pictures set off an intuitive red flag in your gut. That’s definitely a good place to start for sure (keep listening to your gut!!!) But that’s not based in anything factual, so the next step would be to find some other kind of proof that ties him to drakes operation. Something financial or something more concrete and damning than just weird pictures." We will fall apart and lose the plot entirely without evidence or sources
Also, I worry about any youngins getting involved in the sleuthing here. IF YOU ARE UNDER 18, PLEASE LEAVE! This shit runs too deep. This is not tea spilling sesh, this is serious dark shit.
I am learning with you all so feel free to add any other tips to ensure our integrity, safety, or tips for better internet search/sleuthing. Take care everyone <3

From the new holoearth update post, going live in ~ 12 hours https://holoearth.com/en/news/1815/:

Avatar items for sale will have limited stock. The stock status for each item will change as follows based on the quantity remaining:
・80％ or more → Stock status: packed ・Between 30％ and 80％ → Stock status: sufficient ・Between 10％ and 30％ → Stock status: limited ・Less than 10％ → Stock status: almost gone ・0 stock → SOLD OUT
Sold out items may be restocked.
Please note that multiples of the same item can be purchased more than once. In the future we are considering adding features that will offer more uses for avatar items, such as housing decoration or or trade. But as of this update, players will only be able to equip one of the same avatar item at a time, regardless of how many are held.
In addition, later we are planning to assign lot numbers and serial numbers to purchased avatar items. Lot numbers become sold out when inventory is added and are updated when item inventory stock is replenished. Stock added at the same time will share the same lot number. The lower the value of the lot number, the earlier the lot was sold after being added.
Serial numbers are assigned by item type and are in the order of which items are purchased from the shop. The serial number increases as the item is purchased by players at the fashion shop; the serial number will also increment if the same player makes repeat purchases of the item. So, the lower the number, the earlier the item was sold at the shop.
We will announce the relevant details along the update for this feature. *As the lot number and serial number feature is under development, the implemented version may differ in some ways from what is explained here.

This sounds a hell of a lot like NFTs to me. Limited quantity digital items with serial numbers, and they're considering adding a trading market as well.
Even allowing people to buy multiples of one item which will just create digital scalpers.
All of this seems like a horrible idea and I really hope cover rethinks this, I don't see how they would without some backlash but I haven't seen anyone else talking about this either.

Hi friends
I suppose I am looking for some validation, even as pathetic as it may sound, but I FINALLY graduated college
Most of my friends and family do not seem to give much of a shit about it and aside from the standard “good job” or “congrats,” it just feels so whatever to all of them I will admit that I just turned twenty five and this is something I should have done a few years ago like many of the other people in my life but my college experience was a bit unconventional lol
Yes, i understand that there is no “correct” way to go about your education, but growing up in the northeast it definitely deviates from the norm
I originally got into a polytechnic institute on a cross country/track scholarship to study environmental engineering and was attracted to attending a top 50 school and knew engineering was a lucrative profession (hey i was 18 and knew i needed a scholarship if i wanted to attend college so this worked)
However i fucking hated math and running at this point, and eventually dropped out after my first year and started attending community college at home and tried to figure out what my next steps were going to be. During this time I really struggled with my eating disorder to the point that i had to do residential treatment and once again…drop out of school
So anyways, after 5 months of treatment, I moved to San Diego while working at a summer camp to get away from home and shit just really hit the fan and found my way back home to the east coast after 8 months and essentially was disowned by my mother
At this point, i had no financial support and after working at a bar and odd jobs I realized the only way I can move up in the world was with a college degree So I was sleeping on a twin mattress on the concrete floor of my dad’s basement and I managed to afford ONE class at a community college at 20 which launched the long and exhausting quest to get my undergrad.
I was also dating a god awful guy at the time who was 10 years older than me and active in his addiction and took every chance to remind me that i was a piece of shit
But I wanted to prove everyone wrong and told myself that I would do it and get this shit done, somehow and someway As we all know, college is not cheap and had to do some questionable things to afford school (I think you guys can assume what i mean…thnx seeking)
So whatever, this shit took me seven years and I completely turned my life around during this period. I found a job in a field I was passionate about and worked my ass off to prove myself and move up in my position so that i could earn more money
Over the course of six years - I managed to pay for my entire degree on my own without loans, live on my own in a beautiful apartment, get out of a toxic relationship and found the man of my dreams who only loves and supports me, buy a new car, strengthen the bonds between my friends and family, develop a healthy relationship with my body and self, get into graduate school, and graduate SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Waaaaaaah idk if you told nineteen year old me that this is where i would be by my 25th birthday, i wouldnt have believed it but here i am fucking am and yeah i fucking did it But I suppose no one cares or do not even know the lengths in which I took in order to get here or how much this degree actually means so maybe this is just an off my chest and now i can finally move on and forget it because it wraps up one chapter and now we are on to the next wooooo

Title: Analysis of Men's Black Leather Blazer Fashion Trends
Introduction:
This report analyzes the fashion trends associated with men's black leather blazers, considering their historical significance, contemporary relevance, and market demand.
Historical Context:
The black leather blazer has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century when it emerged as a symbol of rebellion and masculinity, particularly associated with motorcycle culture and aviator fashion. Over time, it evolved to become a versatile garment, blending elements of casual and formal attire.
Contemporary Relevance:
In recent decades, men's black leather blazers have retained their iconic status in fashion, transcending subcultures to become a mainstream wardrobe staple. They are favored for their edgy yet sophisticated aesthetic, suitable for a range of occasions from casual outings to semi-formal events.
Design Features:
Typically constructed from high-quality leather, men's black leather blazers feature a tailored silhouette with notched lapels, a buttoned or zippered front closure, and multiple pockets. Some variations may include additional embellishments such as quilting, stud detailing, or contrasting stitching.
Fashion Trends:
The fashion landscape surrounding men's black leather blazers has witnessed various trends over the years. Currently, there is a resurgence of interest in minimalist designs with clean lines and understated detailing. Slim-fit styles are popular, offering a modern and streamlined look. Additionally, there is a growing demand for sustainable and ethically sourced leather options, reflecting evolving consumer preferences towards eco-conscious fashion.
Market Demand:
The market for men's black leather blazers remains robust, driven by a combination of factors including celebrity endorsements, cultural influences, and evolving fashion preferences. High-end fashion brands, as well as niche designers, cater to diverse consumer segments seeking premium quality and distinctive styles.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, men's black leather blazers continue to hold a prominent position in contemporary fashion, owing to their timeless appeal and versatility. While trends may evolve, the enduring popularity of this iconic garment underscores its enduring relevance in men's wardrobes worldwide.
For more information click here:
https://leatheroxide.com/collections/mens-collection/products/men-black-leather-blazer

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

I recently came across the Chillin’ & Grillin’ instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/chillinandgrillinparty/) that's taking place at the Stackt Market this year and was wondering what exactly it entails if anyone's been? I can't find much info about it apart from it being a 'day party' and there being food. Is it similar to Cabana pool bar (but without the pool of course)? Does anyone know if it'd be a good spot to go to with some friends for a birthday?

I have to have her Sit in her transport box a couple hours before the visit Because she has to have urine in her. (To test i guess) she might have a uti. I just feel so bad for her. Im gonna sit with her maybe try to feed her some snacks if i Can.
Is there anything i Can do to make her less stressed? Should i Sit anywhere to not give her a bad experience with it? I thought about sitting in my hallway bc its not an area she likes being in anyway so she doesnt associate the Living room with anything bad. I might sit outside with her Because she Can be alittle loud and likes to complain alot. Because she is a little diva haha. And I live in an apartment with a staircase that isn’t very good at quiting down sound (it sorta amplifies it) and I don’t want to be a bad neighbour so I’m not gonna sit in there. But it’s also why I even worry about sitting in my hallway I don’t want to annoy my neighbours
Im not allowed to put any blanket or shirts in there incase she pees so they might still be able to use it. I usually do to make sure she Can still smell herself and has something comfortable like a toy she likes to play with or rub but again Im not allowed to do that :/
Anyway thank you for reading and any advice you may give me :)

(somehow wound up with 2 accounts no idea how. if you see it posted there this is my actual account)
Dear C,
I loved you. not in that wishy washy lifetime holiday movie kind of way either. I truly loved you. I knew when I met you I could possibly fall. I tried not to, stayed away. didn't want to rock any boats. I think it was that expression of what I believed to be a love of life. the smile and lighting up eyes. I don't know. It's hard to put my finger on. you just had that air about you.
Became friends. shared secrets. shared sorrows. I didn't expect to become what I thought was that area of close friendship. To then get feelings though we lived so far apart. it hurt when I realized it was more than feelings of friendship in my chest. trying so hard to shut if down. not let myself be swept up into something. Love is a lot like the ocean though. one cannot sway it's currents as one cannot halt the rotation of the Earth.
It was turmoil it couldn't be, though I wished for us to fall into each other, hold you tightly to me and feel ourselves melt into each other. You had inklings I know. never said anything, we never discussed it. you moved even further away. I thought perhaps I could move on. I didn't. perhaps that's when I should have noticed. not that you were with someone but that perhaps you were not really my friend.
permission to send flowers but sending them to your work. speaking on the whatsapp. instead of texting. letting me feel confused about your feelings with me yet no resolution. I didn't want to lose you so I said nothing. that was pathetic of me. I think just a way to let myself be taken advantage of again later.
losing touch, regaining communications. losing touch again. Honestly I should have realized sooner but one becomes blinded by their own feelings. It came to a head a year and a half ago. Nearing christmas I found myself this particular year in a deep depression. Even years after tragedy it still hurts. I saw through posts you recently had a family tragedy as well. I wanted to make sure you were ok.
We agreed to meet up for dinner at my place what was that? the 22nd? the 23rd perhaps. So glad to hear from a close friend, feeling a sense of happiness. looking forward to something. braving the grocery stores less than a week from Christmas. I got a bunch of ingredients settling on a fancy style pizza and poached pears. something fun, not romantic (I didnt want to give the wrong vibes) even got a new sauce pan just to make a great red wine reduction for the pears lol. It was all set. I had a bottle of moscato d asti too. just a dessert wine. I even handmade the damn dough. It did turn out pretty decent, the pizza cooked. pears soaking in sugar water. yet
Yet it was 4:00 and I hear nothing, I had that nagging feeling
no Surely she wouldn't.
5:30 I had no word. perhaps a little later dinner. afterall I did not set the specific time.
6:30 and I messaged you to get an apology. I'm so sorry.
She told me her grandmother's memorial was that day. they released a balloon even.
I was crushed. deflated much like that balloon after a week of floating I'm sure. It seemed like an airtight excuse. Or at least one if I questioned would make me an asshole. I may be an ass but C I'm no asshole. I told you I understood but it didn't end there.
for over six months, six months it went on like this. I sent flowers twice actually when I thought I overstepped, made you mad at me. I rememembe getting very sick in Februaury and aplogizing for looking you up to send the damn flowers, feeling guilty of being some type of creep. You didn't mind. Hell I forgot to mention I had a Christmas gift from the previous years I couldn't get to you due to covid.
I asked if you were busy, You asked my free days. if you had the same day off and we made plans, without fail you would cancel or just not show. you would not message me. I understood-still understand helping family when they are sick. yet why not call? text? If I questioned it I was the bad guy. I'd always be the bad guy for simply questioning. I asked you if you didn't wish to be friends. to just reject me if that were the case. I just wanted to spend time together yet... yet even getting you to answer a text was a chore. why? I didn't obsess, I didn't stalk. I just wanted to spend time with someone I cared for. to help in any way I could.
Looking back it was rather pathetic of me. you're still the only person to make me act in that manner. You never rejected me. why? I needed that finality, that goddamned nail in the coffin to know for sure. I guess I just wasn't paying attention. You seemed to get out any way from visiting. spending time together. at a trusted friend's suggestion I proposed time after time neutral territory. coffee shops, restaurants, the book store. any public place.
I didn't know if you had issue with me personally, meeting a guy in his home? you agreed so many times to meet up to only ghost me. You did ghost me. repeatedly. You then said you didn't ghost me that you were staying late to get in the good graces of a new boss, just not answering me letting me apologize later.
I'm sorry C but having well established plans then not letting the person know you weren't going until after the fact. or not letting them know at all IS GHOSTING. SAYING IT'S NOT GHOSTING IS GASLIGHTING.
you ghosted me constantly, you gaslighted me. it hurt. If I didn't have blinders, if I weren't so fucking depressed I would have wisened to it. Instead I hoped and thought perhaps this time. not unlike those scratcher addicts wasting money hoping for that big payout.
You ghosted and gaslighted me. it hurt my self worth. perhaps I wasn't worthy of love nor frienship. a lingering trauma from my childhood you only reinforced in me. I think looking back on it you gaslighted me the entirety of our relationship. when that hit me... I don't know. From the same friend, she thought it a good idea to ask what I was to you. What type of friend am I to you? that was the question. was I just an aquaintenance? was I a close friend? was I just some person?
"of course we're friends" was my response. That wasn't the question though. Crushed. Angry. depressed. I tried still. yet you didnt acknowledge me. I think I grew bitter.
You ghosted me, You gaslighted me. You wouldn't tell me you rejected me even when I asked you to. I felt as though I weren't being treated as a human being.
To me you seemed to be acting like a narcissist or perhaps afraid? You were giving excused the same way the people who raised me did. classic text book narcissists.
C , I hate that a part of me loves you. I hate that what seemed like a relationship that meant so much to me perhaps didn't mean anything to you. I hate that I fell for someone who lies, who ghosts, nor treats me with the slightest bit of respect. I loved you but you only hurt me. loving you made me not feel good about myself. I wish
I wish instead of this rant I could tell you in a nicer way how I feel. That I then wanted to know you because I think it was more the idea of you I fell in love with. just a phantom. That I wished to find the depths of conversation only those like us could know. to find the depths of that well. to truly know one another.
I realize you'll never give an honest answer. I'll never have that chance to cook for you. the closest we'll be emotionally is being an unanswered call, empty chair, dinner for no one. I'll never share true intimacy with you. I remember you placing your head on my shoulder during the movie at the art museum. I wante to put my arm around you so much that night. it seemed innapropriate. I had no idea if she were your friend or girlfriend. I could not intrude.
I realized there are othes who see my worth. I'm more than just a text. people who see me. Yet a part of me lingers wishing. it's only a whisper now, something that still aches. I wished for closure. I'll never get it. I try to accept it. I can only move on.

When I first lost Chloe, I wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation. I came across this Reddit board and spent a couple of days reading other peoples contributions. I thought that if maybe I contributed a couple of times and helped maybe one or two people with what they were going through it would help me. It has been good, but I don’t know how to deal with the situation I’m in. I know I have posted and made reference to my situation but now I feel that if I share it maybe that will help. Chloe was 12 and had a few health problems starting but nothing serious. I’m 50 and my mother is 75 and we decided to celebrate our birthdays by going to Paris again. We thought that we would go before one or both of our health falls apart and before Chloe gets to the age of being really sick (our last dog lived to be 18). We asked our vet probably 4 times if anything serious was going on and if there was any reason not to go to Paris. He kept assuring us that it would be fine. I’ll try to give you a brief history that may help. I am pretty much sick all the time. I can go a month or two without leaving the house. We are both retired and then with Covid, my mom was here all the time. So Chloe got used to having someone always around. I started taking a supplement that changed the way all my auto immune diseases were making me feel, so that’s when we decided to go ahead and go to Paris. I started getting out to go to the mall and it freaked her out. She would wind around my feet like a cat trying to get me to stop tying my shoelaces. She didn’t know what to do without me at the house. It freaked her out like I said. Looking back, we should have spread out those trips and got her used to both of us being gone a little longer each time, overnight maybe. But like the vet said he thought she was doing OK and it wouldn’t be a problem. We left for Paris and on the 4th day I broke my ankle at the Eiffel Tower. We started getting reports from home that Chloe wasn’t doing too great. We have a pet sitter that is absolutely fabulous. Chloe loves her so much. So by the time I broke my ankle, we started realizing that Chloe was very sick and that she was dying. Our wonderful pet sitter went to the vet and just sat with her so she wouldn’t be alone. I threw on an orthopedic boot with a broken ankle and we started traveling home. We never stopped. We just went from Paris to New York to Dallas and to Mexico. We didn’t make it. We asked the vet if he thought she was suffering waiting for us and he said that she was so we couldn’t let her continue that way. We said goodbye to her over the phone in the Dallas airport terminal. I hope that she got some comfort from our voices, but, as I think I’ve written before, the guilt is all consuming. She deserved better. She was our baby. The problem that I have been having since she died is that it’s like she vanished. When I got home, I wouldn’t let the maid come because I was searching for her, her smell. I laid by the table that she laid under. I tried to get as close to under the bed where she laid. I just kept saying “I can’t find her. I can’t remember what she looked like the last time we walked out the door. I don’t remember that moment.” The pet sitter was very nice, she picked up and took away her bowl, her leashes, her food, everything to do with her so that we wouldn’t have a such a sad homecoming, but it just made it seem like she was never here. I spent so much time upstairs that my association with her was the noise she made under the bed and when she wanted out of the door or when she started up the stairs to my bed. At night she was in the bed with me. I didn’t take her on walks or anything so I couldn’t imagine her as we walked along or anything. I have been searching for some kind of visceral connection to her in the house. But she’s just was gone. I think I hear her sometimes. Honestly, I don’t think I have grieved as much as I should. I always said that I started grieving her loss the moment I met her. I know it sounds crazy, but we used to get teary-eyed when she was six or seven or eight. We just loved her that much and couldn’t imagine our life without her. I would always say that we shouldn’t waste time thinking about something that was going to happen in the future. She was just that special. It was if you looked into her big brown eyes you could see her soul. This is too long of a post as it is, so I’ll just stop now.

Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt #1
Spinning directly out of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #49, Spidey's role in BLOOD HUNT becomes clear and it involves, of course, MORBIUS! That's right, the Web-Slinger's main vampiric villain Michael Morbius is involved in the big vampire play and Peter has to figure out if he needs to take out his fanged foe or SAVE HIM?!
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #20
Miles Morales, A.K.A. SPIDER-MAN, faces his greatest challenge yet — BABY SITTING HIS LITTLE SISTER BILLIE! But wasn't he supposed to fight crime with Shift? Oh, and there was a thing with Ms. Marvel! Oh no! He forgot to call Ganke back! And he's an hour late to meet Starling?! Miles' world is spinning, and he has no idea that it's all about to get turned upside down!
LEGACY #302
Venom: Separation Anxiety #1
LONG LIVE… THE KING IN PURPLE! AMAZING SPIDER-MAN legend and VENOM co-creator DAVID MICHELINIE triumphantly returns to tell another all-new, heart-pounding, brain-eating tale set in EDDIE BROCK'S earliest days! This time, he’s teaming up with VENOM and DEATH OF THE VENOMVERSE artist extraordinaire GERARDO SANDOVAL! Venom has made a new enemy. And their bond will be tested like never before when a foe with the power to alter reality itself threatens to tear Eddie’s world apart, starting with his symbiote!
What If...?: Venom #4
THE SYMBIOTE OF MISCHIEF! As the Venom symbiote’s tendrils have slithered through every corner of the Marvel Universe, they’ve now drawn the attention of LOKI, who believes this incarnation of the Venom symbiote and the hosts it has chosen to bond to stand poised to become the most DANGEROUS BEINGS IN THIS OR ANY REALITY!
Previous Thread

Reds @ D-backs - Wed, May 15

Game Status: Pre-Game - First Pitch is scheduled for 03:40 PM EDT

Links & Info

• Current conditions at Chase Field: 72°F - Roof Closed - Wind 0 mph, None
• TV: National: MLBN (out-of-market only), Reds: Bally Sports Ohio, D-backs: Arizona Diamondbacks
• Radio: Reds: WLW 700, D-backs: KQMR Latino Mix 100.3 FM (es), 98.7 FM Arizona's Sports Station
• MLB Gameday
• Statcast Game Preview

NLC Rank	Team	W	L	GB (E#)	WC Rank	WC GB (E#)
1	Milwaukee Brewers	25	17	- (-)	-	- (-)
2	Chicago Cubs	24	19	1.5 (119)	2	+3.0 (-)
3	Pittsburgh Pirates	19	24	6.5 (114)	7	2.0 (117)
4	Cincinnati Reds	18	24	7.0 (114)	9	2.5 (117)
5	St. Louis Cardinals	18	24	7.0 (114)	10	2.5 (117)

	Probable Pitcher (Season Stats)	Report
Reds	Andrew Abbott (2-4, 3.35 ERA, 43.0 IP)	No report posted.
D-backs	Brandon Pfaadt (1-3, 4.60 ERA, 47.0 IP)	No report posted.

Reds Lineup vs. Pfaadt	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Benson - CF	.000	.250	3	0	0	2
2 Fraley - RF	.333	1.666	3	1	1	1
3 Ford, M - DH	-	-	-	-	-	-
4 Steer - 1B	.200	.400	5	0	0	1
5 Candelario - 3B	.000	.000	1	0	0	0
6 India - 2B	.000	.000	3	0	0	2
7 Capel - LF	-	-	-	-	-	-
8 Espinal - SS	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Maile - C	.000	.000	2	0	0	1
10 Abbott, A - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

D-backs Lineup vs. Abbott, A	AVG	OPS	AB	HR	RBI	K
1 Marte, K - 2B	-	-	-	-	-	-
2 Grichuk - RF	.333	1.833	3	1	1	0
3 Gurriel Jr. - LF	-	-	-	-	-	-
4 Walker, C - 1B	-	-	-	-	-	-
5 Suárez, E - 3B	-	-	-	-	-	-
6 Moreno - C	-	-	-	-	-	-
7 Alexander - DH	-	-	-	-	-	-
8 McCarthy - CF	-	-	-	-	-	-
9 Newman - SS	-	-	-	-	-	-
10 Pfaadt - P	-	-	-	-	-	-

Division Scoreboard

PIT 1 @ MIL 5 - Bottom 3, 2 Outs
CHC @ ATL 07:20 PM EDT
STL @ LAA 09:07 PM EDT
^{Last Updated: 05/15/2024 02:04:30 PM EDT}

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/galehead-development-collaborate-rivian-automotive-171500675.html
BOSTON, May 15, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Galehead Development, LLC ("Galehead") and Rivian Automotive, LLC ("Rivian") have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the development of renewable energy resources tailored to Rivian’s locational and environmental priorities.
Galehead will develop solar projects with specific consideration for Rivian’s "3C" Framework. The 3C Framework is a progressive procurement standard that commits Rivian to sourcing renewable energy from projects that have a measurable positive impact on Climate, environmental Conservation, and local Communities. The Framework was launched by Rivian in 2023 in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy.
Galehead will leverage LandCommand®, its proprietary market intelligence technology, to convert Rivian’s 3C Framework into development campaigns and new projects, allowing Rivian to influence the earliest "upstream" phase of project development. Galehead will fund and manage projects resulting from the engagement until they’ve matured for off-take agreements.
"The relationship represents Galehead’s ability to tailor renewable energy solutions for enterprise customers," Galehead CEO Matt Marino said. "Rivian is transforming renewable energy procurement with its innovative 3C Framework, and we are thrilled to support its growth as a leading corporate off-taker."
"By partnering with Galehead to develop projects from the ground up, we maximize the full value of each megawatt of renewable energy we add to the grid, while simplifying the path to an off-take agreement," says Erik Nielsen, Senior Manager of Energy Sourcing at Rivian, "This is a model we hope can be widely adopted to enable more projects with the greatest potential for positive system-wide climate, conservation, and community impact."
Galehead is the leading upstream development platform for planning, managing and delivering renewable generation resources and low carbon infrastructure. Galehead is powered by its proprietary LandCommand® software with a proven track record for reducing project development risk, costs and timelines. Since 2016 Galehead has successfully developed and monetized 7 GW of solar PV, wind and co-located storage projects and is actively developing new greenfield projects and LandCommand® applications with its network of downstream partners across the U.S. The company has 65 full-time employees and is headquartered in Boston, MA. More information on Galehead is available at www.galeheaddev.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515026757/en/

sorry if this is terrible i’m so sleep deprived !!
TLDR: my friends tinder date turned boyfriend has not left her place for over a week (since they met) except for work, not left her side including to shower, and they’ve been high together the whole time and her roommate and i are getting concerned because this guy is essentially a stranger.
i need a fresh perspective on this situation because i’ve only talked about this with my friend and her roommate, who i’m also very close with. her roommate and i tend to spiral when we talk about stressful things because he gets delusions and i’m chronically paranoid, and we’ve talked this to death but im not over it.
so april 28th my friend got dumped by some guy she was dating for 8 months, it was incredibly out of the blue and harsh, and she was wrecked. she’s not someone who subscribes to hookup culture generally, and the last thing she was going to do was sleep around. between april 28 and may 5 she’s been getting over him, classic breakup shit, and going clubbing a lot. i have a slutty week about once a year, around this time, so i’d been on tinder like a full time job throughout this week. she ends up hooking up with a guy she met at the club, entirely out of character, and that guy ghosts her. she’s not super mad, but again she’s not a fan of hookup culture, so her single life is not off to the best start. she keeps bugging me to swipe on my tinder, and she keeps seeing her type, so she decides to redownload tinder. there was this one guy that we both saw and i wasn’t into him but she was, but i can’t remember if she matched me with him when she was still using my tinder. there was also at some point a guy i was going to meet up with, but i had to block because he was way too intense, and was scaring me, im not sure if it’s that same guy or not because i never screenshotted anything from his account because i was talking to him while i was driving (busy gal that week yk?). anyway, she gets tinder and matches with the guy who i wasn’t into, and she decides to have him over that night. i crash on their couch a lot, and i get uncomfortable with men so i wasn’t super chill with this and neither was her roommate, but the guy comes over and spends the night. she had also told us that this guy was not interested in having sex right away, and neither was she, they were just meeting.
i go home the next morning because i have work and school, and just life stuff, and her roommate is texting me funny anecdotes about her “hookup”. we’re both kinda confused because this is out of character for her, they weren’t initially going to hookup, and it just didn’t make sense. at some point i actually meet the guy, and he’s fine, a pretty charming person and fairly nice but something about him is throwing me. i shrug it off because he’s got to go home at some point, and that’s when i can ask her about it. a few days pass, and they’ve both called into work sick a couple times, and have not really left the apartment, and definitely had not had time apart. i talk to her roommate about this, and we’re both a little concerned, but assured that it can’t go on for that much longer because he has a decent level of responsibility at his job and she is pretty intense about her school and work. the next day, they’re officially dating. i’m shocked, her roommate is shocked, and our concern is getting higher. but she does have a tendency to get into relationships quickly, especially after having sex with the person, so we weakly chalk it up to her respecting her values and him being a pretty sweet guy. by this point we’ve noticed this guy is really clingy and intense, doesn’t share tons of values with our friend, and i’m generally getting skeeved out by him. her roommates sister wanted to go clubbing for her birthday, and it would’ve been her first time going out like that, so she only wanted trusted people to join. so our friend let the guy know that he couldn’t join us, and that she would go to his place after. i end up not being able to go because of work, so they go, and within the hour the guy is at the club. it’s unclear if she invited him or if he invited himself, but that was not part of the plan. they ended up leaving shortly after because the roommates bf got a bloody nose and the bouncers thought he was on something, and he got himself kicked out.
the next day, there was a protest going on near their place because they live on a campus, and i was going to head over to study with the roommate, which is something we do a lot. the protest gets intense, and we end up wanting to go, but while i’m driving over her roommate texts me that he’s heading over there because he saw something going down and was bringing a first aid kit and water. i called our friend at this point, because i was worried about her roommate, and she was still at this guys house. the protest was also something she felt passionately about, and in combination with mine and her concern about her roommate she wanted to show up and help out as well. her boyfriend convinced her not to, and tried to get me to tell her to stay with him as well, and he was generally being weird about her leaving without him. that set off alarms in my brain but i saved it for later because of the kind of pressing situation. it all goes fine and we make it back to their place safely, and work on our schoolwork. our friend comes home the next day, and her boyfriend had gone to work. she had classes and then work, so we didn’t see much of her.
i stayed over for that day and ended up sleeping over again because thats kind of just normal for us, but when she comes home from work her boyfriend is with her. he picked her up from work. at this point me and her roommate have been talking about this, and shared our concerns with each other, and were planning to talk to her about it when she got home. that plan was out the window. her roommate is also getting very fed up with an essential stranger being in their space for the amount of time he has, and it’s creating a lot of tension. i leave early again, as i’m uncomfortable with men generally. the next time i head over is a couple days later, and he is still there. at the very least they’re both going to work and my friend is going to her classes, but all of her free time he is around for.
at this point, my friend is also getting exhausted with being around him all of the time, and they’re trying to work out when to spend some time apart. then she tells us that at the end of the month she’s going to a different province with him for a 10 day trip. at this point they’ve only known each other for a week, so we make up a bad excuse to drag her outside and talk. she basically implies we’re being too weird about her going on this trip and to leave it, but then agrees to a couple safety measures, including an itinerary. at this time, her roommate had also seen our friends boyfriend acting stranger when i’m there, being skittish about me coming over, and generally showing discomfort around me. i’m a pretty blunt person, and i have a horribly dry sense of humour so people can misconstrue things i say really easily, but i’ve been generally nice to him.
so we’re all sitting down, i’m writing down the itinerary as they’re taking it through, and then i type up a very generously flexible schedule so that we know where they are just in case. by now, there has also not been a day where they haven’t smoked a joint together every hour. so they both (presumably) have been high since the 6th. he says to add him on snapchat so we can make a group chat to coordinate everything, and make sure we’re all on the same page. when i go to add him, it said that i had previously blocked him.
i get an awful feeling about this guy now, and it’s overwhelming, because i only block people for very specific reasons, everyone else i just unadd. i have no way of figuring out how exactly i know him, because even on the downloadable data files from snapchat our previous conversations are not available because i had blocked him. me and her roommate to outside to talk, and her bf is getting increasingly clingy. we decide we have to talk to her, and have him go home for at least a day or two the next morning, because it was already around 1am. he didn’t want her to join us outside either, which i think is strange. her boyfriend ended up ~getting a call~ that is uncle is dying, on the same night he was meant to go home and chill away from our friend for a while. he ends up staying because she’s worried he may hurt himself (unclear if he directly said this or not)
now, me and her roommate have been poring over the events of the last week and a half, and get ourselves worked up and paranoid as fuck. i think i am justified in being concerned, but every time our friend talks about how tired she is, or how much she wants her own space for a bit, she brushes it off saying that he’s a nice guy. although she has agreed to “kick him out” tomorrow morning.
i feel like he is so clearly far too clingy and possessive, and it feels reminiscent of a uhauling situation i was in a year ago. they’ve been high the entire time they’ve known each other (it’s mostly him providing and suggesting), neither of them has showered alone, and he doesn’t exactly look his age. i’m questioning my fear because the only other person i’ve spoken to about this overthinks just as much if not more than i do, and we both don’t want to wreck something that is going “well” for her. we’re waiting to see if the guy actually goes home today, i have a feeling he won’t. we’re mostly worried about the event of him possibly not taking it well, because we don’t know this man.
TLDR: my friends tinder date turned boyfriend has not left her place for over a week (since they met) except for work, not left her side including to shower, and they’ve been high together the whole time and her roommate and i are getting concerned because this guy is essentially a stranger.

I bought a professional video monitor for $2,000 dollars for retro gaming. Just think of it as a premium CRT tv, and this one is one of the most sought after ones. (5-6 years ago it went for $500 and that was a lot but now $2.2-2.4k)
I don’t play at all. It’s collecting dust. When I bought it I really wanted it and was obsessive to find.
I don’t need the money. But it’s $2,000 spent on a used old monitor. Many would say that’s foolish I’m assuming.
Someone is interested in buying the monitor for 2.2k.
Then the lord of the ring effect happened: this is a solid monitor. I don’t see them listed often and when I do it’s in the higher price range. The cons that people smarter than me say are, it’s a used discontinued device that can break down/malfunction any time, and you never know the future market for these, may go down.
I want to be a mature man. I want to sell to be financially wise but also want to hold onto it. Any advice?

I realize this may have been asked about previously, but as a third-year college student, I've been actively seeking internship opportunities in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area for several months now, with little success. Despite submitting applications to a couple of places, I've yet to receive any responses. While I understand the current market conditions may be challenging, I'm unsure of my next steps. Is anyone aware of any summer internship openings or companies worth applying to?

Hey guys I have just accepted a job offer at kenora and looking for an accommodation but it’s been almost impossible. I start on 20th May and looking for a one bedroom or shared apartment. I would not mind if I could be directly appropriately to the right channels. I am very respectful and would treat your property with care. Thank you

Off campus apartment 5-8 min walk from campus. Looking for 1 more roommate for 4 room apartment.
Address is 1501 Jacob St.
Sub lease from June 1st 2024 - May 31st 2025. Approx $600/month excluding utilities. Utilities are usually $60 each per month (gas, electricity, internet). Internet is 500 Mbps, has been great so far.
We have a nice kitchen, pantry, washer and dryer in unit! As well as beds + mattresses already. One off-street parking spot available, and nearby street parking is not bad either. Close walk to Amantes, Pizza88, and a convenience store. Lots of windows and natural light too. Please comment and DM if interested!
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TLDR: My partner had a very sudden manic episode turned into a psychotic break over the past week, and I'm not handling him being in a psych ward for the time being very well. It's honestly killing me, I'm so worried for him - I'm looking for advice and support on how to cope with this event.
My boyfriend (21M) and I (20F) have been together for nearly 3 years. For 2 years, we were long distance. In August 2023 is when we closed the distance and began living with each other in real life. Last week, the week of May 5th, is when this situation begun.
We frequently took edibles (weed) as part of our routine. Last Tuesday, he did just that - and while he was high, he started to get curious about his parents' finances. He began to text both his mother and father, asking questions about what they've saved up for their retirement. His mom seemed to be dodging his questions a lot, but eventually she told him that she estimated that both she and his father would have around 10-13 million after retirement. Not only this, but she also both implied and outright confirmed that my boyfriend would be inheriting this large amount of money after they pass away. This quickly unlocked a hyperfixation for him, and we began to talk about it together. It's all we talked about for that week, because we thought, why is this something that his mother would lie about? There's absolutely no understandable reason that she would have to lie about this. I should mention that, after Tuesday, he did not take any more edibles or substances, though regardless I feel that weed may have partially played a role in why this happened.
Throughout the week, as he was delving into this hyperfixation, his behavior began to change. I didn't truly notice it at the time, and just thought he was very reasonably acting a bit odd and excited because, this was a life changing thing that was presumably happening for the both of us. I didn't think to question his mother's statement. Me being passive to his behavior and not suspicious of his mother's statement and behavior is something I feel I am to blame for, because it turned out to be a slowly building manic episode. On Friday, May 10th, is when we found out that the 10-13 million inheritance was a lie. He was distraught - absolutely broken. Something snapped in him after that day.
On Saturday, he woke me up at 6-7 am. I suspect that he may not have slept Friday night into Saturday morning. He reassured me that he would be okay, we would both be okay after this, that we would get over it and be able to focus on something else. But very quickly throughout Saturday his behavior shifted drastically, and it turned into a full blown manic episode. For the entire first half of the day, he paced around our apartment, glued to his phone, spamming everyone in his life about the thoughts he had been having. It's normal for him to be on his phone a lot, so I didn't question this. I regret it so much, I should have noticed the signs. It's difficult for me to convey what exactly his thoughts were or what his hyperfixation was, because most of it didn't truly make sense, but the short version of it is that since the inheritance wasn't real, he began to hyperfixate on starting a business from the ground up with both me and his friends. It spiraled from there.
In the evening is when his behavior began to become violent and increasingly more erratic. He began to direct his frustration and anger towards me, starting to hyperfixate on me and our relationship, blaming me for the entire situation. We've had a difficult relationship, but we've always managed to come back full circle either way. He became paranoid of me, believed that I could hurt him, and so much more. It broke my heart. It's more than I can convey into words. Saturday evening into Sunday morning I stayed up all night with him, trying to handle the situation as best as I could, but it only got worse. Eventually, his parents arrived at our apartment. He's always had apprehensions about introducing me to his parents for multiple reasons, especially including the fact that we met online. He believed that they wouldn't understand it, and he didn't have a close relationship with his parents to begin with at all. It sucks that I could only meet them as this situation was going down.
Sunday, May 12th, is when his parents took him to the emergency room. It is only on the very next day, May 13th, that he was admitted into a psychiatric hospital. I'm heartbroken. I'm keeping in contact with his mother, but I haven't gotten many updates from her besides the fact that he's in a hospital and that they're waiting to hear from the doctor. Based on what I've seen with his behavior and researched, it seems that his manic episode eventually turned into a psychotic break. I also suspect that he may have bipolar 1 disorder. I'm not a doctor, but it matches up with everything that I've seen, and I'm devastated. It was horrible. His mother has bipolar disorder, though im not sure what type - though my partner did mention that his mother would have occasional manic episodes.
Now it's been three days in total since he's been gone. All I've been doing is grieving. I've eaten very little, all I've been doing is crying, and everything in our apartment reminds me of him. It's incredibly painful to be here without him because we spent all of our time together. I'm also worried about him being in the hospital itself - I don't want him to be mistreated by others or misdiagnosed. Psych hospitals can be very hit or miss, and it terrifies me. It's possible that he could be there for several weeks at the very least given how severe his mental state was. I just don't know what to do, or what this means for us in the future. He hasn't even gotten a diagnosis yet, from what I know. I just feel like I'm being kept in the dark. I don't know anything about what's happening at all. I just want him to be okay. How can I get through this? I don't think I can get through this. What happens when he gets back? Is he gonna be okay? Have any of you experienced what it's like to be kept in a psych hospital? I don't know what to do with myself when he comes back, I don't know how to support myself in the mean time, and I don't know what this means for us or for our relationship. I'm so, so scared. I'm terrified. I love him so much, I just want him to be okay.
I don't have many people around me to support me, so posting here has been my last resort. This is my first time dealing with a mental health crisis like this. I feel awful, I feel horrible, I feel like this is all my fault. I feel like if I saw the signs earlier, I could've prevented this, I could've grounded him, I could've brought him down from where he was headed. I don't know what exact mental illness he has yet, I can only assume based on what I've seen. But, has anyone ever been in a similar situation like this? What do I do with myself? I know he's getting the help that he needs, but I can't help but worry for him. I feel super isolated and alone and anxious in our apartment. It's empty here without him, incredibly empty.
If you've read this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. It means more to me than you know. So, once more, TLDR: My partner had a very sudden manic episode turned into a psychotic break over the past week, and I'm not handling him being in a psych ward for the time being very well. It's honestly killing me, I'm so worried for him - I'm looking for advice and support on how to cope with this event.