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Moradaya Rise
2023.06.10 19:01 eeeeeu Moradaya Rise
"Immortal Spirits of Fate, you who weave destiny, you who are my greatest muse and have spun countless stories in my ears, do not sit in idle silence toward me now. Sing to me of the birth of the Moradaya who came here from those mountainous lands of yore. May my words be true and my tongue possess the skill to utter the tale you speak into me without fault."
—An invocation to the spirits. Similar words are commonly spoken by storytellers in pursuit of favor from those who dictate the webs of fate.
As the cold wind howls through the valleys between that fractured piece of the Alpide belt born of the Paleogene in times long passed and nestled between two seas split by the crushing power of the advancing Arabian plate, a band traveling south and east on the backs of short stocky horses orients themselves against the rising sun hidden behind jagged peaks on the horizon which cut the sky like the serration on teeth of ocean sharks these migrants will never encounter, escape from this desolate winter landscape the one thing on their minds. They are Anyana, Iranic peoples whose ancestors roamed the steppes past the great mountains to the north where their distant cousins still drive livestock across a great sea of grass so wide and expansive it is hard for them to imagine both the land there and here in these claustrophobic ravines and gullies wrought by tectonic chaos belong to the same world. They do.
The Anyana abandoned such a pastoralist way of life when they migrated south along the coast of the Black Sea, known to them as Banga Marea, the Great Sea, which was vaster than any their ancestors before them had ever beheld, and into the lowlands between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus where rivers flow west into that massive body of water and the land is lush and fertile for farming. But this land of plenty where it seems the divines had tried their hand at crafting a paradise was not to be the home of the Moradaya. The Anyana who settled in these lands, which were at that time home to a population of Colchic Proto-Kartvelians, enslaved and intermingled with these local peoples from the coast to as far east as those who later formed the Kingdom of Asmanakashra, but many more of their brethren found no place in the small space of these lowlands, cramped as they were after the arrival of a lurch of people pouring inward as if the levy of the Greater Caucasus which once separated two worlds alien to one another had burst, and instead chose to push onward into the mountains to the south, spreading in all directions and hunting for whatever small abundances might be found in their alpine surroundings.
Massifs rise from underfoot across the plateau of the Armenian Highlands where Anyan has become the dominant culture and language, but divisions have already formed in this people. Wars were fought. Battles raged. Subjugation. The harsh topography of these lands and divisions between those original tribes who made the journey south drive the Anyana apart and erode their united identity like rivers splitting from one source in a delta before rushing out to sea, quickened by the absorption of local people's ways of life in the disparate and nascent polities forming among their culture. Some of the tribes have become wary of one another, others hostile and others more simply apathetic toward the Anyana living elsewhere in the plateau where even a few miles distance divided by a range of peaks can feel a world away.
The tribe Moradaya trace their lineage to a number of deva, beings akin to spirits or gods, the stories of their genesis passed down through the generations by oral recital and never received by the youth in quite the same manner or meaning each telling. Those travelers journeying across the Lesser Caucasus have heard the myths of their tribe’s origins many times, so often each might recite the tales from memory, as they did in the company of one another as solace for their otherwise pitiful position in a false remembrance of their greater past. The content of those myths is for another time than this. Their tribe has yet to find a home where they might permanently achieve peaceability and rest. For years they have searched, living scattered about Anyan lands, but this will soon be no more.
The band of men and women and children with their horses and all the belongings they managed to pack for the journey set their ambitions on the valley where meets a moot of all the Moradaya. For too long they have gone without a chieftain holding any true vision, but with the death of Small Vanga, deva bless his spirit, comes an opportunity to appoint a new ruler, one who might lead them to the home of which they have long dreamt. The winter journey for them has been grueling, but their ways demand a new chieftain be elected as soon as all the clan chiefs are able to convene. In that band marching beneath the slopes and now in the belly of a ravine, scrawny trees twisting and fighting each other for the scant light of the sun that makes it down all the way, Skoda goes with his family and a small number of his most trusted men to represent his clan, the Donsudra, and their wishes at the moot.
All free men are welcome to participate in the moot and the election of a new chieftain, but the clan chiefs are shouldered with the extra responsibilities of negotiating the affair and preventing strife at the results of the tribe’s decision. Skoda’s young age once made other chiefs wary of his abilities to lead, but since then he proved himself to be a skilled warrior and therefore, in their eyes, a leader in his campaigns against the Urartians, the native inhabitants of this alpine plateau, and many favor him to become the new chieftain.
After weeks of travel through winding mountain passes, Skoda and their band reach the banks of Soinya Marea, Lake Sevan, the water frozen therein beginning to thaw as spring emerges. Thin trees with leaves stripped and dead bushes and lichen growing on rocky outcroppings dot the hilly landscape. Smoke rises in the distance. Others from Moradaya had already arrived and created a camp where they weathered the remains of the cold season waiting to elect the new chieftain. Skoda’s band sets up their own tents in the disorganized array of other temporary homes along a network of mud pounded into the ground by feet of people buzzing around the camp. Tired from their journey, he rests.
They are some of the last to arrive, and soon after making their place all the clan chiefs are present on those banks, and the moot is called. They meet at the debouch of a stream snaking down to the idle water along an escarpment and flowing inside, the shallow depths gurgling over a bed of rocks. Men of other kinds have trodden these lands for hundreds of thousands of years since the age of Acheulean stone, and now rills formed in the mud by surface water from the melting snow are trampled underfoot as they gather into a haphazard circle, a little empty space in the center.
Clans Donsudra, Ibera, Kudogre, Paraba, Velun and Festuda all convene here. Besides Skoda, other favorites for chieftain are Oruges, son of the late Small Vanga, and Ekpuda, the wise and elderly leader of the Paraba. The law speaker initiates the day, and the shaman says a prayer and performs a ritual, and the thing begins. Oruges boasts of his own grandeur, standing in the center of the crowd who send cheers and jeers alike his way.
"He should be chieftain!"
"Someone older like Ekpuda ought to be in charge!"
"His father led us to ruin, and he'll do the same!"
They argue for some time with no resolution.
"Quiet, children." Ekpuda waves a single hand in the air, and soon all are silent. "I am too old to lead. That job belongs to those whose lives are still more ahead than behind them."
A murmur grows in the crowd.
"But, I must admit, I doubt Oruges' abilities as a leader, even if I respected his father."
A roar. Everyone was up in arms and yelling.
"I don't see anyone better!"
"Vanga's spawn is too weak!"
"Who else will be chieftain?"
Skoda walks to the center, the walls of which now undulate in the mass of upset bodies. "I will lead us."
After much deliberation and arguing, Skoda is narrowly elected as Moradaya's new chieftain, the first ever from clan Donsudra. He sets his mind on the task of finding his people a land on which they may grow and prosper, and these thoughts occupy every still moment for over a year until an opportunity presents itself.
The Urartian kingdom of Ushnu to the south had fallen into a state of civil war over the rights of inheritance pertaining to their king, and Skoda decides to take the opportunity and strike.
The war effort on part of the Moradaya is successful, and they drive out the rulers of Ushnu, known to them as Ošneš, and take over the land with their armies. They expand east into the territory of tribes Urartian and Iranian alike and settle them as their own.
Ošneš rests west of the endorheic lake of brine, Unya Marea, or Lake Urmia as it might be known to us. Fed by rivers, the lake lets loose none of its water except in evaporation, a draconic beast hoarding its wealth for itself. A place of stagnancy, though much life calls the lands around home. There exist many plots of arable terrain here, and it seems to all Moradaya, Skoda first of all, a good place to settle. To the east of this great salt pond is a river valley sandwiched by mountains north and the stratovolcano which looms over all therein and will soon become a place of great spiritual power south. Here, the Moradaya found a city, that of Majadaragand, the City of the Middle Valley.
For some time, perhaps a century or so, the Moradaya have called these lands home. The Urartians of the old kingdom of Ushnu still do so too, though they are in the process of being subsumed into Anyan ways of life, an integration which lends to the growing distinction between Moradaya and other Anyana. The real history of their conquests merges with legend, birthing new myths among the tribe's members now growing fat off the land. This is how the Moradaya came into their home.
Name: Moradaya
Gov't Type: Sedentary
Techs: Iron Age, Horse domestication, Spoked Wheel
map
submitted by eeeeeu to HistoricalWorldPowers [link] [comments]
—An invocation to the spirits. Similar words are commonly spoken by storytellers in pursuit of favor from those who dictate the webs of fate.
As the cold wind howls through the valleys between that fractured piece of the Alpide belt born of the Paleogene in times long passed and nestled between two seas split by the crushing power of the advancing Arabian plate, a band traveling south and east on the backs of short stocky horses orients themselves against the rising sun hidden behind jagged peaks on the horizon which cut the sky like the serration on teeth of ocean sharks these migrants will never encounter, escape from this desolate winter landscape the one thing on their minds. They are Anyana, Iranic peoples whose ancestors roamed the steppes past the great mountains to the north where their distant cousins still drive livestock across a great sea of grass so wide and expansive it is hard for them to imagine both the land there and here in these claustrophobic ravines and gullies wrought by tectonic chaos belong to the same world. They do.
The Anyana abandoned such a pastoralist way of life when they migrated south along the coast of the Black Sea, known to them as Banga Marea, the Great Sea, which was vaster than any their ancestors before them had ever beheld, and into the lowlands between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus where rivers flow west into that massive body of water and the land is lush and fertile for farming. But this land of plenty where it seems the divines had tried their hand at crafting a paradise was not to be the home of the Moradaya. The Anyana who settled in these lands, which were at that time home to a population of Colchic Proto-Kartvelians, enslaved and intermingled with these local peoples from the coast to as far east as those who later formed the Kingdom of Asmanakashra, but many more of their brethren found no place in the small space of these lowlands, cramped as they were after the arrival of a lurch of people pouring inward as if the levy of the Greater Caucasus which once separated two worlds alien to one another had burst, and instead chose to push onward into the mountains to the south, spreading in all directions and hunting for whatever small abundances might be found in their alpine surroundings.
Massifs rise from underfoot across the plateau of the Armenian Highlands where Anyan has become the dominant culture and language, but divisions have already formed in this people. Wars were fought. Battles raged. Subjugation. The harsh topography of these lands and divisions between those original tribes who made the journey south drive the Anyana apart and erode their united identity like rivers splitting from one source in a delta before rushing out to sea, quickened by the absorption of local people's ways of life in the disparate and nascent polities forming among their culture. Some of the tribes have become wary of one another, others hostile and others more simply apathetic toward the Anyana living elsewhere in the plateau where even a few miles distance divided by a range of peaks can feel a world away.
The tribe Moradaya trace their lineage to a number of deva, beings akin to spirits or gods, the stories of their genesis passed down through the generations by oral recital and never received by the youth in quite the same manner or meaning each telling. Those travelers journeying across the Lesser Caucasus have heard the myths of their tribe’s origins many times, so often each might recite the tales from memory, as they did in the company of one another as solace for their otherwise pitiful position in a false remembrance of their greater past. The content of those myths is for another time than this. Their tribe has yet to find a home where they might permanently achieve peaceability and rest. For years they have searched, living scattered about Anyan lands, but this will soon be no more.
The band of men and women and children with their horses and all the belongings they managed to pack for the journey set their ambitions on the valley where meets a moot of all the Moradaya. For too long they have gone without a chieftain holding any true vision, but with the death of Small Vanga, deva bless his spirit, comes an opportunity to appoint a new ruler, one who might lead them to the home of which they have long dreamt. The winter journey for them has been grueling, but their ways demand a new chieftain be elected as soon as all the clan chiefs are able to convene. In that band marching beneath the slopes and now in the belly of a ravine, scrawny trees twisting and fighting each other for the scant light of the sun that makes it down all the way, Skoda goes with his family and a small number of his most trusted men to represent his clan, the Donsudra, and their wishes at the moot.
All free men are welcome to participate in the moot and the election of a new chieftain, but the clan chiefs are shouldered with the extra responsibilities of negotiating the affair and preventing strife at the results of the tribe’s decision. Skoda’s young age once made other chiefs wary of his abilities to lead, but since then he proved himself to be a skilled warrior and therefore, in their eyes, a leader in his campaigns against the Urartians, the native inhabitants of this alpine plateau, and many favor him to become the new chieftain.
After weeks of travel through winding mountain passes, Skoda and their band reach the banks of Soinya Marea, Lake Sevan, the water frozen therein beginning to thaw as spring emerges. Thin trees with leaves stripped and dead bushes and lichen growing on rocky outcroppings dot the hilly landscape. Smoke rises in the distance. Others from Moradaya had already arrived and created a camp where they weathered the remains of the cold season waiting to elect the new chieftain. Skoda’s band sets up their own tents in the disorganized array of other temporary homes along a network of mud pounded into the ground by feet of people buzzing around the camp. Tired from their journey, he rests.
They are some of the last to arrive, and soon after making their place all the clan chiefs are present on those banks, and the moot is called. They meet at the debouch of a stream snaking down to the idle water along an escarpment and flowing inside, the shallow depths gurgling over a bed of rocks. Men of other kinds have trodden these lands for hundreds of thousands of years since the age of Acheulean stone, and now rills formed in the mud by surface water from the melting snow are trampled underfoot as they gather into a haphazard circle, a little empty space in the center.
Clans Donsudra, Ibera, Kudogre, Paraba, Velun and Festuda all convene here. Besides Skoda, other favorites for chieftain are Oruges, son of the late Small Vanga, and Ekpuda, the wise and elderly leader of the Paraba. The law speaker initiates the day, and the shaman says a prayer and performs a ritual, and the thing begins. Oruges boasts of his own grandeur, standing in the center of the crowd who send cheers and jeers alike his way.
"He should be chieftain!"
"Someone older like Ekpuda ought to be in charge!"
"His father led us to ruin, and he'll do the same!"
They argue for some time with no resolution.
"Quiet, children." Ekpuda waves a single hand in the air, and soon all are silent. "I am too old to lead. That job belongs to those whose lives are still more ahead than behind them."
A murmur grows in the crowd.
"But, I must admit, I doubt Oruges' abilities as a leader, even if I respected his father."
A roar. Everyone was up in arms and yelling.
"I don't see anyone better!"
"Vanga's spawn is too weak!"
"Who else will be chieftain?"
Skoda walks to the center, the walls of which now undulate in the mass of upset bodies. "I will lead us."
After much deliberation and arguing, Skoda is narrowly elected as Moradaya's new chieftain, the first ever from clan Donsudra. He sets his mind on the task of finding his people a land on which they may grow and prosper, and these thoughts occupy every still moment for over a year until an opportunity presents itself.
The Urartian kingdom of Ushnu to the south had fallen into a state of civil war over the rights of inheritance pertaining to their king, and Skoda decides to take the opportunity and strike.
The war effort on part of the Moradaya is successful, and they drive out the rulers of Ushnu, known to them as Ošneš, and take over the land with their armies. They expand east into the territory of tribes Urartian and Iranian alike and settle them as their own.
Ošneš rests west of the endorheic lake of brine, Unya Marea, or Lake Urmia as it might be known to us. Fed by rivers, the lake lets loose none of its water except in evaporation, a draconic beast hoarding its wealth for itself. A place of stagnancy, though much life calls the lands around home. There exist many plots of arable terrain here, and it seems to all Moradaya, Skoda first of all, a good place to settle. To the east of this great salt pond is a river valley sandwiched by mountains north and the stratovolcano which looms over all therein and will soon become a place of great spiritual power south. Here, the Moradaya found a city, that of Majadaragand, the City of the Middle Valley.
For some time, perhaps a century or so, the Moradaya have called these lands home. The Urartians of the old kingdom of Ushnu still do so too, though they are in the process of being subsumed into Anyan ways of life, an integration which lends to the growing distinction between Moradaya and other Anyana. The real history of their conquests merges with legend, birthing new myths among the tribe's members now growing fat off the land. This is how the Moradaya came into their home.
Name: Moradaya
Gov't Type: Sedentary
Techs: Iron Age, Horse domestication, Spoked Wheel
map
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2023.06.10 14:31 longenglishsnakes People still missing from programs and facilities
Introduction
I wanted to collate some information about people still missing from programs. Obviously, there are a lot of runners from programs - some don't get out of the door before being caught, and some keep their freedom until they're 18 and can make themselves known again. That said, there are a lot of people who go beyond runners - who have been missing for years, their image frozen at thirteen, with no news and few theories. These people deserve recognition.I struggled with how to define the TTI here - lots of people are missing from group homes, which aren't necessarily TTI but sometimes operate with similar modes of coercion, control, repression, and restricted access to rights such as food and sleep. I have tried to be careful and not assign someone TTI when they weren't part of it, but I may have some inclusions or exclusions which you disagree with.
1970's
February 3 1973 (?): Sentenced to Synanon by court order, Rose Lena Cole was sixteen when her last known contact occurred - a postscript to a letter written the previous year noting that she'd finally found a stamp. Rose wasn't actually at Synanon when she went missing, having run away and written to her family telling them she couldn't write again until she turned 18 lest Synanon find her, capture her, and force her back against her will. Rose has never been heard from since, and is still classed as a runaway.1980's
August 31st 1981: Patricia Lynn Taylor was fifteen when she went missing. Born in California, she'd gone at some point to North Dakota to live with relatives. At some point afterwards, she was taken to Oklahoma and put into the care of Oklahoma's Department of Human Services. First placed in the Oklahoma Baptist Home for Children, she was moved to the Tulsa Girls Group Home in July 1981. She went missing on the 31st August that year, and was classified as a runaway. Patricia's family continue to look for her.March 23rd 1984: William Charles Cordes was a "troubled youth" who had spent time in Juvenile Hall and Oak Ridge House group home before being sent to the Children's Home Society in Auburn, California as punishment for stealing beer. He and two other boys escaped the group home to go to a party, after which 15 year old William has never been seen again. Although he was initially reported as missing, the report was swiftly cancelled and no investigation was made into his disappearance until years later.
1990's
January 16th 1993: John Christopher Inman was a 17 year old student of CEDU Running Springs when he went missing on January 16th 1993. John wasn't the healthiest - he needed meds to prevent seizures, he had a shunt in his skull, crowns on his teeth, and he needed glasses - and didn't have his seizure medication on him when he seemingly ran away.June 26 1994: A year and a half later, Blake Wade Pursley went missing from the very same CEDU campus. Blake wasn't too healthy either - he'd been in an accident as a toddler that left him with a paralysed vocal chord, a life-threatening internal fungus, poor motor skills, and seizures, and he too required daily medication for said seizures. Blake had only been at CEDU since June 1st, and the circumstances of his disappearance are unclear - the school and authorities believed he'd voluntarily run away, while his family believe he was lured away or abducted. There have been sightings of Blake, but he has not been confirmedly seen since June 26 1994, when he was 14 years old.
2000's
February 8 2004: Another decade on, and another young man disappeared from CEDU High School - 16 year old Daniel Ted Yuen. He was at CEDU for only ten days before running, having been initially sent there following the recommendation of a psychiatrist following a bout of depression. On The Lost Kids podcast, Daniel's parents have stated they believe he is still alive - indeed, there have been recent alleged sightings of Daniel with a woman and baby.February 15 2004: Thirteen year old Justin Phillip Harris has few confirmed details about him online - everything seems to be contradictory. His father stated he had no disabilities, while the staff at the R.L. Mills Home stated he required constant supervision and was unable to function without psychiatric medication. The R.L. Mills Home, closed in 2011, was a home for adolescent boys with emotional and behavioural problems, and it's from there that Justin vanished. Seemingly, he packed his bed with clothes to make it look like he was asleep in it and then ran away during the night - that said, his father believes that Justin was a victim of a crime, and that the R.L. Mills Home had covered it up. Justin has never been found.
2010's
December 4 2010: Forest Ferguson had attended Diamond Ranch Academy before he ended up at Carlbrook School, a CEDU spinoff which closed in 2015 and is discussed in depth in Stolen: a Memoir by Elizabeth Gilpin. Forest left campus at 7.30PM with some additional clothing, and has not been seen since. Forest's loved ones run a website dedicated to finding Forest and bringing him home.May 5 2013: William "Billy" Fred Patient III had some problems - he was diagnosed as bipolar, he had substance abuse issues, and was swamped by grief over the death of his father in 2012. Billy was enrolled at The Academy, a residential centre for 'troubled teens', to try and treat his substance abuse problems and depression. He and a group of nine other boys went on an outing to Juno Beach, Florida - Billy was last seen floating in the ocean, his clothes and wallet on the sands. Naturally, one may assume the worst - that Billy drowned, either by accident or intentionally - however his mother believes he was alive for at least several months after his disappearance due to activity on his Facebook page, including messages being read. Billy's parents ended up being refunded by The Academy, as they had failed to provide what they had promised them.
January 21 2019: A resident of Spruce Street Inn, a residential program for " “street youth”, chronic runaways, and commercially sexually exploited children", Kaitlynn Munson went missing on January 21 2019. Kaitlynn simply left, with a couple of sightings shortly after her disappearance but none in the years since. Both of Kaitlynn's parents are dead, and Kaitlynn has severe developmental disabilities. 14 at the time, Kaitlynn is now 18.
February 3 2019: The youngest on this list, Serenity Dennard was only nine years old when she ran away from Black Hills Children's Home in February 2019. Serenity's life had been filled with trauma - removal from her birth parents, over a dozen foster placements, and a diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder. Her adoptive parents placed her in the private facility for a 14 month stay to work on her trauma, and Serenity had been at the home since July 2018. She had already run from the facility before, and so had been on run watch right up until February 3rd. Serenity's disappearance caused concern and outrage when it was revealed the facility took 41 minutes to call 911 following her disappearance, valuable time wasted.
Conclusion
There are many more than this. There are kids from group homes that seem to be TTI-inspired or to follow TTI protocols, but which I can't find definitive information about. There are kids who're written off as runaways and their information never makes it online. There are kids who no one knows about. Kids lost in the system. I can't name them all, but I offer my love and respect to those people. They deserved better.2023.06.10 05:31 NSSolutions Understanding the Challenges of Unwanted Body Hair and the Promise of Pain-Free Laser Hair Removal
 | submitted by NSSolutions to u/NSSolutions [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/ckfl2ychz35b1.jpg?width=360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bae0eba1af1d58e13a1347a87f432b96e4bf542 Unwanted hair on the underarms, chest, and face can have several downsides that may affect one's confidence, hygiene, and personal preferences. Here are some of the potential drawbacks:
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2023.06.10 00:58 Real_Company_7721 So what went wrong in Alexee’s upbringing?
 | Alexee Trevizo was born in Texas. All signs indicate the mother, Rosa, is no longer married to Alexee’s father, and embarrassingly announced that her ex-husband used to beat her when she was pregnant (effing cringe moment, that lady is shameless) in front of everyone at the hospital. Do you think this domestic abuse will play a part in the defense during trial? Could Rosa be covering up HER abuse of Alexee by being so quick to cast blame on her ex-husband who wasn’t even in the same state when the murder occurred? submitted by Real_Company_7721 to AlexeeTrevizo [link] [comments] |
2023.06.09 21:55 RedCastoff [I Became a Commander, Whatever that Means] - Chapter 27
First Previous Next
Chapter 27 - I Guess a Bathhouse Episode was Inevitable
Last Time: Having attained at least some measure or personal safety, the party recovered from their wounds in a forest clearing. Aiden awoke from his nightmare-troubled sleep to see everyone waiting. They had found a fortuitous ally in the form of Alex, a teamster who had happened upon them during their flight from Tripit, though they were away retrieving the party’s belongings. The day passed peacefully enough, and good news was had when Oxcard awoke from his sleep. In the relative quiet, plans were made for what the party would do going forward. Aiden, Laran, Leor, and Oriwyn would follow Arcadia and Oxcard as they made their way to Diareen, a distant trade city. In addition to following them, Aiden made Arcadia and Oxcard the offer to join their party. The two siblings deferred their answer but acquiesced to the party joining them on their trip, and thus it was that they set travel that night at a much more leisurely pace than they had been forced to take the night before.
We had been traveling for about three days. During the first, all of us had been jumpy. Many small clumps of people lined the roads that led from Tripit, little communities that arose in order to be near Tripit or which persisted despite the meteoric growth of their larger neighbor. Any time someone glanced over at us, I felt like they were going to report our whereabouts to Daisy and we would need to flee into the darkness. Luckily, however, there were no incidents and we began to be able to fully relax.
Oxcard was making a good recovery. He still rode in the cart more often than not, with Oriwyn often joining him to minister to his wounds as best she could. It quickly became apparent that he knew more about treating injuries than Oriwyn, so her attempts quickly turned into lessons. Arcadia normally walked nearby, chatting pleasantly with Oxcard whenever he otherwise didn’t have anything to do - I had noticed she didn’t talk to the rest of the party as much, but given the circumstances I figured that her joy at saving Ox merited a little bit of single-minded focus.
It felt strange to lead the group with nothing really going on. We had too many injuries to really try to train, and we wanted to spend as much time as we could traveling to put some distance behind us just in case someone was following, so we barely acted like an adventuring party. In general, it felt more like we were a group of backpackers who had run into each other and decided to stick together rather than an adventuring party on a quest for future glory.
All in all, I couldn’t say I really minded it.
In the quiet times after we’d made camp but before I fell asleep, I would occasionally check Lorna’s pocket mirror. The first time I did, I was unsurprised to learn we had all leveled up - I was level six, Laran and Leor were level seven, Oriwyn was level eight, Arcadia was level five, and Oxcard was level six. In addition to that, I had increased in bond with everybody. After such a harrowing venture, it felt right.
About midway through the third day of travel, Alex called out to us all, suddenly excited.
“I thought this looked familiar! See the weird tree that looks like it was hit by lightning? And that pile of boulders over there that kind of looks like a bunny? If we take the side road we’ll find in about ten minutes, then we’ll get to YaDa’s!”
I had no idea what Alex was talking about, so I shot a look around to the rest of the party. They seemed equally as mystified, so I decided to take one for the team.
“Uh, YaDa’s? What is that?”
Alex slapped a hand to their heart as if they’d been offended.
“You don’t know of YaDa’s? It's the finest combination inn, general store, and bathhouse in all of Tal!”
I snorted with laughter at Alex’s mock indignation. The place certainly sounded interesting - even after only three days on the road, I could do with an inn, a general store, and a bathhouse. If they all happened to be in the same building, then that was all the better for it. I did have one question though.
“I think we’re interested, assuming it won’t cause us too much delay. That being said, why is someone trying to run a business out in the middle of nowhere? Sure we’re not too far from Tripit and we’re on a decently large road, but I can’t imagine that enough people pass through to make it fully worth their while.”
Alex just shrugged and smiled.
“The owners seem to do just fine for themselves! Maybe it’s because they tend to get a lot of repeat customers. I’m not the only one who looks forward to my path taking me by YaDa’s - in fact, I stop pretty much every time I’m going to or from Tripit!”
I nodded along as Alex continued to ramble about some of the amenities of YaDa’s. Everyone else seemed interested too, so it wasn’t much of a decision to declare we would stop in and rest the remainder of the day. Everyone’s mood got an immediate boost and we all moved faster - even the pack animals pulling the cart seemed excited. Soon enough we found a simple wooden sign next to a side road, which Alex directed us down.
The sign had three pictograms on it - a coin purse, a plate of food, and a steaming bath. As I looked at them, my brain started to work out what order I wanted to do the actions they represented in.
Oriwyn’s eyes were bright and wide open as we came down the path. Already, a building could be seen in the distance. It was large for how little else stood near it - a big, blocky building that matched what I thought an inn should look like was flanked by a smaller, blocky building and a large geodesic dome. I blinked a few times, startled by the shape. It looked like triangular panes of glass rested on a wooden substructure, making a shape that I always associated with retrofuturism. Leor looked interested too - maybe she had some interest in architecture?
As we approached, Alex rumbled their wagon to a halt.
“You six - sorry Brams, seven - go ahead and run in ahead of me. I have an understanding with the owners so I’m going to hitch Peggy and Gary up in the stables before I try to get settled. Someone should be working the front desk - introduce yourself, they’re friendly!”
We thanked Alex for their insight and made our way into the building. We entered into a slightly small space - it wasn’t cramped, but it definitely felt small for what I associated with the entryway for an inn. A few plush chairs were arranged around a fireplace on one wall and a desk stood at the far end. It was currently unoccupied, but I saw a small hanging bell and a hammer on an iron stand on the desk. Shrugging, I took point and walked up to the desk. I glanced around but couldn’t see anyone, so I picked up the hammer and tapped the bell. The resulting noise was surprisingly loud and the answer was almost instant.
“So sorry! Be with you in a second!” came a deep but feminine sounding voice. Sure enough, after a short time had passed, a door opened and a woman stepped through.
To call the woman tall felt almost like an understatement. It seemed like she needed to duck under the doorframe - my best guess is that she was six foot eight or taller. She was built in a way that suggested the Ghost of Christmas Present to me - red hair and all - and when she walked behind the desk it looked comically small before her. She appeared to be human, but I wondered if giants were a thing in Tal - if they were, she definitely looked the part.
“Welcome to YaDa’s!” she said, smiling brightly. She swept a hand up to herself by way of introduction. “My name is Ya, and Da is around elsewhere, and together we run YaDa’s! I don’t think I recognize you - is this your first time?”
Leor was the one who stepped up to answer, which surprised me. I shifted back a little to let her take point.
“Yes, this is our first time, though you came highly recommended by our associate Alex. I believe they should be joining us soon!”
Ya beamed behind the desk.
“Oh! Alex is a good sort - glad to see them back! Their favorite room is even open right now - unless they’d be staying with you?”
“We hadn’t discussed how we would be doing lodging arrangements, but I assume Alex may want some peace and quiet after having us unexpectedly tail along for a few days. What sort of accommodations are there?”
Ya ran a quick count on our number. “For six? We have suites that can take six, or you could do three rooms of two. Honestly, it’s cheaper if you’re all together, and we have a harder time filling the big rooms anyway.
It was at that moment that Brams began to try to scale Ya’s desk. With a scrabbling sound and some snorting, he made his presence known. Ya looked down, looked a little surprised, then reached over the desk and held out her arms. Brams gladly stopped scrabbling and flopped into the proffered embrace, so Ya lifted him and placed him on the desk.
“My my, aren’t you a strange one, little creature! Can’t say I’ve seen your like before…”
Brams made a snorting sound that seemed almost indignant and shook himself. His tail wiggled with the end of the shake, then he sat and stared up at Ya. There was a moment’s silence and Brams looked very intent - all of us leaned in a little, as it seemed like Brams was about to do something. A violent sneeze burst from his muzzle, making us all jump, and the moment was over. Ya smiled at him and tousled the hair on top of his head with her huge hands.
“Well, sorry for not including you in the count. I’m sure that the room will fit seven, though you may need to squeeze a little. Follow me!”
With that, Ya pulled a bulky key from a pocket in her pants. She bent down and unlocked a drawer in the desk, withdrawing a smaller key. As she handed it to Leor, she gave her some instructions.
“Now this key is enchanted. After we’ve opened your door, you’ll have ten minutes to make as many copies as you’ll need. Just take the key, leave it on an open spot of the table, and make sure nobody looks at it for about a minute. When you look back, there’ll be a second key on the table. Take the key and give it to someone - have them put it out of sight - and repeat it until you have what you need! When you’re done, stroke the first key and tell it thanks and it’ll stop duplicating itself.”
I chuckled - hotel key cards had nothing on what I’d just seen. Sure the whole system seemed a little convoluted, and there was a part of me that wanted to keep summoning keys for a few hours just to see how many I could make, but it still felt really cool. In a way, it felt like proper magic, like in a fairy tale.
It was amazing how quickly parts of Tal had become passé to me. I figured since I’d been living in Tal for a while, it was natural that I'd done my best to try and fit in, which would explain how I so quickly became inured to the magical wonders of the world. After all, it seemed like my life was going to continue on as it had been for the foreseeable future. Still, sometimes something small would hit me over the head with a sudden feeling that I was somewhere different from Earth.
Over time, that feeling had been less and less negative.
We followed Ya as she led us to our room. She had to slow a little, as Arcadia made it a point to walk in front of Oxcard and walk slowly so he wouldn’t try to keep up with the tall woman and possibly re-open his wounds. Despite the delay however, we made it to our rooms fine before too awful long.
Our lodgings were simple but spacious. Beds lined two of the walls, creating a corner for sleeping that stood opposed to a clear space with some tables, chairs, and what appeared to be a simple wood-fired stove. A stack of small firewood sat in a basket and thick quilts covered the bed, and overall the whole place gave off a very cozy feeling.
We wasted no time in thanking Ya and starting to get settled in. Arcadia, Oxcard, and Oriwyn took the three beds on one wall while Leor, Laran, and I took the remaining. Leor busied herself making keys, though had some trouble because Oriwyn kept trying to sneak a peek of the key when it split, causing the magic to not work. Eventually though, each of us had a copy - we even made a copy for Brams and tied it around his neck loosely with a piece of ribbon, figuring that it would be a good backup. Leor had an odd look on her face when she began to stroke the key and tell it thank you, which got the rest of us laughing. The key shivered in her hand and let out a contented sigh, which made Leor drop it. Oxcard started laughing so hard that he doubled over in pain, but there was no damage done and the mood stayed high. I decided I should address everyone and come up with something of a game plan.
“Well everyone, it looks like we have some R and R time on our hands! What do people want to do?”
What followed was a pleasantly lively discussion. Arcadia, Laran, and I really wanted to see about the bathhouse side of things, while Oriwyn and Leor argued that they were hungry. Oxcard stayed quiet for most of the deliberation, offering noncommittal answers if ever directly asked about anything, which I found a little strange but which I didn’t press on. The whole time, Brams ran laps around the room, flapping his wings as he jumped from bed to bed. I noticed he seemed to be getting just the littlest bit of a glide going as he leapt over the longer stretches - I would bring that up with Ori later. It also seemed like a positive development that the movement didn’t cause him pain, despite the healing scar on his wing.
Eventually, a plan was settled on. We would go to the general store to see if they had bathing clothes and something to eat. If they did, we would make our purchases then head to the bathhouse, which we assumed was the glass-encased dome structure. If we couldn’t find something that worked as a snack, we agreed we would get a proper meal before swimming. Our plan solidified, Oriwyn calmed Brams down enough so that he stopped running laps of the room, and we headed back to the front.
When we got to the store, we found someone we hadn’t seen before. By the look of her, she seemed to be Ya’s daughter - she hadn’t inherited her mother’s prodigious height entirely, but still stood roughly six feet tall. As we all walked in, she perked up immediately.
“Hello! My name is Yada, and I run the general store here! Have you ever visited one of our shops?”
So many things hit me at once I had trouble figuring out what to focus on first. The first thing I came to grips with was that this person’s name was likely a combination of her parents’ - it wasn’t that hard to imagine, but it still felt weird. The second was that there were multiple shops. Obviously the concept of a chain of stores wasn’t foreign to me, but they were a concept I thought I had left behind with Earth. Curiosity overtook me, so I decided to press for a little more information.
“No I can’t say I have - where are they?”
Yada puffed up behind the desk and looked proud of herself.
“Oh they’re around! Pick three out of the four cardinal directions from Tripit, and there you’ll find a branch of Yada’s General store. My siblings - Yadayada and Yadayadayada - run those two stores, but I was the one who started the whole thing and got this shop made! Mom and Dad really mostly care about the hospitality part of things, so I was free to make the business as I wanted it.”
Leor snorted and bluntly asked Yada a question that I had to admit had occurred to me too.
“Yada, Yadayada, and Yadayadayada? Good thing your parents didn’t have more kids or that would get unwieldy. Are they not very creative people?”
I may have phrased things a little more delicately, but I was still curious of the answer. Luckily Yada laughed it off and didn’t seem to take any offense.
“No, they’re good hosts but not the most imaginative when it comes to naming. We always joked it made it easy for people to remember who was the oldest - take the number of syllables and divide by two!”
Leor just raised her eyebrows but Arcadia burst out laughing. I don’t think I’d heard her laugh like that before. Oriwyn looked at her and slowly began to chuckle along, slowly crescendoing to full-blown laughter as well. I managed to keep a straight face until I glanced over at Laran, who looked utterly mystified. Ox was smiling - the first time I’d seen him do so in the short and intense time since I’d met him - and even Leor was giving a disdainful look, which was tantamount to a grin from her. When everyone calmed down, we thanked Yada for the introduction and got to the business of shopping.
There were sandwiches wrapped up in little paper bags, which we all bought one or two of. Oriwyn, Leor, and Oxcard immediately wolfed theirs down while Laran, Arcadia, and I went to a small table set off to the side and had a more leisurely time of things. As we ate, the other three began to look at the wares of the shop.
Oriwyn immediately found little baubles and spent a good while combing through a small chest of brooches. While she was doing that, Oxcard went to some shelves that had what looked like medical supplies. He came up to Arcadia with an armful and asked for some money, which she hurriedly fished out and gave him. Finally, Leor seemed to be focused on a small collection of clothes. She held up a garment and wandered over to a mirror to see how she looked in it. It didn’t take me long to figure out it was some sort of bathing suit.
I was really, really thankful that Tal had the concept of bathing suits. Part of me had been quietly dreading the prospect of skinny-dipping with five people who were barely more than strangers to me. The fact there was some reasonable expectation we would all be clothed was a relief.
After we finished our sandwiches, we all went to look at the bathing wear. Yada wandered over and started talking about things, going over what was popular where and who had suggested certain styles. I did what I normally did and grabbed the first pair of anything that reasonably looked like it would fit me, and it seemed Oxcard did the same. Arcadia was the next to choose, then Leor. Laran and Oriwyn were debating extensively amongst themselves, going over minute differences in material and cut that I wouldn’t have even thought to look at, so we left them to it and told them to meet us in the bathhouse. They agreed, so we set off.
When we entered the glass dome that hosted the baths, I saw that I had been right. A wooden frame created triangular ledges that held up glass panes. Some of them seemed to be missing from strategic places, creating a cross breeze. Still, the glass held in a large amount of steamy air, and we quickly picked out a large pool to claim as our own. There were only two other bathers, and they were off in a much smaller pool off to the side, so we had plenty of choice. We saw some booths off to the side and went to get changed.
As we gathered by the pool, my head idly studied what bathing suits we’d all chosen. I had gone with what was familiar - a pair of baggy trunks that had a cinch at the waist so they wouldn’t fall down. They didn’t have the weird inner netting that I was used to in place of underwear, which felt a bit strange and loose, but otherwise they were comfortable enough. Oxcard seemed to have chosen much the same as me, but where mine were dyed a green color, his seemed to be wholly undyed. I wondered if they had been the cheapest pair available - that might track with what little I knew about him and Arcadia.
Speaking of, Arcadia was wearing what looked like a sports bra and spanks. I’m sure there were women back home who would have killed for her sporty build, though given her life I’m sure she hadn’t come by it in a way that was in any way pleasant. The last to emerge was Leor, and I had to stop myself from laughing. She looked like a candy cane, wearing a red and white striped one-piece bathing suit that made me think of the old-timey Victorian bathing suits I saw guys wearing in movies and read about in history books. The lower part nearly came down to her knees, and given her beard and candy-cane coloring I got the impression of one of Santa’s elves on holiday. The mental image was doubly funny given that Leor was very definitely a dwarf, but I managed to hold myself together regardless.
We all slipped into the water - it was warm and inviting - and had just started to chat when we heard the bathhouse door open. We waved at Oriwyn and Laran as they entered, and they quickly went and got changed in the hutches we had vacated. It was with some curiosity that I watched for them to exit.
Oriwyn wore a loose, draped garment that seemed to be gathered at specific places to preserve her modesty - it looked vaguely Greek to me. I only had a few seconds to observe the cut though, because she immediately took a running start and jumped towards the deepest part of the pool. Brams immediately followed, offering a secondary splash nearly as large as Oriwyn’s as he splashed down. He began to paddle around the pool happily, having tucked his wings up and out of the way, while Oriwyn surfaced, shooting a cheesy grin at Leor - who she had splashed severely with her entrance - and took a place along the ledge at the edge.
When Laran came out, my face turned a little red. Now I wasn’t a prude, and over the years I had seen several men in very, very revealing swimsuits, but Laran’s suit was drawing my eyes in a way that I felt like they hadn’t been drawn since I was going through puberty. He wore what appeared to be folded fabric instead of trunks like Oxcard and I had found - some distant memory thought it looked vaguely Roman in Earth terms. It was a dark burgundy and not even that revealing, but something about seeing him in it brought back the bashfulness I had experienced when he’d run around the edge of the house shirtless the first time I met him. He seemed to be thinking the same way as I saw his cheeks darkened, but ignored his self-consciousness and walked over without comment to join us in the pool.
We all relaxed in the warm water, trading the occasional bits of small talk. After a while Alex walked in and we waved, but they seemed bent on going to a particular pool on the opposite side of the room. After a while of discussing nothing important, Arcadia cleared her throat to get our attention.
“Excuse me? I don’t want to be too formal or anything, but Ox and I have been talking about your offer and I figured we should share what we decided.”
My heart nearly froze in my chest. My curiosity on if they’d join us had been burning away at me for the whole trip so far, and it seemed like it was going to be answered. Of course we would survive without them, but with what all we’d been through I very much wanted them to accept. Also, part of me wondered if I felt that way because their refusal would mean our group wasn’t worth joining. I tried to push the sudden jumble of emotions down and focus on what she was saying.
“We talked it over and decided we’ll join you. I didn’t have a much better plan long term, and you’ve already proved you’re trustworthy. So, assuming you’ll still have us, we’d like to join.”
Arcadia looked a little nervous while Ox remained hard to read. I felt a sudden soaring in my heart, but Oriwyn beat me to accepting the offer.
“Yes! Of course! We never rescinded the offer after all, plus we work well together!”
Arcadia looked pleased, and I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on Oxcard’s face. Leor smiled too, while Laran suddenly shot to his feet.
“This calls for a proper celebration! Wait ‘ere!”
With that, he got out of the pool and raced off. In short order, he returned with two wine bottles and a few glasses. He eagerly began passing them out, Leor enthusiastically helping get things uncorked and poured. When we all had our glasses, Laran raised his in the air.
“A toast! To new allies an’ a new team! May we do well, do good, and do well for ourselves in so doin’!”
He said the words as if he’d heard them before - I wondered from whom for a moment but abandoned that train of thought quickly. Everyone readily agreed to his toast and raised their glasses, myself included, before taking hearty drinks of our wine. It was a sweet, almost citrusy flavor that bordered on too sweet for me, but its flavor cut through the steamy air of the bathhouse well. I enjoyed it and it seemed everyone else did too. As we lowered our glasses though, we all got quite a shock.
“Cheers! Now where’s my glass?”
The voice came from Brams, who was happily paddling in the center of the pool. Laran choked on his wine, shooting a little out of his nose. Leor just stopped and stared into her glass, looking for an explanation there. Oxcard and Arcadia looked at the rest of us, vaguely confused, but it was Oriwyn’s reaction I really wanted to see.
She sat on her ledge in the pool, a broad smile across her face. I could see a hint of surprise in her eyes, but still she flashed her smile to the rest of us.
“Why are you all acting so surprised? Did you think I was talking to Brams just for fun?”
Elsewhere: The captain of the river barge stood eagle-eyed at the front. It wasn’t like he needed to steer very much - just about anybody could control a riverboat when it was being pulled by horses on the bank - so his attention was much better spent keeping an eye out for threats. He looked to the side - the group of three mercenaries he had hired to accompany his boat and walk by the horses trotted along, weapons sheathed and chatting amicably. He couldn’t blame them really, given that they’d been going for a full day and a half since he’d picked them up without trouble. Still, he knew this stretch of the river and knew he should expect trouble. He scanned the gently rippling surface of the river again, a sudden feeling of discomfort settling over him. A disruption caught his eye, and he let out a cry. The bubbles that caused the disruption began to surface more violently, making the calm stream look like a pot of water at a roiling boil, and the captain cursed his luck. He’d been a fool to try and make his run when he did, but he felt like he’d had no choice. Now he was going to pay for that specific incautious decision - all he could hope was that he didn’t pay too dearly in either coin or life.
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Chapter 27 - I Guess a Bathhouse Episode was Inevitable
Last Time: Having attained at least some measure or personal safety, the party recovered from their wounds in a forest clearing. Aiden awoke from his nightmare-troubled sleep to see everyone waiting. They had found a fortuitous ally in the form of Alex, a teamster who had happened upon them during their flight from Tripit, though they were away retrieving the party’s belongings. The day passed peacefully enough, and good news was had when Oxcard awoke from his sleep. In the relative quiet, plans were made for what the party would do going forward. Aiden, Laran, Leor, and Oriwyn would follow Arcadia and Oxcard as they made their way to Diareen, a distant trade city. In addition to following them, Aiden made Arcadia and Oxcard the offer to join their party. The two siblings deferred their answer but acquiesced to the party joining them on their trip, and thus it was that they set travel that night at a much more leisurely pace than they had been forced to take the night before.
We had been traveling for about three days. During the first, all of us had been jumpy. Many small clumps of people lined the roads that led from Tripit, little communities that arose in order to be near Tripit or which persisted despite the meteoric growth of their larger neighbor. Any time someone glanced over at us, I felt like they were going to report our whereabouts to Daisy and we would need to flee into the darkness. Luckily, however, there were no incidents and we began to be able to fully relax.
Oxcard was making a good recovery. He still rode in the cart more often than not, with Oriwyn often joining him to minister to his wounds as best she could. It quickly became apparent that he knew more about treating injuries than Oriwyn, so her attempts quickly turned into lessons. Arcadia normally walked nearby, chatting pleasantly with Oxcard whenever he otherwise didn’t have anything to do - I had noticed she didn’t talk to the rest of the party as much, but given the circumstances I figured that her joy at saving Ox merited a little bit of single-minded focus.
It felt strange to lead the group with nothing really going on. We had too many injuries to really try to train, and we wanted to spend as much time as we could traveling to put some distance behind us just in case someone was following, so we barely acted like an adventuring party. In general, it felt more like we were a group of backpackers who had run into each other and decided to stick together rather than an adventuring party on a quest for future glory.
All in all, I couldn’t say I really minded it.
In the quiet times after we’d made camp but before I fell asleep, I would occasionally check Lorna’s pocket mirror. The first time I did, I was unsurprised to learn we had all leveled up - I was level six, Laran and Leor were level seven, Oriwyn was level eight, Arcadia was level five, and Oxcard was level six. In addition to that, I had increased in bond with everybody. After such a harrowing venture, it felt right.
About midway through the third day of travel, Alex called out to us all, suddenly excited.
“I thought this looked familiar! See the weird tree that looks like it was hit by lightning? And that pile of boulders over there that kind of looks like a bunny? If we take the side road we’ll find in about ten minutes, then we’ll get to YaDa’s!”
I had no idea what Alex was talking about, so I shot a look around to the rest of the party. They seemed equally as mystified, so I decided to take one for the team.
“Uh, YaDa’s? What is that?”
Alex slapped a hand to their heart as if they’d been offended.
“You don’t know of YaDa’s? It's the finest combination inn, general store, and bathhouse in all of Tal!”
I snorted with laughter at Alex’s mock indignation. The place certainly sounded interesting - even after only three days on the road, I could do with an inn, a general store, and a bathhouse. If they all happened to be in the same building, then that was all the better for it. I did have one question though.
“I think we’re interested, assuming it won’t cause us too much delay. That being said, why is someone trying to run a business out in the middle of nowhere? Sure we’re not too far from Tripit and we’re on a decently large road, but I can’t imagine that enough people pass through to make it fully worth their while.”
Alex just shrugged and smiled.
“The owners seem to do just fine for themselves! Maybe it’s because they tend to get a lot of repeat customers. I’m not the only one who looks forward to my path taking me by YaDa’s - in fact, I stop pretty much every time I’m going to or from Tripit!”
I nodded along as Alex continued to ramble about some of the amenities of YaDa’s. Everyone else seemed interested too, so it wasn’t much of a decision to declare we would stop in and rest the remainder of the day. Everyone’s mood got an immediate boost and we all moved faster - even the pack animals pulling the cart seemed excited. Soon enough we found a simple wooden sign next to a side road, which Alex directed us down.
The sign had three pictograms on it - a coin purse, a plate of food, and a steaming bath. As I looked at them, my brain started to work out what order I wanted to do the actions they represented in.
Oriwyn’s eyes were bright and wide open as we came down the path. Already, a building could be seen in the distance. It was large for how little else stood near it - a big, blocky building that matched what I thought an inn should look like was flanked by a smaller, blocky building and a large geodesic dome. I blinked a few times, startled by the shape. It looked like triangular panes of glass rested on a wooden substructure, making a shape that I always associated with retrofuturism. Leor looked interested too - maybe she had some interest in architecture?
As we approached, Alex rumbled their wagon to a halt.
“You six - sorry Brams, seven - go ahead and run in ahead of me. I have an understanding with the owners so I’m going to hitch Peggy and Gary up in the stables before I try to get settled. Someone should be working the front desk - introduce yourself, they’re friendly!”
We thanked Alex for their insight and made our way into the building. We entered into a slightly small space - it wasn’t cramped, but it definitely felt small for what I associated with the entryway for an inn. A few plush chairs were arranged around a fireplace on one wall and a desk stood at the far end. It was currently unoccupied, but I saw a small hanging bell and a hammer on an iron stand on the desk. Shrugging, I took point and walked up to the desk. I glanced around but couldn’t see anyone, so I picked up the hammer and tapped the bell. The resulting noise was surprisingly loud and the answer was almost instant.
“So sorry! Be with you in a second!” came a deep but feminine sounding voice. Sure enough, after a short time had passed, a door opened and a woman stepped through.
To call the woman tall felt almost like an understatement. It seemed like she needed to duck under the doorframe - my best guess is that she was six foot eight or taller. She was built in a way that suggested the Ghost of Christmas Present to me - red hair and all - and when she walked behind the desk it looked comically small before her. She appeared to be human, but I wondered if giants were a thing in Tal - if they were, she definitely looked the part.
“Welcome to YaDa’s!” she said, smiling brightly. She swept a hand up to herself by way of introduction. “My name is Ya, and Da is around elsewhere, and together we run YaDa’s! I don’t think I recognize you - is this your first time?”
Leor was the one who stepped up to answer, which surprised me. I shifted back a little to let her take point.
“Yes, this is our first time, though you came highly recommended by our associate Alex. I believe they should be joining us soon!”
Ya beamed behind the desk.
“Oh! Alex is a good sort - glad to see them back! Their favorite room is even open right now - unless they’d be staying with you?”
“We hadn’t discussed how we would be doing lodging arrangements, but I assume Alex may want some peace and quiet after having us unexpectedly tail along for a few days. What sort of accommodations are there?”
Ya ran a quick count on our number. “For six? We have suites that can take six, or you could do three rooms of two. Honestly, it’s cheaper if you’re all together, and we have a harder time filling the big rooms anyway.
It was at that moment that Brams began to try to scale Ya’s desk. With a scrabbling sound and some snorting, he made his presence known. Ya looked down, looked a little surprised, then reached over the desk and held out her arms. Brams gladly stopped scrabbling and flopped into the proffered embrace, so Ya lifted him and placed him on the desk.
“My my, aren’t you a strange one, little creature! Can’t say I’ve seen your like before…”
Brams made a snorting sound that seemed almost indignant and shook himself. His tail wiggled with the end of the shake, then he sat and stared up at Ya. There was a moment’s silence and Brams looked very intent - all of us leaned in a little, as it seemed like Brams was about to do something. A violent sneeze burst from his muzzle, making us all jump, and the moment was over. Ya smiled at him and tousled the hair on top of his head with her huge hands.
“Well, sorry for not including you in the count. I’m sure that the room will fit seven, though you may need to squeeze a little. Follow me!”
With that, Ya pulled a bulky key from a pocket in her pants. She bent down and unlocked a drawer in the desk, withdrawing a smaller key. As she handed it to Leor, she gave her some instructions.
“Now this key is enchanted. After we’ve opened your door, you’ll have ten minutes to make as many copies as you’ll need. Just take the key, leave it on an open spot of the table, and make sure nobody looks at it for about a minute. When you look back, there’ll be a second key on the table. Take the key and give it to someone - have them put it out of sight - and repeat it until you have what you need! When you’re done, stroke the first key and tell it thanks and it’ll stop duplicating itself.”
I chuckled - hotel key cards had nothing on what I’d just seen. Sure the whole system seemed a little convoluted, and there was a part of me that wanted to keep summoning keys for a few hours just to see how many I could make, but it still felt really cool. In a way, it felt like proper magic, like in a fairy tale.
It was amazing how quickly parts of Tal had become passé to me. I figured since I’d been living in Tal for a while, it was natural that I'd done my best to try and fit in, which would explain how I so quickly became inured to the magical wonders of the world. After all, it seemed like my life was going to continue on as it had been for the foreseeable future. Still, sometimes something small would hit me over the head with a sudden feeling that I was somewhere different from Earth.
Over time, that feeling had been less and less negative.
We followed Ya as she led us to our room. She had to slow a little, as Arcadia made it a point to walk in front of Oxcard and walk slowly so he wouldn’t try to keep up with the tall woman and possibly re-open his wounds. Despite the delay however, we made it to our rooms fine before too awful long.
Our lodgings were simple but spacious. Beds lined two of the walls, creating a corner for sleeping that stood opposed to a clear space with some tables, chairs, and what appeared to be a simple wood-fired stove. A stack of small firewood sat in a basket and thick quilts covered the bed, and overall the whole place gave off a very cozy feeling.
We wasted no time in thanking Ya and starting to get settled in. Arcadia, Oxcard, and Oriwyn took the three beds on one wall while Leor, Laran, and I took the remaining. Leor busied herself making keys, though had some trouble because Oriwyn kept trying to sneak a peek of the key when it split, causing the magic to not work. Eventually though, each of us had a copy - we even made a copy for Brams and tied it around his neck loosely with a piece of ribbon, figuring that it would be a good backup. Leor had an odd look on her face when she began to stroke the key and tell it thank you, which got the rest of us laughing. The key shivered in her hand and let out a contented sigh, which made Leor drop it. Oxcard started laughing so hard that he doubled over in pain, but there was no damage done and the mood stayed high. I decided I should address everyone and come up with something of a game plan.
“Well everyone, it looks like we have some R and R time on our hands! What do people want to do?”
What followed was a pleasantly lively discussion. Arcadia, Laran, and I really wanted to see about the bathhouse side of things, while Oriwyn and Leor argued that they were hungry. Oxcard stayed quiet for most of the deliberation, offering noncommittal answers if ever directly asked about anything, which I found a little strange but which I didn’t press on. The whole time, Brams ran laps around the room, flapping his wings as he jumped from bed to bed. I noticed he seemed to be getting just the littlest bit of a glide going as he leapt over the longer stretches - I would bring that up with Ori later. It also seemed like a positive development that the movement didn’t cause him pain, despite the healing scar on his wing.
Eventually, a plan was settled on. We would go to the general store to see if they had bathing clothes and something to eat. If they did, we would make our purchases then head to the bathhouse, which we assumed was the glass-encased dome structure. If we couldn’t find something that worked as a snack, we agreed we would get a proper meal before swimming. Our plan solidified, Oriwyn calmed Brams down enough so that he stopped running laps of the room, and we headed back to the front.
When we got to the store, we found someone we hadn’t seen before. By the look of her, she seemed to be Ya’s daughter - she hadn’t inherited her mother’s prodigious height entirely, but still stood roughly six feet tall. As we all walked in, she perked up immediately.
“Hello! My name is Yada, and I run the general store here! Have you ever visited one of our shops?”
So many things hit me at once I had trouble figuring out what to focus on first. The first thing I came to grips with was that this person’s name was likely a combination of her parents’ - it wasn’t that hard to imagine, but it still felt weird. The second was that there were multiple shops. Obviously the concept of a chain of stores wasn’t foreign to me, but they were a concept I thought I had left behind with Earth. Curiosity overtook me, so I decided to press for a little more information.
“No I can’t say I have - where are they?”
Yada puffed up behind the desk and looked proud of herself.
“Oh they’re around! Pick three out of the four cardinal directions from Tripit, and there you’ll find a branch of Yada’s General store. My siblings - Yadayada and Yadayadayada - run those two stores, but I was the one who started the whole thing and got this shop made! Mom and Dad really mostly care about the hospitality part of things, so I was free to make the business as I wanted it.”
Leor snorted and bluntly asked Yada a question that I had to admit had occurred to me too.
“Yada, Yadayada, and Yadayadayada? Good thing your parents didn’t have more kids or that would get unwieldy. Are they not very creative people?”
I may have phrased things a little more delicately, but I was still curious of the answer. Luckily Yada laughed it off and didn’t seem to take any offense.
“No, they’re good hosts but not the most imaginative when it comes to naming. We always joked it made it easy for people to remember who was the oldest - take the number of syllables and divide by two!”
Leor just raised her eyebrows but Arcadia burst out laughing. I don’t think I’d heard her laugh like that before. Oriwyn looked at her and slowly began to chuckle along, slowly crescendoing to full-blown laughter as well. I managed to keep a straight face until I glanced over at Laran, who looked utterly mystified. Ox was smiling - the first time I’d seen him do so in the short and intense time since I’d met him - and even Leor was giving a disdainful look, which was tantamount to a grin from her. When everyone calmed down, we thanked Yada for the introduction and got to the business of shopping.
There were sandwiches wrapped up in little paper bags, which we all bought one or two of. Oriwyn, Leor, and Oxcard immediately wolfed theirs down while Laran, Arcadia, and I went to a small table set off to the side and had a more leisurely time of things. As we ate, the other three began to look at the wares of the shop.
Oriwyn immediately found little baubles and spent a good while combing through a small chest of brooches. While she was doing that, Oxcard went to some shelves that had what looked like medical supplies. He came up to Arcadia with an armful and asked for some money, which she hurriedly fished out and gave him. Finally, Leor seemed to be focused on a small collection of clothes. She held up a garment and wandered over to a mirror to see how she looked in it. It didn’t take me long to figure out it was some sort of bathing suit.
I was really, really thankful that Tal had the concept of bathing suits. Part of me had been quietly dreading the prospect of skinny-dipping with five people who were barely more than strangers to me. The fact there was some reasonable expectation we would all be clothed was a relief.
After we finished our sandwiches, we all went to look at the bathing wear. Yada wandered over and started talking about things, going over what was popular where and who had suggested certain styles. I did what I normally did and grabbed the first pair of anything that reasonably looked like it would fit me, and it seemed Oxcard did the same. Arcadia was the next to choose, then Leor. Laran and Oriwyn were debating extensively amongst themselves, going over minute differences in material and cut that I wouldn’t have even thought to look at, so we left them to it and told them to meet us in the bathhouse. They agreed, so we set off.
When we entered the glass dome that hosted the baths, I saw that I had been right. A wooden frame created triangular ledges that held up glass panes. Some of them seemed to be missing from strategic places, creating a cross breeze. Still, the glass held in a large amount of steamy air, and we quickly picked out a large pool to claim as our own. There were only two other bathers, and they were off in a much smaller pool off to the side, so we had plenty of choice. We saw some booths off to the side and went to get changed.
As we gathered by the pool, my head idly studied what bathing suits we’d all chosen. I had gone with what was familiar - a pair of baggy trunks that had a cinch at the waist so they wouldn’t fall down. They didn’t have the weird inner netting that I was used to in place of underwear, which felt a bit strange and loose, but otherwise they were comfortable enough. Oxcard seemed to have chosen much the same as me, but where mine were dyed a green color, his seemed to be wholly undyed. I wondered if they had been the cheapest pair available - that might track with what little I knew about him and Arcadia.
Speaking of, Arcadia was wearing what looked like a sports bra and spanks. I’m sure there were women back home who would have killed for her sporty build, though given her life I’m sure she hadn’t come by it in a way that was in any way pleasant. The last to emerge was Leor, and I had to stop myself from laughing. She looked like a candy cane, wearing a red and white striped one-piece bathing suit that made me think of the old-timey Victorian bathing suits I saw guys wearing in movies and read about in history books. The lower part nearly came down to her knees, and given her beard and candy-cane coloring I got the impression of one of Santa’s elves on holiday. The mental image was doubly funny given that Leor was very definitely a dwarf, but I managed to hold myself together regardless.
We all slipped into the water - it was warm and inviting - and had just started to chat when we heard the bathhouse door open. We waved at Oriwyn and Laran as they entered, and they quickly went and got changed in the hutches we had vacated. It was with some curiosity that I watched for them to exit.
Oriwyn wore a loose, draped garment that seemed to be gathered at specific places to preserve her modesty - it looked vaguely Greek to me. I only had a few seconds to observe the cut though, because she immediately took a running start and jumped towards the deepest part of the pool. Brams immediately followed, offering a secondary splash nearly as large as Oriwyn’s as he splashed down. He began to paddle around the pool happily, having tucked his wings up and out of the way, while Oriwyn surfaced, shooting a cheesy grin at Leor - who she had splashed severely with her entrance - and took a place along the ledge at the edge.
When Laran came out, my face turned a little red. Now I wasn’t a prude, and over the years I had seen several men in very, very revealing swimsuits, but Laran’s suit was drawing my eyes in a way that I felt like they hadn’t been drawn since I was going through puberty. He wore what appeared to be folded fabric instead of trunks like Oxcard and I had found - some distant memory thought it looked vaguely Roman in Earth terms. It was a dark burgundy and not even that revealing, but something about seeing him in it brought back the bashfulness I had experienced when he’d run around the edge of the house shirtless the first time I met him. He seemed to be thinking the same way as I saw his cheeks darkened, but ignored his self-consciousness and walked over without comment to join us in the pool.
We all relaxed in the warm water, trading the occasional bits of small talk. After a while Alex walked in and we waved, but they seemed bent on going to a particular pool on the opposite side of the room. After a while of discussing nothing important, Arcadia cleared her throat to get our attention.
“Excuse me? I don’t want to be too formal or anything, but Ox and I have been talking about your offer and I figured we should share what we decided.”
My heart nearly froze in my chest. My curiosity on if they’d join us had been burning away at me for the whole trip so far, and it seemed like it was going to be answered. Of course we would survive without them, but with what all we’d been through I very much wanted them to accept. Also, part of me wondered if I felt that way because their refusal would mean our group wasn’t worth joining. I tried to push the sudden jumble of emotions down and focus on what she was saying.
“We talked it over and decided we’ll join you. I didn’t have a much better plan long term, and you’ve already proved you’re trustworthy. So, assuming you’ll still have us, we’d like to join.”
Arcadia looked a little nervous while Ox remained hard to read. I felt a sudden soaring in my heart, but Oriwyn beat me to accepting the offer.
“Yes! Of course! We never rescinded the offer after all, plus we work well together!”
Arcadia looked pleased, and I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on Oxcard’s face. Leor smiled too, while Laran suddenly shot to his feet.
“This calls for a proper celebration! Wait ‘ere!”
With that, he got out of the pool and raced off. In short order, he returned with two wine bottles and a few glasses. He eagerly began passing them out, Leor enthusiastically helping get things uncorked and poured. When we all had our glasses, Laran raised his in the air.
“A toast! To new allies an’ a new team! May we do well, do good, and do well for ourselves in so doin’!”
He said the words as if he’d heard them before - I wondered from whom for a moment but abandoned that train of thought quickly. Everyone readily agreed to his toast and raised their glasses, myself included, before taking hearty drinks of our wine. It was a sweet, almost citrusy flavor that bordered on too sweet for me, but its flavor cut through the steamy air of the bathhouse well. I enjoyed it and it seemed everyone else did too. As we lowered our glasses though, we all got quite a shock.
“Cheers! Now where’s my glass?”
The voice came from Brams, who was happily paddling in the center of the pool. Laran choked on his wine, shooting a little out of his nose. Leor just stopped and stared into her glass, looking for an explanation there. Oxcard and Arcadia looked at the rest of us, vaguely confused, but it was Oriwyn’s reaction I really wanted to see.
She sat on her ledge in the pool, a broad smile across her face. I could see a hint of surprise in her eyes, but still she flashed her smile to the rest of us.
“Why are you all acting so surprised? Did you think I was talking to Brams just for fun?”
Elsewhere: The captain of the river barge stood eagle-eyed at the front. It wasn’t like he needed to steer very much - just about anybody could control a riverboat when it was being pulled by horses on the bank - so his attention was much better spent keeping an eye out for threats. He looked to the side - the group of three mercenaries he had hired to accompany his boat and walk by the horses trotted along, weapons sheathed and chatting amicably. He couldn’t blame them really, given that they’d been going for a full day and a half since he’d picked them up without trouble. Still, he knew this stretch of the river and knew he should expect trouble. He scanned the gently rippling surface of the river again, a sudden feeling of discomfort settling over him. A disruption caught his eye, and he let out a cry. The bubbles that caused the disruption began to surface more violently, making the calm stream look like a pot of water at a roiling boil, and the captain cursed his luck. He’d been a fool to try and make his run when he did, but he felt like he’d had no choice. Now he was going to pay for that specific incautious decision - all he could hope was that he didn’t pay too dearly in either coin or life.
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2023.06.09 21:53 RedCastoff I Became a Commander, Whatever that Means (27/?)
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Chapter 27 - I Guess a Bathhouse Episode was Inevitable
Last Time: Having attained at least some measure or personal safety, the party recovered from their wounds in a forest clearing. Aiden awoke from his nightmare-troubled sleep to see everyone waiting. They had found a fortuitous ally in the form of Alex, a teamster who had happened upon them during their flight from Tripit, though they were away retrieving the party’s belongings. The day passed peacefully enough, and good news was had when Oxcard awoke from his sleep. In the relative quiet, plans were made for what the party would do going forward. Aiden, Laran, Leor, and Oriwyn would follow Arcadia and Oxcard as they made their way to Diareen, a distant trade city. In addition to following them, Aiden made Arcadia and Oxcard the offer to join their party. The two siblings deferred their answer but acquiesced to the party joining them on their trip, and thus it was that they set travel that night at a much more leisurely pace than they had been forced to take the night before.
We had been traveling for about three days. During the first, all of us had been jumpy. Many small clumps of people lined the roads that led from Tripit, little communities that arose in order to be near Tripit or which persisted despite the meteoric growth of their larger neighbor. Any time someone glanced over at us, I felt like they were going to report our whereabouts to Daisy and we would need to flee into the darkness. Luckily, however, there were no incidents and we began to be able to fully relax.
Oxcard was making a good recovery. He still rode in the cart more often than not, with Oriwyn often joining him to minister to his wounds as best she could. It quickly became apparent that he knew more about treating injuries than Oriwyn, so her attempts quickly turned into lessons. Arcadia normally walked nearby, chatting pleasantly with Oxcard whenever he otherwise didn’t have anything to do - I had noticed she didn’t talk to the rest of the party as much, but given the circumstances I figured that her joy at saving Ox merited a little bit of single-minded focus.
It felt strange to lead the group with nothing really going on. We had too many injuries to really try to train, and we wanted to spend as much time as we could traveling to put some distance behind us just in case someone was following, so we barely acted like an adventuring party. In general, it felt more like we were a group of backpackers who had run into each other and decided to stick together rather than an adventuring party on a quest for future glory.
All in all, I couldn’t say I really minded it.
In the quiet times after we’d made camp but before I fell asleep, I would occasionally check Lorna’s pocket mirror. The first time I did, I was unsurprised to learn we had all leveled up - I was level six, Laran and Leor were level seven, Oriwyn was level eight, Arcadia was level five, and Oxcard was level six. In addition to that, I had increased in bond with everybody. After such a harrowing venture, it felt right.
About midway through the third day of travel, Alex called out to us all, suddenly excited.
“I thought this looked familiar! See the weird tree that looks like it was hit by lightning? And that pile of boulders over there that kind of looks like a bunny? If we take the side road we’ll find in about ten minutes, then we’ll get to YaDa’s!”
I had no idea what Alex was talking about, so I shot a look around to the rest of the party. They seemed equally as mystified, so I decided to take one for the team.
“Uh, YaDa’s? What is that?”
Alex slapped a hand to their heart as if they’d been offended.
“You don’t know of YaDa’s? It's the finest combination inn, general store, and bathhouse in all of Tal!”
I snorted with laughter at Alex’s mock indignation. The place certainly sounded interesting - even after only three days on the road, I could do with an inn, a general store, and a bathhouse. If they all happened to be in the same building, then that was all the better for it. I did have one question though.
“I think we’re interested, assuming it won’t cause us too much delay. That being said, why is someone trying to run a business out in the middle of nowhere? Sure we’re not too far from Tripit and we’re on a decently large road, but I can’t imagine that enough people pass through to make it fully worth their while.”
Alex just shrugged and smiled.
“The owners seem to do just fine for themselves! Maybe it’s because they tend to get a lot of repeat customers. I’m not the only one who looks forward to my path taking me by YaDa’s - in fact, I stop pretty much every time I’m going to or from Tripit!”
I nodded along as Alex continued to ramble about some of the amenities of YaDa’s. Everyone else seemed interested too, so it wasn’t much of a decision to declare we would stop in and rest the remainder of the day. Everyone’s mood got an immediate boost and we all moved faster - even the pack animals pulling the cart seemed excited. Soon enough we found a simple wooden sign next to a side road, which Alex directed us down.
The sign had three pictograms on it - a coin purse, a plate of food, and a steaming bath. As I looked at them, my brain started to work out what order I wanted to do the actions they represented in.
Oriwyn’s eyes were bright and wide open as we came down the path. Already, a building could be seen in the distance. It was large for how little else stood near it - a big, blocky building that matched what I thought an inn should look like was flanked by a smaller, blocky building and a large geodesic dome. I blinked a few times, startled by the shape. It looked like triangular panes of glass rested on a wooden substructure, making a shape that I always associated with retrofuturism. Leor looked interested too - maybe she had some interest in architecture?
As we approached, Alex rumbled their wagon to a halt.
“You six - sorry Brams, seven - go ahead and run in ahead of me. I have an understanding with the owners so I’m going to hitch Peggy and Gary up in the stables before I try to get settled. Someone should be working the front desk - introduce yourself, they’re friendly!”
We thanked Alex for their insight and made our way into the building. We entered into a slightly small space - it wasn’t cramped, but it definitely felt small for what I associated with the entryway for an inn. A few plush chairs were arranged around a fireplace on one wall and a desk stood at the far end. It was currently unoccupied, but I saw a small hanging bell and a hammer on an iron stand on the desk. Shrugging, I took point and walked up to the desk. I glanced around but couldn’t see anyone, so I picked up the hammer and tapped the bell. The resulting noise was surprisingly loud and the answer was almost instant.
“So sorry! Be with you in a second!” came a deep but feminine sounding voice. Sure enough, after a short time had passed, a door opened and a woman stepped through.
To call the woman tall felt almost like an understatement. It seemed like she needed to duck under the doorframe - my best guess is that she was six foot eight or taller. She was built in a way that suggested the Ghost of Christmas Present to me - red hair and all - and when she walked behind the desk it looked comically small before her. She appeared to be human, but I wondered if giants were a thing in Tal - if they were, she definitely looked the part.
“Welcome to YaDa’s!” she said, smiling brightly. She swept a hand up to herself by way of introduction. “My name is Ya, and Da is around elsewhere, and together we run YaDa’s! I don’t think I recognize you - is this your first time?”
Leor was the one who stepped up to answer, which surprised me. I shifted back a little to let her take point.
“Yes, this is our first time, though you came highly recommended by our associate Alex. I believe they should be joining us soon!”
Ya beamed behind the desk.
“Oh! Alex is a good sort - glad to see them back! Their favorite room is even open right now - unless they’d be staying with you?”
“We hadn’t discussed how we would be doing lodging arrangements, but I assume Alex may want some peace and quiet after having us unexpectedly tail along for a few days. What sort of accommodations are there?”
Ya ran a quick count on our number. “For six? We have suites that can take six, or you could do three rooms of two. Honestly, it’s cheaper if you’re all together, and we have a harder time filling the big rooms anyway.
It was at that moment that Brams began to try to scale Ya’s desk. With a scrabbling sound and some snorting, he made his presence known. Ya looked down, looked a little surprised, then reached over the desk and held out her arms. Brams gladly stopped scrabbling and flopped into the proffered embrace, so Ya lifted him and placed him on the desk.
“My my, aren’t you a strange one, little creature! Can’t say I’ve seen your like before…”
Brams made a snorting sound that seemed almost indignant and shook himself. His tail wiggled with the end of the shake, then he sat and stared up at Ya. There was a moment’s silence and Brams looked very intent - all of us leaned in a little, as it seemed like Brams was about to do something. A violent sneeze burst from his muzzle, making us all jump, and the moment was over. Ya smiled at him and tousled the hair on top of his head with her huge hands.
“Well, sorry for not including you in the count. I’m sure that the room will fit seven, though you may need to squeeze a little. Follow me!”
With that, Ya pulled a bulky key from a pocket in her pants. She bent down and unlocked a drawer in the desk, withdrawing a smaller key. As she handed it to Leor, she gave her some instructions.
“Now this key is enchanted. After we’ve opened your door, you’ll have ten minutes to make as many copies as you’ll need. Just take the key, leave it on an open spot of the table, and make sure nobody looks at it for about a minute. When you look back, there’ll be a second key on the table. Take the key and give it to someone - have them put it out of sight - and repeat it until you have what you need! When you’re done, stroke the first key and tell it thanks and it’ll stop duplicating itself.”
I chuckled - hotel key cards had nothing on what I’d just seen. Sure the whole system seemed a little convoluted, and there was a part of me that wanted to keep summoning keys for a few hours just to see how many I could make, but it still felt really cool. In a way, it felt like proper magic, like in a fairy tale.
It was amazing how quickly parts of Tal had become passé to me. I figured since I’d been living in Tal for a while, it was natural that I'd done my best to try and fit in, which would explain how I so quickly became inured to the magical wonders of the world. After all, it seemed like my life was going to continue on as it had been for the foreseeable future. Still, sometimes something small would hit me over the head with a sudden feeling that I was somewhere different from Earth.
Over time, that feeling had been less and less negative.
We followed Ya as she led us to our room. She had to slow a little, as Arcadia made it a point to walk in front of Oxcard and walk slowly so he wouldn’t try to keep up with the tall woman and possibly re-open his wounds. Despite the delay however, we made it to our rooms fine before too awful long.
Our lodgings were simple but spacious. Beds lined two of the walls, creating a corner for sleeping that stood opposed to a clear space with some tables, chairs, and what appeared to be a simple wood-fired stove. A stack of small firewood sat in a basket and thick quilts covered the bed, and overall the whole place gave off a very cozy feeling.
We wasted no time in thanking Ya and starting to get settled in. Arcadia, Oxcard, and Oriwyn took the three beds on one wall while Leor, Laran, and I took the remaining. Leor busied herself making keys, though had some trouble because Oriwyn kept trying to sneak a peek of the key when it split, causing the magic to not work. Eventually though, each of us had a copy - we even made a copy for Brams and tied it around his neck loosely with a piece of ribbon, figuring that it would be a good backup. Leor had an odd look on her face when she began to stroke the key and tell it thank you, which got the rest of us laughing. The key shivered in her hand and let out a contented sigh, which made Leor drop it. Oxcard started laughing so hard that he doubled over in pain, but there was no damage done and the mood stayed high. I decided I should address everyone and come up with something of a game plan.
“Well everyone, it looks like we have some R and R time on our hands! What do people want to do?”
What followed was a pleasantly lively discussion. Arcadia, Laran, and I really wanted to see about the bathhouse side of things, while Oriwyn and Leor argued that they were hungry. Oxcard stayed quiet for most of the deliberation, offering noncommittal answers if ever directly asked about anything, which I found a little strange but which I didn’t press on. The whole time, Brams ran laps around the room, flapping his wings as he jumped from bed to bed. I noticed he seemed to be getting just the littlest bit of a glide going as he leapt over the longer stretches - I would bring that up with Ori later. It also seemed like a positive development that the movement didn’t cause him pain, despite the healing scar on his wing.
Eventually, a plan was settled on. We would go to the general store to see if they had bathing clothes and something to eat. If they did, we would make our purchases then head to the bathhouse, which we assumed was the glass-encased dome structure. If we couldn’t find something that worked as a snack, we agreed we would get a proper meal before swimming. Our plan solidified, Oriwyn calmed Brams down enough so that he stopped running laps of the room, and we headed back to the front.
When we got to the store, we found someone we hadn’t seen before. By the look of her, she seemed to be Ya’s daughter - she hadn’t inherited her mother’s prodigious height entirely, but still stood roughly six feet tall. As we all walked in, she perked up immediately.
“Hello! My name is Yada, and I run the general store here! Have you ever visited one of our shops?”
So many things hit me at once I had trouble figuring out what to focus on first. The first thing I came to grips with was that this person’s name was likely a combination of her parents’ - it wasn’t that hard to imagine, but it still felt weird. The second was that there were multiple shops. Obviously the concept of a chain of stores wasn’t foreign to me, but they were a concept I thought I had left behind with Earth. Curiosity overtook me, so I decided to press for a little more information.
“No I can’t say I have - where are they?”
Yada puffed up behind the desk and looked proud of herself.
“Oh they’re around! Pick three out of the four cardinal directions from Tripit, and there you’ll find a branch of Yada’s General store. My siblings - Yadayada and Yadayadayada - run those two stores, but I was the one who started the whole thing and got this shop made! Mom and Dad really mostly care about the hospitality part of things, so I was free to make the business as I wanted it.”
Leor snorted and bluntly asked Yada a question that I had to admit had occurred to me too.
“Yada, Yadayada, and Yadayadayada? Good thing your parents didn’t have more kids or that would get unwieldy. Are they not very creative people?”
I may have phrased things a little more delicately, but I was still curious of the answer. Luckily Yada laughed it off and didn’t seem to take any offense.
“No, they’re good hosts but not the most imaginative when it comes to naming. We always joked it made it easy for people to remember who was the oldest - take the number of syllables and divide by two!”
Leor just raised her eyebrows but Arcadia burst out laughing. I don’t think I’d heard her laugh like that before. Oriwyn looked at her and slowly began to chuckle along, slowly crescendoing to full-blown laughter as well. I managed to keep a straight face until I glanced over at Laran, who looked utterly mystified. Ox was smiling - the first time I’d seen him do so in the short and intense time since I’d met him - and even Leor was giving a disdainful look, which was tantamount to a grin from her. When everyone calmed down, we thanked Yada for the introduction and got to the business of shopping.
There were sandwiches wrapped up in little paper bags, which we all bought one or two of. Oriwyn, Leor, and Oxcard immediately wolfed theirs down while Laran, Arcadia, and I went to a small table set off to the side and had a more leisurely time of things. As we ate, the other three began to look at the wares of the shop.
Oriwyn immediately found little baubles and spent a good while combing through a small chest of brooches. While she was doing that, Oxcard went to some shelves that had what looked like medical supplies. He came up to Arcadia with an armful and asked for some money, which she hurriedly fished out and gave him. Finally, Leor seemed to be focused on a small collection of clothes. She held up a garment and wandered over to a mirror to see how she looked in it. It didn’t take me long to figure out it was some sort of bathing suit.
I was really, really thankful that Tal had the concept of bathing suits. Part of me had been quietly dreading the prospect of skinny-dipping with five people who were barely more than strangers to me. The fact there was some reasonable expectation we would all be clothed was a relief.
After we finished our sandwiches, we all went to look at the bathing wear. Yada wandered over and started talking about things, going over what was popular where and who had suggested certain styles. I did what I normally did and grabbed the first pair of anything that reasonably looked like it would fit me, and it seemed Oxcard did the same. Arcadia was the next to choose, then Leor. Laran and Oriwyn were debating extensively amongst themselves, going over minute differences in material and cut that I wouldn’t have even thought to look at, so we left them to it and told them to meet us in the bathhouse. They agreed, so we set off.
When we entered the glass dome that hosted the baths, I saw that I had been right. A wooden frame created triangular ledges that held up glass panes. Some of them seemed to be missing from strategic places, creating a cross breeze. Still, the glass held in a large amount of steamy air, and we quickly picked out a large pool to claim as our own. There were only two other bathers, and they were off in a much smaller pool off to the side, so we had plenty of choice. We saw some booths off to the side and went to get changed.
As we gathered by the pool, my head idly studied what bathing suits we’d all chosen. I had gone with what was familiar - a pair of baggy trunks that had a cinch at the waist so they wouldn’t fall down. They didn’t have the weird inner netting that I was used to in place of underwear, which felt a bit strange and loose, but otherwise they were comfortable enough. Oxcard seemed to have chosen much the same as me, but where mine were dyed a green color, his seemed to be wholly undyed. I wondered if they had been the cheapest pair available - that might track with what little I knew about him and Arcadia.
Speaking of, Arcadia was wearing what looked like a sports bra and spanks. I’m sure there were women back home who would have killed for her sporty build, though given her life I’m sure she hadn’t come by it in a way that was in any way pleasant. The last to emerge was Leor, and I had to stop myself from laughing. She looked like a candy cane, wearing a red and white striped one-piece bathing suit that made me think of the old-timey Victorian bathing suits I saw guys wearing in movies and read about in history books. The lower part nearly came down to her knees, and given her beard and candy-cane coloring I got the impression of one of Santa’s elves on holiday. The mental image was doubly funny given that Leor was very definitely a dwarf, but I managed to hold myself together regardless.
We all slipped into the water - it was warm and inviting - and had just started to chat when we heard the bathhouse door open. We waved at Oriwyn and Laran as they entered, and they quickly went and got changed in the hutches we had vacated. It was with some curiosity that I watched for them to exit.
Oriwyn wore a loose, draped garment that seemed to be gathered at specific places to preserve her modesty - it looked vaguely Greek to me. I only had a few seconds to observe the cut though, because she immediately took a running start and jumped towards the deepest part of the pool. Brams immediately followed, offering a secondary splash nearly as large as Oriwyn’s as he splashed down. He began to paddle around the pool happily, having tucked his wings up and out of the way, while Oriwyn surfaced, shooting a cheesy grin at Leor - who she had splashed severely with her entrance - and took a place along the ledge at the edge.
When Laran came out, my face turned a little red. Now I wasn’t a prude, and over the years I had seen several men in very, very revealing swimsuits, but Laran’s suit was drawing my eyes in a way that I felt like they hadn’t been drawn since I was going through puberty. He wore what appeared to be folded fabric instead of trunks like Oxcard and I had found - some distant memory thought it looked vaguely Roman in Earth terms. It was a dark burgundy and not even that revealing, but something about seeing him in it brought back the bashfulness I had experienced when he’d run around the edge of the house shirtless the first time I met him. He seemed to be thinking the same way as I saw his cheeks darkened, but ignored his self-consciousness and walked over without comment to join us in the pool.
We all relaxed in the warm water, trading the occasional bits of small talk. After a while Alex walked in and we waved, but they seemed bent on going to a particular pool on the opposite side of the room. After a while of discussing nothing important, Arcadia cleared her throat to get our attention.
“Excuse me? I don’t want to be too formal or anything, but Ox and I have been talking about your offer and I figured we should share what we decided.”
My heart nearly froze in my chest. My curiosity on if they’d join us had been burning away at me for the whole trip so far, and it seemed like it was going to be answered. Of course we would survive without them, but with what all we’d been through I very much wanted them to accept. Also, part of me wondered if I felt that way because their refusal would mean our group wasn’t worth joining. I tried to push the sudden jumble of emotions down and focus on what she was saying.
“We talked it over and decided we’ll join you. I didn’t have a much better plan long term, and you’ve already proved you’re trustworthy. So, assuming you’ll still have us, we’d like to join.”
Arcadia looked a little nervous while Ox remained hard to read. I felt a sudden soaring in my heart, but Oriwyn beat me to accepting the offer.
“Yes! Of course! We never rescinded the offer after all, plus we work well together!”
Arcadia looked pleased, and I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on Oxcard’s face. Leor smiled too, while Laran suddenly shot to his feet.
“This calls for a proper celebration! Wait ‘ere!”
With that, he got out of the pool and raced off. In short order, he returned with two wine bottles and a few glasses. He eagerly began passing them out, Leor enthusiastically helping get things uncorked and poured. When we all had our glasses, Laran raised his in the air.
“A toast! To new allies an’ a new team! May we do well, do good, and do well for ourselves in so doin’!”
He said the words as if he’d heard them before - I wondered from whom for a moment but abandoned that train of thought quickly. Everyone readily agreed to his toast and raised their glasses, myself included, before taking hearty drinks of our wine. It was a sweet, almost citrusy flavor that bordered on too sweet for me, but its flavor cut through the steamy air of the bathhouse well. I enjoyed it and it seemed everyone else did too. As we lowered our glasses though, we all got quite a shock.
“Cheers! Now where’s my glass?”
The voice came from Brams, who was happily paddling in the center of the pool. Laran choked on his wine, shooting a little out of his nose. Leor just stopped and stared into her glass, looking for an explanation there. Oxcard and Arcadia looked at the rest of us, vaguely confused, but it was Oriwyn’s reaction I really wanted to see.
She sat on her ledge in the pool, a broad smile across her face. I could see a hint of surprise in her eyes, but still she flashed her smile to the rest of us.
“Why are you all acting so surprised? Did you think I was talking to Brams just for fun?”
Elsewhere: The captain of the river barge stood eagle-eyed at the front. It wasn’t like he needed to steer very much - just about anybody could control a riverboat when it was being pulled by horses on the bank - so his attention was much better spent keeping an eye out for threats. He looked to the side - the group of three mercenaries he had hired to accompany his boat and walk by the horses trotted along, weapons sheathed and chatting amicably. He couldn’t blame them really, given that they’d been going for a full day and a half since he’d picked them up without trouble. Still, he knew this stretch of the river and knew he should expect trouble. He scanned the gently rippling surface of the river again, a sudden feeling of discomfort settling over him. A disruption caught his eye, and he let out a cry. The bubbles that caused the disruption began to surface more violently, making the calm stream look like a pot of water at a roiling boil, and the captain cursed his luck. He’d been a fool to try and make his run when he did, but he felt like he’d had no choice. Now he was going to pay for that specific incautious decision - all he could hope was that he didn’t pay too dearly in either coin or life.
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Chapter 27 - I Guess a Bathhouse Episode was Inevitable
Last Time: Having attained at least some measure or personal safety, the party recovered from their wounds in a forest clearing. Aiden awoke from his nightmare-troubled sleep to see everyone waiting. They had found a fortuitous ally in the form of Alex, a teamster who had happened upon them during their flight from Tripit, though they were away retrieving the party’s belongings. The day passed peacefully enough, and good news was had when Oxcard awoke from his sleep. In the relative quiet, plans were made for what the party would do going forward. Aiden, Laran, Leor, and Oriwyn would follow Arcadia and Oxcard as they made their way to Diareen, a distant trade city. In addition to following them, Aiden made Arcadia and Oxcard the offer to join their party. The two siblings deferred their answer but acquiesced to the party joining them on their trip, and thus it was that they set travel that night at a much more leisurely pace than they had been forced to take the night before.
We had been traveling for about three days. During the first, all of us had been jumpy. Many small clumps of people lined the roads that led from Tripit, little communities that arose in order to be near Tripit or which persisted despite the meteoric growth of their larger neighbor. Any time someone glanced over at us, I felt like they were going to report our whereabouts to Daisy and we would need to flee into the darkness. Luckily, however, there were no incidents and we began to be able to fully relax.
Oxcard was making a good recovery. He still rode in the cart more often than not, with Oriwyn often joining him to minister to his wounds as best she could. It quickly became apparent that he knew more about treating injuries than Oriwyn, so her attempts quickly turned into lessons. Arcadia normally walked nearby, chatting pleasantly with Oxcard whenever he otherwise didn’t have anything to do - I had noticed she didn’t talk to the rest of the party as much, but given the circumstances I figured that her joy at saving Ox merited a little bit of single-minded focus.
It felt strange to lead the group with nothing really going on. We had too many injuries to really try to train, and we wanted to spend as much time as we could traveling to put some distance behind us just in case someone was following, so we barely acted like an adventuring party. In general, it felt more like we were a group of backpackers who had run into each other and decided to stick together rather than an adventuring party on a quest for future glory.
All in all, I couldn’t say I really minded it.
In the quiet times after we’d made camp but before I fell asleep, I would occasionally check Lorna’s pocket mirror. The first time I did, I was unsurprised to learn we had all leveled up - I was level six, Laran and Leor were level seven, Oriwyn was level eight, Arcadia was level five, and Oxcard was level six. In addition to that, I had increased in bond with everybody. After such a harrowing venture, it felt right.
About midway through the third day of travel, Alex called out to us all, suddenly excited.
“I thought this looked familiar! See the weird tree that looks like it was hit by lightning? And that pile of boulders over there that kind of looks like a bunny? If we take the side road we’ll find in about ten minutes, then we’ll get to YaDa’s!”
I had no idea what Alex was talking about, so I shot a look around to the rest of the party. They seemed equally as mystified, so I decided to take one for the team.
“Uh, YaDa’s? What is that?”
Alex slapped a hand to their heart as if they’d been offended.
“You don’t know of YaDa’s? It's the finest combination inn, general store, and bathhouse in all of Tal!”
I snorted with laughter at Alex’s mock indignation. The place certainly sounded interesting - even after only three days on the road, I could do with an inn, a general store, and a bathhouse. If they all happened to be in the same building, then that was all the better for it. I did have one question though.
“I think we’re interested, assuming it won’t cause us too much delay. That being said, why is someone trying to run a business out in the middle of nowhere? Sure we’re not too far from Tripit and we’re on a decently large road, but I can’t imagine that enough people pass through to make it fully worth their while.”
Alex just shrugged and smiled.
“The owners seem to do just fine for themselves! Maybe it’s because they tend to get a lot of repeat customers. I’m not the only one who looks forward to my path taking me by YaDa’s - in fact, I stop pretty much every time I’m going to or from Tripit!”
I nodded along as Alex continued to ramble about some of the amenities of YaDa’s. Everyone else seemed interested too, so it wasn’t much of a decision to declare we would stop in and rest the remainder of the day. Everyone’s mood got an immediate boost and we all moved faster - even the pack animals pulling the cart seemed excited. Soon enough we found a simple wooden sign next to a side road, which Alex directed us down.
The sign had three pictograms on it - a coin purse, a plate of food, and a steaming bath. As I looked at them, my brain started to work out what order I wanted to do the actions they represented in.
Oriwyn’s eyes were bright and wide open as we came down the path. Already, a building could be seen in the distance. It was large for how little else stood near it - a big, blocky building that matched what I thought an inn should look like was flanked by a smaller, blocky building and a large geodesic dome. I blinked a few times, startled by the shape. It looked like triangular panes of glass rested on a wooden substructure, making a shape that I always associated with retrofuturism. Leor looked interested too - maybe she had some interest in architecture?
As we approached, Alex rumbled their wagon to a halt.
“You six - sorry Brams, seven - go ahead and run in ahead of me. I have an understanding with the owners so I’m going to hitch Peggy and Gary up in the stables before I try to get settled. Someone should be working the front desk - introduce yourself, they’re friendly!”
We thanked Alex for their insight and made our way into the building. We entered into a slightly small space - it wasn’t cramped, but it definitely felt small for what I associated with the entryway for an inn. A few plush chairs were arranged around a fireplace on one wall and a desk stood at the far end. It was currently unoccupied, but I saw a small hanging bell and a hammer on an iron stand on the desk. Shrugging, I took point and walked up to the desk. I glanced around but couldn’t see anyone, so I picked up the hammer and tapped the bell. The resulting noise was surprisingly loud and the answer was almost instant.
“So sorry! Be with you in a second!” came a deep but feminine sounding voice. Sure enough, after a short time had passed, a door opened and a woman stepped through.
To call the woman tall felt almost like an understatement. It seemed like she needed to duck under the doorframe - my best guess is that she was six foot eight or taller. She was built in a way that suggested the Ghost of Christmas Present to me - red hair and all - and when she walked behind the desk it looked comically small before her. She appeared to be human, but I wondered if giants were a thing in Tal - if they were, she definitely looked the part.
“Welcome to YaDa’s!” she said, smiling brightly. She swept a hand up to herself by way of introduction. “My name is Ya, and Da is around elsewhere, and together we run YaDa’s! I don’t think I recognize you - is this your first time?”
Leor was the one who stepped up to answer, which surprised me. I shifted back a little to let her take point.
“Yes, this is our first time, though you came highly recommended by our associate Alex. I believe they should be joining us soon!”
Ya beamed behind the desk.
“Oh! Alex is a good sort - glad to see them back! Their favorite room is even open right now - unless they’d be staying with you?”
“We hadn’t discussed how we would be doing lodging arrangements, but I assume Alex may want some peace and quiet after having us unexpectedly tail along for a few days. What sort of accommodations are there?”
Ya ran a quick count on our number. “For six? We have suites that can take six, or you could do three rooms of two. Honestly, it’s cheaper if you’re all together, and we have a harder time filling the big rooms anyway.
It was at that moment that Brams began to try to scale Ya’s desk. With a scrabbling sound and some snorting, he made his presence known. Ya looked down, looked a little surprised, then reached over the desk and held out her arms. Brams gladly stopped scrabbling and flopped into the proffered embrace, so Ya lifted him and placed him on the desk.
“My my, aren’t you a strange one, little creature! Can’t say I’ve seen your like before…”
Brams made a snorting sound that seemed almost indignant and shook himself. His tail wiggled with the end of the shake, then he sat and stared up at Ya. There was a moment’s silence and Brams looked very intent - all of us leaned in a little, as it seemed like Brams was about to do something. A violent sneeze burst from his muzzle, making us all jump, and the moment was over. Ya smiled at him and tousled the hair on top of his head with her huge hands.
“Well, sorry for not including you in the count. I’m sure that the room will fit seven, though you may need to squeeze a little. Follow me!”
With that, Ya pulled a bulky key from a pocket in her pants. She bent down and unlocked a drawer in the desk, withdrawing a smaller key. As she handed it to Leor, she gave her some instructions.
“Now this key is enchanted. After we’ve opened your door, you’ll have ten minutes to make as many copies as you’ll need. Just take the key, leave it on an open spot of the table, and make sure nobody looks at it for about a minute. When you look back, there’ll be a second key on the table. Take the key and give it to someone - have them put it out of sight - and repeat it until you have what you need! When you’re done, stroke the first key and tell it thanks and it’ll stop duplicating itself.”
I chuckled - hotel key cards had nothing on what I’d just seen. Sure the whole system seemed a little convoluted, and there was a part of me that wanted to keep summoning keys for a few hours just to see how many I could make, but it still felt really cool. In a way, it felt like proper magic, like in a fairy tale.
It was amazing how quickly parts of Tal had become passé to me. I figured since I’d been living in Tal for a while, it was natural that I'd done my best to try and fit in, which would explain how I so quickly became inured to the magical wonders of the world. After all, it seemed like my life was going to continue on as it had been for the foreseeable future. Still, sometimes something small would hit me over the head with a sudden feeling that I was somewhere different from Earth.
Over time, that feeling had been less and less negative.
We followed Ya as she led us to our room. She had to slow a little, as Arcadia made it a point to walk in front of Oxcard and walk slowly so he wouldn’t try to keep up with the tall woman and possibly re-open his wounds. Despite the delay however, we made it to our rooms fine before too awful long.
Our lodgings were simple but spacious. Beds lined two of the walls, creating a corner for sleeping that stood opposed to a clear space with some tables, chairs, and what appeared to be a simple wood-fired stove. A stack of small firewood sat in a basket and thick quilts covered the bed, and overall the whole place gave off a very cozy feeling.
We wasted no time in thanking Ya and starting to get settled in. Arcadia, Oxcard, and Oriwyn took the three beds on one wall while Leor, Laran, and I took the remaining. Leor busied herself making keys, though had some trouble because Oriwyn kept trying to sneak a peek of the key when it split, causing the magic to not work. Eventually though, each of us had a copy - we even made a copy for Brams and tied it around his neck loosely with a piece of ribbon, figuring that it would be a good backup. Leor had an odd look on her face when she began to stroke the key and tell it thank you, which got the rest of us laughing. The key shivered in her hand and let out a contented sigh, which made Leor drop it. Oxcard started laughing so hard that he doubled over in pain, but there was no damage done and the mood stayed high. I decided I should address everyone and come up with something of a game plan.
“Well everyone, it looks like we have some R and R time on our hands! What do people want to do?”
What followed was a pleasantly lively discussion. Arcadia, Laran, and I really wanted to see about the bathhouse side of things, while Oriwyn and Leor argued that they were hungry. Oxcard stayed quiet for most of the deliberation, offering noncommittal answers if ever directly asked about anything, which I found a little strange but which I didn’t press on. The whole time, Brams ran laps around the room, flapping his wings as he jumped from bed to bed. I noticed he seemed to be getting just the littlest bit of a glide going as he leapt over the longer stretches - I would bring that up with Ori later. It also seemed like a positive development that the movement didn’t cause him pain, despite the healing scar on his wing.
Eventually, a plan was settled on. We would go to the general store to see if they had bathing clothes and something to eat. If they did, we would make our purchases then head to the bathhouse, which we assumed was the glass-encased dome structure. If we couldn’t find something that worked as a snack, we agreed we would get a proper meal before swimming. Our plan solidified, Oriwyn calmed Brams down enough so that he stopped running laps of the room, and we headed back to the front.
When we got to the store, we found someone we hadn’t seen before. By the look of her, she seemed to be Ya’s daughter - she hadn’t inherited her mother’s prodigious height entirely, but still stood roughly six feet tall. As we all walked in, she perked up immediately.
“Hello! My name is Yada, and I run the general store here! Have you ever visited one of our shops?”
So many things hit me at once I had trouble figuring out what to focus on first. The first thing I came to grips with was that this person’s name was likely a combination of her parents’ - it wasn’t that hard to imagine, but it still felt weird. The second was that there were multiple shops. Obviously the concept of a chain of stores wasn’t foreign to me, but they were a concept I thought I had left behind with Earth. Curiosity overtook me, so I decided to press for a little more information.
“No I can’t say I have - where are they?”
Yada puffed up behind the desk and looked proud of herself.
“Oh they’re around! Pick three out of the four cardinal directions from Tripit, and there you’ll find a branch of Yada’s General store. My siblings - Yadayada and Yadayadayada - run those two stores, but I was the one who started the whole thing and got this shop made! Mom and Dad really mostly care about the hospitality part of things, so I was free to make the business as I wanted it.”
Leor snorted and bluntly asked Yada a question that I had to admit had occurred to me too.
“Yada, Yadayada, and Yadayadayada? Good thing your parents didn’t have more kids or that would get unwieldy. Are they not very creative people?”
I may have phrased things a little more delicately, but I was still curious of the answer. Luckily Yada laughed it off and didn’t seem to take any offense.
“No, they’re good hosts but not the most imaginative when it comes to naming. We always joked it made it easy for people to remember who was the oldest - take the number of syllables and divide by two!”
Leor just raised her eyebrows but Arcadia burst out laughing. I don’t think I’d heard her laugh like that before. Oriwyn looked at her and slowly began to chuckle along, slowly crescendoing to full-blown laughter as well. I managed to keep a straight face until I glanced over at Laran, who looked utterly mystified. Ox was smiling - the first time I’d seen him do so in the short and intense time since I’d met him - and even Leor was giving a disdainful look, which was tantamount to a grin from her. When everyone calmed down, we thanked Yada for the introduction and got to the business of shopping.
There were sandwiches wrapped up in little paper bags, which we all bought one or two of. Oriwyn, Leor, and Oxcard immediately wolfed theirs down while Laran, Arcadia, and I went to a small table set off to the side and had a more leisurely time of things. As we ate, the other three began to look at the wares of the shop.
Oriwyn immediately found little baubles and spent a good while combing through a small chest of brooches. While she was doing that, Oxcard went to some shelves that had what looked like medical supplies. He came up to Arcadia with an armful and asked for some money, which she hurriedly fished out and gave him. Finally, Leor seemed to be focused on a small collection of clothes. She held up a garment and wandered over to a mirror to see how she looked in it. It didn’t take me long to figure out it was some sort of bathing suit.
I was really, really thankful that Tal had the concept of bathing suits. Part of me had been quietly dreading the prospect of skinny-dipping with five people who were barely more than strangers to me. The fact there was some reasonable expectation we would all be clothed was a relief.
After we finished our sandwiches, we all went to look at the bathing wear. Yada wandered over and started talking about things, going over what was popular where and who had suggested certain styles. I did what I normally did and grabbed the first pair of anything that reasonably looked like it would fit me, and it seemed Oxcard did the same. Arcadia was the next to choose, then Leor. Laran and Oriwyn were debating extensively amongst themselves, going over minute differences in material and cut that I wouldn’t have even thought to look at, so we left them to it and told them to meet us in the bathhouse. They agreed, so we set off.
When we entered the glass dome that hosted the baths, I saw that I had been right. A wooden frame created triangular ledges that held up glass panes. Some of them seemed to be missing from strategic places, creating a cross breeze. Still, the glass held in a large amount of steamy air, and we quickly picked out a large pool to claim as our own. There were only two other bathers, and they were off in a much smaller pool off to the side, so we had plenty of choice. We saw some booths off to the side and went to get changed.
As we gathered by the pool, my head idly studied what bathing suits we’d all chosen. I had gone with what was familiar - a pair of baggy trunks that had a cinch at the waist so they wouldn’t fall down. They didn’t have the weird inner netting that I was used to in place of underwear, which felt a bit strange and loose, but otherwise they were comfortable enough. Oxcard seemed to have chosen much the same as me, but where mine were dyed a green color, his seemed to be wholly undyed. I wondered if they had been the cheapest pair available - that might track with what little I knew about him and Arcadia.
Speaking of, Arcadia was wearing what looked like a sports bra and spanks. I’m sure there were women back home who would have killed for her sporty build, though given her life I’m sure she hadn’t come by it in a way that was in any way pleasant. The last to emerge was Leor, and I had to stop myself from laughing. She looked like a candy cane, wearing a red and white striped one-piece bathing suit that made me think of the old-timey Victorian bathing suits I saw guys wearing in movies and read about in history books. The lower part nearly came down to her knees, and given her beard and candy-cane coloring I got the impression of one of Santa’s elves on holiday. The mental image was doubly funny given that Leor was very definitely a dwarf, but I managed to hold myself together regardless.
We all slipped into the water - it was warm and inviting - and had just started to chat when we heard the bathhouse door open. We waved at Oriwyn and Laran as they entered, and they quickly went and got changed in the hutches we had vacated. It was with some curiosity that I watched for them to exit.
Oriwyn wore a loose, draped garment that seemed to be gathered at specific places to preserve her modesty - it looked vaguely Greek to me. I only had a few seconds to observe the cut though, because she immediately took a running start and jumped towards the deepest part of the pool. Brams immediately followed, offering a secondary splash nearly as large as Oriwyn’s as he splashed down. He began to paddle around the pool happily, having tucked his wings up and out of the way, while Oriwyn surfaced, shooting a cheesy grin at Leor - who she had splashed severely with her entrance - and took a place along the ledge at the edge.
When Laran came out, my face turned a little red. Now I wasn’t a prude, and over the years I had seen several men in very, very revealing swimsuits, but Laran’s suit was drawing my eyes in a way that I felt like they hadn’t been drawn since I was going through puberty. He wore what appeared to be folded fabric instead of trunks like Oxcard and I had found - some distant memory thought it looked vaguely Roman in Earth terms. It was a dark burgundy and not even that revealing, but something about seeing him in it brought back the bashfulness I had experienced when he’d run around the edge of the house shirtless the first time I met him. He seemed to be thinking the same way as I saw his cheeks darkened, but ignored his self-consciousness and walked over without comment to join us in the pool.
We all relaxed in the warm water, trading the occasional bits of small talk. After a while Alex walked in and we waved, but they seemed bent on going to a particular pool on the opposite side of the room. After a while of discussing nothing important, Arcadia cleared her throat to get our attention.
“Excuse me? I don’t want to be too formal or anything, but Ox and I have been talking about your offer and I figured we should share what we decided.”
My heart nearly froze in my chest. My curiosity on if they’d join us had been burning away at me for the whole trip so far, and it seemed like it was going to be answered. Of course we would survive without them, but with what all we’d been through I very much wanted them to accept. Also, part of me wondered if I felt that way because their refusal would mean our group wasn’t worth joining. I tried to push the sudden jumble of emotions down and focus on what she was saying.
“We talked it over and decided we’ll join you. I didn’t have a much better plan long term, and you’ve already proved you’re trustworthy. So, assuming you’ll still have us, we’d like to join.”
Arcadia looked a little nervous while Ox remained hard to read. I felt a sudden soaring in my heart, but Oriwyn beat me to accepting the offer.
“Yes! Of course! We never rescinded the offer after all, plus we work well together!”
Arcadia looked pleased, and I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on Oxcard’s face. Leor smiled too, while Laran suddenly shot to his feet.
“This calls for a proper celebration! Wait ‘ere!”
With that, he got out of the pool and raced off. In short order, he returned with two wine bottles and a few glasses. He eagerly began passing them out, Leor enthusiastically helping get things uncorked and poured. When we all had our glasses, Laran raised his in the air.
“A toast! To new allies an’ a new team! May we do well, do good, and do well for ourselves in so doin’!”
He said the words as if he’d heard them before - I wondered from whom for a moment but abandoned that train of thought quickly. Everyone readily agreed to his toast and raised their glasses, myself included, before taking hearty drinks of our wine. It was a sweet, almost citrusy flavor that bordered on too sweet for me, but its flavor cut through the steamy air of the bathhouse well. I enjoyed it and it seemed everyone else did too. As we lowered our glasses though, we all got quite a shock.
“Cheers! Now where’s my glass?”
The voice came from Brams, who was happily paddling in the center of the pool. Laran choked on his wine, shooting a little out of his nose. Leor just stopped and stared into her glass, looking for an explanation there. Oxcard and Arcadia looked at the rest of us, vaguely confused, but it was Oriwyn’s reaction I really wanted to see.
She sat on her ledge in the pool, a broad smile across her face. I could see a hint of surprise in her eyes, but still she flashed her smile to the rest of us.
“Why are you all acting so surprised? Did you think I was talking to Brams just for fun?”
Elsewhere: The captain of the river barge stood eagle-eyed at the front. It wasn’t like he needed to steer very much - just about anybody could control a riverboat when it was being pulled by horses on the bank - so his attention was much better spent keeping an eye out for threats. He looked to the side - the group of three mercenaries he had hired to accompany his boat and walk by the horses trotted along, weapons sheathed and chatting amicably. He couldn’t blame them really, given that they’d been going for a full day and a half since he’d picked them up without trouble. Still, he knew this stretch of the river and knew he should expect trouble. He scanned the gently rippling surface of the river again, a sudden feeling of discomfort settling over him. A disruption caught his eye, and he let out a cry. The bubbles that caused the disruption began to surface more violently, making the calm stream look like a pot of water at a roiling boil, and the captain cursed his luck. He’d been a fool to try and make his run when he did, but he felt like he’d had no choice. Now he was going to pay for that specific incautious decision - all he could hope was that he didn’t pay too dearly in either coin or life.
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2023.06.09 20:23 TripleNerdScore1 Trip Report: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone (30s couple, traveling while visibly trans)
Hi everyone! This sub was so incredibly helpful to me in the planning process - I was deeply grateful for everything I learned, so I thought I'd post a trip report now that we're back!
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.
submitted by TripleNerdScore1 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]
About us: We're a 30s couple from the Midwest US. We're pretty experienced travelers (South America, UK/Ireland, Europe, lots of places in the US), but this was our first visit to Asia and first visit to Japan. As travelers, we love getting out on foot, local food/drink (especially street food), live music, nerd shit, weird art/vending machines. Also, my partner is a cis guy, but I am a trans masc person who is visibly trans (post-op in a few ways, but not passing/not stealth).
Dates: May 13 - May 29
What we did: Tokyo Kyoto Osaka Hakone Back to Tokyo
Tips and tricks:
- Definitely get your walking training in ahead of time! We walked 10 miles a day on the trip. We're pretty avid backcountry camping/hiking fans who regularly put in 8 - 10 miles on the trail (not to mention taking our dog for multiple walks a day in the neighborhood), so I figured we'd be good - but it was A LOT, especially since you're also trying to translate and navigate at the same time. Japan is not generally a super accessible place from a disability perspective; benches and public seating areas are not common. I found myself wishing I'd packed a collapsible seat of some kind, tbh!
- Good shoes a must! Merrell Moabs are my go-to for hiking, but for this trip I went with Nike Dunk 6 high-tops, which rocked. My partner went with Onitsukas and didn't do as well - he wound up buying inserts partway through the trip, which helped.
- Work on a little Japanese ahead of time! We came in with about a dozen words/phrases, which was honestly truly helpful. So many people are so kind and thoughtful anyway, but it was an appreciated gesture that we had planned ahead and were trying our best. Google Translate's camera feature (Google Lens) was a life-saver for translating written words on signs!
- We had a great experience with Ubigi for an eSIM. The days of purchasing an actual SIM card or even a burner device (like we used to do when backpacking in Europe) are long past. We hooked up our Ubigi eSIMs beforehand, flipped the switch when we got there, and we were golden. Just in case, we'd set up our Verizon coverage to include a Pay-As-You-Go international plan, but we didn't end up using it. We also didn't use half as much data as we thought we would - we both came home with extra GB on our Ubigi plan still. We didn't do a PocketWifi and I don't think we needed it - Ubigi did most of the heavy lifting, and free WiFi at various places did the rest.
- Fly into Haneda, not Narita - way closer to Tokyo city center.
- Get your Suica right away at the airport - our beloved Suica got us through so many things! We also withdrew some cash and split it up between us - we withdrew a few more times on the trip and it worked like a charm. (Just make sure it's an international ATM that includes your card type - not all of them do. Also, notify your bank you'll be traveling, so your card doesn't throw a flag!) We used our credit card as well - the Chase card was accepted pretty much all places CCs are, but many places remain cash-only, especially bars and restaurants.
- Had a great experience using the Friendly Limousine Airport Bus service straight from Haneda to our hotel area.
- I booked shinkansen tix ahead of time, so I got nice discounts on weekday Green Car tix for two - but I really needn't have worried, there were plenty of seats available day-of.
- Don't bother with shinkansen for Kyoto to Osaka - we wound up just hopping on a local with our Suicas and it was fine.
- Don't bother with the Romancecar from Hakone back to Tokyo - it's fastemaybe a nicer seating experience, but just hopping on a local with your Suica is an order of magnitude cheaper.
- Look things up in Japanese if using Google Translate; use Tabelog for restaurants if possible. Google Maps in English is more touristy reviews/reactions.
- Tokyo Skytree was hit-or-miss - only real letdown of the trip.
- Tokyo teamLab PLANETS was completely worth it - absolutely worth the hype in my opinion.
- Queer and trans travelers - I felt completely safe, but as a plus-size trans masc nonbinary queerdo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't feel in danger, but I was absolutely aware that I did not fit in. Stares were common, especially from older men and young kids. (Weirdly, local women seemed more friendly and curious about me!) Just be prepared for it and remember you're not in any danger physically - it's all just curiosity.
- I have to thank this subreddit for recommending Hakone, especially for the tip to book a ryokan with private onsen access. We had an absolutely beautiful experience at Yamanochaya in Hakone, which included both a private "onsen" soaking tub in our room and private 1:1 access to a larger, actual hot spring onsen on the property. I otherwise would not have been able to experience a real hot spring onsen at all, as they are gender-segregated. Thank you, /JapanTravel!
DAY 1 ARRIVAL 📍 Flew into Haneda; made it to our hotel (lovely experience at Hotel Plaza Sunroute); had our first world-famous konbini 7/11 experience; walked around Shinjuku; went out for dinner at Ryu no Miyako Inshokugai - talk about jumping in the deep end 🍣 Onigiri and vending machine green tea; little whipped cream treats; Nagahama ramen and sesame mackerel donburi 👣 10,400 steps 🏁 4.8 miles
DAY 2 SHIBUYA 📍 Meiji Shrine and Gardens - got goshuin and omamori; Harajuku, went to 7/11; back to the hotel for a nap; Shibuya, including Don Quijote, Center Gai and Dogenzaka Street; Nonbei Yokocho for late night 🍣 7/11 (plum onigiri and corn/mayo sandwich, some kind of spam musubi situation, matcha roll); Ichiran coin-op ramen with extra chashu and a matcha tofu custard thing; banana shock smoothie at Shibuya109 in Center Gai; chicken and pork belly yakitori with beers at Morimoto; brown sugar shoju and shoju-infused Oolong tea cocktails at Tight Bar (strong recommend for this joint!); grilled squid, octopus, and okonomiyaki for afters at Tsukishima Monja Kuuya Shibuya 👣 32,000 steps 🏁 14.5 miles 😮💨
DAY 3 SHINJUKU 📍 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden; Shinjuku area (including Disk Union, Disney, Onitsuka); Kabukicho and Kabukicho Tower; GODZ metal bar; Golden Gai; Omoide Yokocho 🍣 7/11 (onigiri, matcha filled roll thing, royal milk tea, tomago sushi, strawberry donut, cafe latte); many types of dango (sesame oil, soy sauce, and apricot mochi were our favs); McDonald's (weirdly good chicken sandwich with yuzu radish topping, vanilla custard chocolate pie, white grape soda); yummy little warm imagawayaki filled with adzuki bean paste + royal milk from depachika); a couple of Asahis at GODZ; simple yakitori snacks at Golden Gai (including some… mystery offal items); back to 7/11 for drunk matcha ice cream and waffle snacks 👣 28,800 steps 🏁 13.0 miles
DAY 4 ASAKUSA 📍 Went out for coffee; walked around Kinarimon Gate and Nakamise; toured Asakusa Shrine, Senso-ji Temple, surrounding Shinto and Buddhist shrines; stopped for sushi and mochi; went for a walk up Sumida River; dipped into Shoden and Imado shrines; crossed Kototoi Bridge to Tokyo Skytree; went up Tokyo Skytree; back to Senso-ji for night photos; capped off evening with gyoza 🍣 Lattes at cute puppet theater coffeeshop (espresso, dandelion tea); 7/11 for breakfast-y fuel; strawberries from a street stall at Nakamise; sushi lunch; beautiful mochi + tea dessert; grilled gyoza, soup dumpling gyoza, shoujo Oolong tea cocktail for afters 👣 25,500 steps 🏁 11.66 miles
DAY 5 JIMBŌCHŌ, AKIHABARA 📍 Train to Ichigaya - notable French-inspired neighborhood; breakfast at local French café; Yasakuni Shrine; Kanda River walk by Hosei University; Tokyo Daijingu Shrine; Jimbōchō Old Book Town; walked from there to Akihibara; hit up noodles, arcade, nerd shops (comics, TCGs/CCGs, retro video games systems, TTRPGS, etc); gachapons; hit up the bizarre rare vending machines 🍣 Vending machine coffee and milk tea; yummy French pastries (bacon and sour cream roll, quiche, sour cream raisin custard thing); had to try some avocado and cheese Doritos; cold udon with duck broth soup, curry rice for Chris; fish-shaped taiyaki with custard cream dessert treat; dope gyoza place ("weekday" version with pork and cabbage, shrimp and chili mayo, yakitori with tare, and shogayaki with onions) 👣 Forgot watch at hotel - we’ll say 10,000 steps 🏁 Guessing about 5 or 6?
DAY 6 TEAMLAB PLANETS, TRAVEL TO KYOTO 📍 Hit up teamLabs, had an amazing time exploring the exhibits - the infinite light crystal room was our fav; train to Tokyo Station; lunch at underground Ramen Street restaurants under the station - went with Soranoiro, one of the few veg/vegan ramen shops in Japan - delicious; shinkansen to Kyoto; out for nightlife in Kiyamachi-Dori and Pontocho 🍣 Quick 7/11 snacks; train snacks (pocky, coffee, little teriyaki cutlet sandwich); Soranoiro ramen bowls; killer yakitori we fried right at our table in izakaya in Pontocho (honestly probably a meal highlight of the whole trip); brown sugar shoujo; 7/11 for ice cream on the way back 👣 18,900 steps 🏁 8.63 miles
DAY 7 KINKAKUJI, NISHIKI, GION 📍 Kinkakuji Temple; bus back to Kiyamachi-dori; spent whole afternoon walking and eating street food at Nishiki Market; back to hotel for rest, laundry, rooftop drink; out for nightlife in Gion 🍣 Family Mart for coffee and doughnuts; Nishiki Market Street street food delights - seared yakitori style crab stick, little octopus chuka idako on skewers, kara-age on skewers, sea squid croquettes and beer, strawberry and adzuki bean mochi balls; mimosas and red wine; Kyoto Gion Okaru - geisha-decorated izakaya with insane curry udon bowls and beers; picked up box of mochi dango for dessert 👣 20,200 steps 🏁 9.07 miles
DAY 8 SHRINE DAY 📍 OK, this is a lot:
- Yasakajinja (we happened to be here while a young couple was having a Shinto wedding ceremony!)
- Yasui Kompira-gū (built 1170, shrine for ending bad relationships and starting new ones, has special stone that you pin your wishes to - many young girls will crawl through the stone to mark a breakup or wish for love)
- Kennin-ji (built 1202, large grounds - among the oldest in Kyoto);
- Reigen-in (part of Kennin-ji grounds, a Zen teahouse with a tea garden where they served adzuki bean buns with tea made from the actual hydrangeas of the tea garden outside!)
- Zenkyoan (boar shrine which we initially thought were cute hedgehogs)
- Kyoto Ebisu Shrine (dedicated to fishermen - we happened to be here during the shrine's annual mikoshi festival - a battalion of locals in traditional clothes, hoisting and dancing with the mikoshi around the neighborhood)
- Kodai-ji (built 1606, gorgeous grounds - we skipped the tour)
- Hōkan-ji/Yasaka Pagoda (dating back to 589 and rebuilt in 1400s, huge black 5-story pagoda featuring massive shakyamuni pole inside and reliquary of a bone of the Buddha in the foundations)
- Ryōzen Kannon (built 1955 after WW2, massive Buddha statue and active Buddhist temple)
- Of course the world-famous Kiyomizudera (built 778, enormous Kyoto-red temple with beautiful buildings spiraling up into the forest)
DAY 9 FUSHIMI-INARI 📍 Fushimi Inari, the famous shrine of over 1,000 torii gates - super amazing (and intense!) summit of Mt Inari! Back to Nishiki Market for reward street food and drinks; back to hotel for a rooftop drink and soak; finally out for soba at Kawamichiya Ginka in Pontocho. 🍣 Snack pack on our hike (sausages, cheese, some kind of fish meat/cheese stick, and surume - sweet chewy dried squid stuff); orange smoothie; conveyor belt sushi; strawberry mochi roll; whisky highball and red wine; massive soba spreads (chicken seared with wasabi/yuzu/horseradish dipped in ponzu sauce, fried soba noodles in a rich soup, cold soba noodles dipped tsukemen-style in a really amazing umami soy sauce soup, tempura shrimp and veggies, a hot soba noodles in a clear broth soup) 👣 27,600 steps 🏁 Supposedly 12.3 miles, but that hike to summit Mt Inari was something else 😤
DAY 10 TRAVEL TO OSAKA, SHINSABASHISUJI, AMEMURA, DOTONBURI 📍 Beautiful brunch on the bank of the canal in Kyoto; local train to Osaka-Umeda; checked into Osaka hotel; walked around Shinsaibashisuji and Dotonburi a little bit; scoped out Amemura ("Ameri-mura") for dope American-inspired Japanese streetwear; wandered up and down street food stalls in Dotonbori; swung by Namba Hips (mostly pachinko); found a couple of fun little hole-in-the-wall places (little Japanese craft beer brewery, retro video games bar) 🍣 Brunch at Kawa Cafe (croque monsieur, ramen, tea and delicious apple tart); takoyaki, cheesy waffle shaped like a massive 10yen coin, sweet chili hotdogs from stands in Dotonbori; dashi gose craft beer (by Derailleur Brew Works) from Umineko, shots at Space Station bar 👣 19,500 steps 🏁 9.01 miles
DAY 11 NAMBAYASAKIJINA, DOTONBURI 📍 Morning Japanese breakfast at a wonderful little 24-hour diner; Hozen-ji (moss shrine); Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum across the street (focusing on Osaka woodcuts celebrating Dotonburi's kabuki and entertainment history); Nambayasaka-jinja (lion head shrine); Den Den Town (Osaka's Akihabara); ended up at a cozy little kushikatsu bar which actually was playing the Tigers game (away game vs the Swallows at Tokyo); street food waffles for dessert; hit up a late-night batting cage - ended up at Round1 (a big multi-floor arcade complex) and did the rooftop batting cage! My partner won a giant plushie for me from a claw machine! 🍣 Dope traditional japanese omelette and fish breakfast; cute macarons from market stand; Family Mart for snacks before nightlife; skewers, beer, and highballs from Dotonbori kushikatsu place; ridiculous nutella, whip, and strawberry stuffed waffle from Waffle Khan 👣 29,100 steps 🏁 13.31 miles
DAY 12 KUROMON ICHIBA, OSAKA CASTLE, DOTONBURI 📍 Kuromon Ichiba Market for street food; Osaka Castle Park and Nishinomaru Gardens; toured Osaka Castle and museum all the way up to the top; subway to Tanimachi-9-chome subway station for amazing live jazz at Sub Jazz Cafe. (This was amazing! Akira "Ro" Hasegawa (sax) and Yukie Fujikawa (keys) - Ro is also the owner and was bartending on this particular night too.) Out to Don Don for killer yakiniku and beer; found our way to Oboradaren, an Tokunoshima-themed island vibes bar and music spot where there was a great live band playing fun island vibes beach rock - big crowd of 40s+ Japanese women who knew all the songs, wound up drinking passionfruit chuhai and joining them in the conga line around the bar 🍣 Oden hot pot, wagyu skewer, otoro sashimi, crab gratin in the half-shell, bracken green tea soy cakes at Kuromon Market; ice cream sandwiches at Osaka Castle; milk tea, little roast beef sandwich, and cheesecake at Sub Jazz Cafe; yakiniku-style wagyu, ribs, ox tongue, assorted mushrooms; passionfruit chuhai and red wine at the island vibes spot; taro and brown sugar boba teas 👣 23,000 steps 🏁 10.42 miles
DAY 13 KAIYUKAN, SHINSEKAI, DOTONBURI 📍 Fun trip to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan; quick pass through Shinsekai; lunch at spot where you can fish your own catch from an indoor fishing boat pool; out for one last Dotonburi night - wound up getting konbini snacks and sitting on the waterfront talking and people-watching for hours 🍣 Not a banger food-wise, but interesting little spread at the fish-your-own place - huge prawn for grilling, kara-age, and fatty tuna nigiri for Max, tempura veggies and whitefish with doteyaki for Chris; from Family Mart, fruit smoothie, ice cup, and KitKat for Max, onigiri and lemonade for Chris 👣 19,100 steps 🏁 8.64 miles
DAY 14 TRAVEL TO HAKONE, HAKONE SHRINE 📍 Bombed to Shin-Osaka for an early shinkansen to Odawara; trained to Odawara to Hakone; dropped luggage off at ryokan, then bus to Motohakone; saw Hakone Shrine and Onshi-Hakone Park (as well as a segment of the actual Old Tokaido!); returned to ryokan for the night, where we were treated to a gorgeous 1:1 kaiseki from a Michelin-star chef, private hot spring onsen, and private in-room hot spring bath 🍣 Konbini snacks before shinkansen; snacks and coffee on train; late lunch in Motohakone (curry and soba, pork cutlet); incredible, massive multi-course kaiseki and sake for dinner, plus strawberry cake, champagne, and more sake for dessert 👣 13,900 steps 🏁 6.26 miles
DAY 15 HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM, TRAVEL TO TOKYO, LAST NIGHT IN SHINJUKU 📍 Woke up in gorgeous ryokan; leisurely kaiseki breakfast with leftover cake; final soak in the private onsen; Hakone Open Air Museum - very cool; had kind of a challenging trip back but finally made it from Museum back to ryokan to bus stop to Hakone-Yumoto to Odawara to Shinjuku to the hotel 😮💨 Considering the last night as our real "last night" of the trip, our final night out in Tokyo was all just extra icing on the cake - went out for yakitori skewers and Asahi Superdrys in cozy alley in Omoide Yokocho, found really wonderful cake and tea dessert open late also in Omoide, hit up 🎵 Donki! 🎵 for a final round of bulk snacks and souvenirs, ended up on a late-night excursion to find Park Hyatt Hotel (featured in Lost in Translation); finished night at hotel watching the city go to sleep from our balcony 👣 22,700 steps 🏁 10.3 miles
FINAL SCORE 📸 Pics: 1,929 👣 Steps: 337,700 🏁 Miles: 153.78 (we averaged 9.6 miles per day, every day, for 16 days) 🇯🇵 “Nihongo jōzu!”: 4 (I know more proficient Japanese speakers are insulted, but it's honestly a pretty nice comment when you're at my level) 👶 Comments on how young we look/how we can’t possibly be celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary: 3 ✨ Gratitude: Infinite.
2023.06.09 20:08 SchlesingerMindy323 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in KY Hiring Now!
2023.06.09 18:51 PritchettRobert506 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in NC Hiring Now!
2023.06.09 18:20 PritchettRobert506 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in MO Hiring Now!
2023.06.09 09:01 Aaronstone252 School suggestions for low MCAT and okay GPA?
Hi Everyone! I just submitted my application and I’m nervous. I have a decent amount of school but I am thinking of adding a few more. Do you have any suggestions? I know since my MCAT is low my best chances are DO but any suggestions would be appreciated!
Stats: MCAT:502 Gpa:3.67 Working hours: 4000+ Clinical volunteering: 400+ Research:300+ California resident
Current list: Do: -College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) and COMP-Northwest
-Touro Univeristy of California
-A.T. Still University-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona - ATSU-SOMA
-Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine - TUNCOM
-Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine - AZCOM
-Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine - Bradenton Campus - LECOM Bradenton
-Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine - NSU-KPCOM
-Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - TouroCOM
-New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine - NYITCOM
-University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine - UIWSOM
-Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine - Burrell COM
-Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine - ACOM
-West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine - WVSOM
-Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine - ARCOM
-Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine - DMUCOM
-Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine - Noorda-COM
-Western Universty of the Pacific Northwest
MD: -Albany Medical College
-Central Michigan University College of Medicine
-University of California, Riverside
-California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine
-Quillen College of Medicine
-Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
-Howard University College of Medicine
-Loma Linda University School of Medicine
-Medical College of Wisconsin
-Meharry Medical College
-Morehouse School of Medicine
-Northeast Ohio Medical University
-State University of New York Upstate Medical
-University Alan and Marlene Norton College of Medicine
-University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
-University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
-Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
-Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
-University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
submitted by Aaronstone252 to premed [link] [comments]
Stats: MCAT:502 Gpa:3.67 Working hours: 4000+ Clinical volunteering: 400+ Research:300+ California resident
Current list: Do: -College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) and COMP-Northwest
-Touro Univeristy of California
-A.T. Still University-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona - ATSU-SOMA
-Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine - TUNCOM
-Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine - AZCOM
-Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine - Bradenton Campus - LECOM Bradenton
-Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine - NSU-KPCOM
-Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - TouroCOM
-New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine - NYITCOM
-University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine - UIWSOM
-Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine - Burrell COM
-Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine - ACOM
-West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine - WVSOM
-Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine - ARCOM
-Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine - DMUCOM
-Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine - Noorda-COM
-Western Universty of the Pacific Northwest
MD: -Albany Medical College
-Central Michigan University College of Medicine
-University of California, Riverside
-California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine
-Quillen College of Medicine
-Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
-Howard University College of Medicine
-Loma Linda University School of Medicine
-Medical College of Wisconsin
-Meharry Medical College
-Morehouse School of Medicine
-Northeast Ohio Medical University
-State University of New York Upstate Medical
-University Alan and Marlene Norton College of Medicine
-University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
-University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
-Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
-Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
-University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine
2023.06.09 06:47 Rainyfriedtofu Attempt at explaining AI by other healthcare providers
Hello fellow Apes,
I am supposed to be playing D4 with my kids but instead I am writing this post for you. It's ok. I'm having fun because I'm actually into talking about this shit. Anyway, I was inspired to write an explanation regarding other companies used of AI based on u/Sandro316 's reply from this post I made earlier https://www.reddit.com/CLOV/comments/144na72/the_reasons_why_big_names_are_linked_with_this/. I'm posting it here to we can highlight this topic, and the information doesn't get lost in the comments section.
The purpose of this post is to explain in laymen terms what these companies are doing in AI from the perspective of a healthcare administrator. A little bit about my background. I started out in healthcare research and did my fellowship at NIH. I have 13+ years of experience working at director and c level positions in healthcare and social services. I'm also a big computer geek, and I current have my staff working on an AI system so I can train staff faster and equip them with the skills to help clients/consumers/patients navigate the complex healthcare and social service systems that we have in California. With that said, let get started.
As a side note, I will make another post regarding the patents CLOV has which pertain to how its AI's is and will be functioning in the future.
Humana for example is mainly focused on improving the customer experience and streamlining administrative tasks
https://www.forbes.com/sites/neiledwards/2020/03/02/why-doesnt-your-healthcare-insurer-use-ai-like-humana-does/?sh=f6faed5608ea
This article is using a lot of big words to explain to you that they trying to build a system that mimic Kaiser and a automated call bot that will hopefully answer all of your questions. Here is a same quote
" Call Center Experience
Humana members call for many reasons: understanding a claim status, inquiring about benefits eligibility, placing orders for new or re-filled prescriptions or appealing a medical coverage decision.
The answers to these questions are stored in different information systems. The company uses artificial intelligence and intelligent automation to help bridge gaps between systems. The aim is a better call experience. "
This is just a small reduction of the current problem regarding claim processing. They are not giving providers a better tool to process claims faster and more accurately. They are just improving their call bot.
The rest of the stuff that was wrote in the article are just Humana trying to copy Kaiser's current system. IF you have Kaiser and appreciate how fast and seamless they make some process such as drug refill, you should get a rough idea of what Humana's AI is trying to achieve.
"United is a little closer to Clover with their optum subsidiary but it is mainly focused on improving patient outcomes by getting them care faster and with the right physician for their case."
https://emerj.com/ai-sector-overviews/artificial-intelligence-at-united-health/
As for the rest of the article and the fancy words they used, it's fucking Kaiser. I'm sorry that I get annoyed, but whenever I read an article that used fancy words to trick laymen people, I get mad. I advocate for the people with 9th grade literacy, and this kind of shit are just describing Kaiser's system which is the current king of primary care if you haven't heard about it. Their system is used at the role model at so many meetings, it's not even funny. They have amazing coordinated care because they are the insurance and provider.
Anyway, next article..
"Oscar is again trying to improve outcomes by routing members to the correct place. Then also improve efficiency."
https://www.hioscar.com/deepdive/oscar-strategy
The AI being deploy here is to reduce the amount of fraudulent claims basically medical misuses. I'm actually very knowledgeable about Oscar, and they not investing in AI as much as they should. They are just improving their current system to detect bad claims and speed up the processing time.
In summary, CLOV's current competitors are trying to build AI on top of their current medical billing systems/platforms. Consequently, due to the limitation of those systems/platforms, they are not able to innovate as much as CA. By the end of the day, their system is still heavily reliant on a human being on insurance side to process the claim and another human being on the provider side to file the claim correctly.
This is very different than providing providers with the tools to
1) process claims
2) make recommendation on what claims (treatment) should be used based on the data from previous patients.
The big problem with health insurance companies now a day is they are so out of touch with the amount of time a provider need to invest into their staff to understand each company's process to file claims, reconciliation, out of network referral, and etc so they keep finding ways to make it easier for their staff while introducing a bunch of new rules and procedures that are not helping providers. Providers cannot provide services without authorization. Authorization should not require a fucking manual for every god damn insurance company. Ever wonder why you have to check whether your provider accept your insurance? What you are really checking is whether or not they are vendorized or are on the panel to bill the insurance company. Low payout and complicated procedures for processing claim and vendorization are barriers to care.
The only company that even come close to CLOV is United and they are still in development. CLOV's AI is live with multiple patents. https://www.reddit.com/CLOV/comments/144pi0m/clover_health_54_patents_from_2018_to_2023/
The best analogy I can give here to compare Tesla (pre-big-ass company) to GM during the EV1 era. GM made the first electric car and was much bigger than Tesla. Tesla was testing out it's battery powered roadster. However, Tesla had years to test out building their car, battery, and production line.
While CLOV is working on testing and proving the profitability of its AI, other companies are just in the process of developing them. Some of them aren't working on it at all.
Before I forgot, all of the healthcare company mentioned above are basically trying to reduce their turnaround time for when a claim is submitted for both new and prior authorization.
submitted by Rainyfriedtofu to CLOV [link] [comments]
I am supposed to be playing D4 with my kids but instead I am writing this post for you. It's ok. I'm having fun because I'm actually into talking about this shit. Anyway, I was inspired to write an explanation regarding other companies used of AI based on u/Sandro316 's reply from this post I made earlier https://www.reddit.com/CLOV/comments/144na72/the_reasons_why_big_names_are_linked_with_this/. I'm posting it here to we can highlight this topic, and the information doesn't get lost in the comments section.
The purpose of this post is to explain in laymen terms what these companies are doing in AI from the perspective of a healthcare administrator. A little bit about my background. I started out in healthcare research and did my fellowship at NIH. I have 13+ years of experience working at director and c level positions in healthcare and social services. I'm also a big computer geek, and I current have my staff working on an AI system so I can train staff faster and equip them with the skills to help clients/consumers/patients navigate the complex healthcare and social service systems that we have in California. With that said, let get started.
As a side note, I will make another post regarding the patents CLOV has which pertain to how its AI's is and will be functioning in the future.
Humana for example is mainly focused on improving the customer experience and streamlining administrative tasks
https://www.forbes.com/sites/neiledwards/2020/03/02/why-doesnt-your-healthcare-insurer-use-ai-like-humana-does/?sh=f6faed5608ea
This article is using a lot of big words to explain to you that they trying to build a system that mimic Kaiser and a automated call bot that will hopefully answer all of your questions. Here is a same quote
" Call Center Experience
Humana members call for many reasons: understanding a claim status, inquiring about benefits eligibility, placing orders for new or re-filled prescriptions or appealing a medical coverage decision.
The answers to these questions are stored in different information systems. The company uses artificial intelligence and intelligent automation to help bridge gaps between systems. The aim is a better call experience. "
This is just a small reduction of the current problem regarding claim processing. They are not giving providers a better tool to process claims faster and more accurately. They are just improving their call bot.
The rest of the stuff that was wrote in the article are just Humana trying to copy Kaiser's current system. IF you have Kaiser and appreciate how fast and seamless they make some process such as drug refill, you should get a rough idea of what Humana's AI is trying to achieve.
"United is a little closer to Clover with their optum subsidiary but it is mainly focused on improving patient outcomes by getting them care faster and with the right physician for their case."
https://emerj.com/ai-sector-overviews/artificial-intelligence-at-united-health/
- An AI-enhanced virtual assistant platform to collect patient data and offer customized solutions: UnitedHealth Group’s virtual assistance platform uses conversational AI and enhanced agents that reroute calls to sufficient internal resources, collect and classify patient information, and offer services that bring down costs and improve patient service experiences.
- Developing a centralized data platform to improve patient outcomes: UnitedHealth Group’s resident tech-focused subsidiary, Optum, develops a platform that uses data analytics, NLP, machine and deep learning models to improve patient outcomes by predicting conditions and decreasing the cost of care.
As for the rest of the article and the fancy words they used, it's fucking Kaiser. I'm sorry that I get annoyed, but whenever I read an article that used fancy words to trick laymen people, I get mad. I advocate for the people with 9th grade literacy, and this kind of shit are just describing Kaiser's system which is the current king of primary care if you haven't heard about it. Their system is used at the role model at so many meetings, it's not even funny. They have amazing coordinated care because they are the insurance and provider.
Anyway, next article..
"Oscar is again trying to improve outcomes by routing members to the correct place. Then also improve efficiency."
https://www.hioscar.com/deepdive/oscar-strategy
The AI being deploy here is to reduce the amount of fraudulent claims basically medical misuses. I'm actually very knowledgeable about Oscar, and they not investing in AI as much as they should. They are just improving their current system to detect bad claims and speed up the processing time.
In summary, CLOV's current competitors are trying to build AI on top of their current medical billing systems/platforms. Consequently, due to the limitation of those systems/platforms, they are not able to innovate as much as CA. By the end of the day, their system is still heavily reliant on a human being on insurance side to process the claim and another human being on the provider side to file the claim correctly.
This is very different than providing providers with the tools to
1) process claims
2) make recommendation on what claims (treatment) should be used based on the data from previous patients.
The big problem with health insurance companies now a day is they are so out of touch with the amount of time a provider need to invest into their staff to understand each company's process to file claims, reconciliation, out of network referral, and etc so they keep finding ways to make it easier for their staff while introducing a bunch of new rules and procedures that are not helping providers. Providers cannot provide services without authorization. Authorization should not require a fucking manual for every god damn insurance company. Ever wonder why you have to check whether your provider accept your insurance? What you are really checking is whether or not they are vendorized or are on the panel to bill the insurance company. Low payout and complicated procedures for processing claim and vendorization are barriers to care.
The only company that even come close to CLOV is United and they are still in development. CLOV's AI is live with multiple patents. https://www.reddit.com/CLOV/comments/144pi0m/clover_health_54_patents_from_2018_to_2023/
The best analogy I can give here to compare Tesla (pre-big-ass company) to GM during the EV1 era. GM made the first electric car and was much bigger than Tesla. Tesla was testing out it's battery powered roadster. However, Tesla had years to test out building their car, battery, and production line.
While CLOV is working on testing and proving the profitability of its AI, other companies are just in the process of developing them. Some of them aren't working on it at all.
Before I forgot, all of the healthcare company mentioned above are basically trying to reduce their turnaround time for when a claim is submitted for both new and prior authorization.
2023.06.09 06:13 alegaltest How I got into listening to the Grateful Dead...
I remember getting From The Mars Hotel from the local library when I was in early high school. Then I got American Beauty. Then I got Live/Dead. I used to get DMB, Phish, and SCI CDR B&Ps but did not get into a lot of live Dead until the Internet Archive had shows. I found a list of concerts I went to from 2000-2013. Since then I have seen one Levi's Stadium Fare Thee Well type shows with Trey on guitar, 5 Dead and Company Shows, 2 Santana, and 1 Bob Dylan. Here is a link to a Bob Dylan show in Louisville I recorded recently. A Santana show in Evansville is on the same youtube account. There is a BB King June 2013 Evansville show I recorded on Sugarmegs and a 2013 Dark Star Orchestra Bloomington, Indiana show on archive.org (I used to work for the Internet Archive in SF in 2008.)
https://youtu.be/Zf8UKMGB5j4
List of some concerts I attended
1999_June_W.C. Handy Blues Festival (John Lee Hooker)
2000_06_22_Dave Matthews Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2000_06_23_Dave Matthews Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2000_06_24_Dave Matthews Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2001_04_20_Fugazi_Indianapolis, Indiana
2001_04_26_SCI_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2001_04_27_SCi_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2001_06_23_Sick-O_Fest_Winslow, Indiana
2001_07_15_String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh and Friends_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2001_07_22_Trey Anastasio Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2001_11_02_Bob Dylan_Terre Haute, Indiana_Hulman Civic Univeristy Center
2001_11_03_Oysterhead_Lafayette, Indiana_Elliot Hall of Music
2002_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2002_10_29_Trey Anastasio Band_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2002_12_30_Umphrey's Mcgee_Chicago, Illinois_The Vic
2002_12_31_Moe._Chicago, Illinois_Aragon
2003_02_20_Phish_Chicago, Illinois_Allstate Arena
2003_02_21_Phish_Cincinnati, Ohio_U.S. Bank Arena
2003_02_22_Phish_Cincinnati, Ohio_U.S. Bank Arena
2003_05_09_Jammin' On Jersey_Murat Theatre Parking Lot_Indianapolis, Indiana
2003_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2003_07_21_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_07_22_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_07_23_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_08_02_Moe., Bob Dylan, The Dead_Joliet, Illinois_Route 66 RaceWay
2003_08_05_Bob Dylan, The Dead_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_08_24_Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Radiohead_St. Louis, Missouri, UMB Bank Pavillion
2003_August_Moe.Down music festival_Turin, New York
2003_10_31_Moe._Chicago, Illinois_Aragon Ballroom
2003_12_30_Moe._Philadelphia, Pennsylvania_Electric Factory
2003_12_31_Maceo Parker and Moe._Camden, New Jersey_Tweeter Center
2004_02_03_Moe._St. Louis, Missouri_The Pageant
2004_02_20_Yonder Mountain String Band_Louisville, Kentucky_Headliners
2004_02_21_Galactic_New Orleans, Louisiana_Tipitinas
2004_May_Summercamp Music Festival_Chillicothe, Illinois
2004_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2004_06_23_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2004_06_24_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2004_06_25_Phish_East Troy, Wisconsin_Alpine Valley Music Theatre
2004_06_26_Phish_East Trey, Wisconsin_Alpine Valley Music Theatre
2004_07_25_The Dead_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2004_08_10_Phish_Mansfield, Massachusetts_Great Woods
2004_08_11_Phish_Mansfield, Massachusetts_Great Woods
2004_08_12_Phish_Camden, New Jersey_Tweeter Center
2004_08_13_Phish_Coventry, Vermont_Newport State Airport
2004_08_14_Phish_Coventry, Vermont_Newport State Airport
2004_08_15_Phish_Coventry, Vermont_Newport State Airport
2004_10_31_Moe._Nashville, Tennessee_Ryman Auditorium
2005_02_25_Moe._St. Louis, Missouri_The Pageant
2005_04_15_P Funk_Nashville, Tennessee_Cannery Ballroom
2005_05_04_P Funk_Chicago, Illinois_House of Blues
2005_05_05_Widespread Panic_St. Louis, Missouri_Fox Theatre
2005_May_P Funk_Salem, Missouri_Camp Zoe
2005_May_Summer Camp Music Festival_Chillicothe, Illinois
2005_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2005_07_16_Les Claypool_Louisville, Kentucky_Jillians
2005_07_27_Widespread Panic_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2005_08_18_Neil Young_Nashville, Tennessee_Ryman Auditorium
2005_08_19_Neil Young_Nashville, Tennessee_Ryman Auditorium
2005_09_24_Comes A Time A Musical Tribute to Jerry Garcia_Berkeley, California_Greek Theater
2005_10_14_Widespread Panic_Nashville, Tennesee_Starwood Amphiteatre
2005_10_29_Todd Snyder, Yonder Mountain String Band_Nashville, Tennessee_War Memorial Auditorium
2005_11_05_Ravi Shankar Festival of India_Chicago, Illinois_Symphony Center
2005_11_25_Phil Lesh and Friends_Chicago, Illinois_Chicago Theater
2005_11_26_Phil Lesh and Friends_Chicago, Illinois_Chicago Theater
2005_11_27_Phil Lesh and Friends_Milwaukee, Wisconsin_Eagles Ballroom
2005_12_12_Phil Lesh and Friends_Atlanta, Georgia_Fox Theater
2005_12_13_Phil Lesh and Friends_Atlanta, Georgia_Fox Theater
2005_12_30_Moe._Ashville, North Carolina_Orange Peel
2005_12-31_Sound Tribe Sector 9_Atlanta, Georgia_The Tabernacle
2006_01_25_Moe._Lousiville, Kentucy_Jillians
2006_02_03_Moe., The Disco Biscuits_Chicago, Illinois_Aragon
2006_02_17_Phil Lesh and Friends_New York, New York_Hammerstein Ballroom
2006_02_18_Phil Lesh and Friends_New York, New York_Hammerstein Ballroom
2006_02_19_Phil Lesh and Friends_New York, New York_Hammerstein Ballroom
2006_02_25_Larry Coryell_Lousville, Kentucky_Jazz Factory
2006_03_11_Ricky Skaggs_Lousiville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2006_03_11_Railroad Earth_Louisville, Kentucky, Headliners Music Hall
2006_03_19_P Funk_Cincinnati, Ohio_Bogarts
2006_04_07_Project Object_Louisville, Kentucky_Headliners Music Hall
2006_04_15_Toots and the Maytalls_Bloomington, Indiana_Bluebird Nightclub
2006_05_18_Phil Lesh and Frends_San Francisco, California_Warfield Theater
2006_05_19_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Francisco, California_Warfield Theater
2006_05_20_Wavy Gravy's Birthday Concert_Berkley, California_Berkley Community Theater
2006_06_23_Radiohead_Berkeley, California_Greek Theater
2006_06_24_Zappa Plays Zappa_San Francisco, CA_Warfield Theater
2006_07_14_Phil Lesh and Friends_Columbus, Ohio_Lifestyles Community Pavillion
2006_07_15_Phil Lesh and Friends_Indianpolis, Indiana_White River State Park
2006_07_18_Phil Lesh and Friends_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2006_08_02_Widespread Panic_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2006_09_22_The Mars Volta_Chicago, Illinois_Aragon Ballroom
2006_09_30_Roger Waters_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2006_10_17_Widespread Panic_Evansville, Indiana_The Centre
2007_P Funk_San Francisco, California_Fillmore
2007_05_18_Wavy Gravy's Birthday Concert_San Francisco, California, Grand Ballroom
2007_09_20_Donna Jean and The Tricksters with Bob Weir_Marin, California_Sweetwater Music Hall
2007_09_23_Phil Lesh and Friends_Berkeley, California_Greek Theater
2007_11_27_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Franciso, California_Warfield Theater
2007_12_31_Mars Volta_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2008_01_25_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Francisco, California_Fillmore
2008_01_26_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham civic Auditorium
2008_02_04_Deadheads for Obama_San Francisco, California_Warfield Theater (listened to the concert from the side door)
2008_05_13_Phil Lesh and Friends with Bob Weir_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_05_14_Phil Lesh and Friends with Mark Karan_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_05_16_Hot Tuna_San Francisco, California_Great American Music Hall
2008_05_17_Phil Lesh and Friends with Sikiru Adepoju and Henry Kaiser_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_05_18_Phil Lesh and Friends with Bob Weir_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_07_Smashing Pumpkins_San Francisco, California_Fillmore
2008_June_Harmony Festival_Sonoma, California
2008_July_Oregon Country Fair_Eugene, Oregon
2008_11_03_Experience Hendrix Tour_San Francisco, California_Masonic Center
2008_11_Rubber Soldiers_Berkeley, California_Ashkenaz
2008_12_13_Rex Foundation Concert_San Francisco, California_Grand Ballroom
2008_12_30_Phil Lesh and Friends and Ratdog_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2008_12_31_Phil Lesh and Friends and Ratdog_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2009_June_W.C. Handy Blues Festival_Henderson, Kentucky
2010_03_03_Furthur_Chicago, Illinois_Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University
2011_08_02_Bob Dylan_Evansville, Indiana_Roberts Stadium
2011_11_21_Furthur_Indianapolis, Indiana_Murat Theater
2013_02_06_Dark Star Orchestra_Bloomington, Indiana_Buskirk Chumley Theater
2013_06_05_Boscoe France Band, B.B. King_Evansville, Indiana_Victory Theater
2013_06_14_W.C. Handy Blues Festival_Henderson, Kentucky
submitted by alegaltest to gratefuldead [link] [comments]
https://youtu.be/Zf8UKMGB5j4
List of some concerts I attended
1999_June_W.C. Handy Blues Festival (John Lee Hooker)
2000_06_22_Dave Matthews Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2000_06_23_Dave Matthews Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2000_06_24_Dave Matthews Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2001_04_20_Fugazi_Indianapolis, Indiana
2001_04_26_SCI_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2001_04_27_SCi_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2001_06_23_Sick-O_Fest_Winslow, Indiana
2001_07_15_String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh and Friends_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2001_07_22_Trey Anastasio Band_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2001_11_02_Bob Dylan_Terre Haute, Indiana_Hulman Civic Univeristy Center
2001_11_03_Oysterhead_Lafayette, Indiana_Elliot Hall of Music
2002_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2002_10_29_Trey Anastasio Band_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2002_12_30_Umphrey's Mcgee_Chicago, Illinois_The Vic
2002_12_31_Moe._Chicago, Illinois_Aragon
2003_02_20_Phish_Chicago, Illinois_Allstate Arena
2003_02_21_Phish_Cincinnati, Ohio_U.S. Bank Arena
2003_02_22_Phish_Cincinnati, Ohio_U.S. Bank Arena
2003_05_09_Jammin' On Jersey_Murat Theatre Parking Lot_Indianapolis, Indiana
2003_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2003_07_21_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_07_22_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_07_23_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_08_02_Moe., Bob Dylan, The Dead_Joliet, Illinois_Route 66 RaceWay
2003_08_05_Bob Dylan, The Dead_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2003_08_24_Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Radiohead_St. Louis, Missouri, UMB Bank Pavillion
2003_August_Moe.Down music festival_Turin, New York
2003_10_31_Moe._Chicago, Illinois_Aragon Ballroom
2003_12_30_Moe._Philadelphia, Pennsylvania_Electric Factory
2003_12_31_Maceo Parker and Moe._Camden, New Jersey_Tweeter Center
2004_02_03_Moe._St. Louis, Missouri_The Pageant
2004_02_20_Yonder Mountain String Band_Louisville, Kentucky_Headliners
2004_02_21_Galactic_New Orleans, Louisiana_Tipitinas
2004_May_Summercamp Music Festival_Chillicothe, Illinois
2004_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2004_06_23_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2004_06_24_Phish_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2004_06_25_Phish_East Troy, Wisconsin_Alpine Valley Music Theatre
2004_06_26_Phish_East Trey, Wisconsin_Alpine Valley Music Theatre
2004_07_25_The Dead_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2004_08_10_Phish_Mansfield, Massachusetts_Great Woods
2004_08_11_Phish_Mansfield, Massachusetts_Great Woods
2004_08_12_Phish_Camden, New Jersey_Tweeter Center
2004_08_13_Phish_Coventry, Vermont_Newport State Airport
2004_08_14_Phish_Coventry, Vermont_Newport State Airport
2004_08_15_Phish_Coventry, Vermont_Newport State Airport
2004_10_31_Moe._Nashville, Tennessee_Ryman Auditorium
2005_02_25_Moe._St. Louis, Missouri_The Pageant
2005_04_15_P Funk_Nashville, Tennessee_Cannery Ballroom
2005_05_04_P Funk_Chicago, Illinois_House of Blues
2005_05_05_Widespread Panic_St. Louis, Missouri_Fox Theatre
2005_May_P Funk_Salem, Missouri_Camp Zoe
2005_May_Summer Camp Music Festival_Chillicothe, Illinois
2005_June_Bonnaroo Music Festival_Manchester, Tennessee
2005_07_16_Les Claypool_Louisville, Kentucky_Jillians
2005_07_27_Widespread Panic_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2005_08_18_Neil Young_Nashville, Tennessee_Ryman Auditorium
2005_08_19_Neil Young_Nashville, Tennessee_Ryman Auditorium
2005_09_24_Comes A Time A Musical Tribute to Jerry Garcia_Berkeley, California_Greek Theater
2005_10_14_Widespread Panic_Nashville, Tennesee_Starwood Amphiteatre
2005_10_29_Todd Snyder, Yonder Mountain String Band_Nashville, Tennessee_War Memorial Auditorium
2005_11_05_Ravi Shankar Festival of India_Chicago, Illinois_Symphony Center
2005_11_25_Phil Lesh and Friends_Chicago, Illinois_Chicago Theater
2005_11_26_Phil Lesh and Friends_Chicago, Illinois_Chicago Theater
2005_11_27_Phil Lesh and Friends_Milwaukee, Wisconsin_Eagles Ballroom
2005_12_12_Phil Lesh and Friends_Atlanta, Georgia_Fox Theater
2005_12_13_Phil Lesh and Friends_Atlanta, Georgia_Fox Theater
2005_12_30_Moe._Ashville, North Carolina_Orange Peel
2005_12-31_Sound Tribe Sector 9_Atlanta, Georgia_The Tabernacle
2006_01_25_Moe._Lousiville, Kentucy_Jillians
2006_02_03_Moe., The Disco Biscuits_Chicago, Illinois_Aragon
2006_02_17_Phil Lesh and Friends_New York, New York_Hammerstein Ballroom
2006_02_18_Phil Lesh and Friends_New York, New York_Hammerstein Ballroom
2006_02_19_Phil Lesh and Friends_New York, New York_Hammerstein Ballroom
2006_02_25_Larry Coryell_Lousville, Kentucky_Jazz Factory
2006_03_11_Ricky Skaggs_Lousiville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2006_03_11_Railroad Earth_Louisville, Kentucky, Headliners Music Hall
2006_03_19_P Funk_Cincinnati, Ohio_Bogarts
2006_04_07_Project Object_Louisville, Kentucky_Headliners Music Hall
2006_04_15_Toots and the Maytalls_Bloomington, Indiana_Bluebird Nightclub
2006_05_18_Phil Lesh and Frends_San Francisco, California_Warfield Theater
2006_05_19_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Francisco, California_Warfield Theater
2006_05_20_Wavy Gravy's Birthday Concert_Berkley, California_Berkley Community Theater
2006_06_23_Radiohead_Berkeley, California_Greek Theater
2006_06_24_Zappa Plays Zappa_San Francisco, CA_Warfield Theater
2006_07_14_Phil Lesh and Friends_Columbus, Ohio_Lifestyles Community Pavillion
2006_07_15_Phil Lesh and Friends_Indianpolis, Indiana_White River State Park
2006_07_18_Phil Lesh and Friends_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2006_08_02_Widespread Panic_Louisville, Kentucky_Palace Theater
2006_09_22_The Mars Volta_Chicago, Illinois_Aragon Ballroom
2006_09_30_Roger Waters_Noblesville, Indiana_Deer Creek
2006_10_17_Widespread Panic_Evansville, Indiana_The Centre
2007_P Funk_San Francisco, California_Fillmore
2007_05_18_Wavy Gravy's Birthday Concert_San Francisco, California, Grand Ballroom
2007_09_20_Donna Jean and The Tricksters with Bob Weir_Marin, California_Sweetwater Music Hall
2007_09_23_Phil Lesh and Friends_Berkeley, California_Greek Theater
2007_11_27_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Franciso, California_Warfield Theater
2007_12_31_Mars Volta_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2008_01_25_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Francisco, California_Fillmore
2008_01_26_Phil Lesh and Friends_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham civic Auditorium
2008_02_04_Deadheads for Obama_San Francisco, California_Warfield Theater (listened to the concert from the side door)
2008_05_13_Phil Lesh and Friends with Bob Weir_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_05_14_Phil Lesh and Friends with Mark Karan_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_05_16_Hot Tuna_San Francisco, California_Great American Music Hall
2008_05_17_Phil Lesh and Friends with Sikiru Adepoju and Henry Kaiser_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_05_18_Phil Lesh and Friends with Bob Weir_San Francisco, California_Closing of the Warfield
2008_07_Smashing Pumpkins_San Francisco, California_Fillmore
2008_June_Harmony Festival_Sonoma, California
2008_July_Oregon Country Fair_Eugene, Oregon
2008_11_03_Experience Hendrix Tour_San Francisco, California_Masonic Center
2008_11_Rubber Soldiers_Berkeley, California_Ashkenaz
2008_12_13_Rex Foundation Concert_San Francisco, California_Grand Ballroom
2008_12_30_Phil Lesh and Friends and Ratdog_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2008_12_31_Phil Lesh and Friends and Ratdog_San Francisco, California_Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
2009_June_W.C. Handy Blues Festival_Henderson, Kentucky
2010_03_03_Furthur_Chicago, Illinois_Auditorium Theater of Roosevelt University
2011_08_02_Bob Dylan_Evansville, Indiana_Roberts Stadium
2011_11_21_Furthur_Indianapolis, Indiana_Murat Theater
2013_02_06_Dark Star Orchestra_Bloomington, Indiana_Buskirk Chumley Theater
2013_06_05_Boscoe France Band, B.B. King_Evansville, Indiana_Victory Theater
2013_06_14_W.C. Handy Blues Festival_Henderson, Kentucky
2023.06.09 04:29 Bubzoluck [30 min read] The Opioid Epidemic before the Opioid Epidemic - Exploring Morphine Derivatives and the First Opium War (Part 1)
![[30 min read] The Opioid Epidemic before the Opioid Epidemic - Exploring Morphine Derivatives and the First Opium War (Part 1)](https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/YpI6WiwJhz9_UOaOig9GHJ8-6QQ66tCSGdcX49ZDBv4.jpg "[30 min read] The Opioid Epidemic before the Opioid Epidemic - Exploring Morphine Derivatives and the First Opium War (Part 1)") | Hello and welcome back to SAR! I have written and rewritten this post a few times now and I think I have landed on a format I am happy with. When we talk about the impact of medicine on history its important to get the context right, and I think I have found a way to talk about our topic. So what is it? No chemical is more important to the world of medicine than Opium, okay maybe Penicillin, but today we will say its Opium. Principally an analgesic (anti-pain), the Opium Poppy allowed for humans to take away pain in great degrees and further development on the natural chemicals has opened up surgery and post-op recovery. While we tend to look at the recent Opioid Epidemic as the only issue regarding Opiates, history reveals to us a very similar precursor. Also please head over to u/jtjdp post about morphine derivatives here! She does an amazing job explaining the higher level concepts of medicinal chemistry that I just wouldn’t do justice. Alright, enough quibbling, let’s get to the good stuff. submitted by Bubzoluck to SAR_Med_Chem [link] [comments] Disclaimer: this post is not designed to be medical advice. It is merely a look at the chemistry of medications and their general effect on the body. Each person responds differently to therapy. Please talk to your doctor about starting, stopping, or changing medical treatment. How Much do you Know About Pain?To be alive is to feel pain, and emo sentiments aside, this is one of the biggest biological properties of the central nervous system. When you think about it, how does the body take external stimuli and allow you to recognize it? The answer is the sensory nervous system which is responsible for sensing many different types of stimuli: temperature, pressure, pain, and chemicals. These sensory neurons carry the information from the extremities and transmit it up the spinal cord into the brain for processing. From there the brain alerts you to the issue allowing you to correct whatever problem is causing the pain. Let’s take a look: https://preview.redd.it/36yiuubbjw4b1.png?width=660&format=png&auto=webp&s=a8dc870ed6d879d67dce1eb126b86ba5acb9bc69
https://preview.redd.it/w6751owcjw4b1.png?width=896&format=png&auto=webp&s=122f8b2c615f741d848ed0171a574b1353a34038
https://preview.redd.it/audgj8kfjw4b1.png?width=668&format=png&auto=webp&s=c3b58c520e8298e20f787d70e053948c3817c565
The Stars Align in the Shape of a Poppyhttps://preview.redd.it/nfygsi0hjw4b1.png?width=731&format=png&auto=webp&s=60c0b13cdad3d7b7b64f78d6294465f081839f61 To start our story about Opiates we need to turn to the great precursor—Opium. Opium itself is not a chemical but rather a really thick liquor (called latex) that contains a high concentration of Morphine (and some Codeine). There are 38 species of Poppy plants but only two produce Opium is great enough supply that it is worth farming them and humans have been cultivating these varieties for as long as we have known about the plants. When humans settled into Mesopotamia (near modern day Iraq), Poppies were one of the few plants grown in plots as large grain or vegetable fields (meaning that they were thought of as valuable as food). Throughout the Greek age of medicine (pre-500 BCE) through the Islamic medicinal revolution (500 BC-1500 AD), Opium was a major component of treatment, assisted suicide, and poison. In fact its through the rise of the Muslim Caliphates that we see the export of Opium to other parts of the world, especially through the Mediterranean Sea once the Crusaders return. Opium trading to the East via the silk roads was an almost continuous affair since time immemorial and Pakistan was a major growing area for the Eastern Poppy trade.
https://preview.redd.it/1cspu1ukjw4b1.png?width=578&format=png&auto=webp&s=4e81b6d401a1806f39592e802b0bd5ab6df9a2e8
https://preview.redd.it/iiu2j8emjw4b1.png?width=707&format=png&auto=webp&s=d6f54a00fe47739db6545be913c186e4560195d4
https://preview.redd.it/andjwt0qjw4b1.png?width=644&format=png&auto=webp&s=730782fa74a65c111a62f05024445656b81f9811
https://preview.redd.it/mw9oflprjw4b1.png?width=879&format=png&auto=webp&s=5640d0bc425726fbd471b8dcf8954222afc49fc5
Let’s Look at the Drugs a Bithttps://preview.redd.it/y4uwbc1tjw4b1.png?width=548&format=png&auto=webp&s=71f79278925a92ea052d1ae390a495f0496966b2 https://preview.redd.it/pf709wmujw4b1.png?width=918&format=png&auto=webp&s=91cdf3fdd56db4beb95f07f340d24bb7ef7e9cf3 Stepping away from the history a bit, let’s introduce the Family. Okay so we understand how pain is sent to the brain and how it modulates but there is so much more to the mu Opioid Receptor and that’s not the only kind of Opioid receptor that we have. The two most clinically useful receptors are the Mu and Kappa Opioid Receptors (KOR) because they result in analgesia but there is a Delta Opioid Receptor (DOR) that is worth mentioning. The majority of the Opiates that we know and love are Mu agonists but there are some very interesting Kappa agonists that are worth mentioning as well. https://preview.redd.it/eg9toikwjw4b1.png?width=587&format=png&auto=webp&s=027d16b15bd7e195205513a3034eb5610ba88537
https://preview.redd.it/hx3zwwcyjw4b1.png?width=725&format=png&auto=webp&s=bf238a61c14c183cf081da027074a3eb1a11b1f0
https://preview.redd.it/cvbelexfkw4b1.png?width=919&format=png&auto=webp&s=ed6f1683761a69b87bd0de12834a76c1f089a31f
https://preview.redd.it/la2oqttgkw4b1.png?width=845&format=png&auto=webp&s=0155a6506a5038a6dad7987572a8eabaab75205a
https://preview.redd.it/ftdg9l8jkw4b1.png?width=489&format=png&auto=webp&s=e2ceeb6172294b69574f5b929d0a218f481c7e41 https://preview.redd.it/yos35mojkw4b1.png?width=677&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e72e94694147c303defe123d88b048e6ca3369a
https://preview.redd.it/61dx2mwokw4b1.png?width=594&format=png&auto=webp&s=4740b8395ca83304d5e0a756004b119976c621f2
https://preview.redd.it/x9wcb8xqkw4b1.png?width=912&format=png&auto=webp&s=d09a59a927363d3864eebfd29cb05215e9f0234b
A Change in Trade Policyhttps://preview.redd.it/bb4eb0ltkw4b1.png?width=628&format=png&auto=webp&s=321048bd5d5edf8877aede887c3fcb7aa387a0e4 Oh, you’re still here. Neat! So by the 1820s the Qing dynasty was running into many problems regarding Opium. Firstly they needed the Opium taxes to fund their efforts to put down the White Lotus Rebellion and retain power. But after almost 30 years of trade the effects on Chinese communities could not be ignored along with local officials operating under the imperial trade department, the Hong, profiting from bribes to allow Opium. Regardless of initial efforts things were getting out of hand for the Qing government. In 1800, about 4000 chests of Opium or 560,000 pounds entered the country but by 1830 that number exploded to 20,000 chests or about 3 million pounds. But more than the amount of Opium actually entering the country was the incessant rudeness of the British government to open trade.
https://preview.redd.it/cvbkq7vukw4b1.png?width=669&format=png&auto=webp&s=9340d153989a2f8c32a72792554f86be77e1f4eb
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2023.06.08 22:40 kavkav2222 School List Critique
Hi! I'm making my school list right now (targeting to apply to ~35 schools). I'm still looking to add more "safeties" to my list, so suggestions would be very helpful!
About me:
UCLA, USC, UCSF, UCSD, UCI, UCR, UC Davis
Western University
Kaiser Permanente
Loma Linda (not sure if I'd be happy with the school culture so still deciding if I should apply)
California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine
California Northstate University College of Medicine
Stanford
California Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Yale School of Medicine
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine; Robert Larner MD
Right now, I have 27 schools, so I am trying to add 5-8 more. Any advice would be very appreciated! Thank you :)
submitted by kavkav2222 to premed [link] [comments]
About me:
- CA Resident, looking to stay in CA but we'll see how that goes
- Graduated in 2023 from UCLA
- Major: Physiological Sciences; Bioinformatics Minor
- GPA: 3.91; BCPM: 3.96; AO: 3.80 (My CS classes dropped my GPA)
- MCAT: 518 (130/128/130/130)
- Clinical work: ER and Nephro Scribe- 770 hours, 1000 anticipated hours
- Shadowing Hours: 80 hours in person, 66 virtual
- Clinical Volunteering: Cedar's Neuro and Cardiac post-op units (151 hrs), anticipated 150 hours
- Non-clinical Volunteering: Senior Phone Banker for a congressional campaign (300 hours but unfortunately did not win the election), Mentor at an underserved Boys and Girls Club (50 hours, stopped d/t Covid), Listener for a free, online counseling service (450 hours), Private tutor (650 hours over 4 years)
- Leadership: Co-founder and Executive Editor for a medical newsmagazine (800 hours and a few articles written by me), Captain of my competitive dance team (640 hours as a dancer, 320 as captain), Campus Outreach Director for a mental health org (250 hours) President of two on-campus clubs (300+ hrs for each), VP of a programming/CS related org (200 hours)
- Research: Undergrad research assistant (832 hours) + 1 publication (in the process of another pub) but not 1st author for either
- Other: Traditional Indian dancer (1500 hours, from 2014 till now)
UCLA, USC, UCSF, UCSD, UCI, UCR, UC Davis
Western University
Kaiser Permanente
Loma Linda (not sure if I'd be happy with the school culture so still deciding if I should apply)
California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine
California Northstate University College of Medicine
Stanford
California Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Yale School of Medicine
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine
Drexel University College of Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine; Robert Larner MD
Right now, I have 27 schools, so I am trying to add 5-8 more. Any advice would be very appreciated! Thank you :)
2023.06.08 20:45 ashpplepie freshman cs internship resume
Technically I'm an incoming sophomore, but oh well. I don't have a lot of experience, but I'm starting to look into internships and I'd appreciate if anyone could look over my resume and give me some advice :) Thank you!!
https://preview.redd.it/w3r3rbqqau4b1.png?width=647&format=png&auto=webp&s=af92a51e7ff43aa7998f2705032aa2cbe0f8c260
submitted by ashpplepie to resumes [link] [comments]
https://preview.redd.it/w3r3rbqqau4b1.png?width=647&format=png&auto=webp&s=af92a51e7ff43aa7998f2705032aa2cbe0f8c260
2023.06.08 19:34 No_Competition4897 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in WY Hiring Now!