City buffet breaux bridge

Black Panther
Volume 3: Beyond the Horizon
Issue #36: To the Moon, featuring the Amazing Spider-Man
Written by u/PresidentWerewolf
Edited by u/FrostFireFive & u/DarkLordJurasus
Previous Issue
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“You don’t have much time.” Shuri paced the width of the downed Wakandan transport and back again, stopping for a moment to stare out the jagged hole in its flank. Behind her, the hazy bulb of light on the horizon, perhaps Chicago, perhaps a smaller, closer city, drove the twinkling stars away.
“I have to bring you home. That is my duty, but then you show me this,” she said, gesturing to the Vibranium Atlas displayed on the cracked screen. As they looked at it, it began to flicker.
“We need to download that,” Ross said. “Main power is failing.”
T’Challa was already on it. As he tapped buttons in sequence, the Atlas faded and was replaced by a progress bar that swiftly filled from left to right.
“See? And we didn’t even have to ‘sweat it out’ at ninety-nine percent like in your American action movies.”
As he said that, the lights went dead around them, and the computer blinked off.
“American action movies are what prepared me for all of this,” Ross laughed. “I’ve been on the road with Chuck Norris of Wakanda for the last year.”
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“I am still somewhat weakened, but I am regaining strength quickly,” T’Challa said. “Okoye may not be so lucky, as she is not empowered by the herb.”
Okoye huffed an obscenely annoyed breath. “Losing half my blood brought me down to your level!”
T’Challa laughed. It was a good sound that put the rest of the crew at ease. It put him at ease as well. Even Shuri cracked a half-smile, though it didn’t last long.
“The Council knows that we have tracked you. They may believe that it took some time to catch you, but they won’t believe that you got away for good. They will be expecting us home within twenty-four hours.”
“And yet, we will not be going home, and they will believe that we got away for good,” T’Challa said.
Shuri’s eyebrows went up with interest. “So you have a plan.”
“I had a plan. Once the Atlas was complete, I was going to return to Wakanda and convince the Council to track down any significant stores of Vibranium that existed outside our borders. Now, however…”
“You are preoccupied with the line that extends…” Shuri thought about her words carefully. “Off the map.”
“Hence the new plan,” T’Challa said. “We are going to find it.”
Shuri blinked, taken aback. “Find it?”
T’Challa nodded, his eyes gleaming. “We are going to find it.”
“What…what about,” Shuri was now searching for words. “What about Nakia?”
She hit upon the hardest one first. T’Challa flinched, but replied, “I have done nothing but fail that woman. I can’t imagine she even wants to see me.”
“That’s not true,” Shuri said.
“She shouldn’t want to. It is better to give her space for now.”
“Mm,” Shuri said. She gave a hard glance at Okoye, who kept a calm, defiant face. “All right then. What if it goes to the Moon? The Council won’t give you a shuttle.”
T’Challa shook his head. “It is not on the Moon, or even near it. It reaches far, far past our orbit, our moon, even our solar system. Not even Wakanda has a shuttle that can take me that far.”
“Well then, how are you going to go out there?” Shuri asked.
“Uh, she has a point,” Ross said, while Okoye nodded.
“A friend of mine has such a ship,” T’Challa said simply.
“Who?” Ross asked. “You don’t mean Reed Richards?”
“I do.”
“You think he’s just going to give us his spaceship?”
“Of course not,” T’Challa said. “We are going to steal it.”
Nobody seemed to like that idea very much.
“Are you insane?” Okoye said, berating him. “You know what that man is capable of.”
“I don’t actually know what Richards is capable of,” Ross said, “but that scares me even more.”
Shuri shook her head firmly. “You’ll never get it out of there. Doesn’t he have all of his…technology in orbit anyway?”
“Not all of it,” T’Challa said. “The Badoon ship he used to travel the cosmos…not only has Reed restored it to working order, it is in the hangar at the Baxter Building.”
Ross whistled through his teeth. “Look, T’Challa. I said I’d go through anything with you, right?”
T’Challa nodded. “You have acted with great loyalty and bravery, Agent Ross.”
Ross took a deep breath. “You should know, this isn’t any different. If you say we’re storming the Baxter Building, then that’s what we’re doing.”
Okoye nodded. “We are pledged to even your most suicidal of half-baked schemes.”
Ross almost patted her on the shoulder, and then he thought better of it. He looked at T’Challa. “Just tell us you have a really good plan.”
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The next morning: New York City
Sun streamed across the vast floor of the Baxter Building’s hangar, a hundred and twenty stories above the streets. The wind whipped up here, the air cold with a bite, but Susan Storm didn’t feel it. Protected by a partial bubble of invisible force, she lounged on a patio chair in shorts and a buttoned shirt, her hair flowing freely and brushing the ground as she leaned back. A half-finished mimosa sat on the ground, just within reach. A biotech journal lay open on her stomach.
“Hey, Sis?” Johnny Storm, her younger brother, called out from the exit to the main building. His voice echoed within the hangar, but it was almost lost to the wind before it reached Sue.
“Hm?” she sat up, shielding her eyes from the sun.
Johnny walked halfway out to her. “Sorry to bother you. Uh, just looking for…”
Sue sighed. “What? Do the kids need something?”
“No, HERBIE has the kids.”
“Well then what is it?”
“Kinda lost a…”
“What, Johnny?”
Johnny laughed weakly and scratched his head. “A brunette.”
Sue sat up. “Another one?”
“Well, they get up in the morning, and they want to leave,” Johnny said defensively, “or they don’t, but HERBIE scares them, and Reed didn’t put exit directions up like he’s supposed to. It’s a fire hazard, Sue. That’s what it is.”
Sue put her magazine down on the ground and stood up. “Okay, where did you last see her?”
Johnny started to turn red.
“Are you twelve? You know, this wouldn’t happen if you would just walk them out.”
“Well! Well…” Johnny’s mouth worked as he searched for words. “I just…um…wait. What’s that?”
Sue turned around, sighing again in annoyance, but she stopped when she saw it, too. There was an extra shadow on the hangar floor, shaped like another aircraft…There was something hovering above the hangar!
“Johnny, hit the alarm.” As she said it, several figures dropped from above on the hangar floor. They landed easily, four of them, silently, their dark profiles making them seem like mere shadows themselves.
One of them stepped forward, halfway out of the light so that his features could be seen.
“T’Challa?” Johnny said.
T’Challa pointed. “Steal it! Steal the ship! Steal it before they catch us!” The rest of his group ran for one of the vehicles in the hangar.
“What the actual hell!” Johnny yelled. He immediately burst into flame, and blasted off after them. The sudden burst of hot air blew hard against Sue, making her hair fly up and causing her to stumble back.
“Gah! Johnny,” she coughed. When she looked up, T’Challa’s team had already flown out over the city, and Johnny had gone after them. But it didn’t make sense. “Why would T’Challa steal the Fantasticar?”
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The Fantasticar, though seemingly not much more than a platform with seats on it, was as agile as any aircraft. In many ways, it was superior. Inertial dampeners made sharp corners easy and smoothed the bumps out during hard acceleration. As the Fantasticar looped and slid between the skyscrapers of New York, evading the Human Torch, it acted more like a dragonfly than the clunky box it appeared to be.
Shuri looked back at the furious orange flame dogging them. “I am going to give you credit and assume this was part of your plan.”
The Human Torch flung a huge fireball at them, but T’Challa swerved to dodge it easily. It went straight up into the air and exploded in a ball of smoke and light.
Okoye looked like she was having less fun than anyone. Indeed, anyone who really knew her could tell that the rough ride, combined with her recent injuries, was making her sick as a dog. T’Challa shot her a concerned look, but she waved him away.
“I’m sure space travel will be much easier,” she said, wheezing a laugh.
“Speaking of,” Shuri said. “How do you make this thing go into space? It does not look like a spaceship.”
T’Challa opened his mouth to speak, but just then there was a bump that shook the entire Fantasticar. They all looked around to find the source. No one had joined them. Johnny was still cursing them out from behind.
There was suddenly drag in the controls. They were losing speed. T’Challa banked and the ship was sluggish. “Shuri, take the controls,” T’Challa said, as he magnetized his boots and gloves.
Before she even grabbed the stick, T’Challa had already secured his helmet, swung over the side, and latched on to the bottom of the Fantasticar. He hung there with both feet and one hand, the wind and inverted view threatening vertigo, but he shook it off. There were giant spiderwebs all over the bottom of the Fantasticar. He wasn’t alone down there.
“Uh, how are you doing that?” asked Spider-Man. He was standing on the bottom of the vehicle as well, but on the balls of his feet, almost casually, as if they were meeting on the sidewalk. Well, he had tempted fate, and fate had taken the bait. Planning a heist over the New York skyline in the middle of the morning had attracted exactly who he feared it would.
T’Challa growled and freed his other hand.
Spider-Man crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly. “Listen pal, if we can just be honest for a second. I know a heist when I see one.” The Fantasticar swerved hard, and a jet of flame blew through the air beneath them. T’Challa could feel the heat through his suit.
Spider-Man didn’t seem bothered at all. “Hoo boy,” he said, clapping his hands together. “How long before one of those ends up taking out some innocent falafel stand? You know, I know the Human Torch. Well, I mean, I don’t actually know him, but I see him on TV all the time, you know–actually, half the girls in the city know him better than I do. Okay, that kind of sounds like I’m slut-shaming. Him! Not the girls.” Spider-Man put out a hand defensively, explaining himself. “I’m slut-shaming Johnny. I mean, I’m just saying that I thought this was a paparazzi thing, and then I realized that Johnny was the one chasing you, and I thought, geez I hope the girl he’s with is okay. Is she up top? Is she the the muscly-looking…” he did a little body-building pose, “that one?”
“What are you doing down here?” There was a sudden burst of light and heat as the Human Torch joined them. The Fantasticar started to swerve again as Shuri tried to tell where he was.
Spider-Man pointed at Johnny. “Hey! You!” He cleared his throat. “You’re the fantastic guy with…the Torch!”
“The Human TorchI Are you with this guy?”
Spider-Man shook his head. “No way! I think he stole this…uh…flying car.”
“Yeah, he stole the Fantasticar!” Johnny replied.
“Fantasticar! That’s such a cool name.”
“Nah, it’s lame. But he can’t steal it.” The two of them shared a glance.
“Superhero team up?” Spider-Man said.
Johnny nodded with a huge grin. “Superhero team up! Let’s get him–hey, where’d he go?”
As both of the young heroes looked around wildly, T’Challa cut off the rest of the webbing and returned to the top of the Fantasticar. He grabbed the controls from Shuri.
“Hang on!” he yelled, and he yanked the stick. The Fantasticar hit a hard bank that turned into a tight spiral. It was a move that would have been deadly for any conventional aircraft, but Reed Richards’s design was a generation ahead of anything conventional. He spied the Torch spinning away behind them as they dove for the ground, and at the last second, he pulled them back up, shooting for the sky. Four seconds later, they cleared the tops of the skyscrapers and blasted into the open air. T’Challa breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way the Spider was still clinging to the bottom.
“This thing is incredible,” Spider-Man said from behind him. “Well…fantastic? I guess that’s the pun. What kind of EM field is keeping you guys in your seats?”
T’Challa turned without warning and struck with blinding speed, swiping with hard strength for a gouge across Spider-Man’s chest. The hero moved an instant before T’Challa struck, and the swipe missed by a hair’s width.
Spider-Man responded with a quick jab of his own, and T’Challa was almost off balance enough to take it on the chin. He just managed to dodge to the side, and he pivoted away, taking a defensive stance.
Spider-Man took a quick look at his fist. “That usually works. You’re not just some thug, are you?” Shuri and Okoye both stood at that. “Hey! Hey, just kidding,” he said, waving his hands in front of him. “I know you’re King T’Challa.” He leaned in a little. “By the way, do you have diplomatic immunity?”
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Back in the hangar, Agent Ross watched as Susan Storm stood at the end of the launch platform and looked out over the city. He waited until she finally went back into the main building, and then he emerged from his hiding place and located the Badoon space cruiser. He moved quickly, running to one side to find the controls to unlock the moorings for the ship, disconnect the power, hydraulic, and fuel lines, and figure out how to taxi it to the launch platform.
Most of that was done by small helper bots, and Ross was able to move quickly through all of the computer systems because of T’Challa’s information. A year ago, the Black Panther had performed something of a stress test on Reed Richards’s security. He had broken through and given Reed instructions on how to improve, but not before downloading the bulk of the orbital lab’s files and installing his own backdoor into the system.
T’Challa had shrugged when telling them about it, like that kind of thing was no big deal. “If he really listened to what I told him, he would have found it.”
“Hard to lecture him about it now,” Ross muttered to himself. He tapped at his datapad, and was still a little shocked when it managed to connect with the cruiser’s system. Another tap, and the hatch opened.
“This guy thinks of everything,” Ross said, and he moved to climb into the cruiser.
“Hello, Agent Ross,” said a female voice, directly into his ear.
“Jesus!” Ross yelped as he jumped. He knew exactly who it was. It was her, the Invisible Woman. She was right next to him.
“Language, please. I grew up going to Sunday school, you know.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry.” That sounded bad. Might as well have called her mommy. Ross waited for the bump on the head, to wake up in a jail cell.
Sorry, T’Challa, he thought.
“Normally, I would turn an intruder over to the police. If Ben or Johnny didn’t get to them first, that is,” she said with a soft chuckle. She was speaking right into his ear, her breath giving him chills down his neck.
“Okay,” Ross said. “That sounds fair.” He let his free hand drift down near the data pad. Two taps would activate the floodlights. It might give him enough time to take off, or distract her. He could knock her out if he caught her off guard–
HIs entire body froze. He was suddenly wrapped in a forcefield the exact shape of his body.
“Let’s not get jumpy,” Sue said. “Normally, I would hand you over to the police, but you are right, Agent Ross. T’Challa really does think of everything. Take the ship and go.”
The force field vanished. “Really?” Ross said.
Sue kissed Ross on the cheek, just a peck. The chill intensified down his spine. “Just fill up the tank before you bring it back,” she said, and then she was gone.
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The intelligence was true. T’Challa had scarcely believed it at first, but this Spider-Man really did have an extra sense. He dodged most of T’Challa’s blows easily, moving only after an attack was committed but with plenty of time to spare. What blows did land felt like he had punched a statue. He was superhumanly fast, and while T’Challa had managed to avoid his blows in return, his strength was clearly far, far beyond that of a normal human. Or a Black Panther, for that matter.
The only advantage T’Challa had was that he was fighting a novice. Spider-Man was clearly a young man, and his fighting experience was shallow. At the same age, T’Challa had nearly conquered the Feast of the Heart. This would essentially be a stalemate until one of them landed a solid blow.
The Human Torch still followed them. Shuri did her best with a small shield to deflect the flame he shot at them while Okoye tried to outfly him, but neither of them were going to succeed forever. The Torch just never ran out of flame, or clever insults, to hurl at them. T’Challa almost chuckled when he called them a “Saturday-Night-Live-mid-February-musical-guest-looking-bunch-of-scrubs.” Very creative for several minutes into a tirade like that.
On the top of the Fantasticar, the inertial dampeners kept them all from flying off, so T’Challa was able to fight with his full agility. He pressed as hard as he could, coming at Spider-Man with jabs and claw-tipped strikes. He did not want to seriously injure the young hero, but he knew he couldn't play defense. Spider-Man, in turn, acted like he was having a laugh.
“It’s a good thing Johnny and I are doing a team up,” he said, and then he called over his shoulder. “Can I call you Johnny?”
“No!”
Spider-Man shrugged. “I mean, without Johnny it would be three on one. Three on two is a lot better. You’re a great fighter. I’ve never fought anyone like you, really. Even though the ol’ Spidey sense is keeping me safe–” he spun to avoid a nasty kick from T’Challa and hopped back, “I have to watch out for you.”
A real fighter would have grabbed that kick and punished him for missing. T’Challa snarled and pushed forward, using a complicated series of blows designed to confuse, well, a person without a Spidey sense, but it worked well enough.
“Hey!” Spider-Man laughed, “can’t even get my webs off. If I get flung off and have to swing back up here, so help me.”
“Does he ever shut up?” Okoye asked over her shoulder.
“Hey! I’m starting to think that you’re not actually Johnny’s girlfriend.”
Okoye rounded to charge at him. “I’m no–”
Webbing hit her in the mouth and stuck her hand to the control panel. “There we go! I got a shot off after all.”
Okoye’s eyes were murderous as she fought against the webbing. Well, it was probably for the best that she was tied up, now.
Manhattan wasn’t exactly an enormous landmass, and the Fantsticar was capable of some impressive speed. Neither Spider-Man nor the Torch seemed to have noticed that they had essentially circled the city three times since the chase began. T’Challa had been waiting, trying to hold on until Agent Ross arrived.
He saw the Badoon ship in the distance, so sleek and oddly angular, as it descended towards them. Fifteen, twenty seconds, and they would be close enough.
Spider-Man noticed the shadow first, and then the Torch. They both backed off their attacks and looked up at the approaching ship.
“Hey wait, you stole that too?” Johnny exclaimed.
“What did they steal?”
“A spaceship! They stole our spaceship!” Spider-Man turned to T’Challa. “I thought you just stole their car.”
“I’m giving back the car,” T’Challa replied. “Sorry for this.”
“Sorry for wh–” Spider-Man began, before T’Challa hit him with the Umsiki wexesha.
T’Challa had been holding it back, knowing that if it worked, it would probably work only once. The two-step attack, the second hidden within a superhuman reaction time of the first, landed. Spider-Man stepped back from the fist, but the darting elbow caught him hard in the shoulder, knocking him aside. To T’Challa, it felt like he smashed his elbow into a brick wall.
He moved with Spider-Man’s momentum, pushing past him, and he grabbed his wrist. He aimed the web shooter and pressed the exact spot where he had seen the teen press to activate it a moment before. A stream of webbing shot out and wrapped out the Human Torch’s middle. His flame went out suddenly, and he started to fall.
“Hey!” Spider-Man exclaimed, and he yanked his hand back, lashing out with the other. T’Challa caught it on his own shoulder, and he was knocked back across the platform of the Fantasticar. Spider-Man advanced quickly, moving to end it, but then he realized what had happened. He glanced over the side of the ship.
“A king playing dirty,” he said. “Well now I’ve seen it all,” and he leaped over the side to save Johnny.
T’Challa struggled to his feet, and he cut Okoye free. Ross was close enough now. Shuri joined him, and T’Challa saw how sweaty she was from the heat of the flames. Soot smudged her skin and clothes.
He brought the Fantasticar down to a low speed and then waited for Okoye and Shuri to hop over onto the cruiser. They were still so high over the city, and both of them were exhausted, but neither showed a hint of fear or hesitation. T’Challa set the controls for the Fantasticar to return home, and then he boarded the spaceship as well. Ross took them up as soon as the hatch was closed. The city, the island, and the continent all receded, until they were well above the clouds, high enough that they could see the neon-blue curve of the Earth.
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“Okay, so as far as team ups go, that wasn’t the best,” Spider-Man said. He lowered Johnny gently to the ground and started to tear the webbing off of him.
“Stand back,” Johnny said. With a burst of flame, he incinerated all of the webbing covering his body. “And no, it didn’t go well. Next time, let me fight the Black Panther and you can fight the girls.”
“I mean…” Spidey said, shrugging, and then his shoulders drooped. “I can’t believe he actually got me. What was that he hit me with?”
“Dunno,” Johnny said, brushing off web-ash from his clothes. “That guy has like a million tricks. He almost beat up my Skrull girlfrie–I mean, my friend, who is a Skrull, and who is a girl. Sometimes.”
“What’s a Skrull?”
From far down the street, police sirens began to blare. The two young men perked up.
“Sounds like a bank robbery,” Johnny said.
Spider-Man extended a fist. “Uh…team up, take two?”
Johnny bumped the fist quickly. “Race you there. Flame on!”
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They landed the cruiser near Shuri’s transport. All of the Wakandan soldiers came out to admire the alien ship. The hatch opened, and Shuri stood looking down on them.
“It is hard…to be the Black Panther,” she said to T’Challa. “It is harder being your sister.”
T’Challa squeezed her arm, and then he pulled her in for a hug. “I know. I am a difficult sibling.”
“And son,” she said into his shoulder.
“And king,” he chuckled. He stepped back and handed her a data pad. “The Atlas is loaded onto this. You know something has to be done here on Earth.”
Shuri shook her head. “I don’t even know where to begin. Start small, I guess.”
“You will manage,” T’Challa said. “The three of us will manage as well.”
“I don’t understand,” Shuri said. “I get that this is some kind of adventure, but there has to be more to it. No mere impulse would send you to the stars. You don’t know what’s out there.”
T’Challa hesitated. “There…is more. I won’t say now. I will say that there is a mystery surrounding Vibranium, one that I believe we should have tried to solve generations ago. A monster like Klaw, the attention of Bast, the spirits of the seven Kings…it is more than just a meteor, more than just Wakanda’s luck.”
“I…I trust you, T’Challa, but there is still a Wakanda to protect, a Wakanda to rule.”
“You don’t need me for that,” he said.
“Then, I guess there is nothing more to say,” Shuri said.
T’Challa smiled down at his sister. “There is a lifetime of things left to say. Gather your adventures, and I will gather mine, and we will trade over the fire when I return.”
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The bridge of the Badoon ship was meant for a crew of about ten, but Reed Richards had rigged it so that three or four could easily handle all of its functions. Ross sat in the captain’s chair as he guided the ship up into orbit. T’Challa sat at a control panel and monitored the engines, atmosphere, and various energy levels. Okoye was monitoring communications.
“Susan Storm showed up,” Ross blurted out. The blue sky in the viewscreen faded to black.
“Really.”
“She did, and instead of stopping me, she just let me take the ship. I thought I was a goner.”
T’Challa laughed. “And you want to know why you are not a goner.”
“I do!”
“It is a simple matter,” T’Challa said. “I am a rogue head of state…or a head of a rogue state, depending who you ask. If I asked for their spaceship, the Fantastic Four might just give it to me, because they are my friends, but the U. S. Government would…”
“Pitch a fit?” Okoye said. “That is how the Americans say it?”
Ross nodded and pointed at her.
“Yes, pitch…a fit. Something like that. So, I have to be seen stealing it.”
“You arranged that ahead of time? How?”
T’Challa shook his head. “I arranged nothing ahead of time.”
“Wait, you didn’t know if Sue was going to flatten me when I tried to take the ship?”
“No, you did not know if she was going to flatten you,” Okoye said.
“I knew she would let you go,” T’Challa added.
“But how?”
“I already told you how. I told you the first time I spoke of this plan. They are my friends.”
“Huh,” Ross said simply. He started setting nav coordinates.
“Being my friend is a very serious matter,” T’Challa said, with a play of a grin on his lips.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Okoye looked back and forth between the two of them. “It is lunch time.”
Ross punched in a destination. “Lunch on the moon?”
T’Challa nodded. Inside, he was excited, bursting with anticipation, craving the adventure to come. Outside, he was as calm as he had been since…had there ever been a time he felt like this?
“Lunch on the moon.”
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End of Volume 3: Beyond the Horizon

Around December I graduated with my BA in Urban Studies, though I also have experience in television through the college's TV club. After the matter, I moved back in with my parents while I searched for my first job. Three months later, I've received a few dozen rejections, hundreds of no-replies, and one interview with the MTA, New York City's transit. During the interview, the recruiters loved what they heard from me, but I've been in limbo about whether or not I got the position. As for the rejections, a common theme in the replies is "we decided to go with someone more experienced". Problem is, those are entry level positions, so how was anyone supposed to get formal work experience beforehand?
Today, I did see that the stop n shop near my parents' house was hiring, which though it may be a good way to get income for now, leads into my next issue; I want to be able to move out as soon as I can. Even though I live in the New York City area, I was given the misfortune of living in Long Island. Now Long Island is a very isolated part of the state. The only ways out are bridges to Staten Island, Midtown Manhattan, and the Bronx, as well as two ferries to Connecticut (better accessed from the north shore, which I'm not in.) As a result, I feel trapped in a location that is best discussed in a place like fuckcars. My parents can't even move out with me because they have to take care of my uncle and his two kids out here. As a result, when I apply to firms in NYC, Connecticut, wherever, even when I say very clearly I'm willing to relocate, I have a feeling I'm being rejected because I don't currently live there. I actually got one rejection from a firm in north Jersey because of where I live. And that's not even the worst part, because even if I do land my dream job in my dream location, the current housing market means I'll have a hard time finding a decent place to live. I just feel like I'm running out of solutions here. I posted my resume for feedback in resumes so hopefully I get the boost I need, but other than that, I'm just stuck riding the wave.

1: Crow didn't show up. They didn't break the tradition of the protagonist beating a 3000 atk monster in episodes 1 or 2, but didn't keep the tradition of him showing up in every odd number season post DM.
2: Noh Gil bo didn't return. Instead of working on the comedic YuGiOh, he went to animate episodes for the comedic Precure seasons. Granted, his animations in those shows are good, but if he could work on the comedic Precure, let him work for the comedy YuGiOh.
3: Rush Duels were made because Konami completely screwed up with the power creeping in YuGiOh. Sevens is Konami's fault.
4: There were no official subs. The subbing team did a good job, but good luck getting people who want the original version without 4KMedia's isms.
5: Yuga is the worst duel protagonist. His win record is 21 wins and 9 losses, not counting the 108 duels he won alongside Nail and Roa. Worse, his win record is 70%. That can get you through middle school, high school, college, but not being a good YuGiOh protagonist.
6: The video game didn't get updated for the states well.
7: It's too comedic and lighthearted like GX. And if you hated the tone shift of season 3, you'll hate it less.
8: They could've used the 20th anniversary to make a crossover between the other six series. They could've fixed the ending to Arc-V, give Yusaku more personality, give Tori something to do, erase Crow from existence, make Bastion prominent, and treat main Bakura like an actual character.
9: Ghost Girl and Ranze have the same voice actress and sadly, her VA's combined character roles have only ONE win and One DRAW to their name.
10: Gakuto should've had one win in the first 13 episodes. I get he's supposed to be the Tristan of the group, but it took 24 episodes until it felt like the writers actually cared about his dueling process.
11: It's called SEVENS when there's six letters in it's name. Take away the RANS in VRAINS and you have the roman numerals, 6. That makes more sense.
12: The women actually win duels in the second half and final season of the show. That's not the YuGiOh I grew up with and that's weird.
13: The Rush Duel game is still currently exclusive to Japan and Korea. How the hell are people over here going to enjoy the series when the card game isn't in the important country that matters! No wonder SEVENS and Rush Duels are a massive failure.....in America
14: Yuga losing so much makes no sense. How do you create the game, but still lose?! That's like if Pegasus lost a game in Duel Monsters, or if the developers of King of Fighters lost to Mexican fans and developers at their own game and had to create a busty wrestler inspired by the Rock. I feel like making a Pac Man analogy for some reason.
15: They brought back characters dueling on motorcycle-like vehicles again! We did it in Arc V, you gave Shark that weird cycle in Zexal, but you didn't do it in VRAINS where characters could customize avatars and boards, but they didn't duel on bikes there, but in SEVENS? F this show.
16: It is a little jarring to go from a series with little to no magic to then having Monster Reborn being a rare card that can steal people's memories.
17: I don't have a problem with the pigeon dueling, we had a pigeon in VRAINS, that's fine. But what packaging company sends a kid under the age of 11 to do a delivery while there's a snowstorm?
18: Ending 2 literally spoils the plot of the Rush Duel Robot breaking thanks to the restraints before the whole "beat us 6 to 6 or it gets destroyed arc." Sheesh, they didn't spoil the second half of VRAINS or their own season but now this?
19: Luke being an annoying piece of crap half the time is worth it when Tiger calls him out, especially if you hate how perfect his win record is, but considering she's part of the reason he is the way he is, it's kinda hard to not put the blame on her.
20: Asana's final duel should've been more impactful. Maybe if she fought one the Goha Siblings.
21: Same with Nail. Everyone was getting their own ceremonial duels. It makes sense it's his only friend, but at the same time, someone like the Goha Drone would work or President but the show needed someone at Goha evil enough for it to hit stronger. Nail needed another duel after 65. He barely got to use any new aces after season 1.
22: Luke getting convinced to betray his own friends for the Goha Siblings just by being baited and talked to somehow manages to work being in character but also extremely stupid at the same time!
23: It ripped off Buddyfight because both have a protagonist named Yuga. Just because one was animated by OLM and Xebec and the other by Bridge doesn't excuse the blatant plagiarism.
24: What is with Japan's minor obsession with having a female character under the age of 18 being really bad at cooking? Like I'm not saying I chuckled at an 11 year old pouring gunpower in a pot and two ninjas and their lord having to point out how bad it is, but it's such a weird gag.
25: No adult has won a duel the whole show. Way to attack your diehard fanbase! Kids shouldn't be allowed to get into YuGiOh anyway, they literally showed that with Yuga Goha becoming an obsessed psycho who wanted to make people more upset than when Mystic Mine wasn't banned.
26: There needed to be more details on Otes. Him being the final villain and wanting to destroy the dueling system because Konami...um...Goha made it so restrictive so he could rebuild it, fine. But was he related to the first Goha President who built the system, how does he have so many ties and ways to get around the city beyond his ties to Goha, did he know Asana's situation and Goha blackmailing her, just answers to those.
27: Some of the duels are so freaking stupid. Like in what normal YuGiOh season where two people would duel over what show to watch? That's about as stupid as a restaurant patron getting mad at the service, challenging the waiter to a duel, and losing from Tongue Twister!
28: I just can't get behind the unrealistic setting. I mean, really. A society run almost entirely by a single, all-encompassing megacorporation that controls the populous via proprietary technology, mass surveillance, and discriminatory AI? It's just not believable.
29: The show could've used 10 more episodes. Covid probably was the reason, but it still feels like there's stuff on the cutting room floor.
30: The tournament arc legitimately should've been better with more episodes. It didn't have to be 26 episodes like doubling it, but at least 6 or 7 more episodes could've allowed for more matchups before the finals.
31: Speaking of which, Romin vs Sushiko 2 could've been the new Yuzu vs Masumi. Shame. I dunno, after Arc-V, it honestly feels like the only people who get rematch duels are the protagonist, best friend or rival.
32: VRAINS ended early for this and there is absolutely no evidence to debunk this.
33: Every duel is only four turns, and whoever goes first loses. Has that changed throughout the series or any expectations, absolutely NOT!
34: This is just a children's card game show! If I wanted to watch a series about that, I'd watch videos of real people playing them in simulators! What happened to the dark, edgy and mature series and manga like card games on motorcycles, robot monkeys, a deck of cartoons, an ace monster card that's not allowed to hit female themed monsters all revolving around plots for revenge and taking over the world with a children's card game!
35: It's impossible to enjoy more than one YuGiOh series.
36: Luke can't tell the difference between Dragons and Wyrms...and neither can I!
37: These are some of the most unrealistic and ridiculous themely decks! Cleaning productions! Chairs! Concert demons! Excavations sites! Newspapers printers! Dian Keto but now they're Japanese gyarus?! What happened to less ridiculous decks and cards like gun dragons, the Ojamas, a living tongue monster, living Hamburger with fangs, tomatoes, corn, circus monsters, penguins, and cartoon monster!
That's it, happy April Fools, Long Live YuGiOh.

This could be done in both realism mode and regular mode and we can't recover any resources when destroying things anyway. (a recycling center and production line to recover materials from scrap would be a nice addition).
So how about adding a rule where destroying/selling stuff is limited?

• Roads, rails, and their bridges can be demolished.
• Pipes and their pumps can be removed along with underground pipes.
• Conveyors and conveyor engines can be destroyed.
• Power lines, switches, substations, and transformers can be destroyed.
• Watesewer pipes, pumps, switches, towers, and substations can be destroyed.

All of the above allowed for upgrades/alterations (ie, adding a switch to powerlines) and alterations (ie, road/rail intersections and bridges).
No destroying any other buildings. Once you build it, it's there forever unless a fire burns it to the ground.
No selling vehicles except at the customs house. Once you buy a vehicle, your stuck with it. No selling vehicles unless you manufacture and deliver them to the customs house. You'll have to build depots to store your old vehicles when replacing them, think of it as an old vehicle museum. The only exception to this is when a bottleneck happens in trains or vehicles.
This could do one of two things to your save. It could either provide extra challenge by forcing you to carefully plan out everything ahead of time or it could show an organic unplanned expansion of your cities and let you look back on earlier times, a look into the history of your glorious nation.
(P.S. I'm not active when it comes to seeing what's planned or what other players have done/suggested, so please forgive me if a play rule like this already exists or if the dev's are already planning on a game rule for this)

If your initial chat request and/or message does not interest me, or if they break any of the following stipulation, I shan't reply.
So be warned.
Also, please, only initiate contact with me if you are looking for a Dominant. If you initiate contact for any other reason then I will not respond.
In the past I've replied to every single chat/message in the past. In the more recent cases the sender clearly hadn't read my post, which has now forced me to clamp down. Quite frankly, it's a waste of my time.
After you've sent your chat request and/or message, you will have to wait for a reply (if you meet my criteria). As I will either be busy, sleeping or processing your chat/message.
Also, please include a photograph of yourself. As I've included a photograph on my post.

• If you're going to write, please do so with something substantial. Please, please put some thought and some feeling into it. If I receive a message which consists solely of "Hi", "Hey", etc, or a low energy message then I reserve the right to ghost and put a curse on you.
  
• I only want to receive messages from single women.
  
• I love kids and at a pinch I would get involved with a woman who had a child. I wouldn't, however, get involved with a woman who had a "Brady Bunch" situation.
  
• I love being single. There's a freedom there and it allows you to learn and grow without the shackles of co-dependancy. For me to allow someone to disrupt that, that someone would have to be amazing and someone who is a mirror image of myself. Accept no substitute.
  
• If you're a business owner or captain of industry or a woman in a high powered job, get in touch. The thought of Dominating a woman who is a boss, in charge of dozens of people gets me very hot - this isn't a requisite, though, it's just a hot fantasy. A fantasy that I would love to turn into a reality. Having this high powered, successful woman wearing my collar and her trusting me enough to in charge of her life, health, well-being, finances, etc. Hot.)
  
• Since I'm reaching. It would be cool to be the Dom of an actress. I wonder how many, if any, couples involving actors and and actresses participate in BDSM and how many of them are in D/s relationships.
  

Hell, it doesn't have to be a professional actress, occasional community theatre would suffice. :p
As I said, though, the previous two variables are not a prerequisite. I don't care what career a woman has. The only thing that's important to me is that we are emotionally and spiritually compatible, everything else can fall by the wayside.
What I'm looking for:
I want a woman who has character, who is classy and sophisticated. A woman who has dignity, strong opinions, strong unwavering morals and a personality. I don't want a doormat. Just because a woman is a submissive in no way means that she's weak-willed, inherently inferior and docile.
I've known submissive women from all walks of life, from at the pinnacle of the arts, to the top of the mental health profession even to someone involved in the space industry.
It's a long heralded deep misconception, not just within the vanilla community, but also in the BDSverse, that the Dominants wield the most power. They don't. If anything, submissives and slaves hold considerably more power, as without their consent, the Dominant is just a person holding a collar without a person attached.
So yes, if you're a submissive or a slave and you're reading this. Just remember that YOU initially hold the power.
I like strong character. Collaring a strong woman is more of an achievement than collaring someone who has the backbone integrity of a jellyfish or someone who is already broken.
I like the process
My kind of woman is Elizabeth Bennet and Wednesday Addams all rolled into one. Essentially, a woman who is strong and opinionated, who knows her own mind, and doesn't give a rat's tail for the judgements of others. But also a woman who is a natural submissive behind their hard shell of an exterior.
She is a lover of books and words.
She has grace and class and sophistication. Being the Dominant of a woman who is the personification of class and elegance is a really hot fantasy. Posh, even. Well-to-do and maybe a little spoilt.
I'm an old fashioned gentleman at heart, with manners and politeness. Cue my username. (If you don't get the play-on-words of my username then you've failed the first test)
I'm majorly into watersports, so if that kind of thing turns you on, we're going to get along!
I'll start with the "Darcy" part of my psyche:
I'm not like the vast majority of Dominants out there who will collar the first submissive who comes along. I have high standards and I'll only collar a submissive if those standards are met.
I find, in society, with kink and vanilla, people are too willing to drop their standards and take whatever on off. People have a "first come, first served" mentality.
That isn't me.
This is why 50% of marriages end in divorce and 75% of those married 50% are miserable and the parties are waiting for the sweet taste of death to release them from the hell that they've created, for fear of dying alone.
That isn't me, either. I would rather live and die by my own sword than be with someone for whom I want to kill. Life is too short to be in an unhappy relationship.
I'm not a social media person. Yes, I'm on here, but I'm only really here to post this. Other than Reddit, I have zero social media presence.
I'm also not an instant messaging person. I am witty and I love banter. IM seems to bring out my sarcastic and quippy side, which is a curse as it's detrimental with regards to actually getting to know someone.
My communication method of choice is emails. With emails you're able to convey mass amounts of information and details, without interruption, therefore, making the "getting to know you" process relatively quick.
If you want a Man who has manners, who is intelligent, monogamous, funny, classy, sophisticated and nurturing, feel free to initiate contact.
I'm deep, introspective, pensive and morose. I feel more at ease and happiest when I'm alone. I can barely tolerate people.
I would rather be by myself than be at a party or a gathering. If you want a people person and an extraverted and a social butterfly. Yeah... that isn't me, either.
Characteristics I'm seeking: sardonic, pensive, Intelligent, well read, classy, kinky, sophisticated, open minded, monogamous and with a certain Goth vibe. I have always had a thing for Goth types. Back in the day it was Morticia and Elvira, I suppose you can add Wednesday to the mix now that she's all growed up.
ABOUT ME: (Vanilla)
I'm a writer, and soon-to-be author (hopefully). One of my passions is cooking. I briefly trained as a Chef, which means that I'm a whizz in the kitchen! Wouldn't say that I'm a fully-fledged Chef, but I know enough to get by and not starve to death or get food poisoning... and die.
I'm a logophile. (No. It doesn't mean that I like logos. It means that I have an intense and inherit love of words. They even have the ability to get me horny) If you contact me, you have to have an equal passion for the written (or spoken) word. If you initiate contact with me and you only write a dozen words, I reserve the right to release the Kraken and/or ignore you. Probably both. (I know that I've said this twice now, but I really cannot stand messages that have no thought behind them.)
Oh. I also have a really sharp sense of humour. So, if you're sensitive or thin skinned, approach with caution.
I'm a deep thinker. I'm spiritual (NOT religious) and believe in the power of Chi. I believe in Ghosts, other worlds, multiverses and dimensions. I'm into meditation and self improvement and self analysis. I'm a free-thinker and tend to think independently from the masses. I naturally deviate from convention.
I don't conform. I'm unapologetically weird and different.
I'm not a people person. I can't stress that enough. I tend to connect better with "weird" people and people who deviate from "normality". I'm misanthropic and I tend to be on an entirely different page than the general populace. For that, I am eternally thankful.
I don't really care about distance. I mean, let's be honest, the chance of meeting a compatible soul is improbable as it is, if you restrict it by means of geography and location, the "improbable" becomes the "impossible". Besides, it's 2023, not 1723. Distances can be bridged with the aid of heavy machinery with wings.
So yes, I'm open to a long distance relationship, to begin with.
It takes a while to properly forge a strong relationship: It requires respect, trust, honesty, compatibility and communication. None of those things come easily or without dedication, conviction and time.
I'm a sapiosexual as well as a demisexual. I find intelligence very, very hot!
I'm an introvert. I'm private and I don't like being the centre of attention. In fact, I like to keep as far back from people and the spotlight as possible. My preference is to live in the shadows. My main aim in life is to become a Vampire... true story. Still working on it.
Movies: Fright Night 1 & 2, The Lost Boys, Barefoot in the park, Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, Casablanca, Jerry Maguire, Serendipity, Say Anything, Almost Famous, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's day off, Weird Science, Elvira: Mistress of the dark, Elvira: Haunted Hills, Dirty Dancing, The Big Sick, Star Wars (The original trilogy), Firefly, Shadow of the Vampire, Interview with the Vampire, Dracula (1931).
Television: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, It's Always sunny in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sex and the City, Family Guy, The Simpsons, Scrubs.
AuthoWriter: Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe, Bram Stoker, The Bronte Sisters, Emily Dickinson.
Music: The Smiths, The Cure, AC/DC
Honestly, I'm not a big music fan. I prefer classical music and score as they have the capacity to stir my emotions.
...and now the "Master" half of what makes me, me:
ABOUT ME: (Kink)
My form of Dominance is one of psychology.
It's my belief that before you can even hope to control the body, first you have to be able to control the mind.
I want to know how you think, I want to know how your mind works, what you love, what you like, what you hate and what you dislike. I want to know about your formative years, your upbringing, your parents, your family, etc.
In essence, I want to know everything about you.
Vanilla comes before kink.
As far as kink goes, I want to know about your experience as well as your dream dynamic. I want to know what turns you on, what your limits are and how willing you are to expand your horizons,allow me to break down your walls in order to replace it with different walls, but done with subtlety and skill.
The BDSMverse is all about growth. It's all about learning and maturing and both discovering new kinks, but also cultivating the kinks you already have.
This dynamic will be a living, breathing organism. It'll grow and develop and mature. It will be 24/7. It'll be all consuming and it will be a life choice.
At work you will be my submissive. At the supermarket and at the mall and out in public, you will be owned by me. Your every breath will contain a whisper that I own you. Every thought will contain a note that I control you.
It will be all encompassing.
You will be swimming in a fog of knowledge that your every thought, every feeling and every moment of your life is under my lock and key.
I want a relationship based on TPE. I'm not into "keeping it in the bedroom/behind closeddoors", as that sounds too much like roleplay.
You will learn from me, you will be taught, I will sculpt and mould and nurture you and train you to be the greatest version of yourself that you can be.
I'll listen. I'll be your teacher, your mentor, your confident, your protector as well as your best friend.
I cannot stress that enough, for a D/s dynamic to work, it has to be built on friendship. There must be trust and respect and communication and compatibility. Every cylinder must be firing
We will be a team. We will listen, talk and learn from the other. Our bond will be stronger than any metal or element known to Man.
Again, this isn't an easy connection to develop. It takes honesty, trust, communication and absolute dedication and faith. Come into this half-hearted, it will not work.
It also takes time. How much time? It will take as long as it takes. The vanilla connection must be forged, otherwise it's akin to building a house on quicksand.
My kinks: Watersports, fiscal Domination, Goth, taboo, rough skull-fucking, anal, CNC, rape play, bimbofication, food control, body modification, behaviour modification, body transformation, body modification, body writing, deepthroat, TPE, puke, chains, leather, outfits, DP (with dildos, etc), toys, edging, Vampirism (Hematolagnia), tasks, raceplay, DD/lg
I'm very open to taboo kinks, as well as extreme kinks. The chance of me being against a kink will be extremely remote.
Watersports is my number one kink, so, if you're genuinely turned on by watersports (Or even if you're curious) we could very well be a match.
Hard limits: Poly and scat.
Everything else is negotiable.
https://i.imgur.com/BrseERV.jpeg

This is gonna be a long post but I wanna make this thread for those who have had just had a similar injury to mine and are feeling depressed, like there's no end in sight. I might delete this thread after a while, but we'll see. So I'm gonna try and make this easy and clean to read and break it up in sections.
TL:DR? It sucks now, but you will bounce back. 50% of that will be on you too because you cannot be complacent once you're allowed for partial or full weight bearing. You gotta put in the work to get better, but you will be back to normal. I promise you.
Break Day: Jan 2nd, I was biking on a trail I usually go to in my city with this awesome new Specialized Sirrus X3 I just got two months ago and was still breaking it in. I got to a small walk bridge that had a 70 degree left turn. I was going 18km/h which is my average speed. I overcalculated the turn by being too cocky and swayed my body to make the turn at my speed because I was feeling edgy that day. Thing is, the tires are not built for that on this type of bike. They're not MTB tires or wide enough to grip for those kinda turns.
So I began to lose control and fight or flight mode kicked in because there was a small river with rocks next to me on my right side that I didn't wanna fall into. Somehow in this fight or flight mode response, my feet locked on the pedals and somehow, that broke my fibula. I could feel this dull ache getting more painful by each second until I fell off on my left side. The pain felt like a nasty ache combined with pulling a muscle, a good 8.5/10 on the pain scale. I was in shock. I couldn't breathe once I fell. I never had this type of shortness of breath before. I had to get up immediately because I didn't know wtf just happened.
Getting up was that same pain, increased to a solid 10, but I got up fast and it went back to 8. Now, for my next challenge. This trail I was on? It wasn't close to any road. I couldn't get an ambulance there because there was no access for them to come there. I had to power through and walk. Either direction had a steep 90 degree incline up. I was not looking forward to that. I called my mom to come meet me by a checkpoint in the road near that trail so we can go to my car and then head to the ER. Walking absolutely hurt. I was trying so hard to fight the pain but had to stop every 5 minutes to relax. A guy on a bike then stopped and gave me this massive ProTip that I didn't think of doing in the moment because I was in shock. He said I should lower my saddle and peddle off the floor with my foot and leave my bad foot hanging in the air. That worked! Unfortunately, I couldn't do that when I got to that steep 90 degree hill climb. Thankfully this was all concrete so I had grip but it hurt like HELL climbing that. But there was no other way to do it. And keep in mind I'm a big guy too. 270lbs at 5,11. I probably made this injury worse walking on my broken ankle. But, you kinda have no choice in situations like this and you gotta make the best of it.
Anyway, we head to the ER. They x-ray me and tell me I'll possibly need surgery and that it'll take 4-6 weeks to heal the bone, but it is a fracture through and through. This is what a fibula fracture looks like. It's hard to see unless you zoom in and the doctor did say he's seen a lot worse than that, but it still sucked that I might need surgery. So he booked me to see an ortho specialist the very next day and got a temporary cast put on my leg. The one thing I noticed on the night I was sleeping after my ankle break was that I was peeing a lot. More than usual during the night. It was crazy. Maybe from the pain and shock wearing off? Anyway.
Jan 3rd: Time to see the specialist. He looked my foot and x-ray and confirmed I need surgery with a plate and screws. My world turned upside down when I heard that because the surgery was still sort of up in the air before this visit. I was hoping I could just heal in the cast because he did say he's seen a lot worse. That gave me some peace of mind. But it wasn't meant to be. Surgery it is! I got a call the same day to book me in for the 9th of Jan early in the morning. This is my first major surgery ever at the ripe young age of 33. I thought this would never happen to me, but here we are. I was so nervous because I watched a stupid movie called Awake where this guy has a major cardiac surgery and he becomes conscious while under general anesthesia and he can feel everything being done to him but can't move until it's over. That movie has legit created that fear in me since I watched it over a decade ago.
Jan 4th to 8th: I'm still processing the accident, find it hard to accept that I've ruined my life. If only I didn't go fast that day. Kept repeating that in my head, because this was on me. This ankle break was my fault and even now as I'm fully recovered I still can't forgive myself for being so careless. It's a lesson I will take to my grave with me. The lesson of taking things for granted. This stupid ankle break cost me my job that I was about to start on the 15th. It was a good gig too. Three weeks of work, one week off because it was in the film industry. It was a 9 month contract from Jan to September and would be renewed if the series got renewed. I loved it because the one week they give off would be great for me to get back on cycling, dating or doing more freelance work as a side hustle in addition to this job. But of course that job required me to be on my feet and that was impossible at the moment. Great. Fuck me, right?! It can't get any worse, right? Wrong. I also had to miss my best friends wedding the very next Sunday, a day before my surgery. I also had to cancel a date I had that was promising with someone I was talking to on Hinge. It's like blow for blow at this point. I'm just rolling with the punches.
This was a very rough week for me. The mental pain from being depressed, feeling useless and ruining my life is so much worse than the physical pain because physical pain is temporary but mental pain leaves the most amount of scars on your psyche that can last a lifetime. I was crying every night for hours on end thinking this is it. I've ruined my life. How am I gonna recover from this? The biggest worry for me was now I would have to eat through my savings until I could walk again for in-office work. And it's not like I didn't apply to work from home jobs, because I did just that for weeks on end with no luck. I was either overqualified or I didn't have the skills for it. Overqualified for a data entry job? Are you kidding me?!
So I spent this week just wallowing in my sorrow and googling for hours on end this type of injury, recovery time, surgery complications and browsing this very sub looking at success and recovery stories. This sub has really given me a peace of mind and has a really good supporting community. I love you guys. I wouldn't have been able to make it mentally without you. But I also owe everything to my mom who cared and supported me in this fucked up moment of my life. She got me through this and I wanna get a vacation birthday present when I find a job. It's the LEAST I could do.
Jan 9th: Surgery Day. I'm getting processed in the hospital and I'm nervous as all hell. I keep thinking of that stupid movie, even tell my mom I love you as I get wheeled away to the operating room in case something bad happens during mid-surgery. The other worry for me was aspiration. You know why tell you to not eat or drink anything, even water, for 12 hours prior to your surgery? Because you can get aspiration from having food and liquid in your stomach coming up and choking you. There's a very small chance of dying because of that and if you don't die, your lungs and esophagus get damaged from the doctors trying to save you from choking on your own vomit. So I had that running through my mind as I enter the operating room.
But it all went well. I woke up remembering nothing during the surgery because I was a medical coma from the anesthesia. The only thing I remember is the mask being put on and being told to think happy thoughts. It worked. And let me tell you, waking up felt so incredibly good. It's like I had the best sleep I've ever had in my entire life. It was so calming. Even breathing slow felt so damn good. I kept thinking I wanna be in this state 24/7. If this was an over the counter drug, I would be addicted to it instantly. They made me wait two more hours in the hospital to see that all my vitals are stable and then they released me and gave me a script for 50 Percocets.
Jan 10th to Mid March: Post surgery x-ray I'm part robot now! I'm part of the X-Men academy! It was time to stop feeling sorry for myself on this road to recovery and kept myself busy by working on passion projects from home and applying to remote jobs. I kept saying to myself, "it could have been worse" and that helped. The crutches I got took some time getting used to but luckily I have good upper body strength from working out at home and I returned to that. I even debated getting a knee scooter but two weeks into the crutches, I already got used to it. Plus it's not like I was going anywhere outside so I didn't need it! One thing that really helped me getting around the house was a computer chair on wheels. I used my good leg to peddle myself to the kitchen, washroom and back.
The first three days after surgery were the worst for physical pain. They gave me nerve blockers but they started wearing out around the same day of surgery, but at night time and I was reluctant to taking Percocet because it's an opioid and I was scared of being addicted to it. Plus, it also gives you constipation. In the end, I took them for 3 days because the pain won my will to resist the drugs. They were very helpful. I got good sleep and they kinda felt really awesome. It's hard to describe but it they kinda numb you. You don't feel dizzy, but sort of buzzed. It's similar to an alcohol high but different still. I took them for 3 days then switched to aspirin because my pain was going down by a lot after that. But I would say the post-surgery pain was way worse than the ankle break pain. A solid 9 or 10/10 in those first three days. I felt like my leg was on fire and even my bones were sensitive to any movement, it was so weird. But I powered through. And you will too. But just know, the pain always wins. Take the painkillers.
I was starting to get used to my predicament, but the most difficult part was the shower. Because I had to be non-weight-bearing for the next 3.5 weeks until I got my boot, the shower was a pain in the ass because I couldn't get my cast wet at all. So I bought this plastic set of bags from amazon and putting that on and off, plus getting a medical chair to sit in the shower, which was already a small space, was a massive pain in the ass. But you adapt. You get used to it. You find a routine and shortcuts in your misery and it works. I kept doing my upper body workouts and walking with my crutches so I could get some circulation going because the swelling was INSANE.
Now I'll admit that I didn't elevate my leg always like I should have so that's on me. I just can't sit in bed for hours, it drove me crazy in the first week doing that. I needed to move or be at my computer keeping my mind busy or I'd be depressed and crying again. Feeling useless is one of the worst feelings you can possibly imagine. I needed to stay busy. I thought playing videogames all day would help but that just made my depression worse. It doesn't help. Maybe if I was younger in my teens that would have been a godsend but when you're eating through your savings, your biggest worry is getting employment. So I kept gaming to a few hours at night and that helped.
Mid Feb: The cast is off and now I enter into my boot. Those classic aircast boots with the pumps on the side. I still had 3 weeks left of being non-weight bearing but the boot was a damn godsend! The cast was worse for me because it felt like a torture device. It got so hot in the cast and of course the itching. I was so desperate that I even bought a plastic scratching kit for casts that have reach. You're not supposed to do that but I couldn't help it. The cast is great because you can take it off during the day and keep it on during the night. I didn't inflate it all the time because that shit hurt like hell and made my swelling worse. So I just tightened the straps a little and only used the pumps when I had to go outside for something. I had the boot on in my sleep because doc was afraid I might toss and turn and snap my hardware. We don't want that! But I slept on my side with pillows and it worked out fine. At this point I was just counting down the days until I could walk again.
Early March: Follow up X-rays look great! My bone has healed well and I was cleared for full weight bearing and to start physio. I still had to be in my boot and walk with the support of crutches. That was a weird and interesting feeling but it felt so good to be able to walk again. I cried in joy. It felt like pins and needles at first. My mind was super reluctant to step on my feet even in the boot. It's crazy how your mind works, getting you accustomed to not using your foot and being scared to use it again when you absolutely can. But I tried it out. Slow and steady wins the race. That's what my physiotherapist said. He wasn't too happy that I didn't start physio earlier because I was talking to someone here on Reddit who had an ankle break in three places, way worse than my injury, yet started physio 4 weeks after their surgery.
But anyway, physio went great. After the first initial session, I took my boot off and started walking barefoot but with the support of the crutches. Definitely had pains in my foot I never thought I would get but that's because it was asleep for so long and your muscles atrophy. I kept walking around, doing leg stretches to get the blood flowing and got a little more religious about icing my ankle. That helped. My next PT session really helped me with a few stretches. By this point, I could walk without the crutches. It felt so freeing getting this freedom back. I listened to the physiotherapist and did those stretches at home and they really helped a ton with pain relief and getting my range of movement back in my ankle.
He told me to take it easy but I couldn't do that because I needed a job. I didn't overdo it because I didn't want to cause any more damage but I did extra workouts on top of the stretches he gave me and pushed myself. Now the pain was going all the way to my knee and back of my knee, all around really. My next physio session, he was more concerned with that than my ankle because I was making fantastic progress on my ankle. He said this knee pain was residual collateral damage from being stationary for so long. Makes sense really. So he told me to start using my stationary bike and also walking in the swimming pool, in addition to the stretches' and icing I was already doing. This helped A LOT. Because you're almost in Zero G weightlessness in the water, you can do a lot more. So I walked and swam some laps and day by day, I was recovering.
I pushed myself one day by walking outside for an hour. It hurt like hell in my knee, but I needed to get used to being back to normal-ish. After that walk, I wanted to face my fear and do stairs next. I have stairs in my building so I used that as practice and of course held on to the railings. I felt more pain going down the stairs than going up the stairs, but I did a few reps just so I could get a sense of what my leg can do and not do and see what works.
Next physio session, he recommended I get some trainers and showed me specific models from Asics to get for stability and support. Up to this point, I had some cheap Walmart running shoes, but soon as I got the proper shoes on, it was like night and day. He also said my progress was night and day.
March 31st: My last x-ray! My surgeon is extremely happy as am I. He said it looks fantastic and if the hardware bothers by my one year anniversary of the surgery, I can remove it. The recovery time will be helluva lot faster than when you get the hardware. I think I might do that and get it removed. I'm walking right now and I feel like I'm at 95% back to normal. The other 5% being that my ankle is not where it was pre-accident and I only get pain in a small corner of my knee now than what I had even two or three weeks ago. The swimming pool, stretches and stationary bike are super duper helpful for my recovery. I feel like I can even go cycling outdoors now, which I very much want to.
Crazy, right? You'd think I'd ditch the bike altogether but it's not the bike's fault. It's a tool. I used this tool carelessly. That will ALWAYS be on me. The reason I cycle is so I can lose weight and I hope I can do a century this year. That's my challenge for this year. Of course, I still get swelling in my ankle when I'm standing on my feet for a few hours but my doc said this would be normal for the next 6-8 months and even when the temperature changes, because of the type of metal in my hardware. Whatever, no big deal. I'll just ice it and be good to go again. The pain I get in my ankle now is exclusively from the hardware rubbing up against the skin. So if that continues after January 9th, 2024, I'm gonna get this hardware taken out but I am definitely keeping it and framing it as a memento of this dark period in my life and hopefully this taking things for granted lesson prevents me from breaking any other bones in the future.
Present day and final thoughts: I have one more PT session two Mondays from now and then my PT said I'll only need maybe one per month because he's very impressed with my recovery. Hell, I'm very surprised I recovered so well because reading the threads here, people go to PT twice a week but I only ever did it once per week. But my PT guy is extremely good. He goes above and beyond the one hour mark that you pay for and I remember from my first few sessions lasting almost 3 hours straight without charging for me it. He really gives a shit and I'm gonna give a shit too by offering him photography and video services, on the house, for anything he needs.
I'm still jobless at the moment, but I have three or four promising leads that I have yet to hear back from. This was another blow for me. Losing my job at the stat of all this. I remember during my recover I had a very promising job lead. They liked me and they were even OK with me being in the boot and on crutches. The job was in my city too which was a huge time and money saver. But they kept stringing me along telling me how much they like me out of the small pool of candidates of the final interview, only to ghost me in the end. That was another big blow to my mental health. I really thought I had it in the bag. Everything went well with all the interviews and even the HR lady at my final interview had an ankle break 10 years ago so I thought that for sure would get me job because we can relate to each other on that level. I suspect she wanted me there but the other lady who would be working on my team decided against it. Still sucks being ghosted though. For a corporate company, they could have at least told me it was a no. I even emailed them to follow up but they still ghosted me. Very unprofessional.
But there's no sense looking back, I'm only looking forward now. I'm applying like crazy on Indeed and Linkedin and hopefully these 4 leads go to something but I'm not gonna put in all the eggs in one basket because of my previous experience of being burned. I just hope I get something because this month will be the last month I can cover my bills. After that, my mom said she would help. I don't wanna get to that point. I hate that feeling of uselessness. I wanna pay for my own shit. I'm a grown ass man goddamnit!
But I owe her a big vacation, I couldn't get through this without her. I love her to death. Well, that's it. This is the end of the post. Thanks for bearing with me. If you read this all the way through, you're a trooper but I suspect you have nothing better to do because you're still in recovery so thanks for reading! I promise you, you WILL bounce back from wherever you are in your recovery. It is normal to be angry, to cry, to be depressed, to feel useless and lose all hope. Those feelings will come in waves and they will pass too once you accept your situation. Keep your mind busy. Do chores, work on a computer, do whatever you did before the accident to keep your mind busy and time will fly and you'll be back on your feet before you know it. Plus, this makes a really good party story to tell or one for your grandkids! Certainly makes a great dating story! Surgery scars are sexy!
And thanks to this kick ass sub for pulling me through my darkest days and giving me peace of mind and calming my worries. I have never seen a more supporting community than this one and I've been on and off on Reddit for a decade now. Seriously, you guys all fucking rock. I love you.

The City Council voted last Monday to bring a lawsuit against GoogleMaps for defaulting to Salem, MA when people type “Salem” despite Salem, MA having only as quarter as many people as Salem, Oregon - a state capital.
TravelSalem estimates the city has lost over $25 million a year in lost tourist revenue, and heard stories of people trying to visit Salem and driving days out of their way to Massachusetts, where they frustratingly could not find Willamette University, the golden pioneer, Epilogue Restaurant and the taco bridge.
The lawsuit is expected to cost taxpayers about $250,000, which the city hopes to recoup along with a portion of lost tourist revenues and a changing of the default “Salem” search in maps to direct people to our fair city.

I’ve posted here a bunch of times but I never went into crazy detail about myself. So, let’s get into it and see if this helps!
I’m a shy extrovert. What does that even mean? I love being around people but I’m afraid of rejection so I tend to let people approach me. Sometimes I am extremely chatty and other times I could sit in silence with someone and be completely happy. I have many hobbies and will get extremely nerdy about them with you if we have any shared interests. Some of those hobbies are: gardening (vegetables, fruit trees/bushes, flowers), aquascaping & fishkeeping, baking, oil painting, self care routines, board games: Risk, Scrabble, Pictionary & Monopoly, computer games: Minecraft, Civilization 6 & SimCity, Nintendo Switch: Splatoon 3 (primarily anarchy — I love Rainmaker, though I have been out of the game for quite some time).
My primary love language is quality time. If I don’t feel like I’m having that need met, I will not allow an emotional connection to grow and most likely reject the person or bug them until they admit they’re not that into me. 😂
“IRL” I am extremely bubbly and my humor plays off my bubbly but serious demeanor. So, it’s best experienced in person. I am very upfront usually; though if I think you look like a bridge troll, I may ghost you as to not hurt your feelings. (Sorry!) I’m naturally pretty and don’t need makeup. But if I do opt to put makeup on, it’s always very subtle. I’m not the type of girl who needs to attract the attention of all, I just want the attention from the one who has my heart.
With that being said, my heart is a pretty difficult item to obtain. I have to feel like our intelligence level is equal, effort is being put in, our sense of humor meshes well, and there must be a mutual physical attraction.
I’m the type of person who will check out your post and comment history to see if you’re a legitimate person. Those without history I am VERY skeptical of and will require verification. If you’re commenting on NSFW posts, I can promise you, I’ve already laughed at you and won’t take you seriously. Men with too many gaming posts/comments worry me because I don’t believe gamer guys will be able to meet my love language requirements. Men who have hobbies outside of gaming usually attract me the most.
I try to match the energy of the person I’m speaking with and I think that’s what makes posting on this forum so difficult for me. It’s also tough to keep up with the amount of messages that come in. So, if you want to set yourself apart from the crowd of faceless men, send me a selfie. I’ll be able to remember our conversation better and I’ll send you one of myself so you can determine if you’d like to get to know me.
“Anything good takes time.” 😉 There’s a whole lot more to me than this post and I hope you find me intriguing enough to want to get to know better.

This is my field report after staying in Paraguay for one week.
I'm Brazilian and I've crossed the border from Foz do Iguaçu and spent a week with my wife and kids in Ciudad del Este.
I'm including Foz do Iguaçu in the report because a good part of the appeal of Ciudad del Este, is the possibility of crossing the border to visit Foz.
The borders are open and there's little control. If you hold a Mercosul residency, you are allowed to come and go.
Foz do Iguaçu is a nice city. It has a few tourist attractions that are worth visiting, but most are tourist traps. The Iguaçu Falls are cool, but the Argentine side is better. Parque das Aves is great. Food is great in Foz do Iguaçu.
Uber is good inside Foz. Don't use hotel/tourism companies help, because they are mostly scammers.
The cross to Paraguai is across the Amizade bridge.
Uber can't cross the border. Uber doesn't let you target destinations outside of your current country.
The best way to cross the border is request an Uber Comfort (the most expensive) ride to the bridge, and ask the driver if he would cross. It is not illegal. It'll cost ~15 USD, because there's a lot of traffic. It is a fair price.
Inside Paraguai Uber also works well. But it is different. Ubers in Brazil are professionals. It's their full time job. Ubers in Paraguay are sometimes students working part time.
To cross back, you'll want a professional driver. So you can take your chances requesting a ride to the bridge and asking if the Uber will cross. If he declines, just cross by foot (it is super chill), and call another Uber from Brazil.
Taxis also cross the border, but most are scammers. Ubers are great.
The time in Paraguay was super chill. We went to lunch and dinner at a different place every day, and we enjoyed most of the places we went.
Hotels in Ciudad del Este and Foz are very different. Hotels from Foz cater to groups of tourists. They have big pools, and nice spaces, but awful service and food. Don't eat in your hotel in Brazil.
Hotels in Ciudad del Este cater to individual business travelers. They are smaller, but much more professional, have much better service, and most operate as restaurants and coffee shops for locals.
The Paraguay immigration office is super chill. I've never been to an immigration office this chill. I was there two times. Both times were super smooth, super chill.
Taxis in Ciudad del Este are scammers. One tried to steal our bags. He dropped us off and pretended he "forgot" that we had our shopping bags in the trunk.
Other than that, today, Paraguai feels much safer and much more chill than Brasil or Argentina.
I haven't visited Argentina on this trip. Maybe next time.

Has anyone taken the 6 train to the end in the Bronx, then run to the tip of City Island?
Just wondering if this is possible and if there are bike/run paths across the Pelham Bay Bridge and the City Island Bridge.
Or is this just a bad idea?

Hello, I'm just back from a 10-day trip to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. I got a lot of great advice here so I thought I'd share my experience and tips re travelling with a nut allergy.
Situation: My husband is allergic to peanuts only, but avoids all nuts in case they are mixed/contaminated. Before we left he bought a card to print up and self-laminate that stated (in Japanese, obviously) that he was allergic to all nuts. We showed this card in restaurants and to the concierge whenever we made a reservation. He also learned how to say "I am allergic to peanuts" and in Japanese.
General takeaway: If you avoid street food, you can feel quite safe with a peanut allergy in Japan, first of all because peanuts aren't super-standard in the food, but also because the staff in most restaurants are very conscientious and will go right to the chef to find out if the food is safe.
Tips:
*If he could do it again, he would just print up a peanut allergy card rather than an all nuts card, because the "all nuts" seemed to confuse people and we felt we were turned away from more places than we would have been otherwise. Many people asked us about sesame and/or soya nuts after they read the card. Simpler would be better.
*Ask about your allergy BEFORE you get in line at a restaurant. We found this out the hard way after waiting 90 minutes once and 30 minutes another time before being turned away (slow learners).
*We did a (great!) Ramen tour with Tokyo Ramen Tours; beforehand, we were assured that most ramen is nut-free and they double-checked wherever we went. There's a specific type of ramen that can include peanuts - it's called "tantanmen" (a ramen derived from Chinese dan dan noodles). Avoid this, obviously. None of the many ramen restaurants we visited after that tour had peanuts or turned us away.
*Skip any Conveyer Belt Sushi restaurant or buffet restaurant. We were turned away from a conveyer belt resto on our first day and it makes sense given the range of food passing in front of you. Same issue with buffets. We avoided the (drool-worthy) department store takeaways for the same reason.
*We were also turned away from a famous Udon restaurant (Dontonbori Imai Honten) and a non-descript sushi restaurant in the busy Dontonbori tourist area of Osaka. We ate Udon and sushi elsewhere so it was particular to these restaurants.
*Yakiniku restaurants where you grill your own meat MAY be okay but the one we went to in Ginza said they did have peanuts as garnish and maybe in some sauces. They gave us meat with salt only and no sauce (it was still fantastic), and since you use your own grill we didn't worry about cross-contamination.
*We worried some Tempura might be cooked in peanut oil, but the fancy places use cottonseed oil and the others use vegetable oils like canola. I'd still ask, but we had zero problems.
*My husband avoids sweets, baked goods or ice cream so we had no experience asking about those; obviously if you are travelling with kids you will want to check that out!
*We looked up the ingredients for 551 Horai's famous pork buns, and they did not contain nuts. I ate them and would say they were nut-free, but my husband ended up not trying them.
*Bars (especially those with cover charges) often brought out little bowls of snacks, sometimes including nuts. We just waved them away if they had visible nuts, and if no nuts were apparent, we left it on the table (or I ate it), but he didn't risk it.
*We used Google Translate's photo feature to scan menus and look up ingredients on packaged food. We also used an app (Payke) that lets you scan a barcode and see translated product descriptions.
*No one gave us a hard time or acted like it was a pain to check with the kitchen. Often they would go to great lengths to be sure (sometimes it took a bit of time), which we really appreciated. One place (Katsukura Shinjuku Takashimaya) had a big book of recipes/allergens to refer to, but even then they still asked the kitchen. In the rare cases where they said they couldn't serve us, they were very apologetic and nice.
I hope this is helpful -- my main conclusion is that a peanut allergy shouldn't prevent you from visiting Japan. We ate a TON of food of every popular Japanese style in a wide range of restaurants, and we felt safer than in some U.S. or Canadian cities where cooking with peanuts is way more common. We had a fantastic trip and I hope you do too!

Hoping to visit 6th Street Bridge to take photos of the city skyline but not sure where's the best and safest place to park. Also would it be safe to go at sunrise and sunset? I am near the area so would be easy to visit anytime.

Hi, used ChatGPT for a plan but upon redditor feedback i have revised it. It is now as follows:
​
5-May-2023 -- Fly to LA and hire a car.
6-May-2023 -- Get sim card, sleeping bag. Chill, beaches and food
7-May-2023 -- LA Museums and BHills
8-May-2023 -- Drive to Yosemite (stop by Mammoth Mountain)
9-May-2023 -- Yosemite
10-May-2023 -- Yosemite
11-May-2023 -- Yosemite
12-May-2023 -- Lake Tahoe
13-May-2023 -- Sacramento?
14-May-2023 -- Napa?
15-May-2023 -- SF airport to leave car and BART back
16-May-2023 -- SF (Alcatraz, Golden Gate, North Beach, Lands End)
17-May-2023 -- SF (Fisherman's Wharf, bike Golden Gate Bridge, ride cable car)
18-May-2023 -- SF (Chill, thrift and souvenirs if need)
19-May-2023 -- Fly back
​
I want to explore a bit of the cities but also see some of the National Parks and do a bit hiking.
I'm trying to do it quite frugally. Will try not to eat out too much and probably won't smoke.
Planning on packing quite summery for the city and some sturdier shoes, pants and jumpers/hoodies for the national park.
Looking for someone to share the experience with have, have a natter and split the car rental lol
Many thanks.

Hi, used ChatGPT for a plan but upon redditor feedback i have revised it. It is now as follows:
​
5-May-2023 -- Fly to LA and hire a car.
6-May-2023 -- Get sim card, sleeping bag. Chill, beaches and food
7-May-2023 -- LA Museums and BHills
8-May-2023 -- Drive to Yosemite (stop by Mammoth Mountain)
9-May-2023 -- Yosemite
10-May-2023 -- Yosemite
11-May-2023 -- Yosemite
12-May-2023 -- Lake Tahoe
13-May-2023 -- Sacramento?
14-May-2023 -- Napa?
15-May-2023 -- SF airport to leave car and BART back
16-May-2023 -- SF (Alcatraz, Golden Gate, North Beach, Lands End)
17-May-2023 -- SF (Fisherman's Wharf, bike Golden Gate Bridge, ride cable car)
18-May-2023 -- SF (Chill, thrift and souvenirs if need)
19-May-2023 -- Fly back
​
I want to explore a bit of the cities but also see some of the National Parks and do a bit hiking.
I'm trying to do it quite frugally. Will try not to eat out too much and probably won't smoke.
Planning on packing quite summery for the city and some sturdier shoes, pants and jumpers/hoodies for the national park.
Looking for someone to share the experience with have, have a natter and split the car rental lol
Many thanks.

Hello, I originally planned a beautiful wedding - that should have been manageable budget-wise - but then discovered that ever since covid my city's costs for EVERYTHING has gone up 10x then it was. Unfortunately I am unable to go to a more rural area for cheaper prices or that will cause other expenses (i.e. place to stay, travel ect) that will come up to about the same price or more then just having it locally.
So I'm working on cutting down a $25,000 wedding to a $12,000 wedding....which doesn't do much in my area. We're looking at going the DIY route for most stuff. I found a venue that is large enough to have everything set up from start to finish with no room flips for $2000 w/ taxes, which includes tables & a bartender (permitting it's a cash bar that they run). I have the venue from 9am-2am, so we should be able to decorate and get pictures with our bridal party and immediate family beforehand.
We're having people be seated at dining tables for the ceremony & reception. So i was thinking of having our ceremony at 7:30, immediately followed by the reception that ends at midnight. Since people are sitting at the table from the get-go i was thinking of having tiered plates on the tables of crackers, pickles, olives, cherry tomatoes, rolled meat and Russian cheese salad, along with table wine. I'm also planning on a buffet table with non-alcoholic drinks and various desserts, like donuts, mini tarts, bite-sized brownies, cinnamon rolls, yogurt covered pretzels and grapes. For the drinks I was thinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, ice water, cranberry sweet tea and eggnog....then of course the cash bar.
For entertainment we are going with the forementioned (diy) photobooth, a photo scavenger hunt, dancing and karaoke.
We're planning this all for a 40 person wedding on a Friday November evening, but I'm not sure if this plan works or not.

Hello, I originally planned a beautiful wedding - that should have been manageable budget-wise - but then discovered that ever since covid my city's costs for EVERYTHING has gone up 10x then it was. Unfortunately I am unable to go to a more rural area for cheaper prices or that will cause other expenses (i.e. place to stay, travel ect) that will come up to about the same price or more then just having it locally.
So I'm working on cutting down a $25,000 wedding to a $12,000 wedding....which doesn't do much in my area. We're looking at going the DIY route for most stuff. I found a venue that is large enough to have everything set up from start to finish with no room flips for $2000 w/ taxes, which includes tables & a bartender (permitting it's a cash bar that they run). I have the venue from 9am-2am, so we should be able to decorate and get pictures with our bridal party and immediate family beforehand.
We're having people be seated at dining tables for the ceremony & reception. So i was thinking of having our ceremony at 7:30, immediately followed by the reception that ends at midnight. Since people are sitting at the table from the get-go i was thinking of having tiered plates on the tables of crackers, pickles, olives, cherry tomatoes, rolled meat and Russian cheese salad, along with table wine. I'm also planning on a buffet table with non-alcoholic drinks and various desserts, like donuts, mini tarts, bite-sized brownies, cinnamon rolls, yogurt covered pretzels and grapes. For the drinks I was thinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, ice water, cranberry sweet tea and eggnog....then of course the cash bar.
For entertainment we are going with the forementioned (diy) photobooth, a photo scavenger hunt, dancing and karaoke.
We're planning this all for a 40 person wedding on a Friday November evening, but I'm not sure if this plan works or not.

Disclaimer: The Internet Archive is currently undergoing litigation to determine the legality of its book lending program that is being challenged by major publishers. Impending legal action may render this list obsolete for the purpose of borrowing these books from the Internet Archive. To learn more, search up Hachette v. Internet Archive.
The format of this list previously took the form of a post with a chain of comments continuing the list due to character limits. This list is now divided into separate posts (which I believe would be easier to update and search) indicated as Part 1, Part 2, and so on.
The lending library of the Internet Archive allows you to renew your checkout immediately after the time for borrowing has elapsed, whether it's borrowable for 1 hour or 14 days. This selection of books will be updated. I recommend to those interested to check this post once a week for updates. This list has exceeded the character limit for this post. For the other parts of this list, see:
Part 1: You are here.
Part 2: /Social_Democracy/comments/128t39y/books_about_workers_labor_the_lowerclasses_and/
Part 3: /Social_Democracy/comments/128t4wz/books_about_workers_labor_the_lowerclasses_and/
Louis Adamic (author) - Dynamite: The Story of Class Violence in America (Revised Edition) (1934) https://archive.org/details/dynamitestoryofc0000loui_p5d9 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Peter Afrasiabi - Burning Bridges: America's 20-Year Crusade to Deport Labor Leader Harry Bridges (2016) https://archive.org/details/burningbridgesam0000afra (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Peter J. Albert, Grace Palladino - The Samuel Gompers Papers: Volume 8: Progress and Reaction in the Age of Reform, 1909-13 (2001) https://archive.org/details/samuelgomperspap0008unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Peter J. Albert, Grace Palladino - The Samuel Gompers Papers: Volume 9: The American Federation of Labor at the Height of Progressivism, 1913-17 (2003) https://archive.org/details/samuelgomperspap0009unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Peter J. Albert, Grace Palladino - The Samuel Gompers Papers: Volume 10: The American Federation of Labor and the Great War, 1917-18 (2007) https://archive.org/details/samuelgomperspap0010unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Robert J. Alexander - The Right Opposition: The Lovestoneites and the International Communist Opposition of the 1930s (1981) https://archive.org/details/rightoppositionl0000alex (Borrowable for 14 days)
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America - The Clothing Workers of Chicago, 1910-1922 (1922) https://archive.org/details/clothingworkerso00amaluoft (Public domain)
Thomas G. Andrews - Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War (2008) https://archive.org/details/killingforcoalam0000andr (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ian Angus - Canadian Bolsheviks: The Early Years of the Communist Party of Canada (Second Edition) (2004) https://archive.org/details/canadianbolshevi0000angu (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Steven K. Ashby, C. J. Hawking (authors) - Staley: The Fight for a New American Labor Movement (2009) https://archive.org/details/staleyfightforne0000ashb (Borrowable for 14 days)
Robert Asher, Ronald Edsforth (editors) - Autowork (1995) https://archive.org/details/autowork0000ashe (Borrowable for 14 days)
Robert Asher, Charles Stephenson (editors) - Labor Divided: Race and Ethnicity in United States Labor Struggles, 1835-1960 (1990) https://archive.org/details/labordividedrace0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Aleine Austin - The Labor Story: A Popular History of American Labor, 1786-1949 (1949) https://archive.org/details/laborstorypopula0000alei (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Paul Avrich - Anarchist Voices: An Oral History of Anarchism in America (1995) https://archive.org/details/anarchistvoiceso0000avri (Borrowable for 14 days)
James R. Barrett - William Z. Foster and the Tragedy of American Radicalism (1999) https://archive.org/details/williamzfostertr0000barr (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip Bart - Highlights of a Fighting History: 60 Years of the Communist Party, USA (1979) https://archive.org/details/highlightsoffigh00bart (Borrowable for 14 days)
Beth Tompkins Bates - Pullman Porters and the Rise of Protest Politics in Black America, 1925-1945 (2001) https://archive.org/details/pullmanportersri0000bate (Borrowable for 14 days)
Earl R. Beckner - A History of Labor Legislation in Illinois (1929) https://archive.org/details/historyoflaborle00beck (Shared by publisher)
Thomas Becnel - Labor, Church, and the Sugar Establishment: Louisiana, 1887-1976 (1980) https://archive.org/details/laborchurchsugar0000becn (Borrowable for 14 days)
Henry F. Bedford - Socialism and the Workers in Massachusetts, 1886-1912 (1966) https://archive.org/details/socialismworkers0000bedf (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Henry F. Bedford - Their Lives and Numbers: The Condition of Working People in Massachusetts, 1870-1900 (1995) https://archive.org/details/theirlivesnumber00unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Daniel E. Bender, Richard A. Greenwald (editors) - Sweatshop USA: The American Sweatshop in Historical and Global Perspective (2003) https://archive.org/details/sweatshopusaamer0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Daniel E. Bender (author) - Sweated Work, Weak Bodies: Anti-Sweatshop Campaigns and Languages of Labor (2004) https://archive.org/details/sweatedworkweakb0000bend (Borrowable for 14 days)
Leigh David Benin - The New Labor Radicalism and New York City's Garment Industry: Progressive Labor Insurgents in the 1960s (2000) https://archive.org/details/newlaborradicali0000beni (Borrowable for 14 days)
David Bensman - The Practice of Solidarity: American Hat Finishers in the Nineteenth Century (1985) https://archive.org/details/practiceofsolida0000bens (Borrowable for 14 days)
Irving Bernstein - The Lean Years: A History of the American Worker, 1920-1933 (1960) https://archive.org/details/leanyearshistory00bern_0 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Irving Bernstein - The Turbulent Years: A History of the American Worker, 1933-1941 (2010) https://archive.org/details/turbulentyearshi0000bern_r4l9 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Samuel Bernstein - The First International in America (1962) https://archive.org/details/firstinternation0000bern (Borrowable for 14 days)
Perry K. Blatz (author) - Democratic Miners: Work and Labor Relations in the Anthracite Coal Industry, 1875-1925 (1994) https://archive.org/details/democraticminers0000blat (Borrowable for 14 days)
Mary H. Blewett - Surviving Hard Times: The Working People of Lowell (1982) https://archive.org/details/survivinghardtim0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Mary H. Blewett - Men, Women, and Work: Class, Gender, and Protest in the New England Shoe Industry, 1780-1910 (1988) https://archive.org/details/menwomenworkclas0000blew (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Mary H. Blewett - The Last Generation: Work and Life in the Textile Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, 1910-1960 (1990) https://archive.org/details/lastgeneration00mary (Borrowable for 14 days)
Mary H. Blewett - We Will Rise in Our Might: Workingwomen's Voices from Nineteenth-Century New England (1991) https://archive.org/details/wewillriseinourm0000blew (Borrowable for 14 days)
Mary H. Blewett - Constant Turmoil: The Politics of Industrial Life in Nineteenth-Century New England (2000) https://archive.org/details/trent_0116404699799 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Ella Reeve Bloor - We Are Many: An Autobiography by Ella Reeve Bloor (1940) https://archive.org/details/wearemanyautobio0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Kim Bobo (author) - Wage Theft in America: Why Millions of Working Americans Are Not Getting Paid-And What We Can Do About It (2009) https://archive.org/details/wagetheftinameri0000bobo (Borrowable for 14 days)
Phillip Bonosky - Brother Bill McKie: Building the Union at Ford (2000) https://archive.org/details/brotherbillmckie0000bono (Borrowable for 14 days)
Vaughn Davis Bornet - Labor Politics in a Democratic Republic: Moderation, Division, and Disruption in the Presidential Election of 1928 (1964) https://archive.org/details/laborpoliticsind0000vaug (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Richard O. Boyer, Herbert M. Morais - Labor's Untold Story (1988) https://archive.org/details/laborsuntoldstor00boye (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Kevin Boyle - The UAW and the Heyday of American Liberalism, 1945-1968 (1995) https://archive.org/details/uawheydayofameri0000boyl (Borrowable for 14 days)
David Brauer - Nellie Stone Johnson: The Life of an Activist (2000) https://archive.org/details/nelliestonejohns0000john (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Jeremy Brecher - Strike! (Revised, Expanded, and Updated) (2020) https://archive.org/details/strike0000brec_t8h1 (Borrowable for 14 days)
Aaron Brenner, Benjamin Day, Immanuel Ness - The Encyclopedia of Strikes in American History (2009) https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofst0000unse_z1v4 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Paul Frederick Brissenden - The I. W. W.: A Study of American Syndicalism (1920) https://archive.org/details/iwwstudyofameri00bris (Public domain)
David Brody - Steelworkers in America: The Nonunion Era (1960) https://archive.org/details/steelworkersinam0000brod_h3y7 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
David Brody - Labor in Crisis: The Steel Strike of 1919 (1987) https://archive.org/details/laborincrisisste0000brod_r4w1 (Borrowable for 14 days)
John Graham Brooks - American Syndicalism: The I. W. W. (1913) https://archive.org/details/americansyndical00broo (Public domain)
Thomas R. Brooks - Toil and Trouble: A History of American Labor (Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged) (1971) https://archive.org/details/toiltroublehisto0000broo (Borrowable for 1 hour)
John Brophy - A Miner's Life (1964) https://archive.org/details/johnbrophyminers0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Edwin L. Brown, Colin J. Davis (editors) - It Is Union and Liberty: Alabama Coal Miners and the UMW (1999) https://archive.org/details/itisunionliberty0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Lee Brown, Robert L. Allen - Strong in the Struggle: My Life as a Black Labor Activist (2001) https://archive.org/details/stronginstruggle0000brow (Borrowable for 14 days)
Henry J. Browne - The Catholic Church and the Knights of Labor (1949) https://archive.org/details/catholicchurchkn0000henr (Borrowable for 1 hour)
David Brundage - The Making of Western Labor Radicalism: Denver's Organized Workers, 1878-1905 (1994) https://archive.org/details/makingofwesternl0078brun (Borrowable for 14 days)
Peter H. Buckingham - Rebel against Injustice: The Life of Frank P. O'Hare (1996) https://archive.org/details/rebelagainstinju0000buck (Borrowable for 14 days)
Mari Jo Buhle, Paul Buhle, Dan Georgakas - Encyclopedia of the American Left (Second Edition) (1998) https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofam00buhl_0 (Borrowable for 14 days)
Paul Buhle, Alan Dawley (editors) - Working for Democracy: American Workers from the Revolution to the Present (1985) https://archive.org/details/workingfordemocr0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
W. F. Burns - The Pullman Boycott: A Complete History of the Great R. R. Strike (1894) https://archive.org/details/pullmanboycottco00burn (Public domain)
Christina Burr - Spreading the Light: Work and Labour Reform in Late-Ninteenth-Century Toronto (1999) https://archive.org/details/spreadinglightwo0000burr (Borrowable for 1 hour)
James P. Cannon - The History of American Trotskyism, 1928-1938: Report of a Participant (2002) https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000cann (Borrowable for 14 days)
Milton Cantor - Black Labor in America (1970) https://archive.org/details/blacklaboronamer0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Milton Cantor - The Divided Left: American Radicalism, 1900-1975 (1978) https://archive.org/details/dividedleftameri0000cant (Borrowable for 14 days)
Heath W. Carter - Union Made: Working People and the Rise of Social Christianity in Chicago (2015) https://archive.org/details/unionmadeworking0000cart (Borrowable for 14 days)
Kenneth M. Casebeer - American Labor Struggles and Law Histories (Second Edition) (2017) https://archive.org/details/americanlaborstr0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Norman Caulfield - NAFTA and Labor in North America (2010) https://archive.org/details/naftalaborinnort0000caul (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ralph Chaplin - Wobbly: The Rough-and-Tumble Story of an American Radical (1948) https://archive.org/details/wobblyroughandtu0000chap (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Eric Thomas Chester (author) - True Mission: Socialists and the Labor Party Question in the U.S. (2004) https://archive.org/details/truemissionsocia0000ches (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Daniel J. Clark (author) - Like Night & Day: Unionization in a Southern Mill Town (1997) https://archive.org/details/likenightdayunio0000clar (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Paul F. Clark, Peter Gottlieb, Donald Kennedy - Forging a Union of Steel: Philip Murray, SWOC, and the United Steelworkers (1987) https://archive.org/details/forgingunionofst00clar (Borrowable for 14 days)
Thomas Ralph Clark (author) - Defending Rights: Law, Labor Politics, and the State in California, 1890-1925 (2002) https://archive.org/details/defendingrightsl0000clar (Borrowable for 14 days)
Lizabeth Cohen - Making a New Deal: Industrial Workers in Chicago, 1919-1939 (2008) https://archive.org/details/makingnewdealind0000cohe_k2g7 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Sanford Cohen - Labor in the United States (Fifth Edition) (1979) https://archive.org/details/laborinunitedsta0005edcohe (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Jeffrey W. Coker - Confronting American Labor: The New Left Dilemma (2002) https://archive.org/details/confrontingameri00coke (Borrowable for 14 days)
John R. Commons et al. - History of Labour in the United States: Volume I (1918) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabouri01commuoft (Public domain)
Joseph R. Conlin - The American Radical Press, 1880-1960: Volume I (1974) https://archive.org/details/americanradicalp0000conl (Borrowable for 14 days)
Peter Cole - Wobblies on the Waterfront: Interracial Unionism in Progressive-Era Philadelphia (2007) https://archive.org/details/wobbliesonwaterf0000cole (Borrowable for 14 days)
Peter Cole - Ben Fletcher: The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly (2021) https://archive.org/details/benfletcher0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
McAlister Coleman - Eugene V. Debs: A Man Unafraid (1930) https://archive.org/details/eugenevdebsmanun0000cole (Borrowable for 14 days)
McAlister Coleman - Men and Coal (1943) https://archive.org/details/mencoal0000mcal (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Patricia A. Cooper - Once a Cigar Maker: Men, Women, and Work Culture in American Cigar Factories, 1900-1919 (1987) https://archive.org/details/oncecigarmakerme0000coop (Borrowable for 14 days)
Cynthia J. Cranford, Judy Fudge, Eric Tucker, Leah F. Vosko (authors) - Self-Employed Workers Organize: Law, Policy, and Unions (2005) https://archive.org/details/selfemployedwork0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ira B. Cross (author) - A History of the Labor Movement in California (1935) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo00cros (Borrowable for 14 days)
Cletus E. Daniel - Bitter Harvest: A History of California Farmworkers, 1870-1941 (1981) https://archive.org/details/bitterharvesthis0000dani (Borrowable for 14 days)
Clete Daniel - Culture of Misfortune: An Interpretive History of Textile Unionism in the United States (2001) https://archive.org/details/cultureofmisfort00dani (Borrowable for 14 days)
Max D. Danish - The World of David Dubinsky (1957) https://archive.org/details/worldofdaviddubi00dani (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Taylor E. Dark - The Unions and the Democrats: An Enduring Alliance (1999) https://archive.org/details/unionsdemocratse00tayl (Borrowable for 14 days)
Eldorous L. Dayton - Walter Reuther: Autocrat of the Bargaining Table (1958) https://archive.org/details/walterreuther0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Len De Caux - Labor Radical: From the Wobblies to CIO: A Personal History (1970) https://archive.org/details/laborradicalfrom0000deca (Borrowable for 14 days)
C. L. Dellums - International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Civil Rights Leader (1973) https://archive.org/details/interpresbrother00dellrich (Transcript)
Milton Derber, Edwin Young - Labor and the New Deal (1957) https://archive.org/details/labornewdeal0000derb (Borrowable for 14 days)
Milton Derber - The American Idea of Industrial Democracy, 1865-1965 (1970) https://archive.org/details/americanideaofin0000derb (Borrowable for 14 days)
Milton Derber - Labor in Illinois: The Affluent Years, 1945-80 (1989) https://archive.org/details/laborinillinoisa0000derb (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ben F. DesRoches (author) - The Union That Changed My Life Forever: Local 1005 United Steelworkers of America, Hamilton, Ontario (2003) https://archive.org/details/unionthatchanged0000desr (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ileen A. DeVault (author) - United Apart: Gender and the Rise of Craft Unionism (2004) https://archive.org/details/unitedapartgende0000deva (Borrowable for 14 days)
Victor G. Devinatz - High-Tech Betrayal: Working and Organizing on the Shop Floor (1999) https://archive.org/details/hightechbetrayal0000devi (Borrowable for 14 days)
Farrell Dobbs - Teamster Rebellion (1972) https://archive.org/details/teamsterrebellio00farr (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Farrell Dobbs - Teamster Power (1973) https://archive.org/details/teamsterpower0000dobb (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Farrell Dobbs - Teamster Politics (1975) https://archive.org/details/teamsterpolitics0000dobb (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Farrell Dobbs - Teamster Bureaucracy (1977) https://archive.org/details/teamsterbureaucr0000dobb (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Theodore Draper - The Roots of American Communism (1957) https://archive.org/details/rootsofamericanc0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Theodore Draper - American Communism and Soviet Russia: The Formative Period (1960) https://archive.org/details/americancommunis0000drap (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip Dray - There is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America (2010) https://archive.org/details/thereispowerinun0000dray (Borrowable for 14 days)
David Dubinsky, A. H. Raskin - David Dubinsky: A Life With Labor (1977) https://archive.org/details/daviddubinskylif00dubi (Borrowable for 14 days)
Melvyn Dubofsky - When Workers Organize: New York City in the Progressive Era (1968) https://archive.org/details/whenworkersorgan0000dubo (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Melvyn Dubofsky - American Labor Since the New Deal (1971) https://archive.org/details/americanlaborsin00dubo (Borrowable for 14 days)
Melvyn Dubofsky - We Shall Be All: A History of the Industrial Workers of the World (1973) https://archive.org/details/weshallbeallhist0000dubo_k0d1 (Borrowable for 14 days)
Melvyn Dubofsky -'Big Bill' Haywood (1987) https://archive.org/details/bigbillhaywood00dubo (Borrowable for 14 days)
Melvyn Dubofsky, Foster Rhea Dulles - Labor in America: A History (Seventh Edition) (2004) https://archive.org/details/laborinamericahi0000dubo (Borrowable for 14 days)
Melvyn Dubofsky, Joseph A. McCartin (editors)- American Labor: A Documentary Collection (2004) https://archive.org/details/americanlabordoc0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Melvyn Dubofsky, Warren Van Tine - John L. Lewis: A Biography (Abridged Edition) (1986) https://archive.org/details/johnllewisbiogra00dubo (Borrowable for 14 days)
Melvyn Dubofsky, Warren Van Tine - Labor Leaders in America (1987) https://archive.org/details/laborleadersinam00grap_0 (Borrowable for 14 days)
John Gregory Dunne (author) - Delano: The Story of the California Grape Strike (2008) https://archive.org/details/delanostoryofcal0000dunn (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Robert W. Dunne - The Americanization of Labor: The Employers' Offensive Against the Trade Unions (1927) https://archive.org/details/americanizationo00dunnrich (Public domain)
Donald Drew Egbert, Stow Persons - Socialism and American Life: Volume 1 (1952) https://archive.org/details/socialismamerica0001dona_j5s9 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Donald Drew Egbert, Stow Persons - Socialism and American Life: Volume 2: Bibliography: Descriptive and Critical (1952) https://archive.org/details/socialismamerica0002unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Barbara Ehrenreich - Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America (2001) https://archive.org/details/nickeldimedonnot00ehre (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Melech Epstein - Jewish Labor in U. S. A.: An Industrial, Political and Cultural History of the Jewish Labor Movement, 1882-1914 (1969) https://archive.org/details/jewishlaborinusa0000epst_a4w4 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Suzan Erem (author) - Labor Pains: Inside America's New Union Movement (2001) https://archive.org/details/laborpainsinside0000erem_o7p5 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Harold U. Faulkner, Mark Starr - Labor in America (New Ediition) (1955) https://archive.org/details/laborinamerica0000unse_r5i8 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Dale Fetherling - Mother Jones, The Miners' Angel: A Portrait (1974) https://archive.org/details/motherjonesminer0000feth (Borrowable for 14 days)
Rosemary Feurer (author) - Radical Unionism in the Midwest, 1900-1950 (2006) https://archive.org/details/radicalunionismi0000feur (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ronald L. Filippelli - Labor Conflict in the United States: An Encyclopedia (1990) https://archive.org/details/laborconflictinu0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ronald L. Filippelli. Mark McColloch - Cold War in the Working Class: The Rise and Decline of the United Electrical Workers (1995) https://archive.org/details/coldwarinworking0000fili (Borrowable for 14 days)
Nathan Fine - Labor and Farmer Parties in the United States, 1828-1928 (1928) https://archive.org/details/laborfarmerparti0000fine (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Gary M. Fink - Labor's Search for Political Order: The Political Behavior of the Missouri Labor Movement (1973) https://archive.org/details/laborssearchforp00fink (Borrowable for 14 days)
Gary M. Fink - Labor Unions (1977) https://archive.org/details/laborunions00fink (Borrowable for 14 days)
Gary M. Fink - Biographical Dictionary of American Labor (1984) https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0000unse_p4q4 (Borrowable for 14 days)
Gary M. Fink - The Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills Strike of 1914-1915: Espionage, Labor Conflict, and New South Industrial Relations (1993) https://archive.org/details/fultonbagcottonm00fink (Borrowable for 14 days)
Gary M. Fink, Merl E. Reed - Essays in Southern Labor History: Selected Papers, Southern Labor History Conference, 1976 (1977) https://archive.org/details/essaysinsouthern0000sout (Borrowable for 14 days)
Gary M. Fink, Merl E. Reed - Race, Class, and Community in Southern Labor History (1994) https://archive.org/details/raceclasscommuni0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Leon Fink - Workingmen's Democracy: The Knights of Labor and American Politics (1983) https://archive.org/details/workingmensdemoc00fink (Borrowable for 14 days)
Leon Fink, Brian Greenberg - Upheaval in the Quiet Zone: A History of Hospital Workers' Union, Local 1199 (1989) https://archive.org/details/upheavalinquietz00fink (Borrowable for 14 days)
Harry Fleischman - Norman Thomas: A Biography: 1884-1968 (1969) https://archive.org/details/normanthomasbiog00flei (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn - The Rebel Girl: An Autobiography: My First Life (1906-1926) (1973) https://archive.org/details/rebelgirlautobi00flyn (Borrowable for 14 days)
Albert Fried - Socialism in America: From the Shakers to the Third International: A Documentary History (1970) https://archive.org/details/socialisminameri0000albe (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Franklin Folsom - Impatient Armies of the Poor: The Story of Collective Action of the Unemployed, 1808-1942 (1991) https://archive.org/details/impatientarmieso00fols (Borrowable for 14 days)
Moe Foner, Dan North - Not for Bread Alone: A Memoir (2002) https://archive.org/details/notforbreadalone00moef (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume I: From Colonial Times to the Founding of the American Federation of Labor (1947) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo0001fone (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Philip S. Foner - The Fur and Leather Workers Union: A Story of Dramatic Struggles and Schievements (1950) https://archive.org/details/furleatherworker0000phil (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Philip S. Foner - History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume II: From the Founding of the American Federation of Labor to the Emergence of American Imperialism (1955) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo0002fone (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Philip S. Foner - History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume III: The Policies and Practices of the American Federation of Labor, 1900-1909 (1964) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo0000fone_j7s2 (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume IV: The Industrial Workers of the World, 1905-1917 (1965) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo0004fone (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Philip S. Foner - The Bolshevik Revolution: Its Impact on American Radicals, Liberals, and Labor: A Documentary Study (1967) https://archive.org/details/bolshevikrevolut0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Philip S. Foner - American Socialism and Black Americans: From the Age of Jackson to World War II (1977) https://archive.org/details/americansocialis0000fone (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - The Great Labor Uprising of 1877 (1977) https://archive.org/details/greatlaboruprisi0000fone (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - Women and the American Labor Movement: From the First Trade Unions to the Present (1979) https://archive.org/details/womenamericanlab0000fone (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - Fellow Workers and Friends: I.W.W. Free-Speech Fights as Told by Participants (1981) https://archive.org/details/fellowworkersfri0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - Organized Labor and the Black Worker, 1619-1981 (Second Edition) (1981) https://archive.org/details/organizedlaborbl0000fone (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume VI: On the Eve of America's Entrance into World War I, 1915-1916 (1982) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo0000fone (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - Mother Jones Speaks: Collected Writings and Speeches (1983) https://archive.org/details/motherjonesspeak0000jone (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume VIII: Postwar Struggles, 1918-1920 (1988) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo0008fone (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Philip S. Foner - U.S. Labor and the Vietnam War (1989) https://archive.org/details/uslaborvietnamwa0000fone (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner - History of the Labor Movement in the United States: Volume IX: The T.U.E.L. to the End of the Gompers Era (1991) https://archive.org/details/historyoflabormo0009fone (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Philip S. Foner, Brewster Chamberlin - Friedrich A. Sorge's Labor Movement in the United States: A History of the American Working Class from Colonial Times to 1890 (1977) https://archive.org/details/friedrichasorges0000sorg (Borrowable for 14 days)
Philip S. Foner, Ronald L. Lewis - Black Workers: A Documentary History from Colonial Times to the Present (1989) https://archive.org/details/blackworkersdocu0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ken Fones-Wolf - Trade Union Gospel: Christianity and Labor in Industrial Philadelphia, 1865-1915 (1989) https://archive.org/details/tradeuniongospel0000fone (Borrowable for 14 days)
William Z. Foster - American Trade Unionism: Principles and Organization, Strategy and Tactics (1947) https://archive.org/details/americantradeuni0000fost (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Charlie Fox - Fighting Back: The Politics of the Unemployed in Victoria in the Great Depression (2000) https://archive.org/details/fightingbackpoli0000foxc (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Mary Harrita Fox - Peter E. Dietz, Labor Priest (1953) https://archive.org/details/peteredietzlabor0000foxm (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Ruth A. Frager, Carmela Patrias (authors) - Discounted Labour: Women Workers in Canada, 1870-1939 (2005) https://archive.org/details/discountedlabour0000frag (Borrowable for 14 days)
Peter L. Francia (author) - The Future of Organized Labor in American Politics (2006) https://archive.org/details/futureoforganize0000fran (Borrowable for 14 days)
Dana Frank - Purchasing Power: Consumer Organizing, Gender, and the Seattle Labor Movement, 1919-1929 (1994) https://archive.org/details/purchasingpowerc0000fran (Borrowable for 14 days)
Steven Fraser - Labor Will Rule: Sidney Hillman and the Rise of American Labor (1991) https://archive.org/details/laborwillrulesid00fras (Borrowable for 14 days)
Chris Friday - Organizing Asian American Labor: The Pacific Coast Canned-Salmon Industry, 1870-1942 (1994) https://archive.org/details/organizingasiana00frid (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ruth Frow - Edmund Frow (Eddie), 1906-1997: The Making of an Activist (1999) https://archive.org/details/edmundfrow1906190000frow (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Walter Galenson - The United Brotherhood of Carpenters: The First Hundred Years (1983) https://archive.org/details/unitedbrotherhoo0000gale (Borrowable for 14 days)
Walter Galenson - The American Labor Movement, 1955-1995 (1996) https://archive.org/details/americanlabormov0000gale (Borrowable for 14 days)
Jérôme Gautié, John Schmitt (editors) - Low-Wage Work in the Wealthy World (2010) https://archive.org/details/lowwageworkinwea0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Miles Galvin - The Organized Labor Movement in Puerto Rico (1979) https://archive.org/details/organizedlabormo0000galv (Borrowable for 1 hour)
John S. Gambs - The Decline of the I. W. W. (1932) https://archive.org/details/declineofiww0000gamb (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Joseph Gerteis (author) - Class and the Color Line: Interracial Class Coalition in the Knights of Labor and the Populist Movement (2007) https://archive.org/details/classcolorlinein0000gert (Borrowable for 14 days)
Silvia Giagnoni - Fields of Resistance: The Struggle of Florida's Farmworkers for Justice (2011) https://archive.org/details/fieldsofresistan0000giag (Borrowable for 14 days)
Sam Gindin - The Canadian Auto Workers: The Birth and Transformation of a Union (1995) https://archive.org/details/canadianautowork0000gind (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ray Ginger - The Bending Cross: A Biography of Eugene Victor Debs (1949) https://archive.org/details/bendingcrossbiog00ging (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Louis Goldblatt - Working Class Leader in the ILWU, 1935-1977: Volume I (1980) https://archive.org/details/workingclassleader01goldrich (Transcript)
Louis Goldblatt - Working Class Leader in the ILWU, 1935-1977: Volume II (1980) https://archive.org/details/workingclassleader02goldrich (Transcript)
Steve Golin (author) - The Fragile Bridge: Paterson Silk Strike, 1913 (1988) https://archive.org/details/fragilebridgepat0000goli (Borrowable for 14 days)
Steve Golin (author) - The Newark Teacher Strikes: Hopes on the Line (2002) https://archive.org/details/newarkteacherstr0000goli (Borrowable for 14 days)
Juan Gómez-Quiñones - Mexican American Labor, 1790-1990 (1994) https://archive.org/details/mexicanamericanl0000gome (Borrowable for 14 days)
Samuel Gompers - Seventy Years of Life and Labor: An Autobiography (1925) https://archive.org/details/seventyyearsofli0000gomp_a0u4 (Public domain)
Samuel Gompers - Seventy Years of Life and Labor: An Autobiography: Volume Two (1925) https://archive.org/details/seventyyearsofli0002gomp (Public domain)
James R. Green - Grass-Roots Socialism: Radical Movements in the Southwest, 1895-1943 (1978) https://archive.org/details/grassrootssocial0000gree (Borrowable for 1 hour)
David Goutor (author) - Guarding the Gates: The Canadian Labour Movement and Immigration, 1872-1934 (2007) https://archive.org/details/guardinggatescan0000gout (Borrowable for 1 hour)
James Green - The Devil Is Here in These Hills: West Virginia's Coal Miners and Their Battle for Freedom (2015) https://archive.org/details/devilishereinthe0000gree (Borrowable for 14 days)
Julie Greene - Pure and Simple Politics: The American Federation of Labor and Political Activism, 1881-1917 (1998) https://archive.org/details/puresimplepoliti00juli (Borrowable for 14 days)
Steven Greenhouse (author) - Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker (2009) https://archive.org/details/bigsqueezetought0000gree_u3p2 (Borrowable for 14 days)
J. David Greenstone - Labor in American Politics (1977) https://archive.org/details/laborinamericanp0000gree (Borrowable for 14 days)
Gerlad N. Grob - Workers and Utopia: A Study of Ideological Conflict in the American Labor Movement, 1865-1900 (1961) https://archive.org/details/workersutopiastu0000grob (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Carol Groneman, Mary Beth Norton (editors) - "To Toil the Livelong Day": America's Women at Work, 1780-1980 (1987) https://archive.org/details/totoillivelongda0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
James A. Gross (author) - Workers' Rights as Human Rights (2003) https://archive.org/details/workersrightsash0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
James A. Gross (author) - A Shameful Business: The Case for Human Rights in the American Workplace (2010) https://archive.org/details/shamefulbusiness00gros (Borrowable for 14 days)
Jonathan Philip Grossman - William Sylvis, Pioneer of American Labor: A Study of the Labor Movement During the Era of the Civil War (1945) https://archive.org/details/williamsylvispio0000gros (Borrowable for 14 days)
Frank L. Grubbs - The Struggle for Labor Loyalty: Gompers, the A. F. of L., and the Pacifists, 1917-1920 (1968) https://archive.org/details/struggleforlabor01grub (Shared by publisher)
Daniel Guérin - 100 Years of Labor in the USA (1979) https://archive.org/details/100yearsoflabori0000guer (Borrowable for 14 days)
Fred Halstead - Out Now!: A Participant's Account of the American Movement Against the Vietnam War (1978) https://archive.org/details/outnowparticipan00halsrich (Borrowable for 14 days)
Hilton E. Hanna, Joseph Belsky - Picket and the Pen: The "Pat" Gorman Story (1960) https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_r7y1 (Borrowable for 1 hour)
J. B. S. Hardman, Maurice F. Neufeld - The House of Labor: Internal Operations of American Unions (1951) https://archive.org/details/houseoflabor0000unse (Borrowable for 14 days)
Herbert Harris - American Labor (1938) https://archive.org/details/americanlabor0000herb (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Herbert Harris - Labor's Civil War (1940) https://archive.org/details/laborscivilwar0000harr (Borrowable for 14 days)
Rowland Hill Harvey - Samuel Gompers: Champion of the Toiling Masses (1935) https://archive.org/details/samuelgomperscha00harv (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Harry Haskel - A Leader of the Garment Workers: The Biography of Isidore Nagler (1950) https://archive.org/details/leaderofgarmentw0000unse (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Harry Haywood - Black Bolshevik: Autobiography of an Afro-American Communist (1978) https://archive.org/details/blackbolshevikau0000hayw (Borrowable for 1 hour)
William D. Haywood - Bill Haywood's Book: The Autobiography of William D. Haywood (1929) https://archive.org/details/billhaywoodsbook0000hayw (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Kenneth J. Heineman - A Catholic New Deal: Religion and Reform in Depression Pittsburgh (1999) https://archive.org/details/catholicnewdealr0000hein (Borrowable for 14 days)
Ammon Hennacy - The Book of Ammon (Second Edition) (1994) https://archive.org/details/bookofammon0000henn (Borrowable for 1 hour)
Granville Hicks - John Reed: The Making of a Revolutionary (1936) https://archive.org/details/johnreedmakingof0000grav (Borrowable for 1 hour)

Hello, I originally planned a beautiful wedding - that should have been manageable budget-wise - but then discovered that ever since covid my city's costs for EVERYTHING has gone up 10x then it was. Unfortunately I am unable to go to a more rural area for cheaper prices or that will cause other expenses (i.e. place to stay, travel ect) that will come up to about the same price or more then just having it locally.
So I'm working on cutting down a $25,000 wedding to a $12,000 wedding....which doesn't do much in my area. We're looking at going the DIY route for most stuff. I found a venue that is large enough to have everything set up from start to finish with no room flips for $2000 w/ taxes, which includes tables & a bartender (permitting it's a cash bar that they run). I have the venue from 9am-2am, so we should be able to decorate and get pictures with our bridal party and immediate family beforehand.
We're having people be seated at dining tables for the ceremony & reception. So i was thinking of having our ceremony at 7:30, immediately followed by the reception that ends at midnight. Since people are sitting at the table from the get-go i was thinking of having tiered plates on the tables of crackers, pickles, olives, cherry tomatoes, rolled meat and Russian cheese salad, along with table wine. I'm also planning on a buffet table with non-alcoholic drinks and various desserts, like donuts, mini tarts, bite-sized brownies, cinnamon rolls, yogurt covered pretzels and grapes. For the drinks I was thinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, ice water, cranberry sweet tea and eggnog....then of course the cash bar.
For entertainment we are going with the forementioned (diy) photobooth, a photo scavenger hunt, dancing and karaoke.
We're planning this all for a 40 person wedding on a Friday November evening, but I'm not sure if this plan works or not.

Okay, I’ll try to write a backstory for Colin using Lincoln Logs in a medieval tone. Here goes:
Colin was a young lad who lived in a small village in the kingdom of Logland. He had a passion for building things with Lincoln Logs, which were wooden blocks that could be stacked and interlocked to form various structures. He would spend hours in his backyard, creating castles, towers, bridges, and anything else he could imagine. He dreamed of becoming a famous architect and engineer someday, and impressing the king with his designs.
One day, he heard that the king was holding a contest for the best Lincoln Log creation in the land. The winner would receive a large sum of gold and a chance to work at the royal palace. Colin was overjoyed and decided to enter the contest. He gathered all his Lincoln Logs and started working on his masterpiece. He wanted to build something that would showcase his skills and creativity, something that no one had ever seen before.
He worked day and night, barely eating or sleeping, until he finished his project. It was a magnificent model of the king’s castle, complete with walls, towers, gates, and even a moat. It was so detailed and realistic that it looked like a miniature version of the real thing. Colin was proud of his work and hoped that it would win the contest.
He carefully packed his creation in a large wooden crate and loaded it on a wagon. He hitched his horse to the wagon and set off for the capital city, where the contest was being held. Along the way, he met many other contestants who were also bringing their Lincoln Log creations. Some of them were friendly and complimented Colin on his work. Others were jealous and tried to sabotage him by throwing rocks at his wagon or cutting his horse’s reins. Colin managed to avoid these obstacles and reached the city safely.
He arrived at the palace grounds, where a large tent had been set up for the contest. He registered his name and number and waited for his turn to present his creation to the king and the judges. He saw many amazing Lincoln Log creations on display, such as a dragon, a ship, a cathedral, and a pyramid. He felt nervous but confident that his castle would stand out among them.
Finally, it was his turn. He wheeled his crate to the center of the tent and opened it. He carefully lifted his castle out of the crate and placed it on a large table. He stepped back and admired his work. It looked even more impressive under the bright lights of the tent. He heard gasps and murmurs from the crowd as they saw his creation.
The king and the judges approached the table and examined Colin’s castle closely. They were amazed by its accuracy and complexity. They asked Colin how long it took him to build it, how many Lincoln Logs he used, and what inspired him to make it. Colin answered their questions politely and modestly. He told them that he loved building things with Lincoln Logs since he was a child, and that he wanted to honor the king by making a replica of his castle.
The king was touched by Colin’s words and impressed by his talent. He declared Colin the winner of the contest and awarded him with a bag of gold coins and a medal of honor. He also invited him to stay at the palace as his guest and offered him a job as his personal architect and engineer. Colin was overjoyed and accepted the king’s offer gratefully.
He thanked the king and the judges for their kindness and generosity. He also thanked his parents, who had supported him throughout his life, and his horse, who had carried him to the city safely. He waved to the crowd, who cheered for him loudly.
Colin’s dream had come true. He had won the contest with his Lincoln Log castle, and he had become a famous architect and engineer in Logland. He lived happily ever after at the palace, where he continued to build amazing things with Lincoln Logs.