Anime couple base

Personally I enjoy the game feel like I have beat it but there is no satisfying conclusion to it. I enjoy the morale & research aspects. Hope to see it more fleshed out and rebalanced(buff all the lackluster items). I want to beable to switch back and forth between evil & good. I want more vibrant/darker colors. Limitless customers flooding in. Deeper restaurant and attraction management to make it actually feel like it matters. Maybe a shuttle cart or zip line, hot air balloons, train something beside just subways. A circus or paid animal rides which exploits the animals for profit. A revamped release hub with incentives for restoring a reachable goal of repopulating a species. A mad robot scientist plot line that develops deeper with cyborg workers and animals. A coop mode or multiplayer would make this great for families couples friends. More events maybe a fence falls down and animals escape running loose chasing visitors away. A fantasy dlc with dragons and unicorns castle decorations. Halloween themed buildings mascots. More soundtracks and seasons. Make it thunderstorm and rain to make use of shelters. Train up animal keepers to work with individual dangerous carnivores or big hippos or wrangle snakes🐍 . An reworked farming that feels fulfilling grow grapes>wine strawberries and a restaurant and chefs that get fancier with more food products. A use for money late game like run a hotel inside the zoo overnight to ensure guest numbers start at 400. A rocketship that brings in aliens with their own dietary needs. Upgrade pens to different star levels with more unlocks. Better vet with maybe a flu outbreak, increase the longevity of animals. Bigger furnace/ just chuck the bodys in another pen. Buy some of the other zoo’s and fix them up/ do a weekly challenge. Separate cloning facility. More personalized character follow them around for errands(sims-esque dialogue or tomfoolery). Factory’s run by monkeys, turtle races, porcupine petting zoo, ostrich jousting. Maybe more penalties for reusing and spamming the same decorations(like two point campus only 2 posters). Diagonal animal pens to run alongside our slanted pathways. More challenges to make a old west area with a set number of different decorations and statues. Maybe a mobile port is feasible downscaled. Different difficulties and flexibility in attendance. A weekly shoutout/vote for best looking zoo.

My partner (a divorced mom of 2 boys, 5 and 3) sent me a text a couple weeks ago that her oldest, who has some anger issues they're working through relating to the divorce, had a temper tantrum, got tripped up in his bedspread, and did a swan dive into the floor, hitting his head pretty badly. Being a nurse, and concerned because he was complaining of wooziness afterward, an ambulance was called and the paramedics recommended he be taken to the hospital for a doctor's exam. At the ED, after waiting for several hours, the boy was looked at, a CT scan taken, and nothing concerning was noted. (The boy is perfectly fine now.) However, the doctor reported that the bruising looked like it was from parental neglect, i.e., accused my partner of abuse. To her complete surprise and horror, CPS and the police were called in to investigate. Mother and child went on to spend over 12 hours in a small room at the hospital, were interviewed by both entities, the ex-husband was called and told to bring the other child for assessment- he complied and vouched that his ex is an excellent mother and would never harm her children- but in the end CPS informed her that she could not be alone with her children until the investigation is concluded in 2 to 3 weeks.
Relevant info concerning my partner: She is, through my personal interaction and by the account of every friend and family member I've met, an incredibly kind and generous person. She is an RN. A volunteer who participates in homeless outreach programs and abused women programs. A yoga instructor and vegetarian because she believes in doing no harm. She is a doting mother who believes in understanding her children's perspectives. She is the last person anyone who knows her, and even the front line CPS investigator, would suspect of child abuse. But the CPS Supervisor, a person who has never met my partner, has continued to mandate the "no unsupervised child visitation" based on the single doctor's report, even after a myriad of interviews and check ins where the CPS investigator has vouched for my partner and stated that abuse doesn't seem likely. My partner has now been told by the CPS Supervisor through the Investigator, that she must attend parenting classes to earn back unsupervised custody or go to court.
My partner hates conflict and wants to just attend the classes with the hope that with that completed it will all go away. This option makes me extremely nervous for her, as it seems like a plea bargain, and could be interpreted as an admission of guilt. She was also told that the police may press criminal charges against her as well, a separate investigation from that being carried out by CPS. I'm worried that as an RN, accepting the mandate from CPS could flavor any future considerations of a judge should criminal charges actually follow and that could affect her license. Scary stuff.
I think she should go to court with CPS and argue her case via a lawyer. But like I said, she wants to just comply and take the classes and cross her fingers the criminal charges get dropped. I would think they would be dropped, a single doctor's report seems like a pittance of evidence to support a CPS case, let alone a criminal case, but I'm not a lawyer. I am the parent of two young, energetic, rough and tumble children though, and I'm frankly terrified to take them to an ER now, should they ever have an accident!
Any advise concerning this situation and what I, a person that cares deeply for their partner but is not a part of her children's lives, can do to help them, is greatly appreciated. This is happening in CA. Thank you!

Yeah I know you've heard it thousands of times before, but I'm really saddened by the lack of story mods in Fallout New Vegas, and the ones that do exist (the Frontier and New California) have their own problems that are well known by now. I really love New Vegas but after playing the game so much I just long for a new story. So then I remembered that I have the ability to write pretty well, and I started brainstorming.
This is a relatively new idea so I don't have everything down, but the idea is that you're a Private in the NCR, or optionally a freelance merc hired by the NCR. The mod would start as you're being transported to the front lines in a personel carrier. There could be some banter between the soldiers before the vehicle gets hit and you black out, waking up in a clinic and allowing you to make your character. It is a pretty standard and even cliche start, but it is the best place to use for the character creation in my opinion. Asking your name to make sure you remember, letting you see your face in a mirror to check the damage allowing you to customize how you look, a grip on the vig-o-matic, a quick questionarre including your training (selecting skills) and your traits (This would also allow you to answer why you have a Pip-Boy in the first place and give you a perk/trait based on it, like getting a perception bonus if you scavenged it). After that you could do a basic quest to test your motor functions which could end with target practice.
Afterwards the doctors inform you that you're not on the frontlines of battle, rather you're in a neutral town after a couple scavengers found you half-dead and had the decency to take you with them back home. The doctors would speculate that you're KIA in the eyes of the NCR, give you a name to someone in the town that could help you get the lay of the land, and then send you on your way. You'd be able to explore the town, do a few side quests and talk to the NPC that will give you a few key locations for you to visit (Faction Hubs or a few other towns) as well as give you some tips and tricks for survival.
So far that's all I have, I wanna work on the plot a little more before I start getting into the major factions, but what do y'all think so far? Got any ideas? Feedback? I'd love to get reception on this.

Hello, and welcome to PlantForwardDiet!
We are a community united by our interest in exploring the fascinating intersection of health, nutrition, and environmental stewardship through the lens of a plant-forward diet. As we embark on this journey together, we thought it important to lay down the foundation upon which our community stands: our vision, goals, and guiding tenets, along with the expectations we have for each other's conduct.
Our Basic Premise
Our primary focus is to engage in scientifically rigorous discussions about a plant-forward approach to nutrition. This isn't about promoting a singular dietary approach but about recognizing the multiple pathways towards a healthy, sustainable diet. While we acknowledge that a diet inclusive of animal products like eggs and low-mercury fish can be extremely healthy, we also understand that the production of these products carries with it potential moral, societal, and environmental impacts.
Our Goals
The goals of this community are three-fold:

1. To serve as a resource for scientifically supported information on plant-forward diets and nutrition.
2. To foster respectful, thoughtful, and evidence-based discussion on all facets of nutrition and health.
3. To build a community that encourages learning, growth, and mutual support on our collective journey towards better health and sustainable living.

Our Tenets
These are the principles we hold dear:

1. Scientific Rigor: We encourage critical thinking and require evidence when making claims about nutrition. Every member has a responsibility to ensure our discussions are grounded in the latest scientific research.
2. Respect for Personal Choices: Each of us arrives here with different dietary choices and lifestyle decisions. As long as these choices are presented with respect and scientific validity, they will be respected.
3. Holistic Health: Health is more than diet—it includes exercise, mental health, sleep, stress management, and more. We take a comprehensive view of health and wellness.
4. Sustainability and Ethics: We believe in making food choices with awareness of their environmental and ethical implications. This means considering aspects such as local sourcing, fair trade, and food waste.
5. Learning and Growth: We promote an environment of continuous learning and understanding. We value the ongoing evolution of scientific consensus as research progresses.
6. Diversity: Everyone's dietary needs are unique, shaped by a range of factors including age, activity level, health conditions, cultural background, and personal preferences. We celebrate this diversity.
7. Nutrition Literacy: We are committed to fostering a clear understanding of nutrition, nutrition labels, and the ability to make informed food decisions.

Behavioral Expectations
With these tenets in mind, we expect every member of PlantForwardDiet to abide by a few basic behavioral guidelines:

1. Kindness and Respect: Be kind to each other. Disagree respectfully, avoid personal attacks, and strive for understanding.
2. No Pseudoscience: Pseudoscientific beliefs and unsupported claims are unwelcome. All assertions should be supported by credible, scientific evidence.
3. Open-Mindedness: Let's abandon our tribes and preconceived notions. This is a space to learn and grow, even when that growth challenges our beliefs.
4. Active Participation: Engage, discuss, share, and learn! Let's make this a vibrant and dynamic community.

Our hope is that PlantForwardDiet can be a space where people from all walks of life come together to learn, share, and grow. We want our members to feel both challenged and supported in their journey towards better understanding and applying the principles of plant-forward nutrition.
Welcome aboard! We look forward to fostering a kind, respectful, and engaging community with you. Let's create a space where we can all come away better for participating.
Thank you for being a part of our community.

Hi all! Today I got my Breville Smart Scoop in and am absolutely ready to go ham on this thing.
I've never used an ice cream maker before, but I have made ice cream by hand before and have 19 years experience as a chef to draw on for process - but I've never really applied those things to desserts. (Always loved ice cream, knew I would never routinely do the by-hand method with how time consuming it was.)
It's a father's day gift, but I'm more stoked to make a good batch of favorites for my wife and kids before I get to a batch for me.
All that to say, one of her favorite things is good lemon meringue. So I'm in the process of making and resting a fresh lemon curd, then going to use a portion of the curd in the ice cream base after, let that chill and rest until tomorrow. Whip up a meringue fresh tomorrow, and my plan at the moment is to then incorporate the meringue with the ice cream at mix-in stage, maybe a couple spoonfuls of the curd as well?
Why I'm bringing this here, I'm guessing some members from around here may have some suggestions on what will or won't work so well with my process before I pull the trigger tomorrow afternoon.
So does anybody have any insights? Any suggestions from personal experience to make this something next-level?

Hey all, Could use some help with combatant management for the more cumbersome encounters.
By cumbersome, imagine a 3d battlefield inside of a 2 level (cardboard) warehouse in a port town (ghosts of saltmarsh for best reference). With a hired mercenary team of 5 mini bosses, a couple spellcasters, rogue, 2 beefcakes, and the dude they were hired by.
What kind of prep work could you recommend for this encounter?
And yes, the mercenaries will run if things get out of hand.
Oh! And the building is made of wood and steel beams. With multiple wooden shelves lined with various goods and kegs. You know, for fireball reasons...
Do y'all just prep a base strategy and adjust each turn if needed? Or is chaos just the norm?
When creating or getting into character, do y'all think about how they would fight before you plan an encounter?
Please give your thoughts or suggestions on how to manage a complex encounter and maintain a fluid and fun experience.

“The ground based footsies Guilty Gear is known for” is a term I have seen memed to death in various clips but it prompts a question, what is Guilty Gear known for?
I did a bit or research and found a couple people saying that guilty gear is known for brain dead aggression. Some also said that Street fighter was known for ground based footsies. I couldn’t find any other games though.
What is the base gameplay that other fighting games have, and what kind of gameplay is missing from the mainstream?

So what are the good option for heavy stim pres? True dmaa or similar. Have a lot of experience with stims in the past both prescription and Street ( never a problem) tool old school jacked a couple times back in the day and loved it. USA based only Reliable bulk dmaa works too

Been in the VSynth community for some amount of years yet have always been too scared to even try to use a VSynth program in a serious like. I've messed around with Web SynthV and some other web vocal synths a couple times in the past but never truly used them as a synthesizer, as I said before, too scared to even TRY to use vocal synth programs, despite my last post in this sub, I never ended up using SynthV in its actual software (I got too scared off by the idea of jumping straight into a vocal synth program, even if I know its completely safe, I was still just too nervous to jump in so blind to synthetization), I stuck with making random shitposty stuff in Web SynthV without even thinking of uploading what I had made to any sharing site. But now that I'm finally taking VSynth programs (somewhat) seriously, I have decided to use Web SynthV because I'm taking a slow approach and based on what I've seen this is way easier than ACTUAL SynthV (Even if the price to pay is variety of voicebanks)
​
All that aside. Does anyone have any tips? I could use gender, tone manipulation and basic parameter tips since I'm tired of using Sakis voice and want to try to replicate other Vocal Synths voices (Not sure if its even possible to do something like this in Web SynthV but nonetheless I'm testing stuff out). Anyways all I'm looking for is some parameter tips and some tricks to use
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The link to Web SynthV for those who don't know (Sorry if this seems useless to put)

I’ll try to keep this short. My boyfriend and I have been together 2 years now. Things are overall pretty good and if they aren’t we know how to communicate and work through the bad.
However, there is just one issue I’m struggling to tackle and not even sure it’s worth bringing up to him. Because it may be more a me thing than him. I’ll explain.
Before we met he had a fling with a friend of his. This was about 4 years ago, so its been awhile. He had feelings for her, but it wasn’t mutual with her so they just remained really good friends instead.
Fast forward to now. I don’t know the extent of their friendship, I know they text but I don’t know how much or if they hang out, etc. I know she has his netflix account info, which ok with me and none of this gives me a weird feeling because this is friend basis stuff.
The part I struggle with and need help is accepting the dynamic between the two of them. To me he gets very excited to see her and vise versa. And there’s definitely some chemistry, I feel at least. That is the only reason why I know they had a past fling because I asked him since I felt some emotion between the two (before I even met her). He said he would probably never pursue anything with her if him and I weren’t a couple.
I just met her for the first time on a friend trip last month and she was very friendly to me but things felt off. And I got insecure because she’s beautiful, the one everyone gravitates to and she just has this aura. And him and her really do have so much in common.
After this trip I’m already looking at therapists because it was so draining to me. Something that should have been fun I faked the entire time because I felt so in my head on those two.
But my question(s) are, do I talk to my boyfriend about this insecurity? Such as asking him how much they talk, his feelings, etc.
Is it ok and normal to even feel this way or am I making something into nothing?
Has anyone dealt with this and did therapy actually help? I have, like many, childhood trauma and I don’t want it to define me. So if that’s what this is I need to fix it. I just can’t always determine in a situation if I’m correct for feeling what I feel, or if it’s trauma based and in my head.

Mine would be my 5 color Niv Mizzet tribal deck.
For context, I quit playing magic years back around Amonkhet, sold most of my stuff off minus my EDH decks, my dragon collection, and a few fat pack boxes of random cards that I didn't want to sort. Got back into EDH regularly at the LGS a year or so ago. Obviously, I missed a few significant rules changes, the biggest one being the update to how the Legendary rule works. I didn't even realize the rule had changed until a couple months ago when someone put 2 different versions of the same planeswalker into play during a game. Once it was explained to me, my immediate thought was that I could theoretically have each different version of Niv Mizzet on my battlefield at the same time.
I spent the following weekend throwing a deck together, with [[Niv Mizzet Reborn]] as the Commander. It's janky as hell, inconsistent, and an utter blast to play. It has the usual Niv Mizzet + Curiosity effect infinite combos, as well as a [[worldgorger dragon]] infinite mana combo for [[Niv Mizzet, Dracogenius]], wrapped into a 2 color spell based toolbox shell. My hope is to one day get all 5 different versions of my favorite Guildmaster simultaneously on the board.

My (31 F) cousins (my mom's 1st cousin and her son) are visiting my family in Hawaii. During his time here, my 12-year old cousin expressed that really wanted to go deep-sea fishing on my dad's boat, so my dad agreed to take us fishing today if the winds were calm enough. Conditions were good this morning, so my mom came over to my place to help us get ready for the trip. I didn't think much of this (she's taken it upon herself to do a lot of the hosting while my cousins are here even though the primary reason for their trip was to visit her cousin's mom who is old and in poor health) until she showed up in her own car at the harbor right before we launched. Now, my cousin really wanted me to join him on this fishing trip and I was happy to go, but I made it very clear to everyone that I wouldn't go if my mom went. My family is well aware of how she acts towards me when we're around other people (outside of our immediate family), which is why for the past couple years I've refused to be around her at family functions unless I take my own car and can leave if being around her became too upsetting. She's always been a narcissist, but her behavior is so awful now as she approaches old age (she's 66) that strangers will even be able to tell that something's off with her after only being around her for a few minutes. In a nutshell, she's toxic and erratic-- explodes over any little thing, interrupts people so that she can steer the conversation her way, brings up unpleasant topics such as stories she's heard of horrific murders and animal abuse, and of course tries to belittle and embarrass me anyway she can. Her tendency to try to belittle and embarrass me is especially prevalent when others are around and today was no exception. For example, when my dad just calmly reminded me not to get too close to a buoy, she looks up from her phone just so she can shout "YEAH, PAY ATTENTION! Then later when she was busy trying to take pictures of me when I was driving the boat and I told her to stop because she was being distracting (she also is very well aware that I hate it when people just try to take pictures of me without my permission) she yells "WHY ARE YOU SO WEIRD, YOU STUPID ASS!" , not even trying to control herself in the presence of my poor cousin who had to witness this.
My mom knew what she was doing-- she wouldn't have felt the need to take her own car to the harbor (especially since we were all at my place this morning while we were getting everything ready for the trip) unless she knew that I would back out if I knew she was going. I also made it very clear to her yesterday that I wouldn't be going if she did, and she responded that she wasn't going to go since she hated being on the boat. She told me yesterday that she really wanted me to go so that my cousin would have a good time (she cares about my cousins' opinion of her), and she does in fact hate being on the boat, so I didn't think I had any reason not to believe her when she said she wasn't gonna go. Best case scenario: she disregarded my feelings and used deception so that I wouldn't back out of a trip she wanted to go on ; worst case scenario: she didn't even want to go on the trip, but didn't want to risk that anyone else would have a good time without her.
I'm curious, does anyone else have a Nparent who gets off on being nasty towards and belittling/embarrassing you in the presence of others? I've never understood this as it only makes them look bad and anyone who witnesses their behavior feel sorry for you for having such a terrible parent.

I’m a BB late bloomer who’s only been watching for the last year. I’ve gotten through 7 seasons so far (some old, some newer, mostly based on Reddit ranking of the best ones lol). Hoping to get a couple more in before 25 starts.
Maybe this is just me, but why do some people absolutely DESTROY the house during Hide and Go Veto?
I completely understand the “playing defense” aspect of the competition—trying to conceal your own veto card or make the area less obvious/appear to have already been looked at…but I get so stressed out when people just start emptying drawers unnecessarily and throwing food 😩😭 do they have to clean it all up on their own after or does production help? I mean I know they’ve got nothing but time in the house but damn.

I'm at the tail end of a year-long embedded systems project with a client (ARM-based, bare metal, interfacing to an LCD/touch screen and a bunch of physical devices). It's been a good ride. And though I have a couple of other clients keeping me busy, I'm ready to take on a new project.
So my question: as a free-lance embedded systems engineer, what are your favorite avenues for making yourself known to companies that want your services? I know that some semicconductor companies have "Developer Programs" that perform this kind of match-making -- I'm thinking STMicro, SiliconLabs, Microchip, maybe TI, Nordic and others. Do these programs lead to useful / interesting client engagements? Do you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get into the program? Are the benefits worth the effort? Etc...
I'm really keen to hear your experiences and comments. The floor is open...

I would write a super long winded post but who's gonna read it lol anyway I'm from the USA specifically in the CST timezone
I just wanna chat with some people and maybe make a couple new friends because why not? We don't have to share all the same interests to be friends btw
I also really love anime especially dragonball I grew up with it mainly that's why, also really love horror movies and video games too currently playing tears of the kingdom( I love it😳)
I didn't make this unbearably long for you because I know you wouldn't want to read all that lol
Just hit my line

Hey y’all, I have been on a major thriller kick lately. I typically go for documentaries, true crime, miniseries, etc.
I love all things dark and can tolerate a lot but I do have a couple of requirements, minimal gore, no animal abuse, and PREFERABLY in English (definitely lenient on this one though)
Now, these are some of the thrillers I’ve loved and am hoping to find some similar suggestions :)
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Mother!
Requiem for a Dream
Dogtooth
The Strange Thing About the Johnson’s
And Then I Go
Hereditary

My gf graduated a couple years back and got a job which is great! With both of us working we'd be able to save more, especially because I have student loans left to pay. Whereas my GF doesn’t have to pay hers back yet (UK vibes). After a few months working my gf wanted to quit. She has terrible trauma and work found out about it and offered therapy or even some place to rent as well if she needed. She quit because there was workplace drama between people which she couldn't handle and it was taking a toll on her mental health. She also didn't want her work to give her any special treatment because they know about her situation.
Since then, I've been giving her a set amount of money monthly and money converting into UK pounds is quite a lot. She hasn't gotten a job since and yet she's been traveling and going out with friends which I would love for her to. I have no problem with that at all. The main issue is the majority of my paycheck each month is going to her.We just got into a fight recently (it’s all good now) about her hanging out with her EX (mutual friends were there too) as well because funnily enough they share the same friends. I said my piece and she told me (respectfully yet still rude) that because of how I got upset and how she is my first proper relationship that it's like she is taking care of a child.
So in the back of my mind I wanted to correct her just based on the fact that I provide for us. I really wish she would have her own financial freedom not because I hate helping her, but it's just not fair. And I don't want her to feel guilty for always asking for money. The reason budgeting came into play is because she's been asking for advancements over probably more than 2 months ahead now. I feel like she is going to ask me again about another advancement because she is traveling again soon. I've brought it up once or maybe twice and her reaction was to get in a sad depressive mood. I myself do not want to work. I hate my 9 - 5, but I do it because at some point I want to move out from my parent's house and move in with my LDR gf!
In conclusion, she says she's going back to study her masters next year and when that happens I don't have to give her as much. I don't know if she really wants to or because the school gives them money for their entire school year, but she says she wants to get a better job afterwards and really focus on her life. Which I would love for that to happen. Is what I'm going through a normal thing? I'm probably gonna delete this after a while, but idk what to do.
TLDR; As an LDR couple of 5+ years, I give my GF money every month because she quit her job at least 8 months - 1 year ago and hasn't bothered to get another one. She's been traveling, even remodeled her bedroom, etc. I've advanced a few months of what I give her already and I feel like she is going to ask again for another one because she is traveling again soon. She says she's getting her masters next year and wants to get a better job.

I’m in the process of building raised garden beds, and am wanting to make them self watering. My issue is probably two-fold. First is deciding which method to do, there seems to be a couple. The second is wrapping my head around how some of these systems can actually wick water when the reservoir is low.
Specifically, the method most described seems to be putting a pond liner in the raised beds, and then putting in a perforated pipe horizontally and with a vertical extension in order to fill the reservoir. Gravel is then placed in, and landscape fabric put on top to keep soil from entering the reservoir. Soil is then placed on top of this and bam, self watering garden. I understand the principles of wicking, but what I can’t wrap my mind around is how this system works when the water level doesn’t touch the soil base, like at 1/2 or 1/4 full. Doesn’t there need to be some kind of wick, either soil, cotton, fabric or something going into the reservoir to actually wick the water up to the soil?
The second method is skipping the gravel, and laying perforated drainage pipe completely across the base of the beds in rows, with the ends capped to prevent dirt from entering. A vertical pipe is again added, and peat moss or vermiculite is installed in between these pipes and then lightly covers them. These serve as a soil wick, and the soil is placed straight on top this. While this system puts my mind at ease on the wicking part of the bed, won’t the continuous mix of water and soil/peat moss eventually clog the drainage pipes and render the set up ineffective?
Looking for real life advice from any one who has done this, looking to build long lasting vegetable gardens and don’t want to end up investing time and money and end up hand watering my gardens at the end of it all.
Thanks

Previous/
The wagons or tanks rolled through the gate in a caravan that was more akin to a carnival than a group of tradesmen; all the wizards with their pointed hats were shaped magnificently against the browns and grays, some wore white porcelain dramedy masks beneath headwear as dark as pipe resin, men and women and those between—as that was common from where they hailed. Their company was perhaps forty and their mules and mares were thirsty and were led to troughs to idle while the wizards removed goods from their wagons or tanks and although it was not a spectacle for them to arrive within Golgotha’s walls, it was something still and the citizens gathered to greet whatever wizards they might know but mostly perhaps to whisper rumors on them. The wizards seemed a taller folk, but that was because of the hats, and they seemed wider too, but that was for the robes they adorned with costume jewelry, trinkets, or fingernail-sized lanterns which contained magical properties hung off their clothes as ornaments (some metal and other crudely wooden). I never knew a people that could trek the wastes in that time as well as me till I knew them.
Boss Maron was there at the gates with his wall men, hollering—shouting really, “The Whores of Babylon have come again!” And the bells signaled from atop the highest tower over the hall of Bosses and I met the front square with a morning headache and a cigarette. The Boss sheriff was clothed, cowboy hat pulled tightly to his ears, and he waltzed through the square, inspecting the new arrivals with his crotch out in front of him as he moved in a swagger like a cup of shifted water. Morning sunlight crested the wall to reflect on the pistol in his holster as it did on the star pin of his hat.
Among them, there was only one wizard I cared to see. Their name was Suzanne.
The hanged bodies of the men remained on the wall, dead and stiff and shifting to the little wind there was.
The square had filled with carts (some drawn by animals and others pushed on oil), and even if it were not for the bells which signaled their arrival, I’d have surely known their presence for the clatter of their metal engines.
“Well goddamn!” said Maron while examining a wizard, “What’s that you’ve got on your legs?”
The wizard, a young woman in plain pants wore a set of leg braces and whenever she moved, she did so in shifting her hips around. “Braces,” she said.
“What’s it for? Or is it some of your all’s secret whodo?”
“I’ve got bad legs. The braces help.” She said plainly, attempting to angle herself straight like a stick against one of the traveling party’s wagons.
“Bad legs?” Boss Maron’s expression was incredulous. “Who has bad legs? What sort of nonsense is it? If a lady like you’s made it this far in life with bad legs, then someone’s done you a disservice.”
She looked on questioningly while the other wizards continued with their unpacking or their conversating—whether it be amongst themselves or with the freckle-spaced citizens in the square.
“How are you to outrun trouble when you’ve got them?” He nodded at the young woman’s legs.
“I don’t.” Her face was red either because of the sun or because of the scrutiny. “I’m just bow-legged.”
“Damn,” he shook his head, “Well how much you want for one of them?”
“One of my braces?”
“Yeah. All I want’s the one anyway.”
“I need both of them.”
“C’mon. You wouldn’t notice just one missing. I mean, you’ve got a spare right next to it.”
Upon noticing a robed figure I recognized by the animals at the troughs, I moved to them instead and let Maron’s conversation fall to the wayside. The chatter of the crowd was wild and startled words came as a wizard exposed their collection of tonics to passersby.
“Suzanne,” I said.
The figure turned to face me, moving their head to look away from a mare they’d been brushing to expose one of those white porcelain masks.
I knew it and could not contain a smile.
“Harlan?” asked the figure. The mask on its face was split in the middle with hinges on either side and they opened it to show their face; it was Suzanne. They’d grown some hair around their throat and wore lipstick on their lips and dyes on their eyes.
“It’s good to see you.” I pushed myself into a hug with them and I could smell the travel off them but didn’t care.
They shifted timidly before hugging me back and I pretended not to notice. Once we’d separated, I looked on Suzanne’s face again and they were looking on at the hanging men on the wall. “Again?” they asked.
I nodded and shot a look towards the Boss across the way.
“What justice?” they asked no one while shaking their head.
Trying an answer, I said, “Justice is something man made, I think. I’ll leave men to men and the rest to God.”
“God.” Suzanne nodded glumly then shook their head. “Which one?”
I laughed a good laugh that felt real but nervous too then kicked the ground and took the last drag off my cigarette before chucking it to the ground. “What’s brought you here?”
Suzanne answered plainly. “We took a long time east out near Pittsburgh.” Their eyes scanned the buildings further on from the square. “The people there are worse than here, it seems. At least you still have your walls.”
“Pittsburgh’s fallen?”
They frowned. “Not completely. They’ve mostly gone underground. A skitterbug infestation caused a plague directly before an attack of proportions I’ve yet seen.” Suzanne’s brow furrowed. “It was awful.” The words hung in the air for a moment. “But we’re here now and thought we’d stop for a rest and some guns and ammo before returning to Babylon. We’ve brought some medicines to trade.”
I learned from my friend that Pittsburgh’s infrastructure and fortifications were decimated in an attack the wizards only caught second-hand and the survivors—holed away in the tunnels beneath Pittsburgh—told of how the demons ran the walls once their reserves were low.
Then the wizards gathered there began unpacking books, some scrolls, and there were medicines too and some of the Bosses other than Maron (he pushed his harassment of the young wizard with leg braces) graced us there with their presence as they came on and began to pick across the goods, haggling prices. Boss Frank was there, and he stood before a wizard by a tank with a wooden table of jars—capped elixirs of varying colors—he grew increasingly frustrated with their selection and took on in his braggadocious way, speaking of numbers. A few of the idle wizards leaned against carts or even took across town and a small group of them had gathered for a quick show near the guard posts, playing instruments (strings over the vocals of “In My Life”) and there in the front of them was a young wizard man that had removed his hat to show how he played with fire flames off his hands—it was a sideshow play—and the citizens wore variations of bemusement or disgust. The children of Golgotha, all dirty faced with sprigs of hair jutting about from their morning’s waking, seemed totally bewildered in the joy of song and clapped their hands or shook their hips all with smiles.
I stuffed my hands in my jacket and prodded Suzanne, “What’s with the plague? I mean, was it contained? None of your lot got sick, did they?”
Suzanne scoffed, perhaps a little pridefully, “No. I wouldn’t worry about that.” They patted a nearby mule then withdrew a brush and moved it across its thin coat before looking over its hooves. “I’ve brought you some books I found out that way though. You still read?”
I nodded.
“Don’t expect any of that fiction. The only ones I’ve found recently are old pamphlets or medical texts.” Suzanne paused and smiled, returning the animal brush to their robes, “You haven’t happened upon anything that might interest me, have you?”
Their shown teeth were infectious. “Mayhap. I’d need you to come back to my place so I could give them to you.” An awkward pause followed and the roar of the still accumulating crowd overtook the space between us before I continued. “Mostly interesting containers and a few flecks of gold I took from some old computers—they’ve been waitin’ on you for weeks now. I got some parchment that might be of use to you too. You can take what you need as always.”
“How about we get some food? I’m famished. Riding through the night takes its toll.”
Me and Suzanne took from the square up a narrow route that led through residences where the lower levels had their curtains drawn and then we took stairs toward balconies and catwalks configured from reinforced metal; we spoke as we went and a few odd glances from passersby met the wizard as we did.
“The tide on the east is rising again,” said Suzanne.
“Worse than before?”
“Worse than before.”
“God, I don’t think I’ve seen the ocean for a decade or more.” I slid my hand along the railing once we came to what was essentially my front porch; it was a perch among the catwalks that cut against the domicile where I shared walls with others on three sides and we stopped there outside my door. “We saw a dragon only a few days ago.”
Suzanne’s interest seemed piqued. “A dragon? And what direction was it traveling?”
“Well,” I craned over the railing, looking down the narrow walkway that separated my building and the one across the way; I couldn’t see the front square from outside my home, but I could still just make out the music echoing from that direction, “Could’ve been north or west. I was preoccupied, but I wouldn’t worry much. The wall men gave it a pretty good thrashing before it took off.”
“Hmm.”
“So, the ocean? It’s rising, huh?”
They joined me there on railing, supporting themselves against their forearms. “It is. Faster than ever. Some bad magic’s taken the water. I imagine by the end of the year Pittsburgh will be under it. There’s something bad coming. You might call it intuition if you want, but I know it’s coming. Something bad. Revelations bad. There comes a time when even those of us forsaken are brought worse.”
“Bah!” I couldn’t help it, “John thought it was the end times while he wrote the damn thing. And what about all the other books? Hm?”
Suzanne put up their hands. “I didn’t mean it like that at all. You know I’m only the mildest scholar on the topic.”
“Anyway. You’d better not start having visions. Got enough to worry about as is.” I’d not realized my shoulders were tense until their hand touched me, and I flinched.
“You’ve a bruise around your neck. Care to elaborate there?”
I shook my head. “Got into a fight.”
Suzanne laughed, removed their pointed hat and playfully put it on my head. “C’mon. Cook me something. You might not know a thing about spices, but your cooking’s always tasted better.”
We took through my door to my small single room where simple amenities awaited and an ancient, decommissioned pump-shotgun hung on the wall over the bed. “That’s just ‘cause you ain’t the one laboring over it.”
Across a meal of potato cakes and toasted bread, we drank coffee until I broke into the liquor to spice my coffee and alleviate my hangover, and we shared the drink and Suzanne took to wash in the sink while I smoked outside on the overlook. Upon returning to the room, I saw them there with a wet rag stuffed beneath an armpit and they were beautiful caught without robes, frame cast in sunglow through the crack in my doorway. In a moment, our hands glided around one another in a scramble of arms at the middle point between us and we took to bed for a while.
Come midday, we remained there, staring at the ceiling, chests bare, and blanket strewn across our lower halves.
“You’re going gray,” said Suzanne.
“You’re getting old too, ya’know.”
“Yes.”
“How long did you say you’ll be staying?” I asked while trying to mask whatever excitement may be present.
“Few days. Once we’ve enough ammunition.” They traced their index finger along my ear lobe.
“Stay.” I offered.
They frowned. “Come.”
“I did already.”
They gave me a light shove and cut their eyes at me. Hazel. How good that color was. “Really. What keeps you here?”
“Things.” I pushed up in the bed to sit, finagling my underwear from the jeans on the floor.
“I wish you would.”
“I’m no wizard.”
“You don’t need to be.”
“Maybe there will come a time when I take you up on that offer. Who knows?” I slid into the drawers.
“Is it Maron?” they asked, “I don’t know your fascination with him. He’s the worst combination cruel and dumb I’ve seen.”
“Like an animal.” I nodded. “Like something real bad’s wrong with him. But no. He’s not my fascination.” Lying was always hard with them. “I worry about this place. I wouldn’t do the things I do if I didn’t. What if I were to leave it and then it turns out like Pittsburgh.”
“Oh, you’re an expert in plagues now?”
“No,” I scoffed, “I guess it’s just a place that weighs on my conscious.” I went to sit on the bed alongside them.
“You hate it here. I can see it more on your face every time we meet.”
“That I do. Call it an investment dilemma. I’ve put time in it, and I want it to be well.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
I caught Suzanne’s face there, staring up from the flat pillow, flustered. My reasoning was hard, but I continued, “There is one thing I should undo before I leave here. It’s a long time coming, and I don’t know if I can. But it’s important,” upon seeing their quizzical expression, I added, “And it is secret.”
“I wish you’d come with us. You’d be welcome.”
“I’ll visit Babylon sometime next month. I promise.”
“You shouldn’t call it that. I don’t like it when you call it that.” The wizards never called their home Babylon; that was a name conjured by the many religious fanatics that considered their magic evil (even if they did trade with the ‘heretics’ from time to time). The name they’d given their own city of medicine was Alexandria; it was fitting for I’d seen their expansive libraries and could become lost in them easily.
“Fine. I’ll be there.” I squeezed their hand in mine. “I’ll miss you once you’ve gone.”
“Don’t get sappy,” they said before planting a kiss on my forehead.
The day went and then the next and another and the wizards packed their belongings. No more music for Golgotha, only quiet agony. As Suzanne said, they’d left me a few books and I’d given away my parchment, jars, and gold. While they were in town, I even was able to snag a few more bottles of their famous wizard liquor along with a few vials of medicine—always good to have whenever I set foot beyond the walls or when someone within might need it.
There came a time finally—as every time it does—where I watched the caravan, with gray smoke clouds off the engines, take on north first where there was an opening wide enough in the ruins to accommodate vehicles, then it hooked around a wide bend that took them west then their black shapes against the red morning skyline disappeared like fading ink as their magic cloaked them entirely. I wished them well, but at the moment of dissipation, I felt an urge to leap from the top of the wall, charge across the field, scream that I was coming and scream it loud enough that I’d hurt myself. I think I just loved—though I never said it aloud and neither did they—and love is a bad thing more often than it is good, for the longing it leaves in its absence drives a person mad and I did not want to be mad; the feeling burst from me quietly there on the wall while I was flanked on either side by guards. I was sure all along the way they went that I could just make out Suzanne among them; that was probably a fault in my vision, but I imagined they were casting glances back, hoping to hold me as strongly as I wished to hold them. I went to the streets of Golgotha where the town quieted from the previous days’ engagements with the wizards.
Normal came and settled and then came chanting from Lady as she moved through sullen quiet streets. She was so far off that I was not sure it was her at all and then came the lines as she drew nearer by the hydroponics towers, and she shouted them vigorously and shook her fist above the air and held a staff with a swinging lantern of incense in her opposite hand, partly for ceremony and partly for support. The words came harshly, gravelly:
“They called to the mountains and to the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
“The lamb will be your shepherd. He will guide you. Hallelujah! He will lead you to the springs of living water and wipe away every tear!”
“Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand! Do not be tempted by the deviousness of the whorish Babylonians for all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
A person, among the catwalks, shouted down at Lady, “Shut-the-fuck-up!”
I watched her come fully down the avenue as she dodged a thrown egg from somewhere unseen, then dashed away toward an offshoot alley to hide somewhere, incense lantern smoking, clanging against her back while she screeched off more scripture from memory. After she was long gone, I moved to the spot where the egg was, rubbed it into dirt with the sole of my boot and looked up through the spiderweb network of catwalks overhead; there was no one.
Without a thing keeping me, I took off the following day, and upon meeting the gates, Maron was there and I could see he was the proud owner of a used leg brace; he grinned upon seeing me, patting his mustache down with his forefinger and thumb.
“Whatcha’ think?” He motioned to his left leg. “It’s a bit of a conversation starter, ain’t it?”
“Get your boys to open the gate, I’m going out.”
He shook his head. “Won’t find anything out there. It’s all dirt and rubble, you know.”
“Just open it.”
“You know what?” He cut his eyes at me. “There’s gonna’ come a day when you won’t be so able bodied or maybe the Bosses won’t like you coming and going as you please.”
I inhaled heavily then let it go. “Now can’t we skip to the end where you acquiesce to my request?”
“Words words words you’ve got. You’ve got a lot of words. Acquiesce. Psshaw.” Boss Maron waved for the guards to open the gate and they did, and I stepped by him, and he spit somewhere behind me before I heard him hobble around with his single leg brace.
The path was clear and open on all sides and in no time, I’d taken across the field to the east and found myself on the edge of the ruins where things stank, and I was free from no other thought than to live. Creeping hot overcame me and brought my hair to my forehead and I holed off in a shadow to drank from my gourd before continuing. The sun was red in the sky in the places where I could see sky from around the black shadows of towering structures. I ducked beneath an old shop counter when I heard the skittering of fart heads and pulled a sleeve to kill the scent of their chlorine breath.
Once they’d gone, I pulled through the wreckage more and more till I came upon the markings for an old safehouse in the back office of a garage I’d not been to in a while. What were my intentions? Was I going to go all the way to the coast? Throw myself into those bad magic waters? There’s a thing they don’t teach you in religion. They prattle all day to do this or that and they say that Hell awaits sinners or Hades or maybe its in layers or circles or what have you. They’ll tell you about the places and they’ll say that if you take life into your own hands, you end in Hell, but what’s a person to do when those creeping intrusions come along—the ones that call to a person in the darkness, the ones where they tempt you to jump from a high place or there’s always a gun or a poison. Maybe a person could bribe another to do it for them. Where do they end up then? What are you supposed to do to stave off those thoughts? Should a person contend such melancholies with prayer? That did not seem helpful. What is the soulless to do without the promise of those pearly gates anyway?
Anyway, I took on past the safehouse and found a utility hall in the side of a tall industrial building just beyond a partially erect chain link fence. The wall was opened up like a cracked shell from years of standing alone, and after ducking through there, I found some old matches in a drawer, plastic gas cans whose contents had long since congealed within; I kicked them (not that I expected anything more). Moving further down the wide hallway, there were shelves of dusty tools, and I took some hammers and knives (cheapo stuff).
Further still down the hall, there was a staircase, and I took it quietly; the stone stairs made hardly a sound against the bottoms of my boots, and I took the stairs more quickly till I was out of breath and caught myself on a landing where I supped silent air before rushing further up the stairs. An old metallic cabinet or console—I couldn’t make it out—lay strewn across the steps to the second-highest floor and I climbed over it before coming to the building’s roof access. Upon coming to the door with a metal push bar across its middle, I gave it a shove and it did not budge but a minor clink and I took a moment to collect myself before rummaging through my gear.
Slung through a loop on the inside of my pack was a short prybar that was so worn around its tooth it was more rounded than an edge; I shimmied the piece of metal into the spot where the door latched into the way and began crimping the spot apart, trying all the while to maintain a relative quiet in the dead ruins. Once I’d bent away at the door for a few moments, I elevated my body weight at an awkward angle to pop the door free and it did so, half open, with a rusty screech that forced a long pause from me; I stood there by the newly opened doorway for a full minute, holding the prybar, holding my breath. Upon hearing nothing in response to the noise of the door, I slid the tool into my pack and slipped through the threshold.
The flat roof of the industrial building sloped to one corner—where the opening in the wall of the first floor was—and sitting there in the middle of an open platform was an old helicopter, blades half torn away or rusted off and the remaining slanted from the top of the old vehicle, touching the platform it sat upon. The roof access looked like a little square house atop the flat headed structure and around the side of the access, I found an old corpse (entirely bones) wrapped in black plastic-like armor, the white dry fingers laid across its lap, several digits gone and its hollow eye holes staring off into the sky with a permanent smile. I moved to the thing that hadn’t been human in a long time and prodded it; the skeleton slumped to the side and looked on the ground by its shoes. How long had it been staring at the sky and how long had it been waiting for me to come and change its dead visage?
I moved to the edge of the building, to the corner where the building sloped and looked off the edge to the ground below; all was quiet, and nothing moved save the shadows’ stalwart creep across the ground. Examining from above, I could see the opening I’d climbed through and beneath my shifting feet, I felt the ground give a little; timidly, I angled more forward and for a moment I thought I knew why I’d gone up there in the first place. Suddenly six-stories felt high. The urge to jump came. Perhaps on the way down, I’d have just a blink to convince myself I’d slipped.
“Hey!” A shout from somewhere down below came from the direction I’d come from. I shook my head as it felt as though it was a ghost echo, a noise that wasn’t. Then it came again, “Hey!”
I squinted my eyes and there in the crumbled road below, there was a human I didn’t initially recognize; it was only after the figure tumbled through the remains of the chain link fence that I recognized it as Dave. I blinked.
Out of breath, he angled over to the opening at the base of the structure and called up at me, “Hey! I see you up there!”
Whisper-yelling, I cupped my hands, “Shutup!”
I took back to the stairs, and he hollered after, “Where you going?”
With reckless abandon, I took the stairs many at a time, leapt the cabinet on the stairs, scrambling while also reaching for the prybar I’d put away. I held the cold metal in my hand and charged toward the industrial storage hallway where I could see him silhouetted in the frame of the crumbled opening.
His chest heaved and he wiped at his brow; slung across his shoulder was a small supply bag and worn like a necklace was a pair of binoculars. “God, you move fast. Like a fuckin’ cockroach in light.” His eyes shifted from my face to the prybar in my hand as I approached him.
Standing within the echoey hallway, I lifted the weapon and pointed it at him. “What’d you follow me for?”
“You wouldn’t use that on me.” He took his eyes from the prybar. “I don’t think you would anyway. You might be shady, Harlan, but I don’t take you as a stone-cold murderer.”
“You take me wrong,” I said.
“Maybe.” He seemed to think on it a moment. “You wouldn’t?”
“If you’ve given away my position to those things, I might.”
“Lots of bluster.” Dave offered an incredibly forced smile, and I could see just from the little shine of the sun in the opening that his eye had blacked but remained functional. “I been watching you.”
“Oh?”
He nodded. “I snuck out after you.”
“You ought to go back.”
“You ought to just listen. There ain’t a thing back there for me.”
“I don’t care.” The sharpness in my voice felt good. “I don’t need some sorry sack sneaking up on me when I’m mindin’ my own.”
A quiet laugh. “There’s nothing there for me. I been farming all my life and if I die,” he shrugged, “So be it.”
“Idiot. Fuckin’ idiot.”
“You manage out here! Wizards can too!”
“Wizards have magic.”
“You got some of that?”
I lowered the crowbar.
“We’ve got to stop starting our conversations with fights.” He paused and moved into the shadowy hallway of the building before perching in a half-sit half-lean against the wall near me. “I never was violent anyway, so if you want to hit me with that then do it.”
“Hmm.”
His shirt clung to him, sweat thick and dark on his chest and pits. “Goddamn you move fast.”
“You should wear a jacket or something. Long sleeves keep the sun off and a thicker material gives you a modicum of protection.” I took to squatting too, maintaining ample distance betwixt us. “A hat helps too, but I’m always losing hats.” I chewed on my tongue while mulling over whether I should leave him.
“Are you going to try and slink away while I’m not looking?”
I blinked. “No.”
“Liar.” He took a healthy gulp from his water gourd then wiped his mouth. “East is the ocean?”
I nodded.
“Is it far?”
I nodded. “For you.”
Dave sighed. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Telling me.”
“Okay.”
“You ever have any kids?”
I shook my head.
“It’s somethin’. Henry had so much energy—especially when he was little—there was times I didn’t think he’d ever settle down.”
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“Helen told me she was the same way when she was his age. She had energy too. I feel so tired.”
“Dave. What the fuck are you doing out here? Why’d you follow me?”
He took one last swallow from his gourd before shoving it into his pack. “I wanted to talk to you about killin’ the Bosses.”
I laughed into my hand. “That’s—that’s a thought.”
“I mean it.” His stare was like pinpricks.
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Just got my 07 base with (basically) every option. When I use the remote start will the car detect the outside temp and set the inside temp accordingly? Or does the temp just go off of what it was last set at? I do see that there are "auto" options for fan speed and location, which would be handy with using remote start, but there doesn't seem to be an auto temp anywhere.
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Sorry if this is a stupid question. I had an 08 a couple years ago but that had a CEL that wouldn't go away so my remote start just didn't work in that at all.

Hey everyone! Since the sub's been growing, I figured it's about time for an official sub FAQ. I'll be adding to this as time goes on, ofc, so keep an eye out for any changes!
If you have any suggestions for questions I should add, feel free to comment down below!
Q: Where can I buy Smiskis?
A: You can buy Smiskis online! Here's a directory straight from Dream with websites you can purchase Smiskis from depending on your region. If you're looking for places to purchase Smiskis in person, the Sonny Angel app has a location based directory as well.
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Q: Is there a list of every Smiski ever made?
A: There's no official list, however there are a couple of fan made ones. Here's a link to a list created by u/yunggho It's perfect for keeping track of which Smiskis yo have in your collection. In case you're looking for a list of every Secret Smiski, this one created by u/kamisamakai is available for you to use.
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Q: How can I find the Smiskis that I want?/Avoid getting dupes?
A: Since Smiskis are blind box items, getting a specific one can be a bit of a challenge. The good news is that if you pull a Smiski you don't want, you can find someone who might be willing to trade or buy the Smiski from you! However, if you want to avoid that process altogether, my suggestion would to buy opened Smiskis from someone or using the weighing method.
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Q: What's the weighing method?
A: The weighing method is used by some Smiski collectors who purchase their Smiskis in person. They bring a scale with them and weigh the Smiski boxes in order to give them a better estimate of which Smiski is in which box. The Smiski collection list also has a version created by u/yunggho, u/ss_sue, and u/kamisamakai that includes known weights of Smiskis. If you'd like to help add weights to the list, contact any of the previous three users to let them know.