54th street bar grill

I was going to post this in /visitingnashville, as that's what I'm doing, but figure this may have a stronger response...
I went to their website https://www.post82.org/ and noticed the upside down flag and then saw the message regarding venue change (below) and seems like bad news. Was hoping to hit them for the Wednesday night bluegrass jam in a few weeks, but even if that's going on, seems like supporting the new situation may not be in good taste?
"Post 82 WAS an American Legion Bar & Event Space.
It has since been leased by The Smoking Gun grill for a period of 6 years (3 initial w/ unilateral option for business to renew)
this lease was signed by commander mickey justice through a no-bid process that went to his personal friend and someone he affectionately refers to as a, "brother mason."
no attempt to notify post 82 membership was made. No competing bids and no negotiation was allowed.
This no-bid lease gives the lessee 75% of every dollar. not just the bar, but the entire hall has been surrendered. any business conducted on that property belongs to the lease holder. shockingly, commander justice now enjoys his drinks for free on a tab created by the business called,
"the commanders tab."
~no such tab ever existed before~
a 6-10k(approx) per year Bribe. "

Hello all,
I'm new to this forum, so forgive me if I ask any questions that have already been covered. I'm a single mom of 3 babies. Two are neurotypical (5m and 7f) and my oldest has been diagnosed with ASD (7m) and receives lvl 2 interventions through his doctors and school. He is just fucking amazing and I am so in love with the way he sees the world.
I recently moved in with my long-term partner and one of the things we've been struggling with in the past few months is getting all three to try new fresh foods. For the longest time, we were in survival mode and I would essentially take dinner orders and make whatever they asked for. Because of the way my ex parents (we share 50/50 custody) there has been a lot of junk food and frozen food (he never learned to cook and has not done so since the divorce). Because of that, a lot of their requests were for really simple foods (think toast or frozen chicken nuggets 24/7) which was frustrating as someone who struggled with eating disorders and developing a healthy relationship with food and cooking.
What we have been doing for the past several months is providing the children all with what we made for the adults and one "comfort/safe" food so that even if they don't like the new thing, we can make sure they're still fed. We don't force the new food on them and we let them listen to their tummies as far as how much/little they want to eat.
Where I have struggled, is that Sam (my ASD buddy), gets very upset at even the thought of new foods. He has a very limited number of things he likes (pop-tarts, veggie straws, fruit snacks, granola bars, fruit/veggie pouches, and yogurt are basically it). I don't want to bring on a meltdown and create any kind of fear around foods, but I also want him to get to experience the joy of finding something new that he likes. We had a minor victory with grilled cheese the other night by trying to let him control all other variables so he could get into the right headspace. He chose to sit in another room from where we were eating so that the noise was lower, we lowered the lights, and we let him put on a comfort show and he ate about half of what he was offered. He was so stinking proud of himself and it gave him a self confidence boost for the next couple of days.
I've had talks with all the kids about why Sam sometimes needs some extra help with new things and gets overwhelmed by change and they've been pretty good about accepting that sometimes the rules for Sam are slightly different than the rules for them. I definitely feel guilt about that constantly, but I think honest and open communication here have been hugely helpful.
What are some tactics that my other ASD moms/dads have found that were helpful to expand their child's diet to include a bigger variety of foods? Or even better, what things were helpful/hurtful for my adult neurodivergent friends that are on the other side of it?

So I’m part of a methadone program where they drug test you every time you go to see your doctor, nothing bad can happen from it, they just want to make sure your taking your prescribed meds, they don’t expect abstinence to stay in the program cause that hurts more than helps.
I take a quarter of a “double dosed” bar every night to go to sleep, been taking Xanax to go to bed for almost 2 years now, I know the dangers, I know how unhealthy it is, but the only other drug that lets me get effective sleep with minimal grogginess is z drugs, but I can’t get any of those prescribed so I’m stuck taking street benzos.
Now despite taking these daily and knowing for sure that they are some type of benzo or at least sedative substance, my urine shows no signs of benzos, be it the quick panel test or lab analysis, the lab analysis checks for all traditionally prescribed benzos but non or very little of the novel ones, but I assume certain novel ones are close enough to regulated ones that they would test positive for them like flualp and clonazolam, any idea what benzos these might be? Or is there so many it could be that I would be better off sending a sample to a lab?
Can link the tox screening info if needed, and as for subjective effects, I find them extremely sedating, somewhat euphoric, and at higher doses (half bar or more) can really start affecting memory, and the high lasts a super long time, but don’t really start feeling withdrawals untill more than 24-36 hours without dosing, any help would be wonderful!

Hello good day!
Im not professional barista by any means but I am an enjoyer of coffee whether it be pour over, espresso, latte or tonic you name it. more accurate way to describe myself is i am just a street level coffee hobbyist.
I went and bought some coffee brewing equiptment, for the purpose that i didnt really enjoy the coffee that the most of the local cafe brings.
fast forward, i studied and put into practice all on my own because im broke. and i was satistfied with what i can make and enjoy it, imo its even better than the half ass coffee most of the local cafes here dish out.
but when I offered my coffee to my friends or people i know, the only comment i get is. "okay lang". okay lang feels like its just that its just okay. up until now ive been trying to improve my workflow and everything. but still its just "okay"
idk maybe its just me. maybe i couldt reach that bar of being good and im just stuck at okay

(TW)
This happened a few years back and I’m just starting to process what happened and feel that I need to get this out because it’s really weighing on me lately.
I struggled with substance use as a teen/young adult and was in and out of recovery all the time (I found my way finally don’t worry). This happened one night when I was pissed off at my then-partner for driving my car high and crashing it. We had promised each other abstinence and he did that, so I decided I’d go have a few drinks at the bar across the street.
This was a college town so there were a lot of people out. I didn’t have friends at the time so I went alone (unfortunately not safe for a woman). I had a few mixed drinks, chatted with some people, and went out for a smoke. All of a sudden I started to feel REALLY drunk. I’m blacking in and out a little bit, but I’m good at faking sober so I’m still chatting with the people outside.
Next thing I knew, some guy grabs my arm and starts walking me down the street. I thought he wanted to chat or something but I realized the purpose with which he was walking and we were starting to go way farther from the group than I was comfortable with. I turned myself around to try to go back but he keeps dragging me, now backwards. In my confusion I finally realize what’s happening and I start saying “I don’t know you, I don’t want to go with you, I don’t know you,” trying to muster up enough strength to get away but realizing there’s no way, so I just try my hardest to say these words loud enough for the group to hear. He had started pulling me toward a car.
I don’t remember all that ensued after that, but a man got between us and started to walk me the other way. I’m very confused and blacking in and out but I tell him I don’t know that guy and I don’t want to go with him. He said he saw me from inside the bar and whatever was going on didn’t look right. He kissed me (this was fucking annoying, I think he wanted to play out some hero arc or something) but I was just happy to have gotten away from the scary man. He offered to walk me home, and knowing my bf was up and I couldn’t walk I said yes.
When we got there my bf was on the couch and I remember not having the strength to stand up by myself so I just crumpled to the ground. I had to crawl to the bathroom but (TMI) I didn’t have the strength to pull my pants down so I just peed myself. Like I said earlier, I was a frequent substance user. I’d been to the hospital and treatment multiple times for alcohol use at that point. Never in my life had I been so drunk I couldn’t get my pants down, never in my life have I peed myself, never in my life have I had to crawl because I couldn’t walk. My bf at the time was so mad at me for drinking like that so I blamed myself for the whole thing. It didn’t occur to me until recently that I was probably drugged by the man who dragged me down the street.
I’ve had a lot of bad shit happen to me so I think it took me this long to really process this because I was busy processing everything else. My now friends don’t really have the capacity to listen to all my trauma so I don’t feel comfortable telling them about it, which is why I posted here. I don’t really know what the scary man was planning and I’m glad I didn’t find out this time.

This happened roughly 2 years ago but still gives me nightmares.
TW: suicide, mental health
Background info relevant dor the story:
I am an Arab and expat living in Europe and studying medicine. I speak and write Arabic fluently. At the time of this story, I was still in the beginning of my medical carreer. I have Borderline Personality Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, an Anxiety Disorder and had multiple suicidal periods, but I am getting medicated for it.
Now the story:
I (23 - now 25 F - ) and a group of friends once went to a bar. As we started socialising, we met a person who we will call James (fake name for the sake of privacy). James (19M) says he is from Scottland and despite his mother being Egyptian, does not speak a word of Arabic. Little by little, James becomes a part of our friends group.
Fast forward a few months later, October 1st, it's James birthday. We decide to all go hang out at the local park and have a few drinks. On the way to the park, we stop at a small shop to get our drinks. I notice James taking some sort of pills and, being the curious medstudent that I am, could not help asking what they were for, if he didn't mind sharing. He says that it's some sort of pre-chemotherapy treatment he has to take. I was shocked cz I wasn't expecting that, I thought it would be something way less serious. I apologised for asking because I felt like I breached his privacy but he assured me it was okay and it's not like he "could've hid it from us since he only has a few months to live anyway" (he said he had until april to live). During his birthday party, we were all pretty perplexed because this meant that this could be his last birthday party... We would all take turns in excusing ourselves to get ourselves together and "be strong" for him. He was the one needing support, not us. At some point, James comes to me and asks me to go talk somewhere away from the others. He tells me he feels like he is about to have a seizure. Without hesitating, I ask him to lay on the floor so that he doesn't fall and hurt himself and I ask him if there is something particular I should do to make sure he is safe. He told me to time the seizure and try to limit his movement if it becomes intense. Also, he asked me not to call an ambulance. I didn't question him at the time for why he didn't want it, I just assumed he simply didn't need more medical attention and I could tell when it would be really necessary. The seizure happened, I took care of him and it went okay, in the sense that it didn't last too long. Also, it was my first time witnessing a seizure but I thought I handled it well.
A few months later, James tells us that he is having medical exams done to see the progression of his chemotherapy treatment. When the results came in, he tells us that they are not looking good and he might even have less time than we tought. To preserve his privacy and knowing how difficult it is to deal with such a thing, I obviously did not ask to look at the test results. I have, however, prior to this, asked if he wanted me to accompany him to chemotherapy sessions because he lives away from his family and thought he could use the support and he doesn't have to face it all alone. He politely declined and I never asked again because I didn't want to be so insistant on something so private. But i digress. Test results. After hearing the news, I rush to his place with a friend of ours and we bring some food and decide to cook all together so that he doesn't feel alone in this tough moment and to change the mood. It went as well as it could go considering what was going on.
Here's where things start getting strange...
Some time passes and a friend of ours tells us that James said he had slept with Maya (who is my best friend and I would know if something had happened between them). When Maya hears this, she is very weirded out as this is not at all true. That day, there was a party at James' place that his roomates were throwing and had invited me and Maya. Being weirded out by what James said, we decided to still show up to the party but limit our interactions with him until we're in the right head space to do so. It wasn't that hard actually as he decided not to come out of his room. I eventually get worried about him because that is unlike him, so I go to his room to see what's going on. He sits me down and tells me about his plans to off himself, shows me the kitchen knife he had and a couple red marks on his neck. My mind goes blank our of fear because I too was suicidal at some point and that just gave me flashbacks. I tell him exactly what I wish someone told me in moments like this, I take away the knife and I sit by him and ask him to fight this at least a little longer and to sleep it off for now and that I will be back the next day after I get my covid vaccine shot that was booked for me by my university and i could not move.
So it's the next day and I'm in line waiting to get vaccinated. I had recognised that yesterday was a cry for help otherwise he wouldn't have talked about it or even allowed me in. So I started thinking of ways to help him. I also needed to get my mind to calm down a little so I opened Instagram and to my surprise, he had posted stories. It was a sequence of photos of him with friends and after the sequence of photos, a quote. The quote insinuated that this is goodbye. I freaked out and called him immediately. He didn't answer to my million calls so I texted and he answered. He said he is not feeling well and that he has had enough and basically all the things that someone would be saying when they are on the verge of unaliving themselves. I got terrified and texted his roomates about the situation and asked them to spend time with him or to check on him just to make sure he will be okay before I arrive. While his roomates are taking care of him, I call my psychologist and update her on what's going on and I ask her for advice. She tells me to inform the "police" or "equivalent of 911" so that they can send help his way. I make the call, give out his information, name, surname, date of birth, country of origin, and address. The "police" shows up at his place and his roomates tell me that he was very angry when he knew I sent them to take care of him. I, then recieve a call from the "policeman" who was with him, he puts me on speaker and asks me to confirm to him and James that I did in fact send them and to confirm the data I gave them about James (name surname...). I found it odd but thought nothing of it. They ended up taking him to the ER for an emergency appointment with the psychiatrist and a possibility to be recovered.
I was relieved. Finally, he was getting the help he needs.
Then I get a call from the hospital, that I missed because I was still getting vaccinated. When I finish, I call immediately and they inform me that if I received a call, it means that it's about an in-patient so they asked the name and I gave it only to hear back "I'm sorry but we have no records of someone under that name". That was super strange but okay? Then James calls me and it was the doctor on the phone telling me that they are dismissing him but they are putting him on antidepressants and anxiolitics. I wasn't all that happy with this because theg should have admitted him if he is a harm to himself or others and in that case he could be a harm to himself. But I went with it.
I picked him up and on the way home, I glance at his phone as he was texting someone. It was in arabic. I was surprised as he told me when we first met that he doesn't speak the language, let alone write it. So I tell him that I saw that, he then comes up with a half assed excuse that he knows a few letters of the arabic alphabet and can only write his name. I obviously don't buy it but decide not to dig too deep into this.
Something wasn't clicking anymore... He lied about sleeping with Maya, he lied about not speaking Arabic (and for what?) and the hospital didn't have his name on record? Something wasn't right. I deduced that the hospital didn't have his name on record because he lied about his name to me. Why would anyone lie about their name? Maybe to hide an identity? Or to move on from a terrible past and start over? I got scared. So i dropped him off at home and went to my own place.
I bawled my eyes out and I decided to tell Maya everything. We both got creeped out and I decided, after consulting my psychologist and psychiatrist, that it would be most beneficial for my own mental health to protect myself and so I blocked him on all platforms... I forgot telegram though so when he noticed, he begged me to explain to him why so I did and i told him I think he lied about his identity to which he said the classic "I can explain". I didn't want to hear anything anymore because I didn't feel safe to see him or talk to him even. I cut him off...
From that day on, I was terrified of leaving my house because he knew where I live and I didn't know what to expect anymore from someone who hid his identity from me and others. I was scared.
A year later, a friend of mine saw him on the streets. So he is very much alive and not dead by april. So he lied about the cancer too? I'm not so sure... I don't know...
I still feel like crap though for having "abandoned" a person who is in clear need of help... I just felt like I needed to protect myself...

Person is asking 6500 CAD.
With add ons this seems like an okay buy? been looking for an X for a while now.
Anything I should look at if I want to buy it?
2008 WR250X Supermoto
Excellent condition. Well maintained.
not interested in selling any parts separately

• Warp 9 MX wheels (Kenda trakmaster tires, street legal)
• Stock supermoto tires/wheels
• Yoshirmura RS4 Slip On Exhaust
• Powercommander V
• Ais delete and airbox flapper mod
• larger rear sprocket for MX wheels
  • Sandman Parts Case Saver and Sprocket Guard
• shortly clutch lever
• Pro Taper Bar
• Custom skid plate
• Custom Cargo Rack (also has Roto Pax mount and fuel canister).
• Highway Dirt Bike Hand guards
• LED signal kit on hand-guards
• Edge2 Tail Light Kit
• Seat concepts seat

Extra parts included: (original exhaust pipe, lights, extra sprockets).

I’m an avid traveler and I wanted to share my experience and answer any questions that other people may have. We left from LA to Thailand through Singapore with a meager 20 hours of travel time. Itinerary:
2 nights Bangkok: We underestimated how much the jet lag would affect us, we landed at 12pm on Saturday and slept from 2 pm until 7 am on Sunday. We checked out The Grand Palace, Chinatown & Centralworld on Sunday. It was brutally hot & humid and overall felt like a major disappointment.
2 Nights Siem Reap: I normally always do 1 country per trip but I couldn’t see myself doing Cambodia anytime soon and Angkor wat was high on my bucket list. Seeing the sunrise at Angkor was beautiful, we did it as a tour with Angkor Guide Sam. Sam was great can’t recommend him enough. We saw Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom and I actually liked Angkor Thom best! I’ve done a lot of digging and it seems like there are lots of good reports for Siem reap, I however was very disappointed. It’s a very poor city and has little infrastructure, the food we tried was underwhelming compared to Thailand and overall it felt extremely touristy. It may have been just where we explored but after reflecting on Siem reap I don’t personally think it’s worth the time and effort to tack it onto a Thailand journey.
4 nights Koh Samui - we were limited to the eastern islands due to monsoons and Chaweng is obviously very touristy. We stayed about 20 minute walk from the best bars and nightclubs which was great! We explored Ang Thong marine park and did a ATV tour to the highest point of Koh Samui. We also experienced the nightlife which truly was exceptional. We stayed in a touristy area so the food was not good and overpriced but besides that we thoroughly enjoyed Koh Samui for what it was and got to experience some great adventures.
4 nights Chiang Mai - a foodie paradise it seems, cheapest place we visited. We did Pooh’s eco trek which was an authentic unique experience staying with real Karen tribespeople. It was a great tour and once in a lifetime experience we also did a zip lining tour which was fun and included the only jungle roller coaster in the world. I would recommend five nights in Chiang mai. Beautiful city, so much charm at every corner and so many adventures spread all around the city.
3 nights Golden Triangle - we stayed at the Jungle Bubbles at Anantara that was priceless! Sleeping in a jungle with Elephants is one of those memories you carry with you to your deathbed, the cooking class was phenomenal and we also did a boat ride through and around the golden triangle in the Mekong River. If you can swing it, I think it’s worth every penny and was somehow unique, relaxing and adventurous all at the same time.
2 nights Bangkok - We stayed on Soi 11 and that made all the difference in the world. Smack dab in the middle of the action. Walkable to some of the best nightlife in the city and close to all the sights
Accommodations:
Bangkok- Doubletree Sukhumvit, in Phrom Phong, is close to the BTS which was a plus but overall it was a poor location far from everything. Decent property but I would not recommend staying at the doubletree due to the location. 3/10
Siem Reap - Templation Hotel, very cool hotel with a very cool outdoor bathroom and beautiful pool. Drinks were very very weak and food was very overpriced and underwhelming. The location is close to the temples but not the city, this made it difficult to get around. If you’re looking to explore the city this is a bad hotel if you’re looking to relax at the resort it may work! 5/10
Koh Samui, Sala Samui Chaweng Beach resort only 20 minute walk to the best nightlife in Chaweng and a beautiful hotel with great service, the breakfast was great and there is a grocery store & pharmacy right across the street to satisfy any cravings. There’s also a fire show on Saturday’s which is very cool. 8/10
Chiang Mai - Le Meridien, major construction at this hotel, pools were closed rooftop bar was closed, restaurant was closed we weren’t told this ahead of time which was disappointing. But it is right across the street from the night bazaar and walkable to most sights. 6.5/10
Golden Triangle- Anantara Golden Triangle, beautiful resort and world class service, from the massage and welcome gift at the beginning to the personalized touches spread throughout the rooms. The staff remembers your name, your orders and are prompt to respond to every request you may have. One of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed at 9.8/10
Bangkok - Aloft Sukhumvit 11 was a hip trendy relatively basic hotel, but what it lacked in charm it made up for in location. The perfect location to get around the city and there is so much to do directly around the hotel this is the place to stay if you like to be in the action. Location 10/10 Hotel 7.5/10
Getting around: Bangkok - Grab (App), BTS, Metro. Super easy to get around with google maps
Siem reap - Grab does not work at the airport, it’s only taxi’s/tuktuk’s and they are extremely expensive.
Koh Samui - Grab does not work here, lots of taxi’s looking to overcharge tourists but we mostly walked.
Chiang Mai - Taxi’s only from airport, we mostly used tuktuk’s to get around.
Restaurants/Bars/Clubs
Bangkok Rung Rueang Pork Noodle (Left Shop) - great tom yum soup and pork balls 7.5/10
Pastel Bar - food was ok, but the drinks were delicious, the views were immaculate and the vibe was awesome. Requires Reservations! 9/10
Koh Samui Sound Spot Samui - great DJ, strong drinks, the shows they put on were well worth it. 8.5/10
Prego Chaweng - Overpriced, poor service, poor food 2/10
Green Bird - touristy meh food, decent service 4/10
Chiang mai Ploen Ruedee Night Market - super cool market, live performances which were engaging. Good food 7.5/10
Khao Soi Lung Prakit Kad Kom - khan soi was incredible, it was packed 2:30 pm with locals. Highly recommend one of the best meals of the trip. 9/10
Chang Phueak Pork Leg Rice - The pork was moist and flavorful, the cabbage was robust. It was delicious, definitely go to Lung Prakit and this food stand while in Chiang Mai. 9.5/10
Khalo Soi Lamduan - recommended by a local, the khal soi was solid but not the best. 6.5/10
My travel style is unique experiences, food and sightseeing. Thailand had its highlights but for my style, I feel South America offers a lot more value.

In the older GT games you would run modified street cars in the races like the GT World Championship races that were set up for race cars..
I wish GT7 didnt block off events by "class" so we could run different things in these races...
Case in point I have a highly modified C8 Corvette that has all the bells and whistles...Increased rigidy, roll bars, weight reduction, wide body, larger wider tires, full aero, the whole kit and kaboodle...
I have 2 tunes for it...A Gr.4 and a Gr.3 tune for it that matches ir up with the general performance of the Gr.3 and Gr.4 cars but it is completely unusable in the money races like Sardegna 800 that we use for grinding and generally any race where it would actually be fun to race in...
The loss of player freedom with the Group requirements in single player serves no purpose as far as I can see...
Anyone else wish we had more freedom outside of "custom races" to try to build up street cars in ways to try and match the older GT games "Racing Modification" we used to be able to do and actually run them...?

My husband of eight years (34M) asked earlier in the week if he could go out to see a coworker (M30)'s band play at a popular local bar after the kids (6yo and baby) went to bed. I said sure. As he and I (39F) were doing the girls' nighttime routine, he started getting texts about how there was a power outage on the street, so the show might be postponed. He suggested Ubering there anyway, about a $40 round trip, "just to see." I thought this was strange, so I asked why, and he responded, "She said the lights are back on inside."
I asked him who he was talking about, and he said he was actually meeting his female coworker there, but in his words, it wasn't weird because they weren't going together, she was just texting him to see where he was, because they wanted to coordinate meeting up. I told him that this made me feel very uncomfortable--I said "There's something very wrong with this. Why would she be texting her married coworker asking when his baby is asleep so he can meet her at the bar? That's suspicious as hell and I don't like it."
Well, we immediately got into an argument. I didn't tell him that he couldn't go, but I told him I wasn't happy about it. My husband argued that "She didn't ask if the kids were in bed yet, I was just telling her I couldn't leave yet because the baby wasn't asleep" and didn't seem to understand that my problem wasn't who asked whom. Then he tried to tell me that it wasn't weird because "coworkers" were going, but he admitted that there was no group chat, texts were only between the two of him, and he didn't know if anyone else was going. Then he said it had to be fine, because she's married too.
The show got canceled due to the power problems, and my husband started acting sullen because he missed his window to Uber to the bar to "check." He started making comments like "Guess I can just never talk to another woman ever again, got it." I got frustrated and very clearly told him "I am not saying you can't socialize with women. I am telling you that you should not, under any circumstances, tell me you are going out 'with coworkers,' then leave me, your wife, at home with our babies while you meet a woman I don't know at a bar at night." He responded with "Nothing you are saying makes any sense. You're being ridiculous. You're just saying words. Nothing here is suspicious. None of this makes sense."
He is now angry and acting withdrawn. I am feeling jealous, sure, but I am more upset that he refuses to see my side or acknowledge anything I am saying. I texted him from work this morning to tell him that, and he ignored me.
Am I overreacting? Or am I justified in feeling uncomfortable? If I'm right, how can I get him to understand how I'm feeling?

So, we already discussed what DC was doing to match the tenor of the early years of the War on Terror: A grim, smarter-than-it-thinks miniseries full of gratuitous rape that was meant to take the shine off the Silver Age by showing the darker side of its greatest heroes. Marvel, on the other hand, was trying to find a way to capture the zeitgeist of a post-9/11 era of existential threats, constant government surveillance, and the idea that if you weren’t with America, you were against it. A Captain America storyline saw Cap wrestle with the very concept of Guantanamo Bay; like any story arc that involves Cap doubting whether America lives up to its ideals, this made certain conservatives pissy, to the point that bad movie cataloguer Michael Medved wrote an entire article asking if Cap was a traitor. Avengers Disassembled briefly saw the Avengers face down their demons, as the Scarlet Witch goes crazy (again) and starts killing team members, her reality manipulations causing fault lines to form among Marvel’s greatest superteam. But there hadn’t yet been a storyline that would tie the entire Marvel Universe together with the burning question, “Which side are you on?”
Yeah, it’s got nothing to do with the Sokovia Accords. We’d be a lot better off if it did.
Part 1: Mark Millar’s March to the C-Word
Content Warning: Sexual assault. None of this is germane to the topic of the drama, so feel free to skip ahead to Part 1.5 if you don’t want to deal with this. Tl;dr: Mark Millar, the writer of the event, has a near pathological need to be a 3edgy5u contrarian.
Every comics crossover is ultimately a chance for one creative in the stable to shine or falter. The editors pick a writer who has turned out dependable work and give them a chance to try to alter the status quo but good. And for Civil War, Marvel’s EiC Joe Quesada decided the best person to lead the charge was Ultimates writer Mark Millar.
But who is Millar? Well, we could say “edgelord” and leave it at that, but we’re trying to dig deeper. Millar came up in comics alongside fellow Scot Grant Morrison, long before Morrison said the only time they want to bump into Millar on the streets of Glasgow is while going at 100 miles per hour. This antipathy is alleged to have stemmed from Millar copping several ideas from Morrison that went into Superman: Red Son. But after getting a start on Superman Adventures and as a cowriter on parts of Morrison’s JLA run, Millar soon branched out to WildStorm, where he took over The Authority from departing creatowritesex pest Warren Ellis.
The reason I bring up Red Son (for those non-geeks, an alternative universe comic premised on “What if Superman’s rocket had landed in Soviet Russia?”) is to frame a constant refrain about Mark Millar. He has good high-concept ideas… which often get trammeled up in an almost Pavlovian urge to shock, disturb, and/or titillate the reader. For instance, in The Authority, Ellis had introduced Apollo and Midnighter, two close companions who just happened to share the rough power sets and demeanors of Superman and Batman, with a few tweaks. Then he revealed they were boyfriends, which was a pretty bold move for a late Nineties comic book full of widescreen action and lovingly-rendered eviscerations.
In Millar’s first arc on the title, centered on a villainous Jack Kirby clone sending out a team of baddies who totally aren’t the Avengers, Apollo is subdued and is strongly implied to have been raped by someone who’s not Captain America. Apollo gets revenge by destroying EvilCap’s spinal column with his laser vision, then leaving him to the tender mercies of Midnighter, who is strongly implied to have sodomized him with a jackhammer.
In case you can’t tell, Millar loved him some rape. And it kept showing up in his creator-owned titles as well, all of which were basically written as Hollywood pitch docs. Wanted asks the question, “What if the supervillains won and secretly ruled the world from behind the scenes?” Well, an Eminem clone would take the opportunity to step into his dead villainous dad’s shoes and commit a lot of rape (yeah, there’s a reason the movie version replaced this with basically the Euthanatos from Mage: the Ascension getting orders from a magic loom). Chosen asks the question, “What if Jesus were born today?” Well, in a blatantly obvious twist, it turns out he’s actually the Antichrist, and part of his journey into realizing his evil nature involves being raped by all the demons of Hell.
It’s not that Millar can’t write innocent or restrained; he got started on the Superman: the Animated Series comic spin-off, and some of his titles such as Huck and Starlight have been praised for being relatively wholesome (keep in mind Huck is basically “What if Superman was Forrest Gump?” when I say “relatively”). And, as mentioned above, his works are made for high-concept log lines. You might recognize some of his various pitch docs: Kick-Ass, The Secret Service (source for the Kingsman movies), and, as mentioned above, Wanted. It’s just there’s this unctuous contrarian streak to a lot of his titles, a tendency to focus on venality, grotesquerie, and sodomy, with an air of pop culture edge. This also leaked into his image outside of his writing, with comments like “Games are for pedos” and ventures like the creator-owned comics periodical CLiNT (yes, the kerning is intentional). This streak continues to this day, as The Magic Order, a title that emerged from his deal with Netflix, features a magical escapologist who, she feels it very important to tell the reader in a direct monologue, escaped her own abortion. Bottom line, Millar has a sense of vision, but it’s betrayed at times by this reflexive desire to prove he’s smarter than the reader, to rub your face in the contradictions and make you a party to the artifice of it all. Usually with a dash of rape.
But at Marvel, Millar was riding the lightning of the Ultimate Universe. His Ultimates title was drawing on the wide-screen action image of JLA and The Authority, creating the cinematic language that would come to define the MCU. The choice to fantasy cast Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury is why we have Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. He also painted the Hulk as a cannibalistic monster, cemented Hank Pym’s reputation as a wifebeater, and gave us Captain America yelling “Surrender? Do you think this A on my head stands for France?”, so let’s just keep that in perspective.
But the Ultimate Universe was its own pocket universe. Millar was being tapped to write a story for Earth-616, the main Marvel Universe. And he had a vision:

“I opted instead for making the superhero dilemma something a little different. People thought they were dangerous, but they did not want a ban. What they wanted was superheroes paid by the federal government like cops and open to the same kind of scrutiny. It was the perfect solution and nobody, as far as I'm aware, has done this before.”

Yeah. About that.
Part 1.5: What Has Come Before
Ultimately, the crux of Civil War is something that has been explored lightly in the past at Marvel: The idea that, instead of being unlicensed vigilantes who decide the best solution of societal issues is to beat up assholes in spandex, superheroes become licensed government officers that register their true identities with Uncle Sam and solve societal issues by beating up assholes in spandex. In Marvel’s history, it hasn’t gone well. The reality of government liaisons to superhero bodies has ranged from Valerie Cooper, who worked with government mutant team X-Factor but still found herself backing the genocidal Sentinel program as a big “Yeah, but what if…?”, to Henry Peter Gyrich, an inflamed obstructionist asshole who had to be held back from flipping a switch that would depower every superhuman individual on Earth. The idea of heroes themselves bristling against a government they disagreed with had a long history, as there was a period where Steve Rogers quit being Captain America, and the government had to find a replacement while he rode around on a motorcycle in a surprisingly slutty costume. But the idea of registering with the government has usually ended up on the “No” side due to one big cohort at Marvel: Mutants.
Ever since the days of Chris Claremont, a general conceit of the Marvel Universe is that mutants are a stand-in for your minority group of choice. Hated and feared, born different and feeling alienated, painted as an existential menace and threat to the status quo. Of course, it’s long been pointed out that the metaphor breaks down on the general grounds that, say, gays can’t shoot laser beams out of their eyes. I have my thoughts on that which I might share in the comments if someone pokes me hard enough, but it’s been general editorial consensus that people with powers, especially those of persecuted minorities, being compelled to share their true names, addresses, and natures with the federal government is a “That train’s never late!” move. Not only that, it’s a slippery slope. The classic X-Men story “Days of Future Past” is entirely premised on the idea that a government program of genocidal robots built to wipe out mutants will eventually run out of mutants… and then start turning on humans who could give birth to mutants, and then it’s Skynet all over again.
Another running meme in the Marvel Universe is that the X-Men usually exist in a Schrodinger’s cat situation with the rest of the superhero universe, both coexisting and in their own worlds. Yes, mutants have served on the Avengers, and yes, Thor intervened when the Morlocks were nearly wiped out in the sewers under New York. But Captain America, for all his proud statements of living up to America’s ideals, has a habit of missing the plot whenever the US government (or Canada, seat of all the Marvel Universe’s governmental evils - no, really) decides it’s Genocide O’Clock. And when the mutant nation of Genosha was completely wiped out by said murder robots, the Avengers seemed to be all “New phone who dis?” But when the two do intersect, there’s usually support for the mutants. One story in Fantastic Four had Reed Richards - Mr. Fantastic, stretchy man, greatest genius in the Marvel Universe, guy who’s probably being cucked by a fish-man - get tapped by the US government to make a device that detects mutants and other people with powers. He does… and then uses it to show why the government probably doesn’t want it, as it pings several members of Congress as having just enough genetic variation to qualify as “mutants,” even if they don’t have powers.
All in all, while the argument has some merit, for years, Marvel has come down on the position that asking people with powers to reveal their identities to the federal government is something that could go really bad if somebody with a hate-on for superheroes ends up in power. Something that would never happen oh yeah it totally did. But before it all went to Hell, Civil War at least gave an opportunity to reexamine the concept and see if it had merit.
It might have. But not with this argument.
Part 1.75: What Else Has Happened Before?
And now, some things that will ultimately give context for what happens next:

• In the pages of Thor, all of Asgard eventually runs headlong into Ragnarok. Thor and the rest of the Asgardians give their lives to save the earth, taking Thor off the board… for now.
• As mentioned above, the Avengers experience a critical fault due to Wanda going batshit (a common lament). With Avengers Mansion destroyed and the team at odds, it is eventually reunited under Tony Stark, who put the Avengers up in a tower he built.
• Nick Fury has vanished due to doing some skullduggery in the pages of the miniseries Secret War (no, not Secret Wars, this is different). Acting head of SHIELD, the all-purpose super spy squad of Marvel, is Maria Hill, who can’t seem to draw her pistol without shooting herself in the foot.
• Due to Wanda continuing to go batshit, the House of M crossover event ends with her casting a spell: “No more mutants.” While the damage is staunched, Earth-616’s population of mutants (which was recently established to be somewhere around 16 million) is reduced to 200, the rest being depowered or dying as a result of being depowered. This was because, as Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada said, the idea of mutants being everywhere made them “boring.” The fact that mutants were starting to be written less as a minority stand-in and more as an actual minority group with fashion, culture, music, and neighborhoods might have had something to do with that. From the wake of this event emerges Sally Floyd, a journalist whose own mutant daughter died before the mass depowering due to having a power that was more curse than blessing. The series Generation M follows her as the viewpoint character as she investigates the stories of former mutants.

Part 2: Connecticut Can’t Catch a Break
The big kick-off for Civil War involves the New Warriors, a team of teen heroes who have, as of a recently canceled series, been trying to make it big as reality TV stars. They get in a fight with a bunch of villains in the small town of Stamford, CT, when exploding villain Nitro goes positively nuclear, resulting in a blast much bigger than any he’s generated. [1] Not only does this mostly wipe out the New Warriors (save for kinetic energy-absorbing goofball Speedball), but it also happens to hit a nearby school. In the end, 612 people are dead, many of them children, and the nation wants answers.
With public opinion turning against the New Warriors, former member Hindsight starts leaking secret identities to get the heat off his back. This only makes things worse. Secret identities have only recently stopped being a thing for some heroes: Captain America only came out a few years ago, it was only recently that Tony Stark stopped pretending Iron Man was his bodyguard, and Daredevil was almost outed in the pages of his book. But something needs to be done, so Tony helps work with Congress to pass the Super Human Registration Act, which requires that all people with powers or working as vigilantes register their identities with the government to receive training and oversight. If you don’t? Believe it or not, jail, right away.
Fault lines quickly develop in the superhero community. While Tony is leading the “pro” side, alongside Reed Richards (yeah, we’ll get to that), Captain America, usually painted as the embodiment of the dream of America despite its compromised history and many sins, is against it. He’s lived through Richard Nixon being a secret fascist and shooting himself in the head after being fingered as mastermind of a vast criminal conspiracy (yes, that happened ); he knows how badly this could go in the wrong hands. Needless to say, Maria Hill and SHIELD hear his concerns, understand his problems with it, and are willing to iron out the kinks through reasoned debate.
Just kidding. Before the law has even been signed, Maria sics SHIELD’s elite Cape-Killers squad on Cap with the intent of getting him behind bars. Cap swiftly goes underground and starts his own group of anti-registration superheroes.
The fight continues for the next few issues. Spider-Man, caught in the middle, reveals himself to be Peter Parker at a press conference, declaring his support for the SHRA. Doctor Strange is so powerful that he tells the government to fuck off, and somehow, Maria Hill doesn’t decide to go charging up his asshole. Ben Grimm, the ever-loving blue-eyed Thing, is so sick of all the conflict he goes to France. But things are still at a stalemate, and while SHIELD may be acting like a bunch of merry assholes, it seems like there’s a debate to be had that could still be resolved reasonably… except for one key factor.
Part 3: I Fought the Law, and the Law… Huh?
No one ever really defined what the Super Human Registration Act, the legislation that tore the Marvel Universe’s superhero community asunder, did. Every book that had an issue that touched on the event seemed to have a different understanding of its principles, as well as just how fascist it might be in the long run. In the pages of She-Hulk, attorney Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk argues the law is a net good, as it gives heroes the backing and resources they need to not have to go it alone, while also having some measure of government oversight. In the pages of Civil War Frontline (oh, and we’ll get back to Civil War Frontline, don’t you worry), Wonder Man is told by the government that he needs to do a job for them, and if he refuses, well, one thousand years dungeon.
Which then leads into the other issue behind the SHRA. Namely, that everyone in favor was either starting to swing towards fascism or embracing bootlicking as a lifestyle, not a kink. In the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, Peter asks Reed Richards, who has always bucked authority and once stopped the US government from doing something just like this with mutants, why he’s pro-registration. Reed then reveals that an uncle who has never been mentioned before was called before HUAC; he refused to name names, his career was ruined, and he killed himself. From this, Reed - the man who stole a rocketship because the government said “no” to his planned space voyage - has learned that the government is always right, especially when they could step on your neck (this was received so badly that a later comic revealed he’d actually borrowed the concept of psychohistory from Asimov’s Foundation, he’d made it work somehow, and his calculations showed that this was the only way to avoid a greater disaster). This comic also revealed that people who were in violation of the SHRA were sent to a literal extradimensional Gitmo, a prison in the Negative Zone that later comics would reveal was overseen by… Captain Marvel. No, not that one. No, not that one. The Kree superhero Captain Mar-Vell, who had famously died of cancer decades before. How did he come back from the dead? Fuck if we know.
This “the law says what you want it to say” approach spread across various books and miniseries meant to cross over into the event. In the pages of a crossover mini between the Runaways and the Young Avengers, this meant SHIELD Cape-Killer squads were using lethal force against teenagers. The second-to-last issue of the mini ends with several members of both teams in extradimensional Gitmo, about to be dissected by a guy who’s horny for torture. The fact that all the captive heroes were the queer members of both teams? Total coincidence. Honestly.
So, it quickly becomes clear that the editorial control on this event is less than cohesive. There are different ideas all over as to what the SHRA does, and some of those ideas are tacking pretty fashy. But if the law is being painted as that bad, then clearly, there must be some greater statement of freedom vs. security. Maybe Millar’s really painting a subversive picture of what happens when you trade liberty for control, right?
Part 4: Why Do You Hate the Good Thing?
After the publication of Civil War #3, Millar would say in an interview he was actually pro-registration. I can’t find that interview, but here’s a similar sentiment shared years later:

“Weirdly, some of the other writers would often make Tony the bad guy, which I thought was a strange choice because I was actually on Tony’s side... In the real world, if somebody had superpowers, I’d like them to be registered in the same way that somebody who has a gun has to carry a license. But a gun can kill several people while a superhero can kill several thousands of people, so on a pragmatic level I’m 100% on Tony’s side. Maybe on a romantic level, Cap’s position makes sense but I don’t think anybody in the real world would really want that."”

And again, here’s the thing: He’s not entirely wrong. As said above, the idea of civil liberties for all and “free to me you and me” falls down a little when one of your neighbors can blow up a city block by thinking real hard. But Millar is fighting against years of ideological inertia in the Marvel Universe, as well as painting Captain America, the guy who has always embodied the ideal of a righteous, just America, as in the wrong. He needs to make one hell of an argument.
So here’s what happens in the pages of Civil War #3 to sell the audience on the SHRA:

• Thor comes back from the dead… and he’s on Tony’s side! Well, not really. Tony and Reed both realized that having one of the most beloved gods of the Marvel Universe come out on their side would be a big win… if only he wasn’t dead. So, they cloned him. Or rather, they T-800’d him, putting cloned divine flesh on a robot skeleton. But I’m sure he’s perfectly under control, and - oh, he just killed Goliath. In the next issue, one of Marvel’s black male heroes, frozen at the size of a small townhouse in death, will be buried in a gigantic ditch, wrapped in a tarp and chains. You’d think Hank Pym could grow a large enough coffin, at least.
• With Cap and the anti-registration side escaping once again, Tony decides he needs a dedicated team that can track down fugitive superhumans. To do so, he creates a new version of the Thunderbolts, a concept long associated with “villains acting like heroes.” And who does he put on this team? Venom, the Spider-Man villain who eats people’s brains; Bullseye, the Daredevil villain who will kill anyone for the lulz; and Norman Osborn, a.k.a. The Green Goblin, who famously murdered Spider-Man’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy.

Again. Tony’s in the right. The SHRA is good.
Part 5: Yadda, Yadda, Yadda
The next few issues of Civil War might best be described as “They fight, and fight, and fight and fight and fight.” The anti-registration side picks up The Punisher, Marvel’s most avowed murderer of criminals - and Cap is somewhat shocked but not entirely surprised when two minor villains join the anti-registration side and Frank promptly kills them on sight. Spider-Man starts realizing things are weird on the pro-reg side and defects, after he has set his entire life on fire. The X-Men have continued to stay out of this whole mess. In the lead-up, Emma Frost called Tony out on the Avengers’ complete absence when Genosha got nuked. Later, Carol Danvers (then Ms. Marvel, now Captain Marvel) will show up at the Xavier School to pitch the SHRA just after a massive terrorist attack kills dozens of students. Emma responds by telepathically dogwalking her.
By the final issue of the miniseries, the SHRA has expanded out into the Fifty States Initiative, wherein each state gets its own superteam. There’s a big final battle, Hercules kills Robo-Thor, and Cap nearly takes out Tony, only to be stopped by… the heroes of 9/11. No shit, Captain America is subdued by cops, firefighters, and paramedics. And when that happens, Cap finally takes a look around, realizes their big ideological street brawl has resulted in collateral damage, and surrenders. The SHRA wins, though Tony feels a little bad about it. Cap is ready to stand trial and to argue that, while he may have done something wrong, he did it for the right reasons.
Once again: Yeah. About that.
Part 6: MySpace Tom Didn’t Die For This
Running alongside Civil War is Civil War Frontline, a street-level book written by Paul Jenkins that managed to capture this world-breaking conflict through the eyes of people on the street. Though it has side stories, its main leads are Ben Urich, Peter Parker’s journalist buddy at The Daily Bugle, and the aforementioned Sally Floyd. Throughout the series, they start to realize there’s a story underneath the SHRA, as if somebody is playing the angles.
Before we talk about that conclusion, let’s talk about a side story. Remember how we said part of the comics community saw Identity Crisis as a driven effort to make things less “wacky” and intentionally darken the DCU? Well, that same tonal approach led to one of the more laughable moments of a pretty laughable arc. See, despite the fact that, as established, it was Nitro who blew up Stamford, it’s Speedball, the only survivor of the New Warriors, that views himself as responsible and is held up as a scapegoat by the general public. In addition, the blast screwed up his powers. Now, he doesn’t absorb and reflect kinetic energy; rather, he generates energy based on pain. So, he builds himself a new, extreme outfit lined with 612 spikes, one for each person who died in Stamford. This will drive his crusade to make things right - not as Speedball… but as Penance.
It was so laughably DeviantArt “OC do not steal” that no one could take it seriously. Look what you did, you took a perfectly good goofball and gave him an emo streak. The turn is swiftly mocked in other Marvel books, and it’s eventually revealed that Speedball still had his original powerset and always intended to put Nitro in the Goofy Suit of Dark Inner Torment as punishment for his crimes. But this turn gives you a sense of the tone and heft Jenkins was bringing to the proceedings.
Anyway, back to the main plot. Ben and Sally follow the thread as Namor, as he is wont to do, declares war on the surface world after an Atlantean diplomat is shot. But it turns out the assassination was arranged by Norman Osborn, who decided it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission and manipulated Atlantis into war so that Tony could have another piece of evidence for getting superhumans on a leash. And the two journalists deduce that, on some level, Tony had to know this would be an inevitable outcome of giving state backing to an unhinged mogul who dresses like a Power Rangers villain. Weighing what to do with this information, Ben and Sally, who are kind of sick of the collateral damage by this point, sit on it while they go in for an interview with Captain America, now in custody and willing to tell his side of the story.
And then. And then. The monologue. If you want a lesson in how to assassinate a character in 30 seconds or less, this monologue is a great example. Sally Floyd calls Captain America out as completely divorced from American values. Now, again, Captain America has long served as the beating liberal heart of the Marvel Universe. He has always represented an America that reckons with its legacy of things like internment camps, Manifest Destiny, and Jim Crow, in order to transcend these scars and embody the promise offered by Emma Lazarus’s New Colossus, carved on the side of the Statue of Liberty. Why is he out of touch with Americans at the dawn of the 21st century?
Well, he’s never heard of MySpace. [2] He doesn’t watch NASCAR. He doesn’t follow American Idol. There are pop culture moments that have aged like milk; this one had all the permanence of an ice cream cone in a blast furnace. But despite the inanity of Floyd’s argument - and trust me, there are fan edits dedicated to Cap pointing out how full of shit this argument is - it’s clear it represents something else. This is a post-9/11 world. Fuck civil liberties, we have a no-fly list and Gitmo, and if the American people really cared, they’d do something other than watch Simon Cowell read aspiring singers to filth. What does Captain America stand for in this moment of crisis?
Nothing. Because he just looks away from Sally Floyd. No doubt thinking, “Oh my God this bitch.” But to underline the argument in question, Sally storms out of the interview, Ben in tow. She still has that information on Norman Osborn’s false flag operation… and while she and Ben confront Tony on everything that went down, they decide the story should never see the light of day. Because they wouldn’t dare jeopardize the SHRA, because security is more important than the truth.
Oh. And then Cap gets shot. And dies. He totally dies (except he doesn’t but we’ll get to that). If ever there was an unintentional thesis statement for this event, running in the late stages of the Bush era, it would be this: “It’s better to trust that the powers that be who oversee the new America will keep you safe, even when they stage false flag operations, stick you in a gulag, and put their trust in monsters. All that civil liberty stuff was the old America. And the old America was hopeless. It wasn’t even on MySpace.”
Epilogue: Consequences Keep Consequencing
As you can tell from that last paragraph, a lot of the fan reception to Civil War likely had a lot to do with the period. This was the Bush era, a time where you were for America or against it. We were in the shadow of the Patriot Act, Gitmo, and widespread wiretaps, paranoid about what civil liberty we’d be asked to put on the pyre next in the name of Freedom. A story all about the warm, clenching fist of government control that tells you to ignore the collateral damage… well, it wasn’t great for the cultural moment.
The ideas of Civil War aren’t necessarily bad ones. I frame Cap as the liberal dream of what America could be, but there are good arguments to be made that America has never been that and Cap is just copium for liberals. His most recent title, Sentinel of Liberty, opens with Steve saying he is out of touch with the average American - not because he doesn’t watch NASCAR, but because he’s a WWII veteran who looks maybe 30 years old at most and whose best friends are all superheroes or spies. A narrative that has him on the wrong side of the issue and detonates his beliefs isn’t impossible, but it probably shouldn’t be one where people who got powers due to a fluke of birth or a radiation accident are told by the government, “Join with us or we’ll send supervillains after you.” Hell, as the Civil War movie proves, there is a way to tell a story about a superhero community torn in half by the idea of mandatory registration as government-controlled actors, and just why people would think that could be a bad idea (“Hey, remember when a good chunk of our intelligence apparatus turned out to be Nazi stay behinds?”).
But in the context of the era, and coupled with the execution, Civil War felt like a hard sell, and you could feel the thumb pressing on the scale every second while reading it. The moral center of the Marvel Universe is wrong, the winning side employs sadistic murderers and has an extradimensional Gitmo, and the writer is telling you that any sane individual would be on Team Green Goblin Employer.
So how did that all work out? Well…

• With Cap seemingly dead, shot by his brainwashed love interest Sharon Carter as part of a plot by the Red Skull, Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier becomes the new Cap. Only it turns out Steve wasn’t killed, but shot with a time bullet that Billy Pilgrims his ass. He eventually comes back.
• Thor comes back, finds out what Tony did, and beats his ass all the way across post-Katrina New Orleans.
• The Secret Invasion event happens next, which leads to Skrull infiltrators hitting everything (this is also the explanation for Captain Mar-Vell’s miraculous resurrection: He was a Skrull all along). With Tony caught with his pants down and Norman Osborn seeming to save the day, Norman - who has been losing his shit for some time - takes over the Initiative and forms his own fascist cabal, HAMMER. To try and stop Norman from learning everything on every hero ever, Tony goes on the run and actually starts deleting his own brain, which he then reassembles with a backup from before anyone even thought of the SHRA. The fact that getting rid of Tony’s “Oops I did a fascism” period came out alongside Iron Man hitting theaters is a coincidence, I’m sure.

As for Spider-Man? It might not shock you, but having a hero without the resources of Tony Stark out himself to the world carries liabilities. An assassin who tries to kill Peter instead hits Aunt May, and it appears she’ll die of her injuries. All this leads to One More Day… and if you thought the fans hated Civil War? Oh, BABY.
[1] This is eventually explored in the pages of Wolverine, of all books, as Wolverine decides maybe somebody should track down the person who actually killed hundreds of children. It’s revealed that Nitro was given power-boosting drugs by the CEO of Damage Control, Marvel’s designated “clean up after the super-battle” corporation, as a way of generating business. In a sign of how little this matters, Wolverine tells Maria Hill to her face that the person responsible for a mass casualty event is the pawn of a powerful conspiracy, and she basically says, “Not my problem.” Cobie Smulders must thank the gods that her Maria Hill is written as somebody with basic human decency.
[2] Hilariously, when Sally Floyd was brought back during Nick Spencer’s Captain America run because no one had piled enough dung on her corpse, this line was retconned to her asking him about Twitter. Given everything Elon’s been doing lately, we’ll see if that ages just as poorly.

I sighed. So I'm gonna get reassigned huh? I'm not apart of the c.i.a's gun running, drug peddling, and the guerilla warfare division anymore eh? I guess I'll miss air america flights. I then recalibrated my prosthetic right arm using a Philips head screw driver. Open close. Open, close.
After a couple of seconds my arm was finally done recalibrating. I'm gonna miss my friends. But I'll never miss the humid areas of laos, Vietnam, and some parts of china. The golden triangle is so goddamned hot. Honestly I don't know if it's secretly a promotion or a demotion. Or possibly I'm gonna get fired, and killed.
I'll get my name scraped out of the national files. If I get fired the chances of getting dragged into a blacksite is high, and I'll get tripped by the guys on one of the blacksites.
Oh god. I remember the LSD torture. It's like being awake but not in control. It's like being stuck as a backseat driver as people do unspeakable stuff to me. Oh boy if the public knows about the MK ultra test 2 oh boy. The people are gonna riot. It's already 2040.
The world is on edge, and under foreign influence for over a decade now. From the end of the 20's intergalactic travelers, and companies came, and control most of the world's nations within just a span of two years. They have the guts to exploit our resources, and don't give a damn about what happens to us. They care about profits. Except for the 8 major powers most of the world is under alien control. The only nations that aren't under alien control are russia, china, The U.S.A, great Britain with their manpower advantage given Australia is a British vassal state, France, Canada, Israel, and lastly an unlikely power the African union made out of 7 of the most powerful nations in Africa before the arrival of the outsiders are the only remaining independent countries.
Most of the intelligence agencies are currently working together dealing drugs with the outsiders who visit us, giving weapons to guerilla fighters, and getting weapons from the outside. Ships from an unlikely ally an independent economic alliance of nations named the syndicate allows to us to get some weapons. As long as we sell them drugs, and perishables from earth. It turns out the syndicate likes drugs, coffee, and other stuff native to earth.
Some of our intelligence guys are chatting with the aliens. The guys who are exploiting our resources are called the consortium. They are a consort of companies, and a league that agrees on how to manipulate markets. These guys are basically the more unhinged version of the wall street guys, and a mix of the c.i.a.
I sighed. "This is gonna be a long day ahead of me."
I then smoked a cigar. The cigar calmed my nerves as I inhaled the nicotine. The addictive substance relaxes me. Plus lung cancer isn't a problem anymore considering we now have a solution on how to cure it. The alien companies gave us some of their tech to show their so called sympathy before they flooded economies with consumer goods from their companies, and controlled almost all of earths economies.
"So agent smith. This is your new partner." A c.i.a handler said to me.
I spat out some ash from my mouth, and complained. "The fuck are you giving me a newbie as a partner? And what the hell am I gonna to do to need a new partner. Rodriguez already was fine yet I'm stuck with a newbie?"
The handler laughed. "Oh heavens no. This is an a.i. Codename poppy. She's your new partner in crime. Because we are gonna send you as a diplomatic bodyguard to the syndicate."
"Oh hi! I'm poppy I'm an artificial intelligence created by the c.i.a, m.i.6, the g.r.u, the s.s.m, mossad, and the s.s.a." The human looking robot said.
The voice kinda sounds synthetic, and the tone is too happy. I kinda hate it. I hate that it gives off happy go lucky vibes. I don't mean to be a grouch but the happy go lucky guys always die first. It's kinda ironic in a fucked up way.
So this thing is an a.i kinda like g.w. An a.i made by the c.i.a. G.W have made the internet more tolerable, and friendly due to context. People back then always manipulated facts into their political goals, and ideals. People get the facts misconstrued for political reasons.
G.W was made after a game character that was so prophetic about the world in the future. M.G.S 2: Sons of liberty. It has the same function as g.w from mgs2. It gives facts in a non biased way. In a way where people don't get their feelings hurt when something is given to them in a factual, and non biased ways.
People used to manipulate facts for political correctness. Hiding the fact that they misinterpret the meaning of those words. The internet used to be a toxic, and a fucked up place before g.w. Like Jesus Christ the goddamn internet was filled with incels, and attention seekers using facts and misusing them for internet clout. It was a place where no one is invalidated but nobody was right. G.w put an end to that era. G.w is now living in a secluded server thanking us for it's creation. It was phased out after it asked to be replaced by another one because it was sick, and tired of correcting people that get the facts misconstrued. It got to the point that it begged the c.i.a, and annoyed the c.i.a to the point that it wanted to be put in a secluded server so it could live it's remaining days in relative leisure just because it begged the c.i.a director so many times that he would get spam calls from the a.i using his official phone number even in the middle of the night for three straight years.
Anyways back to discussion.
"So you're one of those advanced a.i's like g.w?" I asked just to be sure I'm not paired with a dumb a.i.
"Yup. I even passed the Turing test in flying colors. I can feel emotions, do something out of spite or anger, and can think for myself." Poppy said with a dog like innocence.
"So what can you do?" I asked.
"Well. I can fly planes, use guns even those that people can't use due to physiological differences, and hack computers without being near the target. I'm basically just an a.i that can be a jack of all traits if given a chance." Poppy said.
"Fine. But you'll do it my way or the high way." I told poppy with a commanding tone.
Poppy laughed. "Okay boomer."
I sighed. This is gonna be a long day. I'm old as shit but not a boomer.
"Woah. You guys are already going along greatly. Great for you." The handler snickered.
He then left, and left me with poppy.
I'm fucked. "So I'm gonna brief you about the world poppy. Through a song."
I then sang bo burnham's how the world works song.
"Hey, kids Today, we're gonna learn about the world The world that's around us is pretty amazing But how does it work? It must be complicated The secret is the world can only work When everything works together"
"A bee drinks from a flower And leaves with its pollen A squirrel in a tree spreads the seeds that have fallen Everything works together"
"The biggest elephant, the littlest fly The gophers underground, the birds in the sky And every single cricket, every fish in the sea"
"Gives what they can and gets what they need That is how the world works That is how the world works"
"From A to Zebra To the worms in the dirt That's how it works Hey everyone"
I then pulled out a sock, and made it into a puppet.
"Look who stopped by to say "hello" It's Socko Hey! Where you been, Socko?"
"I've been where I always am when you're not wearing me on your hand In a frightening, liminal space between states of being Not quite dead, not quite alive It's similar to a constant state of sleep paralysis"
"Socko, we were just talking about the world and how it works!"
"Boy, that sounds complicated! Do you have anything you'd wanna teach us about the world?"
"I wouldn't say anything that you Probably haven't already said yourself"
"I don't know about that, Socko How about you give it a try?"
"All right!"
"The simple narrative taught in every history class Is demonstrably false and pedagogically classist Don't you know the world is built with blood? And genocide and exploitation"
"The global network of capital essentially functions To separate the worker from the means of production And the FBI killed Martin Luther King Private property's inherently theft"
"And neoliberal fascists are destroying the left And every politician, every cop on the street Protects the interests of the pedophilic corporate elite"
"That is how the world works (really?) That is how the world works Genocide the Natives, say you got to it first"
"That's how it works"
"That's pretty intense?"
"No shit Sherlock."
"What can I do to help?"
"Read a book or something, I don't know Just don't burden me with the responsibility of educating you"
*It's incredibly exhausting"
"I'm sorry, Socko I was just trying to become a better person"
"Why do you rich fucking white people Insist on seeing every socio-political conflict Through the myopic lens of your own self-actualization?"
"This isn't about you So either get with it, or get out of the fucking way"
"Watch your mouth, buddy"
"Remember who's on whose hand here"
"But that's what I- Have you not been fucking listening? We are entrenched in a way (all right, all right)"
"Wait, wait, no please! I don't wanna go back, please, ugh, ugh, ugh I can't go, I can't go back Please, please, I'm sorry!"
"Are you gonna behave yourself?"
"Yes"
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, sir"
"Look at me"
"Yes, sir"
"That's better That is how the world works That is how the world works I hope you learned your lesson"
"I did and it hurt That's how it works"
NOOOOOOO!!!
Drags sock puppet into a pocket like some introvert getting dragged into socializing in bars by extroverts.
"So do you understand know?" I asked poppy.
"That everything is made under the blood of billions, and we shouldn't make their deaths be in vein?" Poppy said.
"Correct. And we shouldn't let outsiders make our choices for us. We should kick them out." I said like some isolationist American during the 1920's.
"Ironic isn't it smith. The c.i.a used to be anti socialist but look how the circumstances turned the American government into. A social democracy/merit based democracy where politicians are based in merit rather than popularity. Politicians are insentivised to change the world than burn it down like some of the old presidents did. Ironic that america became something it hated. A weird mesh of meritocracy, democracy, republican, liberaterian, and market socialist ideals. Some sort ideological mesh made by idealogs"
"And it's working with it's remaining two Allies, and former enemies just to defeat a foreign threat. How poetically ironic isn't it? I mean the CIA used to go schizo mode when they hear communist, and socialist ideals or hearing the word russians, and chinese are plotting something. Now the country it help grew became the very thing it sought to destroy. Morbidly ironic isn't it?" Poppy said with a meloncholic under tone.
"Yeah. Specially the stuff we do now." I said agreeing to the statement.
"But that's how the world works. Everything must change. Either you adapt or die." I said with a meloncholic under tone.
"So do you know where we are going?" I asked poppy.
I then puffed up my cigar. Sweet sweet nicotine.
"Back to america. In the space port in Austin Texas. I'm already done contacting the contact the handler gave to me. E.T.A 7 hours. Now let's go to the laostian military base 7 miles north from here. Our air america flight is waiting for us." Poppy said.
I sighed. "Come ride with me. I have a motorcycle a hundred meters from here."
We walked towards my motorcycle. I then puffed up my cigar smelling the nicotine.
So my life is about to change huh? Eh. I'm just gonna adapt. After all in this world it's either adapt or die.
Click, click, click
Motorcycle engine starts rumbling.
Poppy then held my waist. It's hands are cold as steel. Colder than even corpse. I sighed.
The highway was almost empty. Everyone was working a 10-8 job in one of the corporations that control laos. There was no land vehicles transporting goods because the aliens are using their tech to transport them underground. The road was almost abandoned except for the guys who have motorcycle hobbies. Anyways it doesn't matter. After all there's no traffic anymore.
The fresh breeze calmed my nerves. It made me feel alive. A motorcyclist drive by me and waved hello. I waved back at the motorcyclist. It's good to be on the road.
After a twenty minute drive we arrived at the military base. Another CIA agent greeted us, and escorted us to the flight.
"So you guys are the diplomatic bodyguards?" Asked the agent.
"Yup. That's what my handler told me." Poppy said.
"So your one of the newer a.i models eh. Ok. Just step right in. Plus the flight is rather boring. Just sleep while on flight to save energy." The agent told me.
I sighed. I threw away the cigar, and slept through the flight.
A few hours later...
I woke up arriving at Austin executive airport. Poppy just sat there watching me sleep like some sort of creep. It made me a little bit paranoid at the unflinching eyes that was watching me. But I ignored my instincts, and went outside.
After that I ate something for breakfast. A couple of pancakes, and chicken wings. Poppy looked at me with envy. I sighed.
"Can you eat? Do you need food to survive?" I asked.
"Well.... I need glucose to recharge my batteries. I can also use a charger but it would be suspicious. So the glucose to energy converter was made for special missions so that I wouldn't blow my cover."
Figured. Those guys in the CIA RnD team are making contengencies for every eventual event. I then ordered a plate of syrup covered pancakes.
Poppy looked at me smiling. I sighed.
An hour later...
We arrived at the space port. People walked around buying nicnacs, waiting for their flight, and just waited around for their family members that were coming back.
Another agent came up to me, and gave me two tickets.
"Here's the tickets. Also have this. You'll need it."
The agent then gave me some sort of high tech phone. Then out of knowhere something exploded.
I was knocked unconscious for a couple minutes. When I woke up I was getting dragged by poppy along with the agent that gave me the tickets. She shot back at incoming enemies using alien tech.
"Ugh..." As I said that I began coughing blood. I looked down I was bleeding. My left leg was missing. It was slowly bleeding due to a tourniquet, bandages, and some sealing foam. It was still bleeding but isn't bleeding as badly as to kill me in just a couple seconds.
Gunshots echoed in the space port. Agents shot back at the alien attackers. A fierce firefight began. Bright lights like something akin to RGB lights but in a epileptic way we're seen down the isles as screams of both alien, CIA, fbi, and fully kitted out port guards were slaughtered one by one.
Poppy dragged me, and the other agent to a bathroom. "Sit rep." I asked poppy.
"It seems to be a terrorist attack. I don't know why but they looked like alien mercenaries. The question is that did the consortium hired them to kill our diplomat. Good thing the diplomat hasn't arrived. I checked the agency message boards, and they said that good thing the diplomat was sick after getting food poisoning this morning. They are already talking about it. Some of them are even suggesting that the consortium did this attack." Poppy said.
"So the diplomat got lucky. But why the fuck would they attack our diplomat to the syndicate? I mean it's counter productive. We don't need their goods or services considering the people here would rather choose human companies rather than alien shady companies. I guess they must've know about our deals with them, and decided to start a shadow war. A war in the shadows. The companies of the consortium vs the remaining independent government's. Who ever wins controls all the resources in the world." I told poppy.
She nodded. "Good guess but no one really knows. It's so sudden. We need more info before we act against them."
"I'll patch you up in the meantime. I hurried the medical assistance I gave you a couple minutes ago. I was hurrying because this guy is saying we need to leave after he suffered minor bruises. You blunted most of the damaged for him because you were in front of the explosion. He was saved because you were blocking him from getting hit by shrapnel. I cut you're leg off. Sorry. It can't be saved considering it was barely hanging on the leg. Plus I was running out of time so I had to cut it before you bled out."
I sighed. "Okay. Just get my hk UmP 45 inside my arm. It's in second the compartment a secret compartment. In the upper arm. I have a few mags of it inside the compartment. Here's a screw driver to remove the lid."
I then gave poppy a screw driver hidden in my pants, and saw her unscrew the lid off. A ump 45, and fully loaded 4 mags came out dropping loudly on the floor.
"Now carry me to the danger. I would rather die than suffer for years being reminded of the sad reality that I lost an arm, and a leg every time I wake up." I morbidly joked to poppy.
"Are you sure? You're injured! Are you fucking suicidal?" Poppy, and the agent said.
"Did I stutter?"
The two of them sighed.
Poppy then carried me in her back, and the other agent used poppy as meat shields. The agent held a Barretta 93r. A burst fire weapon.
"Ready?" I said.
"Ugh. You're lucky I accepted your request dumbass."
"Yes."
I was being piggy back carried by poppy while the agent followed us.
"Tango 15 meters to the left." Poppy said.
I then activated burst fire, and shot at the direction given. When I saw an enemy I aimed for the center mass. But I instead hit the thorax killing the alien instantly.
"Kill confirms. Enemy is k.i.a."
"Tango 20 meters ahead."
I then aimed straight forward, and saw a bolt of light strike near me. It was close enough to feel the heat of the round. I shot back, and killed the alien instantly by hitting the alien in the lungs, and heart.
"Enemy is k.i.a"
Then I heard a three round burst coming from a Barretta. I looked back, and saw the agent kill an incoming enemy.
"Thanks. So what's your name?" I asked.
"Oh I haven't properly instroduced myself. My name is agent Carter." The agent/Carter said.
"Thanks Carter. My name is agent smith."
"No problem agent smith. We CIA agents got each other's backs. We must stick together."
"Guys tangos incoming coming from the left. ETA 20 seconds."
We then aimed our Guns, and waited for the enemy to arrive. When they eventually arrived we moved them down with burst fire. After that a couple national guard guys came up to us. They were probably chasing those aliens.
"Thanks." One of the national guards said.
"No problem"
We continued, and after two minutes of walking we walked into a firefight. I smiled.
"You know what to do." I said smiling.
"Third party them?"
"Yup."
I then turned on full auto, and began to spray, and pray.
After a few seconds of pulling the trigger my gun ran out of bullets. Carter also ran out of bullets in his magazine, and reloaded. 3 confirmed kills, and multiple missed or slightly injured.
Oh crap. Then a bolt of light past near me. Enough to the point my right cheek got minor burns.
"Duck!"
I then began to be dragged by poppy into cover. Carter also looked for cover, and dived into the nearest cover. I quickly reloaded the mag, and started shooting at the aliens again. I changed the selector back to burst fire to conserve ammo.
I aimed center mass at the enemies. A loud burst of .45 ACP rounds was heard as an enemy was hit in the thorax.
"Kill confirmed."
I continued, and shot enemies in either the arms, legs, the thorax, or the chest.
After three minutes the firefight ended.
"Other sectors secured. All area's are currently in our control. Over 700 people died, 1720 were injured, and some were missing. Military and government casualties are 124 KIA'd, 24 severely injured, 57 mildly injured, and 38 MIA'd." Poppy said smiling.
Then paramedics rushed into the scene. People were rushed into nearby hospitals while I was dragged by a undercover CIA paramedic to a government safe house along with poppy, and Carter.
A week later…
I was standing in the military cemetery in Arlington national cemetery. Where soldiers who died without any identifications are buried. I saw burials around me. Soldiers who died without any family members, soldiers disowned by family, and other such things. But hey it's just the life of a soldier. That's what I know at least. From ranger grunt to c.i.a grunt. I was disowned by my parents who were conservatives, and highly religious because I was going to sacrifice my place in heaven to save some heathens from the middle east. I never regretted my actions. I saved lives, and ended some. No guts no glory after all.
Some of the people getting buried got medal of honors. Saving comrades in need of dire help in exchange for their lives, soldiers who rescued civilians in exchange for their own lives, and soldiers who honorably fought on to save others even faced with hard decisions.
I saluted the unknown soldiers for their bravery, and honor. In the background poppy, and Carter were talking. But that wasn't important. Bagpipes, trumpets, and drums play as the unknown soldiers get burried with their medals. The grave sentinels saluted while burying the dead. Gunshots in the honor of the dead was heard as the unknown soldiers got buried while being watched by the people who those soldiers saved.
After that I returned to head quarters with a prosthetic leg, and talked to my handler. Poppy, and Carter went back to the safehouse just to talk.
"Oh hi smith." My handler captain david said.
"Hi David."
"Here's another purple heart medal, and a bronze star medal." David then tossed the medals towards me.
"That's your what? 22nd and 23rd medal? Bravo congrats smith."
"I'm gonna ask you sometime David."
"Ask away smith."
"When will i get sent as a diplomatic bodyguard?"
"About three weeks from now. Also agent Carter is gonna be one of your partners for the mission."
I sighed. Figured.
"So who was behind the terror attack David?"
"Honestly. The CIA search the crime scene, and saw that the consortium blatantly did that. The mercenaries worked under one of the companies in the consortium. But for the public it's gonna be announced tonight that a rogue consortium PMC did that so we wouldn't provoke them too much."
"It's gonna be a long day smith."
"Yeah David."
Then David gave me a cigar.
"Wanna smoke?"
I nodded.
To be continued…

Hi! There is so much happening this weekend! I'm the guy who started www.kwconcerts.ca the other week, so figured I would post on Reddit with some of the live music going on this weekend.
We've got 3 festivals going on:

• Open Ears at various venues around downtown Kitchener. Experimental music, some really cool stuff. openears.ca
  
• Afrovibes at Gaukel Street. Celebration of African culture with music, food, games, and more. https://digimillennials.com/afrovibes-on-gaukel/
  
• Meadows Music Festival in Fergus. Big festival with The Sheepdogs and a bunch of other great acts. https://www.meadowsfest.ca/
  

Check out www.kwconcerts.ca for a constantly updated listing and ticket links for all the concerts happening in Kitchener Waterloo!

Friday, June 2, 2023

Dj Nice @ The Yeti
Mark Godfrey @ The Jazz Room
Yang Chen and Guests (Open Ears Festival) @ The Registry Theatre
ce qui nous traverse (Open Ears Festival) @ THEMUSEUM
Indie Music Night @ Maxwells
Jade Eagleton, James Barker Band, and more @ Meadows Music Festival (Fergus)

Saturday, June 3, 2023

Housewife With Jessie Vickery & Halloween Animals @ The Hub
Ernesto Cervini’s “Joy” Project @ The Jazz Room
Medusa (Open Ears Festival) @ The Registry Theatre
Lithophonica & Earth Ether Ensemble (Open Ears Festival) @ Trillium Lutheran Church
Melody McKiver (Open Ears Festival) @ The Registry Theatre
The Sheepdogs, Rural Alberta Advantage, Sloan, and more @ Meadows Music Festival (Fergus)
Pink Lemonade Presents The Dominion, The Bare Minimum, Justin Briner & Beaky @ The Yeti
Afrovibes Festival on Gaukel @ Gaukel Street
Thrash Night @ Maxwells

Sunday, June 4, 2023

Mico With Ley Vara & Alex Porat @ The Hub
Counterstasis Trio with special guest Kathryn Ladano (Open Ears Festival) @ The Registry Theatre
Daniel Ramjattan - Inspirations: New Music for Solo Guitar (Open Ears Festival) @ AOK Arcade and Bar

Enjoy! For more info and ticket links for these events, just go to www.kwconcerts.ca :)

​
Leyca's House - Vacational Challet

Acerca de este espacio

Una casa cómoda con detalles caribeños rústicos, una hermosa vista al mar y en la calle más segura y céntrica para tours y vida nocturna.

El espacio

Una casa acogedora, privada y sobre todo muy segura ya que contamos con la cercanía de la Estación Policial y la Estación de Bomberos, adicional estamos alado del icónico Bar & Grill Barco Hundido.

Acceso de los huéspedes

Pueden tener acceso rápido a restaurantes, agencias de turismo, discotecas y lugares públicos, además contamos con estacionamiento público y abierto a orilla de la calle frente a la residencia.

Otros aspectos a destacar

Contamos con sistema CCTV en los exteriores de la casa para brindarle seguridad y tranquilidad, además de tener enlaces con empresas de Tours y Transporte para movilidad.

Many of you have seen my posts here for the last several months. Thank you for your patience and your kind replies. My family are from the US. Between 2000 and 2009 my wife and I lived together abroad twice, but the arrival of kids and a very tight budget meant that it was domestic travel only vacations for us since that time. Mostly by car.
This year, a series of events conspired to allow us to travel internationally and we settled on Belize. I went on this sub and found out that our trip of six days six days/five nights was not enough so we talked on two more days. Still not enough, I know, but all we could manage.
So we are leaving for Belize TOMORROW and I’m super excited. I get all nerdy and giddy when I travel. I want to know as much as I can about the culture and people and try to do gather as much of the country into that trip as I can. Sadly, we are spending our time only in SI/Cayo and San Pedro/Caulker in our limited time. Next time (🤞🏼) we will do the north and south (looking w teay eyes at you, Hopkins & Placencia 🥹).
But sincere thanks to you all for induldging my earnest, random, and ignorant questions. So, here are some questions that have been swirling around my brain. None are dire. But I thought, I’d stick them up here to see if they might find some answers here and there from anyone with the tile, patience, and inclination to do so.
So, random questions:

1. How much cash should we have on hand each day (3 in Cayo and 4 on Ambergris/Caulker) I know smaller bills are preferable, but I’ve only seen bits and pieces on some threads on this sub.
   
2. You take one (packable) food ingredient back to the US with you from Belize. Something that will make cooking better back home. What is it?
   
3. What run do I need to take home and where do I get it. I heard about Traveler’s 81? I like sipping a good sipping rum.
   
4. I like tea a lot as well. Is there a tea that is native to Belize? Or a Maya tea? If so, where can I order it and is it available for purchasing to take with you to keep enjoying after we return. Sigh.
   
5. What single drink do I need to try at what bar, restaurant, whatever in Caulker, San Pedro, or San Ignacio? If you make the best drink in those towns, I’ll come over if invited! 😂😂
   
6. If you’ve traveled to Belize and returned to your home country, what is something that you have that reminds you of your trip? A small item. Besides the wonderful memories?
   
7. Guide at Xunantunich? Or just explore on our own? I’m leaning towards a guide.
   
8. I’ve heard the jungles are surprisingly mosquito free. Is that true? Especially this time of year (early June)?
   
9. Is Belize a culture that barters at markets? Or is a price a price? To looking to score on a vendor. Just want to understand the culture. Thinking of street vendors selling non-food and market in SI.
   
10. Tipping culture in Belize?
    
11. Hot and humid day when going to guided tour at ATM. Pants still preferred given the journey (scrapes and cuts on rocks etc)?
    

OK. I think I’ve got it out of my system. But I might come back for more!!!

Hey everybody, Just wanna say thanks to the tips and help I got while trying to plan out this trip. This forum is a gold mine.
I will be in New Orleans with my gf who has never been to the south of the US at all (where I'm from) from Jul 31st-Aug 5th. Flying in from 7 times zones away so will be a little wrecked.
Staying at a hotel in the FQ, probably going to need some earplugs lol This is basically my plan here below. If you all have any suggestions or thoughts, I am ALL EARS. I haven’t been to the city since 20 years ago when I lived in the region.
I’m trying to keep it chill but still see as much as comfortably possible. In particular not too certain about biking along Magazine / St Charles, and which fancy restaurant to eat at the last night. Thanks for any tips!
Mon Fly in, arrive in the evening, travel to hotel Place d’Armes in FQ via taxi.     Jet-lagged dinner - ??
Tues - Breakfast - Wakin Bacon     Wander around the FQ Lunch - Mr B’s Bistro for Gumbo, etc     Relax a bit at pool with jet-lag     Rent bikes and go either Magazine St or St Charles over to Audubon     Window shop around Magazine, Maple and Oak streets Pre-dinner drink @ Carrollton Station Dinner - Jaques Imo's for etouffée and Creole jambalaya     Bike back to FQ, drop bikes Evening - Blues show @ Swig & Swine Blues on Bourbon St. (Unless Maple Leaf cafe schedules some music
Wed - Breakfast - Croissant d’Or     Pick up early morning for Honey Island Swamp tour Lunch - Verti Marte or Frady's for Po Boys     Walk / bike around Marigny and the Bywater, Crescent Park Afternoon drink at Bachanal’s     Bike back to hotel, pool time / down time break     Jamnola     Frenchmen St Palace Market Dinner - Gris-Gris for Gumbo, etc     Sunset at Crescent Park? Evening - Frenchmen St, Cafe Negril
Thurs - Breakfast - Who Dat Cafe     Take streetcar up to City Park, sculpture garden, coffee at Cafe du Monde Lunch - Po Boys at Liuzzo’s     Streetcar back to FQ, stop for a drink at The Sazerac Bar     Pool relax time or Aquarium     Jazz Cruise? Dinner - Pierre Maspero for etouffée, etc Evening - Bar Marilou for jazz band, if that's no good, Frenchmen St?
Fri - Breakfast - French Toast on Decatur     Van Gogh Immersive experience     Aquarium if not done     Walk and bike around FQ / Marigny / Bywater OR Garden District Lunch - Alligator sandwich from MRB Kitchen or The Joint for BBQ     Voodoo Museum?     Wander around wherever Dinner - Either - R’evolution / Peche / Bearcat / GW Fin’s     Rooftop drink at Hot Tin on the way to… Evening - Tipitina’s
Sat - Breakfast - something close to Jackson Sq?     Pack and be at airport @11:30