Timestamped photo: https://imgur.com/a/xy8fJWZ
We recently upgraded my wife’s Apple Watch and are selling her previous one.
For sale is an Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm WiFi + cellular). It is finished in gold aluminum, which appears closer to rose gold. Original charging cable and (unused) sports band is included; Watch will ship in its original retail box.
The Watch does have minor signs of wear, specifically micro scratching on the glass screen. There is no deep scratches or major imperfections, and these micro scratches are not noticeable while the screen is on. Functionally, the Watch is in perfect working order.
Cellular functionality is ready to be used with any carrier (or no carrier).
Repairs: none
Asking $150 shipped (or best offer) via PayPal goods & services.

last night i had a dream where there was a tornado, it hit me, and i died.
it all started when i was at a park. there was an event going on but the sky started to look rainy and dark. i don’t remember ever directly seeing it, but all the attendees of the event took shelter in a bathroom.
i knew that the bathroom would be a bad place because the walls were weak and there was little protection. i took shelter in one of the stalls and tried to get into the most interior corner while holding on to a rail.
as it hit everything collapsed and i was lifted up into the air and all i remember is just everyone screaming. i still held onto the rail but eventually a second later i think i was hit by debris, “died” and woke up.

Im going to be rebuilding a 1982 toyota corolla, Im wanting to slap a 12a rotary in there, or maybe a small block 350, either way, i want to be able to keep it with the capabilities of RWD, but id also like the option to have it in AWD, i know the Ford evo that they built for group b had what im looking for, but considering there were like 60 in total (i believe) that came with that specific transmission, i dont think im gonna get my hands on one. nor for cheap, so i was wondering if anyone knew any other transmission models i can look into? I just have no idea how to find the transmission i need. also needs to be a manual. Im also hoping that there easy/common to get, i dont have 40k i can drop on a transmission, nor do i want to have to import it(but can depending), hoping its like a autowrecker may have one, or can order through a company like ford/mazda etc

Big long backstory. I lived with my best friend, let's call him Robert, starting four years ago. He had started dating this girl who we'll call Chloe a few months in and long story short, she had to move in with us very quickly because she had no options. He had rescued her from her abusive rapist husband and brought her here against my advice. This is a three bedroom apartment and I lived on the couch at the time. She stayed in his room. This arrangement didn't last long and they broke up and, still having nowhere to go, she asked me if she could crash on the couch with me. The living room was pretty big and we had a sectional couch in there, so two people could easily sleep on it without getting in each other's way and although I was hesitant I felt bad for both of them and thought it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
It was around this time that she and I started to get closer. We did everything together. We started watching TV together, I helped her move stuff out of her storage unit, she went with me to a local video game tournament, and so on. When one of our roommates moved out, I elected to take over her room while Chloe would stay in the living room. We still did everything together and even though we had our own spaces she would end up sleeping in my room multiple times as we'd hang out in there late into the night. I woke her up the first time so she could go back to the living room but she kept passing out on my bed and I felt bad that she didn't even have a bed. Well, we started cuddling as we fell asleep and it was during one of those times that, when I thought she was asleep, I said to her that I think I might be falling for her. Saying it out loud made it more real to me and heartbreak set in as I was coming to terms with the feeling that she didn't feel the same as me and that I couldn't go out with her as she was my best friend's ex. So if she said she felt the same way or if she said she didn't feel the same way, I'd ce crushed either way. I felt stuck.
I decided to tell Robert the next night after he came home about my feelings. Chloe and I woke up the next morning and I noticed she was smiling at me a lot, but didn't really think anything of it as I went to work. When I came home, she was there alone and when I went into my room she slipped me a note. I opened it up and it was a really cute note referencing our favorite TV show asking me to be more than friends. I was horrified. She told me she had talked to Robert and had actually heard me say that I loved her as she was half-asleep. She told me he was okay with it but I didn't feel any better and told her I couldn't give her an answer until I talked to him in person. In my head I was firm that the conversation would go "nothing will ever happen between me and Chloe." The conversation went pretty much the opposite way. He told me he was happy to step aside and let me and her get together. It took a lot of convincing me honestly that he was absolutely okay with it and I let myself give in. Chloé wanted it, Robert wanted, and in my heart I wanted it too. I told her yes and we agreed we'd take it really slow.
We slept separately that night and I asked her out on a date the next morning. We ended up ordering in that night and talking about how we came into our feelings for each other. Afterwards she asked me if I wanted to watch something in my room. We cuddled on my bed and I put something on. After a while I could see her looking at me from the corner of my eye. I turned to look at her and she was giving me the biggest smile. I said she looked like she wanted to tell me something and she stayed quiet. I went in to kiss her and we started making out. She asked me if I wanted to make love to her and I said yes. I wish we had taken it slow in retrospect. During sex I triggered her PTSD from her abusive relationship and it ended very abruptly. The next morning she broke it off with me and said she needed to be alone. I found out later that after we had sex, she went to Robert's room and she told him what happened. He told her he still loved her. A week later I found them having sex. That really fucked me up for a long time. I should have moved out right then but I stayed. It took a long time and a lot of painful conversations but all three of us had eventually gotten to the point where we could move on from the whole ordeal. I told her that if she really still loved him I didn't want to get in the way of her happiness. What I cared about most was that she was happy.
I spent the next three years supporting their relationship because they were my best friends. The three of us were all still very close and weathered the pandemic together. However, on multiple occasions she would vent to me about her troubles with him. It was always the same story, but over time I was getting worried that it was becoming emotionally abusive. They broke up and got together constantly and their relationship became a pattern. As for myself, I moved on from Chloe four months after what happened and fell in love with someone else. That didn't work out either and eventually I had a long distance relationship that lasted nine months before ending very bitterly. My girlfriend had a lot of baggage with her family and ex boyfriends and was extremely misanthropic and had a hard time trusting me. She had an issue with Chloe especially after I told her about our history. I reiterated over and over again that I was over her and I wanted to move on with her. And to me, that was true. But my ex was uncomfortable with my relationship with her. She disliked how physically close she was with me and that I did things with her. I don't totally blame her for feeling that way but I never did anything with Chloe and only loved her as a friend at that point. I think the relationship would have lasted longer to its detriment but I was always venting to Chloe about my problems with her, and over time she made me see that the relationship was toxic for many reaaons and that I needed to leave. After I broke up with my girlfriend, Chloe was there to help me pick up the pieces. She held me as I sobbed uncontrollably. I don't think I could have gotten through that without her.
As I said, she and I were still very close throughout the years, but perhaps not as close as we once were. She actually lamented that to me once, and I realized I felt the same way. I had accepted that she loved Robert completely and wanted to marry him, although I didn't think they were right for each other ultimately. I don't think anyone did. Seeing what happened in their relationship firsthand over the years, it was plain as day they were both deeply unhappy. But she was desperate to make it work with him and he was too afraid to let her go. I was torn between wanting to support my best friends and wanting what I believed what was best for them, and the former always won out logically to me. Fast forward to eight months ago. We just got a new roommate who we'll call Michael, and we all became friends fast with him. Chloe and Michael became very close, which was something Robert and, to my surprise, I were not comfortable with. We both indivifually felt like she was replacing us with him, and we both admitted to her separately that we were jealous of their relationship. I knew she would never cheat on Robert and she never did, but for me, I had moved out two months after he moved it and they spend more time together after that.
Ever since I moved out she tells me constantly that she misses me and wishes I would move back. Since then she and I have gotten more physically intimate. We hugged for a long time every time we saw each other and parted. She would sit right up against me on the couch. The way we talked to each other, sometimes I wonder if it's normal that two friends talked like that. We told each other that we missed each other and loved one another and sent smilies and hearts. All this kind of fucked me up to be honest. I dreamed about her often, even when I was with my ex, and it got even worse after I moved out. I was so insecure that Michael was becoming the new me. As for Robert, he became so paranoid and was convinced she was cheating on him. They broke up a week ago after Robert crossed a pretty serious boundary. Maybe they'll still get back together but it feels different this time. He's planning on moving out and he reached out to me for once and I told them how I honestly felt about their relationship and he didn't disagree that they just weren't compatible and were very unhappy. When I started having dreams about her again shortly after I loved out I finally admitted to myself that I still loved her, and I probably never stopped. I know she's devastated about her breakup of course and all she wants to do is get back together either him, but I've always wondered if subconsciously or secretly she still felt the same. Every feeling I've admitted to her recently she reciprocated and I know I can't be imagining the connection that still lingers between us. It really upsets me and is bringing back my anxiety and depression heavily. I can't stop thinking about her. I used to pretend to be disinterested when she said she missed me and wanted me to come over all the time. At one point I avoided her and was much colder, which was selfish because I wanted to be sane again, but it only hurt her. Now I lean into it. I don't hide my affection for her and let myself be cheesy with her again. And it makes me feel like such a bad guy. Part of me is certain that if I told her I still loved her, it would ruin everything and she would put more distance between us which would absolutely crush me. Not to mention she just broke up with my best friend after four years together.
I'm messed up. She's been paying more attention to me lately and part of me is so happy but the other part of me is mad that I can't move on from my feelings. Still, what's most important to me is what she wants and how she feels. But I'm still afraid to ask if she still has feelings for me. Because I'm afraid of both answers, just like I was four years ago.
TL;DR I'm in love with my best friend who a) I've had a romantic history with and b) just broke up with my best friend. I don't know what to do with myself.

Blood Moon Rising
The Appalachian Mountains loomed before me like dark sentinels, their ancient peaks shrouded in an eerie mist. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the secrets of the forgotten. I tightened my grip on the shotgun in my hand, my knuckles turning white. Beside me stood a creature of legend, my pet wendigo, Milo. Its eyes glowed with a hunger that matched my own, its presence a twisted comfort in this desolate landscape.
We had been hired by a desperate family, a last resort for them. Their ancestral home nestled deep within these unforgiving mountains had become infested with eldritch demons. Creatures born from nightmares, they tore at the fabric of reality itself, preying on the weak and the unsuspecting. The family, driven to the brink of madness, had sought out our unique services, knowing that only the unholy alliance between man and wendigo stood a chance against these abominations. The family called them 'demons', and in my experience with real demons, these were not the real deal, but rather another undiscovered species of cryptid.
The moon hung low in the sky, casting an otherworldly glow upon the land. It was a blood moon, a harbinger of the horrors to come. We trudged through the thick underbrush, guided by the faint cries of the family's lost souls. Every step brought us deeper into the heart of darkness, the air thick with a sense of impending doom.
Suddenly, a guttural growl pierced the silence. I raised my shotgun, readying myself for the onslaught. The wendigo beside me crouched low, its elongated limbs poised to strike. From the shadows, a grotesque figure emerged. Its skin was a sickly gray, stretched taut over emaciated bones. Its eyes glowed with an unholy light, pulsating with a malevolence that sent shivers down my spine. It was humanoid, but barely resembling a living creature as its limbs contorted and twisted while its head snapped and clicked, its jaws drooling with hunger.
Without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.
The shotgun's blast echoed through the night, tearing through the creature's chest. It let out a shriek that curdled my blood, but still, it advanced. The wendigo leaped forward, tearing into the demon with a ferocity that defied nature. Its razor-sharp claws ripped through flesh and bone, leaving nothing but a mangled corpse in its wake.
We pressed on, our mission clear in our minds. We were here to cleanse this unhallowed ground, to rid it of the evil that had taken root. But with every step, the horrors grew more twisted, more grotesque. The demons crawled from the shadows, their forms shifting and contorting with each passing moment. They were nightmarish amalgamations of flesh and tentacles, their faces a mockery of sanity.
The shotgun became an extension of my arm, each shot a prayer for survival. The wendigo danced through the chaos, its hunger insatiable. Limbs were torn asunder, bodies rent in two. The demons howled in agony, their unearthly cries carrying through the night, a symphony of terror.
Hours turned into an eternity as we fought our way through the hive. The family's cries grew louder, their desperation fueling our resolve. Finally, we reached the heart of the infestation, a cavern bathed in an ethereal glow. The demons swarmed around us, their numbers seemingly endless.
But we were not so easily defeated. The wendigo's hunger had become a burning fire, an insatiable rage that consumed everything in its path. I fired round after round, my aim true, each shot finding its mark. The demons fell before us, their grotesque forms disintegrating into nothingness.
And then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. The last demon fell, its dying screech echoing through the cavern. The wendigo stood before me, its chest heaving, blood dripping from its maw. We had triumphed, but at what cost?
I turned my gaze to the family, their eyes filled with a mix of awe and fear. They had witnessed the horrors unleashed upon their home, and yet, they were alive. The wendigo had saved them, had saved us all.
As we made our way back through the Appalachian Mountains, a new dawn broke on the horizon. The blood moon sank beneath the earth, its malevolent influence waning. The world seemed brighter, the air sweeter. We had faced the eldritch demons and emerged victorious.
But I knew, deep down, that the horrors we had faced would forever haunt us. The Appalachian Mountains held secrets that would never be spoken of, nightmares that would forever linger in the recesses of our minds. We had danced with the darkness and survived, but at what cost to our souls?
The wind whispered its final farewell as we disappeared into the fading mist, leaving behind a trail of blood and broken dreams. The legend of the man and his pet wendigo would be whispered among those who dared to tread these haunted mountains, a testament to the horrors that lay hidden beneath the surface.
And as the world moved on, ignorant of the terrors we had faced, I knew that the night would come again. The blood moon would rise, and once more, the man and his pet wendigo would be called upon to face the unspeakable.
"We did good," I said, petting him as we walked away. "We did good."
MORE PARTS
CONNECTED SERIES/STORIES
THE BOOKS

So I was diagnosed back in January of this year, however, I’ve been having the symptoms since early December. I’m 19, a female, and WAS a college student & worked full time. This diagnosis has/had completely turned my life upside down. Nausea was my #1 symptom, and was absolutely debilitating. I was on the bathroom floor every single day & night dry heaving and crying. Not to mention I have a phobia of throwing up. In this season, (December), I had no idea what was wrong. I made sure I wasn’t pregnant, etc. The night I got my first onset of symptoms I was drinking wine. That night, all hell broke loose. It was immediate. The nausea hasn’t ceased since.
Moving on to January. I had been to the hospital twice before my third visit, and all they did was prescribe me protonix, (pantoprazole), and nausea meds. The nausea meds did nothing… except cause a blockage (sever constipation… I don’t even want to talk ab it lol). & the protonix made my heart have sever palpitations, and gave me the worst side effects. My third visit landed me in there for a week, on Christmas. They only admitted me because my heart rate was resting at 150. It was the nausea and pain keeping it there, but they wouldn’t listen. They thought it was anxiety.. anyway, I had to beg them to do an endoscopy. I’ve had stomach issues my whole life, and knew it was something on the inside. Finally the results came back. They said it was mild gastritis, and consistent with “peptic duodenitis”. (Also it was H pylori neg). That’s what it said on my chart. They said my esophagus was also red and irritated, but it was from throwing up. Despite me telling the doctor I hadn’t thrown up… they wouldn’t do anything. I hadn’t eaten in over 8 days when I was there, yet they sent me home and said it had to heal on its own. (I had an actual GI doctor there btw). When I cried about not wanting to be discharged yet because I still felt like I was dying, the doctor called a psychiatrist to my room and prescribed me lexapro… let me just tell you, this journey has been a mess and mentally draining. No one would listen to my symptoms and how TERRIBLE I felt.
When I left the hospital, I began trying to eat. Mostly so I literally wouldn’t die. I stuck to saltines, and boost drinks. By the end of January, I decided enough was enough. The protonix was making me feel absolutely awful, and none of the PPI’s were helping. I did a bunch of research, went on the gastritis sub here, and got to work. I ordered zinc carnosine, slippery elm, and aloe Vera capsules. I began taking the slippery elm before every meal and bed. The zinc I took as soon as I woke up on an empty stomach like the bottle says.
Flash forward to now, I’m eating every day… which I never thought would happen. I’m still no where near healed… but we’re getting there. I had to drop out of college, and have been unable to work. I have POTS on top of this, and the gastritis has made it seem a million times worse. I passed out cold talking to my lawn guy outside last week… not my best moment, I must say. However, I’m not on the bathroom floor every night, I’m not being starved for 8 days due to nausea, and I’m in a better mindset. The toll this diagnosis takes on someone isn’t talked about enough. I’m lucky to have an amazing husband I just got married to. He’s my rock and my support system. He has taken care of me, along with taken on all the bills while I’m healing.
Friends, this is something that takes time. I’m turning 20 this month, and I have to face the fact that I won’t be able to leave the house, eat a cake, or regular food for that manner. It’ll be my banana and me. However, it could be worse. I could be where I was in January. Just know, progress will come. Even if you’re in my shoes and it comes SUPER slow. When I have really bad days, I look back to where I was 5 months ago and smile. I’m somewhere I wasn’t back then.
If you have any questions, please let me know. I didn’t go super into detail on a lot of things to save some words & reading time. - I’ve always read in this sub, but I’ve never participated. It’s hard. But it’s comforting knowing that we aren’t alone in this journey. <3

I started with ACOTAR and loved them all. Found this thread and figured I’d start on ToG and even went with the recommended reading order with Assassin’s Blade first. I’m almost finished with ToG with CoM next but I am STRUGGLING. The story I’m having difficulty connecting to. I’m all for Celaena being a badass assassin but she doesn’t act like it. She’s supposed to be amazing at killing but also seems incredibly dense and oblivious to a lot of things. Im also greeting very sick of getting bits and pieces of Celaena’s backstory and what Nehemia knows. It’s a lot of, “Oh I know what’s going on but I’m not going to tell you just yet.”
I feel like I read on this thread about the characters you fall in love with. Does it get better or should I just cut my losses since I’m not really connecting?

At Kim's house, Kim is still overwhelmed by Kanye's behavior and would very much like to be excluded from this narrative. She says -- for the fifth time -- that she's not going to talk about what happened with Kanye for the sake of the kids but then talks at length about what happened with Kanye and how he's hitting rock bottom and will have to figure it out on his own. (God bless Kris for not saying 'at least your ex-husband didn't kill someone and turn up on the front of Vanity Fair in a corset...') Kim says North doesn't have any sense of what is going on and only let's the kids watch Apple TV ... which I'm sure Disney was thrilled to hear. The irony, of course, is that she's talking about protecting children while she's wearing a Balenciaga hoodie.
----------
Kim arrives at her office. She's decided to serve as the creative director of the Dolce show in Milan and just hope Kourtney is too busy fucking Travis to notice.
----------
Khloé and Scott arrive at Kim's house. They discuss the press response to the last season and rankle at the notion that they don't share enough on the show which Kim doesn't think is fair because she literally talked about Pete putting pimple cream on her nose. Scott asks them if they even really want to keep making the show ... but Kim likes filming their lives because it's a way to help and inspire people who can relate to their struggles. And Khloé likes the money.
----------
At Kourtney's house, Kourtney finally has a business that she's passionate about: cheaply made, nutritionally benign gummy vitamins. She admits that Kim's words have been ringing in her ears since their fight five years ago but now she's building something that her kids can be proud of and a part of because it's important that kids see their mom sell supplements that make vaginas taste better pursue her dreams.
----------
Malika arrives at Khloé's house. Khloé had a surgery to remove the tumor from her face. Malika breaks down into tears, finally giving Khloé the response this kind of situation deserves but Khloé can't accept sympathy because that would mean actually acknowledging what is happening. Malika thinks Khloé should have a good cry but Khloé doesn't see the point and also her mood stabiliser won't allow it.
----------
Kylie arrives at a lab in Milan. Kylie's public relations team would like me to note that it's fine that Kylie's hair is falling everywhere and she's pretending to drink foundation from a beaker because this is not the production facility -- it's only where the products are formulated. You can tell the difference because the staff at the factory aren't allowed to look at or talk to Kylie when she visits. Kylie says she took five years to be a mother and that was enough so now she wants to focus on work.
----------
Kris arrives at Scott's house. Scott got in a car accident the day before. He's shaken but suffered only minor injuries and once the hangover had worn off he was fine. It's a totally mystery how Scott flipped his Lamborghini after hitting his neighbours' mailbox on a residential street where the speed limit is 20mph. Rather than go to the emergency room, he had his 9-year-old daughter clean the blood off his face. (I'm going to hell because the way I laughed when it cut to Kris saying 'Scott is such a great dad' right after this revelation made me laugh out loud.)
----------
Kylie's tour of Europe continues with a trip to Harrods in London to see her make-up on display with Stormi. She's building something that her kids can be proud of and a part of because it's important that kids see their mom prey on the insecurities of young people pursue her dreams.
----------
Khloé and Kris are in Kris's kitchen. Kris is head-to-toe in family brands -- Travis Scott sneakers, a Good American jumpsuit, a Skims bra and then Kris pulls out her Safely cleaning spray to clean the counter. Khloé is disgusted that Kris would put her shoes on the counter but willingly kisses Tristan on the lips ... which is actually a perfect way to educate people that OCD isn't about liking things neat or flipping light switches on and off -- it's about controlling what you feel you can to make yourself feel safe. Her doctor is satisfied that the surgery was successful and that Khloé will be fine.
----------
Dolce of Dolce and Gabbana arrives at Kim's office. Kim is brimming with confidence and insecurity. She knows what she wants to see but isn't sure if other people will want to see what she wants to see. She's also a bit worried about how Kourtney is going to feel about it but she's not going to fight with her family ... again.
----------
Next time on The Kardashians:
Kim texts a boy. Kourtney asks a room of people if they have any drugs. Khloé is co-parenting with Tristan. Kris feels like she gets the blame for everything. Kim no longer knows what she wants to see.

My landlord filed N12 in bad faith and I have physical evidence that they violated the law. Been asking for compensation rent for months but called it a "bullying tactic" when I have texts and emails of them bullying me and aggressive so I had to involve a lawyer and every time they act childishly I ask them to contact my lawyer then they become more aggressive and abusive, it's mind boggling as they're elderly and behaving like a 10 years old.
So on purpose, they decided to show up next week for a sudden inspection knowing that im going to be away but my friend will be there. So can I ask her not to bring in anyone with her as my valuables are inside the apartment still? And she filed N12 so legally she can not rent the apartment so no viewings allowed.
And, after finally agreeing to give me compensation rent, she said she'll only give it to me after I give her the keys to the apartment which is absurd! so is this legal?
appreciate all the help and advice with these people.

It's easy to forget considering both Steam workshop and the messy Paradox launcher encourage you not to think about it, but you really need to sort things out every so often. Couldn't get ACOT and Gigas to work together for the life of me, rearranged my load order to put them almost at the top, and not only did they start working, but I fixed a couple minor issues I had forgotten I was even having.
Fixing your load order will improve your life, clear your skin, and make your crops thrive.

No idea where to go with this so I’m just posting here. I live in the North Dakota in the U.S., and I live in “permanent supportive housing” because I am missing both of my legs and part of my face, so I can’t really hold a job. It’s some sort of housing assistance, where I get a small room and pay $250 a month to rent it out.
This morning my landlord taped a piece of paper to everyone’s door saying that tenants are now expected to do “daily chores around the building. He wants everyone to start mopping the halls and deep clean the bathrooms daily(we share bathrooms). I’m expected to do keep my room clean and free of garbage, but doing chores around the apartment building was never part of my lease agreement. I told him that I’m not doing any “chores” since nothing like that was on my lease, and he that I can mop and sweep just fine, and that I could go ahead and refuse, but that I wouldn’t be staying here anymore. I’m pretty sure that in North Dakota landlords can’t evict tenants unless they violated their lease, or their lease expires. Neither have happened.
What do I do to prevent this? Who can I call? I can’t do any of the things he’s asking, but I can’t afford to be evicted either. This violates my lease agreement, as he’s attempting to make me do something that isn’t on my lease and threatening to kick me out of I don’t. I don’t know if the law applies here though since it’s really just a housing assistance place. Would the laws still apply? Please, I don’t know what to do and I need help.

For the first time in my life I had a ONS with this guy I met on PS. We both have hsv. After we started having sex, I asked him if he had protection and he said no, but he was ok and gave some bs explanation and I told him I didn’t want to continue without condom. Of course, I wanted to have sex with him and things were very heated but I was clear we needed protection. Somehow in the middle of it, he penetrated me. I'm trying not to frame this as sexual assault because somehow I ‘allowed’ since I didn't just get up and go, but the lines are blurred and I am confused! Also, I am scared to death that he exposed me to something else. I asked him to a std panel but now he doesn't answer on the app and blocked my number. Having hsv is already bad enough, now I have this grey cloud on top of my head for a few months until I can get the tests. I have two questions: how likely is it to get another std (HPV, hepatitis, HIV...) from an ONS, if he has something? Should I consider this sexual assault? Thank you

Transitioning is -- surprisingly -- a lot like the Rocky movies! (Disclaimer: YMMV. Everyone's journey varies, but here's what I think my own might loosely be like in the months and years to come.)
Going the distance (Rocky 1): Coming out, accepting yourself, embracing your own identity, and/or "at least looking better for the time being, even if I can't exactly pass/go stealth/go out in public yet" with things like makeup, even if you can't get on HRT yet.
Winning against Apollo Creed (Rocky 2): Navigating possible depression between coming out and finally getting on HRT; the training is convincing everyone around you it's a good idea and you know what you're doing, as well as navigating medical red tape and obstacles. The final fight is akin to finally getting access to HRT and getting in touch with your true, authentic self for the first time. "I can't believe this is happenin'...I can't...this is the greatest night in the history of my life...YO WORLD, I DID IT!" If not HRT, then social transitioning also falls under this category.
Winning against Clubber (Rocky 3): Voice training. After winning the belt from his fight with Apollo, Rocky gets soft and complacent, and thinks he's on top of the world from fending off a few title defenses (passing in interactions in LGBTQ+/ally spaces with people that are already on your side, but being untested in less friendly spaces). In the same way, after getting on HRT (assuming you even want to do voice training to begin with, which, to be clear, does not apply to everyone), one may think of herself as a woman already (and she very much is, to be clear), but the outside world -- *especially* the more bigoted and backwards parts -- might say differently. Much like Rocky got pummeled by Clubber inside of two rounds in their first fight, and lost his mojo to keep on fighting as a result, many people have found that still having their original voice leads to undesirable results, including being clocked/outed, and the resulting harassment and endangerment. Voice training is just that: using your progress with HRT as your motivator and friend in going forward with serious voice training, despite everything being thrown your way by transphobes, much like Rocky trained for the rematch with Apollo (and Adrian, representing the support of loved ones/friends) by his side.
Winning against Drago (Rocky 4): SRS (in particular, bottom surgery). [Once again, I should be clear that this will not apply to everyone!] In the movie, Rocky had to travel to, and train under incredibly harsh conditions in, Moscow in order to take on the superhuman Drago. For SRS, we need to muster unbelievable amounts of courage and personal conviction that what we're doing is right for us, often need to travel halfway around the world (to, say, Thailand), at an often exorbitant price, and need to heal for weeks afterwards (see: opening of Rocky 5, where Rocky is dealing with resident trauma -- physical and mental -- from the fight). Not to mention, convincing everyone you know -- yet again -- who may not believe in you or the idea of SRS, much like how, at first, Adrian didn't believe that Rocky stood a chance at winning and that the fight itself was pointless. "How much will it cost?" "Tens of thousands of dollars." "Where will the surgery take place?" "It's in Thailand." "Are you nuts?" "We operate in Thailand, or we operate...nowhere." "You've seen the transphobes, you've seen how crazy they are! YOU CAN'T WIN!" "Maybe I can't win. Maybe all I can do is take everything they've got by living my best life." "I get bottom surgery for me! FOR ME!"
Really, transition itself -- no matter how far you go or don't go with it -- can be summed up with Duke's quote from the fourth movie: "Now you're gonna have to go through hell. Worse than any nightmare you've ever dreamed. But in the end, I know you'll be the one standing. You know what you have to do. Do it. Do it."
Moral of the story? We're all Rocky here in our own ways -- and we all embody his fighting spirit and superhuman resilience -- no matter what paths we take in our transitions. Or Adrian, I suppose. :D
(Yes, I love the Rocky movies. All four of them. :D I was obsessed with them in college, especially during the COVID times, and I can feel my connection to them coming back as I fight my way through depression, aka the "Apollo rematch training" stage...)

I don't usually do pre orders unless they're exclusives. But this new ssj namek goku has me wanting too. But I am skeptical. Because after the poor quality of the new trunks, I'm scared that the goku will break down like that one. What do y'all think? Will the new goku break down as easily as the new trunks, or will it be better?

11 June 1519 Promulgated in Brandenburg, Saxony, and the rest of Germany
Leo, bishop, servant of the servants of God, for eternal record:
Arise, O Lord, and judge your own cause. Remember your reproaches to those who are filled with foolishness all through the day. Listen to our prayers, for foxes have arisen seeking to destroy the vineyard whose winepress you alone have trod. When you were about to ascend to your Father, you committed the care, rule, and administration of the vineyard, an image of the triumphant church, to Peter, as the head and your vicar and his successors. The wild boar from the forest seeks to destroy it and every wild beast feeds upon it.
Rise, Peter, and fulfill this pastoral office divinely entrusted to you as mentioned above. Give heed to the cause of the holy Roman Church, mother of all churches and teacher of the faith, whom you by the order of God, have consecrated by your blood. Against the Roman Church, you warned, lying teachers are rising, introducing ruinous sects, and drawing upon themselves speedy doom. Their tongues are fire, a restless evil, full of deadly poison. They have bitter zeal, contention in their hearts, and boast and lie against the truth.
We beseech you also, Paul, to arise. It was you that enlightened and illuminated the Church by your doctrine and by a martyrdom like Peter’s. For now a new Porphyry rises who, as the old once wrongfully assailed the holy apostles, now assails the holy pontiffs, our predecessors.
Rebuking them, in violation of your teaching, instead of imploring them, he is not ashamed to assail them, to tear at them, and when he despairs of his cause, to stoop to insults. He is like the heretics “whose last defense,” as Jerome says, “is to start spewing out a serpent’s venom with their tongue when they see that their causes are about to be condemned, and spring to insults when they see they are vanquished.” For although you have said that there must be heresies to test the faithful, still they must be destroyed at their very birth by your intercession and help, so they do not grow or wax strong like your wolves. Finally, let the whole church of the saints and the rest of the universal church arise. Some, putting aside her true interpretation of Sacred Scripture, are blinded in mind by the father of lies. Wise in their own eyes, according to the ancient practice of heretics, they interpret these same Scriptures otherwise than the Holy Spirit demands, inspired only by their own sense of ambition, and for the sake of popular acclaim, as the Apostle declares. In fact, they twist and adulterate the Scriptures. As a result, according to Jerome, “It is no longer the Gospel of Christ, but a man’s, or what is worse, the devil’s.”
Let all this holy Church of God, I say, arise, and with the blessed apostles intercede with almighty God to purge the errors of His sheep, to banish all heresies from the lands of the faithful, and be pleased to maintain the peace and unity of His holy Church.
For we can scarcely express, from distress and grief of mind, what has reached our ears for some time by the report of reliable men and general rumor; alas, we have even seen with our eyes and read the many diverse errors. Some of these have already been condemned by councils and the constitutions of our predecessors, and expressly contain even the heresy of the Greeks and Bohemians. Other errors are either heretical, false, scandalous, or offensive to pious ears, as seductive of simple minds, originating with false exponents of the faith who in their proud curiosity yearn for the world’s glory, and contrary to the Apostle’s teaching, wish to be wiser than they should be. Their talkativeness, unsupported by the authority of the Scriptures, as Jerome says, would not win credence unless they appeared to support their perverse doctrine even with divine testimonies however badly interpreted. From their sight fear of God has now passed.
These errors have, at the suggestion of the human race, been revived and recently propagated among the more frivolous and the illustrious German nation. We grieve the more that this happened there because we and our predecessors have always held this nation in the bosom of our affection. For after the empire had been transferred by the Roman Church from the Greeks to these same Germans, our predecessors and we always took the Church’s advocates and defenders from among them. Indeed it is certain that these Germans, truly germane to the Catholic faith, have always been the bitterest opponents of heresies, as witnessed by those commendable constitutions of the German emperors in behalf of the Church’s independence, freedom, and the expulsion and extermination of all heretics from Germany. Those constitutions formerly issued, and then confirmed by our predecessors, were issued under the greatest penalties even of loss of lands and dominions against anyone sheltering or not expelling them. If they were observed today both we and they would obviously be free of this disturbance. Witness to this is the condemnation and punishment in the Council of Constance of the infidelity of the Hussites and Wyclifites as well as Jerome of Prague. Witness to this is the blood of Germans shed so often in wars against the Bohemians. A final witness is the refutation, rejection, and condemnation no less learned than true and holy of the above errors, or many of them, by the universities of Cologne and Louvain, most devoted and religious cultivators of the Lord’s field. We could allege many other facts too, which we have decided to omit, lest we appear to be composing a history.
In virtue of our pastoral office committed to us by the divine favor we can under no circumstances tolerate or overlook any longer the pernicious poison of the above errors without disgrace to the Christian religion and injury to orthodox faith. Some of these errors we have decided to include in the present document; their substance is as follows:

1. It is a heretical opinion, but a common one, that the sacraments of the New Law give pardoning grace to those who do not set up an obstacle.
2. To deny that in a child after baptism sin remains is to treat with contempt both Paul and Christ.
3. The inflammable sources of sin, even if there be no actual sin, delay a soul departing from the body from entrance into heaven.
4. To one on the point of death imperfect charity necessarily brings with it great fear, which in itself alone is enough to produce the punishment of purgatory, and impedes entrance into the kingdom.
5. That there are three parts to penance: contrition, confession, and satisfaction, has no foundation in Sacred Scripture nor in the ancient sacred Christian doctors.
6. Contrition, which is acquired through discussion, collection, and detestation of sins, by which one reflects upon his years in the bitterness of his soul, by pondering over the gravity of sins, their number, their baseness, the loss of eternal beatitude, and the acquisition of eternal damnation, this contrition makes him a hypocrite, indeed more a sinner.
7. It is a most truthful proverb and the doctrine concerning the contritions given thus far is the more remarkable: “Not to do so in the future is the highest penance; the best penance, a new life.”
8. By no means may you presume to confess venial sins, nor even all mortal sins, because it is impossible that you know all mortal sins. Hence in the primitive Church only manifest mortal sins were confessed.
9. As long as we wish to confess all sins without exception, we are doing nothing else than to wish to leave nothing to God’s mercy for pardon.
10. Sins are not forgiven to anyone, unless when the priest forgives them he believes they are forgiven; on the contrary the sin would remain unless he believed it was forgiven; for indeed the remission of sin and the granting of grace does not suffice, but it is necessary also to believe that there has been forgiveness.
11. By no means can you have reassurance of being absolved because of your contrition, but because of the word of Christ: “Whatsoever you shall loose, etc.” Hence, I say, trust confidently, if you have obtained the absolution of the priest, and firmly believe yourself to have been absolved, and you will truly be absolved, whatever there may be of contrition.
12. If through an impossibility he who confessed was not contrite, or the priest did not absolve seriously, but in a jocose manner, if nevertheless he believes that he has been absolved, he is most truly absolved.
13. In the sacrament of penance and the remission of sin the pope or the bishop does no more than the lowest priest; indeed, where there is no priest, any Christian, even if a woman or child, may equally do as much.
14. No one ought to answer a priest that he is contrite, nor should the priest inquire.
15. Great is the error of those who approach the sacrament of the Eucharist relying on this, that they have confessed, that they are not conscious of any mortal sin, that they have sent their prayers on ahead and made preparations; all these eat and drink judgment to themselves. But if they believe and trust that they will attain grace, then this faith alone makes them pure and worthy.
16. It seems to have been decided that the Church in common Council established that the laity should communicate under both species; the Bohemians who communicate under both species are not heretics, but schismatics.
17. The treasures of the Church, from which the pope grants indulgences, are not the merits of Christ and of the saints.
18. Indulgences are pious frauds of the faithful, and remissions of good works; and they are among the number of those things which are allowed, and not of the number of those which are advantageous.
19. Indulgences are of no avail to those who truly gain them, for the remission of the penalty due to actual sin in the sight of divine justice.
20. They are seduced who believe that indulgences are salutary and useful for the fruit of the spirit.
21. Indulgences are necessary only for public crimes, and are properly conceded only to the harsh and impatient.
22. For six kinds of men indulgences are neither necessary nor useful; namely, for the dead and those about to die, the infirm, those legitimately hindered, and those who have not committed crimes, and those who have committed crimes, but not public ones, and those who devote themselves to better things.
23. Excommunications are only external penalties and they do not deprive man of the common spiritual prayers of the Church.
24. Christians must be taught to cherish excommunications rather than to fear them.
25. The Roman Pontiff, the successor of Peter, is not the vicar of Christ over all the churches of the entire world, instituted by Christ Himself in blessed Peter.
26. The word of Christ to Peter: “Whatsoever you shall loose on earth,” etc., is extended merely to those things bound by Peter himself.
27. It is certain that it is not in the power of the Church or the pope to decide upon the articles of faith, and much less concerning the laws for morals or for good works.
28. If the pope with a great part of the Church thought so and so, he would not err; still it is not a sin or heresy to think the contrary, especially in a matter not necessary for salvation, until one alternative is condemned and another approved by a general Council.
29. A way has been made for us for weakening the authority of councils, and for freely contradicting their actions, and judging their decrees, and boldly confessing whatever seems true, whether it has been approved or disapproved by any council whatsoever.
30. Some articles of John Hus, condemned in the Council of Constance, are most Christian, wholly true and evangelical; these the universal Church could not condemn.
31. In every good work the just man sins.
32. A good work done very well is a venial sin.
33. That heretics be burned is against the will of the Spirit.
34. To go to war against the Turks is to resist God who punishes our iniquities through them.
35. No one is certain that he is not always sinning mortally, because of the most hidden vice of pride.
36. Free will after sin is a matter of title only; and as long as one does what is in him, one sins mortally.
37. Purgatory cannot be proved from Sacred Scripture which is in the canon.
38. The souls in purgatory are not sure of their salvation, at least not all; nor is it proved by any arguments or by the Scriptures that they are beyond the state of meriting or of increasing in charity.
39. The souls in purgatory sin without intermission, as long as they seek rest and abhor punishment.
40. The souls freed from purgatory by the suffrages of the living are less happy than if they had made satisfactions by themselves.
41. Ecclesiastical prelates and secular princes would not act badly if they destroyed all of the money bags of beggary.

No one of sound mind is ignorant how destructive, pernicious, scandalous, and seductive to pious and simple minds these various errors are, how opposed they are to all charity and reverence for the holy Roman Church who is the mother of all the faithful and teacher of the faith; how destructive they are of the vigor of ecclesiastical discipline, namely obedience. This virtue is the font and origin of all virtues and without it anyone is readily convicted of being unfaithful.
Therefore we, in this above enumeration, important as it is, wish to proceed with great care as is proper, and to cut off the advance of this plague and cancerous disease so it will not spread any further in the Lord’s field as harmful thornbushes. We have therefore held a careful inquiry, scrutiny, discussion, strict examination, and mature deliberation with each of the brothers, the eminent cardinals of the holy Roman Church, as well as the priors and ministers general of the religious orders, besides many other professors and masters skilled in sacred theology and in civil and canon law. We have found that these errors or theses are not Catholic, as mentioned above, and are not to be taught, as such; but rather are against the doctrine and tradition of the Catholic Church, and against the true interpretation of the sacred Scriptures received from the Church. Now Augustine maintained that her authority had to be accepted so completely that he stated he would not have believed the Gospel unless the authority of the Catholic Church had vouched for it. For, according to these errors, or any one or several of them, it clearly follows that the Church which is guided by the Holy Spirit is in error and has always erred. This is against what Christ at his ascension promised to his disciples (as is read in the holy Gospel of Matthew): “I will be with you to the consummation of the world”; it is against the determinations of the holy Fathers, or the express ordinances and canons of the councils and the supreme pontiffs. Failure to comply with these canons, according to the testimony of Cyprian, will be the fuel and cause of all heresy and schism.
With the advice and consent of these our venerable brothers, with mature deliberation on each and every one of the above theses, and by the authority of almighty God, the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own authority, we condemn, reprobate, and reject completely each of these theses or errors as either heretical, scandalous, false, offensive to pious ears or seductive of simple minds, and against Catholic truth. By listing them, we decree and declare that all the faithful of both sexes must regard them as condemned, reprobated, and rejected . . . We restrain all in the virtue of holy obedience and under the penalty of an automatic major excommunication….
Moreover, because the preceding errors and many others are contained in the books or writings of Martin Luther, we likewise condemn, reprobate, and reject completely the books and all the writings and sermons of the said Martin, whether in Latin or any other language, containing the said errors or any one of them; and we wish them to be regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and rejected. We forbid each and every one of the faithful of either sex, in virtue of holy obedience and under the above penalties to be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach, praise, print, publish, or defend them. They will incur these penalties if they presume to uphold them in any way, personally or through another or others, directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, publicly or occultly, either in their own homes or in other public or private places. Indeed immediately after the publication of this letter these works, wherever they may be, shall be sought out carefully by the ordinaries and others [ecclesiastics and regulars], and under each and every one of the above penalties shall be burned publicly and solemnly in the presence of the clerics and people.
As far as Martin himself is concerned, O good God, what have we overlooked or not done? What fatherly charity have we omitted that we might call him back from such errors? For after we had cited him, wishing to deal more kindly with him, we urged him through various conferences with our legate and through our personal letters to abandon these errors. We have even offered him safe conduct and the money necessary for the journey urging him to come without fear or any misgivings, which perfect charity should cast out, and to talk not secretly but openly and face to face after the example of our Savior and the Apostle Paul. If he had done this, we are certain he would have changed in heart, and he would have recognized his errors. He would not have found all these errors in the Roman Curia which he attacks so viciously, ascribing to it more than he should because of the empty rumors of wicked men. We would have shown him clearer than the light of day that the Roman pontiffs, our predecessors, whom he injuriously attacks beyond all decency, never erred in their canons or constitutions which he tries to assail. For, according to the prophet, neither is healing oil nor the doctor lacking in Galaad.
But he always refused to listen and, despising the previous citation and each and every one of the above overtures, disdained to come. To the present day he has been contumacious. With a hardened spirit he has continued under censure over a year. What is worse, adding evil to evil, and on learning of the citation, he broke forth in a rash appeal to a future council. This to be sure was contrary to the constitution of Martin VI and Julius II our predecessors that all appealing in this way are to be punished with the penalties of heretics. In vain does he implore the help of a council, since he openly admits that he does not believe in a council.
Therefore we can, without any further citation or delay, proceed against him to his condemnation and damnation as one whose faith is notoriously suspect and in fact a true heretic with the full severity of each and all of the above penalties and censures. Yet, with the advice of our brothers, imitating the mercy of almighty God who does not wish the death of a sinner but rather that he be converted and live, and forgetting all the injuries inflicted on us and the Apostolic See, we have decided to use all the compassion we are capable of. It is our hope, so far as in us lies, that he will experience a change of heart by taking the road of mildness we have proposed, return, and turn away from his errors. We will receive him kindly as the prodigal son returning to the embrace of the Church.
Therefore let Martin himself and all those adhering to him, and those who shelter and support him, through the merciful heart of our God and the sprinkling of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ by which and through whom the redemption of the human race and the upbuilding of holy mother Church was accomplished, know that from our heart we exhort and beseech that he cease to disturb the peace, unity, and truth of the Church for which the Savior prayed so earnestly to the Father. Let him abstain from his pernicious errors that he may come back to us. If they really will obey, and certify to us by legal documents that they have obeyed, they will find in us the affection of a father’s love, the opening of the font of the effects of paternal charity, and opening of the font of mercy and clemency.
We enjoin, however, on Martin that in the meantime he cease from all preaching or the office of preacher.
Martin Luther’s theology is condemned by the Catholic Church. Luther himself will be given 45 days (or until July 26th, 1519) to repent on his errors. If, by that time, or during his grace period he continues to preach his heresy, he will be excommunicated.

(You can also find this story, along with the previous parts here and here.)
Five Years Later
Irving and Enterprise were busy. Irving smiled at Enterprise.
“Today’s the big day.”
Enterprise nodded as she looked up the stairs.
“Olin! Are you ready?”
Olin ran down the stairs, wearing a pair of blue jeans and an olive green t-shirt. He smiled at her.
“Yes, mama.”
Irving and Enterprise smiled. “Then let’s go.”
The family entered the car and drove to their destination. Enterprise looked at her son.
“Are you excited for your first day of school?”
Olin smiled and nodded. Irving looked at his son with a smile while they were at a red light.
“Are you going to behave yourself?”
Olin once again smiled and nodded.
They soon reached their destination. Azur Lane Elementary School.
Olin, Irving, and Enterprise all got out of the car. They walked to the entrance.
Irving saw Oklahoma and Malcolm were there, as well as Littorio, Vittorio Veneto, Fabio, and Marsala.
Littorio was holding her son's hand. She smiled at her daughter.
“Maria, are you going to say goodbye to your baby brother?”
Maria smiled as her brother giggled.
“Goodbye Vincenzo. I love you.”
Vincenzo giggled as his older sister turned to leave.
Irving and Enterprise kept walking, but they noticed Olin was not with them.
Irving and Enterprise walked back to where Olin was. Enterprise squatted down to look at her son.
“Olin, what's wrong?”
Olin’s eyes were wide as saucers as a tear went down his face. “I’m scared.”
Irving smiled and placed his hand on Olin’s shoulder.
“I know you’re scared. You want to know some advice?”
Olin nodded as he wiped away the tears with his arm.
“It’s alright to be scared. It’s how we stay alive. However, it’s what you do when you’re scared that defines you.”
Olin nodded. But he was still not budging.
Enterprise smiled as she stroked her son’s brown hair.
“Olin. I’ll tell you something that I learned. Beginnings are often scary, and endings are often sad, so enjoy the middle.”
Irving smiled. “Olin. If it makes you feel any better, your friend Louis is here as well.”
Hearing Louis's name made Olin’s eyes light up.
“They are?”
Irving smiled slightly.
“Yeah. You guys can hang out together here, learn, and even make new friends.”
Olin smiled and hugged his mother and father.
“I love you, Mommy and Daddy.”
Irving and Enterprise felt tears go down their faces. They held Olin in their arms.
“I love you too, my little tack.”
Olin giggled. He made his way to where Louis was. He noticed a dishwasher-blonde boy with hazel eyes.
“Hi. My name is Olin. What’s yours?”
The blonde boy smiled.
“My name is Lucio.”
Louis smiled.
“Hey, your name sounds like mine. I’m Louis.”
Lucio smiled. The three boys made their way inside the school.
Irving, Enterprise, Malcolm, and Oklahoma watch their children walk into the school. Malcolm smiled as he walked up to Irving.
“I told you they would be fine.”
Irving nodded as he wiped away a tear. Malcolm wrapped an arm around Irving’s shoulder. Irving smiled.
“Hey, I was thinking. You want to hang out at my place? I figured since the kids will be gone a few hours, I figured we can hang out together.”
Malcolm nodded. “Sure. Sounds like an amazing idea. You want to come also, honey?”
Oklahoma nodded. “Sure. I could use the company. I'll also call New Jersey and Samuel to see if they want to come as well.”
Irving and Enterprise nodded as they went back to their car and drove away from the school.
Enterprise noticed Irving was not taking them to the house.
“Irving, where are we going?”
Irving sighed.
“To visit an old friend. I know you were wondering why there were flowers in the trunk.”
Enterprise nodded.
Soon, the couple reached a cemetery. Irving grabbed the flowers as they walked through the graves.
Irving stopped at a dark granite gravestone. He read it with a somber look on his face.
“Robert Sharp. 1918-1944”
Irving placed his hand on the gravestone.
“Hey, Robert. It’s me, Irving. I’m here to say hello again like I do every year.”
Irving turned his head as Enterprise stared at him. She smiled slightly as Irving looked at the gravestone.
“I’ve been great. I have a wife and a beautiful son. Even gave him your surname as his middle name in honor of you.”
Irving reached for the red roses and a pack of Lucky Strikes and placed them on the tombstone.
“These are for you, Robert.”
Irving felt a tear go down his face. He wiped it away.
“Well, I suppose this is goodbye. I miss you.”
Irving saluted the tombstone and walked back to Enterprise.
They got back into the car. Enterprise and Irving were silent.
Enterprise looked at her husband with a blank expression on her face. “I never knew you visited his grave every year.”
Irving smiled slightly.
“Robert was born in September, and I told him I would always try to visit him the month he was born. It’s a promise I made him on D-Day.”
Enterprise nodded and smiled slightly. “I’m glad you still care about him and think about him. All these years later.”
Irving smiled as he looked at Enterprise.
“Hey, how about we go to the park? It should not be too busy.”
Enterprise nodded, and the couple drove to the park.
The park was quiet. The couple found a bench, and they sat on it and relaxed.
The green leaves on the trees were changing color. Irving smiled.
“The trees look so beautiful.”
After a while, the couple got off the bench and walked to a fountain. Enterprise had a gold coin ready.
“Want to make a wish?”
Irving nodded. Enterprise flipped the coin into the water.
After a moment of quiet calm, Enterprise smiled at her husband. She held his hand.
“So what was your wish?”
Irving giggled. “I thought it was bad luck to tell another person what you wished for, as doesn’t it mean it will not come true?”
“C’mon, you can tell me.”
“Alright. I wished that I could spend more time with you and the children. The Commander has been having me run around like a maniac to do things around the base. I mean, it’s honestly better than the odd jobs I had back in the day. However, they vary so much in terms of importance and energy. One moment I’m making sure that all the meowfficers are in the cattery, the next I’m helping the Commander make his coffee.”
Enterprise giggled. “So you act like another one of the Commander’s secretaries?”
Irving blushed as he scratched his head. “I guess I am, in a way. I don’t mind it, however.”
Enterprise nodded. “I know I’ve been busy, doing missions for the Commander as well. Once I finished breastfeeding Olin, Vestal cleared me for combat duty. Vestal knows we are planning on not having any more children after Olin and Little Enterprise. My missions have mostly been training Little Enterprise. And helping Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Littorio train Maria, Marlene, and Helga. Those three can use riggings like their mother, but they still need a ton of practice.”
Irving laughed. “I heard Olin and the other boys tried to use their riggings.”
Enterprise giggled. “Yeah. The only issue is that they cannot use them for long. Poor Olin. I swear, after he used his rigging longer than ten minutes, he was gasping for air like he had run a marathon. I believe they would be more useful as coastal defense and recon.”
Irving nodded. “I’m sure the Commander will find a use for Olin and the other boys in the future.”
Irving looked at the trees. The birds chirped as h closed his eyes.
“I suppose we should head home. We don’t want to keep Malcolm and Oklahoma waiting.”
Enterprise nodded, and they made their way back to the car.
Soon, the couple reached home. Samuel and New Jersey were already there. Irving smiled.
“Hey you two!”
New Jersey smiled as she rubbed her belly. She was eight months pregnant with her and Samuel’s daughter, Nicole. She smiled as she waddled to the porch.
“We’ll be inside if you need us for anything.”
Soon, Malcolm and Oklahoma joined the group. The men played poker on the porch while the shipgirls sat in the living room together.
Malcolm sighed. “Hard to believe it has been five years already.”
Samuel nodded. “Yeah. Time goes by you fast, doesn’t it?”
Irving giggled. “Hard to believe you and New Jersey are going to have a daughter soon.”
Samuel smiled. “Yeah. What about you Irving? You thinking of having more kids?”
Irving smiled. “We already have our hands full with both Olin and Little Enterprise. I don’t want to push my luck.”
Malcolm nodded. “Same here. I’m perfectly fine with just Louis.
The men went quiet. Irving pulled out a small cooler full of cherry sodas. He passed them out.
“So, how have the others been?”
Samuel giggled. “Larry’s been well. I heard he and his marines are now Nagato’s bodyguards.”
Malcolm smiled. “I heard that Arizona and Warren are thinking about getting married soon.”
Irving smiled. “How about Littorio and Fabio?”
“They’ve been busy ever since Vincenzo was born two years ago. I heard Fabio gave him the middle name Alonzo, after a man who saved his life back in Africa. Maria has been well, from what Fabio has told me. She has been an amazing older sister to Vincenzo.”
Malcolm smiled. “How about the Sakura Empire?”
“They’ve been good as well. I heard Zuikaku found someone named Arata Kondo, and she has a daughter named Hana, and Atago and Haruto got married.”
“Anything on the Northern Parliament?”
“From what I know, Mihail Larinov married Kirov. They have a daughter named Anya, and a son named Aleksei. I also know Nikolay Simornov and Gangut are also married, and they have two daughters named Nadia and Vera. They also have a son named Dmitri.”
Irving smiled. “How have you guys been?”
“New Jersey and I have been good. She's excited about having a daughter, as thought we would never have a daughter. We dropped off Merle before you guys as we didn't know when the school opened.”
Irving smiled and nodded. “So you are having an October baby like I am?”
Samuel nodded. “Yep. It looks like October is a popular month for children to be born.”
“What about you Mal? How are you, Lou and Okie?”
Malcolm smiled. “Good. We dropped off Louis at school with you guys, and now we are just hanging out.”
After a while, the small party died down. Samuel and Malcolm left with New Jersey and Oklahoma.
Irving and Enterprise were once again alone. Irving noticed a sweet smell coming from the kitchen.
Irving entered the kitchen to see his wife taking some chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. He smiled.
“Those smell great, honey.”
Enterprise smiled. “Thanks.”
She embraced Irving and kissed him on the lips.
Irving giggled. “Mind me asking, but where’s Little Enterprise? I didn’t see her get dropped off at school.”
Enterprise smiled. “Oh, she’s with Yorktown II and Hornet II. She’s training to become a KANSEN like me.”
Irving smiled. “It’s a good thing both of our children are getting an education.”
He smiled.
“You want to dance?”
Enterprise nodded, and Irving grabbed an old 78 record. He placed it on the turntable.
The notes of “It’s Been a Long Long Time.” filled the room. Enterprise and Irving were in an embrace as they slowly danced in each other’s arms.
Enterprise leaned into his ear. “I love this song.”
Irving smiled. “Why else would I propose to you with it, and it was the first song we danced to at our wedding?”
Enterprise smiled back as they continued to slow dance to the music.
After a while, Enterprise and Irving were sitting on the couch. Irving placed his arm on Enterprise’s shoulder.
“Hey, you want to hang out on the porch together? We haven’t done that in forever.”
Enterprise nodded as they both got off the couch. They walked to the back porch in the backyard. They sat on the hanging seat together.
Enterprise blushed. “Irving, I have something to tell you.”
Irving smirked and giggled. “You’re pregnant again?”
Enterprise blushed and giggled. “No.”
Irving smiled. “Then what is it?”
Enterprise sighed. “I know.”
Irving’s eyes went wide as she pulled out the photo of her and Irving on the beach together. Irving laid back, as Enterprise placed her head on his chest.
“Vestal asked me if I wanted to read what was on the back of this photo. I told her yes. I knew about the wishes before we even got married.”
Enterprise smiled as she rubbed her husband's face.
“You know. I say we did a good job.”
Irving smiled as he nodded softly. He stroked Enterprise’s hair as she fell asleep on his chest.
He stopped to enjoy this moment between them. A moment that, sometimes, he thought would never come.
He smiled. He had done everything he wished for.
And he was complete.
(And with that, that's the end of The Exploits of Irving Reese.)
(I have already made a list of people I wanted to thank for giving me both the courage and inspiration, either directly or indirectly, to write this story. You can find that list on the AO3 version if you want to read it.)
​
(Thank you for reading The Exploits of Irving Reese. I want to thank every reader who came from AO3, Reddit, or even my old Fanfiction.net account. You guys gave me the courage to keep writing fanfiction, and I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.)
(Here on reddit, I want to give a special thank you to u/TitanSlayrOG, u/ArchiveSlave, and u/Nuke87654, for giving me the inspiration to write in the first place. None of this would have been possible without you fellas, and I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart.)
(I hope you fellas have a wonderful day.)
Yours ~ LeutnantzurSeeFritz Salami Python