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dumb phones - a phone who's only purpose is to make/receive calls and texts. think flip phones, old nokias, etc.
personally, i would love to purchase a dumb phone to get away from the busyness on social media but there are some conveniences of my modern iPhone that makes switching to a dumb phone seem like way too much of a change (music streaming, texting in groupchats, GPS, etc).
so recently got installed some berk test pipes res and it was fine for two days until Sunday the check engine light came on but I heard that it comes on when you put test pipes and you just need a tune to turn off the light but on Monday I was driving my car and then suddenly it switched to drive while I was in Manual mode. Tuesday comes and I was able to drive it in Manual with no problem and then Wednesday hits it doesn’t let me even drive in manual mode and I checked today what codes I had p0430 and p0720 but looked up to see how to fix the problem but I get mix answer so please tell me what to do.
after many failed attempts going on metformin a dr prescribed (it kept making me throw up) i want to venture down another route to treat my insulin resistance. i've been doing some digging and there's the one thorne do (called ovarian care), ovasitol by theralogix, myoplus by myova, and the inositol powder by jarrow formulas. i have no preference as to pills or powder, i just don't know if anyone has had any better experiences with some or which are more reputable + if they contain slightly different blends + dosing variations. i read that taking too much DCI actually lowers your estrogen and causes further increase in male hormones (the only one i have above normal levels is androgen. my testosterone is high within the bounds of normalcy) and that article recommended talking to your doctor about it first. trouble is, i have moved so much in recent years that i dont have a primary care doctor or gyno where i currently live. and basically all the gynos i have seen in recent for pcos and endo were quite awful and disappointing anyway. if anyone has any pointers about supplements i would greatly appreciate it ❤️🩹❤️🩹 i'm 23, eat a vegetarian diet, already avoid wheat/pasta/dairy/rice/bread (...bread.... i miss u 🥲) and take probiotics and vitamin d
My daughter loves nursery rhymes she loves to sing them all the time rather than finding it annoying. Me and my wife find her love for these rhymes cute. The only concern I have is a year ago me and her were playing in the play room she and I had made up a game where we made our own nursery rhymes. She didn't like bringing others into the game I remember when we played the game with a cousin she some how managed to make the rhyme dark and vial. I started off by saying " brother, brother he had a lover " my daughter Ella's cousin interjected with " brother brother's lover found another " my little girl said " brother brother shot the lying lover. " Me and her cousin became shocked by what she said and we ended the game quickly my daughter never says things like that. But when I talked to my daughter about what she said she simply learned it from a crime show her mother was watching. Ella apologized for messing up the rhyme I told her it was fine just to make sure not to bring such dark themes into the game. A few weeks later when I was reading Ella's routine bedtime story to her I got a call from my mother. She told me about how something horrible happened with my brother and his wife. Ella and I had arrived at the hospital with her cousin (we had invited perviously over and into the game). Kimberly my brother's wife was shot apparently and my brother had been the one who shot Kim, their son Tyler was to stay with us after we heard the news of Kimberly's passing and my brother going to prison Tyler was put in our care him and Ella got along fine. Just recently I heard her and her cousin playing the game. I listened in by the door way first they started off by humming a soft melody. Tyler then started with " centuries ago , far away even to this day " Ella then continued with " ancestors played, The rhyming game ". Tyler announced " their mother sung this song and they all Longed for the game we play ". Ella went and had said firmly catching a glimpse of me said " but listeners who worried about it went away! " I took this as my cue to leave I had walked out of the doorway and stayed out of the game for a couple days. I found them repeating the exact lines being sung by them but instead of what my daughter said calling me out. They were chanting " centuries ago, far away even to this day. Ancestors played, The rhyming game. Their mother sung this song and they longed for the game we play " now Ella said " No one was allowed to join this game till the host said so". They engaged in this song more and more until they both said " eardrums of those who pry may they BURST! " I walked in scolding them. For this and sent them both to bed angry I was getting sick of this rhyming game and the bad influence it was bringing on the little angels who were being raised. A few weeks ago I got out of bed in the middle of the night careful not to wake my wife sleeping next to me. I went and got water while I looked out the kitchen window drinking my water I hear a humming coming from the kids room. I walked down the hall and checked on them I saw from the doorway Tyler and Ella playing that dammed rhyming game. This time once again their chant started with " centuries ago, far away even to this day. Ancestors played, The rhyming game. Their mother sung this song and they Longed for the game we play." Tyler instead of Ella said " Let those who scold we, those who play this game break their legs! " He shout whispered this and instead of me going in and scolding them again. Ella's head turned to me well where I was I had hid behind the wall. When I checked again they were in bed the sheets were neat not untidy like they were asleep the whole time. I stumbled back down the hall creeped out and went to bed to calm my head. A couple days agoI had a " accident " the doctors said I temperoaraily had gone into a coma and was lucid dreaming so it felt so real. I found myself in the house awake at night and there was a low him in the house I looked for what caused this. I came to the kid's room smelling a horrible repellent stench and I heard the humming grow louder and steadyer. I didn't see anyone in the house at all I saw a loose floorboard and it seemed like the odor was coming from the opening. I pryed open the floor board hoping to get whatever poor dead animal out for the kid's sake and have pest control come and deal with the stench in the morning. But as I pryed it open the hum was now a screech and it felt like my ears would start bleeding I passed out and apparently I was found. Laying on the bottom step by my wife and literally rushed to the hospital I woke learning I had broken my leg from the fall and slammed onto a pole on the baby gate that we used for the dogs we had and I burst my ear when it was punctured. The doctors said I was lucky to survive the ear bursting and that the kids found me and got my wife. Every now and then I swear I hear that stupid chanting of that rhyming game song in my deaf ear , yet Ella and Tyler hadn't played it since the " accident. " I'm worried now.. because I swear I hear a gravelly female voice singing to my kids " centuries ago, far away even to this day. Ancestors played, The rhyming game. Their mother sung this song and they Longed for the game we play, granddaughter and grandson pass this deadly song. The fathers and mothers won't last long." I don't have long left and I hear that damned humming is getting louder in my right ear and my lungs are beginning to ache painfully. Don't let your kids play the rhyming game.
Just worked a shift that was scheduled to have me another partner and a recently transferred shift for 3 hours during a busy time of day....
no nobody called out. But then again, we currently have 2 shifts and a store manager + ~20 baristas.... we've been going down for months and hiring nobody on.
it's so fucking bad at my store. There's never a moment of peace, and despite prices rising and the public saying they're done with the siren, we've been busier than ever.
I'm doubting myself.
FYI is first bit.
Both my parents are from my and my sisters perspective narcissists or at least my dad is and my mum mite have ADHD. This is not diagnosed.
I played their games to survive minimizing the big things downplaying anything I found joy in to disassociate from them and cause less strife for my sister, till i found a way out at 17. I don't know If my sisters knew what I was doing. its never been mentioned.
I sort revenge in 2010-11 and talked them into splitting causing chaos in their financial and social life family home sold assets divided, both sisters had mostly moved out. (I was angry I got in my parents heads, felt like I was trained to do it, to be like them at this point in life) I was the perceived golden child along with my older sister she wasn't considered as golden I guess as I seemed to get better marks on things we were treated slightly similar but different. My middle sister was the scapegoat. I accidentally did something my sister was blamed, I admitted it was me nothing was said no blame to me no apology to her (really crappy to see and know how wrong this was). So i had my pound of flesh and left the country with my boyfriends family as a safety net. watching each step I took checking the mirror (I look so similar to my mother it sucks as I remember shit every time I look in it)
I understand I was most likely wrong to do this as the benefit to my sisters lives of having them together may have been effected a house to go to if life went wrong for them. I'll wear that.
Ive since grown as a person and my then boyfriend is now husband we have two children and I've disclosed all to him.
REASON FOR POST
So my issue is with my Dad.
Christmas 2022 we flew back we were on good terms. My Dad pulled a huge card and invited my uncle and aunt (beautiful people happy memories with them) and his family three sons and their partners and children.
This was meant to be a small Christmas. The plan was all sisters and said sisters husbands and children along with Dad and his new girlfriend. I was tense, checking checking checking watching for signs of the manipulation starting (warned my husband that I may need him to take the kids and go, leave me to their drama) It was weird my older sister pulled me aside to warn me my middle sister is turning into a narcissist, my middle sister pulled me aside to tell me how fucked up and fake all this was. And I watched on as my Dad belittled his new girlfriend with snide mine and your comments. I was mildly triggered I felt my protective side rising up for his girlfriend but couldn't do anything. No huge issues that needed trimming or mending. I went to were we were staying after and spent the next day triggered reliving just shut down trying to calm my mind.
My Dad had taken four days off said he wanted to go fishing with my family and me and he called me to organize this two days later. I had finally calmed down and was out for a run, I said "I'm out running reception is bad I'll call you back in half a hour?" he responded with disappointment aggression and rejection words as I hadn't made solid plans.
I was struggling with planning this as my family doesn't have much fishing experience, my husband almost drowned in 2018 and in 2022 we had a relation die by drowning its raw. So our fondness to the ocean isn't strong I like fishing.
My head went blank on the call I don't know if I said anything else instinct kicked in, I finished my run 15min later got back and silence he isn't responding, I panicked rang round to organize his girlfriend to be checked on in-case he took it out on her went into shut down for hours, crying, frozen, shaking flashbacks of running to hide, hearing the fights the panic the pain.
My family and extended family on my husbands side never needs to see me like that it was so shit.
My Dad hasn't responded to a text or call from me 23/12/22 till his birthday the 25/3/23 that's over 3 months of silent treatment. I sent a message that just said happy birthday and he said thank you. Now hes responding to my photos on Facebook.
Do I respond? Do I try to mend? Is it my fault? should I wear the blame of not planning when I know the consequence of going into a situation without planning?
I've been debating for the past month on sending the things hes bought us (he try's to buy love) back to him, call it done. Try to stamp out the bond I've been slowly rebuilding so it can't hurt me and by proxy my family. I feel this is just a reoccurring cycle and I'm tired.
My head says cut, my heart says mend.
My older sister says sell the stuff spend the money on something to build your life. But its poisoned for me like using it is consuming poison, everything that stems from it will decay from within. My middle sister is not talking to anyone, and my Mum is in the dark, she is the worst manipulator so I wont mention anything to her.
I try to keep the contact as I want family, and I struggle to have friends as my past makes me hold everyone at arms length people are unpredictable, my parents and sisters are unstable yet mostly predictable because I have known them so long.
So I struggle to talk to anyone which has caused me to build social anxiety and left me with no one outside of my husband his family and my kids in the safe zone which is unhealthy.
So Reddit what do i do about my Dad?
It was decided that the group would head over to the Cat Cafe next. They quickly departed the house to make their way towards their next location. Sateen decided to accompany the group, mostly due to his developed interest (aka. A Teenage Crush) for Sumireko. Along the way, Satsuko continued to point out each and every single ride, game, snack booth there was, pleading to go on them or try something. Most of the group said no or denied the kid of his requests, Mary however, after ignoring the kid’s cute beady eyes, finally caved and got him cotton candy.
“Mmmm~ This is delicious!” Satsuko said, digging into the pink fluffy cloud of sweetness. “Are you sure you don’t want any Auntie?” He asked Mary.
“I’m good. Thank you though.” Mary said, holding Satsuko by the hand and guiding him along. The others looked at them from behind. Meiling didn’t think too much about it since she wasn’t familiar with either Mary or Satsujin. Sateen was too focused on being next to Sumireko, but Sumireko had other thoughts on the matter.
“She’s having the time of her life, isn’t it?” “To think, just the other day they were acting more like best friends who got on each other’s nerves… But now it’s this.” Sumireko thought. “Then again I think it’s better than how they were before. It’s nice even.”
“I’m sure the real one wouldn’t act like that. But you’re right. Let her have a moment of peace…for now.” It didn’t take much longer before they arrived at their next location. They knew they arrived when they saw the giant lucky cat statue that could be seen a mile away, sticking out like a sore thumb. It was holding a token down with its left paw, while the other paw was raised up in the air. Below the statue was a regular-shaped building, painted in bright shades of red and blue, decorated with circular windows, and a nicely decorated door. Hanging above the door was a wooden sign, showing a picture of two cats, red and blue respectively, facing away from each other while their tails formed a heart shaped sign.
Looking at the giant maneki neko statue, Sumireko hummed in interest. “Huh,” she commented, “a calico cat. It’s not that common to see a calico maneki neko. Mike would like this place.”
Blinking in confusion, Meiling asked, “Who?” Admittedly, even before the moral gods invaded, she rarely left the SDM grounds, but she was sure she would have heard of a maneki neko being in Gensokyo.
Mary answered, “Oh yeah, Mike! I remember her! She’s that calico maneki neko who freeloads at Kourindou like every other week. Satsu ran into her a few times.”
“Mike… Now that I think about it, I might have heard about her before.” Meiling hummed, scouring her mind. “...I heard a few people in the past bicker about whether or not she was a guy or a girl.”
“Wait, isn’t she a girl though?” Sumireko asked.
“Well, I’m definitely certain… But like with Wriggle it’s a debate that will probably never be settled.”
The door to the cafe suddenly opened up, the sound of a bell singing tipped off the others, taking a look at the person coming out. “Welcome!” cried the figure in a cheerful voice. They rushed up to the group, invading their personal space and stopping mere inches from Sumireko’s face. “I’m Satsunyan, and welcome to my cat cafe!”
Satsunyan was a petite girl, seemingly only about a head taller than Suika. She had black hair in a shoulder-length bob cut, with cat ears sticking out like two cowlicks that refused to stay down. Her catlike eyes glittered in excitement, and small fangs could be seen peeking out from her lips. She wore a skimpy maid uniform that barely hid her modest bust and a scandalously short skirt that showed off her thighs and barely hid her rear. From under her skirt, a tail peeked out and flicked about playfully.
“Cute~” Everyone else thought, except for Sateen, as he stared at her and the cafe with a massive blush before quickly looking away.
“Glad to see you guys like my fashion sense. It wasn’t too hard to slip in a bit of my influence here.” A different voice rang out. Unlike the other voice, which was staticky, this one was layered, as though two people were speaking at once, one voice being deep and the other being higher.
“It’s a bit too stereotypical, but works.” “You’re the last person I want to hear that from. Didn’t you try to make Satsujin talk like a stereotypical gang member?” “Wait, who was that? And what did they mean?” Sumireko wondered, glancing up at the sky discreetly.
“Oh crap, you weren’t supposed to hear any of that. Forget about me for now!” “They’re not stupid by the way, just present yourself.” “Later, they should take care of this first.” Satsunyan grabbed Sumireko’s hand, pulling her right into the cafe while saying, “C’mon, let me show you the place!”
“Wha- Hey!” Sumireko said, being pulled into the cafe while the others followed.
The inside of the cafe was quite colorful, looking to be modestly big enough to fit several customers but also feeling small at the same time. There were tables and chairs lined up in rows, chairs right by a wide counter, delightful decorations ranging from lamps to plants, but what definitely stood out the most were all the cat-like adornments. The chairs had cat ears, the cuts had cat-like tails, and of course, actual cats all minding their business over at one corner of the store.
“Kitties!” Satsuko cheered. “Can I pet them!?” He asked in a childish manner.
“Of course, go ahead!” Satsunyan answered. Satsuko went right over and started to pet the cats while Mary watched from afar.
“Hey,” whispered Mary, nudging the esper. “You think there are any more girl personas in here?”
Sumireko responded, “I did see another girl version of Satsujin the last time I was here, but I haven’t seen her at all this time. Why’d you ask?”
“Oh, nothing. Just wondering.”
Satsunyan turned around, a cat-like smile formed on her face almost in a smug fashion. “So… Are you all here for my challenge?”
“Eh? How did you-”
“Because Sateen is with you all! That means you must’ve beaten him in his edge-off!”
Sateen quickly turned to embarrassment, jumping a little upon hearing someone call his challenge an ‘edge-off’.
“I-It wasn’t an edge-off. We were merely showing ourselves our history of suffering, the torment we bore, the devastating power we each wield knowing the burden we must carry in order to not let it control our everyday decisions!” He said in a cool manner. “I had easily demolished them in the challenge, but due to feeling pity for them I decided to let them win.”
“Of course,” teased Satsunyan as she patted Sateen on the head. Heading over to Satsuko, she bent down to speak to him. “Satsuko, sweetie, I need you to listen to me.” As the young boy looked up, the maid continued, “I need you to behave, okay? The pretty big sisters have to do a test, and you can’t talk to them until the test is over or else they’ll get distracted. Can you promise you’ll be a good boy?”
Nodding, Satsuko replied, “I promise I won’t do something to distract Auntie Mary or her friends.”
Looking back at Sateen, Satsunyan continued, “You too, Sateen. Do you promise to behave?” “...Okay.” Sateen said, trying to look away. “Splendid!” Satsunyan clapped her hands, turning her attention over to the others. “You three follow me! I’ll help you get into your uniforms!”
“Uniforms? We just got here though!” Meiling asked.
“The sooner the better as they always say!”
Satsunyan pushed the three into the staff room. The Staff room was small, lined up with lockers for the girls to use and also a break area to relax at. The three were confused as to what’s going on while Satsunyan went over and rolled out a bunch of maid outfits.
“Okay girls! The challenge is quite simple: You’re all going to help me run my little cafe for the day by helping serve the customers, make the food, and give out your best smiles! If you do well, then you complete the challenge!” Satsunyan said. “But first, uniforms. I have a bunch of maid outfits, feel free to wear whatever you please!” “Ooh, dibs!” shouted Mary as she grabbed a uniform, rushing into the dressing room. “Well,” sighed Meiling, “I guess I’ll take this one. At least it won’t be too embarrassing.” She grabbed a qipao and followed after Mary. “Um…” hesitated Sumireko. Looking through the assorted clothing, she felt her face heating up as she kept finding maid uniforms that contributed to specific preferences, with some of the uniforms being the type she knew for a fact belonged in an entirely different kind of shop. “What’s wrong? Can’t decide?” Satsunyan asked. “Here, how about this one right here?” She said, pulling one outfit out in particular. “Is… is there any chance I can put on the cat ears headband and tail clip?” squeaked Sumireko, trying not to faint.
“...” With her cat-like eyes, Satsunyan glared deep into Sumireko, an intimidating glare that sent shivers through her as though she was in a tundra. She didn’t even say anything but one look at her eyes made her realize what may happen if she didn’t comply.
“Gotta be obedient, Sumireko…Unless…” Noticing something in the corner of her eye, Sumireko grabbed it and exclaimed, “Oh, I’ll wear this one!” She internally cried in relief, having found a
normal maid outfit.
“Not bad, not bad. Now, let’s see if you can do your tasks and be charming enough for the customers!”
“This isn’t too bad,” commented Meiling as she left the dressing room, wearing the qipao she selected earlier. “Though it’s a bit of a shame that the colors clash pretty badly with each other.”
“Oh, that’s alright. I’m sure you will do fine!” Satsunyan said. “Now, how about the other girl?”
Mary stepped out of her dressing room. What she wore shocked the others, including Satsunyan. It was a Victorian Era Style Maid outfit. But it was designed with the chest especially in mind, considering the amount of cleavage that was shown. Even though anything genuinely inappropriate was entirely covered, it was still revealing enough that Mary would have been arrested for indecent exposure.
“I almost want to keep this!” Mary said, puffing out her chest. Everyone couldn’t help but stare, their gazes following a certain set as they tried to break free from their restraints.
“Delightfully spicy, I must add.” “Wow…She’s bigger than me. I’m kinda envious.” Meiling thought.
“How can a sentient blade have so much…mass?” Sumireko thought.
“Oh, and it really compliments my legs!” cheered the blade, lifting up the dress to reveal her stockings, which were held up by garterbelts. “Burn it into your memories,” she boasted. “I’ll have you know that the modern day equivalent of seeing a girl’s ankles back then would be a girl showing off her-”
“Goodness gracious!” “That’s it, I’m abusing my power to make things move on a bit!” —
Sateen and Satsuko were sitting over at one of the tables, both of them minding their own business. Satsuko was petting one of the friendlier cats while Sateen was writing something down on a piece of paper; A poem of sorts.
“A beautiful girl… Her hair short but so pretty… And some nice glasses.” Sateen said to himself while writing. He took the paper, looking at it before crumpling it up and placing it next to the other balls of paper on the table. “No no no. That’s not good either. I need to come up with a better poem to express myself and my thoughts!”
“Maybe you should try a different kind of poem.” Satsuko said. “Like a limerick, a sonnet, or even an elegy.”
“An elegy? How do you know what an elegy is?”
“...I don’t know actually. What do you think, Ms. Fluffles?” He asked the cat on his lap.
“Ms. Fluffles? Why name her that when Dimitri of the Seventh Pit of Hell is a much better name?”
Their conversation got interrupted followed by the sound of the staff door slamming open.
“Hey you pervs, business is open and we are ready to take your orders!” whooped Mary as she kicked the door open, leg raised high.
The mannequin-like customers who were inside the cafe cheered upon witnessing the newcomer maids. Satsuko and Sateen watched them come out one by one. First it was Mary wearing her risque cat maid outfit, then Meiling with her Chinese-Dress inspired cat maid outfit, and finally Sumireko, wearing a fairly normal outfit, but Sateen particularly was delighted seeing her in a cat maid outfit regardless. “To think her beauty is so magnificent she can make even the simplest clothing seem elegant,” he whispered. “Oh, I should write that down.” He said, taking another paper and started writing yet another poem.
Satsunyan came out, telling each of the girls what to do. “Okay, listen up. I’ll be in charge of making all the delicious foods and beverages. You three are in charge of servicing the customers. You don’t need to do anything specific, but do your best in making their days a little more special!”
Raising a hand, Mary asked, “Is this a contest? Because I already know how to win.” She flashed a knowing smile at Sumireko and Meiling, both of them blushing as they realized what she meant.
“Hm, a contest wouldn’t hurt. I always love to see some fiery competition. And I have a certain item for the fortunate winner if that happens…you might want it.” Sumireko and Meiling looked at each other. “You and I, let’s do our best in showing that Tsukumogami.” Meiling said.
Sumireko nodded in agreement. “Let’s do this!” She said with her newfound confidence.
“Well glad to see you three are eager about this! Let the
challenge begin!” Satsunyan said.
The day went and began for the little cat cafe. Customers began to come in little by little, usually by themselves or in groups. Satsunyan took care of all the foods while the others handled taking the orders and providing the service.
Sumireko, though a little hesitant at first, walked up to one table to take their order. The two mannequin customers looked at her with their blank faces.
“Um… W-Welcome to Satsunyan’s Cat Cafe.” Sumireko said, shaking a little. “Would you like to try our Nyan Nyan Peach Drink?” She said, blushing hard.
“...”
The mannequin statues stared at her, and she became nervous, worried she did something wrong. She worried that she didn’t say it right, or they weren’t interested in someone like her. But that quickly changed when both of them started squealing with delight.
“Kawaii!!! A Neko Girl with Glasses!” One of them said in a strange voice.
“Kya!!! Her shy attitude is sugoi!” The other said.
Sumireko stared in confusion and slight embarrassment, but for the most part she was doing something right.
Over at another part of the store. Meiling was already bringing out one of the orders for one table. “Okay, I got two Cat’s Paw Cinnamon Rolls, three Whisker Cream Sundaes, a purrrrlicious choco cake, and a fresh hot blend of Black Cat Tea.”
The customers were impressed, seeing Meiling balancing everything she was carrying above her head with perfect balance. She easily took all the dishes and placed them on the table at quick speeds, then using the kettle containing the tea she poured it elegantly into the cups of the customers from a certain height.
“Uuuoooohhh! Strong arms and showing off her toned thighs!” cried a mannequin.
Meiling smiled to herself, a glimmer of praise filled her from all the attention she got. “Hehe, it’s not everyday I get to show off my skills like this.” She thought to herself. “Sometimes I wished I kept my position as a maid back before Sakuya moved in with us.”
Sumireko and Meiling kept it up with their jobs, using their own skills and knowledge to make the customers’ day. But even with their combined effort, the attention they drew was drawn away by the third maid in the store. A loud cheering of several customers over by one area, as though a crowd had been drawn by whoever was over there.
“Wait, are those all the other customers?” Sumireko said. “What are they all looking at?”
“I think I know who.” Meiling said.
Mary was the center of attention for the moment, surrounded by several customers. She wasn’t writing down orders, nor was she bringing in dishes. But she was showing off her body in a
very ecchi manner.
Glancing over at Mary, Sumireko choked on her spit. Despite having teamed up with Meiling for their little impromptu contest, the Tsukumogami was playing
much dirtier than either of them had expected. “What the…” she gasped, “I thought she’d let the customers get an occasional peek, not do…
that! Is she
trying to compete with hardcore anime fanservice?”
Over at their table, Sateen and Satsuko continued to mind their own business, with Sateen STILL rewriting his poem yet again and Satsuko playing with a different cat. “No, that won’t do.” muttered the chuunibyou. “What else can I-” He looked up and saw Mary, and his face erupted into a massive blush before he covered his eyes. “Oh my,” said Satsunyan as she walked over to the boys with a plate of cookies. “I see you noticed what Mary is doing. Be a good boy and stay calm, okay?” She set the cookies down and leaned in closer to Sateen. “If you’re having trouble, you can talk to Big Bro Satsunyan and I’ll help, okay?” she whispered into his ear, blowing into it playfully. “Thanks,” squeaked Sateen, quickly pulling away. And then he registered what was said. “Wait,
big bro?”
“Yep!” answered the catgirl(?). “Big Bro Satsunyan!”
“You… you’re a boy?” Sateen asked, a feeling of dread creeping up his spine.
“Yeppers!” Satsunyan chirped, nodding enthusiastically. “Got a ‘cat toy’ like any other guy. But unlike a cat’s, mine doesn’t have barbs!”
He made a cutesy catlike pose, winked, and stuck
his tongue out playfully, fully aware that
he may have ruined cats for many people.
Nearby, Sumireko nearly tripped. Looking over, she bewilderedly raised a finger and pointed. “B-b-but… B-bo-boo-boobs!” she exclaimed.
Reaching into his unbuttoned maid uniform, Satsunyan pulled out a bra and removed a few bra pads from them. “Oh, I use these!” Holding it out to the group, he asked, “Wanna take a look?” Meiling instinctively rushed over and covered Satsuko’s eyes, while Mary grabbed the offered items and started inspecting them while occasionally glancing back down at her own cleavage, ignoring how the customers wolf-whistled at the scene.
Sateen took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto his face. He got up and went outside, standing in front of the fountain next to the café. He reached into his cloak, pulling out an MP3 player. Turning it on and scrolling through the playlist, he selected a certain song and pressed the play button.
A few seconds later, the MP3 played the selected song.
“Yureta yuganda sekai ni dan dan boku wa-” Falling to his knees, Sateen looked up to the sky and let out a heart-rending cry.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Tears trickled down his face from his eyes, which were hidden by his hair.
Watching in concern, Meiling asked, “Should we go see if he’s okay?”
“He’ll be fine… probably.” “No. He just got reality checked, he can deal with it.” Clapping his hands, Satsunyan replied, “Nope, worry about him later. It’s rush hour!” He went back into the kitchen, making more meals in preparation. Calling out from the kitchen, he added, “If you need an extra speed boost, use the roller skates!”
Surprised, Sumireko exclaimed, “Roller skates? Food places where the workers used roller skates went out of style like sixty years ago!!” Nonetheless, she quickly put on the skates, awkwardly navigating the cafe to continue taking and delivering orders.
“An Apple-Cinnamon pie for table eight! A Strawberry Milkshake for table twelve! A Layer Cake for table six!” Satsunyan called out as the order forms arrived in the kitchen. The maids quickly took the pending orders and delivered them, while the recently made ones were sent to the kitchen. Sumireko panted in exertion as she tried to avoid crashing, Meiling elegantly twirled on her skates while pouring tea and serving meals, and Mary… continued to try to outdo hardcore anime fanservice.
As time passed, the girls became more accustomed to the work, and their work efficiency increased significantly. Sumireko smiled as she finished serving another table.
“Try using your psychic powers a little to speed things up. It should help.” “But wouldn’t that be cheating?” muttered Sumireko.
“And Mary flaunting her body isn’t?” “But she isn’t using her powers to do it,” reasoned the esper.
“Not like she has useful skills for this right task anyways. Don’t worry, nothing too bad should happen if you use them at your own discretion. Besides, isn’t Meiling using her useful skills to show off?” “But she isn’t using her powers either,” insisted Sumireko.
“If them using something you don’t have isn’t cheating, then you using something they don’t have isn’t cheating either.” “Agree, and like I said, you don’t need to do anything spectacular with them, just use them subtly.” “Oh, very well.” Sumireko said. With her powers, she was able to start bringing orders directly from the counter right when Satsunyan finished making them. The dishes floated across the store, inducing awe in the customers who didn’t know better.
“Look at that! The Cute Neko Glasses Maid is making the dishes fly right to us! She’s not just a normal neko girl, she’s a
magical neko girl!!!”
“Very well done. Now keep yourself focused, the rhythm is about to slow down from here.” A round of cheers erupted, nearly breaking Sumireko’s concentration. “What was that?” she wondered.
She looked back over, and lo and behold it was Mary. The only difference was she was no longer a cat maid… Just a cat. A Sphynx Cat one might describe her as due to the apparent lack of-
“Good thing I censored Mary just in time,” the second voice sighed.
“How did she break free from the script and become this unhinged? She was only supposed to act flirty with the customers, not try to bring fanservice to new levels!” “Because she can. Now…how are the other mind pieces doing in the backburner?” Sumireko tuned out the voices, focusing on passing the challenge. She briefly nodded to Meiling, who was starting to feel the exhaustion of working nonstop for several hours.
“Keep going, gatekeeper, the rush hour is almost over! I don’t think you would want to give out the prize after the challenge!” “...Then I’ll just have to push myself harder.” Meiling said. Taking a deep breath in, and closing her eyes, she steeled her nerves, a moment passed while she focused on her energy before she opened them right back up with a new flourishing sense of motivation.
“And as for you Mary, stop fooling around and focus on your work, damn it! Aren’t you a shiv crafted by one of Japan’s most famous blacksmiths?!?” “But I
am,” purred Mary as she pulled her dress back up. “I’m drawing in customers.”
“That’s not how it works, butter knife! Now focus on the things that really matter, this isn’t a strip club!!!” Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Mary grumbled, but returned to her duties.
After some more time, the customers cleared out. Clapping his hands, Satsunyan announced, “Alright, work’s over!” The three girls sighed in relief, collapsing into nearby seats. Looking through the list, the cat boy said, “Okay, listen up. I know you had a mini-contest to see who did the best, so I kept track of who contributed the most to the cafe.” The girls perked up, listening with rapt attention.
“In first place is Mary. She made the most money, bu-” Satsunyan was cut off as Mary cheered with joy. “
However,” he continued, “most of the money she made will have to be confiscated to clean and repair the uniform she has been provided. Getting those stains out won’t be easy, you know.” The Tsukumogami's celebration ended, and she fell to the floor in depression.
“So, the one who takes up the first spot is…Sumireko! Your shy attitude really made you popular, and doing that telekinesis trick to move orders gave a boost to that popularity.”
“The new second place is…Meiling! That was a really clean and smooth job, but showing off your strength, balance, and lovely legs wasn’t exactly the most popular among the customers. In fact, it was pretty niche. But still, good job!” “And because you’ve successfully completed my endurance challenge…Here’s your reward!!!” Satsunyan reached into the cleavage area of his maid uniform and pulled out a key.
The key glowed a little, jumping out of Satsunyan’s hand and flying right over to Satsuko instead, adding to the other key which the group already had. The two keys twirled around with each other before a ring formed, linking the two keys together side by side. And then it was followed by more
victory music.
“Congratulations! You acquired your second key! You’re now halfway done with your quest!” “Now, as I’ve promised…here it is a small reward for you, Sumireko.” *snap*
A little item appeared in front of Sumireko. A silver heart-shaped locket floated in front of her face, gently resting down in her hands. She held the locket, opening it up to see a picture that she didn’t expect to see: Her and her sister when they were both young.
“It is always good to remember the people that keep you determined to push forward. She would have been so happy you found a new person to share your memories with. After all, people can go away, but the memories and emotions don't. Keep them close to your heart when you feel hopeless. She will bring you back up on your feet.” Sumireko smiled faintly before putting on the locket. Taking a deep breath, she got up and groaned, “Well, I’m pooped. Doing all that work with both my mind and body really takes up a lot of energy.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m exhausted, but I could use some rest too,” said Meiling. “As a master of qi, I have far more stamina than most, but that was pretty hard work even for me.”
“Wusses,” taunted Mary. “I’m a tsukumogami, so I’m totally fine, since I have tons of energy stored up over the centuries.” Stretching, she added, “But that doesn’t mean I only rest when I need to.”
“Hm…Well, since you three had brought so much attention to my store, I’ll let you all stay for the night, free of charge!” Satsunyan said.
“Stay for the night? What are you saying?” Sumireko asked.
Satsunyan clapped his hands again. From the ceiling, a stair ladder dropped down. Everyone was confused. He guided everyone up into the floor above, being presented with a completely different sight compared to the cafe.
The walls were made of a fancy wooden pattern, the floor was a nice shade of green, and there was a feeling of standing inside of luxury that made it all the more appealing.
“Welcome to Lucky Cat Hotel!” Satsunyan said. “A little place where you can all rest up and get your energy back! We offer rooms you can sleep in, services ranging from food to massages, and don’t forget our luxurious jacuzzi!” He said.
“Woah… This is amazing!!!” Meiling said.
Whistling, Mary exclaimed, “Damn! If we get Satsu back and Satsuland is still here, we should see if we can still come to this place.”
“Don’t count on it. The most probable scenario is that all of this mindscape will become one in specific. But that doesn’t mean the others won’t have their little corner on it.” “But wait…We can’t rest now. What about Satsujin, or the others?” Sumireko asked.
“Ah, don’t worry. One hour in here is only a few minutes out there, you’ll be okay.” “We COULD make it slower, but it won’t do any good for your mental age and physical age to be too different.” “Oh…”
With that in mind, the group decided that rest was now an option. Satsunyan showed everyone to their respective rooms. Sumireko and Meiling took one room, Mary and Satsuko took another, and Sateen was forced to share a room with Satsunyan.
And eventually, their small rest turned into a night’s worth of sleep.
— Satsujin gasped as he woke up. Scrambling to his feet, he looked around urgently, realizing that he could see. “So I’m still in my mind, huh?” he muttered. Getting up, he looked around the room, looking for clues to where he was. Walking up to the window, he glanced outside, only to see what looked like some sort of large village. He checked if the window was the type that could be opened, but frowned when he realized it wasn’t. “Guess I’ll check the door then.”
Walking over, he came to a half when he saw not one, but
two doors in front of him. One was in near-perfect condition, while the other was battered, as though someone had tried and failed to break through it. Going up to the doors, he tried to open them, only for the doorknobs to not move. Banging on them, he shouted, “Hello? Is anyone there?” There was no response. Satsujin was about to try again when he heard it.
Raspy breathing could be heard from the doors. Between them, the bricks dissipated, revealing a set of eyes. One eye was gold, while the other was silver. A deep voice growled,
“Origin… stay here… me… keep you… safe…” The bricks returned, hiding the eyes once more.
Satsujin shook his head. “I can’t stay here,” he muttered to himself. “I have to go back.”
“Pick one. Time is running up.” “Huh? Who’s that? Show yourself!”
“Leave the questions for later. Right now you have to find a way out of this place and reunite with your friends.” An audible clicking was heard, and the doorknobs twitched slightly. Satsujin realized that the doors were unlocked. While he somehow knew that the mysterious figure wanting him to stay was telling the truth, he also knew that he couldn’t stay no matter what. He needed to leave and get back to the others.
\Pick. One.\**
View Poll The number of deaths due to exposure is considered an at all time low, there was a story today in the NYTimes about a family on a sailboat that got rammed by a whale, all saved by a combination of iphone and satphone.
Think of all the genres of film, that if you were writing them now (where the setting is "now") would be tough, couldn't be remade easily. Flicks like Jaws, Friday the 13th, Marathon Man, Predator, even like The Firm etc, all would be difficult to pull off, completely different in the land where the cell phone is ubiquitous.
I mean any movie where there is a need for emergency services, or the action revolves around travel to get to another person needs to account for why not just call, SMS, look-up, cry havoc, whatever.
Motherless Brooklyn takes place in the 50's - the book isn't a period piece. Is this one of the reasons why?
Do we need a whole new set of cinema signifiers to account for this?
Hello everyone! I been a steam user for roller coaster tycoon 1&2 now mostly rct3 complete edition for five months!
All of a sudden I been having a username password issue as when the steam window pops up or I click on it my username and password isn't remembered anymore with remember me box checked marked!
And I tried some solutions I read uninstall steam reinstall steam and go to setting make sure don't save credintals isn't marked and click save okay and nothing happened still having to type my username password and receive a email code to log in to play rct3 unfortunately!
Is anybody having this issue and what can I do to solve it or not?
Anything helps god bless!
I'd like to sort tracks by album instead of recently added. I've checked Plexamp and the web page. Am I blind?
NJ landlord told me during walkthrough he would call me the following week so I can pick up my security deposit.
The following week I find out he called the other tenant and she picked up her full security deposit in person. I text him, he never responds.
2 days before the 30 days end, I ask him for an update and he says he sent it to the previous address and if I didn’t set up a forwarding address that’s “my problem”
He sent the check to the previous address 23 days in but I didn’t receive it for almost 2 months.
When I received it, he took out $1400 for non descriptive charges ($40 to move his AC units from the windows upstairs to the basement, $400 for grass mowing with no receipt)
My question is, is he technically late with my check? He never responded to me and intentionally sent it to the previous address so I would get it late.
I’m fighting him on the false charges but I would like to know if i should fight him on the late return of the SD. He didn’t provide proof or receipts for his charges either
I checked resy at 12am est. There were bookings for 2 and up but nothing available for 1. I called both their numbers on their website several times and no one answers.