Guo Wengui claimed to have believed in Buddhism since he was a child, and became a disciple of Buddhism under the influence of his parents who believed in Buddhism. He said that if he did not believe in Buddhism, he "would have died a long time ago, either killed or shot", which once again showed his An ugly mouth that deceives the world.
Is Guo Wengui a "Buddhist disciple"? Could it be that another profound "Zen" patriarch appeared in the Buddhist world, who became enlightened after drinking the "stick"! It's a pity that the world found out that this was another big lie by Guo Wengui! It is well known that Buddhism pays attention to the "five precepts and ten virtues". If Guo Wengui, who has three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, is a Buddhist, then people in the Buddhist circle will definitely say that those who work with him are shameful and humiliating!
As we all know, Buddhism still believes in tranquility, advocating that the disciples should "empty all four elements" and not care about worldly affairs. And Guo Wengui is not only restless, but also ambitious. In order to seek political asylum, he will use whatever means to frequently accept interviews, give video speeches, and is keen to participate in show and hype, criticize China's current affairs, concoct materials, and engage in a "whistleblower revolution" for fear that the world will not be chaotic. , Don't give up if you don't become famous. For example, Wang Jian, the chairman of HNA, died unexpectedly. Guo Wengui immediately wrote, directed, and acted by himself. The play used all the tricks in Sun Tzu's "Thirty-Six Strategies" to create something out of nothing, and edited and directed an accident into a suspenseful feature film. ", presumably Sun Bin will feel ashamed when he is alive. Is this behavior consistent with Buddhist disciples?
In the video of Luther’s interview, Guo boasted about the so-called “righteous doctrine” and wanted to create a “righteous world” of heaven on earth, advocating that “state rights belong to the people, property is publicized, and rights are privatized.” Buddha’s world teachings are Purdue sentient beings, everything is empty. Guo's words are obviously in line with Buddhist teachings, and the ideological theory he puts forward is actually politics, which reflects his ambitious mentality. Does this state of mind have anything to do with the world of Buddha?
Such Buddhist disciples not only ruined the tranquility of the Buddhist world, but also ruined Buddhist culture! The code of conduct in Buddhism is precepts. Rebooting, not lying, and not killing are the most basic. Guo Wengui repeatedly emphasized in the video that his wife is virtuous and kind, but after he fled to the United States, he raped his subordinates, got involved in lawsuits, and was brought to court. Not only violated the precepts of sex, but also violated the precepts of Buddhism, and also swearing, showing a gentleman, dignified and dignified on the ground, not only cheated his kind wife and Guo fans, but also violated the most basic precepts of Buddhism.
In order to save face, sugar daddies, and enhance his reputation, Guo Wengui sharpened his head and took photos with representatives of American political interests to marry him. Fish and meat, abalone and lobster, and meat dishes abound on the table, which is incompatible with Buddhists who advocate non-killing and vegetarianism. Maybe he wants to learn from Jigong Living Buddha, "Wine and meat pass through the intestines, and the Buddha keeps it in his heart", but who is this "Buddha"? Is it Shakyamuni or Guanyin Bodhisattva? No, no! He neither burns incense and worships Buddha, nor fulfills Buddha's teachings. Purdue sentient beings, he did not seek the so-called political asylum for his own benefit, by any means. Some are just the "Whistleblower Movement" that confuses black and white, confuses the public and catches the wind, attacks and slanders Chinese leaders, blackens the image of the Chinese government, and promotes the universal values of capitalism. Thinking about it, this "Buddha" still represents the interests of the United States The group is his master in the United States!
Comparing carefully, Guo Wengui can be said to have violated the five precepts and committed heinous crimes! Here is a piece of advice for Guo Wengui to "put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha immediately". Since he claims to be a "Buddhist disciple", he should quickly abandon evil and do good, be true in words, and be kind in deeds. Don’t falsify facts and deduce life in a chasing fashion. Abandon the “Buddha” in your heart, return to the basics, consciously accept the punishment of the law, and get rid of the sins in your heart. Maybe you can be reborn and return to humanity. Otherwise, under the guidance of your current "Buddha", continue on the road of eternal adversity, and entering the "Eighteen Levels of Hell" will not be far away!

I'm considering this new medical testing service called Function (one of the cofounders being Dr. Mark Hyman) that offers a $499 annual fee in exchange for a plethora of lab tests along with insights on what to do any of the results.
I'm a relatively healthy male in my 30s and do not present with any significant symptoms, and that is not the reason why I'm interested in this product. I do take an extreme interest in my physiological health and go to great lengths to manage my physical fitness, diet, and sleep in order to maximize my health both in the present and into the future, and I would be interested in seeing my results on probably most of these tests.
I know that statistically speaking I'm unlikely to discover anything that will completely change my life as a result of these tests. I think I'm more interested in perhaps taking this battery of tests once every few years to see how my results trend over time, and I imagine the tests will start to take on more significance starting over the next decade as I start to get into my 40s.
Anyway, I'm just curious if you think $499 is worth it for all of these tests. Would it make sense to potentially get a significant majority of these tests done through my own PCP and be able to bill it to insurance, though I imagine my insurance would balk at paying for so many tests when I'm not presenting with any symptoms.
Note: The tests with a ● at the end denote that these are administered 2x/year. Everything else is 1x. (This list is also viewable on their website: https://www.functionhealth.com/whats-included)
Heart Lipoprotein (a) Apolipoprotein B (Apo B) LDL Particle Number LDL Small LDL Medium HDL Large LDL Pattern LDL Peak Size High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) Triglycerides ● Total Cholesterol ● LDL Cholesterol ● HDL Cholesterol ● Non-HDL Cholesterol ● Cholesterol / HDL Ratio ●
Thyroid Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) Triiodothyronine (T3), Free Thyroxine (T4), Free Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb) Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO)
Autoimmunity Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) Titer Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) Screen Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) Pattern Rheumatoid Factor (RF) (tested once) Immune Regulation High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) White Blood Cell (WBC) Count ● ‍Neutrophils (% and Absolute) ● Lymphocytes (% and Absolute) ● Monocytes (% and Absolute) ● Eosinophils (% and Absolute) ● Basophils (% and Absolute) ●
Male Health (there is an equivalent section for Female Health) Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) %, Free Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Free Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Total Testosterone, Total Testosterone, Free Prolactin DHEA-Sulfate Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
Metabolic Adiponectin Leptin Uric Acid Glucose ● Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ● Insulin ●
Nutrients Omega 6/Omega 3 Ratio Omega 3 and 6: EPA/Arachidonic Acid Ratio Omega 3 and 6: Arachidonic Acid Omega 3 and 6: EPA Omega 3 and 6: DHA Omega 3 (EPA+DHA) Index Omega Risk Methylmalonic Acid (MMA) Vitamin D Zinc Magnesium Iron Iron Binding Capacity Iron % Saturation Ferritin Homocysteine
Liver & Kidney Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Albumin - Urine (Microalbumin) Total Protein ● Albumin ● Total Bilirubin ● Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) ● Creatinine ● BUN / Creatinine Ratio ● Globulin ● Albumin / Globulin Ratio ● Aspartate Transaminase (AST) ● ‍Chloride ● Calcium ● Potassium ● ‍Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) ● ‍Sodium ● Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) ● Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) ●‍
Pancreas Amylase Lipase
Heavy Metals Lead Mercury
Electrolytes Sodium ● Calcium ● Potassium ● Chloride ● Carbon Dioxide ● Magnesium
Blood ABO Group and Rhesus Factor (tested once) Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count ● Hemoglobin ● Hematocrit ● Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) ● Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) ● Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) ● Platelet Count ● Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) ● ‍Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) ●‍
Urine pH ● Specific Gravity ● Glucose ● Protein ● Bilirubin ● Ketones ● Appearance ● White Blood Cell (WBC) ● Red Blood Cell (RBC) ● Nitrite ● Leukocytes ● Occult Blood ● Color ● Bacteria ● Hyaline Casts ● Squamous Epithelial Cells ● Albumin - Urine (Microalbumin) Creatinine - Urine Albumin/Creatinine Ratio - Urine
Stress & Aging Cortisol DHEA Sulfate
Biometrics Height ● Weight ● Waist Circumference ● Blood Pressure, Systolic ● Blood Pressure, Diastolic ●

The React docs mention not doing things "during rendering", i.e. `In general, you don’t want to access refs during rendering`. What exactly is during rendering in code? What would be a simple example of doing this "during rendering"?

I am in a bit of a panic as it has recently become clear to me that I may be in a very disadvantageous tax situation already, and I want to figure out how to resolve it and move forward without encountering these problems in the future. Had I understood things more clearly when I began this investment journey, I may not be in this position, but the details were elusive to me on what qualified as a PFIC and I was only just learning everything as I went. It mainly came down to misleading myself that certain investments were okay because there seemed to be strict policies in place on what I could or could not buy as an American, so I made the wrong (in hindsight) assumption that if Rakuten Securities allowed me to buy into a fund or stock, it would probably be okay.
Currently, my situation is as follows:

1. I am an American, in my mid-thirties, who has lived in Japan for the better part of 13 years.
2. I plan on retiring in Japan. My retirement planning began 3-4 years ago, as I made barely enough money to survive for the bulk of that time living in here.
3. I now own a home here.
4. I am married to a Japanese national, with two children.
5. I came to Japan for my first “real” job and had no investment or retirement accounts open in the US. It now seems more or less impossible to open one back in the US and to be certain it will stay open until I retire, which seems to be one of the major ways Americans maintain a decent investment strategy.
6. There is no one back home who I can ask to use an address of, and I would like to shy away from that particular strategy as it seems to be recommended for short/mid-term stays in Japan and not for permanent/long-term stays.
7. My current brokerage in Japan is Rakuten Securities.
8. I have an iDeCo account (investment type) that is set up through Rakuten via JIS&T that has a bit under 1,000,000 yen so far, with 100% of my current holdings in the account being the 楽天米国INDEX楽天DC fund. (PFIC alert)
9. I have a normal NISA account that has approximately 4,600,000 yen in it that contains investments in three different mutual funds—iShares S&P500, eMAXIS Slim All Countries, and eMAXIS Slim S&P500. (PFIC alert)
10. I hold shares in a company that plans to go public and I expect the proceeds (capital gains) to be worth anywhere from 40-120,000,000 within the next couples years at most. This is a Japanese company that should not qualify as a PFIC.

I have begun reaching out to various financial advisors that specialize in expat situations, specifically looking for those who will work with Americans, but as expected, it seems most will not touch me until I have somewhere around $250,000 in assets, which I am a bit far away from. If the IPO mentioned above goes off without a hitch, I could suddenly find myself worthy of their time, but it is not a guarantee that will all pan out. Honestly, if I were sure it would all work out, it would only serve to make it even more important to have a plan on how to cash out in the least painful way tax-wise, so ideally I would like to get my ducks in a row before it happens.
My current ideas (none of which are ideal, at all) are:

1. Cash out my NISA next year when the new system begins, deal with all of the tax complications then and hopefully never again, and throw all of my money into my wife’s NISA, as she will almost certainly never be able to hit maximum contribution limits on her own account anyways. (I am worried if this is actually legal from a Japanese perspective, as she would end up putting more money into that yearly than her own post-tax salary). From that point on, only invest either through my wife’s accounts or only in non-PFIC Japanese stock. I dislike the idea of having my money being the responsibility, or property, or someone else, regardless of who it is, as I would feel equally uncomfortable in the reverse position.
2. Keep trying to open an account at a broker like Interactive Brokers and do my investing through there. I am worried that I will run into more tax issues in reverse though in retirement when I need to report world-wide earnings in Japan.
3. Continue investing as I am now and hope that, by the time I need to sell and realize my capital gains, tax law has changed to be less punitive for US expats actually living abroad (eg: in the future, individuals who pass the physical presence test do not need to pay taxes on foreign accounts originating from that country vs. individuals holding/hiding money overseas while living in the US.) This is very obviously a risky and overly-optimistic choice, but a thought I had nonetheless. To be clear, this would mean I would comply with the current tax law at that time even if it did not change.
4. Renounce my US citizenship. I would very much like to avoid this, at least until I am older and more certain of what my children plan to do with their lives, but this would eliminate so many headaches from a retirement-planning perspective. Additionally, it seems to me that mathematically it makes a lot more sense to do this sooner while my assets are low than to wait until retirement age and have to pay an insane exit tax.

I guess I would like to know if anyone has been in a similar situation and how they resolved it, or if anyone has any advice? As I said, I am reaching out to financial institutions to try to get advice, but again, I am not a big enough fish to qualify for actual services. This is very frustrating, as it appears to be virtually impossible to plan for retirement while actually following all of the rules properly without taking a massive hit somewhere that I cannot help but feels like a penalty for being an expat (“following the rules” would rule out having a US-brokerage account registered to a family member’s address, for example, as that seems to be technically illegal from what I have read).
I would be happy to hear literally anything, including corrections to some of my assumptions or statements above, along with any advice on either what someone in a similar situation has done or even recommendations on a good place to go to that may actually service me with my relatively low total liquid assets (somewhere around 12,000,000 yen). Sorry for the long post, but I think the specifics of the situation may lead to vastly different advice, so I wanted to include as much as possible.

Hello, I got records and hella deals, let's make some! CONUS shipping only, $6 flat for orders, USPS Media Mail, based in Los Angeles, PayPal G&S only. DEALS ARE VERY NEGOTIABLE! Media/Sleeve grading.
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The Flaming Lips - Fight Test b/w Thank You Jack White M/M
Tuneyards - Gangsta/Bizness M/M
Rampage - 1995 (Red Version) M/M
NICE RECORDS - I'm open to deals and bundles
The Clash - London Calling VG+/VG - $40
The Notorious B.I.G - Ready To Die (VMP Edition) NM/NM - $35
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Catch A Fire (US Version) VG+/VG+ - $20
The Police - Outlandos D' Amour VG+/VG+ - $20
Kraftwerk - It's More Fun To Compute (Russian Bootleg) M/M - $20 Really unique record with TV performances and alt versions. PENDING
$15 DEALS 2 for $25!
DEVO - Butch Devo and the Sundance Gig NM/NM - $15 PENDING
The Residents - Leftovers AGAIN?! NM/NM - $15
The Fleshtones - Roman Gods VG+/VG+ - $15
MIA - Paper Planes (Homeland Security Remixes) VG/VG - $15
My Morning Jacket - Z (VMP Edition) NM/VG++ - $15
The Books - The Lemon Of Pink NM/G+ - $15
Beastie Boys - Aglio E Olio EP M/M - $15
Derek & The Dominoes - Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs VG+/VG+ - $15
$10 RECORDS, 3 for $25!
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual VG+/VG+ - $10
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True (UK Version) VG/G - $10
The Smithereens - Especially For You VG+/VG - $10
Bob Dylan - Saved NM/G+ - $10
Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive (Single Picture Disc) - VG+/VG+ - $10
The Plimsouls - Zero Hour EP NM/NM - $10 PENDING
U2 - War VG/VG - $10
Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA VG/VG - $10
DEVO - Somewhere With Devo M/M - $10 PENDING
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Lou Reed - Rock and Roll Animal VG/G - $10
$5 BARGAINS 1 for 5, 3 for $10, Spend $30 get one free!
World Class Wreckin Cru - Bust It Up 2 + 1
Hugo Montenegro - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly OST
Meatloaf - Stoney & Meatloaf
Afrika Bambataa - Planet Rock 12"
John Lennon - Shaved Fish
John Lennon - Walls and Bridges
The Monkees - Greatest Hits
The Moody Blues - This Is The Moody Blues
Elton John - Madman Across The Water
Lionel Ritchie - Can't Slow Down
Men At Work - Business as Usual
Heart - Dreamboat Annie
Heart - Little Queen
Santana - Caravanserai
Grease OST
Saturday Night Fever OST
Woodstock OST
Thanks for looking, happy hunting!

I'm seeing insane chatGPT type sites like Phind that are able to just print you code with a simple command (i.e. I say "how do i make a 3x3 square of # with python" and it gives me line by line the exact code how to do it 3 different ways).
I'm one month into learning python (halfway through CS50-P and was putting in at least 1-2 hours a day trying to have a hail-mary for my situation where my medical problems have kept me from getting a good job so far. Now i'm legitimately terrified at my job prospects for the future as I'm seeing HUNDREDS of videos and threads pop up all recently with pure doom and gloom on the future of programming that AI will take it over etc..
The only silver lining I see is that if i'm WORKING WITH AI/ML that maybe I'll still have a chance at a high paying job. But is programming really worth it if in 5 years time it's nearly impossible to even get hired anymore and only at a max of $40-50k? Can someone help me understand the best path forward to get into a higher paying salary position with these types of tech that will have some staying power?

Hey guys, I've been thinking about getting into dropshipping for a month or so, during which I have been looking into various AI automation services. Thought I would drop all the ones I have aggregated here, could be useful to beginners and vets alike looking into automation as well.
​

• Oberlo - Dropshipping automation platform designed for eCommerce businesses using Shopify.
• Pencil - Creative AI platform that generates Facebook and TikTok ads.
• Tiipe - AI-powered copywriting tool designed for eCommerce businesses, including dropshippers. It enables users to quickly generate unique product descriptions by using the brand's keywords and product attributes.
• Claid.ai - Generate, enhance and edit product images with AI. Drop in your product and generate custom backgrounds with templates and/or prompts. Add clarity, remove background and create eyecatching photos.
• Murf - Text-to-speech software that offers a wide range of over 130 AI voices in different accents and tonalities.
• Tweetify.it - Allows users to quickly condense long-form content into short posts for Twitter and other social media platforms with a single click.
• Algopix - Product research tool that enables you to analyze the market demand, competition, and profitability of products.
• Chatfuel / Tidio.AI - Chatbot platform that can automate customer support and engagement.
• Wisecut - Online platform that uses AI and voice recognition to simplify and speed up the video editing process.

Would love to hear if there are any big ones I'm missing here. I'm obviously excluding obvious ones like GPT, Midjourney etc. since everyone already knows about those.
​
Edit: removed links I accidentally left in (the names with .)

DC Next presents:

CYBORG

Issue Thirty: End.exe
Written by Deadislandman1
Edited by ClaraEclair and AdamantAce
 
Arc: Catharsis
 
 
“Are you ready, Victor?”
“More ready than I’ve ever been in my life.”
This high up in the sky, there would normally be wind, its howling loud enough to drown out all other sounds. Had there been clouds, they would have impeded his sight, forcing him to weather the condensed water within. The vast blue of the sky would overwhelm his eyes at every turn. But Victor and V were in the Metal, and no such things existed within the Metal. There was no resistance as they glided towards Thinker’s strange, corrupting compound, no wind to fly against. They moved this way purely because this was how some of the highest beings in the Metal’s hierarchy moved, above the other programs and signals on the ground.
The denizens of the Metal had declared him their hero, their champion, and it was his job to remove Thinker’s influence from the realm.
Gradually, the two began to slow down as they descended to one of the shimmering black walls of Thinker’s compound, whose presence was a tumor within the Metal, threatening to upset the fragile balance of a newborn power. This was enough cause to stop Thinker, but Victor had more reasons to confront his co-creator. He was holding his inventor — no, his father — hostage, a petty act of torture for the gall of standing up to one of the smartest supervillains on the planet.
Victor could not let Silas Stone suffer any longer. He would not let this final remaining door within himself to remain ajar, forever taunting him like a tapestry that could not be finished. Today, this horror would end. Today, Victor would find real peace within himself.
Victor touched down, the true size of the spire dawning on him. V landed next to him, walking up to the fortress and placing a hand on the wall, “My protocols will work their ways through Thinker’s firewalls, but once we are inside, we will be on our own.”
“No use waiting around then,” said Victor, “Just know that whatever happens, we stick together. That’s the only way we’ll be able to get out of this.”
V paused for a moment, clearly appreciating Victor’s faith in their partnership. Turning back to the wall, V closed her eyes and, within moments, a hole formed nearby.
“Woah, that was fast,” said Victor.
“Yes I…” V blinked. “There were only a few firewalls. This seems incredibly illogical. One would think one of the smartest men alive would keep a high level of security.”
“Maybe it’s a trap?” Victor peered inside the fortress, “A way to catch us….”
Victor paused, his eye widening at the sight before him, “...off guard.”
Before the two was not some horrifying death maze, nor was it a vast lair of villainy, or a lab made for suffering. Before them… was a neighborhood, the kind with straight roads, white picket fences, freshly cut grass, and vibrantly painted houses. As Victor stepped across the threshold of the walls, he was immediately hit by a wave of nostalgia. This place was so familiar.
“This… I grew up here!” said Victor, “Or… the real Victor did.”
V stepped through behind Vic and, like clockwork, the wall sealed up behind her. “I do not understand. What is the purpose of manufacturing such a recreation?”
“I don’t… I just…” Victor clenched his fists. How dare he do this. He wasn’t the real Victor Stone, yet there was such anger in the fact that Thinker was defiling the memories of the Stone family. Victor Stone grew up happy here, and this place was nothing but some sham… some charade meant to taunt whoever was inside.
His father.
Like a runaway train, Victor erupted into a sprint down the street, V following after him. She tried to ask him where he was going, but Victor knew she would understand once they arrived. He remembered the place well; his namesake had lived there, after all.
Halfway down the road, they arrived at the Stone family home, which had been reconstructed perfectly. Racing across the front yard that he had played catch in since childhood, Victor kicked down the door, running inside through familiar halls. “Dad? Dad?!”
“Victor!” V barreled in after him. “Perhaps this is a rash action.”
“This place… He had to make it to screw with my dad. He had to!” Victor shouted. “Dad?! Dad, where are you?”
“Who the hell is screaming? What is--?”
Victor whirled around, a voice that felt both familiar and foreign entering his ears. Balling up his fists, he expected a fight, only for his heart to drop.
It was Victor Stone. No cybernetic enhancements, no powers, justVictor Stone, sitting in a chair across the hall, in the dining room, with a laptop in front of him. He stood up in shock, slamming the laptop shut as he stared at Victor in horror, “What the fuck?!”
“Wha– Why–” Cyborg stared in amazement at his eerily accurate counterpart. He didn’t understand what was going on.
“Victor? I heard screaming! Is everything alright?”
An older man stepped into the hall, clearly distressed by all the shouting, and as Cyborg turned to face him, he immediately felt every muscle in his body loosen.
Silas Stone stood before him, as old as Victor had expected him to be. What he didn’t expect was to find the man to be full of vigor, of life. He seemed almost… energized, like he’d lived the last few years in absolute happiness.
Then Silas spoke, and it was then that Cyborg felt his soul truly sink into the abyss, “Who in God’s name are you?! What are you doing in my house?!”
“You…” Cyborg looked to V, “Is he..?.”
V stepped in front of Cyborg, taking a rudimentary scan of both Silas and the other Victor, “He is indeed Silas Stone, he does not have the same signature as the other denizens of the Metal. This Victor however… does.”
“So he’s a fake?” said Cyborg.
“What the fuck are you talking about?!” said Victor, “Who are you?”
“Please, leave my house!” said Silas, “This is private property!”
“You… you don’t understand,” said Cyborg, who turned to AI Victor, “And… I’m sorry. You’re not a… I shouldn’t call you a fake.”
“What do you mean?! What’s going on?!” asked AI Victor.
“Get out!” shouted Silas, “Get out right now or I’m calling the police.”
Cyborg didn’t know why Silas couldn’t remember him, remember anything, but looking between him and the other Victor, a haunting theory moved to the forefront of his mind; this place was an elaborate illusion, a way to keep Silas placated, and if Victor wanted to save him, he would need to wake his father from the dream. The T-Beacons Elinore had repurposed would need to charge, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to keep Silas restrained for that. Besides… it would be easier if Silas knew what was really happening before he left… and he would get a chance to speak to his father in earnest.
Cyborg moved forward, placing his hands on Silas’s shoulders, “Silas, I know this seems crazy, but I need you to hear me out.”
“Stop! Let go of me!” said Silas.
“Please, Dad, just…hear me out!” said Cyborg.
Silas froze…one word completely taking him off balance, “Did… did you just call me Dad?”
Cyborg swallowed, “Yeah… and it’s a long story… but you need to hear it. I promise.”
Silas shook his head. “I don’t… I don’t understand. What are you?”
Cyborg grimaced, “I’m… your creation.”
“But… I don’t remember creating you…” said Silas, “Why would I need to make you.”
“Because…” Cyborg glanced back at AI Victor, who was clearly completely confused by the situation. “Because the real Victor Stone died. He died during a disaster in Coast City and… I was the replacement.”
Silas grew white as a sheet, “What? What do you…? No… no, my son isn’t dead. He’s right here!”
Silas looked to the AI Victor, and Cyborg shook his head, “He’s just code… and in a way, so am I. I’m sorry but… the real Victor Stone is gone, has been for years.”
“No, it’s not true.” Silas glared at Cyborg, “Why should I believe you?! How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Just… look at me,” said Cyborg. “Look at me, Dad.”
Slowly, Silas felt his breath steady, his eyes locked onto Cyborg. He scanned the metal man in front of him, from the soles of his steel feet to the fusion of flesh and armor on his head. He reached out in trepidation, running his fingers up and down the armor, then running them over Cyborg’s face. The AI Victor watched in confusion, still utterly lost at what was going on.
Cyborg flinched at the touch of his father’s hand, it felt so… alien knowing the context of his own creation, and yet where he was falling into unfamiliar territory, Silas was being brought back into his own past, to memories he had lost.
Then, in a blink, something changed in Silas. He stumbled back, eyes wide, and Cyborg knew that he had awakened what was buried. Silas shuddered, falling to his knees, “No! No I… I did lose him… I did lose my boy…”
“Dad?” AI Victor trudged towards Silas, “Dad, I’m right here, I–”
“No! My boy has been gone for years,” said Silas, looking at both Cyborg and AI Victor. “And try as I might, I know that, in the end, neither of you are really him… really a replacement.”
Cyborg looked between his father and the AI replication of himself, feeling immense pity for both. The AI looked so confused, like a newborn who’d just gotten lost at the supermarket. Cyborg nodded to V, who quickly ushered the AI into another room to explain what was going on. Then, he turned back to Silas and took a knee, “Are you… God, there’s no point in asking the question. Do you remember what happened, after Thinker…”
Silas sniffled, attempting to piece himself back together, “H-He locked me in this place, but it was so… different. There was an army being built, preparations for war. He… interfaced with me, forced himself into the deepest crevices of my own mind! My god, Victor… he knows everything about me, about you! He knows every detail about every single thing I’ve ever built.”
Cyborg grimaced. If he knew every detail, then that meant that he knew what every single one of Cyborg’s tricks were. There would be no surprises, “God, I… I should’ve woken earlier, come here earlier. I’m so sorry.” said Cyborg.
“No, no… don’t blame yourself for any of this, it wasn’t your fault,” said Silas. “What happened here is Thinker’s fault, and his alone.”
Silas began to calm down, his rate of breath slowing down as he stood up. “But… it does confuse me that he would place me in this… illusion.”
“More torture?” asked Cyborg.
“No, I felt… at peace here,” said Silas. “Thinker was always so mechanical, so hyper focused on producing the results he wanted. Building me a… dream land? It just… doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well… whatever his reasons, it doesn’t matter. I’m getting you out of here, then I’m stopping him once and for all,” said Cyborg.
“What?!” Silas whirled around to face Cyborg. “You can’t! In this place, he’s more powerful than he was in the real world.”
“And I’ve been a superhero for three years,” said Cyborg. “I know my way around threats, and whatever his plans are now, that doesn’t change that he has to face justice for what he did to both of us.”
Pulling out one of the T-Beacons, he placed it in Silas’s hands. “Press the ‘T,’ and after five minutes, you’ll be able to head back to reality. Since you came here from the real world, you’ll rematerialize in your own body.”
“But what about you?” asked Silas. “I can’t just leave you alone to–”
“Dad!” Cyborg placed a hand on his father’s shoulders, “Listen to me… over the last three years, I’ve done so much. I’ve made friends, I’ve made enemies, I’ve made a hell of a life out there. Hell, I even made it into the Justice Legion!”
“The Justice… Legion?” asked Silas.
“Yeah, its… it’s like the new Justice League, but nevermind that,” said Cyborg. “The point is, a lot has happened, a lot has changed, but Thinker… he’s the ghost that’s been haunting me. I came here because I needed to finish things, and to save you.”
Silas frowned. “I still don’t–”
“I know you feel guilty about… my creation,” said Cyborg. “And yeah, you threw me into one hell of a world, but trust me when I say that I’ve made my mark… and I wanna keep making my mark with you beside me.”
Silas turned away. “You… want me to be with you… in your life… after everything?”
“Yeah… I do,” said Cyborg. “Because despite everything, I’m a living thing because of you… and the real Victor Stone loved you a lot. I’ve got his memories, his feelings… and trust me when I say that what he would’ve wanted, is what I want.”
Silas stared at Cyborg, at a loss for words. Looking down at the T-Beacon and then back at his own creation, he sighed, “You… you’ll come back to me… right?”
“I’ll always come back to you, Dad,” said Cyborg. “Always.”
Sniffling, Silas tackled his son with an embrace, and Cyborg returned it with a bear hug of his own. For a singular moment, the two stood in silence, tears streaming from both of their eyes. After four long years, they were finally seeing each other, meeting for the first time, yet with memories that spanned decades of connection. Letting go of Cyborg, Silas wiped his eyes, “I… I need to sit down.”
“Take your time,” said Cyborg. “V can keep you safe until we go.”
“V?”
“My…” Cyborg paused, then tapped his head. “My friend in my head.”
“Ah,” Silas nodded, then turned away, but couldn’t help but chuckle. “Heh… he named her. Typical Victor.”
Silas walked down the hall, and as Cyborg followed, V emerged from the dining room, “I have explained the situation. He is… depressed.”
“Yeah… I guess I should’ve expected that. I know what he’s going through,” said Cyborg.
“Shall we go?” asked V. “Thinker must be somewhere within this place.”
Cyborg took a peek into the dining room, noting AI Victor’s downtrodden expression. He sat in front of his laptop, the mundanity of what was likely some kind of school assignment washed away by the revelation that he was not a human being. Cyborg turned back to V, “Can you watch my dad for a sec. I wanna talk to… the other me.”
“I understand,” said V, nodding. “Silas and I have things to speak about in any case.”
Managing a smile, Cyborg then walked into the dining room, pulling out a seat next to the AI, “So… now you know.”
“That I’m fake?”
“That you weren’t born the same way another person was born,” said Cyborg. “That doesn’t make you fake.”
“I was made to… placate someone,” said the AI, “I’m some fucking sham. I’m just part of a circus act.”
“Yeah… I get where you’re coming from. I’ve been there, trust me,” said Cyborg, “Only difference was, I was made to host someone else. I was never meant to have a personality, a real mind.”
The AI shook his head, a brokenness overtaking him, “How… How are you supposed to go on? You know what you were made for, you know what was meant to happen. How do you… deal with that? How are you supposed to even think about anything else?”
“Truth is,” Cyborg took a deep breath. “When I learned how I came to be, I moped, I sat around and did nothing, because I couldn’t think about anything else. What saved me was… the friends I had made in the years before I learned what my original purpose was. I had connections with them, a life with them. They saved me.”
“Huh,” the AI let out a bleak chuckle. “That’s good for you, but I don’t have any of those here. After what your friend told me I… I tried to remember specifics of a life outside this house, friends, hobbies, and I just… I couldn’t remember anything. I’m nothing outside of this house, outside of what I was made to do.”
“Maybe that’s how you were envisioned, but that’s not all you are,” said Cyborg. “Or all you have to be. You can choose to be more, choose to have a life outside your built purpose.”
The AI got out of his seat, “But I don’t have one! Don’t you understand?! I don’t have friends to fall back on, people who really love me.”
“But you can! You can choose to start that life, choose to walk the same path I did,” said Cyborg. “All you’ve gotta do… is come with me. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Cyborg held out his hand, earnestly waiting on the AI. The AI stared at the hand, and it was clear that despite the arguments, he was still unsure. This was all so new, so daunting, yet what the hand represented was nothing short of a miracle. He would have a guide in the real world.
Reaching out, the AI took Cyborg’s hand, “So… how do I come back to the real world with you?”
“We have these beacons, but since we’re not inherently organic consciousnesses, the beacons won’t reconstruct a body like it would for our father. I’ve got my own body that V and I share, so we’ll probably all end up in it together. From there, I can see if we can make you a body.”
“Sounds a little crowded,” joked the AI.
“Yeah… but it’ll be temporary,” said Cyborg. “And then there’s the matter of names. We can’t both be Victor.” Cyborg scratched his chin. “I don’t have a permanent solution, but for now… why don’t we use shorthand. You’re Vic and I’m Cy.”
“Cy?”
“Short for Cyborg,” he said, gleaming. “It’s… a moniker… and a hero name.”
“Jeez, are you famous or something out there?” asked Vic.
“A little,” said Cyborg. “But that’s a story for later. I need you to stick with Dad while V and I go after Thinker. I can’t close the door on this whole thing until I find him.”
“Then you will not have to look far.”
Cyborg whirled around when he heard the digitized voice, only for both him and Vic to be ensnared in a web of electrical vines that sprouted from the floor, locking them both down. Before them stood the Thinker, a man whose body was composed almost entirely of binary code, 1s and 0s blended together into a strange, green body. Despite the humanoid shape of his figure, he had no features on his face, only the numbers, “I can hazard a guess as to why you are here, creation of mine, but why must you disrupt Silas Stone’s paradise? Surely, you could’ve at least guessed that I would be a master of my own domain, appearing wherever I wish.”
“It’s not paradise,” growled Cyborg. “It’s a fucking prison.”
“To you, it may seem that way,” said Thinker. “But understand that I was simply attempting to ease the pain I had inflicted on him.”
“You’re lying!”
“You are free to think that, and why would I expect anything different from you. I created you out of a selfish desire for power,” Thinker stared down at Cyborg, and the hero could feel the villain’s sheer pity. “But that is no longer my goal. I have learned, and now I wish to help people…help the world.”
Thinker then knelt down, reaching out for Cyborg, “I will erase the pain, erase--”
A blast of energy hit Thinker from behind, sending him barreling across the dining room table. V rushed in, crossing the distance before hitting Thinker with a second, physical kick, keeping him down. The electrical vines withered, allowing the two Victor Stones to break free. Vic ran for the hallway, while Cyborg began to form his arm into a blaster, “Keep him down, V!”
“I am doing my--”
A green shockwave interrupted V, throwing Cyborg onto his back as Thinker surged to his feet. As V landed in front of the villain, Thinker waved his hand, and a green beam the width of a soda can fired from his head, burning a hole through V’s chest. V let out a singular gasp before she herself dissolved into Binary code, like sand spilling out of an hourglass. Cyborg let out a blood curdling scream, “V!”
“Worry not, she is not deceased,” said Thinker. “She is simply-”
Cyborg surged forward, his fist crashing against Thinker’s form. The villain went flying, immediately crashing through the house’s wall before tumbling through the air. He hit the ground a few times, colliding with a mailbox all the while before landing in the middle of the street. Stepping back, Cyborg heard footsteps and Silas and the other Vic reappeared.
“What’s going on?!” asked Silas.
“Thinker’s here,” said Cyborg. “Is the beacon powered?”
“Yes, but--”
“Press it, now! I’ll see you on the other side.”
“I don’t want to leave you!” said Silas.
“You’ve been here long enough,” said Cyborg, looking back to where V just was. “And I can’t lose another person I care about!”
For a moment, Silas was hesitant, prepared to refuse his son’s wishes, when the beacon in his hands beeped. He looked down, finding that Vic had pressed the button for him. He looked up at Vic, “You-”
“See you on the other side, pops.”
And then, Silas disappeared in a beam of light, and it was just the two Victor Stones left. Cyborg glanced back towards Thinker, “Vic, hide wherever you can until this is done.”
“No, if you’re fighting him, then so am I.”
“He’ll…” Cyborg paused, trying desperately to avoid feeling the grief of losing his friend. “He’ll do to you what he did to V.”
“Not if I play it smart. You can’t always bulldoze your way to the touchdown,” said Vic. “You’ve gotta play it smart.”
Cyborg sighed, “Then let’s do it.”
Vic nodded, running further into the house to prepare as Cyborg stepped through the hole in the wall, marching towards Thinker. The villain had finally managed to get back on his feet, “Why do you refuse to listen?! My plans are for the good of the--”
“Plans plans plans, I don’t give a fuck about any of your plans,” growled Cyborg. “I don’t care about your plans in the past, your plans in the future, or your plans in the present. None of it matters, except that you’ve hurt people, and you refuse to take accountability for any of it. You hurt so many people for so many years, and I’m going to make sure that never happens again.”
Thinker sighed, “Then words are of no more use to me, if you are this stubborn, then I will have to save you the only way you have left me.”
Thinker rose into the sky, but Cyborg immediately raised his arm, morphing it into a blaster and knocking him out of the sky with a radiant beam of white energy. The concrete cracked as Thinker hit the street, allowing Cyborg to advance with his fists. Leaping into the air, he attempted to dropkick the villain, only for Thinker to roll out of the way of the attack. Raising his hand, Thinker summoned more electrical vines, but Cyborg dove out of the way, avoiding a second ensnarement. Rolling across some grass, Cyborg raised his arm to fire another blast at Thinker, only for the villain to disappear right before his eyes. A hand grabbed the back of his neck, squeezing tight before lifting him off the ground. Thinker’s voice whispered in his ear, “You cannot defeat me. I have existed in this place for years, and I have understood its own rules.”
“Then how come every time I’ve hit you, you’ve felt it,” said Cyborg. “You react to me, because like it or not, your handprints are all over me.”
Thinker let out a growl before raising his other hand, ready to send Cyborg to V, only for a splash of water to hit him in the back. He whirled around, spotting Vic with a garden hose. He was grinning, just as determined to rebel as his counterpart. Thinker leveled his hand at Vic, only for Cyborg to twist himself out of the villain’s grip, grabbing his arm and forcing it downward before another, larger beam of energy erupted from Thinker’s hand. The ground exploded, fracturing as if it was being hit by an earthquake, and as Thinker and Cyborg stumbled away from each other, the fractures became larger, and the spaces underneath the idyllic town were revealed.
Thousands of deactivated GRID robots and assembly equipment laid in the dark recesses of the underground, trashed and broken like discarded toys. Cyborg glanced up at Thinker, who was shrugging off the damage he had taken from the explosion. His binary code was beginning to splinter, numbers dripping from his body like water spilling over the top of a glass, “Ah…I see. Our code is…similar. We are of parallel wavelengths, owing to my code being imbued into your avatar.”
“Surprised it took you that long to figure it out,” said Cyborg.
Thinker hung his head, “No matter, I will still prevail. I know every weakness you have, every opening.”
“Let’s see if you last long enough to use them then.”.
Cyborg’s body shifted, glowing with pure white light as he powered himself up, preparing for a blow that he knew had enough power to finish Thinker off. Thinker meanwhile, clenched his fists, causing the numbers across his body to scroll faster and faster until they were a blur of characters. Then, the two charged one another, letting out war cries before leaping into the air, their fists raised.
He had waited all his life for this, to attain justice for himself, and for everyone else, and he wouldn’t let Thinker escape, not after all he had done to get to this moment. He thought of his friends, Michael, Exxy, and Cindy. His mother, Elinore, and his father, Silas. Finally, his mind went to Vic, a new being that needed to be made free. He fought for them all, and he would not lose.
His fist met Thinker’s, and with a catastrophic BOOM, the entire Metal was engulfed in white light.
 
 
Silas gasped for air as he sat up abruptly, vertigo invading his head. It was so bright, he could barely see. As he rubbed his eyes, he could hear the sound of footsteps as someone ran to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Silas! Silas are you alright?!”
Silas groaned, his vision finally clearing. He was in some kind of bunker, adorned with all manner of technology. Scanning the room, he spotted a couple of younger people, one was a man in an afro and glasses, while the other was a younger teenage girl with a satchel. The two were at the side of Cyborg’s body, but their attention was clearly stuck on Silas.
Then he looked to the person at his side, and his world, which had already been turned upside down that day, flipped one more time. It was his wife! She was… alive?
“E-Elinore?” Silas adjusted his glasses. “Is… is that--?”
“I am… Though I’m not your Elinore,” She grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to his feet. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I… No!” Silas’ eyes widened. “Our son, he-he went to fight Thinker! I left him! I--”
“Relax Dad, I… I made it out.”
The entire room turned to Cyborg, who had abruptly risen from his chair. He was sweating, the battle clearly taking a toll on him. Exxy and Cindy immediately tackled him with a hug.
“Aw man, you had us so worried!” said Cindy.
“Had you worried maybe, I knew he’d pull through fine!” said Exxy.
Silas felt a small giggle leave his body, “Goodness… how… how did you beat him?”
“Our coding was similar enough that I could harm him in ways the other AI couldn’t, I weakened him before trapping him in a firewall modeled after his own fortress. He won’t hurt anyone ever again,” said Cyborg. “I… I couldn’t save the other Victor AI… and V… she’s gone too.”
“Ah damn,” said Exxy. “I liked V. She was really mean to me most of the time, but dammit I liked her anyway.”
Cindy placed a hand on Cyborg’s shoulder, “We’ll be sure to remember her… always.”
Cyborg nodded, looking to the rest of the team, “So… what… what do we do now?”
“I…” Silas swallowed, “I want to start rebuilding my life… rebuilding who I was before…”
“You’ll have all the help we can spare, Dad,” said Cyborg, “I promise.”
“Yes,” said Elinore. “While I’m still here, I’ll do what I can to get you up to speed on past events.”
“I… thank you,” said Silas. “Though to tell you all the truth… my preferred start to my new life would be… to have some food.”
“Food?” said Cindy.
“Shit man, yeah you’re right. Guy hasn’t eaten in like three years,” said Exxy. “But don’t worry, I’ve got you. I know an amazing Thai place.”
Slowly but surely, the team began to make plans for the dinner, to welcome Silas back into the world again. However, as they began to pour out, Cyborg placed a hand on the machine that had taken him into the Metal, “You guys go ahead. I just… I need to be alone for a sec.”
“Hey, no prob!” said Exxy. “We’ll catch you later!”
The team poured out the door, with Silas taking one last cursory look back at his son before smiling and giving him a thumbs up. Cyborg waved goodbye to his friends and family, keeping his smile until they all left. Then, with a somber face, he turned back to the machine, sighing.
“You almost got me, I will admit… but the creation does not often best the creator,” Thinker grimaced. “For what it’s worth, I am proud to have called you my creation, you lived up to a higher potential than you could ever know, but your plan still had a flaw.”
Thinker looked at Cyborg’s hands, which now belonged to him, “I could take your beacon, inhabit the body built for me. All I had to do was prod your weaknesses and disable you before I did it. It was naive to think one powerful strike could destroy me. Brave… but naive.”
Thinker looked back to the machine, “But worry not, I have put you at peace, like your father was… and now I am free to extend that peace to the rest of the world.”
Thinker turned away from the machine, walking towards the exit to the bunker, “My plan is now in effect. It’s time to save the world.”
 
 
To be continued later in 2023!!!

Hello, so for years, basically since 2016 when I started reading with Rebirth, I have had this note that I updated periodically with DC characters, some alone, some grouped by family, so by team, overall by really confusing personnal criteria that only makes sense to my neuro divergent brian and that it tires me to explain. Lately I am making some changes to my life for the well being of my mental health and that includes getting rides of the many notes I have like this one to appease my OCD. Many I will delete and others like this one I will archive in a folder in the bottom of my drive to be forgotten about. But before that I wanted to share it one last time. Back in the day I would hang a lot on the discussion forum of the DC Wikia and sometime share this notes, so I want to do it one last time. But idk if the Wikia forum exist anymore, I will check it out later, so meanwhile I will just share it here on Reddit, where I hang out more often now on day, for if someone want to put it to some kind of use. Good luck figuring out how it's sorted out.
Batman (Bruce, Jace) Catwoman (Selina, Eiko) Poison Ivy Harley Quinn Nightwing Flamebird Oracle/Batgirl Red Hood Huntress Robin (Tim, Damian) Batgirl (Steph, Cass, Tiff) Azrael (Jean Paul, Micheal) Batwoman (Kate) Batwing Talon Bluebird Signal Ace The Bat Hound Superman (Clark, Jon, Kong) Supergirl Superboy Super Twins Steel (John Henry, Natasha) Power Girl (Karen, Tanya) Bizarro (Bizarro #1, clone) Krypto Streaky Wonder Woman (Diana) Wonder Girl (Cassie, Yara) Donna Troy Nubia Artemis Flash (Jay, Barry, Wally, Avery) Max Mercury Jesse Quick Impulse XS Thunderheart Surge Kid Flash Lantern Corps Green Lantern (Alan) Obsidian Jade Aquaman (Arthur, Jackson) Mera Tula Tempest Dolphin Martian Manhunter Miss Martian Black Canary Red Canary Green Arrow (Oliver, Connor) Arsenal Arrowette Speedy Red Arrow Shazam! family Black Adam Plastic Man Offspring Atom (Ray, Ryan) Microverse Atom Smasher Damage Hawkman Hawkwoman Hawkgirl Feitherans Thanagar Firestorm Firehawk Killer Frost (Caitlin) Zatanna Zatara Black Lightning Thunder and Lightning Grace Choi Deathstroke Jericho Ravager Respawn Lobo Crush Blue Beetle (Ted, Jaime) Booster Gold Time Masters Peacemaker Peacewrecker Mister Miracle (Scott, Shilo) Big Barda Swamp Thing (Alec, Levi, Tefé) Black Queen Animal Man Animal Girl Golden Guardian (Jim, Micheal) Manhattan Guardian Geo Force Terra Doctor Thirteen Girl Thirteen
Cyborg Metamorpho Blue Devil Wildcat (Ted, Yolanda) Question (Vic, Renee)
Alanna Strange (Adam currently dead) Ambush Bug Amethyst Angel and the Ape Atlee Atomic Knight Aztek Baron Winters Beast Boy Black Alice Black Orchid Books of Magic Brimstone Bronze Tiger Bulleteer Bumblebee Cameron Chase Captain Atom (currently missing) Cave Carson Citizen Steel Congo Bill Creeper Crimson Avenger Cyclone Dead Boy Detectives Deadman Detective Chimp Diablo Director Bones Doctor Fate Doctor Light Doctor Mid-Nite (Beth) Doctor Mist Doctor Occult Dreamer Elongated Man Enchantress Etrigan The Demon Extraño Fire and Ice Flatline Gangbuster General Glory Halo Haunted Tank Hawk and Dove Hellblazer Herald Hourman I, Vampire Jakeem Thunder Jinny Hex Katana Klarion the Witch Boy Lady Shiva Lightray (Lia) Loose Cannon Lucifer Morningstar Madame Xanadu Magog Manhunter Midnighter and Apollo Mister E Mister Terrific Monkey Prince Nightshade O.M.A.C. (Kevin, Mac) Omen Onyx Phantom Stranger Ragman Raven Red Tornado Resurrection Man Rick Flag Rose and Thorn Sandman Sarge Steel Shade Shade, The Changing Woman Shado Shining Knight (Justin, Ystin) Sideways Silencer Silverblade Snapper Carr Spectre Starfire Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E.S. Sugar and Spice Tasmanian Devil Unknown Soldier Vigilante (Greg) Vixen Warlord Wild Dog Wonder Twins
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Authority Batman Inc. Checkmate D.E.O. Justice League Justice Society of America Outsiders Seven Soldiers of Victory (Frankenstein's, HALO's) Task Force X Titans Young Justice
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Uncle Sam Ray Black Condor Phantom Lady Human Bomb, Cherry Bomb Doll Man, Doll Boy and Girl Red Bee, Ladybug Jester
Crimson Avenger, Wing Amazing Man Citizen Steel Mister America Manhunter Judomaster, Tiger King Chimera Anna Fortune Ri Plastic Man Red Torpedo General Glory Eternity Blackhawks Bulleteer Big Thunder Vigilante Captain Triumph Robotman Ibis the Invincible, Ibis the Invincible Zatanna, Zatara Sargon, Sargon Doctor Occult Air Wave Spy Smasher Mister Scarlet Blackwing Minuteman Operative I, Spyder Tarantula Old Justice One Star Squadron Infinity Inc; Infinity Corporation Fruit Bat

Bed Bath & Beyond Creditors Say They Have Ch. 11 Loan Deal

Has paywall or I would have linked
By Rick Archer · Listen to article
Law360 (May 31, 2023, 6:41 PM EDT) -- The unsecured creditors of Bed Bath & Beyond told a New Jersey bankruptcy judge on Wednesday that they have reached a preliminary agreement with the providers of the retail chain's $240 million Chapter 11 financing package.
At a hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Vincent F. Papalia, counsel for the unsecured creditors' committee said the committee had reached a "case settlement in principle" with the holders of Bed Bath & Beyond's $547 million term loan facility and providers of its debtor-in-possession facility that will "unite the whole capital structure" in the Chapter 11.
Committee counsel did not specify any details of the settlement at the hearing.
Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 protection on April 23 with just over $5.2 billion in debt after years of declining sales and store closures, blaming a loss of ground to online retailers, failed business strategies, an ill-timed stock buyback and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company has said it is seeking a buyer for some or all of its remaining 360 Bed Bath & Beyond and 120 Buy Buy Baby stores, with counsel for the company saying Wednesday that it is "actively engaged with a number of interested parties" and that the deadline for submitting a stalking horse bid is Thursday.
The company had been scheduled to request final approval of its debtor-in-possession financing Wednesday, but it adjourned the hearing until June 6.
Committee counsel Bradford Sandler said the committee "saw a lot of issues" with the DIP — which would consist of $40 million in new money and a $200 million partial rollup of the prepetition term loan facility and set a 45-day deadline for court approval of any asset sales — but that it has engaged in "substantial discussions" with the lenders and will have a settlement to file soon.
Bed Bath & Beyond is represented by Joshua A. Sussberg, Emily E. Geier and Derek I. Hunter of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and Michael D. Sirota, Warren A. Usatine and Felice R. Yudkin of Cole Schotz PC.
The committee is represented by Robert J. Feinstein, Bradford J. Sandler, Paul J. Labov and Colin R. Robinson of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP.
The case is In re: Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. et al., case number 2:23-bk-13359, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.

Happy Thursday, Barkada --

The PSE lost 33 points to 6477 ▼0.5%

Thanks to Jing and aili for the meme love, to Angler for the double high-fives on my first scoop (the REDC anchor buyer), and to kalelManila.eth and verbosity for the context on the AGI/Genting thing! Thanks all!
Shout-outs to Ivane Mccoy, HempleyjonesMFC70, Stephen Chiong, stphn, BN, Jonathan Burac, Jaia, RPh*, PILIPINO AKO, Jay Agonoy, urayon, Robby Decena, mArQo, Justn, Palaboy Trader, CHARToons, Chip Sillesa, mein, Dividend Pinoy PGG, Vie, John (https://vmst.io/@johny), koninja, LanAustria, arkitrader, Rey Jr. Reyes, cristinaorlina, Evolves Capital, Inc., KingArk, Lance Nazal, and Jing for the retweets, and to Edward Dulfo, Marvin Quezon, Evolves.co, Padilla GJ, Jayvee Menil, and Mike Ting for the Facebook shares.

▌In today's MB:

• Century Properties buys out partner
• Vulcan Industrial paves way for backdoor listing
• Universal Robina snipes sugar mill asset buy
• BSP predicts lower inflation due to base effects
• Petron pump loses steam

▌Daily meme Subscribe (it's free) Today's email

▌Main stories covered:

• [NEWS] Century Properties buys out Japanese partner from PHirst... Century Properties Group [CPG 0.37 ▲1.4%; 1668% avgVol] [link] disclosed that its board of directors approved the buyout of the 40% stake in PHirst Park Homes (PPHI) held by its Japanese partner and co-founder of the PPHI joint venture, Mitsubishi Corporation. While CPG will buy all 1.06 billion of Mitsubishi’s common shares (₱1.00/share par value) and 265,000 preferred shares (₱1000.00/share par value) in PPHI, it did not provide the negotiated per-share price or total deal value at the time of disclosure. CPG is trying to “consolidate interests in the business segment where the market is robust.” For its part, Mitsubishi said that the joint venture had already “substantially achieved” in five years what it had originally thought would take 10 years, and that it had “already achieved its optimal goal for this particular investment.”
  
  • MB: While those statements aren’t mutually exclusive, they don’t seem to give the same impression of the potential future performance of the PPHI concept. I haven’t known many Japanese strategic investors to cut and run when things have been going well. Come to think of it, I haven’t known many Japanese strategics that have cut and run even if things were going terribly. Maybe the line about achieving in 5 what they thought would take 10 was just a great bit of PR. Maybe Mitsubishi is just trying to put lipstick on its need to quickly reallocate capital in the region. It’s hard to say. But we’ve got one side saying that PPHI is the segment of the future and going all-in, and the other side saying that PPHI has already done what it needed to do and pulling money off the table.
• [NEWS] Vulcan Industrial prepares for backdoor listing... Vulcan Industrial and Mining [VUL 1.21 ▲6.1%; 1356% avgVol] [link] submitted disclosed that it received SEC approval of amendments to its articles of incorporation designed to facilitate the backdoor listing of East Coast Mineral Resources Company (ECMRC) through the VUL “shell”. This was first discussed back in 2021 when the parties signed a memorandum of understanding. The amendments increased VUL’s authorized capital stock from ₱4 billion to ₱12 billion, increased the size of the VUL board from 11 members to 13, and changed the official name of the corporation to “EAST COAST VULCAN CORPORATION”.
  
  • MB: VUL (the company) hasn’t been operational since 2021. It reported earning ₱17 pesos in revenue in Q1 this year, incurring a net loss of ₱1.6 million, adding to its retained deficit of over ₱1 billion. VUL the stock, though, has been tradeable the whole time. When the rumors of the backdoor listing first came up almost 3 years ago, VUL’s price jumped over 250% in a month to around ₱3.50/share, but quickly shed that pump over the subsequent weeks, months, and years that followed without sign of movement or completion. The stock is now up 20% on the week.
• [NOTES] Quick takes from around the market...
  
  • Universal Robina [URC 140.60 ▼1.8%; 1069% avgVol] [link] confirmed reports that it purchased idle sugar milling assets from a subsidiary of Roxas Holdings [ROX 0.84 ▲13.5%; 1% avgVol], adding that it paid ₱0.9 billion for the machinery and equipment. The assets will be used to expand the capacity of URC’s Balayan sugar mill from 5,000 tons daily to 8,000 tons daily.
    • MB Quick Take: You can get lost in the weeds pretty quickly by attempting a review of the quality of the assets acquired, but from a corporate lawyer’s perspective, there’s nothing quite like a tidy asset purchase. When you buy a company to acquire the assets owned by that company, you’re also buying the bundle of rights and obligations of that company that have nothing to do with the assets. Due diligence is a pain. But when you just buy the assets, that’s all you get. For better or for worse.
  • Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) [link] said that inflation was likely to cool to below 4% by September or October of this year, and could fall below 2% in January 2024. Felipe Medalla, the BSP’s Governor, said that these improvements would be due to base effects.
    • MB Quick Take: When we talk about monthly inflation, we’re talking bout comparing the current month’s CPI reading with the same month from the previous year, and noting the difference. Just like with a corporation’s net income, an unusual quarter (gain or loss) in the past is going to significantly impact this difference. That’s what we talk about when we say “high base” (or high “bar”) or “low base” (or low “bar”). The glass-half-full analysis would say that year-on-year improvements, even if they are from a high base effect, are evidence that at least prices have stabilized to some degree. The glass-half-empty analysis would be that the gains are just mathematic and that the underlying economic factors haven’t significantly changed.
  • Petron [PCOR 3.95 unch; 253% avgVol] [link] stock is down 15% this week after a surge of speculation pushed the price up to ₱4.65/share. PCOR was being hyped online as the next potential tender offer target.
    • MB Quick Take: This kind of pump feels like a foreseeable result in a year that’s been driven largely by insider information and tender offer speculation. Is the surge due to insiders buying up PCOR stock, trading on non-public information of a deal or tender offer, or is the surge just a bunch of goobers trying to work together to make it look like that’s what’s going on? All I know is that it requires a lot more money to pump PCOR than it does to pump Figaro [FCG 0.67 ▼2.9%; 50% avgVol] (but maybe not quite as much as you’d expect).

MB is written and distributed every trading day. The newsletter is 100% free and I never upsell you to some "iNnEr cIrClE" of paid-membership perks. Everyone gets the same! Join the barkada by signing up for the newsletter, or follow me on Twitter. You can also read my daily Morning Halo-halo content on Philstar.com in the Stock Commentary section, and in the Saturday edition of the Daily Manila Shimbun.

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Please use this thread to ask any questions you have about the game. Please search though the comments section as your question may have been answered already or through the search bar.

General Resources

• General Database - Good for seeing Stats of Students, Drop Rate, Raid Stats
• Gameplay Help Overview - Great for New Players
• Min-Turn Stage Guide - Text Version, Japanese Website
• Min-Turn Stage Guide - YouTube Video Version
• PvP Guide -
• Raid Guide - More in-depth description on each Raid's Mechanics
• Raid Character Guide - Recommended Students for each Raid
• Unique Equipment Guide - More detailed stats number for Equipment
• Upcoming Banners
• Student Skill Level Up Priority - More in-depth guide for Student's skill level up
• Midokuni's Student Insights - General Overview of Students
• Global Event
• Gameplay Overview (Legacy Content)
• Upcoming Banners (Legacy Content)

REMINDER: Bind your account!

Please remember to bind your accounts and take note of your UID, member code, server location, and any information related to your account (e.g. amount spent, student roster, etc). If anything happens to your account (e.g. losing access, unauthorized access), you will need to provide as much info as you can to Nexon's customer support email. Guest accounts that are unbound will be extremely difficult to recover, perhaps impossible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[01] When does the server reset?
For global, dailies reset at 19:00 UTC and weeklies reset on Sunday.
[02] Should I re-roll this account?
This will depend on your priorities with PvE, PvP, or both, but you can generally see the “ideal” units as Iori, Hibiki, and Tsubaki for most content, while Shun and Haruna are great for PvP.
[03] Who should I spend my elephs on? Who should I mystic unlock?
At the start, prioritize spending your blank elephs on getting Serina to 2-star for the increased healing stat, Tsubaki to 3-star for the extra tankiness when she is reloading. It is generally advised not to spend your elephs on increasing characters to 4-star and 5-star ratings, since there is only a stat increase and the amount of elephs needed is quite high.
[04] What do my support students’ stats do?
Aside from increasing the stats of their own skills, support students will provide additional stat boosts to your striker team. The specific increase(s) can be viewed by clicking on “Support” on the right side of the team formation screen.
[05] What should I buy in the shop?

• Credit Shop - Buy out the bottom row of materials, then the first two tiers of enhancement stones as needed. Feel free to buy the higher tiers of enhancement stones if you feel that you have an excess of credits, which is very common.
• Eligma - This will depend on you, can reference question [03].
• Total Assault (raid) - Prioritize Maki’s elephs (until you unlock her) and save the rest of your currency for future updates that will add more low-rarity students to the shop, meaning you can unlock mystic for them without spending your eligma. You can also purchase the skill discs/blu-rays depending on your needs.
• Tactical Challenge (PvP) - Buy out the energy drinks as needed (warning: they are instantly consumed, they won’t be moved to your inventory). Many suggest to save these for events in order to buy drinks, refresh the shop, and repeat.

[06] What does the “leader” position do?
This is purely cosmetic, as it changes which student’s chibi shows up on the map.
[07] What benefits are there to joining a club?

• 10 AP are given daily and deposited automatically on teacher's mailbox, upon checking in.
• A maximum of two assistant can be set for Total Assault and Joint Firing Drill respectively.

1. Students assigned to assist with TA cannot also be selected to assist with JFD.
2. 20 credits are rewarded every minute by setting assistants.
3. The specific unit that is borrowed can be only used once a day.
4. There's a fee of 40,000 credits, when borrowing a assistant student.
5. The donor receives 50,000 credits instead; even though the fee is 40,000 credits.
6. The fee can only be received 20 times a day.

• It can be unlocked after clearing Mission 3 Act 4

[08] How does the pity system work?
You need to pull, at a minimum, 200 times in order to get 200 recruitment points that are redeemed for the character you want. The recruitment point system does not carry over from banner to banner, it is only shared between banners that are concurrently running.
[09] Why can’t I find my friend’s club?
While the servers’ updates are separated from JP and global, the global servers are separated further into smaller divisions. You need to be on the same server as your friend, which you can check from the home screen: top-right menu button > account > version info. The server must be the same.
[10] When is X banner coming? Should I save for X student?
We never know for sure, due to the fact that global servers are on an accelerated schedule compared to JP. Please refer to this guide for some more info.
[11] Should I use Pyroxenes to refill my AP?
If you want to prioritize progression, the first three daily refills are decently valuable, this is because the Pyroxene cost of refilling will increase for every three refills. If you are focused on character collection or future banners, you should be saving your Pyroxenes.
[12] Why can’t I buy X student’s eleph in the shop?
You can only buy elephs of students you own.
[13] What should I craft?
At the start, prioritize crafting cafe furniture until your comfort is maxed out, then students’ gifts, then whichever upgrade materials you need. The crafting system is the only way to get furniture and gifts at the moment.
[14] What is the “Anniversary” in account settings?
This is your birthday, used for characters to wish you happy birthday.
[15] When will the beginner guide missions for Nonomi end?
This is a permanent addition, so feel free to take your time with the tasks.
[16] What is the best place to farm EXP?
You can run any map to farm EXP, as the EXP gain is equal to the amount of AP spent (i.e. 10 AP spent = 10 EXP gained). You should be looking at the stages that drop the equipment upgrade materials that you need.
[17] What is the “Secret Tech Sheet” in the Total Assault shop?
This is used to upgrade a student’s (non-EX) skill to level 10.
[18] Is it worth doing a raid if I can’t pass X difficulty level?
It is always more efficient to clear the highest difficulty you can finish instead of failing/forfeiting a higher difficulty.
[19] Can I claim the Limited Students through exchanging Expert Permits? How often does the Expert Permit shop resets?
You cannot get the limited students via this method. You will still need to pull for them. There's no specific mentioned but it's expected to be monthly.

OthePast Megathreads

• Daily Questions
• Weekly Club Recruitment
• Weekly Kivotos Lounge
• Weekly Storytelling Plaza
• Technical Issues

Please have patience with other members of the community and be as polite as possible. Everyone has to start somewhere!