Got this part finished! It took some doin, but I got there. Anyway, let me know what you guys think, and I hope you enjoy. I'm not very good at these intros.
First / Prev / Next (Coming eventually)
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“-ck.”
David’s apartment wasn’t overly furnished to begin with. He lived with the bare essentials that came with state housing, but the fiks decided to make it more homy. Their idea of a home was converting it into a flophouse. Beds, cots, and pallets soon spread out along the walls while boxes and crates soon took up residence in the middle of the room. His coffee table, end tables, and small dining set were conspicuously absent.
He stared slack-jawed for a moment before a crash sounded from his kitchen. “Saa! No food!”
“Lie! How can human starve?” After a brief pause, “Saa! No food!"
David was about to investigate when a short…well, relatively short fik stood in his way. “Ah, David! Yes, yes, we come as soon as we could.” He was just a few inches taller than David and wearing more ornate garb. About as ornate as something stolen from a seamstress’ dumpster. He was also an albino. That was important to fiks, right?
“Am Wesh. Clan Ermin.” That sounded important, alright.
“Ermin? Are you the one in charge here? Tell them to stop ripping up my-“
Another clatter sounded from the kitchen. “Look, look! Hidden door!” Oh right, the pantry. Great. Now they’re in his walls.
With a content smile the Ermin said, “Yes, this will be good den. The wise clan lives close.” He illustrated his point by interlacing his fingers. “Builds strong bonds. And now with human! Wise human no less!”
“Wise? Look man, if I was wise, I’d be doing better than I am. Now, will you tell them-“
“Bah! Yes, human wise…Maybe David does not see. Or hear. Wesh hears wisdom you recite.”
“…You could hear me in the shower?” he asked sheepishly.
“Saaaaa. Yes. David sings song of fik! Sings of fik’s struggle in new world. About lies and hate fik suffer. But our fighter spirit keeps us going. Keeps us strong. You sing such wisdom without knowing?” He placed his hands on David’s shoulders, “Fear not! Wesh will hear and speak David’s wisdom. Even if David cannot see.” With a pat on the shoulder the albino shuffled away to the warriors who seemed at odds over sleeping arrangements.
“I guess it’s good to know they like Simon and Garfunkel.” He mumbled to himself. David summoned his courage to finally investigate what was happening in his kitchen when the door chimed, and the apartment went abruptly silent.
*****
Sarif didn’t need a canid nose to know something was off. The various tables and bits of broken furniture stacked up beside the building leading a trail of dust and debris to David’s door was a decent tip off. Another would be the small din coming from the building. Sure, any tenant could be having company over making a decent noise, but they wouldn’t stop after pressing David’s chime. But of course, she could also smell the small number of people who’ve passed by recently. It didn’t seem likely David would give up being a recluse overnight. What worried her was the smell of his pursuers from last night.
After a moment of silence, Sarif pounded on the door as a bit of anxiety seeped into her mind.
“Who’s there?” called David.
She let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “It’s me. I’ve come to check on you, and…And apologize.” She struggled to get the last word out.
After a brief pause the door slid partially open revealing David’s suspicious expression. “Apologize?”
“Yes…Who’s in there with you?” She looked above him, but no one was in view. The place looked like a mess.
“Just, uh…Just some friends. Could you maybe come back another time? Now’s a bit…Busy.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Please let me in. It’s-“ She caught herself before saying ‘my job’ “Important to me that I know you’re safe.”
With a grimace David looked back into his apartment before relenting and opening the door. Her eyes quickly scanned the room looking for the intruders as she stepped through the threshold. The fiks were hiding in the doorways to the kitchen and bedroom. She caught sight of the impromptu bedding and realized this was an infestation.
She took a couple strides to put herself between as many of them and David as she could. “David, what are they doing here?” she demanded in a hoarse whisper. “They were the ones chasing you last night. You’re letting them move in?”
“I’m not letting them do anything.” He replied as hushed as he could. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m a bit on the short side. When someone twice my height wants to do something there’s not much I can do about it.”
Her eyes narrowed as she looked over her shoulder before leaning down and whispering in his ear, “Do you need me to get rid of them? If you feel in danger I’ll-“
“No! No. They’re fine. Just a bit…excited? Eager?” He sighed, “Look…Last night was a bit of a misunderstanding. I didn’t know all of this was happening until a few minutes ago. It’ll sort itself out.”
“You can’t let these people stay here. It’s not safe. They’re…”
It was David’s turn to squint, “They’re what?”
“You know.”
“No, I don’t. Enlighten me.”
“They’re dangerous. They steal, they’re violent-“
“Violent? Violent? Everyone in this galaxy is violent. So far, they haven’t stolen anything, and have been polite with everything I’ve asked. Meanwhile the other high and mighty races have done their very best to make my life a living Hell. They haven’t beaten me. They haven’t starved me! They haven’t shoved shit in me without my consent like those fucking snakes or big fuckers did!” David shouted while pointing to the scar behind his ear. He realized he was shouting and leaned around Sarif to see a dozen or so eyes staring at the two.
Sarif closed her eyes and took a breath. “Look, I…I’m sorry. I’m sure they’re fine. I just…” She looked up and around, searching for the words. “I’m trying my best to keep you safe. I really am. Sometimes that…Sometimes that makes me come off a little harsh. You know the galaxy isn’t a nice place. So do I. I tend to see the worst in people.” She looked down into his eyes, “Will you meet me halfway? Help me, help you? I just want to help you however I can.”
The tension left David as he sighed and rubbed his forehead. He opened his mouth to speak when there came a rough knock at the door.
*****
Hilda took a seat at the bar in the Aimless Wind Café. It had mostly emptied out as the breakfast rush died down. She perused the menu on her comm then checked for any upcoming entertainment. Looks like authentic human music was a random flash promotion. After a brief wait, a black furred felinoid walked up behind the counter.
“Can I get you anything?”
“Yeah, I’ll take a tea and is the owner in today?”
She looked the taurian up and down before replying, “Sure. I’ll go grab him.” With that she disappeared into the back. A few minutes passed as Hilda looked around the restaurant. It wasn’t small exactly. The bar and stage took up a good portion of the room, but judging by the tables the place could seat just over fifty patrons.
“Well, if it isn’t our resident human wrangler. A bit wilier than herding troqs, huh?”
Is my accent that bad? The man rose to eye-level on the hidden step that ran the length of the bar. He was dressed in more conservative clothing with a handkerchief tied around his nubs holding his hair back. While he readied the kettle and dug out a large earthenware cup, Hilda cleared her throat.
“We grew nist, but yeah. I’m here to-“
“Learn what you can about our little music-man.” He set the cup down in front of Hilda and began wiping down the immaculate counter. “He’s been here a few times; engaging in his impromptu therapy sessions. Not much of a talker I’m afraid. What were you hoping to learn?”
Hilda went back and forth in her head about just how much she wanted to say, before deciding honesty would be best. “This is…only our second day with David. So far, we’ve only read his file, picked him up from the hospital, then chased him through half the station. We can’t get a word in edgewise because he doesn’t trust…Well, anyone. But, he kept coming here. I just want to see why. Maybe find something we can do to help him.”
The owner raised his eyebrows then leaned on the bar, “Well. I suppose things have nowhere to go but up, now. If you were looking for some great truth or revelation about David, I’m afraid I have none. All I can say is the man loves-no, needs to sing. I don’t know why. Maybe it distracts him from the here and now or takes him back to when life made more sense to him. Though, if I were to guess…I would say he probably always loved singing. Might well have been his drive before everything was stolen.”
She mulled that over. For someone without all the answers the man had a better bead on David than most of the evals in his file. “That’s as good a guess as any. I just don’t know what I can do with that Mr…”
“Rodrik, and it may be a bit selfish on my part, but it also may bring David a bit out of his shell. Maybe you and your partner could finally bring our bard to perform on that stage over there.” He pointed to the back corner. “I’m more than willing to accommodate whatever he needs.” Standing straight again he told her, “I’ll be here whenever if he decides to perform up there or in the back. I live on the floor above. For now, Shasa here will take care of you.”
Stepping back down, the man passed the felinoid and returned to the backroom. Hilda nursed her tea and thought when Shasa spoke. “I do hope you get him to perform again. I’m a bit of a fan now.”
Hilda eyed the woman. She realized her fur wasn’t solid black but covered in hazy, faint spots. A bit on the taller and bulkier side for felinoids she seemed a bit out of place, but she didn’t know why. “Have you spoken to David much?”
“Not as much as I’d like to. He’s adorably uncomfortable whenever anyone is…particularly friendly to him. But I do love a man with baggage. They melt in your hands once they’re comfortable around you. Lean on you for support. Oh, but you’re not here for that kind of advice. Or are you?” She smiled mischievously.
Squinting at the other woman, Hilda rose and paid her tab, “Thanks. I guess.” She left the café and headed for David’s apartment, learning all she could and a bit more besides. I’m gonna have to keep an eye out for that one.
*****
The room was silent for a beat before Sarif opened the door. She was staring at a leather clad chest before she craned her neck back and saw the single largest fik she had ever seen. I didn’t know they could get that big.
The fik woman seemed equally confused to see Sarif and looked past her to the other fiks approaching the door.
“Chief!” called a fik.
“Chief?” parroted David and Sarif in unison.
A grin split the chief’s lips as she bowled past Sarif and strode in to meet her clan.
“Hey! You can’t just barge in here!” cried Sarif as she rebounded off the wall and planted her paws.
“Why? Am chief. Chief can go anywhere.” The fik giant explained as if to a child. Ignoring the canid, the chief’s gaze wandered the apartment before settling on David, “You!” She took a couple quick strides before bending down and scooping David up in a bear hug.
Sarif launched herself with reckless abandon at the fik’s back with teeth and claws bared. The chief spun as she hauled David up throwing Sarif’s lunge off causing her to shoot past. She dug her claws in the floor and spun around. David was effectively a hostage and meat shield.
I’m gonna have to go low or else I’d rip David open with her. But what if she lands on him? That could be just as…Wait, what’s she saying?
The fik, seemingly oblivious to the attack was rocking David side to side saying, “So happy to finally find you! Humans so hard to find. Always hiding. Always running. But now I have you! You’ll be so safe and happy now!”
She blinked. That wasn’t quite what she expected, but violence still hadn’t been ruled out. She was plotting her next move when she noticed a sharp blade of some description enter her peripheral, threatening her to stay still. Right. The others.
Then the door opened.
*****
Hilda heard voices and a scuffle as she approached the door. Deciding she needed to get in there quickly she opened the door and stepped inside.
She didn’t know how to process what she was seeing. There were almost a dozen fiks around the redecorated room. One was just about her size, clutching a squirming David while another was holding a knife to Sarif who had murder in her eyes. And all eyes were on her.
The door slid shut behind her when she turned and glared at the big fik. “Put. Him. Down.”
A confused expression crossed her face. She looked down and saw the human struggling for air then released him. He dropped to the floor gasping for breath, bracing his hands on his thighs.
Her gaze settled on Sarif who was beginning to relax. “What happened?”
“These f-“ She glanced at David, “These people broke in and seem to be trying to move in.”
A white fik stepped forward, “There are lies! Fik was welcomed into new den. David is most gracious. Fik would not break anything!”
“I broke something!” Piped up a fik in the back.
“Silence!” the white fik yelled, spinning around.
“You about broke David’s spine!” Sarif growled and stalked up to the chief. “Where do you get off thinking you can just whip him around like that?”
She seemed unperturbed by the chastisement. “Human is fine. Sulta knows her own strength.” The argument carried on for another couple minutes when the door chimed again.
*****
That’s it! I’m ripping the chime off and bricking up the door! No more visitors! No more headaches! David had slipped out of the middle of the verbal clash in case it became more physical, but that put him closest to the door. With a roll of his eyes and a groan he answered it.
Standing in the doorway was a blue and red colored avian. It gave David a quick glance before handing him a slim paper package. “You must be David. Not a lot of humans running around here. Anyway, have a pleasant day!” he called before striding down the street.
David tried to get a question out but the avian’s long legs carried him away before David even knew what to ask. With a sigh he inspected the package. It was more like an old Earth manilla envelope, bulging with something weighty. It had his address and even a description of him, but no return address or even the name of the sender.
Frowning down at it he turned around and closed the door once again. Then looked up and realized he was once again the center of attention.
“Uh…You all keep doin…Whatever. I’m gonna go check my mail.” He shuffled along the wall until he entered his bedroom then shut the door. Thankfully he was alone.
He sat down in his desk chair by his comically oversized desk and pulled out the envelope’s contents. It held a pad and a card. He set the pad aside a read the card with someone’s face on it.
You are formally invited to attend the celebration of life/graveside service of Mortemer J. Albrecht.
A funeral? I don’t even know this guy. He quickly read the dates and brief life summary on the inside before setting it aside and powering on the pad. It blinked to life before displaying the front camera view. God, I look terrible.
It blinked a couple times before scanning his face, with special attention to the eyes. I wonder if I get to keep this thing. Passing whatever check, the pad displayed the directions to the desolate planet Mr. Albrecht was going to be buried on. It drew up a diagram of the landing zone, gravesite, and where the Guardians will wait.
Guardians? Plural? Realization dawned on him. Multiple humans in one place. They never did that. David never fully understood why. He missed that bit of collective trauma. In some instances, it made him feel more disconnected to humanity than he already was.
He continued reading the invitation. It seems Mr. Albracht wanted as close to a traditional funeral as he could have, but he had no surviving family. That’s where David and the other invited humans come in. He pondered his options. He really didn’t want to venture out. He didn’t want to meet people and see that all too familiar pity in their eyes. Especially other humans. He didn’t know if it’d be worse to see them looking as bad as himself or doing better.
On the other hand…He was lonely. It’d been so long since he’d spoken to another human. Another person with a shared background and experience. Someone who’d just understand. He thought about it for a minute before reaching a decision.
He opened the door, and it seemed everyone really went back to arguing and shouting.
“Hey!” Silence. “You.” He pointed at Ruk’sa, “Keep everyone from wreaking my apartment. You.” He pointed at Sarif, “Keep them from getting into trouble while I’m gone. You.” He pointed at Hilda, “Come here.” He stalked back into his room while everyone looked at each other.
Hilda followed him to his room. “Gone?”
David spun around and squinted at the towering taurian, “You and Sarif really want to help me?” She nodded immediately, “Then take me here.” He pointed at the uninhabited planet displayed on the pad.

Occasionally go to Ross Dress for Less for clothes because I stain everything I wear and seem to just destroy all clothing, I found a pair of nautica shoes in my size, does anyone know if they’re any good? Or have any websites that would allow me to find reviews for shoes?

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My husband and I were invited to our good friends walima this summer. The attire is formal. My friend did say to dress conservatively and that I could wear traditional attire. We are not muslism and need suggestions/examples on what to wear. It's our first time attending a desi wedding and we don't want to be disrespectful. I am also plus sized.

Hey! so i (16nb) go to an all girls school and way back in year 8 i really liked this girl well call her cc. what happened in year 8: from what i was aware and told from her she was straight. im neurodivergent and i cant focus in a classroom so in classes my eyes tend to wander and sometimes a lot actually ill lock eyes with people and it happened a lot with cc as she was the girl i liked, and my eyes were always drawn to her no matter how much i resisted. eventually a teacher came to talk to me druing another class saying i was making her uncomfortable and that all her friends noticed my staring a lot aswell. later id hear people making comments like 'ew imagine liking cc' and some directly coming to me asking me if i like her and laughing at me no matter my responce. i eventually got over her and finally got on with my life. and cue our schools swiming event. im with my friends and i look in a direction and see cc in her sports uniform (shorts and a shirt) backwards cap and the 2 lines on her cheeks for face paint. imediatly feeling started rushing back and i verbally went 'fuck, i like her again' i got teary eyed because i knew it was gonna be hard for me. now heres the thing. she messaged me asking if i liked her still since she heard rumors about it. i told her no ofc not and that im going on a date later that week (i wish) then i got ballsy and asked if she was straight she said 'bro have you seen the way i dress?' i said wait wdym i thought you were just a masc girl and she said she didnt know what she was but she was definatly not straight. this FUCKED me cus how the hell am i gonna get over her when now i have hope. now here i am in class i dont know what to do i cant stop thinking about her i wanna be with her but i dont think she likes me plus im terrified ive done something to make her uncomfortable (ive done nice things for her like letting her borrow a fidget when she looks stressed and defending her when she gets in an argument with a teacher but sometimes i know some things ive done/do make people uncomfortable but i dont notice untill later or not at all because i dont understand that my intentions of the actions may be percived different.) ill answer any questions including extra information just lmk! <3

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Just a vent. My work has been doing spirit week for the last week and today was Patriot Day, probably in honor of Memorial Day. The description said “Wear the colors of our flag to celebrate and respect our country!” or something. Well, I’m sure I’m not alone here in saying that I have little respect for the country at the moment (if it wasn’t clear, I am in America), so I asked my manager who created the spirit week themes and asked if in “protest”, I could just wear a bunch of trans colors and she loved the idea. One of my other managers who is cishet even wanted to join me in it. My coworkers also really liked the idea, plus no one actually dressed for the theme so at least I did something lol.
Well I mentioned it in a silly little comment for my job’s subreddit and people aren’t happy about it. I gave actual examples of why this country is not safe for trans people at the moment, like the fact in Florida you can be denied hospital care for being LGBT, or the “forcing adults to detransition”, or for dressing as the opposite sex in Tennessee being illegal, or for Trump publicly denouncing transitioning and posting Mulvaney mocking her… And people downvoted that.
I just hate the expectation that I have to love this country because there are definitely privileges that come along with being in America. You can acknowledge the privileges we have other countries do not while also denouncing the terrible parts of the country. Not to mention, why do we have a day for dead veterans but not the alive veterans who are suffering with PTSD and/or homelessness? Or, back on topic, the trans veterans?
This is mainly a vent but if anyone has anything to add, please go ahead!

First. - Previous
“Shit! Doctor Ngai, did you see that?” Lieutenant Gastaud’s yell broke me from my absent minded reverie.
“See what?” I asked.
“That hyper footprint. Drive signatures are Confederation. Probe twenty-nine is nearest. Cameras show what looks like two battleships, two battlecruisers, four cruisers, three frigates and twelve destroyers, plus ten large ships hanging, likely freighters or troop ships.”
“That is not good,” Lieutenant Smolyaninov said. The navigator had the conn for third shift while the captain and XO slept. “Silent running, engage full stealth systems.”
“Full stealth systems active,” Gastaud confirmed. “We are now a hole in space.”
“Time to wake the boss.” Smolyaninov said.
I thought Smolyaninov should have done that first. But it was not my place to correct him.
“Lucky you,” the helmsman Lieutenant Joanna Stojanov chirped. “XO is cranky when you wake him up.”
“Get the stewards to throw on some fresh coffee,” I advised. “That stuff they got on now is like tar. No matter what Chief Bishop says, you shouldn’t have to chew your coffee.”
“Talk to me,” I heard the captain’s voice over the intercom.
“A Connie battlegroup just dropped out of hyper, and they are closer to us than any other ships, at about twenty-five million miles. But they are stationary.”
“Set condition one. Wake up the ship. I want all hands on deck,” Nugraha ordered. “Any orders from the Flag?”
“Nothing yet. We’ve been running silent. Wait, orders just came in. ‘All personnel to return to ships. Prepare to leave orbit and retreat outside Confederation space at the first sign of aggression.’ Well, I guess that’s it for us.”
“Hyper footprint!” Gastaud’s voice raised a few octaves, and I did not blame him. “At least sixty-three point signatures and at least five battleship size. Getting a fighter launch. Lord, that’s over seven hundred of them.”
His voice calmed down and he added, “I’m getting an IFF on them. They’re ours. It’s Marine Expeditionary Force Twelve.”
“I don’t know if that is a good thing or not,” the captain said as she entered the bridge, still sealing her uniform. “It was always possible the Connies would pitch a fit over our presence. I didn’t expect a battlegroup, maybe a division of destroyers coming to frown at us and pushing us along.”
“But dropping an entire MEF on them? That’s ballsy,” Stojanov added. “Even for Marines.”
“It was MEF-12’s shuttles that got sent here,” the XO used the phonetic abbreviation. I had not heard him enter. “So, it makes sense that the CO would keep an eye on his people.”
“There go the Connies,” Gastaud’s comment was completely unnecessary, as we all could see the plot. “That was a lot of excitement I could have done without.”
“I agree,” Captain Nugraha frowned at the plot as the carriers recovered their freshly launched fighters. “But it was probably the best outcome, at least from our perspective. I wonder how long it lasts? The Connies came at us with a big stick and that is unusual.”
“Their admiral was unprepared for a bigger stick,” I observed. “It makes me think that this was not quite what they planned.”
When they all looked at me blankly, I continued, “Come on, the Connies are many things, but stupid isn’t one of them. They just brought a knife to a gun fight. A few ships coming here and shaking fingers at us and politely telling us to leave is one thing. And that is what should have happened.
“A small battlegroup like that is fine if they want to push around pirates or the Ku'kor'ae. But us? You’d better come at us with a full fleet in your pocket if you want to push humans around.”
“I am uncomfortable with the implications of this,” Nugraha mused.
The XO started to say something but was cut off by shrill alarms sounding.
“What now? Gastaud griped. “Oh, shit.”
The threw the data from his computer into the main holotank. “Every probe we have in the inner system just went haywire!”
Dal’tari is larger than Sol and considerably more active. It left the inner planets radiation scrubbed wastelands. Only Umsurrat’s distance and powerful magnetic field had allowed life to evolve. Mass coronal ejections had happened irregularly since records were kept. They’d caused many droughts and famines.
But the recent ones were unusual in their ferocity and frequency. One would be bad, but not something that would cause an extinction level event.
But with ejections at least twice as powerful than the any during the previous millennia? And over a dozen a week? Lasting several weeks? How could any planet survive that?
Since the Angel Fleet arrived, there had been no sign of them.
That just changed.
“That is an understatement,” I said softly. “I’ve not seen anything like that… ever.”
“Look at the magnetic and gravitational fields,” Keoki instructed. “They are completely unstable. The poles have flipped at least fifteen times… and there it went again. What the hell?”
I ran a quick analytics program on the data, something I created on the fly. It mapped the gravitational and magnetic fields for the entire system. It had every planet, every moon… everything in system, including all the ships.
“Check this out,” I said. “There is some kind of gravitational finger from the sun to where MEF-12 dropped out of hyper. It looks almost like the gravitational distortion we see on an event horizon.”
“They dropped out of hyper deep inside the gravity well, but I’ve seen ships drop this deep, or deeper, in a gravity well at least a hundred times before. What is different about this?” Doctor Keoki Nurhayati puzzled.
“I’ve never seen this many ships at once, Keoki,” I replied.
“Me neither,” Nugraha added. “But we’ve also never seen it with an unstable sun like this.”
“The storm will hit Umsurrat in,” I did the calculations, “thirty-nine hours, seventeen minutes. The hard radiation in fifteen minutes.”
“Who’s in command of MEF-12?” Nugraha demanded. “Get him on the horn.”
“Lieutenant General Ichiro Tokuda is in command,” Laz answered. “He’s a hard charger but capable.”
The holotank lit up with Tokuda’s visage. He had the hard, square jawed, buzzed haircut look of a marine lifer.
“Tokuda speaking.”
“General, I am Captain Nugraha of the science and survey ship, Rudy Horne. I cannot be a hundred percent certain, but it seems your arrival has triggered another massive coronal ejection event. One that is larger than any of the others that have been measured. Our probes have detected one heading to the planet as we speak. The hard radiation front is… thirteen minutes away.”
“How bad is it, Captain?”
“Very bad, sir. But I think we, rather you and the cargo ships can do something about it. If you were to create a barrier with your ships’ radiation and particle shields extended to their max distance from your hulls on the sunward side of the planet, you could deflect or absorb most of it.”
I sent him a diagram of a ships’ formation, a double layered grid with the largest ships at the core. “You have a total of a hundred forty-three ships in orbit. Your military shields are better than the civilian ships. I recommend putting your fifty-nine ships in the center with the deflectors at max distance from the hull. The civvies can hold the perimeter.”
“We won’t make it in time. It will take us over fourteen minutes to get there,” Tokuda said.
“Not if you let the heavies hold you back. But your smaller ships can it in time if you send them now. They can take the brunt of the first waves. It’s not perfect, but better than nothing.”
“We’ll cut our compensator safeties to the bone,” Tokuda promised. “I will shave as much time off the transit as I can. Tokuda out.”
We are much too far outsystem to be of any assistance other than monitoring the probes and reporting. Which meant we wouldn’t not much more than spectators for the next half hour.
The radiation wave moved at light speed and there was no room for error. The cargo ships had moved immediately. Admiral Pierre was obviously on the ball to herd that group so effectively. The destroyers made it first, mere minutes ahead of the escort carriers, assault frigates and troopships. The battlecruisers and fleet carriers arrived a minute later.
The carriers belched fighters. Seven hundred and seventy five fighters crash launched for the second time in almost ten minutes. I didn’t expect that.
Fighters and other light craft could not survive in hyperspace. The titanic forces surging in hyperspace required massive shielding and inertial dampeners that only capital ships could mount. Fighters just did not have the tonnage to mount this equipment. Fighter shields were less powerful. Designed against normal amounts of radiation, but even with their technological limitations the pilots still intended to contribute with sheer numbers.
I updated the plot, assigning ships to their individual positions. Most of the ships were in their assigned orbits by the thime the first waves of radiation hit. It is impossible to accurately describe it. The sensors showed visible light as well as down shifting the high ultraviolets and upshifting the low infrareds. The computer laced together all the imagery into something we mere humans could appreciate.
“As impressive as this is, I imagine what they are seeing dirtside is much more spectacular,” Nugraha said softly. “The light show down there has to put the most active aurora borealis back on Terra to shame.”
“The battlewagons are almost there,” Gastaud announced. He spoke into the silence absently, as if he needed to say something, to fill the silence with words worthy of the moment. “The planteside sensors show a minimal uptick on hard radiation counts. You’d get almost as much from a microwave. Looks like your plan worked, Captain.”
“I wouldn’t call it a plan,” Nugraha replied with a nervous laugh. “More like a desperate attempt to plug a hole in a dam with our fingers and lots of prayers. My god, that amount of radiation would sterilize most worlds and you stopped it.”
“It made sense, though. Our particle shields can handle the nasty shit hyper throws at us, and this is about equal to that,” Laz observed. “The fighters were a nice touch. Never thought of adding them to the mix.”
“Next radiation wave is in five minutes,” I added. “The battleships are on station. Their added shielding should keep most of the radiation from reaching the surface.”
“The sun’s calming down,” Keoki observed. “We’re still getting that odd tic every seventeen and a half seconds, but at least it’s stopped spitting corona at us.”
“Incoming transmission, Captain,” Stojanov announced as she activated the holotank. “It’s the general.”
“That was a good idea, Captain,” Tokuda said. “It worked like a charm.”
“I thought it had a good chance of blocking some of the radiation, sir. It was just a matter of how effective it would be. Now, the question is how quickly can we engineer and build a permanent orbital deflector array to protect the planet until we can figure out what is causing the sun to belch?”
“Even if we can figure out what is causing it, how realistic is it that we can stop it? I am just an old jarhead. I can figure out how to invade a planet, but I leave all the science stuff to people who are much smarter than me.”
“Have you had a chance to read our reports?”
“Not really. Can you give me the short and sweet version? Remember to use small words.”
My bridge staff chuckled at that. “We have found, actually someone on the planet found it and alerted us to it, anyway there is an odd gravitic and magnetic field spike in the planet’s gravitational and magnetic fields. It is exactly every seventeen point five seconds with not a femtosecond difference.
“An engineer found it when she was calibrating a fusion plant’s magnetic bottle. We took that data and looked deeper. The sun’s magnetic and gravitational fields are also showing that same tic, just on a grander scale. I intend to look at all the planets and see if they are seeing the same thing.
“Then the question is what is causing it? Nothing natural is that exact.”
“And if it is nothing natural, that means it is something manufactured,” Tokuda mused. “And if it is manufactured, we can find it if we start looking.”
“Exactly. The problem is, we are operating solo. We need the other three survey ships… to be honest, we need their survey probes. We carried only fifty. The Tombaugh and Leonard are our sisterships and have a hundred probes. The Edgeworth is a lot bigger. She carries one-fifty by herself, and I expect a cargo ship full of drones within a day or two. If we can flood this system with a thousand survey probes, we can narrow down where to look.”
“A thousand probes?” He asked. “That’s bound to be expensive. But if we want results fast then we spend the money, right?”
“Trust me General, it is not something I say lightly. Even if we can recover ninety-five percent of the probes to refurbish, that’s still near a billion dollars, plus the five hundred million for the five percent we lost. So, roughly one point five billion dollars.”
“Captain, that is just a drop in the bucket for what the Federation has spent to this point just in supplies, not to mention the costs of getting the supplies here. If you can find that needle in this cosmic haystack for just one point five billion dollars, then that is a huge savings against the costs of maintaining these relief convoys.”
“You are right. I hadn’t looked at it that way. But I can assure you that we’ll be working non-stop until we find it.”
“I will let you get to it,” the general replied.
“I will keep you updated.” I’d no sooner said that and noticed general looking uncomfortable.
“Not to put too fine a point on this, but I am not in your chain of command. You were ordered to report to Senior Rear Admiral Pierre. Admiral Pierre is the senior officer on station, and that makes him the system CO. He is in command, and that includes my forces until we leave. Hell, he can order me to leave right now.”
“I understand, general. I intend to keep you in the loop because we get more flares and need your ships to move, but as it stands, stay between the planet and the sun and you will block most of the radiation.”
“Roger that.”

This is a Final New Update to a series of posts previously shared here.
Originally posted by u/ThrowRasayde in relationship_advice nearly a year ago. There are a ton of posts so, due to character limits, I'm going to link the last BoRU collection here, and provide you with a TLDR in this post in case you just need a refresher.
 
Trigger Warning: teen pregnancy, adoption, religion struggles, mental health struggles
TLDR:
Our OOP became pregnant at 14, in a state with newly strict abortion laws and has Jehovahs Witness parents. She wanted an abortion, her mother said no. She was planning to get medication sent to her from a Reddit Aunty but ended up trying to reason with her mother again instead. It didn't work. She had a very difficult, high risk pregnancy. The last we heard from her, she was planning to place the baby for adoption but the baby's father was trying to convince her to keep it and raise it with him. She was really struggling emotionally and physically.
 
Received a shepherding call today
ExJW (This is a sub for former Jehovahs Witnesses)
Jan 12, '23
 
I’m very much annoyed as I’m writing this because I very much hate when the elders come and their tone is always very much condescending…like they speak to me like I’m stupid and gaslight me the whole conversation.. so my ex boyfriend who is also a JW basically went to the elders and confessed everything me and him did together which included “ fornication” which resulted to now I’m now pregnant.
I was under the impression from ex and his family we would keep this under wraps until the baby was adopted out. Because we are still in high school. but this man out of no where went to the elders to try to get me to stop the adoption. And well the elders didn’t outwardly say “don’t adopt out the baby” but they showed me freaking bible scriptures.. and one that really pissed me off was Isaiah 49:15 it says “ can a woman forget her nursing child or have no compassion for the son of her womb? Even if these women forget, I would never forget you “ Like what the hell do they mean by that with scripture?
They go on to say that our brother and sisters is a village for me and the baby and that if if I just cast all my anxiety and fears on to Jehovah that I will be fine… but they fail to realize that the moment I got pregnant and my mom refused to help me get an abortion because of this religion is when I was forever done with “ Jehovah .” My baby already has adoptive family that aren’t witnesses and will have a better life then be around people like this.
 
Does the father of a baby need to sign off when giving up a baby for adoption?
LegalAdvice
Jan 30, '23
 
I hate to come and ask Reddit this but I’ve doing research on it all afternoon and can’t find a clear answer , but a little background me and the father are both and high school and I’m pregnant. I decided that we aren’t both fit to raise a child given we both don’t have jobs, still live with our parents and pretty much have no resources to provide for an infant.
With that I’m turning to adoption but slight issue, the father isn’t on board to give up the baby for adoption and wants us to keep it and we raise it together. I’m no way interested in that and I offered that he takes the child and I sign my rights over ( even though I’m bluffing I would never do that, but I need him to think that because I don’t want to give him the power to be able to trap me) but he’s not interested of being a single dad unless I’m involved. We got in a slight disagreement the other day and totally ghosted me and I can’t get in contact with him and I’m nervous because my due date is near and I already been hospitalized . So my question does he need to be present for the adoption to happen? I also reside in Oklahoma since I know always varies from states
 
I lost all my friends..
TrueOffMyChest
Feb 23, '23
 
I feel absolutely horrible and so alone, but there is a reason why I did it, so I’m pregnant and where I’m from it’s very controversial for someone in high school to get pregnant. Plus im apart of a strict religion..so when I found out, I made it a point for people not to found …including my close friends, my plan was to give the baby up for adoption and just hope no one knew…I didn’t want to tell my friends because, for one it’s embarrassing and second I didn’t want to be the topic of any outside gossip.
I messed up majorly because I really ghosted my best friend and she facetimed me upset/ crying. That she feels like I don’t like her anymore..so I just told her straight up that I was pregnant… she didn’t believe me and when I showed her my belly.. she was still upset that I didn’t tell her and that she thought we were closer..Since then she has been texting me really vaguely.
I now just feel so alone and honestly depressed and been having some dark thoughts.. I’ve been getting unfriended/ unfollowed by my other friends and I just feel like such loser. I miss my old life so much. But I honestly don’t think even if I give up my son that I would actually get my old life back. It might be irrational but I’ve been having thoughts of keeping my baby, so I can just have some sort of purpose idk.. I needed to get this off my chest and sorry if my grammar sucks I typed this fast.
 
My induction is in 3 hours and Im absolutely scared
BabyBumps
March 2, '23
 
I’m honestly supposed to be sleeping but I can’t, because I have immense amount of anxiety. This is my first child and also Im considered extreme high risk pregnancy given my age and starting size. I was diagnosed with preeclampsia when I was about 22 weeks and it made my pregnancy absolutely horrible, I mean my hair is completely thinned out. I was constantly swollen and was just constantly sick, and I was sent on bed rest early on, plus the Braxton hicks were a lots of fun .
A part of me is glad like yes this will be finally over and another part of me is just completely scared, because I have an additional factor of I’m giving my son up for adoption and I’m nervous once I see him, how would I react and will I actually go threw with it. I feel stupid this is such a pointless post but I just need to get this out of my system lol
 
AITA for not wanting to see my son?
TwoHotTakes
May 22, "23
 
I ( F15) recently had a baby boy in early March (so close to 3 months ago) I made a tough decision to give up my son…I honestly have been in a deep depression ever since, and two weeks after the birth I went to a mental health facility afterwards, because I had a pretty intense breakdown. I was there for 3 weeks and I feel a bit better now. I tried so hard not to be attached to my baby and I thought I wasn’t until I of course held him for the first time and signed those papers over.
I used to regret giving him up, but now I know I made the right decision for him. I’m going into my sophomore year of high school and I know it would have been selfish on my behalf if I didn’t give him to a loving family, that would probably give him way more than I could ever possibly give and have a much positive and stable childhood then I had. I of course love him and I think about him almost every single day. He was also such a perfect and surprisingly calm baby given how much I cried during my pregnancy.
I haven’t worked up enough courage to open the letters or go see my son ever since I have given birth, I totally ghosted the adoptive parents and I feel absolutely terrible. But it has just been so extremely hard to see him. I’m afraid to get attached to him and in a way, I feel like I let him down. I don’t know if I can handle the pressure of being someone that’s a part of his life. my mom is saying I’m heartless for not wanting to go see him or acknowledge him in conversations. But it was just extremely hard to do without wanting to burst out in tears. So hold me accountable Reddit AITA?
Also yes this is sorta an update for people who kept up with my past post..my mental health has been really tough for me.
 
I am flairing this concluded as OOP has given birth and the baby has been adopted. As per sub rules, I'm flairing concluded with a note in the title and at the top that this is also a new update.
Reminder, DO NOT comment on the original posts or contact the original poster. I am not the original poster. This is a repost.

I'm a day late posting this -- I'm sorry to have gotten off schedule! I realize there have been a lot of high-earner diaries recently, but I hope my perspective is still of interest.
​
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: $460K (mine) and $250K (husband’s). We both max out our annual withholdings. I’ve been working longer than him, and my employer offers a more generous match, which contributed significantly to my balance.
Equity: $275K. Our home is currently worth about $450K. We live in a M-HCOL area (far) outside of NYC, and our home was a fixer upper when we bought it. Honestly, it’s still a fixer, and we are saving towards a major renovation.
Cars: Maybe $15-$20k total…we drive two paid off cars. One is 13 years old, and the other is 10 years old.
Other Cash and Investments: $150K
Credit card debt: None, paid every month
Student loan debt (for what degree): $80K towards the grad degree I’m pursuing now. Since we’re saving towards the home reno, I’m financing my degree rather than paying for it outright. I know this is counterintuitive given the interest rate environment. However, the home reno has been a priority for us since we bought this home.
Daughters’ 529s: $75K
Total Net Worth: $1.145M
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: I've been working in my field for 13 years and my starting salary was $40,000.
I work as a Director of Financial Planning & Analysis in a niche field. I won’t go into too many details because it’s a small world. My salary progression was as follows:
Year 1: $40,000 starting, right after recession. I had an amazing boss who mentored me and recognized my potential. After six months, I received a promotion and raise to $60,000.
Year 3: Promotion and raise to $90,000, for a role with more financial and analytical responsibility. Although I worked hard, I continued to benefit from having a boss who advocated for me. I consider this a major turning point.
Year 8: Raise to $120,000 for additional responsibilities after a coworker retired.
Year 10: Raise to $135,000
I’ve received an average of 2.5% COLA increases and now earn $145K. My boss has requested a $10,000 bonus for me this year, which I haven’t yet included because it’s still under review.
My husband earns $260,000 base salary as a VP of a large corporation (this is a very recent raise…he was at $200K previously). In addition, he can receive a performance-based bonus of 20-30%. We don’t include his bonuses in our financial planning because they are not guaranteed and because a portion is RSUs. When he receives a cash bonus, we put it towards our daughter’s college accounts and/or our home reno fund.
Education: I have a bachelors and a masters in a field unrelated to my career. My tuition was paid by scholarships/assistantships. In addition, my parents covered my living expenses during undergrad. During my first graduate degree, I worked 3 part-time jobs to cover my non-tuition expenses. I’m now enrolled in a grad program more directly related to my career. My employer encouraged me to do this program and generously allows me the time out of office. In addition, if I stay for a certain number of years, they will reimburse a portion of my tuition.
Main Job Monthly Take Home:
Monthly take home: $6,300 after taxes, retirement ($1,875) and medical/dental benefits ($110– self only)
Husband’s monthly take home: $12,560 after taxes, retirement ($1,875), and medical/dental ($400 for him and our two kids)
Section Three: Expenses
Mortgage: $2,485 for principal, interest, insurance, and taxes. We refinanced to a 15-year loan at 2.3% when rates were low
Daycare: $3,510 per month (full-time for a toddler and preschooler)
Savings contribution: $3,000-$5,000
Daughters’ 529 accounts: $2,000 ($1,000 each)
Debt payments: $700 towards my student loans. This will increase once I’m done with my degree
Donations: $3,000 annually
Transit $350-400 for husband’s commute (3x/week to NYC)
Electric: $60
Wifi/Cable/Landline: $120
Cellphone: $180
Subscriptions: $59 for Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Duolingo, Apple Storage, and credit monitoring
Gym membership: $149 for Pure Barre
Husband’s physical therapy: $130 (portion not covered by insurance)
Car insurance: $3,200 annually. (This seems high, considering we have good records, don’t drive much, and both cars are paid off. I need to look into this)
Life Insurance: $3,100 annually
Day 1 (Saturday):
6:00 AM: Wake up. I’m doing a modular course for my graduate degree, and the class wraps up today. I study for the exam that happens this afternoon. A little after 7, I walk to a nearby coffee shop and buy a large Americano for $4.50 including tip. When I’m back at the hotel, I pack up my room and leave a $20 tip for housekeeping. On the way out, I drop my bags at the bell stand. The hotel cost is covered by tuition.
9:00: Meet with my study team to finalize a paper and presentation that’s due today. At noon, we break for lunch (also covered by tuition). I have a salad and lots of carbonated caffeine. After lunch, we have an hour-long final exam.
2:00: Final course wrap up. It’s been an intense week-long session. I learned a lot, but am so ready to head home. I walk back to the hotel to retrieve my bags. Along the way, I stop to buy an empanada ($8 including tip). Then I call an Uber to the airport ($55 including tip). While in the Uber, I talk to my husband and daughters, who are 1.5 and almost 4. Due to the time difference, it’s their bedtime and if I don’t catch them now, I’ll lose my chance. I promise them that I’ll be home when they wake up in the morning. A lot of my classmates went to dinner together before heading to the airport. On the one hand, I have FOMO because my classmates are awesome. But on the other hand, it was really important to me to talk to my family, and I know I couldn’t have done that easily in a bustling restaurant (I’ve tried, and it was a frustrating experience for everyone!).
6:00: Arrive at the airport. I check my bag ($35). Once I’m through security, I pick up some souvenirs. My hotel wasn’t in an area with good shopping options, and the class days were pretty packed anyway. I get locally made chocolate for my husband. The girls get a small stuffed animal each, and a book to share ($70 total). Then I treat myself to crab cakes and a French 75 to celebrate the end of the week ($60 including tip).
10:00: On the flight, I read until the cabin lights go out and then try to sleep. I used to be able to sleep better on red eyes, but I wake up every 15 minutes.
Day 1 Total: $252.50
​
Day 2 (Sunday):
6:00: Flight lands and I gather my bags and take the parking shuttle. Although I parked in an economy lot, the total was still $174. Ugh – this has been an expensive week.
7:45: Arrive home. The girls crawled into our bed and are snuggled up next to my husband. The toddler wakes up as I come into the room and the look on her face when she sees me is priceless. Our preschooler wakes up soon after. It’s so good to be reunited with my people! We all head downstairs and have breakfast (waffles and cereal, plus a huge pot of coffee). It’s cold and rainy today and we spend the morning watching TV together.
10:00: Our toddler falls asleep for her nap, and my husband encourages me to do the same. Our preschooler is happily entertaining herself with Legos and puzzles, so I doze for a couple hours. Around 1:00, we all have turkey sandwiches for lunch. Then, I take over kid duty so my husband can finally have some time to himself. He spends the afternoon woodworking in his basement workshop.
2:00: Our preschooler’s birthday is coming up. I buy digital invites from Etsy ($12) and send them to Staples to print ($16 with a promo). They are ready in about two hours and we pick them up. My preschooler asks for kinetic sand at Staples and I cave in and buy it for her ($11). I constantly complain about the amount of “stuff” in our house, but to be honest, I’m guilty of contributing to the clutter. When we get home, I spend the afternoon doing crafts with the girls.
5:15: We heat up some leftovers that my in-laws dropped off while I was gone. We do the girls’ bedtime routine a little early since everyone seems tired. Lights out by 8:00 for the girls. Then I catch up on work email and start making a list for the week. For the purposes of this money diary, my husband mentions that he spent $270 yesterday restocking groceries. Then I watch Succession and head to bed
Day 2 Total: $387
​
Day 3 (Monday):
5:08: My alarm goes off because I typically go to Pure Barre on Monday morning. I’m still jetlagged so I decide not to go today. I hadn’t actually signed up for a class because I had a feeling this would happen.
6:30: Everyone else is still asleep, so I go downstairs to make coffee and enjoy a few quiet moments to myself. When my husband and kids wake up, we all have breakfast (frozen waffles and berries for the kids. English muffins for the adults).
8:30: Drop the kids off at daycare and then get to work. I work primarily from home, so I just have to walk upstairs to my office nook. I spend the morning prepping for an important meeting tomorrow with senior leadership. I get a reminder on our phone that our toddler has a well-child visit today…usually I sync my calendars, but I totally neglected to log this on my work calendar, and it conflicts with a meeting with our chief of staff. CRAP. I debate canceling the doctor’s appointment, but decide to keep it. Our toddler is getting vaccines today and if I don’t keep the appointment, I’m not sure when I can reschedule. I apologize profusely to our COS and ask if we can reschedule. She says not to worry, and that she appreciates the extra time in her schedule…hopefully I didn’t make a bad judgment call.
1:15: I quickly eat a turkey sandwich for lunch and then pick up our toddler from daycare for her appointment. These well visits usually take 30 minutes and are covered by insurance. As luck would have it, we spend 90 minutes waiting because they are running behind. Luckily, I have snacks and activities in my purse to occupy her. To pass the time, I browse for favors and paper goods for our older daughter’s upcoming party. I end up buying paper goods, decor, and favors ($67 from Target) and iced sugar cookies ($240 from Etsy). As I type this, I realize how bananas it is to spend that much on decorated sugar cookies. Our incomes have increased pretty dramatically in the past few years, and although we haven’t increased our fixed expenses, we’ve definitely succumbed to lifestyle inflation for one-off things like this. It’s something I need to be aware of. I’m finally home around 3:30, just in time for my next call. My husband is WFH today and takes over kid duty during this call.
5:15: It’s time to pick up our older daughter from preschool, but my call is running long so my husband picks her up. For dinner, we make salads topped with roast chicken. The toddler loves salad, but our preschooler proclaims “I don’t like green leaves – I’m not a caterpillar!”. Well, okay then.
8:30: We do the girls’ bedtime routine, and then I continue prepping for tomorrow’s meeting. I wrap up around 1:00 am. While I’m working, husband preps two meals that just need to be reheated sometime later in the week. Good night!
Day 3 Total: $307
​
Day 4 (Tuesday):
7:30: Kids and I sleep in a bit this morning. My husband left home around 5:45 since he’s going into the office, so the three of us are on our own. For breakfast, the toddler has toast and berries. The preschooler has bran cereal and a frozen waffle. I eat their scraps, washed down with coffee.
9:15: I drop the kids off at daycare a little late this morning. Then I get working and practice the presentation I’m giving at 11:00
12:05: Call is over and I think it went as well as could be expected. I make myself a turkey sandwich for lunch. Then I go to the post office to mail a birth certificate request for our youngest daughter’s passport application. The cost for the birth certificate is $50. I also spend $15 at the post office to mail the envelope and buy stamps. Then it’s back to work.
5:10: Pick the girls up from school. My husband gets home around 6:45. Dinner tonight is a tofu and broccoli stir fry with rice. I don’t cook much, but I make this meal weekly and it’s everyone’s favorite. The secret is using soy sauce that is seasoned for seafood. It has a much deeper, richer flavor than standard soy sauce.
7:30: Bathtime and bed for the girls. I text with a mom from daycare whose kids are the same age as ours. We arrange a playdate for an upcoming weekend. I’m hopeful that she and I will develop a friendship – making friends is hard when you’re an adult!
9:10: I debate doing schoolwork or “work work.” Schoolwork wins tonight…I spend about two hours prepping a case study.
Day 4 Total: $65
​
Day 5 (Wednesday):
5:30: Wake up and start working. I still have a lot of deliverables to catch up on. Husband leaves as usual to commute into the city.
7:00: I get an email and text message that daycare had to close today due to unforeseen circumstances. There was an issue with their plumbing that impacts the whole building. Oh no – I immediately feel a pit in my stomach. I really can’t afford this today, especially because I am out this Friday for another day of class. Although our preschooler is pretty independent, our toddler needs constant supervision. She’s always a moment away from jumping off a couch, climbing on a table, or otherwise causing herself bodily harm. My husband has multiple meetings with his division president today so he can’t realistically come home to help. Argh. I feed us all breakfast and prepare myself for a difficult day. I send my boss an email to let him know the situation, but promise to stay on top of my work after hours as needed. I also log a half day of PTO in the payroll system…I figure I can probably be about 50% productive today.
10:00: Our toddler falls asleep for a nap, so I frantically send out emails and run reports. Our preschooler watches shows on her tablet.
12:15: Toddler is up from her nap. Our poor preschooler has been on her tablet for too long and her eyes are glazed over. I decide to take the girls out for lunch to break up the day. We go to Jersey Mikes since it’s nearby and fast. The girls each have a kids meal and the toddler is delighted that it includes a kids cup. I have an Italian sub ($29). We eat outside and the preschooler hums and loudly proclaims "I love Jersey Mike's!"
1:30: We get back home and I jump on an internal call. Thankfully the girls are well behaved and don’t cause any disruptions, beyond waving hello at the start of the call.
3:00 I have another call and the girls are again on their best behavior. PTL. Maybe I’m just lucky, or maybe it’s that I bribed them with cookies.
4:45: I wrap up the workday a little early. I take the girls on a walk since the weather is nice. When we get back inside, they immediately melt down. The toddler wants to be held constantly, which is a challenge because she weighs 24 pounds. The preschooler is thrashing, spitting at me, and throwing toys. I resist a really strong urge to scream or cry or break something or hide in the bathroom – maybe all at once. Instead, I heat up one of the meals my husband made earlier this week. When our preschooler calms down, she asks if I still love her when she’s bad. She’s been asking this question a lot recently, and it makes me wonder if it’s just a phase, or if she needs more reassurance from us. Either way, it's heartbreaking to know she worries about this.
7:30: Husband had a late meeting, so he gets home later than normal. We do the girls bedtime and bathtime routines. We get another note from daycare saying that the plumbing issue is, unfortunately, still unresolved. We’ll get a tuition credit, but they will be closed another day. Husband and I talk through logistics. We agree that he’ll go into the city again tomorrow and I’ll handle the kids. His company is in the middle of a major reorg and it’s important for him to be there in person. We decide to ask his parents if they are available to help tomorrow. Between work, the kids, and my grad program, sometimes I feel like the only thing we talk about is logistics. It’s been at least 6 months since we’ve been on a date.
10:00: I catch up on work, and also prep for school this coming weekend. I go to bed a little after 1:00.
Day 5 Total: $29
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Day 6 (Thursday):
5:45: Husband is up and out of the house at his normal time. I wake up and run some financial reports while I have the chance.
7:30: Kids are awake. While they eat breakfast I pack their activity bags and snacks since we’re going to my in-laws today. They are semi-retired and often help when we have childcare hiccups. They are truly a godsend. They live about an hour away and we arrive at their house a little after 10:00. On the way, I fill my car up with gas ($52).
12:30: The girls are having a blast with my in-laws. We take a break for lunch, which is chicken nuggets and hummus for the girls. I eat their scraps and also have some Greek yogurt.
4:15: I have a full afternoon of calls, but it goes smoothly thanks to the grandparents. We leave a few minutes after 5:00 and both girls fall asleep before we reach the first traffic light. This makes for a peaceful drive home. Traffic is heavy so we get home around 6:30. I open the mail, and find a surprise medical bill for $572. This is for the toddler’s trip to the ER…14 months ago! This is the first bill we are getting and honestly it had completely slipped my mind. She had a triple infection and ended up severely dehydrated. Seeing this bill dredges up all sorts of unpleasant memories. I’m grateful we have the means to pay this without issue, and I’m grateful she is healthy. I understand it's a privilege to pay a bill like this without thinking twice.
6:45: Husband arrives home. We reheat a pasta dish he made earlier this week and have a salad on the side. The girls are beat today, so we skip bathtime and let them go straight to bed. Thankfully, daycare can reopen tomorrow. I feel like a weight’s been lifted from my shoulders, especially since I have class tomorrow.
9:00: I have a call with my school study team to work on our group project. It lasts for about an hour.
10:30: Husband and I discuss buying a swing set for our backyard. He’s narrowed it down to two choices, and they’re both awesome: three swings, a rock wall, slide, and clubhouse area. I think they both look great, so I leave the final decision in his hands. The total with shipping and tax ends up being $1760. We considered buying a pre-assembled swing set to save time, but similar models cost nearly $6K. He’s handy, so he said he’d prefer to assemble it himself.
Day 6 Total: $2,384
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Day 7 (Friday):
6:15: I have class today so I eat breakfast and get dressed early. I tend to wear a lot of athleisure when working from home. Today I put on a structured ponte dress and hastily apply Tarte makeup to give my skin some color. Every time I make the effort to get dressed, I'm reminded that I really do feel more confident when I look put together. I get to school around 9:00 for my first class.
12:00: Break in my schedule for lunch. I eat a salad and some kind of chicken dish, while catching up with classmates (covered by tuition). For dessert, I have a huge bowl of berries. Lots more coffee to keep me awake and engaged during class.
7:00: Classes are over for the day. I pay parking ($17) and am on my way. I get home at 8:30, in time to do bedtime with my girls. Husband made veggie quesadillas with black beans and guacamole, which I eat once the girls are asleep. I check my work email to make sure nothing is on fire. Then my husband and I watch an episode of “What We Do In the Shadows” and turn in for the night.
Day 7 Total: $17
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WEEKLY TOTALS
Food + Drink: $371.50
Fun / Entertainment: $2,106
Home + Health: $572
Clothes + Beauty: $0
Transport: $333
Other: $155
Weekly Total: $3,537.5
Reflections: Some of this week’s expenditures were unusual: the swing set, my travel expenses, and that old ER bill are not part of our normal recurring expenses. However, the rest of this week's spending was pretty typical. I realize a lot of this diary revolved around sorting out childcare disruptions…honestly, that takes so much mental and logistical energy on a weekly basis. Writing this diary also made me realize how little time my husband and I spend together. Often we feel like we’re in survival mode, but we need to be more intentional about prioritizing our relationship.

I haven't found anyone intersting as of yet i like " Seirra Ann" but i would love to know Indian youtubers too

12th: Lauren AKA Scary Girl

Ohh this one might strike a nerve with a few people but I promise I can explain myself.
Okay so anyone who followed this series back in the day remembers as I went through each season my biggest problem with what show as it went on was that it started to lose all semblance of reality. Now yes this show is a cartoon and as such is always going to be ridiculous(I mean the very first challenge was something that no real person could really survive unscathed) but it was still somewhat grounded in a form of reality most importantly with the characters who above all else felt like people you could actually know irl. This season actually does a good job of harkening back to that style instead of making the characters weird pop culture jokes or insane maniacs the reboot focuses on having a relatable and more grounded cast, well with one pretty notable exception.
Lauren(Which is her actual name don’t forget) is introduced to the Island and immediately sets herself apart from the rest of the cast, not only is she dressed in some weird goth doll outfit that looks like Amy from Soul Calibur having a bad day, but she has a crazed slasher smile and a love for pain and violence that’d make even the Joker say to turn it down a notch. She quickly earns the nickname Scary Girl(A name she seems to take in stride) due to the fact that she’s kind of terrifying, given how she never seems to drop her creepy perma smile and takes immense joy in the suffering of others including the members of her own team. On top of that she may be the franchises first supernatural character and that’s beyond the standard iron bodies that every competitor seems to have(Except when they don’t apparently which I will get to down the road). She can turn her head around a complete 360, can apparently mess with the lights and the camera in the confessional without doing anything and has superhuman strength to the point she can punch out a bear like it's nothing(Although this one is something a few other competitors have shown they can do). Because of all this her team mostly tries to keep their distance from her, but in spite of that she proves to be a half decent competitor even clinching victory for the team during the relay race challenge due to her apparent superhuman abilities. Despite this though she proves to be her own undoing, as during the very next challenge she finds a jackhammer and just says screw it, forgets about the challenge and actually just straight up tries to murder people including her own teammate Damien. After losing the challenge the Trout make what is probably the most sensible decision in TD history and vote out Scary Girl, though not before she promises revenge on them for this so let’s see how many of them make it through the next season alive because this girl strikes me as the kind who follows through on threats.
Scary Girl feels like the writers took all that energy and strangeness that went into some of the more outlandish 2nd and 3rd gen characters(Max, Scarlett, Mike, Dawn, Leonard) and instead of spreading out so it infects the whole season ala PI just funneled it all into one character turned up to 11. Scary Girl sticks out majorly among the cast because she’s pretty much the only straight up cartoon character among them if that makes any sense. Every scene she has is completely over the top and insane but unlike the more annoying gimmick characters of old this works better because there's an actual contrast. You have all these mostly average teens with dynamic personalities and here’s this psycho goth girl who speaks in a weird sing-song nursery rhyme voice and just actually wants to kill people with zero ambiguity. She’s pure comic relief naturally with her gags of gleefully fawning over all the pain she sees and even purposely inflicting it on others just cause she can, plus her confessionals which all seem like lost Arkham Asylum patient tapes of her mad ramblings one things for sure this is a character you won’t forget. I personally have never been a fan of the super gimmicky characters like this and Scary Girl is by far the most gimmicky of all(With only Max and Leonard coming anywhere close) so naturally I have mixed emotions. I do think some of her scenes are pretty funny(I remember the hiding a body confessional getting a big laugh out of me due to the absurdity) and she doesn’t really overstay her welcome going out 4th so I can’t complain that she got too stale or outlasted more interesting characters. On the flipside, while I do like some of her scenes I also think the character is a bit too much, she pretty much defaults to a single joke(Creepy girl who likes pain and murder) and that joke can be a bit tiresome after the first few goes. I also think she’s too over the top to the point where it feels like she was transplanted from a completely different show given how heavily she clashes with the season's tone. All her scenes just feel so disconnected from everything else going on and kind of take me out of it whenever she pops in for a random bit. Even Izzy who’s probably the closest to her character wise still had moments of lucidity and reacted like a normal person to somethings, but Scary Girl is always in her default insane mode and doesn’t show any kind of depth or dimensions as a character which is generally what I like in my characters comic relief or otherwise. The character could work better if they toned her down, you know how I know that? Because that’s just the Goths from RR and both of them are great characters who are unique without becoming too over the top to the point where it becomes irritating. Hopefully they take some cues from them for the next season when it comes to Scary Girl because I think it could really help make her more interesting and less one note
Now don’t get me wrong, I do think her character has value especially with how she interacts with other characters.Scary Girl doesn’t get much in the way of interactions due to her relatively short stint on the show but what she does get is good. The main one is her weird “Friendship” with Pryia that happens entirely by accident and out of fear on Pryia’s part. It's fun for what it is and is the one bit of fun mostly from Pryia’s end as she tries to not suffer her wrath(and I’ll talk more about Priya maybe soon or maybe later who knows???). Who knows maybe they’ll revisit this or come up with some fun new interactions next season.
Scary Girl is an anomaly of a character in the season. I won’t deny she is entertaining for the most part and the fact that she’s the only insane gimmick character of the season means she stands out in a more positive way. However I personally found her to be a bit draining and far from the season's funniest character as well as just being a type of character I’m never really all that fond of. She has her place and doesn’t overstay her welcome too much but to me the 11 characters above all have something more that makes me feel they’re better so she sits in a respectable spot here(although admittedly i did go back and forth with the next ranked character but that’s a discussion for next time).
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\"Give her a baseball bat and I bet she'd make a killer assassin(100 points to anyone who gets this)\"

Rankings

16^th: Caleb
15^th: Nichelle
14^th: Axel
13^th: Ripper
12^th: Scary Girl

Episode 5
Through the frosted glass of the oak door of Dr. D Chambers, Allan Ridgemont lay on the leather couch blabbing about ‘Melissa.’
Madame Tandoori had explicitly told him to use that name while talking to Dr. Chambers and any other court ordered type situations, lest they think both he and she are mutually insane.
“That’s great, Allan…do you think it’s a little soon to be moving in together?” Daphne asked.
“I knew you’d say that, doctor,” he started. “but no, I don’t think so. This feels just right,” he said.
“How does Julia like her?” she asked.
He stopped and burst out a hearty bout of laughter designed to hide the tears that came just thinking about how Madame Tandoori had killed her. “Just great…they’re just great together.”
She nodded in a sort of
“Oh,” Daphne started. “I have some great news for you. I have a job for you if you’re interested.”
“Really?” he said, trying to compose himself from mourning Julia.
“Yes, and you can start pretty much immediately.”
“That’s great! Where is it? What am I doing?” he asked.
“It’s a job with the state. You’ll be installing new road signs,” she said.
“Okay,” he said.
“It’s something to get you back on your feet,” she told him.
On the ride back to his apartment, Ridgemont watched a new clip from a popular podcaster named Ron Rosen. He would talk about all types of subjects – usually covering current new events of the day. He also had a popular podcast segment where he would find some lunatic – be it off the street or referred to him or whatever and the audience would have a laugh.
This particular podcase segment was discussing how the space program believed they had just identified not only a distant, Earth-like planet, but also, may have figured out a way to get there. The technology was very secretive, but there was legitimacy in the sources saying these things.
The Earth-like planet of discussion was a planet of the star Alkaid – the tip of the tail star that makes up Ursa Major, The Big Dipper. It was dubbed ‘Kainos’ and it was believed to be similar to Earth, only it was believed to have rings like Saturn and 3 moons. There was newfound energy in the space exploration program building into this revelation.
Rosen was actual local to Cincinnati and Ridgemont had even seen him out around the city here and there.
When he walked in the apartment, Madame Tandoori met him at the door, grinning.
“I have a job,” he said.
“I know!” she said. “Let’s go out and celebrate!”
“With what?” he asked. “I used the rest of my money to get to Pueblo on the train and you used the rest of your money to pay for the motel and get us back here. The food stamps are gone.”
“Leave that up to me,” she said, giggling. “And you know, we’re going to need to start making some changes around here.”
She took out her giant emerald and walked over to the door entryway. She knelt down with it and smacked it against the steel framing of the doorway. A long blade of the stone about the size of a pencil chipped off and she picked it up.
She said, “The man you saw in the cave –“
“I didn’t actually see him,” he interrupted.
“You know who it was…don’t you?” she prodded.
“Yes,” he answered.
“And you’re good with that…right?” she said.
He looked at her sharply…”Definitely.”
“You…we…were given gifts…like Robert Johnson at the crossroads…do you know who Robert Johnson was?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he answered.
“So…are you ready for the roller coaster to begin?” she asked.
He nodded and she took his right hand and took the emerald chard and drove it into his palm. Then she took it and drove it into her own palm and they clasped hands and then he sucked the blood from her hand and she the same to his.
It was dusk and the pair hopped the bus to a crowded bar. The sign above the entrance in neon lettering said “Taft’s.”
They walked into the bar where there were a number of holla-zones…room areas that were something like virtual reality that put you in the seat or any world position you wanted to be in at the live Cincinnati Wendigo game. The Wendigo were the local professional lacrosse team and were playing against the Colorado Mammoth.
They scoured the holla-zones and found a group making a ruckus in one of them. They looked at each other and walked over.
One of the gentlemen sat in his seat talking with a group of other guys watching the game – which was currently COL 2, CIN 6.
“C’mon, just make a bet…let’s make it interesting,” one of them was saying.
“Colorado doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell,” one said back.
“I’ll give you great odds – we’ll make a $200 bet, 8-1 odds. You win, that’s a cool $1600…you lose, it’s just $200,” he said.
“I’ll take that bet,” said Ridgemont said.
The group of guys looked over at Ridgemont and Madame Tandoori, who was dressing in her flamboyant attire.
“I’ll bet you Colorado wins,” he said.
“Well alright then…now it’s a game,” the man said.
“You’re buying the next round,” one of the guys said to the gambler.
A waitress walked by and asked them what they wanted.
Ridgemont said, “Bring a bottle of Johnny Walker Red, two chilled glasses and leave them.”
Madame Tandoori smacked him on the ass.
He spoke up to the gambler and his group, “You know…this bet is a bit tame really. Let’s really live a little. How about we go even odds, $10,000 straight bet…Colorado over Cincinnati.”
Just then Cincinnati scored again. COL 2, CIN 7.
The gambler looked at them and smiled…a pity, yet crafty smile. “I can’t take your money like that…let’s just keep it light, even odds,” he said.
“Maybe your buddies want to chip in or be part of the payout…if we lose,” Ridgemont said.
They looked at him nodding their heads.
“My buddies want in…but, friend…we’re in the 4th quarter of the game…nothin’s fallin’ for Colorado tonight…you’re down by 5…I’ll give you one more offramp and I’ll expect payment,” the gambler said.
The waitress showed back up with the bottle of Johnny Walker Red and the frosty glasses. Madame Tandoori poured each of them a drink and the toasted one another.
“$10,000,” Ridgemont said to the man.
The group of guys were now excited about their fortunate payday. The gambler – concerned.
Cincinnati scored again, COL 2, CIN 8.
A few drinks later, there were two minutes left in the game and the score was COL 3, CIN 12.
“Listen…better luck next time,” said the gambler. “How will you be paying?”
“Oh, no!” the commentator cried out.
One of the Cincinnati players, Brock Anderson, was on the ground, writhing in pain. Anderson was Cincinnati’s biggest All-Star. Several minutes later, he limped, supported by a couple of medics, his way off the field.
Play started back up and a few seconds into it, Colorado scored. And then again…and again.
The gambler was furious. His friends, furious.
There were 15 seconds left in the game – which was now tied, 13-13.
Madame Tandoori gave Ridgemont an assuring nod as play resumed. Cincinnati had the ball and were passing down the field when a Colorado player intercepted a pass and ran down past the line and threw a bounce shot and just as time was expiring, the ball passed through the goalie’s arm and into the net.
Reluctantly, the gambler and his buddies made good on their bet and produced the $10k for Ridgemont – via an under-the-table offline card.
There was a loud commotion over at another holla-zone. Another game was about halfway through. Madame Tandoori took a drink and said to the gambler, “Double of nothing?” motioning over to the other game.
He looked at the pair and said…”Nah…I ain’t got double.”
Around the bar, Madame Tandoori performed palm readings for patrons and took small bets for ‘guess the number’ type tricks with people. And then a man walked up with a sizeable entourage. He was familiar…it was Ron Rosen.
“I call bullshit,” he said to Madame Tandoori.
She looked up at him standing there, “Would you like me to read your palm?” she asked him.
“No…I think this is all bullshit, and I’ve watched you for about 20 minutes and I think you’re a con artist,” he said.
She pretended to be worried.
“I’ll tell you what – come on my show tomorrow night and you can prove to me and…44 million other people that you’re a real psychic,” he said.
“Ok,” she said.
“Actually, I’ve got an even better idea,” he said. “You’re sitting here doing “pick a number” bullshit…if you’re up for it, I’ll give you a real test…you up for it?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said.
“Let’s walk across the street real quick,” he said.
As they walked, he said, “Alright, so tomorrow night is a lottery drawing. I want you to walk into this store right now, fill out a lottery ticket with the numbers you think will win tomorrow night and then hand it to me and I will put it in a safe and when you come by to do the show, we will watch the lottery call-out and compare it with your numbers…sound fair?” he said.
“Sure,” she said.
She walked into the little convenience store, took a lottery card and bubbled in 5 numbers. She walked back out and handed it to Rosen.
“Alright, thank you, miss?” he said.
“Tandoori…Madame Tandoori,” she said.

Come back next week for Episode 6

Just got back from 10 days in Japan and wanted to type up a trip report to hopefully help others that are trying to plan a trip!
Our trip was 5/16 - 5/28 including travel days. This was my 2nd time in Japan (first time was study abroad for 5 weeks in May/June 2016), but it was my mom & sister's first time, so the goal was to include as many must-see activities as we possibly could in the short time we were there. Our days were packed to the brim however all 3 of us are fairly active and healthy so despite being absolutely exhausted by the end of each day, in retrospect we wouldn't have changed a thing in our itinerary.
That being said, our itinerary would be much too busy for the average person's first trip to Japan so keep that in mind if you use this information to plan your own trip. For example, we usually only had time to sit down and eat for one meal per day and had to eat on the go for the other meals in order to have enough time to go to all the places we wanted to go to. There was very little downtime in our trip.

Tourist Tips

• Luggage
  • We each traveled with 2 checked luggage since they were included in our flight. I had one full sized suitcase and one slightly smaller suitcase which both only had one side filled when I left the US. The plan was to fill the other half of the suitcases with souvenirs to bring home. Last time I went to Japan, it cost me ~$200 to ship two large boxes of souvenirs back home, so despite having to bring a lot of luggage this saved me a significant amount of money and I will be doing this for future trips as well.
  • Within our luggage we also packed a duffel bag to hold all our purchases on heavy shopping days and a daily backpack to hold things like our trash bag, hand towel, hand sanitizewet wipes, body wipes, small purchases, etc. My carry-on was a 40L backpack that I took with us when we stayed overnight in Kyoto.
• Money
  • I brought $400 cash to exchange at the airport. I had gotten a Charles Schwab debit card before leaving which has no foreign transaction/ATM fees so I planned to use my card for whatever purchases I could then use cash for everything else. I ended up withdrawing another ¥20000 which was just enough cash to last me the rest of our trip.
• Walking
  • Last time I went to Japan I survived wearing flat gladiator sandals basically the whole trip, but this did NOT work this time around for whatever reason (I guess we walked a lot more this time?). BRING COMFORTABLE SHOES TO WALK IN. I ended up having to buy sneakers on day 2 because I stupidly didn't think I would need them. I was more concerned about looking cute for pictures (ha) but I quickly realized that all the girls in Japan wear sneakers with their cute skirts and dresses, so I blended right in. I would also recommend bringing a second pair of shoes with you each day (in your backpack) to swap into if the shoes you are wearing start giving you blisters.
• Masking
  • We saw a lot of people not wearing masks, but the majority of people still wear masks. I would say the ratio of people wearing masks to not wearing masks was about 80:20.
• Trash
  • As many have mentioned on this subreddit, due to the lack of public trash bins I would highly recommend bringing a reusable trash bag to store your trash while you're out and about until you can find a bin. We found these cool black fabric ones with a waterproof liner on the inside that you could rinse out when it got dirty and could clip to the outside of your backpack so it wasn’t with your other belongings.
• Restrooms
  • Due to the lack of hand dryers/paper towels in bathrooms we also brought hand towels as recommended, but found ourselves just air drying our hands way more often than using the hand towels as it was often more cumbersome to remove our backpacks and fish out our hand towels to use.

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Accommodations

• Sakura Hotel Jimbocho in Tokyo
  • I stayed in this hostel when I studied abroad in college in 2016, so it holds a special place in my heart. You can get a single room here for cheap, and although the rooms are extremely small, I don’t travel to Japan to spend time in my hotel so when looking for accommodations price is my #1 factor, not comfort. Toilets and showers are shared in this hostel and the rooms are set up coming off of a square hallway with sinks/restroom facilities in the center. The facilities don’t appear to be very modern and pretty, but the water pressure of the showers is the BEST. They have other room types as well, like bunk-beds, double rooms, etc. They have a 24 hour cafe downstairs and breakfast is included in your stay. All their staff speak English & Japanese (and other languages as well). They host some cool events like language exchanges and walking/jogging groups if you are more of a social person. I really enjoy the location of this hostel. You are within walking distance from the Imperial Palace and it still feels like you are in the city without it being so loud and busy like if you were to stay in Shibuya, etc. They do have other locations if you’re looking for somewhere with more nightlife.
• The Millennials Hostel in Kyoto
  • This is a really modern looking hostel in Kyoto, 2 streets over from Pontocho. The facilities are gorgeous and look brand new. They are set up similar to a capsule style hotel with a bunch of rooms coming off a hallway. Your bed takes up your entire space, and you have about 18 inches at the foot of your bed to stand. You pull an opaque privacy screen down to make your room private - there is no door. You can control your bed’s incline and lights through an iPhone in your room. There is storage space under your bed and on a shelf above your bed. Restrooms are shared but the showers are in one room and toilets in another. There are a lot of shared common spaces including a full stocked kitchen you can cook your meals in, but we literally only stayed here to sleep so we didn’t explore those spaces. I was worried about other guests being noisy but that wasn’t the case - everyone was super respectful. The price and location was great so I would definitely come back here.

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Daily Itinerary

Day 1 & 2: Travel

• We flew out of Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Our direct flight to Narita was around $1600 after taxes, fees, and flight insurance. I had one layover the last time I flew to Japan and in the future I will only be buying a direct flight as I found this to be way easier than having a layover.
• Once we arrived in Narita we turned on our e-sim. We chose Ubigi after reading many positive reviews on this subreddit and I highly recommend them. We had some issues getting iMessage to work despite following Ubigi's instructions to a T, so we ended up just using WhatsApp to message during the trip, however, iMessage did start working later on.
• We decided against picking up our JR passes & seat reservations at the airport because the line was long and we didn't need them for another 5 days.
• Going through customs/immigration and grabbing our luggage only took about 20-30 minutes. There were many staff to guide you and we found the whole process to be really smooth.
• We exchanged our currency and went downstairs to buy our tickets for Narita Express at a ticket vending machine. We got round trip tickets for ¥3460 (keep in mind that the return ticket needs to be used within 14 days). We had purchased our Suica before leaving and put them in our iPhone wallets and they came with a balance of ¥2000 so we didn't load money onto our cards until the following day.
• We took the Narita Express to Tokyo Station then took a cab to our hostel in Jimbocho. We each traveled with 2 checked luggage, so we found the short and inexpensive taxi ride to be a better option than lugging 6 giant suitcases on local trains to get to our hostel.
• We checked into our hostel. The total price per person for 11 nights was ¥49500 (about $380).

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Day 3: Imperial Palace/Ueno

• We woke up and walked to the Imperial Palace/East Gardens. We got there right when they opened and spent about 90 minutes there. We walked back to Jimbocho to go to my favorite tempura place in Jimbocho. This place has gotten quite famous since I was last there in 2016. We were first in line at 10:45am and by the time they opened for lunch at 11:30, there was a line of 20+ people. Our lunch cost only ¥800.
• After lunch we took the train to Ueno and spent some time in the Tokyo National Museum and Ueno Park. We also visited Shinobazu No Ike Bentendo Temple which is a cool temple right inside Ueno Park. While at Ueno Station, we picked up our JR passes & seat reservation tickets and also put ¥5000 on our Suica. We really enjoyed the fact that you could charge your mobile suica at a convenience store using cash - we didn’t have to worry about finding the machines in train stations with the phone holders.
• After that we walked through Ameyoko and did some shopping - I bought a super cute used Coach purse for around $65. Ameyoko seemed to have a lot more products than when I was there in 2016… but I also had more money this time around so maybe I was just paying more attention!
• We took a train back to our hostel to drop off our shopping bags and change. We took a train to Shinjuku to go to New York Grill for our dinner reservation. New York Grill is on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt hotel in Shinjuku and the views were incredible. We got the Spring Harvest 5-course dinner which included wagyu and it was easily the best beef I have ever eaten in my life - so juicy and buttery. The cost was ¥23100 per person (~$175).
• 25,138 steps on this day.

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Day 4: Shibuya/Akihabara

• We woke up and took a train to Shibuya to see Hachiko, go to the Starbucks near Shibuya Crossing, and shop at Shibuya109 and Uniqlo. It was hard for me to find any clothing that would fit me at the stores in Shibuya109 (I am a US 8/10 which is basically considered plus size in Japan) however I was able to find a cute t-shirt at Punyu's in Shibuya109 and two dresses at Uniqlo. I also bought sneakers at the Skechers store.
• I also went to the Mega Don Quijote in Shibuya and spent about $102 on candy and snacks to bring home. Lots of fun KitKat flavors here but it was very crowded and hard to walk around with my extremely full baskets.
• We took a train back to our hostel to drop off our shopping bags and had a quick lunch via conbini.
• We took a train to Akihabara and bought some souvenirs and gachapon, and walked all the way back to Ameyoko where I spent another $90 on candy and snacks to bring home.
• We took a train back to our hostel to drop off our shopping bags and change. We took a train to Ginza to go to Tempura Kondo for dinner (a Michelin starred tempura restaurant). We got the Yomogi dinner which was ¥23100 per person (¥25410 after fees, ~$195). The staff were amazing - they noticed that my sister was left-handed and set up her plates/silverware as such which was really observant. We loved the dinner, however there was WAY too much food for us; the staff recognized we were starting to get full, and asked us if we would be able to eat the next course which was ten-don. I was really concerned about being disrespectful and wasting food, so I was really glad that they noticed and asked!
• 19,445 steps on this day.

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Day 5: Asakusa/Ginza/Omoide Yokocho

• We woke up and took a train to Asakusa to see Sanja Matsuri. We shopped at the small souvenir shops on Nakamise-dori and had street food at the festival for lunch. I bought an awesome goshuincho here with a wooden cover and foxes on it.
• After being completely overstimulated, we took a train to Rikugi-en Garden to escape the crowds. This garden is a little off the beaten path, just outside the big city, but it is completely gorgeous and so worth the trip.
• After the garden, we took a train to Ginza to window shop and go to our reservation at Higashiya Ginza for wagashi & tea pairing. We had 5 wagashi paired with 5 teas that were amazing. It cost ¥4500 per person.
• After this, we walked to Mitsukoshi Ginza to explore the basement food floor and grab dinner. They start to discount the food as the stores near closing time, so going for a late dinner can save you a couple yen! After eating on their rooftop terrace which was beautiful, we walked to Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki Paris Marunouichi to grab dessert then headed back to our hostel to drop off our shopping bags.
• After we ate, we took a train to Shinjuku to walk down Omoide Yokocho. We had a drink on the third floor of Bar Albatross - highly recommend! The alleyway is a lot shorter than I imagined, and very crowded as you would expect. I probably wouldn’t go back here in the future but I am glad we visited!
• 25,002 steps on this day.

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Day 6: Harajuku

• We woke up and took a train to Harajuku to visit Meiji Shrine and got our first goshuin.
• After visiting the shrine, we walked back to Takeshita-dori to get lunch at Afuri Ramen. They’re known for their ramen with yuzu in their broth and this was one of our favorite meals during our trip. We got there about 20 minutes before they opened and were ~8th in line. By the time they opened, the line was stretching around the building!
• We walked down Takeshita-dori and shopped, then went to our reservation at Mipig Cafe (mini pig cafe). This place was so cute! You can make reservations for 30 minutes or 1 hour where you sit on the floor and miniature pigs will come and sit on your lap. You weren’t allowed to pick the pigs up and the staff were super kind and handled the pigs well. A 30 minute reservation was ¥1800 per person.
• After the pigs, we walked down Omotesando and took the train to Shinjuku to get dinner on the food floor at Isetan.
• After we ate on the rooftop terrace (beautiful once again), we headed back to our hostel to drop off our shopping bags. We took the train to Shibuya to go to our reservation at Shibuya Sky. We got the package where you get an admission ticket including a 50 minute reservation for the sofa seats and a choice of a mini bottle of champagne or 2 beers per person, which cost ¥5900 per person. The views were unreal and I recommend reserving the sofa seats so you can get amazing pictures. This was a highlight of our trip.
• 21,719 steps on this day.

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Day 7: Kawaguchiko

• This was our first travel day. We woke up early to take the highway bus from Busta Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko. The bus was ¥4400 per person. We were able to get some super clear pictures of Mt. Fuji while we were on the bus and right when we arrived at the station.
• We bought the daily unlimited bus pass for ¥1500 which ended up not being worth it for us because we spent so little time seeing things on the bus route. First, we went to the Panoramic Ropeway. We got there about 15 minutes before they opened and there was already a really long line. By this time, Mt. Fuji was already completely covered in clouds but the ropeway was really cool and we still got some awesome panoramic pictures. They have a shop at the top where you can get ice cream and sit on some swings and take pictures.
• After the ropeway we took the bus back to Kawaguchiko Station to get on the train to go to Chureito Pagoda. The gnats here were INSANE. We climbed up the ~400 or so steps to the top and got some cool pictures as well as our goshuin.
• We walked back to the station and took the train to Fuji-san Station and walked ~30 minutes to Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine. The wooded walk up to the shrine is absolutely gorgeous. We got goshuin here as well.
• After the shrine, we walked and took a train back to Kawaguchiko Station to eat a conbini dinner, do last minute shopping, and catch our bus back to Tokyo.
• 19,374 steps on this day.

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Day 8: Kanazawa

• We woke up early to catch our 6:16am shinkansen to Kanazawa. Once we arrived, we bought the daily unlimited bus pass and took the bus to Omicho Market where we bought some souvenirs and food.
• We walked from Omicho Market to visit Ozaki Shrine and Oyama Shrine and got goshuin at both places. My sister realized she lost her wallet at this point, but a kind soul had turned it in to the staff at Ozaki Shrine!
• We took the bus from Oyama Shrine to Kenroku-en Garden, where we walked around, took lots of pictures, and sat down for lunch at a local restaurant.
• After lunch, we took the bus to the Higashi Chaya district where we shopped and took pictures.
• After that, we took the bus back to Kanazawa Station to catch our 5:57pm shinkansen back to Tokyo.
• 20,192 steps on this day.

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Day 9: Kyoto Day 1

• We woke up early to pack our overnight bags and catch our 6:21am shinkansen to Kyoto, where we would be staying for one night. We decided to keep our reservation at our Tokyo hostel because 1) it was super cheap and 2) we would be able to leave all our suitcases and belongings in our rooms for when we returned to Tokyo.
• When we arrived in Kyoto, we headed straight to our hostel to have them hold our bags before we could check in later that day.
• After that, we took a local bus to the Arashiyama area. It was absolutely packed with school groups and tour buses. We walked up Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street to Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple where it was much quieter. We got goshuin and visited the small and private bamboo grove behind the temple. We walked back down Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street towards Togetsukyo Bridge where we stopped and sat down for lunch then continued shopping along the way. I got lots of uji-matcha here.
• We walked back to Arashiyama Station and took a train to Kiyomizu-dera where we got goshuin, then walked to a small rooftop bar overlooking the Hokan-ji temple and pagoda and got awesome pictures and had dinner.
• After eating, we walked back to our hostel and checked in, then slept for the night. Our 1 night stay cost ¥5000 per person.
• 21,545 steps on this day.

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Day 10: Kyoto/Nara Day 2

• We woke up super early to check out of our hostel and head to Fushimi Inari. Our hostel held our bags while we went sightseeing for the day. We arrived around 6:45am which was so worth it - it wasn’t crowded at all and we got lots of pictures of the shrine and torii gates without any people in them. We walked for about 30 minutes up the mountain then headed back to Inari Station to head to Nara.
• Once we arrived in Nara, we spent some time with the deer then visited Todai-ji and got goshuin.
• After that, we took a train back to Fushimi Inari to visit the souvenir shops which had not opened yet when we had gotten there earlier that day. We shopped and got goshuin, then headed to Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka to shop. We visited Ryozen Kannon to get pictures (they had closed by the time we got there) and walked down Ishibei-koji Lane and Hanamikoji Street.
• After that, we walked back to our hostel to pick up our bags. We took a taxi to Kyoto Station to catch our 7:36pm shinkansen back to Tokyo.
• 27,861 steps on this day.

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Day 11: Tattoo

• My mom and I went to a tattoo shop near Shibuya to get matching tattoos on our wrists, then my mom spent the rest of the day shopping in Shibuya with my sister while I got another large tattoo on my shoulder.
• After my tattoo was finished, we all met up in Ikebukuro to get gyudon for dinner.
• 9,879 steps on this day.

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Day 12: Yokohama/Kamakura

• We woke up and took a train to Yokohama where we walked the Minato Mirai 21 area and shopped and had lunch at World Porters.
• After lunch, we took a train to Kamakura. First, we visited Hase-dera and got goshuin. I got lots of pictures of the hydrangeas even though they weren’t in full bloom yet.
• After that we walked up the road to Daibutsu and got goshuin. We walked back to Hase Station and took a train to Kamakura Station and walked the pedestrian pathway in the center of the road to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu. We got our goshuin and were able to observe a small part of a traditional Japanese wedding that was happening at the shrine, which was really cool.
• After that, we walked back to Kamakura Station and took a train back to Tokyo.
• We spent the night packing. I ended up completely filling my suitcases with my souvenirs and had to put even more in my carry-on bag.
• 21,131 steps on this day.

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Day 13: Travel

• We woke up and headed back to Senso-ji to grab our goshuin, since it was too busy when Sanja Matsuri was happening the week before.
• We took a train back to our hostel and checked out around 11am, then made our way to Tokyo Station to take the Narita Express back to the airport.
• We arrived at the airport with plenty of time before our flight so we could get last-minute souvenirs. I found a couple flavors of KitKat and Hi-Chew here that I could not find in Donki/Ameyoko - but I could not find Beni-Imo KitKat which is the flavor that I was looking for! :(
• We flew back to O’Hare and drove home from there.

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Trip Cost

• Total trip cost: ~$5462.73
  • Total spent before I left Japan (flight, JR pass, highway bus ticket, tattoo deposit, pay-ahead reservations, suica, car rental): $2562.73
  • Total I spent in Japan (souvenirs, snacks, accommodations, transportation, meals, activities/admission, reservations, tattoo): ~$2900

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Cost Breakdown

Airfare

• Total (USD): $1600

Accommodations

• Total: ¥54500
  • ¥49500 (Tokyo hostel/11 nights) + ¥5000 (Kyoto hostel/1 night)

Transportation

• Total: ~¥64470
  • ¥33610 (JR pass) + ¥4400 (highway bus) + ¥3460 (N’EX) + ¥18000 (local trains/bus) + ¥5000 (taxis - approximate)

Meals

• Total: ~¥88510
  • ¥40000 (breakfast/lunch/dinner) + ¥48510 (meal reservations)

Souvenirs

• Total: ~¥150000
  • Goshuin, charms, matcha powder, candy, jewelry, clothing, purses, shrine offerings, postcards, etc.

Activities/Admission

• Total: ~¥9800
  • Pig Cafe, tea/wagashi tasting, shrines/temples, etc.

Tattoo

• Total (USD): $604.66

Hello, this is the story of how my grup of 4 friends turned into a group of 3 thanks to Bridezilla. The group consisted of 4 girls, me (Dana), Gabby, Lilly and Lucy, it al started when Lilly got engaged and Gabby and I were so excited for her and kind of over the moon making jokes and never stop talking about the subject, we kind of felt like Lucy was jelaous but we let it go, a few weeks after guess who ends up engaged as well, yes, LUCY! We were happy for her as well. Lucy immediately asked us 3 girls to be her bridesmaids along with other 7-8 girls (girls she just met through her fiancé, her sister and SIl). Lillys wedding was going to be different and there were no bridesmaids at all, so the whole wedding planning and leading to her wedding was very different.
When Lilly told us her wedding date Lucy couldn´t handle it so went ahead and set her wedding one week before Lillys... we didn´t think much of it atm but I did felt like she was competeing or something. To give you a little context Gabby and I were on our early 20s still in Uni. Gabby was starting a beauty business and all her expenses were put into that business and school, where in my case I was paying my University tuiton with a Scholarship and by working for the school as well, my career was very expensive in tuiton and supplies as well, (needing gamer computers, art supplies, etc, every week) so all of my money was spent on school and transportation to and from School, Lillys situation was very similar, she was also in her early 20s, had just moved in with her fiancé, was paying a new car and on top of that had a whole wedding to pay for.
So I think you know where this is going. Lucy was one of my best friends so I did everything I could to support her and be there for her wedding and planning of it. Soon she started showing her bridezilla true colours. First she asked all of us bridesmaids to wear the exact same dress from a very expensive store, at the time I did not have the money so I asked her if I could make an exact copy of the dress with the help of a seamstress (it is cheaper in our country) and she said NO because she did not want to risk it being slightly different so I had to borrow money from my parents.
On the fitting day a couple of us bridesmaids were complaining about the prices and how a certain style doesn´t always fit bodies, one specifically said that she felt very uncomfrotable and she would never wear a dress like that also pay so much money for it. Bridezila wasn´t there but one of her bridesmaidezilla made sure to tell her the rumours. So that bridesmaid was UNIVITED. We were also supposed to wear the same shoes, and do our hair and makeup with the same MUA because otherwise "we could be late to the wedding" her MUA was very expensive as well. All of us had to buy the same shoes but since you guessed it they were very expensive I bought a cheaper replica of them (the dress was floor lenght so you wouldn´t even see them).
We 3 bridesmaids were invited to the bachelorette party a day before. And we were told to get there lets say 5pm, so we arrived and no one was there. The other group of bridesmaids told us to go ahead and start decorating the place, that we could help that way. We went out to buy some decorations and told the other group to text us when they were heading to the place with Bridezilla. They never texted us so when we got there bridezilla had already been surprised and we were seen as "the ones that got there late". The expected us to pay for that nights meal and again it was very expensive, more than what I would pay for in a restaurant, keep in mind I am vegan and I dont drink alcohol, there were of course no vegan options for me, so I paid more than I would´ve paid for in a fancy restaurant for salad and water.
We were kind of upset at the bridesmaids for not letting us know when they were getting there and we decided to talk to bridezilla about it, to what she responded "I am very busy to deal with that right now" and kept asking us for money to pay for her bouquet and extra money to pay for a bouquet that all of ous bridesmaids were expecting to carry. At that point I wanted to quit being a bridesmaid but I knew that ment I was going to be uninvited and I wanted to be there for my friend, I asked how much it was in total and it was bananas, overall I had spent in HER wedding more than what a month of school tuition was worth, plus I had to still pay for the hair and makeup and bouquets? I kindly asked if it was really necessary for us to do all that, and I explained my situation, she was very angry about it and said that I was not being supportive. (keep in mind I have another wedding coming up a weekend after that).
The invites came in and turnes out I only have a pass and I have to pay for my boyfriend to be there... In a wedding where there were more than 300 guests and I was one of the best friends of the bride. I again talked to Bridezila about it and she said that Lillys fiancé was invited because it was a serious relationship while mine was not. So I paid insane money for his invite.
The night before the wedding we texted bridezilla wishing her the best and also asking her what type should we be there since she stopped texting in the bridesmaids group chat since weeks ago and we were supposed to do a photoshoot while getting ready, and then with the groom etc. She replied saying that the photoshoot was canceled and we should be there on time for the ceremony only.
We got ready and showed up at the ceremony on time. The moment when I flipped was when one of the groomsmaids (idk how to say that in english, sorry) that I was very close with, as soon as he saw me asked why I hadn´t been at the photoshoot!!!!! I was like.. "I thought it was canceled" and he said no. During the wedding Bridezilla never even looked or talked to us 3 bridesmaids.
A few days after the wedding we found out through one councious bridesmaid that Bridezilla had made a new grouchat called "The cool bridesmaids" and chat there talking bad about us, saying how unsopportive we were and purposly did a photoshoot where WE her closest and best friends would not appear in. We were fuming and confronted Bridezilla about it, but againg she said she was busy planing or going to her honeymoon that she didn´t have time for us. She decided loosing her 10+ year friendship over her wedding. Later we found out that she copied exactly Gabbys business and that made Gabby lose her shit and we stopped talking to her. She moved to another state where she thought she would make friends but didnt because she doesnt work at all so she never left the house and made friends, The wedding was paid by the groom. She moved back to the city and realized that "the cool bridesmaids" are busy women and not very close to her so she lost all her friends and she reached out again to apologize saying "I am sorry even though I dont know what I did wrong" we said it was better to not be friends and now she really has no friends.
This brought us Gabby, Lilly and I closer and very happy, supportive friends (: The end