Ubreakifix near me

Whatever literature, small or big, is wrought out in Kashmir, is largely either in English or occasionally in Urdu. Not many writers take to Kashmiri, their first language.
"Writing a book might be easy,” Asif quips, “but writing a good book is not.”
Talking about youngsters, he says, it could be that their prompt in itself is not to produce good literature, it might well be that their elders or parents are telling them to publish something for people to know them across and beyond.
About youngsters getting to publishing so quickly, I reckon that perhaps there is a lack of ‘sabr’ (patience),” he says. “Perhaps, great effort and energy are not put into reading as much, or to know if such work has been produced before. If yes, then what makes theirs different?”
Not much thought might be given to what must be the appealing aspect of their work, or whether is it even worthwhile to be producing the same kind of work, will it hold any value, he reckons. “A writer must always bring something new to the readers. Also, the role of publishing houses is quite pronounced. It all boils down to business after all and certain self-publishing houses do not even bother to tell these novices that perhaps they need to rework, or their books need to be refurbished. If only they would take it more seriously, work with the authors on their manuscript, gauge its credentials and caliber, and refine it again and again then maybe a good piece might be produced. It shall help people as well in deciding whether or not writing is their realm and if they should explore other areas. Substantiating what I mentioned, refining is a process that demands immense patience.”
Aged 25, Asif Tariq Bhat is the youngest to author a novel in Kashmiri at times when Kashmiri as a language is more or less dwindling.
The first edition of the book published by ‘Ali Mohammad & Sons’ is all sold out with the second edition under process, bearing insightful critiques and remarks.
Recollecting his small journey of publishing, Asif had three publishers in mind- Gulshan, Ali Mohammad & Sons, and Meezan.
"Unfortunately,” he says, “some of these publishers brushed me away saying they already have a lot of work in progress and there is no room for more, some blatantly said that they have stopped publishing in Kashmiri.”
However, destiny had its own play and he culminated at Ali Mohammad & Sons.
“It was not a cakewalk there,” he says. “I presented the draft of my manuscript, and they returned it 11 times, saying it needs more refinement, needs more undergirding, needs more editing. It was at the 12th time that they were satisfied with the draft and waved a green flag. It was only then that I was able to get to publishing, and only then my book turned out so well. Had I not undergone that process, perhaps I wouldn’t have produced a book that sold out all of the first editions.”
Having chosen a nonconformist and idiosyncratic approach at a fairly young age, Asif stirs some thought about the ‘why’ of it.
“I’ve been a fervid reader of Kashmiri literature all along,” he says. “There is a void in the genre of novel writing in Kashmiri literature. Not that novels have not been written but just a few, and that is a meager quantity. I wanted to reignite the embers of novel writing and thus I aimed at writing one."
He does see quite a lot of poems in Kashmiri being published by magazines or newspapers, here and there.
“Poetry is vivacious in Kashmiri but prose yet needs significant attention,” he says. “Having absorbed a multitude of novels and prose in literature, I always felt despondent about the precarious condition of novel writing in Kashmir. Highly fond of Russian literature, particularly of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, I’ve read most of his work, which was originally written in the Russian language. Some of his books like ‘Cancer Ward’ or ‘The Gulag Archipelago’ (he won the Nobel Prize for) have fared exceptionally well, and still continue to be translated. People are ardently following his work. Such instances piqued me to think that if literature originally written in Russian can cause such strong undying currents throughout the world, what can possibly stop Kashmiri literature?”
Undoubtedly, he says, Russia is a mammoth community but still, the language is not as domineering as English or other global languages.
“Not going too far for another example, Paulo Coelho’s ‘The Alchemist’ is the talk of every town. It is foreign to none, and must nearly be on everybody’s bookshelf. Nevertheless, not many would be aware that it was originally written in Portuguese, and was later translated into other languages. I asked myself if they can do it, what can possibly stop us, or what is stopping us.”
Literature of other lesser-known languages is taking the world by storm, Asif says, then perhaps Kashmiri literature also has unexplored potential.
"The best thing about any first language is that one tends to think in that language. It is the language of your thoughts in your head. Therefore, when you think and also write in the same language, the organic essence of your thought is preserved in a magical way. The work comes along more intricately with refined artistry. With all these thoughts, I ventured into the world of literature. Not many would read my work but I’m very content with all those who will. Tem chini sirf paran vael kihn, tem chi saran vael (because they are not only readers, they are prudent and sagacious readers.”
So invested in preserving and maintaining the essence and quiddity of the Kashmiri language, Asif has also launched an online program for teaching Kashmiri to the enthusiasts of the language.
Reminiscing the late Rehman Rahi, with a grim expression, Asif calls on the veteran’s words expressing love for his language and wanting Kashmiri to be taken to newer horizons so that people would be able to appreciate its beauty and finesse more.
Hooked on the same thought, Asif says he conceived the idea of starting his Kashmiri Speaking Classes (formerly named – Kashir Booel). Doling out free classes at first, Asif wanted to set about a welcoming space for the enthusiasts of the language
But certain people would join just for the purpose of poking fun at others or for the merry chase, without any zeal or interest to learn. Therefore, I arrived at charging money for the classes to keep away all the nuisance,” remarks Asif. “I’ve had students from distant places like Goa and New Zealand. Eleven successful batches have been accomplished hitherto, while not charging for the first four batches. I’ve observed fervor and assiduity in a lot of learners of Kashmiri as a language. I’ve regained the momentum now, and the ongoing batch is of 27 students and we are going well.”
These Kashmiri Speaking Classes are the first of their kind and Asif says that he wants to get them to prominence and make many more people aware.
These Kashmiri Speaking Classes are the first of their kind and Asif says that he wants to get them to prominence and make many more people aware.
Studying Kashmiri Literature, Asif is pursuing Masters at Central University Kashmir. To start with, he wrote for Sangarmal and Cultural Academy, sometimes short stories and poetry at others.
Reflecting on the rejections faced by writers with publishing houses, Asif evinces, “Rejection is a cure for any writer. It allows a writer to whittle out gems from gold. It pushes a writer to add so much more depth and profusion of vision, leading a writer to higher levels of confidence. At this stage, writers also develop great faith in their work, and patience propels them to make much more attempts. It is then that they know, perhaps some will reject but not all will or if today is not the time, tomorrow it has to be. Manifold, I was also rejected, however, today Khwaban Khyalan Manz is undergoing translation and we shall be reaching out to Harper Collins for it.”
The young Kashmiri author considers reading as oxygen for a writer. “One has to have an ocean of books within,” he says. “Often while reading, a writer comes to realize their style of writing and finds resonance with other writers. As I was reading Akhtar Moihuddin and Sadat Hassan Manto, I really resonated with their form and style of writing. Having explored that, I absorbed their work more extensively and also refined and improvised on my writing as well. That’s how reading makes a difference.”
Accentuating his words clearly for a stronger emphasis, Asif talks about hastened publishing, editing and mentorship in Kashmir.
"It took me six months to write the book but took me three years to taste satisfaction or to roll onto the stage where I felt ready to publish,” he recalls. “In those three years, I ground away all that I could for the book. I reshaped and revamped the characters, made changes to important climactic events, and read and wrote over and over. I’m not a great writer, I’ve a lot to learn yet, but I keep trying. I believe a writer should beam with contentment when they see their work on paper, and if that happens, it is only after that they should think of publishing. A writer must be happy and content with their work for others to like it.”
Mentorship in Kashmir, he believes, needs attention. “Our natural reflex is to run to our teachers for help. We tend to think they will rectify our mistakes and review our work. However, the worst I got to hear was that you have written a book, so do you think that is the end of the world? When things tell upon your self-respect, it does pull you down rendering you demotivated. I did think of giving up on the idea of publishing my book until I met Shafi Shauq and he guided my way forward. I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Shabir Ahmed Ganaie, who I could turn to for help with editing. Had I not crossed paths with them at a science fiction symposium, perhaps I would not have published.”
To market a book efficiently, critiques and reviews are fairly paramount, Asif avers. “It stirs the talks about the book in the literary circles and things follow from there onwards. The extra onus, I feel, also falls upon the writer, and the writer must be areligious and apolitical in their work.”
"My book is an allegory and a factual fiction, as I call it, and it’s about a boy who is dismissed and disdained by his community as a bad omen. The turn of events is such that the boy happens to be a blessing for another community at a place he travels to. Arham, the name of the boy meets a girl Isra, and both of them find a reflection of their lives in each other. The story is set in an Arabian setting and ends with a great climax, thence the name Khwaban Khayalan Manz.”

https://freepresskashmir.news/2023/03/22/rehman-rahis-language-legacy-has-a-new-heir-apparent-and-he-has-a-book-to/

After returning to the game a few months ago after a year or so break, I was genuinely surprised to see that instead of a wealth of new content to enjoy, it was just... a series of interface changes.
It got me thinking about how the game developers appear to be in a ridiculous rut. Where's the innovation? Why does the game feel more stale than it did during Goison? If you hadn't noticed, nearly every major update over the last few years has been nothing more than a 'rework' of previous content, or useless art pieces:

• Rework King Tower progression.
• Rework ladder.
• Rework badge system.
• Rework Clan Wars.
• Rework chests.
• And up next, reworking Pass Royale.

There's such a lack of anything new. Champions (the last major new addition to the game, which in reality are just a set of new cards!) were released nearly 18 months ago! Magic items 2 years ago! Each season is cut and paste (which the Pass Royale might change in some form, but it looks like it's just going from stagnant A to stagnant B), the challenges are just subtle variations of the same theme, the rewards are all... the same.
The 2023 roadmap doesn't seem to be giving up on the trend, either. Starting with the Pass Royale rework, leading into an events tab rework, leading into "new gameplay" which effectively is adding a major grind to try and entice players to stay and add "powers", which are described in a similar way to champions effects.
The small team mentality works in some cases, but it really feels like it doesn't work here. The devs are clearly out of ideas, and if they have any, there's no motivation to implement anything. The game has lost that finesse it once had, and has instead devolved into a cyclic, stagnant borefest.
Just my opinion, anyway.

I found a great deal on a 2021 motorcycle that was bought new from the dealership. First owner only put 150 miles on it and already wants to sell.
The own let won’t let me drive the bike home and then send him the plates to return to the RMV, so I am thinking of having him driving it over here to test ride.
I have heard that starting a bike cold will help you hear any engine problems or sputtering. Since this bike is nearly brand new, is it worth the gamble to not hear it start up cold?
Thank you all in advance!

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Memory transcript subject: Chris, Human Student Date: [standardized human time] October 28th, 2136
After having lunch Aioni I headed to my next class which was history class about the federation. I didn’t really listen that much in this class. I then realized I needed to use the bathroom so I raised my hand.
“Oh yes Chris?” The Venlil teacher looked over at me.
“I was wondering if I could go use the bathroom?” She nodded and I headed out the door towards the bathroom. I entered and saw a grey Venlil in-front of one of the urinals so went by the one closest to the wall. He then saw me and his wool puffed up.
“O-oh hello your t-the new human here” he was shaking. I tried to not pay attention to him.
“Look I-I -“ before he could finish I looked over to him.
“Hey man look alright, can you like stop talking” he stared at me for a bit.
“It’s just I can’t focus with you talking alright so can you please be quiet?” We then stared a bit and then he nodded and soon left. I was still there when an alarm went off.
“What the hell?” I looked at the red box with the blinking lights. Must be a fire alarm. I was about to leave when I noticed someone in a stall who was just shaking.
“Hey man come on we got to go” I looked over at the stall.
“I can’t, I don’t want to be out there with you” I was now just plain confused at this point.
“What the hell are you talking about there’s a fire and we need to get out of here” I could still him shaking so opened the door, wow did he forget to lock it? I picked him up and ran towards an exit.
“PUT ME DOWN YOU VICIOUS PREDATOR!” His claws hitting my back, I could feel some of his quills near my head.
“Bro shut up we need to get out” I got near the door and walked outside to see most of the other students in groups. I then put the Gojid down.
“Alright so you go find your class and I’ll find mine” I then started walking when I saw Vila and her friends, it looked like they were being harassed by some green Krakotl. I walked up behind him and tapped him from behind.
“WHAT DO YOU WA-!” He froze when he saw me and his feathers were shaking.
“What is going on over here” I turned to Vila.
“That’s Carim he just won’t stop bothering us” I then turned to the green Kratotl.
“Why are you harassing them for?” I then pulled the Kratotl over to a tree.
“Look I won’t do it again please I swea-“ I clasped his beak shut and looked him dead in the eyes.
“If you ever do that again, I’m going to tie you to a branch and chuck you into the ocean alright?” He stared at me shaking with fear in his eyes and then he nodded. I patted his shoulder and headed back to Vila.
“Chris what did you say to him?” I looked at Vila and her friends, lots of people were looking at us.
“Oh I simply made him an offer he couldn’t refuse” soon after the lights stopped blaring and we headed back inside. The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly, the last class was a physical class with games. I soon headed out and saw Vila and we started to walk home.
“So how was your lunch with Aioni?” I looked at Vila as I took my mask off, damn that thing will take some getting used to.
“Pretty well I actually got her number too” Vila then looked at me surprised.
“No way you serious?” I took out my holo-pad and showed her. Just then I got a text from her. She was asking if I wanted to hangout some time today. I replied yes. We agreed to meet at the park in a bit once we got our stuff home.
“You lucky guy you already have a date” I blushed as I thought about it as I turned to Vila.
“What are you talking about it’s a hangout” we soon arrived at home and I went to my room to get something to wear. I picked out hoodie with a plaid jacket over it with some pants and white shoes. I then exited my room when I got text from her saying she’s ready to meet up. I then headed out the door and toward the park.

I can skip the specifics because if I start to write out everything that happened, this post will take me 4 hours to write. I was lied to and manipulated for about a year. It was the weirdest situation I've ever been in and I still can't heal from it. It made me lose all trust in myself, my judgment, and other women.
It's been about a year since it's fully been over and it feels like I'm just as messed up as when I was in the situation. I don't want to go out with my friends because I'm afraid I'll run into her and break down. I can't focus on work because I'm constantly thinking of what happened and I feel shitty. I've dated people and destroyed the relationships because of how I perceive women now. I can't go to my favorite spots because she frequents them. I'm about to go to a bachelor party but I'm afraid of the going out scene and the memories it brings up. I live kind of near her and have ran into her several times with a guy she's dating and it makes me so angry that she's just fine and everything is okay. I go out of my way to avoid her and can't go to my favorite park to let my dog play.
I don't know where to turn or what to do. I've been in therapy and it doesn't help. My therapist has given me several things to try and when it comes time to implement them, they don't help. I've told my friends about what's going on and they just tell me that I shouldn't be depressed or sad about anything. I'm tall, attractive, make good money, I'm funny, in great shape, and have zero confidence in myself. Anyone I try to explain this to thinks I'm being a wimp because things look like they're doing great on the outside. It makes me more depressed that I have so much going for me and I feel so shitty constantly.
I want to know this will end and I'll find someone great. It doesn't make sense how someone can turn my whole world upside down.
TL/DR: I don't know where else to turn. I was in a very toxic situation with someone for about a year (2 years ago) and it has quite literally ruined most aspects of my life.

"Trend following is as much about observing and understanding human behavior as it is about moving averages, breakouts, and position sizing."

Michael Covel

Human emotions’ arbitrage. Being a realist who buys from pessimists and sells to optimists. This is the backbone of the trading philosophy of trend following traders.
What do trend followers aim at capturing and profit from? Trending prices … thank you very much haha. But what is it exactly that they are trying to capture?
You will never hear me saying that rationality is not a key factor when it comes to driving the markets. 95% of the time it does. But what really pays the salary of a trend follower, what really makes up for the roughly 7 losing trades they take from every 10, is the irrationality that every now and then kicks in and drives trends to stratospheric levels.
What is it that tends to be at the root of these moments of insanity? Herding. FOMO. The fear of missing out. That market environment when people are squeezed into buying … Tesla, Bitcoin, Real Estate, Tulips and many other manias, right now … or living with the unbearable pain of not only not becoming filthy rich should the price of that asset go to the moon, but also living in a state of anxiety for having to attend barbecues with friends and hearing them bragging about how they have just made a ton of money with Bitcoin.
That market atmosphere where cab drivers and strippers become stock picking specialists.
That market atmosphere where the econs start claiming that asset valuation is about to enter a new paradigm, a paradigm of never ending growth, a paradigm where the old metrics are obsolete and if you don’t buy right now, you will be left alone in your poverty haha.
I am sure this sounds familiar to you. Perhaps too familiar. Although we, human beings, tend to have short memories and forget that these moments have happened .., they keep on showing up cyclically since as far as financial history has started the record.
These moments happen in every scale, so although their climax happens throughout the times of insanity described above, they appear nearly every day with different extents.
Trend followers are just specialists in capturing this euphoria … or put in other words, similar yet with an important inner difference: Trend followers are just specialists at exposing themselves to the possibility of capturing these moments.
Like with every other endeavor in life … success is never a guarantee. Like with many other endeavors in life, not every attempt they make results in success. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Trend followers have losing trades with much higher frequency than winning trades.
What does this imply? They don’t know which assets are going to fly like Bitcoin or Real Estate once did. They just know the following:

• The odds are their next trade is a loser.
• There are a handful of assets out there, whose trend will pay for all these losers, break-even, bills and … still yield them a hefty profit.

This is the core. From these two premises, anyone can draw that there are some other equally extremely important things a trend follower must know, should he want to succeed:

• They must know that in order to catch that winner, they must remain alive, their account must remain in good shape at all costs.
• They must know that in order to remain alive, they need to cut losers short.
• They must know that in order to remain alive they must disperse their bets and not bet too big.
• They must know that in order to benefit from herding, they need to let winners run until the trends reverse.
• They must know how to identify and quantify the beginning of a trend and the reversal of the same.
• They must know that in order to guarantee the above premises they need to hoard and cultivate a rock solid emotional discipline so that they can take all these tiny losses lightly … so they can’t fall prey to the same emotions they are aiming at profiting from … so they don’t exitate when their entry signal manifests.
• They must trust their plan at all times. And in order to trust their plan they must test it to exhaustion beforehand and they must possess financial history knowledge.

Trading is so simple. It is. Really.
Good buy and sell rules can be sketched on the back of a napkin.
It’s their execution that requires a deeper level of knowledge, most of it pertaining to self-knowledge, knowledge about emotional management, knowledge about human behavior …
… this journey is beautiful.
Cheers,
Ruben

Hey everyone so here’s my situation: had no stomach problems until November 2018 when I had a massive weed induced panic attack that caused me to have DPDR, a severe anxiety disorder. Shortly after that, the UC started. Fast forward 5 years and a lot of suffering as well as multiple doctors, I started and have been in Entyvio now since November and have seen some pretty good results, but I’m still not in full remission. The bleeding and pain has stopped, however the urgent need to go and damn near incontinence, even with solid stool, has yet to go away. I also always feel bloated and constantly feel like I need to go, almost like constipation but it’s a 50/50 shot of whether it’s just swelling, or an hour and a half ordeal in the trenches. It’s frustrating because the urgency has kept me from getting a normal job and leaves me limited to just remote work, where as if urgency wasn’t an issue, I could work manual labor even. Either way, I’m not scared of having an ostomy bag, but idk if it’s the near impossible task of finding a remote job making me impatient, or if I just don’t know when to call the fight a lost cause and advocate to get the damn thing ripped out, but I’m unsure when the appropriate time is to advocate for that kind of step. I’m just looking for advice and different perspectives on my situation.

uuugghhh i (19, trans guy) haven't had sex in like. four fucking years n haven't had a relationship in nearly two years and im just so so so sexually and romantically frustrated. i have worked very hard on my self worth in that time in knowing that i don't need a boyfriend/partner and have found fulfillment from my friendships and my art and working on my future goals. in general, i am in a good place, i am a well rounded person. but now i rlly want someone to share it with :((
it's not even like i haven't been trying, it's just that i'm autistic so a standard gay baparty would probably make me have a meltdown. and using dating apps when u don't know how 2 drive and still live w ur parents sounds. rough lmao. every guy/person i meet irl who im rlly into is either:
•super taken already
•straight ?? somehow ??
•hung up on my dick/lack thereof :((
and as for the sexual side [minors PLS don't read further] it just fucking sucks the only sexual relationship i've ever had was when i was pre t and didn't know what i wanted and didn't know what a strap on was and i hated myself !! now im in a much better position to take charge of my pleasure and understand what i want...now where are the guys/ppl who will make out with me one day during a casual hang out and realize they want me so bad and they're also in love w me !!
idk, anyone in a position like me ? how do u deal with Da Yearning lmaoo

Age: 27 Sex: Male Race: White Nationality: Canadian Residence: Norway Weight: ~70 kilos Duration: approximately a week Issue: Near complete constipation, and mild abdominal pain after having an allergic reaction to a meal Medical history, medications: Nothing of note, this is the first time I've experienced this. No medications.
Question: is anyone here able to tell me what's going on in this CT scan? I was given copies after my appointment, however I have to wait for my doctor to get back to me. Not going to use this to inform treatment, just more curious about what is happening here, and what it tells you. Scan: https://i.imgur.com/5fy5YTe.png

I'm looking to buy my first luxury watch with the goal of passing it down to my son in ~20 years. I have a pretty specific set of criteria that I've been able to almost meet but have yet to find a watch that ticks all my boxes. Can anyone help?
Must Haves

1. Ideally $4k MSRP or less, with a hard cap at $5k
2. Steel bracelet (or option to buy steel bracelet that fits the case)
3. Automatic movement
4. Between 36mm to 40mm case size, max lug-to-lug of 48mm (and that's pushing it for my 6.25 in. / 15.9 cm wrists)
5. Manufacturer that will be around in a few decades to service the watch, buy replacement straps, etc.
6. 50m or greater water resistance
7. Antimagnetic enough for daily use
8. Sapphire crystal
9. Exhibition caseback

Nice to Haves

1. Arabic numerals (does not have to be all hours)
2. 100m or greater water resistance
3. Movement that can be serviced by independent watchmakers
4. COSC chronometer or similar accuracy

So far the watches I've found that come close are:

1. Nomos Club Sport 37mm - My current favorite and ticks almost every box, but my main concerns are the long lug-to-lug (again, tiny wrists) and the amount of polish leading to scratches. I'd be less worried if Nomos sold the bracelet separately since I could just pick up a spare and use that for when I pass the watch on, but they don't.
2. Tag Heuer Carrera 39mm - Love this almost as much as the Nomos, but the 20.5mm lug width has me worried I'll be locked in to the default bracelet.
3. Oris Big Crown Pointer Date 38mm - Nearly perfect except for no steel bracelet. From what I can tell, Oris doesn't make one that fits this model, and the aftermarket bracelets wouldn't hug the case.
4. Longines Spirit 37mm - Also nearly perfect, but no exhibition caseback. Shouldn't be a big deal but it's the kind of thing that would irritate me forever.

Thanks in advance!

Guys, I bought a $40 vcr on Saturday March 18 2023 and by Tuesday March 21, something went wrong with it.
​
started with me rewinding an old copy of the Sixth Sense. Tried working past a certain point and it wouldn’t go further. Tape ended up becoming stuck so I needed to unplug the vcr for cooldown, plugged it back in and then it ejected it halfway. unplugged again and unhooked the whole vcr and then titled the lid to floor and the tape fell out but a big chunk of it became wrinkled beyond repair. Rewound it by finger but it’s finished.
​
then I tested a new tape with Groundhog Day. Film played fine at the last scene previously of bill murray first talking with a Andie McDowell at the German restaurant and it popped out fine. Then I tested the Jimmy neutron film and this is where problems occurred again.
​
it played fine on the last scene of whoever owned it near the end of the spaceship home but once I tried rewinding it, the tape got stuck and I needed to repeat the process with sixth sense of unplugging on cooldown, plug it back to eject partway, unhook everything and shake tape out.
​
is this vcr possibly on its way out? I watched A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and a bit of Disney Robin Hood which all got rewound but I’m worried I wasted $40 on this honking thing. A picture of proof is of what happened to the first chewed up tape.

Is It The Young Guys Hitting the Wall?
A lot of people continually point to this team being “young” and that they are subsequently hitting the wall. While there is no denying that this is a youthful team, the idea that their youth is somehow negatively affecting their results is what bothers me. From my vantage point, the youth is mostly doing their job, or at the very least, they are not entirely responsible for the Sabres defensive demise.
The last couple of weeks have been an absolute trainwreck, anyone who has been watching the games can agree. While there have been moments of something, it’s been a lot more terrible than okay. I decided to look at the last four games where the team’s defensive play was abysmal (5v5 4+ goals allowed - which excludes the games against the Rangers, Leafs, and Capitals). Admittedly, this is a pretty random 4 game sample, but we’ll look at a bigger picture after.
I’m using Quinn, Peterka, Krebs, and Power as my focus as those are the young guys (rookies, or near rookies). I’ve left out Samuelsson, although we can add him in later if necessary.
March 9 vs Dallas - 9 Goals Allowed 5v5 (45 skater goals allowed) Quinn - 3, Peterka - 2, Krebs, 2, and Power - 3 Not great, but far from the problem. That adds up to 10 goals out of 45, less than 25%.
March 17 vs Philadelphia - 4 Goals Allowed (20 skater GA) Quinn - 1, Peterka - DNP, Krebs - 0, and Power - 0 Wow, 1 out of 20 goals. Not at all the problem.
March 19 vs Boston - 6 Goals Allowed (30 skater GA) Quinn - 2, Peterka - 2, Krebs - 1, and Power - 2 Not great, but again, far from the problem sitting at less than 25%.
Last night vs Nashville - 6 Goals Allowed (30 skater GA) Quinn - 0, Peterka - 0, Krebs - 1, and Power - 1 That’s 2 out of 30. Yea, that’s not the issue either.
So in this admittedly small and random sample we have 2 games where the young guys were about average, and 2 games where they weren’t at all responsible for the defensive lapses (at least compared to their teammates).
As I said, this is a very small sample, it’s more pointing to the fact that the young guys haven’t been responsible for the poor defensive play recently - at least not enough that has created negative results.
So let’s look at a larger sample, say, since Feb 1 (I haven’t, but I’m sure you can roll the dates and things wouldn’t change significantly). Looking at rate stats (per 60) and 5v5 let’s see where the young guys rank at Goals Allowed.
Quinn - 18, Peterka - 12, Krebs - 19, and Power - 20.
I mean, that’s incredible. Not “hitting the wall” in the least bit.
The collapse we have seen in the second half (.40 pt%) of the season has not been due to the youth and inexperience of this team. There’s something much more significant at play. I’ve made my opinion known on multiple occasions. Let’s just stop pinning the blame on the young guys.

Hello, my dear Riot Games enjoyers,
I am here to tell you a little story I encountered this week.
So the story is about Riot and their punishment system, as you have read in the title. To get into detail, Sunday I got my account banned for two weeks after a match, where I played Qiyana and we lost with me standing 1/14/0. For sure I ran it down a little, but it was a normal game and I did not troll. The game was lost in the 10th minute and my mate already went AFK in the 20th minute when, for some reason, we didn't surrender the game.
So far a normal day of League of Legends, but like 5 minutes after the game, I got banned for two weeks and I didn't know why.
I looked up the reason on the Riot Games Support website, but there was only an article that was written like I got banned for negative behavior and flaming. The classic shit.
I wanna mention, that my Team and All Chat is turned off basically since I started playing the game three years ago. So I never really flamed someone for anything in the chat.
So in this article is written down that I got reported for negative behavior and flaming too often, so I got banned for that.
I thought at that moment, that this is a mistake because I never do that or to be more clear I actually can't flame anyone in the chat because it is turned off for like 2.5 years now.
under that part of the article is a button that says: "REVIEW YOUR CHAT LOGS" so I clicked it.
And then I started laughing over the irony of the greatest indie company in the world. There it says: "Players have reported you 0 times in the past 20 games for negative or abusive behaviors in chat."
After I read that, I instantly made a ticket for the support, because I still thought it must be a mistake. I never saw so much Riot Games stuff at the same time.
So Yesterday I received an answer from Riot.
But in the answer, it says that there was no mistake and that I did not get banned for flaming in the chat, but for inting and getting reported for that multiple times.
At that point, I lost every hope that was left inside of me, for Riot Games.
On that account, I don't have any ranked games this season and in ranked games, I only tryhard and go for the win. In normal games, I obviously don't go for the win every time, because I play for fun. So if it's lost or I don't want to play the game anymore I die more than in other games and sometimes I get reported, but that's normal League stuff.
Sometimes I also leave the game because my team doesn't want to ff a lost game or just keeps us hostage. I know that's not good behavior, but I didn't get banned for that and it's in normal games. I sometimes have a Leaver Buster cause I left too many normal games. I accept that it is a fair punishment.
So if the Riot support guy/girl didn't lie to me, it has an impact on the system if you report someone for inting.
The point I want to make is, that the only thing I did was not tryhard every game and tried to win every game, because I play for fun, and if the game is for example lost and the score is 5-25 I don't just run it down mid or troll or anything that's near to that, but I just leave the game because I don't have any fun in playing this game until someone's Nexus explodes or just don't give a shit anymore about that game and get a little bit more deaths. My question is, what does Riot want from me when i don't have fun in the Game? Or when your Teammates just hold you hostage? When you take the amounts of punishment you get from each option, then Riot wants us to AFK.
But is AFKing so bad when you don't have fun in the game and you just wasting your time in it?
A funny thing is, my mate just left the game and watched Youtube, while I was playing out the game. And I got a ban, but he just got a
1-minute leaver buster...
Today I replayed to the answer, but I don't have another answer at this time, I will keep you updated if there is something new in this situation.
Stay safe and unbanned guys and girls
And have fun playing ranked :)

Hi all, hope everyone is doing ok!
I have been taking Cipralex for nearly a month now (started 10mg on Feb 24th) I felt great for the first couple of weeks but recently (mostly this week) my old issues have been creeping up on me. (Sense of dread, GAD, health anxiety).
I’ve taken the medication at the same time each day since starting.
Should I consult my GP about this or let the medication play it’s course?
Thanks everyone.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/march-21-2023
As you know, I try to write this record of modern America from the perspective of what stories will matter in 150 years (about the span between the present and the Civil War).
So, for all the chop in the water about the former president facing indictments, the story that really seems uppermost to me today is the visit China’s president Xi Jinping made today to Moscow for a meeting with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.
National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters today that China and Russia would both like “to see the rest of the world play by their rules rather than the ones that…are enshrined in the U.N. Charter and what everybody else is…following.” Kirby said the White House sees the relationship of Xi and Putin as a “marriage of convenience.” He explained:
“In President Putin and Russia, President Xi sees a counterweight to American influence and NATO influence certainly on the continent and elsewhere around the world. In President Xi, President Putin sees a potential backer.” Putin needs Xi’s support because of his misadventure in Ukraine. There, Kirby said, Putin is “blowing through inventory. He’s blowing through manpower. His military is getting embarrassed constantly. They’ve lost greater than 50 percent of the territory that they took in the first few months of this war. He needs help from President Xi, and that’s what this visit was all about.”
“Now,” he added, “whether it results in anything, we’ll see.”
When a reporter asked Kirby if Xi would provide lethal aid to Russia, Kirby answered, “We don’t think that China is taking it off the table, but they haven’t moved in that direction. We’ve seen no indication that they’re about to or — or fixing to provide lethal weapons.”
The Institute for the Study of War concluded that the outcome of the meeting was likely less than Putin wanted. It noted that Putin represented the meeting as showing the two countries working together against an adversarial West, while Xi only said the two countries were working together. This is a significant step down from the stance China took before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, in which it declared it had a “no limits partnership” with Russia, suggesting China is not inclined to give Russia all the support it needs for that war.
Putin has been trying to rally states in Africa to his cause and likely hoped Xi would help that effort, but he did not.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia put out a statement deepening their cooperation, but Sam Greene, Director for Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and Professor of Russian Politics at King's College London, noted that the economic benefits of the statement all flowed from Russia to China, including Russia’s announcement that it will use yuan for foreign transactions with Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
“This summit…brings home exactly how much Putin has lost,” Greene wrote. “Prior to the war—even after 2014—Putin occupied a position of strategic maneuverability. He could arbitrage between east and west, reaping windfalls for his regime along the way. That’s all gone now. Putin tells his people he's fighting for Russia's sovereignty. In truth, he’s mortgaged the Kremlin to Beijing.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan met with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky today in a surprise trip to Ukraine at Zelensky’s invitation. It is the first visit of a Japanese prime minister to a country at war since World War II and demonstrates Japan’s growing international foreign policy presence. Last month, when Japan pledged $5.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Kishida said: “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not just a European matter, but a challenge to the rules and principles of the entire international community.” Today, he confirmed Japan’s “solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine.”
The next most important issue of the day, to my mind, was President Joe Biden’s designation of two new national monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906: Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada and Castner Range in Texas. These are Biden’s second and third new monument designations. Last fall he created the Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado, and in 2021 he restored the protections to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase–Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments that Trump had removed. Both of the new monuments cover land sacred to Indigenous American tribes. Together, they protect nearly 514,000 acres.
Biden also directed Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to start the process of designating a marine sanctuary in the Pacific covering 777,000 square miles.
Biden is advancing his promise to conserve American lands, but he is also answering criticism of his administration’s approval of the controversial Alaska Willow oil drilling project on March 13. ConocoPhillips had existing leases for the project, and it has bipartisan support in Alaska, where locals expect it will bring jobs and income, so after debate, the administration let the project move forward. But environmentalists and those who recognize the immediate need to address climate change vehemently opposed the project, launched lawsuits immediately, and criticized the president.
“Our national wonders are literally the envy of the world,″ Biden said as he announced the new monuments. “They’ve always been and always will be central to our heritage as a people and essential to our identity as a nation.″
But while conservation groups and tribal members cheered the new designations, the new Republican governor of Nevada, Joe Lombardo, said that the federal government was confiscating Nevada land—a red-hot issue in the home state of the Bundy ranchers who have engaged in armed standoffs with law enforcement officers over public land—and said the new Nevada monument is “a historic mistake that will cost Nevadans for generations to come.”
None of this is to say that Trump’s troubles are not important. Indeed, the indictment of a president is unprecedented, and there is good reason to watch it closely, not least because the Republican Party has tied itself to him so completely it is now responding to the growing tide of legal news by calling for the investigation or even the arrest of those handling Trump’s many lawsuits– an alarming development.
Right now, though, much of what we are seeing is being churned up by Trump himself, and it feels far less important than the fact it appears that neither the legal nor the political momentum is in his favor.
—
Notes:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/03/21/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-nsc-coordinator-for-strategic-communications-john-kirby-10/
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounderussian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-20-2023
📷Sam Greene @samagreeneIf you're looking for the TL;DR on Xi's visit with Putin, it is this: China's domination of Russia is complete. (a 🧵) /15:27 PM ∙ Mar 21, 20233,364Likes1,050Retweets
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/20/asia/japan-ukraine-kishida-zelensky-intl-hnk/index.html
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-designates-avi-kwa-ame-national-monument/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-designates-castner-range-national-monument/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/politics/willow-project-oil-alaska-explained-climate/index.html
https://apnews.com/article/biden-avi-kwa-ame-nevada-conservation-willow-7378dadd793195bcedcc8562241cf54f
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/07/fact-sheet-president-biden-restores-protections-for-three-national-monuments-and-renews-american-leadership-to-steward-lands-waters-and-cultural-resources/

In 2020 I dropped a lot of weight. I gained a little back then lost it and then some due to obvious disordered eating habits. I lost the weight by cutting calories to an increasingly low amount. The following year I started purging and that continued for the next year, purging almost everything I ate. It was great honestly. I got to eat what I wanted and didn't get bigger. But I knew it was only a matter of time til my health would deteriorate.
I decided to get some partial hospitalization help because my husband said he was going to get me help one way or another.
My health was fine upon entering. I was actually in really good condition. My weight was in a healthy range as well. But the clinic saw the potential risks due to my behavior.
Since going into treatment, I've gained nearly half the weight back. I am so fucking unhappy with this. Everything in my life is actually going pretty well, but living in this body again is constant torment. Being in a smaller frame made me feel so much more comfortable. I can't deny that I am afraid of the judgment of others, but if I lived on a deserted island, I'd still be miserable being this size.
I don't know what to do. I'm working with a dietician who's going to teach me intuitive eating, but I don't think there is any way I can get back to my ideal body without counting calories. I've always had a problem with overeating. I'm in a vicious cycle now because I'm so burnt out on thinking about food that I just grab what I want that will make me not hungry and will help me emotionally which translates into overeating high calorie foods. It's even more frustrating that my husband, who started our diet venture originally, has gained a lot back too and is really struggling to even try. So we enable each other big time.
I keep wondering what my extreme ways of eating has done to my body. Did I stretch my stomach out from binging so much over decades that I'm harder to satisfy? Did I wreck my metabolism from restricting/purging? I've read it can be permanent. Could I just pick the weight I want and just stick to that TDEE?
I don't need to see my ribs, be a certain size, or weigh a certain number. I just want to be comfortable and happy again.

Yesterday was terrible! Some students were just awful and the overall environment is so overwhelming for me, i usually have to do a routine of helping the kids find their classes and telling them where to go, and all of them talking to me at once cause a lot of overload, i have to tell them to please get into the line so i can go one by one but they dont listen a lot and find myself repeating myself over and over. Same thing happens with misbehavior in class, and it just get tiring after a while i cant imagine doing this type of job for very long or at least becoming a good worker, as im getting too tired to keep disciplining the students/telling them to behave/correct for long period of time and them not listening.
The main teacher tells the student to please stop talking and making noise while she teaches and while a student is playing (this is music class) and then a few seconds later they go back to making noise or trying to sneak into making noise and i find myself having to remind them every 5 minutes even the main teacher! When i took them to the lunch room for a break for the class they run around, misbehave, one kid drew something and told me to guess it and i didnt know what it was and he was like 'what kind of teacher are you, you dont know anything'' i told him sternly that is not nice to say and he should be respectful!
Then the kids kept drawing poop and giving it to me as a present and thought it was funny, one girl wrote stupid on someones drawing for me and told them to 'give it to me' when i called her out seriously she denied saying she wrote that! she also lies a lot and is a troublemaker
in another class i helped the teacher to try to quiet the class down and one kid mockingly told me 'okay miss'' and was waving his hands and mocking my voice and tone, i told him again that is not nice and to quit that or i will get the principal here, and i just walked away because i felt i was gonna snap as i was already in a bad mood and i still heard him mocking me, a little more quietly behind my back. another girl gave me attitude when i asked her if that was her stuff, she also asked me why do i do walk with my hands in a certain way and another said why do i have a lot of hair on my arms,, i admit that got to me a little bit as i been self conscious about those things
While there are some sweet and good kids, the overall atmosphere is taking toll on me, i do need money so im trying to hang in there until i can find another job.
What a nightmare. My coworkers are hit and miss, some are not so supportive or friendly, one coworker dislikes me for no reason, she talks to everyone but me, she avoids me, dont not speak to me, is hostile with me, i saw her yesterday, i had to pass her and the thing she carried was blocking the entrance, i gestured i needed to pass and she gave me a cold look and just pressed her hand to move the thing away. I really did not like her vibe or her attitude with me!
im near my period too my mood swigns are all over the place. im trying to find another job but no luck, my past experience have just been with kids but im tired of childcare and want to work in an office or somewhere more peaceful and less noisy with more mature coworkers!

So, I’ve always loved dermatology and I want to practice dermatology as a PA. I have cold called hundreds of dermatology offices near me and finally one got back to me about a medical assistant role. During the interview and job offer they told me that the only hard part would is telling the patient that they have cancer…I’ve worked as an MA for a cardio before but I NEVER did that. How do I even approach this during a visit with a patient or even on a phone call in reference to a biopsy report?

Part 3
Part 2
Part 1
As alternate me drove south, the pop music station switched back to the news channel. Whatever was going to happen in Washington DC in the alternate reality, I was screwed. My heart began to race as I pondered the possibilities. Building smashing would be insane, a creature dump would be the worst thing to get caught up in, an EMP Bubble complete with gassing would be terrifying as hell too, but I guess it would be a quick way to go. The entire city exploding would most likely be quick as well. Either way, and no matter how quick death could be, I didn't want to die at all.
Hopefully a task force made up of various other alternate me's would come rescue me. That's of course probably just a dream in the reality I'm in. For sure there is a team of alternate me's rescuing other alternate me's in some area of the multiverse. It's possible, so it's happening in some set of realities. I hope they come here too.
At around 8 AM, my stomach was rumbling. Luckily, my alternate self got the memo. Unfortunately, her response was cruel.
"Hungry back there? You don't need to eat anyway. It's not going to matter."
I'd probably find something to eat somewhere anyway. Hopefully…
Nothing new came up in the news. It was just talk about the three giants who attacked the UK. Other than that, the news reporters talked about the crashing worldwide economy on account of the Northeast China and Japan EMP Bubbles, the refugees emerging from EMP bubbles and claiming to have seen giants spraying gas on cities and towns, world leaders' reactions to the attacks, and the fall of the CCP, Russia, North Korea, Iran, the UK, Japan, along with the slow torture of the US. The reporters speculated about what the giants may want.
"They're taking out thousands of people in an obviously coordinated way, but we still don't know what they want."
"They for sure want us to be scared, and we definitely are, but yeah, why are they killing certain people who have no proven connection to each other?"
"Maybe that's part of their point. Make us go insane at their uncertainty."
As I browsed the internet, I came across a discussion thread claiming the giants were good because they were destroying all the fascist and flawed democratic governments. The comments of course disagreed, saying killing people is not the answer. It won't end fascism. Curious, I scrolled down to the very bottom to read the least popular comments.
"Yeah.. these giants are transforming this world for the better. Hopefully when their attacks are finished we can rebuild where they helped us out and just be better to each other"
Right… they helped us out… sure.
"Why are people expecting democracy in the aftermath of this? We need stronger leaders who can see past hypocrisy"
Giving people rights means being weak?
And of course… the craziest one.
"These attacks came out of nowhere. How? You're telling me giant titanic beings just popped out of nowhere and nobody had any foreknowledge? The government will do absolutely anything to control their citizens. China has collapsed? North Korea too? Even Iran? Yeah this was coordinated."
Because everyone's psychic and somehow knew beings like these would pop out of nowhere and catch everybody off guard? Also the UK, Canada, and Japan were attacked too. Why would the US attack its own allies? And itself? Especially its own facilities? This must be one of those every elite is a demonic Illuminati puppet theorist.
Hilarious comments aside, it's scary how people can believe just about anything is planned by the government. Demonic giants from who knows where cannot be the fault of any government. But that aside, there was yet another rabbit hole I stumbled down. On an obscure part of Reddit, there was a group who called themselves the Children of Satan's Titans. At first, I thought it was satirical, but as I read their posts, it was clear they were being serious. They thought the giants were bringing on armageddon and that they were supposed to lead the world after all is said and done. They even came up with nicknames for the giants.
The one that attacked Manhattan was the Grim Baron The one that attacked first was the Mother of Destruction for being the first giant to attack The one that forced Justin Trudeau into hiding was Lacertosis The giant duo who first attacked Newmarket and Aurora, Ontario were called the Ignis Duo
…and the list went on. The cult had come up with latin-translation names for each confirmed giant so far. There were 45 confirmed giants.
The car came to a stop. I slid my phone into my pocket and anticipated the worst. The three got out of the car. My alternate self's two cronies opened the trunk and told me to get out and to follow my alternate self or I'd be hit with another dart. I climbed out of the trunk, stepping onto a parking lot. As my alternate self began to walk, I followed. Cars were driving up and down the road, people were walking on the sidewalks. It was pretty busy. That made it even more saddening, as I knew the city was about to be attacked by giants.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Don't talk," alternate me said.
My alternate self was such a psycho. But why? What led her to berating every other version of her? How many times has this whole sort of thing happened? It can't be the first time. If it is, then that's a good thing… She isn't very experienced in this… but I can't let optimism cloud my judgment, especially with the pit of dread in my stomach. I was probably going to suffer whether I survived or not.
I want out of this hostel shit.
The three told me to wait outside a Starbucks. As I stood outside, I checked Reuters for some updates on the attacks. Interestingly, there weren't any. Once the three walked back out, we continued walking.
Over the following ~two hours, the three took me on a tour of the city. However, it was more of a goodbye tour, with my alternate self making snarky comments at every tourist attraction. I'll just list the stuff she said and the places we went to.
When we stopped in front of the White House…
"See this magnificent building here? It's about to be swarmed by a mass of wild creatures. Hope the president makes it out alive."
When we walked by the Smithsonian National Museum…
"All the lovely stuff in there is going to be torn to pieces"
When we walked by the Washington Monument…
"Creatures are going to scale that thing looking for guts to eat"
When we walked by the Capitol Building…
"Creatures this time, and 100 times worse"
When we walked by the Supreme Court of the United States…
"Ever wanted to cut the court in half? Well here we are"
When we walked by the National Academy of Sciences…
"New stuff to put in science books. History books even. Imagine if you had a 21st Century history book and could know how the rest of this century unfolds for this timeline."
While her comments were presented as if they were light, they creeped me the hell out. She was joking about my likely death and reminding me of all the terrible things that were about to happen. What kept me most on edge was the uncertainty of when the creatures would be dumped. There being no updates about the attacks gave me a calm before the storm vibe too. I began to jump at the sight of dogs running by. The Ian and Billy behind me couldn't stop giggling each time.
At the end of the tour, my alternate self led me to what at first looked like the entrance to a subway train station. It was called Dupont Underground. Alternate me led me down some concrete stairs and stopped at a door. She turned to me while pulling her phone out.
"I'm going to show you something from a different reality," she said, with a sinister look in her eyes. "This timeline, but one month from now."
She tapped around for a minute, then she held her phone in front of my eyes. A video was playing. The camera operator walked down a deserted city road. Every car was stalled in the middle of the road with shattered windows and some had huge body dents. I saw the Dupont Underground sign and realized it was the street we were on. The camera operator took a right down the concrete steps. At the bottom was a body covered in blood and fleshy holes. The camera operator walked up to the body and zoomed in on its face. I recognized her. It couldn't be. But it probably was.
"This is you after having your guts sucked out by creatures," alternate me said.
My heart sank. An odd eeriness overtook me. That was me. Dead. My unmoving body laying on the ground. I was looking at my own corpse. I had never seen a dead alternate version of me before. That was about to be me. Technically it was an alternate version of me, but it mirrored what was going to happen to me. I shivered with dread.
"I… I'm…… I'm going to be eaten alive"
"Oh suck it up," alternate me said.
"Yeah," Ian added.
"Don't cry too much," Billy added.
"Don't cry?" I asked. "I was shown my fate you shit!"
"And there's no way to avoid it," alternate me said. "Now, we're taking you for another walk. This time, just a stroll."
"What is the point exactly?" I asked.
"Exercise," alternate me shrugged.
My alternate self took me on a long walk up north. She didn't say a word to me. Neither did Billy or Ian. I made sure to keep my mouth shut, anxious I'd be taken into a back alley and be injected with fire ants of all things. After an hour of walking, I became exhausted. My knees felt like they were going to snap, I was sweating all over, and my breaths were shallow. My stomach began to ache from not eating. I was still too anxious to talk. We went to a McDonald's, but alternate me told me I wasn't allowed to have anything. She had to have been taunting me.
We walked north for another exhaustive aching hour. I was thirsty as fuck. We stopped at a convenience store where alternate me gave me a water bottle. It wasn't something I expected, but I guess he did it just so I wouldn't faint from heat exhaustion. It made the following hour of walking refreshing, but my stomach was still numb. At least we were walking back though. But it dawned on me that it only meant my death was closer than ever. The pit of dread in my stomach deepened, distracting me from the numbness in my stomach. There was a hint of sadness behind every thought I had. I played a song in my head as I continued to follow behind my alternate self. The songs I heard in the Creature Dump Aftermath footage. Just me playing the memory I had of them back in my head calmed me down a bit. For the following hour after that, I anticipated the moment where my legs would just give out. The three psychos would have to understand, but they probably wouldn't… and so I just kept walking, hoping my legs wouldn't give out.
After four hours of walking, I could see the White House right up ahead. I needed a break. I thought it was over, but then we began circling the freaking Washington strip.
I thought I could give out in a place where there were no back alleyways or any place of the sort. I'd get quite a bit of attention. Maybe too much for my alternate self to handle even with two others. But I'd still be in the city… damnit. There was no way I could run either, being exhausted like hell.
Finally, after circling the Washington strip a tenth time, my alternate self told me I could sit down on a nearby park bench, but that I still couldn't eat. I took the offer and rested on the empty bench. Euphoria was all I felt for a good minute, then my adrenaline went back up.
She's letting me rest. Finally… Yes…. I'm going to die but this is worth it right now, even though it really isn't.
"Alright, now I'm going to show you something you're going to want to see," Billy said.
Oh god… another horrific video… I assume.
She held her phone in front of my eyes. It was a private Instagram live stream featuring two men who looked around my age.
"Hello, Nicole," said the one on the left. "This is your cousin, Sam."
"I'm your cousin Markus," said the one on the right.
They're my cousins? Oh, okay. What are they doing?
"We're in a room in the Niagara Falls Observatory," Sam said. "We aren't allowed to come out. We don't know why."
"We don't know who put us in here," Markus said. "Just two girls. One looked very similar to you… Your doppelganger I guess."
A boom echoed from somewhere off camera.
"What was that?" Markus asked.
Multiple booms began echoing from somewhere offscreen, getting louder and louder and louder. Sam and Markus both looked to their right. The booming stopped. A crashing noise echoed from above, followed by an avalanche-like rumble. Sam and Markus looked up, then the stream ended.
Billy navigated to a YouTube livestream of CTV news helicopter footage. A giant was looking around as missiles struck it. But a background detail caught my eye. The Falls.
What the fuck…? did she just show me a live stream of my cousins' deaths? What the hell…?
She skipped back a minute. The giant smashed the tower down, creating a plume of smoke.
Uhhhhh…
"I hope they treated you well," she said.
"Nicole?!" I shouted at my alternate self, who was standing a meter away from Billy. "That's too far!"
"It was my idea," Billy said with a huge smile on her face.
"You're a fucking psycho!" I shouted and stood up. "Were they from this timeline or my own?!"
Billy stood there with her hand on her hip, continuing to smirk. "I'm not telling you," she said. She turned around and walked away. Ian and my alternate self followed.
"Where are you going?" I shouted.
"Have fun," alternate me said as she walked away.
The three walked out of my sight. I stared on, once again wondering what the hell made them so psychotic. They're just evil versions of people. That's all I knew.
I checked the time. 6:35 PM. I sat down and teared up. I was about to be eaten by wild gut sucking creatures. A girl just executed my cousins.
I'm still trapped in this dark reality.
At least I won't have to deal with those three ever again… or anybody…
How painful is it going to be? I don't want to go out in pain… but it looks like that's going to happen.
There's no way I can get out of here before the creatures come. At least, I assume so. Wait… what if my alternate self gave me enough time to get out of DC, but wanted me to think she left me alone because the creatures would be here in a matter of minutes after he left? I was probably overthinking, but I'm not going to take that chance. I need to get out of here while I can.
I trekked in a random direction. South. I wasn't going anywhere near Dupont Underground. My heart sank at the thought of being there. But I wasn't going to stop without eating. I marched into a convenience store and bought anything I could, then I found a park bench and ate everything I had just bought. I was met with some acid reflux in my mouth due to my guts clenching at the idea I may be overthinking alternate me's possible plan, but other than that, I stomached it pretty well.
But as I was eating, I overheard a conversation a couple of people were having.
"So you think this is the end of the world?"
"Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised at this point."
A little kid began balling their eyes out.
"Mommy, he said the world is going to end!"
"The world isn't going to end… It's just going to be… changed. Different."
"Did you hear about the cluster attacks though? They're going for specific people for sure. I can't wait for this stuff to be figured out," an older voice said.
"Cluster attacks?"
"Yeah those giants hit over 6000 houses and apartment buildings all over the world around an hour ago," the older voice explained.
"Where did you hear that?"
"The news. It's crazy."
"I heard there was an attack in Pittsburgh, but not much information was given about it."
"I haven't heard anything about that attack."
None of them know… I hope they're driving out of the area right about now.
As I walked by a short orange building, an overbearing presence struck me.
"Oh no, oh god," I whispered to myself. "I hope that's all in my head."
The cars driving up the road in my direction slowed and people walking in my direction looked up. Some of them began pointing. Dread overtook me to the point I decided to stop walking. I froze. If the next creature dump was happening in seconds, I was screwed.
I kept walking, avoiding my curious urge to look where everyone was looking. Two people turned around and ran. The roaring of car motors began to get faster. I took a glance behind me. My heart stopped. Two giants stood some miles away, holding giant sack-like objects. The two giants tilt the sacks and thousands upon thousands of wild creatures fell out. As the creatures rained down, I turned my head back in the direction I was headed in and sprinted down the sidewalk.
Where do I go?
The river. Can the creatures swim? I'll take any chances.
I ran down the sidewalk, in the direction one of the rivers was in. The adrenaline was peaking. I couldn't think about anything other than survival. I ran through a small park, navigating the benches and people frozen in fear. I crossed the next street without looking at the traffic lights, I nearly tripped over chairs, I almost bumped into people running from my right. I ran that way for seven blocks straight, almost being hit by a car three times. I carefully navigated across a main street. As I crossed the street, air raid sirens began to blair from all directions. I found a one way road to my left and just sprinted for my life.
Hopefully the river is close.
At the end of the road was a parking lot. Nobody was there. I sprinted across it until I found a trail. Down the trail, I saw the river. Boats too. I ran along the trail and saw a spot away from the boats to jump into the water. A couple explosions shook the ground beneath me as I ran. I hopped over the fence and jumped into the water.
I swam until I got to the middle of the river. I glanced around. Everything seemed calm and normal in all directions until a loud bang hit my right ear. I looked to my right and saw a cloud of smoke rising from a triple arched bridge in the distance. People jumped off the bridge and landed in the river below. The air raid sirens continued to blair as fighter jets flew by in the distance. I just needed to stay in the river until the creature invasion blew over.
I looked to my right and saw two creatures crawl across the building beside the parking lot I ran through. Three creatures ran onto the pier. The adrenaline worsened.
Time to find out if these beasts can swim.
They ran around and jumped onto some of the boats. A painful scream echoed from one of them. A man was stumbling around with a creature attached to his head and stomach. He pulled on its tentacles, but they held their grasp. He nudged himself sideways into the water. Seconds later, the creature started squirming around in the water, with its tentacles flailing about. I shivered. It was a terrifying sight. The man floated on the surface, shaking his head and moving his arms as if he were a bird. Soon the creature stopped moving and just floated in one spot like a dingy.
I'm good. But how long will it be until the military clears them? I'll just have to wait.
Explosions, gunshots, and emergency sirens from every direction, along with the roar of fighter jets flying overhead, were all I could hear. I couldn't hear the waves washing up against my own ears, or the sound of my own voice. I decided to play those songs in my head again to pass the time. I played other songs in my head too, all while hoping some soldiers would see me, then rescue me.
After a good amount of time in the water, the sounds of explosions seemed to be concentrated on an area to the north. I could only speculate it was the government strip. I looked to my right again and noticed a dozen creatures were occupying the pier.
This wasn't getting better anytime in the next hour. Hopefully I'll be in the clear soon. Once I am, I need to make sure my alternate self cannot find me.
At one point, I woke up to me being pulled out of the water by some Marines. They put me on a boat and asked me some questions, then they gave me some water. After the rescue, they took me to a refugee camp somewhere in southern Virginia. I was given food, water, and my own little room with a bunk bed. I sat down on the bed, hoping I'd be safe from the creatures. I unzipped my pocket and pulled out my phone to read up on the creature dump in Washington DC. These were the top headlines on CNN, for those curious:
"WILD CREATURES OCCUPY DC METRO AREA"
"All branches of the US Armed Forces are responding to the attack on Washington - Yes, even the Space Force as the US speculates the giants are of extraterrestrial origin"
"Images from above: the White House, US Capitol moderately damaged by wild creatures"
"Five major politicians, 2 billionaires, and 1 celebrity confirmed dead in Washington DC after Creature Dump"
""Nuclear weapons aren't likely to be used, but they have not been ruled out""
"Pennsylvania, Virginia set up refugee camps for predicted mini-flood of refugees from EMP-striken, gassed parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia"
"Global Recession: Why economists are torn on whether or not the economy will return to pre-attack levels"
"Refugees from Florida EMP Bubbles: "We went into town after the gassing and we saw people and animals on the ground, everywhere""
""We need FEMA" EMP Bubble refugees who are staying in their states criticize their state governments for not declaring an emergency"
"MILITARY: There's no way to protect any type of technology from an EMP Bubble"
A guy with brown hair who looked to be in his early 20s walked into the room. He introduced himself as my roommate. We talked about the attacks and their potential ramifications.
"I don't know what's next for the world," I said. "I'm scared."
"We're going to be at war for a while," he said. "Good vs bad. We need to ready ourselves for what's to come. Everything is different now."
"I mean, at this point, I'd just end it if I didn't feel like I had a chance to survive this new world," I said. "Especially being in the initial attacks… I thought about ending it a few times."
"So you're a coward?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why would you leave people behind to suffer?"
"I'm not the one making them suffer"
"Yes you are… by killing yourself… people want you around…"
"Dude… nobody owns me. Do you think I'm a slave or something? People shouldn't be relying on others for their happiness."
"You are so stupid"
"Are you that entitled? Do you feel you need to treat people like entertainment animals? People are individuals. They're not your Mom's nipples either."
"I just… can't with selfish people like you"
"Honestly, if you can't respect others' choices and call victims cowards, you're just like the monsters and their little gut eating creatures."
"I don't understand why you'd support selfish people," he said. "You're like my ex-girlfriend."
"Maybe if you respected her individualism more, accepted the fact that mental health issues exist, talked about and validated her issues, she wouldn't have done it."
"Oh, okay, so you're okay with what those Empire State Building jumpers did?"
"Yes," I said. "They acted on survival instincts. It was either get eaten or jump."
"A real person would fight!"
"Survival instincts don't exist to you, do they?"
"I'm not talking to you, man," he said, climbing up to his bunk.
He had me until the victim blaming. Anyway, I went back to reading the news and reminded myself I'm not responsible for other people. Sometime after that, I went to sleep. Sometime later, I woke up to the sound of gunshots and shouting. I looked out the window. Two of those hideous creatures crawled by. I closed the curtains. I checked the news, hoping there wasn't another creature dump nearby.
"A COUPLE DOZEN WILD CREATURES REPORTED OUTSIDE DC METRO AREA"
"US East Coast on high alert as wild creatures make it past military checkpoints around DC Metro Area"
"Security video from Philadelphia captures creature that came from DC Metro area"
""V-BASCBHOB-TJCPSZAMDLSA-IKPJJ-HBCHLL" The FBI is investigating the string of letters scratched into the Washington Monument by the creatures"
"OPINION: After a week of teasing, it's the US' turn to fall"
I want out of this painful chaotic dark reality. Maybe there's a slip nearby. It probably wouldn't take me back to my home reality, but anything would be better than this. I've been to dark realities, like one where there was a third world war in the 1960s followed by a fourth world war in the 2010s, in which technology was a bit more advanced, but Eastern Europe and the Eastern United States were irradiated. There was a darker reality where giants attacked multiple metropolitan areas around the world. EMPs were used, but they weren't EMP Bubbles. People were crying, hoping their friends were okay. It was more mysterious, with every initial attack happening within the darkened areas. It started in New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. Then it spread west to the US in about a day.
Something heavy banged on the door. Shit… I opened the window, clawed the screen apart, and climbed out. I stepped onto the grass, then I sprinted away. I needed to find the gate. It was probably guarded, but I could find a way somehow. Not to sound too optimistic.
The gate was up ahead. There were three dead soldiers lying on the ground around it. After navigating my way through it, I sprinted across the street and into a dense forest.
Half an hour into running, my knees became weak again. I sat down up against a tree to catch my breath. I must've relaxed for a bit too long, as I essentially just blinked and the sun was shining and birds were chirping. I checked the time. 8:02 AM. I checked the news. There were no new updates.
Where do I go now?
There was no place for me to go that I knew of. Slips weren't extremely common. They weren't active 24/7 either. Until I found one, I had to deal with the possibility of being crushed, gassed, or eaten. I didn't expect my alternate self to find me. I was outside of the DC Metro area. To him, I could be anywhere.
Unless of course she tapped my phone… but she most likely would've shown up by now if he had. Knowing me, he probably would've gone to a reality where I famously snuck out of the refugee camp and my steps were publicly retraced, then he'd use that information to find me. Looks like I just need to walk in a direction that is almost one I'd go in but is not one I'd go in, in this situation. I chose to walk in the direction of the ocean.
As I walked, a bird flew right by me. I watched it fly away, then vanish out of thin air.
Yes!
I went over to the spot with a good adrenaline rush coming on. I pulled out my phone and pulled up Reuters. I refreshed the page. The headlines were still about the giants. I walked back and forth once a minute for some time, clamping the leaves to the ground in the process. The headlines were the same. I was desperate, but I dreaded my alternate self finding me. I layed on the dirty ground, letting the leaves brush against my hair. Every few minutes or so, I'd refresh the page and there would still be news about the giants. I wanted to be home, where everything is safe, peaceful, and quiet compared to this place. I didn't want to hear another boom or a certain growl again.
A number of minutes later, I checked the news again.
"Russia warns US over Black Sea drone flights"
"No path to peace: 5 key takeaways from Xi and Putin's talks in Moscow"
"Russian soldier accused of war crimes in absentia after audio files intercepted"
There was nothing about the giant attacks. The headlines were normal again! I slipped! But did I slip into the right reality? A safe one?
I Googled the attacks. Only movie scenes and recaps came up. I had to be home. I had to be far away from wherever my alternate self was. My heart dropped for a second as I realized one of those creatures was roaming around in what may be our reality… I'm sure it'll be taken care of. I hope it's taken care of soon though. It's going to eat a few people for sure, and I hope I'm not one of them.
I got distracted by the sound of an animal moving through the bush beside me. I brought my head up and saw the head of a tentacled creature. It sat still on the side of the bush. Its tentacles brush against the dirt. I laid my head back down. My heart began to speed up as the thing sat there. If it saw me, I would have no chance of living for another minute. The leaves served as a barrier between it and I. I couldn't see it when laying down and it couldn't see me at its height.
"Hey!" A man shouted from some distance further to my left. "Are you alright over there?"
The leaves ruffled. The man looked down in confusion, then he jumped. As he began to turn around, the creature climbed onto him. He fell to the ground as the creature's tentacles grabbed his arms and chest. He screamed. The scream was gut wrenching, but at least this was my ticket out. I got up and ran as fast as I could through the bushes and trees around me. Once I came across a road, I took a left and continued sprinting. My heart was pounding out of my chest. At one point, I came across a river. I stood still on the shoreline, hoping that thing wasn't about to jump out of the bushes. I turned around. Nothing.
I went to my Reddit account and found my previous update. I'm back. I'm going to dump this update here, then hopefully I'll find a good place to stay while running. If I go back home to my parents, I'm going to need a defense mechanism. My alternate self wanted me to be in that dark terrifying reality. She probably doesn't know I'm still alive.
Oh, and if you live in or around Richmond, Virginia… stay safe. The creature moves fast and, as you know, it eats your guts.
Now I hear three familiar voices. I need to run.

I'm 30f and I have 2 sons and one on the way. I'm currently 4 months pregnant. The issue isn't with my mother thinking I'm a shit bag, as it was her idea for me to go back there. She loves having me and the kids here. The issue is my husband making me feel like a POS for me being this old and "running back to mommy".
Basically issues started arising tremendously 6 months ago. My husband fell deep in to depression following his brother being imprisoned and his uncle dying a month later. I was supportive. I was made to be 150% emotionally available 100% of the time. I was made to be the solution finder for every single problem that came about, despite me never being the one who caused the problem originally. He crashed drunk (he doesn't drink) and got a DUI and lost his license. He lost his job as a result. I was the one financially supporting the entire household and working 60+ hours a week, just to come home late at night to find my kids hungry because all their father gave them was cereal and snacks. He became financially destructive and blew thousands of our saved money on guitars, vehicle parts he never used and clothing for himself. And he turned mean. Quick to anger. Quick to yell. And the complaining never, ever stopped. From sun up to sun down he was complaining. It was too hot, too cold, everyone was out to get him, nothing went his way, dinner sucked, life was too expensive, he hates this state and wants to move, our vehicle is junk, our pets are too dirty, kids are too loud, etc etc etc. And he refused all help.
When I found out I was pregnant he toned it down quite a bit. He didn't want to stress me out so he truly tried to stop being like this but that quickly changed and he went right back to complaining 24/7. Even going to lengths of picking up nothing but processed foods and stating that he was tired of dinner being too much work, despite me being the one who cooks all the time. He started holding on to my money. Why? Who knows. It "made him feel more secure". So I had enough and packed the kids up and went "running back home to mommy" because "shit got too rough". Despite me thinking I made the right choice, I have an overwhelming amount of people telling me I'm a fucking child. That I'm ignorant, that I'm ditching him when he needs me the most, guilt tripping me because he was there when I was depressed and didn't leave (he had no where to go). Now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because I do love him and the kids want to go back home but I can't stand to be near him. AITA?