Indian temples near me

Hey, hey, hey! I made this video as a mandatory campaign bit, but overnight it has gotten over 100 views and everyone in my school is playing it as a joke whenever they are near me. I kind of went for a "bad on purpose" vibe since I have that kind of character built, but I'm still worried it might just be horrendous. The reason I am posting it here is because I have been unsupervised in Chemistry class for the past forty minutes and my friend said it would be really funny to have more views than there are people in my school--of which there aren't many.
Feel free to trash me in the comments! Feel free to be nice! Do whatever you want and please comment something funny. My school will think its someone in our school commenting it, so it it would definitely make people laugh.
​
Thanks!

My (33m) mother (63) and my father divorced when I was in the fourth grade. After my parents divorced my mom decided she needed to have her “freedom” and relive her childhood that she allegedly missed out on. She got a boyfriend and spend a lot of time with him drinking, traveling, staying at his house etc. I remember many times my mother would disappear and I wouldn’t be able to reach her for many days. When I did spend time with my mom she would tell me all sorts of bad things about my father and how he ruined their marriage etc.
My mom nearly died in the 8th grade and her and that guy split up. My brother and I moved into my moms house after she miraculously recovered. It was hell. My mom drank, did pills, gave us drugs and alcohol as teenagers, she partied 24/7 with a guy she met who lived in our neighborhood, went to festivals constantly, refused to work, slept till 2 pm everyday, went from nice to extremely mean and angry hour by hour, she was always blaming me and my brother for everything and we could never meet her expectations. We were called lazy, unappreciative, destructive, etc. I feel like I did not have a parent but I will living with an angry sibling. I had no structure or guidance.
I dropped out of high school at 16 and just kind of floated around until 22 when I got my GED and went to community college. At 23-24 after a traumatic event in my life I started going to church because I had no sense of purpose. I started helping out the priest there and he sort of gave me guidance. Eventually (Age 25) with the help of the priest I befriended, I decided to finish my bachelors at a Catholic university that was akin to a military school. I finally had structure and guidance etc. My mom never came to visit me once while I was there. Instead she would just tell others how I think I am better than everyone else and how I changed.
I graduated at 29 in 2019. I spent a year studying for the LSAT and got a full scholarship to a top 20 law school 1,000 miles away. I moved in a heartbeat. During my three years there my mom refused to come visit me but made me feel extremely guilty for leaving. Every time I shared happy new experiences with her she ignored my texts and calls. I would go home to visit and it would be fine until about 5 days in then the talk of me selfish self centered, ungrateful would happened and I would get the silent treatment.
I went home this past week and brought my girlfriend and it was miserable after we spent the night away one evening and I didn’t answer my moms texts about cooking her dinner.
Here is the last text she sent me after I said I am doing the best I can with the situation I was put into:
“You weren’t “put in this situation”. Your situation is the direct your decisions. You do not give as much as you can. You can be kind to your mom. You can be thoughtful of your mom. You can be considerate of your mom. You can spend one evening sitting on the deck or around a fire with your mom. You can call your mom simply to ask how she’s doing. You can send your mom a Mother’s Day card. You can hug your mom.
Someone who’s observed the way you treat me once said, “X, believe me when I tell you, someday he will look back and cry.” I do not want that for you. I want to see you become a better man.
A woman understands need only to see how a man treats his mother to know how he will treat his wife.”
Obviously I was extremely pissed and flew out the next day. My girlfriend was caught in the middle of all this (and was guilt tripped by my mom for being non-committal about her ability to drive two hours to my sister who lives in a group home). When leaving my girlfriend said I a looking forward to seeing you again and my mom said “you’re not going to want to come back” The entire trip my mom made everything about her.
What complicates things even more is that my sister has a disability and lives in a group home two hours from my mom. She is quite a bit younger, which effects our relationship. I need to be better about calling her and visiting her but it’s hard. My mom guilts me into feeling bad about it all. My mom also is guilting me into being my sisters legal guardian. As much as I love my sister, I am not sure if I can handle that sort of responsibility.
Why I am confused is because my mom is pretty generous. She will buy food and send me the little money she has so that I could get by as a student. She can be loving and extremely kind. However, whenever she does give me support or money, she uses it to guilt and control me. I feel very guilty leaving my mom on her own or having her feel like I am selfish and awful to her. But I feel like I have built a good life and I have a girlfriend I am going to marry eventually and start my own family with.
TL;DR: Can a parent still be a narcissist if they are selfless with money and things of that nature?

Hey lads! I’m sure everyone by now is pretty aware of the AI and robotics space as it’s literally all over the place right now. People like Elon Musk have been talking about it a lot recently and Tesla also just put out their newest iteration of their bots on LinkedIn which was pretty cool to see. I’ve always been amazed at how robots are able to do tasks in the same capacity we do so seeing it come to fruition is pretty insane to me.
I always do my best to keep up with news in the space to see if there’s any cool advancements or new jobs that these robots are taking on. That being said I saw today that “United Drug” who is one of Ireland’s largest pharmaceutical distributors has just brought in a whole squad of autonomous robots..and when I say squad I mean 21 robots lmao. That’s almost enough for a soccer match lol. The company partnered with LocusBots to make this happen which I found pretty cool because I had heard about them working with DHL and UPS before. Apparently these robots are able to navigate autonomously through the warehouse and assist the human staff (thought I’d add the human part on just incase lol) with handling orders. It’s suppose to increase overall productivity of the warehouse, which I feel like is going to be the case when you add in robotics in any capacity to somewhere. I wonder if robots are eventually going to eliminate a whole bunch of jobs in the near future.. What yall think? I feel like i can easily see robots operating a warehouse.
After reading through the article I wanted to check out LocusBots a bunch more and invest in them. Cause if they are making big splashes like this in major companies around the world I want to be in on them. It was annoying to find out that they’re a private company lol
I did however come across Stack Capital while doing my search into investing into Locus. From what I gathered Stack Capital invests in equity, debt, and/or other securities of growth-to-late-stage private businesses. I seen that in their portfolio they had already invested $8m into LocusBots back in 2022 so this could potentially be a good way to indirectly invest in them right? From the looks of it they have a pretty solid management team with a whole bunch of experience so I’m not super worried about their judgement when it comes to portfolio management.
Does anyone have experience with getting exposure in private companies this way? I’ve personally never done it so I’m not 100% sure on it. I really love the look of Locus so I would really love to get some insight into companies like Stack and if they’re a good shout or not.

So I am currently struggling in debt and with the cost of living going up I feel like I put myself in a hole that I cannot seem to get out of. I don't shop nearly as much as I used to but in trying to reduce my debt its gotten to the point of buying a coffee or even knowing I am going to have to buy toilet paper soon is spinning me into a panic. Andddd when I panic I order take out. Its such a vicious circle that I can see but sometimes my fingers go faster than my rational brain. I try deleting my cards and apps but I have memorized so much I can do it in the blink of an eye,
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So if anyone has some non judgemental tips I would be appreciative. I just want to find a way to enjoy life and not feel like being undiagnosed and not knowing why I was the way I was with money screwed me over when I am only just 25 turning 26

Context: You were raised by a werewolf with no clue about your origins or ties to your humanity. Fortunately, he was a fantastic father and helped you grow into the person you are today with minimal casualties. You're a little protective of your old man, especially after he had a workplace accident. You can't imagine him ever crossing anyone... until tonight.
Setting: Home
Tags:[MM4A][Adoptee Werewolf Speaker][Mobster Werewolf Speaker][Adopted Human Paranormal (?) Listener][Mystery][Bad Deal][Threats][Protecting Dad][Lil' Slugger Inspired][Supernatural][Action][Bit of Slice of Life][Hunted Down][Predator]vs[Prey][CW: Threats/Violence]
Usage: You may tweak or record this script. Gender flipping is OK! Please credit me if you use this script in any of your projects. If you would like to use this script for a paywalled recording, please note:
Monetization: All forms of monetization are OK with me! Youtube, Patreon, etc. I would appreciate being able to listen to the recording, if possible. Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
***
Check out the rest of my scripts by using the [Script Directory](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N05GJmsVHKEYRo22RUCXcE--jo3t20gn9-GdDNz\_BTI/edit?usp=share\_link)
***
[D] = Dad
[P] = Pyrrho (pronounced ‘peer-oh’) but feel free to sound it out like ‘pyro’ if desired.
***
[Scene opens at home]
[SFX: A door opening and shutting]
[You arrive home from baseball practice and your Dad smiles from his armchair, tail wagging]
[D] “Hey! There’s my Lil’ Slugger! How’d practice go?”
[Pause!]
[He laughs as you talk excitedly and clamor into the kitchen for much-needed snacks]
[D] “Easy, easy! Dinner’s almost ready! Don’t go filling up on chips and soda, pretty please?”
[SDX: A delayed soda hiss that sounds appropriately shameful]
[Pause…]
[He shoots you a look but quickly lets it go with a shake of his head and a smile]
[D] “Pftt, I can’t stay mad at you. I’m glad practice went well. It was pretty quiet here, thankfully. Finally got a chance to vacuum the house.”
[Pause!]
[D] “I know, I know, I said I’d let you do it this time, but you’re always busy! Between work, practice, and taking care of my old tail, you hardly ever get to relax…”
[His smile fades, and looks to the cane leaning against his chair with a sigh]
[Pause?]
[D] “...Oh, your old man is OK, Slugger. It’s just… going from working werewolf to house hermit thanks to one work accident… Ain’t great for the pride. Used to be able to run with the best of them, work eighteen-hour days, then come home and catch our show with you! Now I can barely manage to do the last one…”
[...]
[You cross the room and hug him]
[D] “Oh? Oof! Aha… Alright, hug time. Got it. Mmh… Watch that strength, kiddo! Sheesh, your Coach must be a good one. I swear you could bench press a bus at times!”
[Pause~]
[He gives you a playful side-eye]
[D] “...You’re not on steroids, right?”
[Pause!]
[D] “OK, I’m only asking because it’s a universal law that cool dudes don’t do that stuff, right? And we’re cool dudes, right?”
[Pause!!]
[He laughs]
[D] “Haha, alright, alright! I’ll stop teasing! I just want to make sure you’re OK… You’ve been through a lot, and I’m proud of you for working so hard.”
[Pause <3]
[D] “I love you, too, kiddo. With all of my heart… Oof, oh no, not Dad tears! Quick, go pull the casserole out of the oven before I start blubbering!”
[You give him a solemn salute and hurry into the kitchen]
[SFX: The oven being opened / general movement]
[You go to get the casserole out, as requested when the doorbell rings]
[SFX: A doorbell]
[Pause?]
[D] “No, no, I got it! Who on Earth would be knocking on my door at nearly 7 PM on a damned Tuesday night?”
[SFX: Him opening the door]
[You glance over and see a younger werewolf standing in the doorway, more nicely dressed than you’ve seen anyone be]
[Pause]
[Your father pales, hobbling a few steps back from the younger werewolf]
[D] “P-Pyrrho… I, ah-”.
[P] “Save your breath, Hoss. I ain’t here to hear it…”
[Your Dad lowers his voice, under the impression you can’t hear him]
[D] “...please don’t do this in front of my kid… Please, I… I know I still owe a lot, b-but…”
[...]
[‘Pyrrho’ steps inside and your father is forced to take a few more steps back]
[P] “I was given my orders. It’s pay-up or pay with your life, Hoss. If your kid is here, then… I was told to leave no witnesses.”
[For the first time in your life, you hear your father growl under his breath]
[D] “...You can do whatever you want to me, but if you even think for a second-!”
[SFX: [D] being struck and falling to the ground with a yelp]
[You hear your father cry out and that is about the moment you forget every shred of humanity that is in you]
[SFX: A LOT of glass shattering]
[P] “What the fuck-?! What is wrong with your fucking human, Hoss?!”
[D, legitimately terrified] “Pyrrho, RUN-!”
[You don’t give him the chance. You grab your bat and saunter over to the attacker]
[...]
[P, unimpressed] “Really, sweetheart? You brought a bat to a gunfight?”
[...]
[Your father staggers to his fight and gets you in the best suplex he can]
[D] “I-I’m sorry, Slugger! Pyrrho, fucking RUN WHILE I HAVE THEM IN THIS SUPLEX!”
[...]
[SFX: A heavy step forward]
[P] “...Didn’t realize your kid was a weightlifter, Hoss… Managing to walk with a four-hundred-pound werewolf on their back is impressive. It still doesn’t change the fact that, well…”
[SFX: A gun being drawn]
[P, coldly] “I have a gun.”
[D] “Pyrrho, for the love of God-!”
[...]
[SFX: Another dragging step forward]
[P, uncertain] “...D-Don’t you make me shoot!”
[Pause!]
[You sprint forward, carrying the entire four-hundred pounds of your struggling father, and slam the bat into Pyrrho’s wrist]
[SFX: A bat making contact and the gun scattering away]
[P] “GAH! MY FUCKING WRIST!”
[D] “RUN, PYRRHO! FOR YOUR OWN GODAMNED SAFETY, RUN!”
[...]
[You stare into the intruder’s eyes. You can see your own reflected back and it seems like you both see the death there before Pyrrho stumbles back with a pained whimper]
[P] “...T-This ain’t over-!”
[D] “RUN!!!”
[With a yelp of pain, the intruder flees]
[Pause!!]
[SFX: Another heavy footstep]
[D] “Slugger, no! Shh… shh, it’s OK… It’s OK… Breathe… Papa’s OK, see? You don’t have to be angry anymore…”
[...]
[SFX: A car skidding away]
[D] “...Nice, quiet howl with me. Just like when you were little… OK?”
[...]
[You howl quietly with him for a moment until the red fades. Until there’s no longer an expiration date burned into your eyes]
[...Pause?]
[Your father sighs shakily, finally letting you go]
[D] “...I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you… I owe bad people a lot of money… I thought I could figure it out, I thought I could work it off, but… b-but my accident at work… I’m so sorry…”
[...]
[You hug him again and assure him it’s OK]
[D] “...Thank you for the hug, Slugger… You’re such a good kid… Please don’t forget that, OK? Don’t forget that you’re good, no matter how angry you get, no matter how powerful you are… You’re good. OK?”
[Pause]
[You nod]
[D] “Good… I, ah… Let me get this mess cleaned up and we can talk this through. OK?”
[Again, you nod… but you can see it again, reflected in a nearby picture of the two of you. You can see the death in your eyes… and you know the night is young]
[Pause]
[D, exhaling] “...We’ll be OK, kiddo. One way or another, your old man will figure this out, and you can focus on being the world’s best baseball player in the making. OK?”
[For the last time, you nod. Your baseball bat is spattered in blood]
[To be continued]
Note: The original title for this series was going to be “Death In Their Eyes” but then I remembered YouTube is a dick

I'm currently doing my 3rd temple, I've explore a lot of the map, have a quest that I got for the well in Zelda's house to get an attire there, but I don't know if I should go now or wait to when the game tells me to go there to progress the story.

So we were supposed to have my bf’s daughter for Memorial Day and we were going to do a lake day and picnic near us. Well her mom was going to drop her off to us Sunday night but didn’t because she was drinking (they live 1.5 hours away) so my bf decided that we could just go out there for the day the next day to get her and do something out there. We kept going back and forth about what to do, we just had a lazy day on Sunday so I wanted to go outside. And I feel bad leaving my dog home alone all day so I suggested that we go to the dog beach and we can go to his parents later. Now on Memorial Day we woke up late and by the time we were going to make it out to get his daughter, make it to the dog beach, then back to his parents it would be around 7pm. He told his parents we would be there at 4pm (which I wasn’t aware us going to his parents was set in stone). So I suggested that I go out there drop him off and then I’ll take my dog on a hike and will meet back up with him and his daughter at his parents. He said no, that it would be weird for me to drop him off and then leave and his parents would wonder where I was going and why I wasn’t staying. I told him to just let them know I wanted to go outside for the day and get my dog out so I’ll be back. He continued to be mad about this and said I was being selfish. I told him this wasn’t worth it to be fighting over as it seemed so small. I told him that if it was going to be a big deal then I’ll just got to his parents. In the end he said he didn’t want me to go to his parents with him anymore either. Was I being selfish? AITAH

Hello, writers of Reddit! I'm a 26-year-old guy with an aching desire for storytelling and a collection of loose tropes, ideas, and half-thought-out characters that I'm looking for the right couple of partners to help weave together into a wonderfully-crafted, exquisitely detailed narrative tapestry. Of course, that means I'm a little lax on proper details for a prompt, but developing a plot is something we'll get to do together!
A little more about myself before I scribble out a set of themes and plot bunnies I think would be fun to explore via collaborative storytelling: I'm well-versed in Reddit private messages and Discord, and happy to tell a story on either platform! (Just be warned that my Discord posts, as well as my Reddit responses, skew long, and I'm looking for both an undaunted and up-for-the-challenge writing partner in that regard. Think a minimum of 200-300 words, and usually well outstripping that pace.) I've been writing for the better part of a decade, and there are few joys in life as well-realized settings, vibrant casts of side characters, and three-dimensional protagonists. I'm looking for writing partners who are also 20 or older, and are looking for a story that skews lighthearted!
Still with me? Awesome! Here are a handful of narrative concepts near and dear to my heart:
- Embarrassing moment meet-cutes, witty/charming banter, smoldering secret mutual crushes harbored for each other, rivals-to-lovers, magical realism (a big plus if you're willing to include this!), slow-burn romances, cheeky antics, and adorably sweet character moments that undercut the playful enmity.
And, hey! Do you want a starter right away, and to jump right into a story, plunging feet-first into an enjoyable setting and a meet-cute tailor-made for your ideal charming beginning? I've written six bespoke rom-com starters to immediately kick off a story, so roll a die, tell me what number you got, and I'll send you that starter!
If all or any of that sounds good, please send a message my way with the tropes you'd most want to pursue, and we can start developing a plot together from there!

That night Simon and Nemeria watched from the rooftop of a rented apartment in Coven as shooting stars fell over Homeworld for the first time. "Make a wish, my love." She said as she put her head in his lap, the rapidly disintegrating space station above filling the sky with streaks of light that reflected in her eyes.
He thought about it for a second. "Should I tell you what it is?"
"No, definitely not." Nemeria replied. "Then it won't come true."
"Oh… then I will not." Simon said as he played with her hair. For a moment he felt as if he were standing at a crossroads, straddling two potential futures, then the feeling faded. He had wished for them to have a happy life together. He felt they at least deserved that after all they had been through and all the time they had spent apart.
The morning after Haven fell something interesting happened. Pirate radio stations began to emerge, filling the airways with music, but it wasn't like anything they had heard before. It was something new.
"Good morning Homeworld!" Called out a rough but enthusiastic voice in Dansk from the clock radio on the dresser. It was out of arm's reach, probably so the person being woken up would have to actually get out of bed to shut it off. "This is not a test, this is rock and roll! Time to rock it from Katzenlund to the Winter lands! Is it too early to be this loud? Too late!"
Simon frowned at the clock radio. He didn't remember scheduling an alarm. "I'm Mr. Bones and this is human music! I'm going to start off with a favorite of mine, Zombie by the Cranberries!"
He went to turn it off but Nemeria tackled him before he could reach the button. "Do you dare." She said as she pulled him back into bed. "That song is a classic."
So instead of starting the day early they stayed in bed and listened to The Doors, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Pink Floyd. It was surprisingly good, even if his wetware had a hard time translating the lyrics.
"Human music on the radio." Nemeria mused, her head on his chest. "I never thought I would see the day."
"Oh? I just assumed you people didn't like to share." Simon tousled her hair, it was starting to change from dull brown to a more vivid copper red.
"No. There are countermeasures in place, Haven would have sent a kill team to destroy anyone who tried or just blasted the site from orbit. We had a black market, exchanging things from the old world, books, music, things to keep us sane. But it was very hush hush." Nemeria looked at him, her eyes were different too, they were an almost opalescent green. Something had changed in her. "I want to read you something."
"Alright." Simon sat up, his muscular shoulders against the headboard and he listened as she recited Edna and Shakespeare from memory, beautiful human words, full of sentiment and meaning.
"That was beautiful." Simon said. "Why haven't you shared this with me before?"
"It wasn't allowed. You would have felt compelled to share it and then Haven would have come for you." She smiled, but for once there was no pain behind it, or guilt. Perhaps it was the first real smile he had even seen on her face. It was like a weight had been lifted. "But now, there is no Haven. We don't have to worry about them anymore. We can live our lives, start anew."
"You seem different… unburdened." Simon observed.
"I am. I woke up this morning and realized that I don't have to feel guilty for something someone else did. Something that I never played a part in. I should have realized it sooner, but something was blocking me from making the connection." She laid back in bed. "I feel… new? Is that the word? Yes, new. I feel like I'm not the same person who went to sleep last night."
The old hund's words echoed in Simon's mind. He had said he would crack Haven like an egg, destroy the Howl, then set everyone free. So was he free? How different would he be now that his programming no longer bound him to her?
Before they had parted the old hund had given him a piece of advice. He had told Simon that love was a choice, not a feeling. That if he wanted things to work out with Nemeria he would have to choose her, and keep choosing her, to decide once and for all that he would always love her. And to stand by that choice.
"Would you please give me your ring?" Simon asked. "There's something I need to do."
Nemeria slipped the silver band off her finger and handed it over. Then Simon sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt down. "The world is new, we are new, so I ask… will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"
Nemeria paused, realizing that she had a choice to make. Before then she had been hard coded to love him, hard coded to believe that she was someone, now all that was falling away. Her mind was free, unshackled. Unburdened. She remembered so much that had been kept hidden from her.
The Red Titan had stolen one of Esmerelda's backup clones and poured their mind into it, essentially putting the mind of one warden into the body of another. But that didn't make her them. She was someone else, someone new. She didn't have to pay for their mistakes anymore.
But what about Simon? Did she love him? Could she love him? Did she want to commit to this when her whole life was ahead of her? And the child, she had agreed to raise a child! Did she even know that she would like being a mother? Or that she would be a good one?
A soft caress brought her back to reality. It was Simon, touching her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I don't know what is going on, or what tomorrow will hold, or even how I will feel, and it terrifies me. But I know that together we can face anything. We have a chance to choose for ourselves, and I choose you. I promise that I will always choose you."
Then as he went to slip the ring on her finger he repeated what she had told him when she handed him his first Vampirzahn. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant. But the sentiment had been clear, that she couldn't protect him from the world, that she couldn't keep him safe, that this was all she could give and she hoped that it would be enough. "It's dangerous to go alone, take this."
Nemeria laughed and accepted the ring. "Yes it is, isn't it? I suppose you're stuck with me now."
"Damn. Perhaps I should rethink things?" Simon laughed as he pulled her back into bed. "No, I think I like this." He gave her a playful nip on the side of the neck. "Yes, I believe I do."
They made love until the afternoon then went out for pastries and provisions. Somehow it felt right, finally choosing each other. They walked hand in hand, ignoring the looks of surprise at a human and a hund so boldly displaying their affection. GG had said she would contact them when the child was ready to be picked up.
"I can't believe Haven is actually gone." Nemeria said as she sat on a bench eating an ice cream cone. Technically they were in a graveyard, but between the sunshine and the families with their strollers it felt just like any other park.
She took a second to make sure nobody was listening. "I joined some of the old nets anonymously and asked around. Everyone says it was some kind of system failure, or possibly sabotage. Apparently the boosters just went haywire, spun it until it fell apart."
"It's hard to believe it." Simon looked up at the clear sky, there wasn't a single sign of the once proud space station. "I wonder if there will be a backlash against humans now that there isn't anything stopping us from getting even."
"Possibly, but we're resilient and useful. With Haven destroyed I expect you will see a lot of human tech being sold to the highest bidder. And not just tech, entertainment as well. There are a bunch of black market music and books that are going to see the light for the first time in centuries."
Simon felt a call come in from GG and he accepted it. The encryption in their wetware made sure nobody else could listen in. She got straight to the point.
"Someone took out all of the Howl's senior leadership last night." She said over the link, "It was a bloodbath."
Simon blinked in surprise. "What happened? And why wasn't I invited? Was it Las Brujas?" He replied back, his wetware translating thoughts to words.
"Details are sparse but apparently they had an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about the Haven situation and someone took the opportunity to clean house. It was some kind of commando style raid, nobody knows who or why. All the tapes and satellite images were erased. Just a lot of dead bodies." She sent him a few choice photos. "Multiple locations were hit simultaneously. All locations were remote and heavily guarded. Looks like whoever this was they hit hard and fast. Local security was packbound and armed to the teeth, didn't help. They were put down with precise shots and a minimum of fuss. Look familiar?"
He sucked in his breath. Somebody had been using a Jagdkommando carbine, he recognized the tiny entrance and massive exit wounds. Yes, they looked familiar. He had carried that same rifle.
Even five decades after their defeat Döbi still produced some of the most sought after weapons. Half the militaries on Homeworld used their hardware. But these were old classics, pre-war. Someone was sending a message.
New tech was all about drones and smart munitions. Why risk a soldier's life when you could lob a smart grenade through a window that would identify friend from foe and destroy the latter with smart shrapnel? No, this was old school. Someone looked them in the face and pulled the trigger.
Apparently the old hund hasn't been lying when he said he would destroy the Howl. But what kind of power vacuum would that leave? And who would step in? The Howl wasn't just a supremacist group. They ran weapons, narcotics and black market tech all over the globe. They had strongholds in various capital cities and major political protection.
"Any noise on who is going to step up now that they're out of commission?" Simon asked.
"It's too soon to say but my money is on the Bone Syndicate. They've been looking to expand and with the Howl out of the way they'll probably jump at the chance. They've been staying out of the news but my sources say they have been muscling out smaller gangs and taking over their turf. Nobody seems to mind because there aren't gunfights in the streets anymore. But it's still organized crime."
Simon was familiar with the Bone Syndicate, he had even done some work for them after they restructured a few decades back. Territory under their control tended to be mostly peaceful and safe, so long as you followed the rules. They even helped out during national disasters. But the line between gangsters and good samaritans tended to blur.
They might extort local restaurants then give them money to rebuild after a fire. They would blackmail politicians… to ensure a new school got funded. Or to pass a social welfare bill. It was almost as if they had decided that the best way for them to make money was to improve the areas which they controlled. And it was working.
They operated almost in the open and had so thoroughly greased all levels of local government that any attempt to take them down would cause a major budget crisis. But when they did choose violence, it was with massively overwhelming force and military precision. Yes, this sounded like their way of doing things. The old hund must have tipped them off.
"Any news on our bundle of joy?" Simon asked.
"Yes, she is en route." GG confirmed. "She should arrive in a few hours. We have papers for her ready as well as a safe house in Porto."
Porto? Now that was a surprise. "Why Porto?"
"Because they acknowledge mixed species marriages and it's one of the few places you have amnesty." GG reminded him. "You are technically a war criminal. Even if most of the world thinks you are dead."
After the war Porto had offered him amnesty in return for helping them hunt down and kill those responsible for the genocide of their fellow katzen. Porto was after all a mostly katzen nation and they knew how to hold a grudge. So he had joined a task force of other enhanced hunds and katzen with a similar thirst for blood and they had done their best to kill every last one of the people responsible. Afterwards he had gone into the private sector, but it was true, he did have a place to go if he ever felt like retiring.
He contemplated that for a moment. If he was going to raise a child he couldn't exactly run off for months at a time to do contract work. Perhaps it was time to retire, at least until she was grown. It wasn't like he needed the money. Perhaps it was time to become the warrior in the gardens like the old hund had said.
"How do you feel about moving to Porto?" Simon asked after he broke the connection.
"Oh, I have a little place near Intra, on the coast." Nemeria frowned. "I don't think I've been back in quite some time though. Let me check something…"
Her eyelids fluttered as she scanned the net. "Yes, the management company I hired is renting it out. I can have them cancel the bookings and make it ready for us, if that's what you want." She smiled. "It's quite well defended, I purchased it in my post-war phase when I thought everyone was out to get me. We could hold off an army there."
"Perfect." Simon said, squeezing her hand three times and receiving three squeezes back in reply. In the camps that had been their secret way of saying "I love you" and he was happy to see that she still remembered.
He looked out across the park and frowned. "Darling, was that church always there?"
Nemeria followed his gaze, her eyes narrowed. "No… I'd say it wasn't. Now the question is, was it hidden or did it just appear?"
Simon cocked his head to the side, surprised at the flexibility of her thought process. It was like she was waking up, becoming bright again, becoming the person he had fallen in love with in the camps. "Shall we investigate?" He asked.
"Oh yes. Definitely." Nemeria made a gesture with her fingers and he could almost swear there was a faint rainbow flickering of light in the palm of her right hand.
"Dearest, what was that?" He asked as they stalked across the graveyard.
"Oh, it's something old. It goes nicely with the something new." Nemeria said playfully, nudging him with her hip.
Simon mentally filed that strangeness into a drawer marked "wife/human stuff" and put it out of his mind. There was no sense trying to understand it all, to attempt to do so was to invite madness.
The church was old, hundreds of years old. With moss growing from the roof and black stones making up the walls. Which made it very strange indeed that it seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere and hadn't been there yesterday.
"Fascinating." Nemeria said as she turned around, not looking at the church but at the people around them. "Absolutely fascinating."
Simon didn't get it. "What is so interesting, my love?"
"It's an SEP field." Nemeria replied.
"And that is?" Simon pressed.
"Someone else's problem." She turned to him and smiled. "They can all see it, they just ignore it. But look at them. Really look."
Simon did as requested, they seemed like normal hunds to him. There were certainly more bicycles than he was used to but then again this was Coven. Then he looked with his other senses and he quickly realized that what was going on was anything but normal.
Almost everyone in the park was running some form of wetware, even the pups. Warhunds shared data along a kind of mesh network that mixed low power local signals with satellite uplinks and repeaters to allow them to communicate nearly instantly and move as a team. This was something similar but with vastly more users.
He looked up with his mind and touched a commercial recon satellite, purchasing some time through a shell company, accessing its spectral analysis capabilities. The whole city was a hotbed of activity, and the network was growing at an exponential rate.
A wave of digital traffic was spreading out over the country, awakening new mesh nodes as it went, strengthening and spreading the network. Soon it was in Döbi, Möhi, Sühi, and the rest of the continent.
He looked down, his own wetware telling him something very important. It wasn't just the living who were part of the network. Somehow it seemed to be leveraging the dead as well.
Some of the more recent graves seemed to be exchanging packets with the network. Answering queries perhaps? But what could the dead possibly have to say?
"Many things, I would imagine." Said a raspy voice from the entrance of the church, seemingly reading his thoughts. It was an old Döbian with high cut ears, but it was hard to say if it was the same one he had met in his dream. He was wearing plain black clothes and a white priest's collar rubbed with sandalwood, the traditional scent of his station. "Come, you don't want to be late for the wedding."
Nemeria and Simon exchanged a knowing look. "It's our wedding, isn't it?" Simon asked.
"Of course." The old hund said with a dry chuckle. "Who's else would it be? You know that this is one of the few places you two can get married, don't you? Why else bring you here?" He gestured for them to come inside.
Nemeria shrugged and walked towards the door, that same strange shimmer dancing around the fingertips of her right hand. "You said you brought us here. Why?"
"As bait, mostly." The old hund laughed as he turned his back on her and entered the building, talking as he walked. "But also because I have fond memories of this city. Plus the whole marriage thing. It was owed to you, a chance at a happy ending."
Nemeria looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow.
Simon just shrugged. "He's a friend… I think."
The church was well maintained, if dusty. The windows were not particularly ornate and the altar didn't hold anything worth stealing. Simon tried not to let his hackles rise at the idea of being used as bait. But bait for what? He wondered.
The old hund spun on his heel and faced Simon. "Bait… for a warden." He explained. "A very nasty warden who has quietly been growing their power and influence since the war. A cancer which, if unchecked, will spell the end of this world and all within it. Also he is a threat to my granddaughter, so that means he must die."
"How are you reading my mind?" Simon demanded angrily. It seemed like all he had to do was think of a question and the hund would answer it.
"Because to think of a question when we share a network, dear brother, is to ask it." The old hund replied cryptically. "Your wetware is querying me for information, seeing if I have an answer."
Simon frowned. "I know you… don't I? From before the war? You said we were like half brothers…" He felt a name coming to his lips, but it was as if the memory was fighting him. "Are you Gershwin's son? The pup he brought back from the dead? The reason for all this madness?"
"Yes, I am Kerner. As are many others." The old hund shrugged. "I suppose it is a very common name where I come from. Perhaps more common now."
Simon blinked. "Copies… you and the other hund I spoke with… you're copies of Kerner. The same mind spread out over different bodies." He could see it now, the advanced age made it hard to tell but this wasn't the same hund he had met in virtual.
"Duplicates yes, but not necessarily equals. Not until today." The old hund explained. "Only one of us at a time had the ability to make more, to overwrite wetware at will, to influence the Gravekeeper. But he patched out those vulnerabilities yesterday after Haven fell and the Howl was brought low. Now we are all just regular warhunds. The more recent of our number may revert back to their former selves, others will find a middle ground, and the old ones will most likely remain the same. After all, I have been Kerner for most of my life. I see little reason to change now."
"But how many of you are there?" Simon pressed.
"Many." Kerner said with a shrug. "Though now that I have revealed myself perhaps that number will decrease rapidly." The old hund chuckled, gesturing towards Nemeria. "Your other half will see to that if I am unable to stop him."
Now it was Nemeria's turn to be confused. "You don't mean Simon, do you?"
"No, I do not." The old hund sat down on an old wooden chair, looking up at the bare altar. "The problem with making copies is that the original still remains. I was made when Kerner was murdered by his sister during a training exercise. He jumped out of an airplane and realized half way down that his parachute had been sabotaged. I remember feeling his fear, his desperation, and I remember seeing him hit the ground."
The old hund looked back over his shoulder at her. "You my dear are one possible answer to a question. What does one do when the body does not fit the mind? Either the being must suffer, the body must change, or the mind must change."
The old hund went back to looking at the altar. "It's amazing how paths can split. You went one way, and he went another. You took a form to fit your mind, and he altered his mind to accept his form."
There was a polite knock on the ancient timbers of the open church door as a tall well built man with flaming red hair entered the building.
He looked at Simon and smiled. "Hello, Puppy." He said softly. It was Nemeria's old form, her old identity, the Red Titan, very much alive.
Simon realized now that the dead body he saw in the lab as they were fleeing had been a fake. This was Raul Reyes, in all his glory. A flash of anger rose in Simon as he realized that Raul had tricked him, made him think that he was alone for all these years. What a cruel thing to do to someone that you said you loved. The betrayal of it wrenched at Simon's heart, tearing open old wounds.
Simon reached out and took Nemeria's left hand, squeezing it firmly three times. "I choose you." He said. "I will always choose you. Fuck him, he's dead to me."
Nemeria squeezed back three times. "I have your back, whatever happens."

I got into them late but I’ve listened to it all in a 2 day dash. One of those people that good music doesn’t need repeated listens - it’s good or it’s not.
On listening to them all, this new record is just absolutely outstanding start to finish. From that intro to the closing notes - majestic.
For me, it’s a fight between Being Funny … and Brief Enquiries…. as their absolute Tour De Force. I don’t think any other of their albums is nearly even close to being as strong as those two.
Yes. I said it.

Hello, writers of Reddit! I'm a 26-year-old guy with an aching desire for storytelling and a collection of loose tropes, ideas, and half-thought-out characters that I'm looking for the right couple of partners to help weave together into a wonderfully-crafted, exquisitely detailed narrative tapestry. Of course, that means I'm a little lax on proper details for a prompt, but developing a plot is something we'll get to do together!
A little more about myself before I scribble out a set of themes and plot bunnies I think would be fun to explore via collaborative storytelling: I'm well-versed in Reddit private messages and Discord, and happy to tell a story on either platform! (Just be warned that my Discord posts, as well as my Reddit responses, skew long, and I'm looking for both an undaunted and up-for-the-challenge writing partner in that regard. Think a minimum of 200-300 words, and usually well outstripping that pace.) I've been writing for the better part of a decade, and there are few joys in life as well-realized settings, vibrant casts of side characters, and three-dimensional protagonists. I'm looking for writing partners who are also 20 or older, and are looking for a story that skews lighthearted!
Still with me? Awesome! Here are a handful of narrative concepts near and dear to my heart:
- Embarrassing moment meet-cutes, witty/charming banter, smoldering secret mutual crushes harbored for each other, rivals-to-lovers, magical realism (a big plus if you're willing to include this!), slow-burn romances, cheeky antics, and adorably sweet character moments that undercut the playful enmity.
And, hey! Do you want a starter right away, and to jump right into a story, plunging feet-first into an enjoyable setting and a meet-cute tailor-made for your ideal charming beginning? I've written six bespoke rom-com starters to immediately kick off a story, so roll a die, tell me what number you got, and I'll send you that starter!
If all or any of that sounds good, please send a message my way with the tropes you'd most want to pursue, and we can start developing a plot together from there!

I’m a blue collar worker. I’ve been working on semis pretty much my entire life. I’m 26 years old.
Everyone I work with is over 39. Every shop I go to everyone is two or three years older than me.
This isn’t a bad job and the pay ain’t bad either. I have medical, vision, and dental insurance. I also have a retirement account.
The issue is, I’m the youngest everywhere. This isn’t an isolated issue either. This is nearly every blue collar field. The only ones that I see any young people in is welding and construction. Auto mechanics are in the same spot to. Who’s going to fix the cars/trucks? Who’s going to do the body work? Who’s going to operate the power plants? Who’s going to do all the work that keeps white collar folks going?
I’m not interested in a class argument. I know that white collar jobs are 100% necessary. If they don’t do their job I don’t get paid or have stuff to work on. It takes all kinds to make this all work. I’m just worried that in a couple decades we are going to face a major labor shortage due to the acts of the public schools system telling kids my job is for morons who don’t have critical thinking skills.
Truth is, the blue collar jobs are good. Yes it’s more wear and tear on your body but there’s a trade off to everything.

Hello, writers of Reddit! I'm a 26-year-old guy with an aching desire for storytelling and a collection of loose tropes, ideas, and half-thought-out characters that I'm looking for the right couple of partners to help weave together into a wonderfully-crafted, exquisitely detailed narrative tapestry. Of course, that means I'm a little lax on proper details for a prompt, but developing a plot is something we'll get to do together!
A little more about myself before I scribble out a set of themes and plot bunnies I think would be fun to explore via collaborative storytelling: I'm well-versed in Reddit private messages and Discord, and happy to tell a story on either platform! (Just be warned that my Discord posts, as well as my Reddit responses, skew long, and I'm looking for both an undaunted and up-for-the-challenge writing partner in that regard. Think a minimum of 200-300 words, and usually well outstripping that pace.) I've been writing for the better part of a decade, and there are few joys in life as well-realized settings, vibrant casts of side characters, and three-dimensional protagonists. I'm looking for writing partners who are also 20 or older, and are looking for a story that skews lighthearted!
Still with me? Awesome! Here are a handful of narrative concepts near and dear to my heart:
- Embarrassing moment meet-cutes, witty/charming banter, smoldering secret mutual crushes harbored for each other, rivals-to-lovers, magical realism (a big plus if you're willing to include this!), slow-burn romances, cheeky antics, and adorably sweet character moments that undercut the playful enmity.
And, hey! Do you want a starter right away, and to jump right into a story, plunging feet-first into an enjoyable setting and a meet-cute tailor-made for your ideal charming beginning? I've written six bespoke rom-com starters to immediately kick off a story, so roll a die, tell me what number you got, and I'll send you that starter!
If all or any of that sounds good, please send a message my way with the tropes you'd most want to pursue, and we can start developing a plot together from there!

Wanting opinions on my situation. I have $160,000 in my TSP and I have 20 to 22 years to go before I retire.
Long story short. I have a situation (medical) and I'm thinking about taking a TSP loan for $25,000 and paying it over 30 months. I have some savings but it's not nearly enough for my situation. Since I have 20+ years to go, I don't think 30 months will hurt me much. I'm currently contributing 15% to traditional TSP.
I have no credit card debt but I can't put it on credit cards since my APR is high. I checked with my credit union and the percentage for the personal loan is 12%, and I have excellent credit.
Thoughts?

Management through a 204B had me cleaning debris under an area of our roof that is currently being repaired. They were working on or near a skylight. This area of the floor was closed off from the other workers with caution tape and safety cones.
I knew work was being done above me but I didn’t realize I was in danger. Luckily one of our mechanics came over and told me that it was unsafe to be working there. He said that if the skylight into the floor that it would kill me.
This same 204B previously had a few of us mopping up water under a live transformer without tagging it out or turning it off.

What will conditions be like in the High Sierra this season after its record-breaking winter? How should this affect my trip planning, gear selection, and skills? And how can I find conditions updates before I go?
For those planning High Sierra trips who have uncertain answers to these questions, I have two resources that should help:

1. This blog post, published last week, in which I discuss the likely conditions and how to safely manage them (if they can't be entirely avoided).
   
2. An "Ask Us Anything" event tomorrow/Wednesday night, 6-7 PM Pacific Time, hosted by Katie Gerber and me. We'd like to keep the conversation focused on the unique challenges of the 2023 season, but we can also answer questions about standard topics like permits and routes.
   

This event will be recorded and posted afterwards, if you can't make the live edition. If you have questions, you can email them ahead of time to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or you can leave a comment in this thread.
Overall, 2023 will not be a normal season, with snowpack, high water, and intense mosquitoes lingering through August at least. The conditions have the potential to ruin naïve plans, and probably to cause a few unnecessary casualties too. I hope this information will help keep some people happier and safer this year.
About Katie Gerber
Katie has thru-hiked the Pacific Crest, Continental Divide, Oregon Desert, and Colorado Trails, as well as the Wind River High Route and an end-to-end thru-hike of the Grand Canyon. She’s been guiding for me since 2020 and joined this year full-time as the Co-Director.
About me
Most pertinent to this conversation, I have been backpacking in the High Sierra for nearly twenty years, including as a guide for twelve. I’ve thru-hiked the JMT, the JMT/PCT through the High Sierra (twice, in late-June and late-May), and the Sierra High Route; and I wrote the guidebooks for the Kings Canyon High Basin Route and Yosemite High Route.

I am a Canadian permanent resident (not Indian or Chinese) who got married to a US citizen one year ago. We both currently live in Canada. My US spouse doesn't not currently work. I have one year left to apply for Canadian citizenship and another 6-12 months of processing, after which we're planning to move to the US. Which route will be the easiest to get a US marriage green card?
1) Apply now while both me (Canadian PR) and my spouse live outside US with no US income. The advantage is that my application gets processed while waiting for my Canadian citizenship.
2) Apply after getting Canadian citizenship and we both move to US (me on TN visa). The advantage is that we both have US-based income and we have spent 2 years married so the application gets processed faster and I get a permanent green card.
View Poll

I just wanted to post this here because I didn't realize the difference this thing could make to my daily life and decisions.
First, I am Type 2, and on several non-insulin meds; Metformin, Amaryl, Tradjenta, Mounjaro, and another pill that I can't recall at the moment. I expected the meds to do the heavy lifting. I was only checking my glucose levels in the morning, and while high (250-325 for the 11 months prior), I never felt bad. I occasionally ate healthy, but often ate gummy candy (seriously my weakness) and sugary baked goods.
2 things have changed in the 6 weeks. First, I got my Libre 2, and now Libre 3. I see the effect of my decisions in near real-time. Second, my daughter went from 0 to seriously diabetic in a little over a year. My A1C 6 weeks ago was 11.3. Her A1C 3 weeks ago was 14.8.
I need to be a good example for her. She's struggling as the baker in the family. I've worked hard to eat right and show better food/snack options that are good for us both. I knew all along what I should be doing, but now I'm doing it for her and with her. Sharing our numbers with each other keeps us both accountable.
She's still trying to get under control and they are tweaking her meds every 1-2 weeks as we try to get the numbers down. I, however, have gone from 250-325 being a low number for me to regularly in my target range of 100-180. Nightscout says I'm there about 90% of the time over the last couple of weeks.
I've also learned that if I behave most of the time, when I do indulge in something, my body and levels recover much faster. I hope this helps my daughter see that it isn't all doom and gloom for the foods she likes, and there will be some time to enjoy a bit of them in the future.