Harris county health care plans for low income
/r/Homeless! A "home" for the homeless.
2009.02.18 07:30 /r/Homeless! A "home" for the homeless.
This group is for advice and to share experiences and stories of homelessness. We are a tight knit community made up of formerly homeless and currently homeless as well as others. NO soft begging will be tolerated here. No cash donations , No freemoney, No begging . Someone can normally answer your questions or concerns quickly and with experience. If you are currently homeless and need help or facing homelessness and have questions you found the right sub and welcome.
2014.09.08 07:43 Kaiser Permanente
The original unofficial subreddit for Kaiser Permanente (KP). KP is one of America's largest not-for-profit health plans, serving over 12 million members across eight regions.
2023.03.12 17:56 Smogh OsceolaCounty
OsceolaCounty - Subreddit for Osceola County, FL
2024.05.15 05:44 aymami7 Why do I want to get this disorder and should I take this seriously enough to talk to my doctor about?
I've been thinking to talk to my doctor about it. Though now I just feel it's really weird and I don't even have the words for it.
Some background:
Female, 28, not pregnant, pretty much in good health apart from a long term ear infection type issue that I'm planning to get checked out. Not taking any medications.
I used to experience Derealization at least about 3 years ago, my life used to be horribly stressful... still is to some extent and I did smoke a little marijuana then. So it's hard to tell whether I got the Derealization from smoking that or my stressful life, maybe both. I never told or got help with it, I just managed to cope just find and at some point I just got used to it. Then overtime I did stress management and just found ways to help it not be so much. After that I've not experienced it for about 3 years, while I was experiencing it for about maybe 2 years like a couple of times a week or month.
Lately however, I've actually been wanting to have it. I might be doing that drug soon and there's a part of me that doesn't care if it causes me that. In fact I seem to want it to.
I'm also worried that the revelation of such a strange thing might mess with the level of health care I receive and just make me look like a crazy person. Or be told "you brought this on yourself" if things do go through and I get more than I bargained for.
I did get marijuana now and while I didn't get it for the purpose of inducing Derealization. In other words not actively at the time of purchase, I seem indifferent if I do get it.
When I bought it I was feeling quite depressed and like I don't really have anything to lose, so might as well try this.
submitted by aymami7 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
Some background:
Female, 28, not pregnant, pretty much in good health apart from a long term ear infection type issue that I'm planning to get checked out. Not taking any medications.
I used to experience Derealization at least about 3 years ago, my life used to be horribly stressful... still is to some extent and I did smoke a little marijuana then. So it's hard to tell whether I got the Derealization from smoking that or my stressful life, maybe both. I never told or got help with it, I just managed to cope just find and at some point I just got used to it. Then overtime I did stress management and just found ways to help it not be so much. After that I've not experienced it for about 3 years, while I was experiencing it for about maybe 2 years like a couple of times a week or month.
Lately however, I've actually been wanting to have it. I might be doing that drug soon and there's a part of me that doesn't care if it causes me that. In fact I seem to want it to.
I'm also worried that the revelation of such a strange thing might mess with the level of health care I receive and just make me look like a crazy person. Or be told "you brought this on yourself" if things do go through and I get more than I bargained for.
I did get marijuana now and while I didn't get it for the purpose of inducing Derealization. In other words not actively at the time of purchase, I seem indifferent if I do get it.
When I bought it I was feeling quite depressed and like I don't really have anything to lose, so might as well try this.
2024.05.15 05:31 joantheslayer89 Employee asked for own going away party
Hi All- (kind of petty question that's bothering me an unreasonable amount)
I'm a long-time lurker here, but this is my first time being driven to a "WTH do I do with this???" post.
I lead a team of 7 at a small public health nonprofit that's in the process of doing some (genuinely) big and cool things: we just bought our own building that we're renovating and moving our staff of 24 into. Opening up a community health center for underserved folks and survivors of a mass shooting, etc. etc. (read: we're very very busy and because we're doing it with a team of 24, the general vibe is "all hands on deck" and "we'll sleep when we're dead.")
I'm a work-'till-you-drop kind of person, and where I deeply believe in the importance of team building and camaraderie, I don't get overly involved with my team and am on the "we're here to do important things and then we go home to our lives" side of relationship building with colleagues. All this to say- I have an employee who has been with the org for 1.5 years, and who has struggled since their 3rd month on the job. They moved into a new, very different position about 6 months into their role that I was hoping would be a good fit, and it wasn't. After lots of coaching and an eventual PIP, they dubiously resigned to go back to school, giving me a 4-month heads up. Considered it a big win, and they've been chugging right along and getting exactly what's been asked of them and nothing more done (an improvement from before), and I've been coasting to their last day with a sense of relief.
This employee LOVES connecting with others. Classic "not getting anything done but talking for hours at the water cooler vibes," and is quick to tell me that they feel left out when they aren't invited to senior leadership meetings (a group that they aren't a part of.) They often dip out on late nights at work when the rest of the team is hosting community events, siting "work life balance" and lack of energy when the rest of the team is pushing through to get services to those who need it.
This morning I was approached by our EA, who let me know this employee approached them to ask about a "going away" party on their behalf. They referenced wanting an event very similar to one we'd recently thrown for a executive leader in the organization, who had been with us and developed an entire department for almost a decade. The lunch we put on for this executive leader was expensive (for a frugal nonprofit) and was an ordeal that old staff came back to attend. We ate and drank and shared our favorite memories of this employee to send him off to his new adventure working for the Governor's office.
Long-story-long: I'm so flabbergasted and offended(?) by this request, that I'm having a hard time responding how I know I should. I would have planned a little happy hour, in the midst of our work's chaos, and had folks sign a card and sent them on their way. But now, I'm so annoyed and put off by their request, I don't want to do anything at all. The EA is also weirded out, and unsure how to respond to the request. She's asked me to circle back with my employee, understandably so, and figure out what my team wants to host.
Our org has no budget for these things. In the few times employees have moved on to other positions, it's usually a "we all chip in" or a low-key happy hour. All I want to do is sit down with this employee and say "Hi. [EA] told me that you approached them about a going away party. We don't ask for parties thrown on our behalf, in the same way we don't ask for gifts. Get over yourself, and good riddence." but- for obvious reasons, I can't do that.
I'll take any- "Get a grip and give this person a party." or "Omg how obnoxious" advice / responses. But mostly curious if anyone has dealt with this before? Am I so biased by my humble midwest upbringing that I can't see this clearly? Help?
submitted by joantheslayer89 to managers [link] [comments]
I'm a long-time lurker here, but this is my first time being driven to a "WTH do I do with this???" post.
I lead a team of 7 at a small public health nonprofit that's in the process of doing some (genuinely) big and cool things: we just bought our own building that we're renovating and moving our staff of 24 into. Opening up a community health center for underserved folks and survivors of a mass shooting, etc. etc. (read: we're very very busy and because we're doing it with a team of 24, the general vibe is "all hands on deck" and "we'll sleep when we're dead.")
I'm a work-'till-you-drop kind of person, and where I deeply believe in the importance of team building and camaraderie, I don't get overly involved with my team and am on the "we're here to do important things and then we go home to our lives" side of relationship building with colleagues. All this to say- I have an employee who has been with the org for 1.5 years, and who has struggled since their 3rd month on the job. They moved into a new, very different position about 6 months into their role that I was hoping would be a good fit, and it wasn't. After lots of coaching and an eventual PIP, they dubiously resigned to go back to school, giving me a 4-month heads up. Considered it a big win, and they've been chugging right along and getting exactly what's been asked of them and nothing more done (an improvement from before), and I've been coasting to their last day with a sense of relief.
This employee LOVES connecting with others. Classic "not getting anything done but talking for hours at the water cooler vibes," and is quick to tell me that they feel left out when they aren't invited to senior leadership meetings (a group that they aren't a part of.) They often dip out on late nights at work when the rest of the team is hosting community events, siting "work life balance" and lack of energy when the rest of the team is pushing through to get services to those who need it.
This morning I was approached by our EA, who let me know this employee approached them to ask about a "going away" party on their behalf. They referenced wanting an event very similar to one we'd recently thrown for a executive leader in the organization, who had been with us and developed an entire department for almost a decade. The lunch we put on for this executive leader was expensive (for a frugal nonprofit) and was an ordeal that old staff came back to attend. We ate and drank and shared our favorite memories of this employee to send him off to his new adventure working for the Governor's office.
Long-story-long: I'm so flabbergasted and offended(?) by this request, that I'm having a hard time responding how I know I should. I would have planned a little happy hour, in the midst of our work's chaos, and had folks sign a card and sent them on their way. But now, I'm so annoyed and put off by their request, I don't want to do anything at all. The EA is also weirded out, and unsure how to respond to the request. She's asked me to circle back with my employee, understandably so, and figure out what my team wants to host.
Our org has no budget for these things. In the few times employees have moved on to other positions, it's usually a "we all chip in" or a low-key happy hour. All I want to do is sit down with this employee and say "Hi. [EA] told me that you approached them about a going away party. We don't ask for parties thrown on our behalf, in the same way we don't ask for gifts. Get over yourself, and good riddence." but- for obvious reasons, I can't do that.
I'll take any- "Get a grip and give this person a party." or "Omg how obnoxious" advice / responses. But mostly curious if anyone has dealt with this before? Am I so biased by my humble midwest upbringing that I can't see this clearly? Help?
2024.05.15 05:30 delibirdguy Top 500 Songs Ever (Subjective)
Over the course of the past few months I have been working on compiling a list of my 500 favorite songs. It was sort of challenge that I gave myself and I'm super pumped with how it turned out. There were a few rules (only 5 songs per artist being the big rule, among a few others), and here's the list I came up with. Thought it was fun, so wanted to share here and see if it might spark any discussion about song placement, lack of songs/artists, or see if anyone had any similar lists. All thoughts are welcome! (and if you don't care to comb through all 500 songs for your favorite song or artist I'm more than happy to help you track 'em down)
submitted by delibirdguy to Music [link] [comments]
- Trash Panda - Aging out of the 20th Century
- Djo - Roddy
- The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down
- Snail Mail - Heat Wave
- Phoebe Bridgers - Savior Complex
- Joji - SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
- The Shins - The Fear
- Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
- The Cranberries - Linger
- Post Animal - Ralphie
- Hop Along - Not Abel
- The Beach Boys - Heroes And Villains
- Electric Light Orchestra - Livin' Thing
- The Monkees - As We Go Along
- Blondie - Heart Of Glass
- The Strokes - Oblivius
- Chet Baker - It's Always You
- The Beatles - Rain
- Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line
- Husbands - Must Be a Cop
- Faces - Ooh La La
- The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??
- Frank Ocean - Nights
- Harry James - It's Been a Long, Long Time
- The Turtles - Happy Together
- Etta James - At Last
- The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside
- The Beatles - Here, There And Everywhere
- The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
- Kanye West - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1
- Briston Maroney - Sinkin'
- John Lennon - Oh My Love
- Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Ladyfingers
- Squirrel Flower - Headlights
- The Backseat Lovers - Maple Syrup
- The B-52's - Rock Lobster
- George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
- Snail Mail - Ben Franklin
- Laura Elliott - Grass Stains
- Djo - Chateau (Feel Alright)
- Tame Impala - Eventually
- The Backseat Lovers - Snowbank Blues
- Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune
- The Weeknd - Save Your Tears
- Talking Heads - Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
- The Zombies - Time of the Season
- The War On Drugs - Nothing to Find
- Queen - Brighton Rock
- The Dream Academy - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
- The B-52's - Strobe Light
- The Cranberries - Dreams
- Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
- Molchat Doma - Тоска
- Tyler, The Creator - ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
- The Mamas & The Papas - Dream A Little Dream Of Me
- The Chords - Sh-Boom
- The Beatles - The Abbey Road Medley
- The Ronettes - Be My Baby
- The Who - Baba O'Riley
- Dr. Dog - Where'd All the Time Go?
- M83 - My Tears Are Becoming A Sea
- Billie Eilish - everything i wanted
- Outkast - Hey Ya!
- Nat King Cole - Orange Colored Sky
- The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
- Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
- Foreign Air - Shut Up and Show Me
- Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne
- dodie - If I'm Being Honest
- Briston Maroney - June
- Post Malone - Sunflower
- John Lennon - Isolation
- Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Not Fade Away
- Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End
- Kanye West - All Falls Down
- Alvvays - Adult Diversion
- John Lennon - Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
- Clairo - Amoeba
- The Beach Boys - I Know There's An Answer
- Paul McCartney - Let Me Roll It
- Frank Ocean - Ivy
- Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Djo - Mutual Future (Repeat)
- Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street
- Childish Gambino - Me and Your Mama
- Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine
- The Pied Pipers - Dream
- The Beach Boys - All I Wanna Do
- Djo - Change
- Второй этаж поражает - Крайности
- Little Richard - Lucille
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Shanghai
- Chet Baker - Deep In A Dream
- The Beatles - It's All Too Much
- Post Animal - Dirtpicker
- The B-52's - Love Shack
- EDEN - foreve/over
- Kanye West - Ultralight Beam
- The Zombies - Going Out Of My Head
- Talking Heads - Found a Job
- Snail Mail - Pristine
- Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
- Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
- WILLIS - I Think I Like When It Rains
- Chet Baker - But Not For Me
- Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me
- Tyler, The Creator - GONE, GONE / THANK YOU
- Djo - Half Life
- Trash Panda - Check Please
- Briston Maroney - Deep Sea Diver
- Beach Fossils - This Year
- Momma - Medicine
- Hop Along - Prior Things
- Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
- Electric Light Orchestra - Turn to Stone
- Briston Maroney - It's Not My Fault
- Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND
- Snail Mail - Headlock
- Phil Collins - Take Me Home
- Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
- The Beach Boys - Do It Again
- Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper
- Ella Fitzgerald - Misty
- Phoebe Bridgers - Waiting Room
- Kanye West - Runaway
- Daft Punk - Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
- Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
- Kendrick Lamar - Alright
- Black Country, New Road - Concorde
- George Harrison - If Not for You
- Harry Styles - Cherry
- Ms. Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
- Paul McCartney - Junk
- Wings - Maybe I'm Amazed [Live]
- Talking Heads - Houses in Motion
- Del Water Gap - Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat
- Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
- Queen - Seven Seas Of Rhye
- Paul McCartney - Jet
- Sufjan Stevens - Death with Dignity
- A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
- Tame Impala - Let It Happen
- Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
- Clairo - Management
- Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We're Alone Now
- Fergie - Clumsy
- Childish Gambino - This Is America
- Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock 'N' Roll
- Joy Again - Looking Out for You
- Beach House - Space Song
- John Lennon - Mind Games
- The Weeknd - Gasoline
- Weezer - Buddy Holly
- Phoebe Bridgers - Sidelines
- Tame Impala - New Person, Same Old Mistakes
- Lana Del Rey - A&W
- The Dillards - I've Just Seen a Face
- The Doors - Break on Through (To the Other Side)
- Julie London - I'm Glad There Is You
- 2Pac - California Love
- Dean Martin - Everybody Loves Somebody
- Snail Mail - Anytime
- The Strokes - The Adults Are Talking
- Jordana, TV Girl - Better in the Dark
- Juice WRLD - Hide (feat. Seezyn)
- The Wild Reeds - Get Better
- Finom - Mine
- Hop Along - One That Suits Me
- The Killers - Mr. Brightside
- Michael Cera - Clay Pigeons
- Clairo - Bags
- Prince - Let's Go Crazy
- The Zombies - She's Not There
- Blackstreet - No Diggity
- Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin
- John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads
- Harry James - I'm Beginning to See The Light
- The Clash - London Calling
- Charles Bradley - Changes
- Buddy Holly - (Ummmm, Oh Yeah) Dearest
- Eagles - Seven Bridges Road [Live]
- Moxie - Honey
- Faces - Stay with Me
- Post Animal - How Do You Feel
- New Order - Age of Consent
- Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
- Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time
- Twin Peaks - Blue Coupe
- Kanye West - Gold Digger
- Fruit Bats - The Bottom of It
- Frank Sinatra - Somethin' Stupid
- Lorde - Perfect Places
- Martha Tilton - Exactly Like You
- King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man
- Glen Campbell - Southern Nights
- Claire Rosinkranz - Frankenstein
- Guillemots - Made-Up Lovesong #43
- Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me
- Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes off You
- The Crickets - Don't Ever Change
- Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder
- George Harrison - Isn't It a Pity
- Trash Panda - Off
- Super Besse - Holod
- Beyoncé - Hold Up
- Charlie Burg - I Don't Wanna Be Okay Without You
- Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling
- Ella Fitzgerald - It's A Lovely Day Today
- PERMSKY KRAY - Дорогой Человек
- The Little Dippers - Forever
- The B-52's - There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)
- Patti Page - Old Cape Cod
- Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
- The Soggy Bottom Boys - I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
- Trash Panda - Things Will Never Change
- Hop Along - Well-dressed
- Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
- TV Girl - Daughter of a Cop
- LAUNDRY DAY - Jane
- Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE
- Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11
- Joji - Gimme Love
- The Backseat Lovers - Pool House
- The Weeknd - Take My Breath
- Mild High Club - Homage
- Doc Watson - Am I Born to Die?
- Daniel Caesar - Streetcar
- The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
- John Lennon - #9 Dream
- Tame Impala - Elephant
- Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell
- Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
- KIDS SEE GHOSTS - 4th Dimension
- Soft Cell - Tainted Love
- The B-52's - Song for a Future Generation
- Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
- Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans
- Billie Eilish - Halley's Comet
- Glenn Miller - In the Mood
- Kid Bloom - Control
- The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home
- Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- Brenda Lee - If You Love Me (Really Love Me)
- TV Girl - Lovers Rock
- Art Lown - Knew You Well
- Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
- Miniature Tigers - Like or Like Like
- Electric Light Orchestra - Sweet Talkin' Woman
- The Hunts - Ages
- The Cars - Good Times Roll
- Bill Withers - Lovely Day
- Drake - God's Plan
- Kansas - Point of Know Return
- The Neighbourhood - Stargazing
- The Clash - Rock the Casbah
- Hop Along - What the Writer Meant
- Briston Maroney - Under My Skin
- Jack Stauber - Buttercup
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ya Love
- Ginger Root - Loretta
- Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
- Frank Ocean - Pyramids
- Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
- Destroy Boys - I Threw Glass at My Friend's Eyes and Now I'm on Probation
- Mild High Club - Dionysian State
- Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
- Kevin Abstract - Empty
- The Frights - Crust Bucket
- Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
- The Shins - Fighting in a Sack
- fun. - We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)
- Lil Uzi Vert - Money Longer
- Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen
- The Doors - Touch Me
- Jean Dawson - Clear Bones
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Catching Smoke
- Molchat Doma - Люди Надоели
- The Go-Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed
- Billie Eilish - ocean eyes
- BOYO - Crown
- The 1975 - Somebody Else
- Husbands - She's a Betty
- Syd Barrett - If It's In You
- Trash Panda - Atlanta Girls
- Frank Ocean - Godspeed
- Alice Phoebe Lou - Glow
- Childish Gambino - Redbone
- New Order - Blue Monday
- Post Animal - Schedule
- Harry Styles - Fine Line
- Harry James - I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
- Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
- Chet Baker - I Fall In Love Too Easily
- The Cranberries - Put Me Down
- John Mayer - Edge of Desire
- George Harrison - All Those Years Ago
- Electric Light Orchestra - The Diary of Horace Wimp
- Alex Clare - Too Close
- Eric B. & Rakim - Know The Ledge
- Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way [Live]
- Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
- Black Eyes - Deformative
- The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
- Bonny Light Horseman - Deep In Love
- The Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
- Cage The Elephant - Cigarette Daydreams
- Hot Flash Heat Wave - Raindrop
- Clairo - Sofia
- Kendrick Lamar - PRIDE.
- Camille Saint-Saëns - The Swan
- Weezer - Say It Ain't So
- C418 - Sweden
- Lana Del Rey - Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty)
- The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
- Pickin' On Series - Those to Come
- Lana Del Rey - Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)
- John Mayer - Moving On and Getting Over
- Field Medic - POWERFUL LOVE
- Cage The Elephant - Flow
- Joji - Run
- The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
- Boston - Peace of Mind
- Ben E. King - This Magic Moment
- David Bowie - Starman
- Beastie Boys - Sabotage
- Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O)
- Gene Krupa & His Orchestra - Rhumboogie
- The Cardigans - Lovefool
- The Kinks - You Really Got Me
- The Zombies - She's Coming Home
- Michael Jackson - Thriller
- Moxie - Blue Skies
- The Mamas & The Papas - Straight Shooter
- Peter, Paul and Mary - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
- Green Day - Brain Stew
- Dua Lipa - Levitating (feat. DaBaby)
- The Police - Roxanne
- Britney Spears - Toxic
- Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels
- Rex Orange County - Pluto Projector
- The Strokes - Call It Fate, Call It Karma
- Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
- The Black Crowes - Twice As Hard
- Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
- fun. - Some Nights
- Wings - Silly Love Songs
- Paramore - Still into You
- Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way [Live]
- The Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville
- Royel Otis - Oysters In My Pocket
- The Backseat Lovers - Growing/Dying
- Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
- Post Animal - Goggles
- Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
- Childish Gambino - IV. Sweatpants
- Steely Dan - Dirty Work
- ABBA - Lay All Your Love On Me
- Still Woozy - Goodie Bag
- Arlo Parks - Black Dog
- Goth Babe - Weekend Friend
- George & the Handsomes - Sleepy Beats
- boygenius - 20
- The Mills Brothers - You Always Hurt The One You Love
- Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
- Pinegrove - Need 2
- The Backseat Lovers - Sinking Ship
- Franz Schubert - Ave Maria
- Zac Brown Band - Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffett)
- Justin Timberlake - Mirrors
- Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
- The Cranberries - Zombie
- Daniel Caesar - Japanese Denim
- Billie Holiday - Easy Living
- ISLAND - By Your Side
- Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows
- Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'
- The Four Freshmen - Day By Day
- Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
- Billy Joel - Big Shot
- Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
- Yot Club - down bad
- Rihanna - Stay
- Fleetwood Mac - Landslide
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 10, Scene. Moderato
- The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl
- Alvvays - Easy On Your Own?
- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
- Blackway - What's Up Danger (with Black Caviar)
- Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
- Matt Maltese - Jupiter
- John Denver - Mother Nature's Son
- Childish Gambino - Sober
- Claire Rosinkranz - Pools and Palm Trees
- The Cars - Just What I Needed
- The Doors - Light My Fire
- Blondie - Tomorrow Never Knows
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Hell's Itch
- The Japanese House - Saw You In A Dream
- Franz Schubert - String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, Op. 29 No. 1, D. 804
- The Drifters - White Christmas
- The 1975 - Robbers
- George Harrison - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
- The Frights - Tongues
- Paramore - Ain't It Fun
- Billy Joel - Pressure
- Frank Sinatra - My Way
- Art Lown - Going Back to Carolina
- Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are
- Under The Rug - Lonesome & Mad
- The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated To The One I Love
- Foster The People - Sit Next to Me
- Weezer - Undone - The Sweater Song
- Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
- Tia Blake - Plastic Jesus
- Los Bravos - Bring a Little Lovin'
- Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
- Minnie Riperton - Les Fleurs
- Billy Idol - Dancing with Myself
- Cody Fry - I Hear a Symphony
- Gringo Sapiens - Driver's Licence
- Vacations - Relax
- Glitter Party - time waits
- Steve Lacy - Bad Habit
- The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
- The Pied Pipers - Mairzy Doats
- Mitski - Bug Like an Angel
- James Ray - I've Got My Mind Set On You
- Clairo - Bubble Gum
- Masayoshi Takanaka - SEXY DANCE
- Nat King Cole - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
- Sleigh Bells - Crown On the Ground
- Olivia Rodrigo - favorite crime
- No Doubt - Just A Girl
- Foreigner - Long, Long Way from Home
- Heart - Crazy On You
- The Hunts - Darlin'
- David Bowie - Heroes
- Alice Phoebe Lou - Hammer
- Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster
- Roar - I Can't Handle Change
- TV Girl - Birds Dont Sing
- Laufey - From The Start
- Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group - Freight Train (feat. Nancy Whiskey)
- Metro Boomin - Am I Dreaming
- Liana Flores - rises the moon
- POP ETC - Speak Up
- Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff
- The Platters - Twilight Time
- Derek & The Dominos - Layla
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Homeless Man in Adidas
- Charlie Burg - Lovesong (The Way)
- Hot Flash Heat Wave - Gutter Girl
- ABBA - Fernando
- Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine
- Savannah Conley - More Than Fine
- Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter
- Future Crib - Yer Movin'
- Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
- benches - Violent
- Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
- Olivia Rodrigo - vampire
- Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone - City Of Stars
- Maya Hawke - Thérèse
- Current Joys - A Different Age
- Wayne Newton - Danke Schoen
- La Roux - Bulletproof
- Jason Segel, Walter - Man Or Muppet
- U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
- The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes
- The Ink Spots - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
- Ace of Base - The Sign
- Vulfpeck - 1612
- Nordista Freeze - Hey GiGi
- The Chainsmokers - New York City
- Suki Waterhouse - Johanna
- Pete Rodriguez - I Like It Like That
- Calvin Harris - Summer
- The Rare Occasions - Notion
- a-ha - Take on Me
- Rush - Working Man
- Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy
- Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
- Van Halen - Drop Dead Legs
- The Troggs - Wild Thing
- Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times
- The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
- Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love
- Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (feat. Timbaland)
- David Bowie - Suffragette City
- Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 "Moonlight"
- Avicii - Wake Me Up
- The Who - La-La-La-Lies
- The Spinners - The Rubberband Man
- MGMT - Time to Pretend
- Hootie & The Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You
- Sheck Wes - Mo Bamba
- Claire Rosinkranz - 123
- Ringo Starr - Photograph
- The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
- Duran Duran - Rio
2024.05.15 05:26 Sweet-Count2557 92ny Summer Camps Camp Yomi 0
 | 92ny Summer Camps Camp Yomi 0 Have you ever wondered what makes Camp Yomi stand out among the many summer camps in New York? Well, let me tell you, there's something truly special about the experience we offer.From the moment you step foot on our grounds, you'll be captivated by the wide range of activities and the sense of adventure that fills the air. But that's just the beginning.Stay tuned to discover the unparalleled safety measures we have in place, the idyllic location that sets us apart, and the glowing reviews from satisfied campers and parents alike.So, are you ready to embark on a journey that will leave you wanting more?Key TakeawaysCamp Yomi offers a diverse range of activities and programming, including swimming, arts and crafts, drama, and music, allowing campers to express themselves and discover their passions.The camp prioritizes safety, with fully vaccinated campers and staff, adherence to CDC guidelines, and transportation arrangements designed with safety in mind.Located in Rockland County, New York, Camp Yomi provides a refreshing summer camp experience in a serene environment, with easy access to nearby attractions such as hiking trails, parks, historical sites, and museums.Camp Yomi is part of the 92Y Camps network, which offers a safe and supportive environment for children to explore interests, build skills, and develop problem-solving and teamwork abilities through a wide variety of activities.Camp Yomi ActivitiesCamp Yomi offers campers a wide variety of activities to engage in throughout their summer camp experience. One of the highlights of the camp is the swim instruction provided to campers. With two swims per day, campers have the opportunity to improve their swimming skills and build confidence in the water. The instructional swim sessions are led by certified instructors who focus on teaching proper techniques and water safety.In addition to swim instruction, Camp Yomi also offers a diverse range of creative programming. Campers have the chance to explore their artistic side through activities such as arts and crafts, drama, and music. They can express themselves and unleash their creativity in a supportive and encouraging environment.The camp's emphasis on creative programming allows campers to try new activities and discover their passions. Whether it's painting, acting, or playing a musical instrument, campers are encouraged to take safe risks and learn through trial and error. This approach fosters a sense of freedom and exploration, allowing campers to fully immerse themselves in the activities and experience personal growth.Camp Yomi Safety MeasuresEnsuring the safety and well-being of all campers and staff is of paramount importance at Camp Yomi. We take several measures to create a secure environment for everyone involved.Firstly, all campers and staff must be fully vaccinated, following the camp Yomi vaccination requirements. This helps to minimize the risk of any potential health issues and ensures the safety of the entire camp community.In addition to vaccination requirements, Camp Yomi follows additional CDC guidelines to further enhance safety. These guidelines include practicing good hygiene, encouraging frequent handwashing, and promoting social distancing whenever possible. Our focus is on maintaining a warm and fun atmosphere while prioritizing the health and well-being of everyone.Transportation arrangements at Camp Yomi are also designed with safety in mind. Campers travel in air-conditioned Coach buses with a bathroom on board. This ensures a comfortable and secure journey to and from the camp. Our transportation system is well-maintained and regularly inspected to meet the highest safety standards.At Camp Yomi, we believe that safety is a collective responsibility. We have a dedicated team of trained professionals who oversee the implementation of safety measures and ensure that all campers and staff are protected throughout their time at camp.Camp Yomi LocationAfter prioritizing safety measures at Camp Yomi, it's important to now explore the camp's location in Rockland County. Located in beautiful Rockland County, Camp Yomi offers a break from the city environment, providing campers with a refreshing experience in the fresh air. Here are three reasons why the location of Camp Yomi is worth considering:Close proximity to New York City: Camp Yomi is conveniently located near New York City, allowing campers to enjoy the best of both worlds. They can escape the hustle and bustle of the city and immerse themselves in nature at the camp, while still being just a short distance away from the vibrant city life.Rockland County attractions: The camp's location in Rockland County offers campers the opportunity to explore and enjoy a variety of attractions. From hiking trails and parks to historical sites and museums, there's something for everyone. Campers can engage in outdoor activities, learn about the local history, and make memories that will last a lifetime.Transportation options: Camp Yomi understands the importance of convenient transportation for campers and their families. The camp provides transportation options, ensuring that campers can easily travel to and from the camp. Campers will travel in air-conditioned Coach buses with a bathroom on board, ensuring a comfortable and hassle-free journey.With its proximity to New York City, the variety of attractions in Rockland County, and convenient transportation options, Camp Yomi's location offers campers the freedom to explore, have fun, and create unforgettable summer memories.Camp Yomi ReviewsBased on the overall rating of 4.5 and positive feedback from Anna Fader, Camp Yomi has received high praise for its engaging activities and enjoyable outdoor experience. The camp Yomi staff is highly regarded for their dedication and expertise in creating a safe and fun environment for campers. The staff ensures that all campers and staff are fully vaccinated, and they follow additional CDC guidelines to maintain a secure environment. Camp Yomi takes safety seriously, providing campers with convenient transportation options in air-conditioned Coach buses equipped with a bathroom.Camp Yomi facilities are well-maintained and offer a range of amenities to enhance the camp experience. The location in beautiful Rockland County provides a break from the city environment and offers a refreshing experience in fresh air. Campers have access to a wide variety of activities, including two swims per day, sports programming, and an incredible array of creative activities. Camp Yomi encourages campers to take safe risks and learn through trial and error, fostering personal growth and development.Feedback from Anna Fader highlights her daughter's enjoyment of the camp and the opportunity to try out new activities. The camp's emphasis on maintaining a warm and fun atmosphere is appreciated by both campers and parents. Anna Fader encourages others to leave a review, emphasizing the positive experience her daughter had at Camp Yomi.92Y Camps InformationY Camps Information includes a variety of activities and day camp options for children in New York City. Here are three key things to know about Y Camps:Y Camps Benefits:Y Camps offer a safe and supportive environment for children to explore their interests and build lifelong skills.Campers get to participate in a wide variety of activities, including sports programming and an incredible array of creative activities.Y Camps encourage campers to take safe risks, learn through trial and error, and develop valuable problem-solving and teamwork skills.Y Camps Age Groups:Y Camps cater to children of different age groups, providing age-appropriate activities and experiences.The camps offer programs for children as young as preschool age, providing a fun and nurturing environment for their growth and development.Older children and teenagers can also benefit from Y Camps, as they offer programs designed to challenge and engage them, fostering personal growth and independence.Additional Information:Y Camps are part of the KidsUptown network in New York City, ensuring high-quality programming and a strong support system.Located in New York, NY, Y Camps offer convenient transportation options for campers and their families.More information about the camps and additional activities can be found on their website, and their contact number is 212-415-5573.With their diverse range of activities, age-appropriate programming, and numerous benefits, Y Camps provide an exciting and enriching summer camp experience for children in New York City.Contact and Location DetailsLocated in beautiful Rockland County, Camp Yomi offers a refreshing summer camp experience in a convenient location with transportation options available. Our camp is situated in a serene environment that provides a break from the city hustle and bustle, allowing campers to enjoy the fresh air and natural surroundings. With close proximity to New York City, Camp Yomi offers the best of both worlds - a peaceful retreat and easy access to nearby attractions.To provide you with a clear overview of our location and contact details, please refer to the table below:Contact DetailsNearby AttractionsPhone: 212-415-5573- Bear Mountain State ParkEmail: info@campyomi.org- Palisades Center MallWebsite: www.campyomi.org- Hudson River MuseumAddress: 92nd Street Y Camps, 1395 Brick Church Road, Rockland County, NY- Rockland Lake State ParkFor any inquiries or to schedule a visit, you can reach us at the provided phone number or email address. Our friendly staff will be more than happy to assist you.In addition to the enriching camp experience, Camp Yomi is surrounded by various nearby attractions that campers can explore during their time here. From the picturesque Bear Mountain State Park to the Palisades Center Mall for some retail therapy, there is something for everyone. The Hudson River Museum and Rockland Lake State Park are also popular destinations for campers to enjoy educational and outdoor activities.At Camp Yomi, we understand the importance of providing a convenient and accessible location for families. With transportation options available, we strive to make the camp experience as hassle-free as possible. Join us at Camp Yomi for an unforgettable summer filled with adventure, fun, and lifelong memories.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat Is the Average Camper-To-Staff Ratio at Camp Yomi?The average camper-to-staff ratio at Camp Yomi is low, which has many benefits. With more staff members available, each camper receives more individual attention and supervision. This allows for a safer and more personalized experience.Campers can fully engage in activities and receive guidance when needed. The low ratio also promotes a sense of community and fosters strong relationships between campers and staff.Are There Any Additional Fees for the Sports Programming at Camp Yomi?There are no additional fees for the sports programming at Camp Yomi. Campers can enjoy a wide variety of activities, including sports, without any extra cost.Our camp emphasizes providing a fun and inclusive experience for all campers, and that includes offering a range of activities without any hidden fees.Can Parents Visit and Observe the Camp Activities at Camp Yomi?Yes, parents can visit and observe the camp activities at Camp Yomi. We believe that parent involvement is crucial in creating a positive camp experience for the campers.By observing the activities, parents can witness their child's growth, development, and enjoyment firsthand. It also allows parents to see the safe and secure environment we provide at Camp Yomi.We encourage parents to come and be a part of their child's camp journey.Is Transportation Provided to and From Camp Yomi?Transportation is provided to and from Camp Yomi. We've various transportation options available to ensure a smooth and convenient experience for campers. Our transportation logistics are well-organized, with campers traveling in air-conditioned Coach buses that have a bathroom on board.We prioritize the safety and comfort of our campers during transportation. Whether you're coming from New York City or the surrounding areas, we've convenient transportation options to make getting to camp a breeze.Are There Any Age Restrictions for Campers at Camp Yomi?There are no age restrictions for campers at Camp Yomi. All children are eligible to attend the camp and participate in the wide variety of activities offered.Camp Yomi provides a safe environment for campers to explore, learn, and have fun. With two swims per day, sports programming, and an incredible array of creative activities, campers of all ages can enjoy their time at Camp Yomi.ConclusionIn conclusion, Camp Yomi offers an exceptional summer experience for campers with a wide range of activities and a focus on safety. Located in beautiful Rockland County, it provides a serene natural setting while being conveniently close to New York City.With positive reviews from campers like Anna Fader, it's clear that Camp Yomi delivers a memorable and enjoyable summer camp experience.Join us at Camp Yomi and create lasting memories this summer! submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.05.15 05:21 Jpoolman25 Did you guys find your purpose or something to look forward to?
I'm not sure if I'm ruining my life right now or am I just insanely overthinking and stressing myself out. I've been home for almost two years now. I think I touched a downfall breaking moment where everything that was once going well turned into a disaster. Normally people would just pick themselves up and start over again. But I'm not sure why am I still sitting allowing life to defeat me everyday.
Two years ago, I was working full time at a job I hated but just did for the money even though I didn't learn any skills or made any real income. I guess it was okay because it was near my area. I use to do full time college but only online since I don't drive. I think driving is biggest obstacle I'm having hard time facing. Anyways I was just doing the required classes to get enrolled in the radiology tech program at my community college but my advisor said it's a very competitive program and probably you won't get accepted. I asked what can I do as a backup plan but only got suggested in finance, tech or business administration. So ever since then, I just lost the enthusiasm in life. I wasn't able to focus on work. I later stopped taking classes and top of that family & personal problems affected my mental emotional health. I think this few years went by I've noticed my self esteem is gone. My confidence is gone. All I do is worry and stress myself. I want to take actions but I have no idea what to do. Should I learn driving first or sign up for classes and talk with a career coach. Should I find a new job now. Like I'm feeling purposeless at this point.
submitted by Jpoolman25 to Adulting [link] [comments]
Two years ago, I was working full time at a job I hated but just did for the money even though I didn't learn any skills or made any real income. I guess it was okay because it was near my area. I use to do full time college but only online since I don't drive. I think driving is biggest obstacle I'm having hard time facing. Anyways I was just doing the required classes to get enrolled in the radiology tech program at my community college but my advisor said it's a very competitive program and probably you won't get accepted. I asked what can I do as a backup plan but only got suggested in finance, tech or business administration. So ever since then, I just lost the enthusiasm in life. I wasn't able to focus on work. I later stopped taking classes and top of that family & personal problems affected my mental emotional health. I think this few years went by I've noticed my self esteem is gone. My confidence is gone. All I do is worry and stress myself. I want to take actions but I have no idea what to do. Should I learn driving first or sign up for classes and talk with a career coach. Should I find a new job now. Like I'm feeling purposeless at this point.
2024.05.15 05:20 Jpoolman25 Did you guys find your purpose or something to look forward to?
I'm not sure if I'm ruining my life right now or am I just insanely overthinking and stressing myself out. I've been home for almost two years now. I think I touched a downfall breaking moment where everything that was once going well turned into a disaster. Normally people would just pick themselves up and start over again. But I'm not sure why am I still sitting allowing life to defeat me everyday.
Two years ago, I was working full time at a job I hated but just did for the money even though I didn't learn any skills or made any real income. I guess it was okay because it was near my area. I use to do full time college but only online since I don't drive. I think driving is biggest obstacle I'm having hard time facing. Anyways I was just doing the required classes to get enrolled in the radiology tech program at my community college but my advisor said it's a very competitive program and probably you won't get accepted. I asked what can I do as a backup plan but only got suggested in finance, tech or business administration. So ever since then, I just lost the enthusiasm in life. I wasn't able to focus on work. I later stopped taking classes and top of that family & personal problems affected my mental emotional health. I think this few years went by I've noticed my self esteem is gone. My confidence is gone. All I do is worry and stress myself. I want to take actions but I have no idea what to do. Should I learn driving first or sign up for classes and talk with a career coach. Should I find a new job now. Like I'm feeling purposeless at this point.
submitted by Jpoolman25 to selfimprovement [link] [comments]
Two years ago, I was working full time at a job I hated but just did for the money even though I didn't learn any skills or made any real income. I guess it was okay because it was near my area. I use to do full time college but only online since I don't drive. I think driving is biggest obstacle I'm having hard time facing. Anyways I was just doing the required classes to get enrolled in the radiology tech program at my community college but my advisor said it's a very competitive program and probably you won't get accepted. I asked what can I do as a backup plan but only got suggested in finance, tech or business administration. So ever since then, I just lost the enthusiasm in life. I wasn't able to focus on work. I later stopped taking classes and top of that family & personal problems affected my mental emotional health. I think this few years went by I've noticed my self esteem is gone. My confidence is gone. All I do is worry and stress myself. I want to take actions but I have no idea what to do. Should I learn driving first or sign up for classes and talk with a career coach. Should I find a new job now. Like I'm feeling purposeless at this point.
2024.05.15 05:20 Additional_Bobcat_87 Any tips for a student wanting to plan early
I want to apply to top schools but I’m curious would these stats get me in? My counselor last year had a talk with me and said I had no chance for dropping a math course because of medical reasons at the time and a lot of work (that class ended up being dropped due to complains of several students). She told me after a year though that I might have a chance. this year I’m working hard in making a difference but I’m rlly unsure due to the competitive top 20 class, they have limited and almost no ecs but still. If anyone does reply I would like to get some tips Ofcourse no one knows what exactly gets anyone in but any suggestions for ecs and what to improve?
For context my school is very low income and it does reflect in the education and state tests
Taking all IB senior year + top 5% of my class, 3.98 gpa/4.0
Also: Every Stanford student from my school majors into law or engineering never Econ or finance I’m considering Econ + poli sci
Sat planning on getting more than a 1400 gonna grind all summer possibly getting a tutor to get a 1500+
Ecs: Business club president + deca president for this fall, made a project website for 1000+ students and the college and career center to gain access to resources related to business and scholarships in general
Women in corporate related Organization co founder- making resources accessible, one one one help creating a college profile and ecs, tips for classes and more and more than 500+ ppl
Volunteer at a global law related organization where I write articles, possibly editor in chief board position if accepted
Volunteer (completed some research related to corporate and mental health) & internship -> PVSA award
Teacher assistant for 3 years where I created worksheets for middle schoolers that were simplified in the fields of economics, history mainly, and ELA. Did a lot of grading aswell and provided feedback to students
GWC alumni this summer (SIP awarded)
Data analysis internship & marketing aswell, found CDS of several colleges to create stats for a website and created content for a popular platform
Mock trial for two years, planning on running this fall for a board position
Career fellowship for this summer where the company funds a project (paid)
A writer of a economics related book publishing soon where students state how they became interested in the field and a specific event they applied economics, changing their POV
Also dual enrollment: Econ course & criminal justice course
Expected this fall: democracy related fellowship for women stipend provided, UCLA business program for free, a college mentee program guiding students into top schools if I do become accepted, and other scholarships and essay contests
submitted by Additional_Bobcat_87 to ApplyingIvyLeague [link] [comments]
For context my school is very low income and it does reflect in the education and state tests
Taking all IB senior year + top 5% of my class, 3.98 gpa/4.0
Also: Every Stanford student from my school majors into law or engineering never Econ or finance I’m considering Econ + poli sci
Sat planning on getting more than a 1400 gonna grind all summer possibly getting a tutor to get a 1500+
Ecs: Business club president + deca president for this fall, made a project website for 1000+ students and the college and career center to gain access to resources related to business and scholarships in general
Women in corporate related Organization co founder- making resources accessible, one one one help creating a college profile and ecs, tips for classes and more and more than 500+ ppl
Volunteer at a global law related organization where I write articles, possibly editor in chief board position if accepted
Volunteer (completed some research related to corporate and mental health) & internship -> PVSA award
Teacher assistant for 3 years where I created worksheets for middle schoolers that were simplified in the fields of economics, history mainly, and ELA. Did a lot of grading aswell and provided feedback to students
GWC alumni this summer (SIP awarded)
Data analysis internship & marketing aswell, found CDS of several colleges to create stats for a website and created content for a popular platform
Mock trial for two years, planning on running this fall for a board position
Career fellowship for this summer where the company funds a project (paid)
A writer of a economics related book publishing soon where students state how they became interested in the field and a specific event they applied economics, changing their POV
Also dual enrollment: Econ course & criminal justice course
Expected this fall: democracy related fellowship for women stipend provided, UCLA business program for free, a college mentee program guiding students into top schools if I do become accepted, and other scholarships and essay contests
2024.05.15 05:18 Jpoolman25 Did you guys find your purpose or something to look forward to?
I'm not sure if I'm ruining my life right now or am I just insanely overthinking and stressing myself out. I've been home for almost two years now. I think I touched a downfall breaking moment where everything that was once going well turned into a disaster. Normally people would just pick themselves up and start over again. But I'm not sure why am I still sitting allowing life to defeat me everyday.
Two years ago, I was working full time at a job I hated but just did for the money even though I didn't learn any skills or made any real income. I guess it was okay because it was near my area. I use to do full time college but only online since I don't drive. I think driving is biggest obstacle I'm having hard time facing. Anyways I was just doing the required classes to get enrolled in the radiology tech program at my community college but my advisor said it's a very competitive program and probably you won't get accepted. I asked what can I do as a backup plan but only got suggested in finance, tech or business administration. So ever since then, I just lost the enthusiasm in life. I wasn't able to focus on work. I later stopped taking classes and top of that family & personal problems affected my mental emotional health. I think this few years went by I've noticed my self esteem is gone. My confidence is gone. All I do is worry and stress myself. I want to take actions but I have no idea what to do. Should I learn driving first or sign up for classes and talk with a career coach. Should I find a new job now. Like I'm feeling purposeless at this point.
submitted by Jpoolman25 to Zillennials [link] [comments]
Two years ago, I was working full time at a job I hated but just did for the money even though I didn't learn any skills or made any real income. I guess it was okay because it was near my area. I use to do full time college but only online since I don't drive. I think driving is biggest obstacle I'm having hard time facing. Anyways I was just doing the required classes to get enrolled in the radiology tech program at my community college but my advisor said it's a very competitive program and probably you won't get accepted. I asked what can I do as a backup plan but only got suggested in finance, tech or business administration. So ever since then, I just lost the enthusiasm in life. I wasn't able to focus on work. I later stopped taking classes and top of that family & personal problems affected my mental emotional health. I think this few years went by I've noticed my self esteem is gone. My confidence is gone. All I do is worry and stress myself. I want to take actions but I have no idea what to do. Should I learn driving first or sign up for classes and talk with a career coach. Should I find a new job now. Like I'm feeling purposeless at this point.
2024.05.15 05:12 Moocao123 Clover vs AMC vs GME -- Moocao version
 | Good evening Clover Health investors submitted by Moocao123 to Healthcare_Anon [link] [comments] As the markets are now closed, and after hours markets are closed, I thought I would take some time to discuss some of the discussions that have occurred throughout the day. I would like to assure all of you that what GME and AMC experienced is definitely a meme rally, but what Clover has experienced is most definitely not. For Clover, it is a reversal to the actual bankruptcy peg of 1:1, which is an astonishing improvement and tells you the power of maniac retail short sellers. I will explain below, but first, our disclaimers: We strongly recommend against investing into Clover Health on the basis of a meme rally. *** Both RainyFriedTofu and Moocao123 has positions in Clover Health. The information provided is not meant as financial advice, please be advised of the potential bias and decide whether the information provided is within your risk consideration. ** *** This is not financial advice, nor is there any financial advice within. Shout-out to the AMC/GME apes for having me to write this *** *** Please do not utilize this content without author authorization *** Clover Health - stock price reflected for 05/14/24 https://preview.redd.it/kzfc3tos4i0d1.png?width=1709&format=png&auto=webp&s=9c638191da51282eae80784e72312fea1e72e621 I have previously already released this chart within my Clover health DD, I have included now an updated price per share, and highlighted the important section in RED. As you can see we are finally at exactly market cap 1.13 to cash on hand ratio, or in another way of saying it - we are priced slightly better than bankruptcy, similar to Dec 31 2023. If you instead listened to someone else/another subreddit, you would have thought we had a meme rally. We most assuredly did not. Let me show you what the meme rally did to AMC and GME. I have constructed the following Excel, but since they are not my target DD I skipped over some parts: AMC: https://preview.redd.it/yepocbae5i0d1.png?width=1528&format=png&auto=webp&s=b93611a7ce9866bd7686f9bdfbfaa10c707ff05d I have taken the liberty to highlight the relevant parts in red, however if you look at the financials, AMC has an overall worse economics in FY 2024. The market didn't care though on 05/14/24, and pushed AMC from bankruptcy pricing of Market Cap to Cash on hand ratio of 1.16 to 2.89 within a single day. It also never had a positive shareholder equity, in fact in the 10K they are all called "Shareholder deficits". Never mind AMC has a big bomb strapped to its chest: https://preview.redd.it/ijegq9up5i0d1.png?width=1140&format=png&auto=webp&s=d83791f9470105645bd7bfaca1116537857ab395 Yes you are reading this correctly. 2.9 BILLION dollars is due on 2026. In addition, 118.3 million dollars is due in 2025 and 25.1 million in 2024. Guess what? Aaron Adam sold $250 million dollars worth of equity this past Monday! Are you an AMC ape holding a bag? https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/14/amc-raises-250-million-in-stock-sale-during-mondays-meme-rally.html. Hooray! AMC can extinguish that 2024 and 2025 debt immediately. Now Aaron will have to roll out AMC Preferred Equity #2 for 2026... How many shares do you think he needs to sell? GME: Did you know if you held GME when it was in the lowest of lows and rode Roaring Kitty/Keith Gill's GME wave, you would make better returns than the S&P 500 index? It's amazing really. Personally I haven't set foot in a Gamestop store in decades, and last I remember I stood in a Gamestop store it had smelly carpets and teenagers who didn't want to be working there. "He likes the stock" he says, but probably not the company itself. But hey, the stock is doing great! https://preview.redd.it/m45dqw7r6i0d1.png?width=944&format=png&auto=webp&s=8ca574fe4207c75eb24adf0d73574e45890608d4 Did you see 2021? Holy shit. Anyways, shall we look at their finances? https://preview.redd.it/5jy7hmva7i0d1.png?width=1199&format=png&auto=webp&s=52d445819bb3d736047004a468a2f677e6895ebf I heard they pulled a profit in 2023, but you wouldn't see it by looking at their store operations. In fact GME got into profitability by cutting SG&A and will continuously cut to make their earnings look good. Did you see their revenue per store? It dropped. Did you see its profit margin per store YoY? it is negative or zero, choose which is less worse. Meaning any store they have remaining would be negligible in moving the profit per store needle. They already cut the under performing stores, and they are now cutting into useful ones. On 05/14/24 though, GME pulled a rabbit out of its hat. It's Market cap to cash on hand ratio jumped from a static ~ 3.25 - 3.50 to a whopping 12.40. Congratulations Keith Gill. As a conclusion, both Rainy and I have used different methods to come to the same conclusion: Clover health is still being shorted to bankruptcy ratio, but the boot is less tight at the neck, now at 1.16. That being said, Clover still has ways to go before they can state they are no longer BK pegged. Again, Clover has plenty of room to grow and re-invigorate itself (Clover Home Care, Clover Assistant, and Clover Medicare Advantage), has adequate cash on hand, is cash flow positive, and is $100 million away from profitability (CA SaaS anyone?). This is why Rainy and I choose to invest into Clover. This is why the shorts are afraid of DD - it blows up their nonsense and makes their actions seem foolish. I am sure the shorts will keep mentioning that Clover is riding a meme wave, and once Clover gets under $1 the FUDs doom train will start. It is predictable and comical. AMC definitely is heading towards BK by 2026 (almost guaranteed), unless someone does another Antara capital and exchanges the lien note as a rollover in exchange for AMC Preferred Equity units 2.0 (since retail likes holding bags). Despite this, Market has pegged AMC temporarily to a ratio of 3. AMC cannot reinvent itself, it is still losing money per screen, but someone still is trying to meme it to viability. GME is not heading to BK, but it is definitely very very richly valued at ratio of 12.40 on 05/14/24. I do not consider GME a good investment, as it still needs to re-brand itself and re-invigorate itself (say, what happened to the NFT marketplace?). GME is memed up in value, but we do not foresee immediate bankruptcy concerns. I would also like to reiterate again what our subreddit stands for: We do not provide financial advice, nor do we intend to do so. Do not invest into Clover Health based on meme stock valuation, and we will be the first to tell you to stay away from Clover Health stock if you do not understand the financials of this company, its goals, and the obstacles facing this small cap company. Thank you for taking the time to read through this. I hope this provides you with a better perspective on what happened today. Sincerely Moocao |
2024.05.15 05:09 Afraid-Aardvark-399 Golden child/narc sibling
My narc sibling has contributed to my abuse a lot growing up.The final straw came the day after my delivery. When I was having having complication, she was upset about not being personally informed about the birth and left the group chat. Also, she enabled my parents abuse with phone calls. We tried to patch up that night and my husband added her again. She still never called me to ask about my health. I am okay with her not caring (i expect it too) but how can she expect my husband to put her ego first before his family. My parents wanted us to invite them over when her kid was not vaccinated and also wanted us to show my kids in facetime to her. We told them they could visit in three months. All this while I was bed ridden and still recovering. We were not ready for that as we had no relationship with her and did not want to appease her ego. She cut the call with my ndad when I refused prevent her kid from talking to him. My ndad knew I wouldn't allow it but still had to ask in front of unstable nmom to make it an issue.
We finally cut contact with my Nparents after a lot of drama and they did not get any info from us. My sis finally reached out and said they wanted to visit us.The dates didn't work because we already someone else visiting. I thought that would be the end of it and they wouldn't come. Surprisingly they reached out again and finally when they came to visit another weekend, thing were pretty chill. They obsessive took pics of my kids (to pass it onto my parents). My parents were texting me trying to get in contact with me. My mom fell down in the bathroom and was having physical difficulties. He was basically telling us to come and save him from her and she would be happy if I showed them the kids every week. I responded angrily to that text with a long message saying that he should take care of his own business.
My sister who had been quiet after the visit except for her response to my birthday wishes to her kid reached out and wished on another occasion. We responded and she again wished for the first birthday with a text saying that my parents are sad and I should show them the kids. Her husband chimed it. I responded saying that its in the best interest of my family and we should on our kids having a better relationship. No response to that.
We finally were able to visit them and they took pictures again. My cousin finally convinced me to break contact and I am very low contact with them. My sister too. Any thoughts on my golden child/narc sister. Do they try to pull you because the abuse would turn on them. I am really scared for my kids though. What if she see them as a threat. She already saw them as one during the pregnancy hence the drama. How do you deal with them?
submitted by Afraid-Aardvark-399 to raisedbynarcissists [link] [comments]
We finally cut contact with my Nparents after a lot of drama and they did not get any info from us. My sis finally reached out and said they wanted to visit us.The dates didn't work because we already someone else visiting. I thought that would be the end of it and they wouldn't come. Surprisingly they reached out again and finally when they came to visit another weekend, thing were pretty chill. They obsessive took pics of my kids (to pass it onto my parents). My parents were texting me trying to get in contact with me. My mom fell down in the bathroom and was having physical difficulties. He was basically telling us to come and save him from her and she would be happy if I showed them the kids every week. I responded angrily to that text with a long message saying that he should take care of his own business.
My sister who had been quiet after the visit except for her response to my birthday wishes to her kid reached out and wished on another occasion. We responded and she again wished for the first birthday with a text saying that my parents are sad and I should show them the kids. Her husband chimed it. I responded saying that its in the best interest of my family and we should on our kids having a better relationship. No response to that.
We finally were able to visit them and they took pictures again. My cousin finally convinced me to break contact and I am very low contact with them. My sister too. Any thoughts on my golden child/narc sister. Do they try to pull you because the abuse would turn on them. I am really scared for my kids though. What if she see them as a threat. She already saw them as one during the pregnancy hence the drama. How do you deal with them?
2024.05.15 05:09 Afraid-Aardvark-399 Golden child/narc sibling trying to break your NC with narc parents
My narc sibling has contributed to my abuse a lot growing up.The final straw came the day after my delivery. When I was having having complication, she was upset about not being personally informed about the birth and left the group chat. Also, she enabled my parents abuse with phone calls. We tried to patch up that night and my husband added her again. She still never called me to ask about my health. I am okay with her not caring (i expect it too) but how can she expect my husband to put her ego first before his family. My parents wanted us to invite them over when her kid was not vaccinated and also wanted us to show my kids in facetime to her. We told them they could visit in three months. All this while I was bed ridden and still recovering. We were not ready for that as we had no relationship with her and did not want to appease her ego. She cut the call with my ndad when I refused prevent her kid from talking to him. My ndad knew I wouldn't allow it but still had to ask in front of unstable nmom to make it an issue.
We finally cut contact with my Nparents after a lot of drama and they did not get any info from us. My sis finally reached out and said they wanted to visit us.The dates didn't work because we already someone else visiting. I thought that would be the end of it and they wouldn't come. Surprisingly they reached out again and finally when they came to visit another weekend, thing were pretty chill. They obsessive took pics of my kids (to pass it onto my parents). My parents were texting me trying to get in contact with me. My mom fell down in the bathroom and was having physical difficulties. He was basically telling us to come and save him from her and she would be happy if I showed them the kids every week. I responded angrily to that text with a long message saying that he should take care of his own business.
My sister who had been quiet after the visit except for her response to my birthday wishes to her kid reached out and wished on another occasion. We responded and she again wished for the first birthday with a text saying that my parents are sad and I should show them the kids. Her husband chimed it. I responded saying that its in the best interest of my family and we should on our kids having a better relationship. No response to that.
We finally were able to visit them and they took pictures again. My cousin finally convinced me to break contact and I am very low contact with them. My sister too. Any thoughts on my golden child/narc sister. Do they try to pull you because the abuse would turn on them. I am really scared for my kids though. What if she see them as a threat. She already saw them as one during the pregnancy hence the drama. How do you deal with them?
submitted by Afraid-Aardvark-399 to narcissisticparents [link] [comments]
We finally cut contact with my Nparents after a lot of drama and they did not get any info from us. My sis finally reached out and said they wanted to visit us.The dates didn't work because we already someone else visiting. I thought that would be the end of it and they wouldn't come. Surprisingly they reached out again and finally when they came to visit another weekend, thing were pretty chill. They obsessive took pics of my kids (to pass it onto my parents). My parents were texting me trying to get in contact with me. My mom fell down in the bathroom and was having physical difficulties. He was basically telling us to come and save him from her and she would be happy if I showed them the kids every week. I responded angrily to that text with a long message saying that he should take care of his own business.
My sister who had been quiet after the visit except for her response to my birthday wishes to her kid reached out and wished on another occasion. We responded and she again wished for the first birthday with a text saying that my parents are sad and I should show them the kids. Her husband chimed it. I responded saying that its in the best interest of my family and we should on our kids having a better relationship. No response to that.
We finally were able to visit them and they took pictures again. My cousin finally convinced me to break contact and I am very low contact with them. My sister too. Any thoughts on my golden child/narc sister. Do they try to pull you because the abuse would turn on them. I am really scared for my kids though. What if she see them as a threat. She already saw them as one during the pregnancy hence the drama. How do you deal with them?
2024.05.15 05:02 jawanessa Emergency vet and home euthanasia experiences
I have a sick cat. She and her brother are my entire world but my sweet baby has been slowly declining for over a year. I've had her under the care of two incredible vets and I feel confident in her diagnosis and prognosis and I'm not looking for another opinion on her health.
I've had a weird feeling or premonition or whatever you want to call it about her all day. If an emergency vet becomes necessary tonight, who do you recommend? Who should I avoid?
And because I know the end is coming far sooner than I'm willing to admit but nevertheless I like to plan... Home euthanasia services. Her brother needs to be there.
Help me help my baby cross the rainbow bridge in peace.
submitted by jawanessa to Birmingham [link] [comments]
I've had a weird feeling or premonition or whatever you want to call it about her all day. If an emergency vet becomes necessary tonight, who do you recommend? Who should I avoid?
And because I know the end is coming far sooner than I'm willing to admit but nevertheless I like to plan... Home euthanasia services. Her brother needs to be there.
Help me help my baby cross the rainbow bridge in peace.
2024.05.15 05:00 PLpro12 What are the options for financing my Amazon FBA business expansion reddit?
Traditional Business Loans
Traditional business loans from banks and credit unions remain a popular choice for financing business expansion. These loans typically offer competitive interest rates and flexible repayment terms. However, securing a traditional business loan can be challenging for Amazon FBA sellers, especially those with limited credit history or collateral. Additionally, the application process for traditional loans often involves extensive paperwork and longer approval times, which may not align with the fast-paced nature of e-commerce business.Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans
Small Business Administration (SBA) loans are government-backed loans designed to support small businesses. These loans come with favorable terms, including low-interest rates and extended repayment periods. SBA loans can be used for various business purposes, including expansion, working capital, and equipment purchases. While SBA loans offer attractive benefits, the application process can be time-consuming, and approval may not be guaranteed.Merchant Cash Advances
Merchant cash advances provide a quick and convenient financing solution for Amazon FBA sellers. With a merchant cash advance, you receive a lump sum of capital in exchange for a percentage of your future credit card sales. This alternative financing option is ideal for businesses with consistent credit card revenue but may come with higher fees and interest rates compared to traditional loans.Invoice Financing
Invoice financing, also known as accounts receivable financing, allows businesses to leverage their unpaid invoices to access immediate funding. This financing option is particularly beneficial for Amazon FBA sellers dealing with long payment cycles from suppliers or customers. By selling their outstanding invoices to a third-party lender, sellers can unlock cash flow and fund their expansion initiatives.Inventory Financing
Inventory financing enables Amazon FBA sellers to use their existing inventory as collateral to secure a loan or line of credit. This type of financing is tailored specifically for businesses with significant inventory holdings. By leveraging their inventory assets, sellers can access capital to purchase additional inventory, launch new products, or expand into new markets.Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding has emerged as a popular alternative funding option for entrepreneurs seeking capital for their business ventures. Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo allow sellers to raise funds from a large pool of individual investors in exchange for rewards or equity. Crowdfunding campaigns can help Amazon FBA sellers generate publicity and validate their business ideas while securing the necessary funding for expansion.Peer-to-Peer Lending
Peer-to-peer lending platforms connect borrowers directly with individual investors willing to lend money at competitive rates. This decentralized approach to lending bypasses traditional financial institutions, offering Amazon FBA sellers more flexibility and speed in securing financing. Peer-to-peer lending can be an attractive option for sellers with limited credit history or unique business models.Utilizing Amazon Seller Tools
Jungle Scout is an essential tool for Amazon FBA sellers, offering powerful features for product research, competitor analysis, and keyword optimization. With Jungle Scout, sellers can gain valuable insights into market trends, identify profitable product opportunities, and optimize their listings for better visibility on Amazon. By leveraging the capabilities of this software, sellers can make informed decisions to drive business growth and stay ahead of the competition.
Conclusion
Expanding your Amazon FBA business requires careful planning and adequate financing. By exploring the various financing options available, you can find the right solution to fuel your growth ambitions. Whether you opt for traditional loans, alternative financing, or innovative crowdfunding campaigns, choosing the right financing option can propel your Amazon FBA business to new heights.Jungle Scout - 35% OFF Discount (Limited Time)
An all-in-one Amazon seller tool to easily find, list, and sell 10K+/month products! Disclosure: I get a small kickback if you click through. Thanks for reading! DM if you have any questions :)
2024.05.15 05:00 chironae Fractal North RGB Beginnings
 | Not that age matters when it comes to aesthetic or design interests however, I just clocked five decades this year but, as grandma always said, I only feel it in the morning. Aside from a short stent as an Army Medic, I've been in itsec most of my career. I'm a data analyst currently and spend way too much time at my desk to not enjoy what I see. While my story isn't all that interesting or my box isn't that swagged out, I wanted to share the starting point for my North. submitted by chironae to Corsair [link] [comments] With all of the inspiring pictures here and the many challenges going on, I figured this would be a great place to share what came from the inspiration all ya'll done planted up in here. Originally, I had purchased this bundle from NewEgg and added some lights to it. I think the CPUAIO came with the bundle. Now, having seen some of your beautiful designs, I'm craving more. Not lights per se but custom cabling, better cable management, and yes, even a custom loop. Your work and images continue to inspire us to make beauty out of boring. Please continue to share your builds! You never know who's just waiting for your share to be inspired. I tried to load an mp4 to imgur but it kept dying at 15%, so only pictures for now. My Dusty (North) Box Parts list - Fractal Design North Mid Tower Charcoal Black with Walnut Front and Tinted Glass Side Panel - Apparently not the choice for water cooling. Who knew? Well, everyone, probably. Don't mind me, I'm just late to the party again. MSI MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI - Eh... salight. Intel Core i7-14700K - not a bad chunk of metal and rock. CORSAIR RM1000e - because you can never have too much power. GeForce RTX™ 4070 WINDFORCE 12G - boo! Not a good card. Keeps getting waay too hot. Trying to find a waterblock for it is ... well I'm new at this so, perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. Samsung 980 PRO PCIe® 4.0 NVMe® SSD 1TB - I'm still mystified by how they packed a high rise building into such a small form factor. I keep hoping we'll get data crystals soon. CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 128GB (4x32GB) 5600MHz CL40 Intel XMP iCUE Compatible Computer Memory - Black - Kind of wishing I got no rgb on these. Coil Whine on top of Tinnitus is the total suck. If anyone knows of anything that will help besides getting rid of rgb memory all together, please let me know. Corsair iCUE H100x RGB ELITE Liquid CPU Cooler - I wish I would have known to get a 360 with 3 fans. I guess we all learn sometime. Corsair iCUE SP120 RGB ELITE Performance 120mm PWM Fan — Triple Pack with Lighting Node CORE - plus an extra one for the third on front end. It's not just a dusty box, it's a hot dusty box. Should name it Walnut Sahara. AsiaHorse ARGB Light Strip for Motherboard, 28 Independent Addressable RGB, 5V 3-pin Motherboard Aura Sync, Lightsaber-X Led PC Parts Kit Compatible with ATX - Because it's pretty! EZDIY-FAB GPU Holder Brace Graphics Card GPU Support Video Card Holder Bracket with 5V 3 Pin ARGB LED, Video Card Sag HoldeHolster Bracket Support RX6700,RTX3090- 309EZ-Black - for extra added support, where you need it the most. Couple of notes - I'm reading up on custom loops and what not. Sadly, Corsair doesn't like my box for their configurator. Something about radiator configurations not compatible. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, it's a case with air cooling in mind so size wasn't really a concern, I guess. They did come out with a larger model later that when I wrote to Fractal for ideas on water cooling my dusty hot box, they told me I should buy the new model instead of the one I already own. Like, yeah but I already own one. I suppose I shouldn't be concerned and just keep going with whatever I want to do. I mean what's the worst that can happen? I flood the power supply, short out my electricity and end up starting a small fire in my office? Bah. Really though, even EKWB is like, naw. We don't know her, when I hit them up about a water block for my gpu. Wrote them and everything. Srsly. They said, "We appreciate your interest in our products and are sorry to inform you that there is currently no Water block available for the RTX 4070. Regrettably, there are no plans to develop one at this time. Please know that we understand how frustrating it can be when you're unable to find a suitable product for your needs. I want to assure you that we have carefully considered all options and unfortunately, developing a Water block for your GPU is not feasible for us at this time."They don't do 4070's at all. Like no S'tina... naw. No water block for you! Like but whyyyyy? Anyway, that's Walnut Sahara, my dusty hot box, so far. Thinking I may do the cords next. Probably only need three; the 24pin, the 8x2, and the 8 for the gpu. I'm thinking gold and black. Oh, maybe I can find some custom wood jobbies and slap them up in there so when the fans kick on from the heat, I smell cedar. Lemonade! So, feel free to advise, castigate, or just scroll past as you see fit. If you feel compelled to address any of my concerns, I am forever grateful! Whatever you do, don't stop imagining what could be. Creativity is one of the only things we have in this world that allows us to work a little magic and make the world a better place |
2024.05.15 04:51 Storms_Wrath The Human Artificial Hivemind Part 512: The Pact Of Blades
First Previous Wiki
Ezeonwha was walking down a long hallway. The dry and plain painted walls and the pure white lighting of the lower levels of the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office helped to frame the dingy realities of those who could only afford these floors. Not even capable of having windows, these were for those who were the cheapest of the cheap or those who mingled with them. He'd passed several Guides on the way in, their claws echoing in the halls as a sign of authority in this lawless land.
Here, mediocrity was king, and he was a loyal servant. He drew his cloak closer about his neck, unwilling to reveal himself to those who weren't already equipped to see through it all. He was famous enough to be an abduction target if he let his guard down. This place was no exception, though Justicar tried to make them such. Too much security on the higher levels and too little on the lower levels. That was the way of things.
Another hallway, this one marked with bullet holes. Two contractors and a Guide were discussing the pricing of the fix project when he turned the corner. Their voices quieted to nothing, the stillness pressing down upon them with the same intensity as the false lighting. Ezeonwha clacked his jaws, giving them a low bow before continuing on his way. He saw the Guide's eyes light up with the sign of his implants getting a reading. It was another impromptu way of tracking via facial recognition, but it was an ancient practice.
Nothing was new about what the Guides did; only how many of them seemed to be on general patrol. Had Justicar hired more of them or actually done full conversions for all of them? Those arm cannons surely weren't cheap or ethical to insert into unwilling participants. And giving a victim a gun they couldn't be disarmed of was a very bad idea, even for Elders. And Justicar was better than most Elders when it came to abject stupidity. He'd likely only been dropped a few hundred times as a child versus the more likely Elder average of a few thousand.
Ezeonwha chuckled at his internal joke, heading deeper underground into the complex. He was going to a certain meeting, and it would be best not to be late. Even if the Guides tracked him, it wouldn't be negative. The group he had been approached by a few days ago wasn't a terror group. He'd looked them up. They dealt in 'freedom and liberation from all chains.'
The Eyes Of Liberty had focused upon Penny as their latest propaganda target and perhaps as a valuable ally in their fight against all tyranny. Though such a flowery message was likely steeped in idealism for the lower ranks, with more pragmatic and likely richer inner circle elites and leaders ensuring the pot would always simmer but never boil or grow cold. That was the way movements such as these managed to skirt the line between inaction and terrorism.
It was a dangerous thing to do. But these were dangerous times. If Penny left, he'd die. Someone with a grudge would kill him. It was a given, and he'd made peace with it now. He needed to get to work, to help others like him and those worse off, with just a small piece of the meager time he had left.
He was in the system as a friend of Penny, so little scrutiny would fall on him as he came and went. He had a new friend, one who was very interested in connecting to Penny.
The offer had come through his communicator, and he'd answered it given its interesting title. After a lengthy discussion about their goals for him and Penny, he'd agreed to at least have a meeting. He didn't tell them that he had a tracker from Phoebe, which would 'be impossible to miss' if things went badly. He knew the value he had, which was why one of the androids was also accompanying him under the guise of being a Sprilnav.
The android was 'walking' on all fours, its mechanical motion entirely silent. It was obscured by a wave of holograms and hard light holograms that would ensure that it wouldn't be considered suspicious beside him. His only guard was a capable one, and Phoebe had all the confidence of an AI who knew that the destruction of her android would only be an inconvenience for her.
Ezeonwha came to an unmarked door with a well-worn door frame. One knock. One pause. Two knocks. Another pause. Four knocks. He waited, and the door swung open. Eight Sprilnav greeted him warily but warmly, their eyes shifting to Phoebe.
The inside of the room was a dull red, coming from a pair of lights in the center of the ceiling that cast dark shadows near the edges. The whole room felt dark and dangerous, and the walls were lined with guns, computers, and several drones. Shelves and drawers were neatly stacked against the wall, as well as five couches and four double beds with ladder access to the top portions.
Bags of food rested atop a trash compactor unit, and the room service button on the inner side of the wall that Ezeonwha could see in the mirror was worn down to the raw metal. No paint jobs here, only grit and business. The room faintly smelled of body odor and assorted foods. Not entirely unpleasant, but also not what he'd expected from a group with sich a flamboyant name. Perhaps they worked in cell-based units. And that was another thing.
Minds were visible in the distance of the mindscape, but the people here were huddled together mentally. They appeared to be haphazard, but Ezeonwha recognized an old army-type defensive formation a mere step from each of their positions. They were more than they appeared. Though based on how their room looked, they probably weren't veterans, just decently trained.
As they walked through the doorway, a scanner activated. One of the Sprilnav, wearing a headset with numbers and letters swirling on the inner side of the visor, called out: "Phoebe android. Commando variant. Risk assessment: Certain Death. Ezeonwha. Carrying two pistols, one hidden in the pack on his left, and the other tucked inside a strap near the lower bottom of his chest."
That made them all pause, sizing each other up. Ezeonwha smiled nervously, failing terribly to break the building tension once again. His nerves started to get to him, but finally, Phoebe spoke. "Well, friends. I, for one, am happy to talk of the business of liberty. Tell us, what do you have in mind for my friend Ezeonwha?"
"It is not about him, AI. It is about the freedom all sentient beings deserve, and which we shall bring to the galaxy no matter if we are alive or dead."
"An honorable goal to strive toward," Phoebe said.
"Thank you. Your words are quite kind for your type."
"I didn't know I had one," Phoebe replied. "But thank you."
Ezeonwha turned his head toward the Sprilnav with all the fancy equipment.
"What is the best way for me and Penny to help in the fight?"
"The best way would be for you to start killing the gang leaders you come across. Barring that, have Penny ignore the graveyards, and continue freeing the slaves as she ought to. The dead have their freedom; the living need her work more."
"I agree with my companion," another of them said. "So far, Penny has done more for the fight for justice than any other on Justicar in generations, so it is a terrible thing to ask more, but we must ask. Even knowing the terrible toll it would have if she loses the Judgment, Sprilnav are at stake."
"People are at stake, you mean," Ezeonwha said. "There is no need to bring species into this."
"There would not be, but it is still a clear factor," another of them said, a female who looked more shifty in her gaze and demeanor. The Eyes of Liberty seemed like one of those groups with too much division.
"Do you disagree with each other often?" Ezeonwha asked innocently.
"Here and there," the tech guy said. "Not often enough to be a problem, and not when what matters is at stake."
"But that is the thing. How can you agree on when something that matters is a stake?"
"Is this a test?"
"Why would it be? Think of it as a genuine concern," Ezeonwha said. "To associate with your group, I have to be certain it will be resilient to change and risks escalating in the future. If the gangs cannot strike at Penny, they will pick the next best targets. Currently, that is me. If I associate with you in a way they can find out, and I assure you they will find out eventually, you all may be at risk as well. And your group's seemingly cell-based design also means large scale mobilization is difficult, ineffective, and risks severe coordination issues which cannot be quickly or safely remedied without changing core security features of it."
"You deduced all of that from context? You are smart, Ezeonwha. And have a good brain in your head. Everlasting knows we need one of those between all of us."
They all shared a laugh.
"I am not as young as I may look," Ezeonwha said. "Penny is not properly learned of the danger that faces us here. I am. The Underground will kill me when this is over. Do you want to die alongside me, all for your beliefs?"
Silence descended again. Ezeonwha kept the pressure on them when one of them stepped forward. "For freedom and liberty? Yes. I would die for that."
"As would I."
"And I."
They all declared the rest in orders that followed the patterns Ezeonwha was noticing. There were variances in their levels of belief and faith in their purpose. Each person had a different level of value difference, which meant that their lives would be worth more or less comparatively.
Cohesion was weaker, too. Not a full defector team, but likely pieces of several. Was that by design from a higher up leader, or was that just circumstance? Another thing to figure out later, that wasn't critical yet, but he would know before he truly went on any missions with them, if he did at all.
He suspected running messages to Penny would be the majority of their tasks. The quality of intelligence the Eyes of Liberty had offered was substantial. Perhaps enough for Penny to turn herself from a major annoyance to the gangs into an actual existential threat. With Justicar's swarming protection of the Fort Court and the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office, there was a limited amount of things that even the gangs could do. And if the rumors were correct, a Progenitor would be partaking in the trial.
"To be clear, if I join up with you, Phoebe would come too."
"Why would we let an AI join us?"
Phoebe smiled. "Without me, you'll die in this fight. You have trained for around 2000 days. You're acceptable combatants, as is Ezeonwha. But you are fighting in a city, and underneath it. You need to know how to keep a low profile. You need to know how to move through a crowd, get in and out. And you need to keep collateral damage to a zero, or the gangs will use you like they have others who had your purpose and were less careful to justify their 'protection' continuing. If you march in there and kill 50 slavers, if you kill a few slaves or a single bystander in the process, your credibility will be smeared. And frankly, with me on your team, you won't get blown up by an IED when you try clearing your first room in a fortress."
"IED?" One of them asked, while the rest digested her statement, going through various levels of offended looks.
"Your translator is too cheap. Improvised explosive device. Here, that can be old engines, reused oil, cracked plastic, frictional fuel bombs, circuit extruders, sodium splash grenades, as well as the more military style attacks they can pack, from small micro rockets all the way up to lower level fission or fusion bombs. Though if you're in a fight with those things involved, you're already dead."
"Why?"
"Because unless you're Elders, or holograms, a nuke will kill you whether you're right next to it or just inside the same shield. They concentrate the thermal pulse, so your bones would be ash before the pain hit your eyes."
"And what protection could you bring against that?"
"Telling you it's there before you start the attack. That is, if you listen to me. I value your lives over that of this android, but also I value Ezeonwha over all of you combined. I will not prevent him from doing this, but I will have you all know the risks involved."
"We are prepared, Phoebe. We have done much of the training you say, though we do not believe the gangs would plant explosive devices in their own fortresses. There is too much risk around that, with betrayals so common. However, the minefields we have scouted are easy to defeat with the right tactics. Perhaps you can give us a briefing on those, too?"
A challenge.
"I can, depending on how long you wish to do this for. But I have the stamina for either hours or weeks, depending on which you choose."
"What of your batteries?"
"They are of sufficient quality," Phoebe assured.
"I hope so."
Their tech guy nodded, more numbers flashing on his visor. Ezeonwha hoped he had a different way of display, like through an implant or something, for the missions in darker areas. The Underground was, by its name, not a place where much natural light was to be found. And the gangs controlled all the power systems in their territory. It was another part of the racket.
"Why aren't you guarding Penny?"
Phoebe's back straightened, a subconscious posture change to make her seem more confident. Ezeonwha caught the tactic for what it was, though without extensive knowledge of bipedal forms, it was less likely the surrounding Sprilnav knew it.
"Penny proved before a trillion eyes she's capable of fighting Elders, Progenitors, and a Dreadnaught Captain. Not to mention her immense power. I can shoot bullets, but she can literally snatch them out of the air and eat them. She has her own way of doing things, and it is a good way."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Penny landed in the rubble and headed for the Vaquah with a trail of survivors behind her. Many of them, she could recognize the marks of slavery on, with numbers or brands on their skin or just the trauma crouching in their eyes dulled by the pain of a long life in a work camp. Penny went through the wreckage to the shield surrounding the rubble and the defining line between the rest of the city and the destruction. Several news drones flew above her.
More were arriving from various directions. The soft footsteps grew into a constant drumming sound, like a beating heart of doom. Penny marched with them, heading to the spaceport. A large medical operation there quickly rerouted many of its various branches to the most injured freed slaves.
Penny pressed her considerable psychic energy on the entire group, accelerating their healing, slowing bleeding, and generally repairing their bodies and cells from the trauma they'd suffered. But the cloud over their heads did not brighten. The atmosphere remained tense and mournful. Many of them had lost friends, family, and more. She had no right to ask them to feel any different.
She had freed them, that was all. They were not her servants. She was not their ruler.
Several of them came up to her, offering thanks in the small ways they could. Kind words. Attempts at hugs. Even offers of devout prayer and worship, which Penny respectfully declined. She knew, as did most of them, that veneration for her deeds was inevitable. She didn't want to be seen encouraging it at all, since this was a public place where many eyes were upon her.
She knew that it would be misconstrued as a threat if she did. Religions were some of the most major threats entrenched powers could face if not properly co-opted by the state to suit their needs. And here, the 'state' was a military dictatorship billions of years old, ripened with corruption, money, and the immortality of Elders sporting technology beyond any other in the galaxy.
The sky was blue with shields overhead. The Vaquah hung in the distance, its thrusters gently burning to keep it aloft. A trail of shuttles linked the massive ship with several spaceports, including this one. Penny watched the freed Sprilnav get on it one by one, promising themselves to a new life aboard her ship. Technically, they were citizens of the Autonomous Peoples' Stars.
That protection, Penny knew, was why the Vaquah and its innocent inhabitants were still intact. Elders already had hired mercenaries to attack it. They'd failed, thanks to Rimiaha and Penny, but also the defenses of Kashaunta's Grand Fleet when it was in higher orbit. Kashaunta, despite her willingness to use Penny as she would, also had a certain intelligence and empathy. It was highly selective, and only money and power seemed to flip that switch.
But Penny needed the Elder, and Kashaunta only had use for her as an asset. She palmed the new communicator Kashaunta had issued her after the last one's destruction. Kashaunta's hologram appeared. It looked around, noticing the news drones in the air.
"Not here."
"Where?"
"You will know."
In the mindscape, a Sprilnav appeared on Penny's layer. They felt odd to her, almost like the minds of certain humans high up in the hivemind's network. Penny greeted the Sprilnav warmly.
"Hello."
"Queen and Elder Kashaunta requests your presence on her flagship."
"Very well."
In reality, Penny looked around at the crowd. She waited until it dwindled to nothing, and then spoke.
"Displace."
Conceptual energy twisted, and she stood on Kashaunta's flagship, though nearer to the edge than she'd expected. The Elder was waiting for her in an outfit that looked much like pajamas, though they were under a few armor pieces that appeared anything but decorative. Now that Penny noticed it, it was the same sort of armor that Yasihaut had worn to their last encounter, which interfered with conceptual energy. The Sprilnav were highly advanced. She wondered just how far their technology could go. She'd heard mentions of some ships having artificial gravity, and of nanites and programmable matter. But nothing certain.
"Hmm," Kashaunta said, giving Penny a once over. "You have come back. Shall I assume you are still my ally?"
"Nervous, are we?"
"Nervous is what you should be, Penny. The Judgment is coming. Ten days. Indrafabar and Justicar will both be on the court as High Judges. That is not good for us at all. So I figured a bit of prudence was in order. I have thought long and hard about this, and with the great battles of our time so fast approaching, I figure it is time to mend our relationship before the chasm grows any wider."
Kashaunta motioned to a special looking sword sheath on her back. Slowly, she drew a sword. A Soul Blade. Penny began to draw up her armor.
"Oh, I am not wishing for a fight, Penny. I know the damage you could do, even in my sanctum in the sky. Tell me, do you know how Soul Blades are forged?"
"No."
"Good. And tell me, do you know why they draw so much power to swing, even for Elders and beings as capable as us?"
"I have a few theories."
"I am sure you do," Kashaunta said. "But here is the thing. Soul Blades are typically weapons assigned to highly promising Elders, or even Progenitors. Filnatra, undisputed sword master that she is, can wield them as easily as breathing. If I were to swing this blade, there would be no drawback. Why?"
"Because you own that Soul Blade."
"Because this Soul Blade is mine. It is not just something I own. I own around seven or so more Soul Blades, with some weapons nearing their quality lying in my various vaults even now. You did not detect them, because I willed that not to be. I need you to understand this, Penny. You have power. You have might. But you are not invincible. My Soul Blade, if it struck you, would not cutely separate Nilnacrawla or Cardinality from you. Nor would your speeding space entity be able to block this blade with his flesh. If this cut you, it would release unending agony upon you before you exploded in a burst of burnt gore."
Penny sighed. "There is no need to threaten me. Allies do not threaten each other."
"But you do not see me as an ally. You see me as your means to get through the Judgment. You believe I see you as nothing more but a linear singularity maker, and perhaps a passing curiosity I'm backing on a whim. You neglect to imagine that there might be firmer reasons why I back you, and why more Elders are getting drawn into this conflict. You believe I am comfortable with showing you my more pragmatic and ruthless sides because I am comfortable with the fact that you cannot harm me. That you would not dare to do so, when you need my assistance so badly. That I might even be aiming to normalize my 'new' self with you."
"That is hardly my belief alone."
"Is it now."
Kashaunta grinned. There was no warmth in her gaze.
"Nilnacrawla," Kashaunta said. "Cardinality. Exile. Come out and show yourselves. You are being rude as guests."
Exile detached from Penny's head. He grew into the shifting array of fractals and shapes she was more familiar with. What had once grated on her eyes did so no longer. Kashaunta stared at the speeding space entity for ten seconds, then looked back up at Penny.
"He will not work on us. I will cover his form with holograms if he walks through my ship out of courtesy for my workers and crew, if he cannot."
"I am capable, Queen Kashaunta."
"You are quite knowledgable, aren't you?" Kashaunta mused, looking at him hungrily. "Oh, how I wonder what secrets you have in your head. How many of ours do you know?"
"I will not be taken as a hostage," Exile said.
"You will not because I decide not to," Kashaunta said. "Formally, our species are still at war. There is no treaty."
"The Sp'rkial'nova no longer exist."
"Yes, they do," Kashaunta said. "The name was discontinued for use regarding the lesser specimens we created. But I can assure you, Exile, if you wish to go by that name here, that we still do exist. I am a Sp'rkial'nova in the flesh. In the blood. In the mind. In the soul."
"Say what you will, Sprilnav. It changes nothing."
"On that I agree. Though our views on how things are may differ, and yours is wrong, your opinion is not valuable enough to matter."
She turned to Penny. She would have defended Exile, but he gave her a simple shake of his head area.
Nilnacrawla formed out of psychic energy in front of Penny. Cardi did the same beside her. Kashaunta tapped a claw on the ground. Tables and chairs appeared. A chef brought in food that looked passable and a few decent attempts at human cuisine.
"We do not have to eat, though I would expect that all of you at least sit at the table. We will discuss our grievances, and how to solve them before we proceed with the future. We shall first go to the matter of the Alliance. Penny, many in their number wish to establish contact with you. Do you agree to this? If so, I will add their communicator numbers to the translation program I have reserved for your personal use, in case your own device needs another sudden replacement."
"I agree."
"Good. A first step of diplomacy, I would say. Agreement. Now, Nilnacrawla, you look like you have something to say to me. What is it?"
"Free Meridia."
"Meridia was detonated by planet cracker during the 139th Sector 9 Border War. I am sorry more could not be done."
A cold draft of air rushed out of Nilnacrawla's nose. He glared at her. "You let them die."
"I did not. A Grand Fleet was defending that star system, and three came to lay siege. I am many things. A tactician, a queen, an Elder. But I am not a god. I cannot perform miracles. I evacuated 30 billion people from that world and its surrounding stations before the planet crackers hit it. 4 trillion more souls died in that blast. The best I can do is to offer an apology."
"That will never be enough for what you did. If you had never established your nation, they would still be alive."
"They would be slaves. Chattel slaves, not that cute little 'wage slavery' concept privileged people throw around. Perhaps I should remind you just how much darker that reality would have been for your female descendents, specifically. I am a brutal warlord, a dictator with an iron fist. But my claws do not squeeze nearly as tightly as I could. Metrics say that I could extract at least 370% more profit from my people if I simply enslaved them. But despite the shock this may bring to you all, I do have principles. The Autonomous Peoples' Stars are my people. My nation. My empire, if you think I'm imperialist. But I protect them as best I can."
Nilnacrawla's cold anger didn't lessen. Penny placed a calming hand on his front left thigh. He blinked. He let out a long, pained sigh. And he bowed his head to her. Not to Kashaunta, but to Penny.
"There is no need to be cruel."
"My language was accurate, Penny. He is a strong Elder. Everlasting knows he's stronger than most of these fools. Nilnacrawla was and is a hero of the Source war. I respect him enough not to mince words, or to give platitudes. Coddling is for babies. Nilnacrawla is far more mature."
Kashaunta turned to Cardi. "You have been remarkably silent in this, concept."
"I have."
"A wonderfully succinct statement. Perhaps you can shorten it further. But nevertheless, you and I will be working together with Penny much more in the near future. Rest assured, if you refuse to become more independent, you will be nothing more than a crutch for her to rely on before leaving her to fall when you are ripped away."
"When, Elder? I would like to think your protection is sufficient."
"I am sure the truth is quite the opposite, dear. I will now get to the point. Penny needs to move faster, and needs to break out of her shell. She needs to be pushed to do more. She has signed a binding treaty, which shows she is capable of more than barbarian aliens, as some Elders would call her. You, Cardinality, will help her be a high achiever. To do this, you need to learn more about your own history.
That is the theme of the year, after all. History. My history, Penny's history, Sprilnav history, and even Gaia's history, it would seem."
"Gaia? What do they have to do with all of this?" Penny asked.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that."
"Excuse me? You don't get to decide that, Kashaunta. You will tell me. I refuse to be coddled, like you say. I demand the respect I am owed."
"You forget yourself, Penny."
"I remember myself, actually. I am all I need to be. I can become all I need if I must. You can hold your backing against me all you want, but you won't withdraw it. As you said, more binds you and I than mere money and ideology."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then I've doomed my species and my nation to war, and this planet to the full power of my wrath."
"Wrath, Penny. Wrath. The Sprilnav have many words for anger, rage, hatred. There is the desire for vengeance, in varying degrees. There is that for justice, which does differ. And that for belonging. I know you believe you are standing up to me as a way to assert your own authority in this relationship of ours. You believe I see you as inferior, and will pull back my help when it is profitable for me. I will not offer you the consequences of what your words could mean.
You already know them, and that argument is as stale as your view on us Elders. I will say this once, Penny. You are the Champion of Humanity. The apex predator of your planet, the only one mostly in charge of an Alliance that does more than merely dream of overthrowing us. It is easy for me to say you are not a threat, though I do not ignore the threat you and your nation are trying to become. Gaia will be a part of your movement, but even my information is not entirely complete. I will not mislead you by claiming I know Gaia's link to this, just that there likely is one.
And I am not unreasonably petty. I am willing to put all our animosity behind us and start anew. Even if you are not willing to do the same, I am willing to make this work for us. You have more people to care for than just the Alliance, now. Do not forget them."
"A lot of words that mean nothing."
"Because you heard, but did not listen. Perhaps it will be easier this way, Penny. I want you to win."
"Explain."
"You wish to overthrow the current Sprilnav led order of the galaxy. Your path to that will likely be through mass slave revolt. A viable strategy that I could spread far beyond just this planet. And I actually agree with you. This Judgment, this utter insanity around the Alliance and your species has shown me the truth. The Elders as a class and a species cannot be trusted to rule any longer. We need new leaders. Better leaders."
"And yourself?"
"As the hypocrite that I am, and the power-hungry ruler of the Sprilnav, I would obviously exclude myself from that number. Let's be realistic. The Sprilnav will never accept a non-Elder ruler. If you wish to see what our insurgencies would be like, imagine the 2090s Struggles of Asia. Expand that to billions of planets, large and small. Countless ships and space stations. We have more collective ships than you have people. And as your military planners know, there is no such thing as an unarmed ship. Without us, without me, your plans are stillborn. Your galactic Alliance or whatever you make will fall to pieces without proper counseling. In essence, my offer to you, and you alone, is this. The galaxy, for the Sprilnav."
"Who backs your offer, with the power to give it?"
Progenitors Lecalicus and Nova appeared in the room.
"I back Kashaunta," Lecalicus wheezed.
"I observe her offer, and wish it a proper outcome," Nova said.
"Thank you, esteemed Progenitors," Kashaunta said, standing just to bow to them. Penny stared at Nova, balling her fists.
"There will be time for battle later," he said. "But not now. Hear out her request. She does not make it lightly."
The Progenitors disappeared.
"If I accept your offer, it will be on a written record."
"No. It will not be, because if that record is written, my nation will be facing war on all sides. A better idea would be for us to keep this under wraps."
"Perfect for betrayal," Nilnacrawla muttered.
"It would be, yes. But consider the second part of this situation, Nilncrawla. If word of this galactic offer, not just the Pact, were to get out, which is why two Progenitors who know the price of interference were called here, it would mean the deaths of Penny and all her kind. Or do you forget what rapidly approaches us?"
Nilnacrawla frowned. "I did. I apologize, Penny."
Kashaunta spoke up again.
"Penny. You believe I will betray you. So I make an offer of collateral. An offer so unbelievably sacred for us Elders that many would recoil at the mere thought of it. Now that you have signed a backed treaty, you are fully qualified."
Kashaunta grabbed her Soul Blade and presented it to Penny.
"What does this mean?"
"Nilnacrawla, tell her," Kashaunta said. "She will trust your mouth more than mine."
"Bonded Soul Blades are priceless artifacts," Nilnacrawla said. "To offer one to another is the ultimate gesture of trust and respect among many martial Sprilnav cultures. It can also allow for a mind bridge, a soul pact, or a proposal for marriage between two great houses, martial families, or Elders of great wealth and power. To offer this to a human... to anyone... is an ultimate sign of backing, and one of trust.
It is a sacrosanct honor, the absolute agreement of speaking truth and respect. The words I can use in any human language are insufficient to describe the weight of this honor. This gesture is one of absolute truth. Family lines with hatred going back millions of years would never dare to violate this honor."
"Only one Elder in history did so, one who once led a group known as the Stannic Resistance. He does so no longer. Penny Balica, Champion of Humanity... if there is nothing else I can give you to prove that I do really back you, there is this."
"...Just how low are my chances in the Judgment for you to resort to this?" Penny asked.
"They are not zero, but your battle with be incredibly difficult even with this boon of mine. The future of the galaxy, I now realize, hinges on the outcome of this. If we do not have enough trust, they will sniff it out, and we will fail."
So she had no choice. But as Nilncrawla continued to explain in her mind, Kashaunta was getting the worse side of the deal. Which meant she was throwing her backing behind Penny for real, beyond all reproach and retraction. Kashaunta, the most powerful Elder in the galaxy.
"And if I reject this gift, or your reasons for it?"
"Circumstances would demand that I kill you and then myself using this blade as a way to cut apart the dishonor, before my remains are dumped into a black hole to be forgotten forever. I would not do this."
"A dark and archaic custom," Penny said. She would have said more, but she looked at Nilnacrawla's face. He was clearly deeply uncomfortable. Her five words had shaken him more than anything she'd ever said to him before.
"You do not understand," Nilnacrawla said. "This is not something to joke or lie about. With a Soul Blade Pact in play, all else must cease. Right now, there is you, and there is her. Accept or decline. The choice, your only choice, is yours."
"How will this look to the Elders in the court? To the Sprilnav, and the people who back me?"
She could see how it would be a boon and a curse.
"You, and I," Kashaunta said. "The whole of the universe between us right now is you and I. No others exist until this one act is done. There will be trust or there will be death. No in between. No middle ground. The nature of this bond will be a Pact of Blades."
Conceptual energy swirled between them. Penny's natural translation, as part of the hivemind, failed for the first time ever. Her communicator likewise did not translate the words Kashaunta spoke.
"Eis nama kaste Penny Balica, sun lanci Dorima Kashaunta. Ko'ri, lanci nupa bes na Dorima'Pecunyanova. Sp'rkial'nova. Sun. Homo Sapiens."
The air grew thick with tension. It was not just emotional, either. Psychic and conceptual energy gathered. The mindscape started to distort as more and more eyes began to view Kashaunta and Penny. But all of them were Sprilnav eyes. All of them were Progenitors. Nova's appeared brightest and largest, nearly six times the size of the next largest pair. They stared at her, sending psychic and conceptual energy down upon her in waves that forced her and Kashaunta to kneel to the ground.
"I apologize for my earlier words," Penny said. "I should not have denigrated this."
Penny stood for an hour, deeply contemplating the Pact. If it was as Nilnacrawla was describing to her, it was a promise that Kashaunta would not break. If she was offering it at all, especially to Penny, it meant she had a level of trust in Penny's capability far above what Penny had previously thought. Apparently, there were even higher agreements than this that were possible, with this Pact being the lowest level of bond and considered unbreakable with the enforcement of consequences coming from the Progenitors themselves.
She thought of her place in Justicar and the wider universe. Hours passed like water. And then, by the end of it, after nearly 19 hours, Penny finally had decided. She gave a short nod to Kashaunta, who had been kneeling to Nova all this time.
Kashaunta gestured at the sword. "Tol, nopa shikai."
Nilnacrawla fed her a few suggestions on what she would need to say.
"I come to this Pact seeking peace, justice, and hope," Penny said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery."
Nilnacrawla translated Kashaunta's next words to her.
"I come to this seeking trust, understanding, respect, and peace," Kashaunta said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery. I make this Pact before the gods, those who equal them, and those who surpass them. I bind them to an oath of silence regarding this event, until I directly instruct them otherwise, in a state of a sound mind, body, and soul. Here, we shall step into a future that needs both of us, casting aside that which is unimportant to focus on the ultimate goals we have. I offer my Blade to Penny Balica, of species Homo Sapiens. In this way, we forge a new future, and walk a new path. I accept the Pact."
"I accept the Pact."
Nova and a hundred Progenitors descended. Nova grew larger, and Kashaunta knelt to him. Penny remained standing. His sharp teeth glittered in the light. He pressed his claws to Penny's chest, and to Kashaunta's chest.
"The Pact of Blades is made before the Progenitors. We agree to your vow of silence. The penalty of breaking it will be dismemberment and disposal into a black hole. Penny Balica, Engineer Kashaunta. To break this Pact without mutual agreement is to call down our collective wrath upon yourselves. You both have agreed, and are of sound mind, body, and soul. The Pact is forged. By sword, by word, by action. I, Nova, Everlasting, Lord of the Progenitors, King of all Sp'rkial'nova, Heir to the Mantle of Power, Heir to Narvravarana, Progenitor, Elder, and Sprilnav, declare the deed done, etched in time, space, and Reality."
They winked out of existence one by one, leaving Penny and Kashaunta alone, to ponder the future. Penny's thoughts turned to the Judgment, and her confidence she could win it began to waver. How much worse was this Judgment going to be than before?
Penny stared at Kashaunta's Soul Blade. With careful fingers, she took it. Kashaunta sat up, satisfied.
"Now we can begin. I shall compile all the news about you I can find, and we shall see how to address the questions the High Judges will ask. Now that you trust me, I cannot betray you."
submitted by Storms_Wrath to HFY [link] [comments]
Ezeonwha was walking down a long hallway. The dry and plain painted walls and the pure white lighting of the lower levels of the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office helped to frame the dingy realities of those who could only afford these floors. Not even capable of having windows, these were for those who were the cheapest of the cheap or those who mingled with them. He'd passed several Guides on the way in, their claws echoing in the halls as a sign of authority in this lawless land.
Here, mediocrity was king, and he was a loyal servant. He drew his cloak closer about his neck, unwilling to reveal himself to those who weren't already equipped to see through it all. He was famous enough to be an abduction target if he let his guard down. This place was no exception, though Justicar tried to make them such. Too much security on the higher levels and too little on the lower levels. That was the way of things.
Another hallway, this one marked with bullet holes. Two contractors and a Guide were discussing the pricing of the fix project when he turned the corner. Their voices quieted to nothing, the stillness pressing down upon them with the same intensity as the false lighting. Ezeonwha clacked his jaws, giving them a low bow before continuing on his way. He saw the Guide's eyes light up with the sign of his implants getting a reading. It was another impromptu way of tracking via facial recognition, but it was an ancient practice.
Nothing was new about what the Guides did; only how many of them seemed to be on general patrol. Had Justicar hired more of them or actually done full conversions for all of them? Those arm cannons surely weren't cheap or ethical to insert into unwilling participants. And giving a victim a gun they couldn't be disarmed of was a very bad idea, even for Elders. And Justicar was better than most Elders when it came to abject stupidity. He'd likely only been dropped a few hundred times as a child versus the more likely Elder average of a few thousand.
Ezeonwha chuckled at his internal joke, heading deeper underground into the complex. He was going to a certain meeting, and it would be best not to be late. Even if the Guides tracked him, it wouldn't be negative. The group he had been approached by a few days ago wasn't a terror group. He'd looked them up. They dealt in 'freedom and liberation from all chains.'
The Eyes Of Liberty had focused upon Penny as their latest propaganda target and perhaps as a valuable ally in their fight against all tyranny. Though such a flowery message was likely steeped in idealism for the lower ranks, with more pragmatic and likely richer inner circle elites and leaders ensuring the pot would always simmer but never boil or grow cold. That was the way movements such as these managed to skirt the line between inaction and terrorism.
It was a dangerous thing to do. But these were dangerous times. If Penny left, he'd die. Someone with a grudge would kill him. It was a given, and he'd made peace with it now. He needed to get to work, to help others like him and those worse off, with just a small piece of the meager time he had left.
He was in the system as a friend of Penny, so little scrutiny would fall on him as he came and went. He had a new friend, one who was very interested in connecting to Penny.
The offer had come through his communicator, and he'd answered it given its interesting title. After a lengthy discussion about their goals for him and Penny, he'd agreed to at least have a meeting. He didn't tell them that he had a tracker from Phoebe, which would 'be impossible to miss' if things went badly. He knew the value he had, which was why one of the androids was also accompanying him under the guise of being a Sprilnav.
The android was 'walking' on all fours, its mechanical motion entirely silent. It was obscured by a wave of holograms and hard light holograms that would ensure that it wouldn't be considered suspicious beside him. His only guard was a capable one, and Phoebe had all the confidence of an AI who knew that the destruction of her android would only be an inconvenience for her.
Ezeonwha came to an unmarked door with a well-worn door frame. One knock. One pause. Two knocks. Another pause. Four knocks. He waited, and the door swung open. Eight Sprilnav greeted him warily but warmly, their eyes shifting to Phoebe.
The inside of the room was a dull red, coming from a pair of lights in the center of the ceiling that cast dark shadows near the edges. The whole room felt dark and dangerous, and the walls were lined with guns, computers, and several drones. Shelves and drawers were neatly stacked against the wall, as well as five couches and four double beds with ladder access to the top portions.
Bags of food rested atop a trash compactor unit, and the room service button on the inner side of the wall that Ezeonwha could see in the mirror was worn down to the raw metal. No paint jobs here, only grit and business. The room faintly smelled of body odor and assorted foods. Not entirely unpleasant, but also not what he'd expected from a group with sich a flamboyant name. Perhaps they worked in cell-based units. And that was another thing.
Minds were visible in the distance of the mindscape, but the people here were huddled together mentally. They appeared to be haphazard, but Ezeonwha recognized an old army-type defensive formation a mere step from each of their positions. They were more than they appeared. Though based on how their room looked, they probably weren't veterans, just decently trained.
As they walked through the doorway, a scanner activated. One of the Sprilnav, wearing a headset with numbers and letters swirling on the inner side of the visor, called out: "Phoebe android. Commando variant. Risk assessment: Certain Death. Ezeonwha. Carrying two pistols, one hidden in the pack on his left, and the other tucked inside a strap near the lower bottom of his chest."
That made them all pause, sizing each other up. Ezeonwha smiled nervously, failing terribly to break the building tension once again. His nerves started to get to him, but finally, Phoebe spoke. "Well, friends. I, for one, am happy to talk of the business of liberty. Tell us, what do you have in mind for my friend Ezeonwha?"
"It is not about him, AI. It is about the freedom all sentient beings deserve, and which we shall bring to the galaxy no matter if we are alive or dead."
"An honorable goal to strive toward," Phoebe said.
"Thank you. Your words are quite kind for your type."
"I didn't know I had one," Phoebe replied. "But thank you."
Ezeonwha turned his head toward the Sprilnav with all the fancy equipment.
"What is the best way for me and Penny to help in the fight?"
"The best way would be for you to start killing the gang leaders you come across. Barring that, have Penny ignore the graveyards, and continue freeing the slaves as she ought to. The dead have their freedom; the living need her work more."
"I agree with my companion," another of them said. "So far, Penny has done more for the fight for justice than any other on Justicar in generations, so it is a terrible thing to ask more, but we must ask. Even knowing the terrible toll it would have if she loses the Judgment, Sprilnav are at stake."
"People are at stake, you mean," Ezeonwha said. "There is no need to bring species into this."
"There would not be, but it is still a clear factor," another of them said, a female who looked more shifty in her gaze and demeanor. The Eyes of Liberty seemed like one of those groups with too much division.
"Do you disagree with each other often?" Ezeonwha asked innocently.
"Here and there," the tech guy said. "Not often enough to be a problem, and not when what matters is at stake."
"But that is the thing. How can you agree on when something that matters is a stake?"
"Is this a test?"
"Why would it be? Think of it as a genuine concern," Ezeonwha said. "To associate with your group, I have to be certain it will be resilient to change and risks escalating in the future. If the gangs cannot strike at Penny, they will pick the next best targets. Currently, that is me. If I associate with you in a way they can find out, and I assure you they will find out eventually, you all may be at risk as well. And your group's seemingly cell-based design also means large scale mobilization is difficult, ineffective, and risks severe coordination issues which cannot be quickly or safely remedied without changing core security features of it."
"You deduced all of that from context? You are smart, Ezeonwha. And have a good brain in your head. Everlasting knows we need one of those between all of us."
They all shared a laugh.
"I am not as young as I may look," Ezeonwha said. "Penny is not properly learned of the danger that faces us here. I am. The Underground will kill me when this is over. Do you want to die alongside me, all for your beliefs?"
Silence descended again. Ezeonwha kept the pressure on them when one of them stepped forward. "For freedom and liberty? Yes. I would die for that."
"As would I."
"And I."
They all declared the rest in orders that followed the patterns Ezeonwha was noticing. There were variances in their levels of belief and faith in their purpose. Each person had a different level of value difference, which meant that their lives would be worth more or less comparatively.
Cohesion was weaker, too. Not a full defector team, but likely pieces of several. Was that by design from a higher up leader, or was that just circumstance? Another thing to figure out later, that wasn't critical yet, but he would know before he truly went on any missions with them, if he did at all.
He suspected running messages to Penny would be the majority of their tasks. The quality of intelligence the Eyes of Liberty had offered was substantial. Perhaps enough for Penny to turn herself from a major annoyance to the gangs into an actual existential threat. With Justicar's swarming protection of the Fort Court and the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office, there was a limited amount of things that even the gangs could do. And if the rumors were correct, a Progenitor would be partaking in the trial.
"To be clear, if I join up with you, Phoebe would come too."
"Why would we let an AI join us?"
Phoebe smiled. "Without me, you'll die in this fight. You have trained for around 2000 days. You're acceptable combatants, as is Ezeonwha. But you are fighting in a city, and underneath it. You need to know how to keep a low profile. You need to know how to move through a crowd, get in and out. And you need to keep collateral damage to a zero, or the gangs will use you like they have others who had your purpose and were less careful to justify their 'protection' continuing. If you march in there and kill 50 slavers, if you kill a few slaves or a single bystander in the process, your credibility will be smeared. And frankly, with me on your team, you won't get blown up by an IED when you try clearing your first room in a fortress."
"IED?" One of them asked, while the rest digested her statement, going through various levels of offended looks.
"Your translator is too cheap. Improvised explosive device. Here, that can be old engines, reused oil, cracked plastic, frictional fuel bombs, circuit extruders, sodium splash grenades, as well as the more military style attacks they can pack, from small micro rockets all the way up to lower level fission or fusion bombs. Though if you're in a fight with those things involved, you're already dead."
"Why?"
"Because unless you're Elders, or holograms, a nuke will kill you whether you're right next to it or just inside the same shield. They concentrate the thermal pulse, so your bones would be ash before the pain hit your eyes."
"And what protection could you bring against that?"
"Telling you it's there before you start the attack. That is, if you listen to me. I value your lives over that of this android, but also I value Ezeonwha over all of you combined. I will not prevent him from doing this, but I will have you all know the risks involved."
"We are prepared, Phoebe. We have done much of the training you say, though we do not believe the gangs would plant explosive devices in their own fortresses. There is too much risk around that, with betrayals so common. However, the minefields we have scouted are easy to defeat with the right tactics. Perhaps you can give us a briefing on those, too?"
A challenge.
"I can, depending on how long you wish to do this for. But I have the stamina for either hours or weeks, depending on which you choose."
"What of your batteries?"
"They are of sufficient quality," Phoebe assured.
"I hope so."
Their tech guy nodded, more numbers flashing on his visor. Ezeonwha hoped he had a different way of display, like through an implant or something, for the missions in darker areas. The Underground was, by its name, not a place where much natural light was to be found. And the gangs controlled all the power systems in their territory. It was another part of the racket.
"Why aren't you guarding Penny?"
Phoebe's back straightened, a subconscious posture change to make her seem more confident. Ezeonwha caught the tactic for what it was, though without extensive knowledge of bipedal forms, it was less likely the surrounding Sprilnav knew it.
"Penny proved before a trillion eyes she's capable of fighting Elders, Progenitors, and a Dreadnaught Captain. Not to mention her immense power. I can shoot bullets, but she can literally snatch them out of the air and eat them. She has her own way of doing things, and it is a good way."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Penny landed in the rubble and headed for the Vaquah with a trail of survivors behind her. Many of them, she could recognize the marks of slavery on, with numbers or brands on their skin or just the trauma crouching in their eyes dulled by the pain of a long life in a work camp. Penny went through the wreckage to the shield surrounding the rubble and the defining line between the rest of the city and the destruction. Several news drones flew above her.
More were arriving from various directions. The soft footsteps grew into a constant drumming sound, like a beating heart of doom. Penny marched with them, heading to the spaceport. A large medical operation there quickly rerouted many of its various branches to the most injured freed slaves.
Penny pressed her considerable psychic energy on the entire group, accelerating their healing, slowing bleeding, and generally repairing their bodies and cells from the trauma they'd suffered. But the cloud over their heads did not brighten. The atmosphere remained tense and mournful. Many of them had lost friends, family, and more. She had no right to ask them to feel any different.
She had freed them, that was all. They were not her servants. She was not their ruler.
Several of them came up to her, offering thanks in the small ways they could. Kind words. Attempts at hugs. Even offers of devout prayer and worship, which Penny respectfully declined. She knew, as did most of them, that veneration for her deeds was inevitable. She didn't want to be seen encouraging it at all, since this was a public place where many eyes were upon her.
She knew that it would be misconstrued as a threat if she did. Religions were some of the most major threats entrenched powers could face if not properly co-opted by the state to suit their needs. And here, the 'state' was a military dictatorship billions of years old, ripened with corruption, money, and the immortality of Elders sporting technology beyond any other in the galaxy.
The sky was blue with shields overhead. The Vaquah hung in the distance, its thrusters gently burning to keep it aloft. A trail of shuttles linked the massive ship with several spaceports, including this one. Penny watched the freed Sprilnav get on it one by one, promising themselves to a new life aboard her ship. Technically, they were citizens of the Autonomous Peoples' Stars.
That protection, Penny knew, was why the Vaquah and its innocent inhabitants were still intact. Elders already had hired mercenaries to attack it. They'd failed, thanks to Rimiaha and Penny, but also the defenses of Kashaunta's Grand Fleet when it was in higher orbit. Kashaunta, despite her willingness to use Penny as she would, also had a certain intelligence and empathy. It was highly selective, and only money and power seemed to flip that switch.
But Penny needed the Elder, and Kashaunta only had use for her as an asset. She palmed the new communicator Kashaunta had issued her after the last one's destruction. Kashaunta's hologram appeared. It looked around, noticing the news drones in the air.
"Not here."
"Where?"
"You will know."
In the mindscape, a Sprilnav appeared on Penny's layer. They felt odd to her, almost like the minds of certain humans high up in the hivemind's network. Penny greeted the Sprilnav warmly.
"Hello."
"Queen and Elder Kashaunta requests your presence on her flagship."
"Very well."
In reality, Penny looked around at the crowd. She waited until it dwindled to nothing, and then spoke.
"Displace."
Conceptual energy twisted, and she stood on Kashaunta's flagship, though nearer to the edge than she'd expected. The Elder was waiting for her in an outfit that looked much like pajamas, though they were under a few armor pieces that appeared anything but decorative. Now that Penny noticed it, it was the same sort of armor that Yasihaut had worn to their last encounter, which interfered with conceptual energy. The Sprilnav were highly advanced. She wondered just how far their technology could go. She'd heard mentions of some ships having artificial gravity, and of nanites and programmable matter. But nothing certain.
"Hmm," Kashaunta said, giving Penny a once over. "You have come back. Shall I assume you are still my ally?"
"Nervous, are we?"
"Nervous is what you should be, Penny. The Judgment is coming. Ten days. Indrafabar and Justicar will both be on the court as High Judges. That is not good for us at all. So I figured a bit of prudence was in order. I have thought long and hard about this, and with the great battles of our time so fast approaching, I figure it is time to mend our relationship before the chasm grows any wider."
Kashaunta motioned to a special looking sword sheath on her back. Slowly, she drew a sword. A Soul Blade. Penny began to draw up her armor.
"Oh, I am not wishing for a fight, Penny. I know the damage you could do, even in my sanctum in the sky. Tell me, do you know how Soul Blades are forged?"
"No."
"Good. And tell me, do you know why they draw so much power to swing, even for Elders and beings as capable as us?"
"I have a few theories."
"I am sure you do," Kashaunta said. "But here is the thing. Soul Blades are typically weapons assigned to highly promising Elders, or even Progenitors. Filnatra, undisputed sword master that she is, can wield them as easily as breathing. If I were to swing this blade, there would be no drawback. Why?"
"Because you own that Soul Blade."
"Because this Soul Blade is mine. It is not just something I own. I own around seven or so more Soul Blades, with some weapons nearing their quality lying in my various vaults even now. You did not detect them, because I willed that not to be. I need you to understand this, Penny. You have power. You have might. But you are not invincible. My Soul Blade, if it struck you, would not cutely separate Nilnacrawla or Cardinality from you. Nor would your speeding space entity be able to block this blade with his flesh. If this cut you, it would release unending agony upon you before you exploded in a burst of burnt gore."
Penny sighed. "There is no need to threaten me. Allies do not threaten each other."
"But you do not see me as an ally. You see me as your means to get through the Judgment. You believe I see you as nothing more but a linear singularity maker, and perhaps a passing curiosity I'm backing on a whim. You neglect to imagine that there might be firmer reasons why I back you, and why more Elders are getting drawn into this conflict. You believe I am comfortable with showing you my more pragmatic and ruthless sides because I am comfortable with the fact that you cannot harm me. That you would not dare to do so, when you need my assistance so badly. That I might even be aiming to normalize my 'new' self with you."
"That is hardly my belief alone."
"Is it now."
Kashaunta grinned. There was no warmth in her gaze.
"Nilnacrawla," Kashaunta said. "Cardinality. Exile. Come out and show yourselves. You are being rude as guests."
Exile detached from Penny's head. He grew into the shifting array of fractals and shapes she was more familiar with. What had once grated on her eyes did so no longer. Kashaunta stared at the speeding space entity for ten seconds, then looked back up at Penny.
"He will not work on us. I will cover his form with holograms if he walks through my ship out of courtesy for my workers and crew, if he cannot."
"I am capable, Queen Kashaunta."
"You are quite knowledgable, aren't you?" Kashaunta mused, looking at him hungrily. "Oh, how I wonder what secrets you have in your head. How many of ours do you know?"
"I will not be taken as a hostage," Exile said.
"You will not because I decide not to," Kashaunta said. "Formally, our species are still at war. There is no treaty."
"The Sp'rkial'nova no longer exist."
"Yes, they do," Kashaunta said. "The name was discontinued for use regarding the lesser specimens we created. But I can assure you, Exile, if you wish to go by that name here, that we still do exist. I am a Sp'rkial'nova in the flesh. In the blood. In the mind. In the soul."
"Say what you will, Sprilnav. It changes nothing."
"On that I agree. Though our views on how things are may differ, and yours is wrong, your opinion is not valuable enough to matter."
She turned to Penny. She would have defended Exile, but he gave her a simple shake of his head area.
Nilnacrawla formed out of psychic energy in front of Penny. Cardi did the same beside her. Kashaunta tapped a claw on the ground. Tables and chairs appeared. A chef brought in food that looked passable and a few decent attempts at human cuisine.
"We do not have to eat, though I would expect that all of you at least sit at the table. We will discuss our grievances, and how to solve them before we proceed with the future. We shall first go to the matter of the Alliance. Penny, many in their number wish to establish contact with you. Do you agree to this? If so, I will add their communicator numbers to the translation program I have reserved for your personal use, in case your own device needs another sudden replacement."
"I agree."
"Good. A first step of diplomacy, I would say. Agreement. Now, Nilnacrawla, you look like you have something to say to me. What is it?"
"Free Meridia."
"Meridia was detonated by planet cracker during the 139th Sector 9 Border War. I am sorry more could not be done."
A cold draft of air rushed out of Nilnacrawla's nose. He glared at her. "You let them die."
"I did not. A Grand Fleet was defending that star system, and three came to lay siege. I am many things. A tactician, a queen, an Elder. But I am not a god. I cannot perform miracles. I evacuated 30 billion people from that world and its surrounding stations before the planet crackers hit it. 4 trillion more souls died in that blast. The best I can do is to offer an apology."
"That will never be enough for what you did. If you had never established your nation, they would still be alive."
"They would be slaves. Chattel slaves, not that cute little 'wage slavery' concept privileged people throw around. Perhaps I should remind you just how much darker that reality would have been for your female descendents, specifically. I am a brutal warlord, a dictator with an iron fist. But my claws do not squeeze nearly as tightly as I could. Metrics say that I could extract at least 370% more profit from my people if I simply enslaved them. But despite the shock this may bring to you all, I do have principles. The Autonomous Peoples' Stars are my people. My nation. My empire, if you think I'm imperialist. But I protect them as best I can."
Nilnacrawla's cold anger didn't lessen. Penny placed a calming hand on his front left thigh. He blinked. He let out a long, pained sigh. And he bowed his head to her. Not to Kashaunta, but to Penny.
"There is no need to be cruel."
"My language was accurate, Penny. He is a strong Elder. Everlasting knows he's stronger than most of these fools. Nilnacrawla was and is a hero of the Source war. I respect him enough not to mince words, or to give platitudes. Coddling is for babies. Nilnacrawla is far more mature."
Kashaunta turned to Cardi. "You have been remarkably silent in this, concept."
"I have."
"A wonderfully succinct statement. Perhaps you can shorten it further. But nevertheless, you and I will be working together with Penny much more in the near future. Rest assured, if you refuse to become more independent, you will be nothing more than a crutch for her to rely on before leaving her to fall when you are ripped away."
"When, Elder? I would like to think your protection is sufficient."
"I am sure the truth is quite the opposite, dear. I will now get to the point. Penny needs to move faster, and needs to break out of her shell. She needs to be pushed to do more. She has signed a binding treaty, which shows she is capable of more than barbarian aliens, as some Elders would call her. You, Cardinality, will help her be a high achiever. To do this, you need to learn more about your own history.
That is the theme of the year, after all. History. My history, Penny's history, Sprilnav history, and even Gaia's history, it would seem."
"Gaia? What do they have to do with all of this?" Penny asked.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that."
"Excuse me? You don't get to decide that, Kashaunta. You will tell me. I refuse to be coddled, like you say. I demand the respect I am owed."
"You forget yourself, Penny."
"I remember myself, actually. I am all I need to be. I can become all I need if I must. You can hold your backing against me all you want, but you won't withdraw it. As you said, more binds you and I than mere money and ideology."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then I've doomed my species and my nation to war, and this planet to the full power of my wrath."
"Wrath, Penny. Wrath. The Sprilnav have many words for anger, rage, hatred. There is the desire for vengeance, in varying degrees. There is that for justice, which does differ. And that for belonging. I know you believe you are standing up to me as a way to assert your own authority in this relationship of ours. You believe I see you as inferior, and will pull back my help when it is profitable for me. I will not offer you the consequences of what your words could mean.
You already know them, and that argument is as stale as your view on us Elders. I will say this once, Penny. You are the Champion of Humanity. The apex predator of your planet, the only one mostly in charge of an Alliance that does more than merely dream of overthrowing us. It is easy for me to say you are not a threat, though I do not ignore the threat you and your nation are trying to become. Gaia will be a part of your movement, but even my information is not entirely complete. I will not mislead you by claiming I know Gaia's link to this, just that there likely is one.
And I am not unreasonably petty. I am willing to put all our animosity behind us and start anew. Even if you are not willing to do the same, I am willing to make this work for us. You have more people to care for than just the Alliance, now. Do not forget them."
"A lot of words that mean nothing."
"Because you heard, but did not listen. Perhaps it will be easier this way, Penny. I want you to win."
"Explain."
"You wish to overthrow the current Sprilnav led order of the galaxy. Your path to that will likely be through mass slave revolt. A viable strategy that I could spread far beyond just this planet. And I actually agree with you. This Judgment, this utter insanity around the Alliance and your species has shown me the truth. The Elders as a class and a species cannot be trusted to rule any longer. We need new leaders. Better leaders."
"And yourself?"
"As the hypocrite that I am, and the power-hungry ruler of the Sprilnav, I would obviously exclude myself from that number. Let's be realistic. The Sprilnav will never accept a non-Elder ruler. If you wish to see what our insurgencies would be like, imagine the 2090s Struggles of Asia. Expand that to billions of planets, large and small. Countless ships and space stations. We have more collective ships than you have people. And as your military planners know, there is no such thing as an unarmed ship. Without us, without me, your plans are stillborn. Your galactic Alliance or whatever you make will fall to pieces without proper counseling. In essence, my offer to you, and you alone, is this. The galaxy, for the Sprilnav."
"Who backs your offer, with the power to give it?"
Progenitors Lecalicus and Nova appeared in the room.
"I back Kashaunta," Lecalicus wheezed.
"I observe her offer, and wish it a proper outcome," Nova said.
"Thank you, esteemed Progenitors," Kashaunta said, standing just to bow to them. Penny stared at Nova, balling her fists.
"There will be time for battle later," he said. "But not now. Hear out her request. She does not make it lightly."
The Progenitors disappeared.
"If I accept your offer, it will be on a written record."
"No. It will not be, because if that record is written, my nation will be facing war on all sides. A better idea would be for us to keep this under wraps."
"Perfect for betrayal," Nilnacrawla muttered.
"It would be, yes. But consider the second part of this situation, Nilncrawla. If word of this galactic offer, not just the Pact, were to get out, which is why two Progenitors who know the price of interference were called here, it would mean the deaths of Penny and all her kind. Or do you forget what rapidly approaches us?"
Nilnacrawla frowned. "I did. I apologize, Penny."
Kashaunta spoke up again.
"Penny. You believe I will betray you. So I make an offer of collateral. An offer so unbelievably sacred for us Elders that many would recoil at the mere thought of it. Now that you have signed a backed treaty, you are fully qualified."
Kashaunta grabbed her Soul Blade and presented it to Penny.
"What does this mean?"
"Nilnacrawla, tell her," Kashaunta said. "She will trust your mouth more than mine."
"Bonded Soul Blades are priceless artifacts," Nilnacrawla said. "To offer one to another is the ultimate gesture of trust and respect among many martial Sprilnav cultures. It can also allow for a mind bridge, a soul pact, or a proposal for marriage between two great houses, martial families, or Elders of great wealth and power. To offer this to a human... to anyone... is an ultimate sign of backing, and one of trust.
It is a sacrosanct honor, the absolute agreement of speaking truth and respect. The words I can use in any human language are insufficient to describe the weight of this honor. This gesture is one of absolute truth. Family lines with hatred going back millions of years would never dare to violate this honor."
"Only one Elder in history did so, one who once led a group known as the Stannic Resistance. He does so no longer. Penny Balica, Champion of Humanity... if there is nothing else I can give you to prove that I do really back you, there is this."
"...Just how low are my chances in the Judgment for you to resort to this?" Penny asked.
"They are not zero, but your battle with be incredibly difficult even with this boon of mine. The future of the galaxy, I now realize, hinges on the outcome of this. If we do not have enough trust, they will sniff it out, and we will fail."
So she had no choice. But as Nilncrawla continued to explain in her mind, Kashaunta was getting the worse side of the deal. Which meant she was throwing her backing behind Penny for real, beyond all reproach and retraction. Kashaunta, the most powerful Elder in the galaxy.
"And if I reject this gift, or your reasons for it?"
"Circumstances would demand that I kill you and then myself using this blade as a way to cut apart the dishonor, before my remains are dumped into a black hole to be forgotten forever. I would not do this."
"A dark and archaic custom," Penny said. She would have said more, but she looked at Nilnacrawla's face. He was clearly deeply uncomfortable. Her five words had shaken him more than anything she'd ever said to him before.
"You do not understand," Nilnacrawla said. "This is not something to joke or lie about. With a Soul Blade Pact in play, all else must cease. Right now, there is you, and there is her. Accept or decline. The choice, your only choice, is yours."
"How will this look to the Elders in the court? To the Sprilnav, and the people who back me?"
She could see how it would be a boon and a curse.
"You, and I," Kashaunta said. "The whole of the universe between us right now is you and I. No others exist until this one act is done. There will be trust or there will be death. No in between. No middle ground. The nature of this bond will be a Pact of Blades."
Conceptual energy swirled between them. Penny's natural translation, as part of the hivemind, failed for the first time ever. Her communicator likewise did not translate the words Kashaunta spoke.
"Eis nama kaste Penny Balica, sun lanci Dorima Kashaunta. Ko'ri, lanci nupa bes na Dorima'Pecunyanova. Sp'rkial'nova. Sun. Homo Sapiens."
The air grew thick with tension. It was not just emotional, either. Psychic and conceptual energy gathered. The mindscape started to distort as more and more eyes began to view Kashaunta and Penny. But all of them were Sprilnav eyes. All of them were Progenitors. Nova's appeared brightest and largest, nearly six times the size of the next largest pair. They stared at her, sending psychic and conceptual energy down upon her in waves that forced her and Kashaunta to kneel to the ground.
"I apologize for my earlier words," Penny said. "I should not have denigrated this."
Penny stood for an hour, deeply contemplating the Pact. If it was as Nilnacrawla was describing to her, it was a promise that Kashaunta would not break. If she was offering it at all, especially to Penny, it meant she had a level of trust in Penny's capability far above what Penny had previously thought. Apparently, there were even higher agreements than this that were possible, with this Pact being the lowest level of bond and considered unbreakable with the enforcement of consequences coming from the Progenitors themselves.
She thought of her place in Justicar and the wider universe. Hours passed like water. And then, by the end of it, after nearly 19 hours, Penny finally had decided. She gave a short nod to Kashaunta, who had been kneeling to Nova all this time.
Kashaunta gestured at the sword. "Tol, nopa shikai."
Nilnacrawla fed her a few suggestions on what she would need to say.
"I come to this Pact seeking peace, justice, and hope," Penny said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery."
Nilnacrawla translated Kashaunta's next words to her.
"I come to this seeking trust, understanding, respect, and peace," Kashaunta said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery. I make this Pact before the gods, those who equal them, and those who surpass them. I bind them to an oath of silence regarding this event, until I directly instruct them otherwise, in a state of a sound mind, body, and soul. Here, we shall step into a future that needs both of us, casting aside that which is unimportant to focus on the ultimate goals we have. I offer my Blade to Penny Balica, of species Homo Sapiens. In this way, we forge a new future, and walk a new path. I accept the Pact."
"I accept the Pact."
Nova and a hundred Progenitors descended. Nova grew larger, and Kashaunta knelt to him. Penny remained standing. His sharp teeth glittered in the light. He pressed his claws to Penny's chest, and to Kashaunta's chest.
"The Pact of Blades is made before the Progenitors. We agree to your vow of silence. The penalty of breaking it will be dismemberment and disposal into a black hole. Penny Balica, Engineer Kashaunta. To break this Pact without mutual agreement is to call down our collective wrath upon yourselves. You both have agreed, and are of sound mind, body, and soul. The Pact is forged. By sword, by word, by action. I, Nova, Everlasting, Lord of the Progenitors, King of all Sp'rkial'nova, Heir to the Mantle of Power, Heir to Narvravarana, Progenitor, Elder, and Sprilnav, declare the deed done, etched in time, space, and Reality."
They winked out of existence one by one, leaving Penny and Kashaunta alone, to ponder the future. Penny's thoughts turned to the Judgment, and her confidence she could win it began to waver. How much worse was this Judgment going to be than before?
Penny stared at Kashaunta's Soul Blade. With careful fingers, she took it. Kashaunta sat up, satisfied.
"Now we can begin. I shall compile all the news about you I can find, and we shall see how to address the questions the High Judges will ask. Now that you trust me, I cannot betray you."
2024.05.15 04:47 PyroDesu The Redbud Murder Saga
DO NOT COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS. I am NOT OP. Original post by u/God_Dammit_MoonMoon in treelaw
trigger warnings: Tree Destruction
mood spoilers: Mild Confusion
(Virginia) Neighbor is on video ripping my eastern redbud sapling out of the ground - 2024-05-05
TLDR -- (location: VA) neighbor came onto my property -- I have her on video coming from her yard and carrying yard debris, looking around as she goes, walking up to one of my redbud saplings, ripping it out of the ground and breaking it in half a couple of times as she walked back to her property. The tree is very clearly on my property. She was (very clearly) looking to see if anyone was around before she did it. What is "standard procedure" here? How do I get her to replace at least the one tree I have her on video destroying? I'd ask how to not make this living situation awkward, but we're way past that at this point.
Long Version:
I live in Virginia in a neighborhood without an HOA. I bought my house a couple of years ago and there were zero large trees in the yard.
All of my neighbors have very landscaped yards. My house needed renovation, so I haven't done much in the yard other than plant some trees so they had time to get established. In the 2 years I've lived here, I've planted 7 trees in the front yard.
4 of the trees I have planted have been eastern redbud saplings on either side of my driveway. The first pair died over the first winter I was here and then I planted the second pair this past fall.
The most recent pair survived. One was absolutely thriving and the other was struggling but had growth. Between the trees and my neighbors property is my mailbox and the trees have mulch rings.
I say these things because it's not like there's a question of whose property the trees were on or did they look dead (and did the neighbor think they were doing me a favor by removing yard debris).
Three weeks ago, I went out to check the mail and the one closest to my neighbors yard was missing. There wasn't a sapling laying on the ground so it wasn't like an animal chewed it at the base and it fell over. The entire thing was gone but the mulch wasn't disturbed. I even dug into the mulch to try to find the root ball because it was so weird. No root ball.
My partner and I couldn't remember the last time we had seen it and we had friends in town helping with the renovation so it went out of our mind as a weird thing. Partner was convinced it was an animal. I was convinced someone stole my tree.
Tonight, I went out to take the garbage to the road and -- lo and behold -- the 2nd redbud is missing.
I look around for it -- in case it's on the ground and it's not there. Mulch isn't disturbed. Exact same situation as the other one. So I dig down to try to find the root ball and there isn't one. it's only 4ft tall, so not like there'd be a big one to begin with.
I call my partner and let them know. They've been out of town but mention when they left Wednesday morning, they remember checking on the tree. So I go to the video footage.
It was there the morning of the 1st and the morning of the 2nd. The morning of the 3rd....hard to tell. It might be there. It might not. I go through more video from friday and confirm the tree is not there.
So I go back to the 2nd and I start going through the video and around 7pm, I get my answer -- I see my neighbor walk onto my property, carrying yard debris from her yard. She's looking around, and then walks up to the tree, rips it out of the ground, and walks back off to her property snapping the tree in half a couple of times as she goes. If I had to guess, she was carrying the yard debris as a cover "oh I thought it was yard debris and I was just trying to help".
I went back to check to see if I have her on video doing the same thing to the first tree, but the video doesn't go back that far unless you specifically save the video (which I didn't think to do). If I were a gambler, I'd put money on the fact that she did the same thing to the first tree.
I know tree law in VA states that if the trees are on your side you can trim them as long as you don't do it to a point where you kill them, but these trees were very much on my property. The one that she killed recently, it was literally the tree, my driveway, a small stretch of yard (where the 1st tree was that went missing) , my mailbox, and then the neighbors yard.
What is standard procedure here on addressing this with a neighbor? I don't want to get police involved for destruction of property but at the same time, who comes onto someones property and rips their trees out of the ground?
Unrelated -- my relationship with this neighbor has always been wonderful. Like I bake them pies and the give me things from their garden. We bring in packages for each other when fedex inevitably delivers them to the wrong house. There was a windstorm in March that blew a tree from their neighbors yard (two houses down from me) into their yard and I went out with my chainsaw to help cut it up so it didn't just sit.
*quick update\*
So this has gathered far more comments than I expected but I figured there were a couple of things that needed to be addressed.
First -- the video. The video is safe. I have a copy on my phone, personal laptop, work laptop, and have sent it to many, many friends because it's such a batshit situation. We have copies should I need to use it.
Second, tree proximity to property line -- because I was curious, I went out with my handy dandy tape measure to check to see how far the trees were planted from the line. The first tree that was yoinked 3 weeks ago was 6ft from the property line. The second tree that was pulled a few days ago was 22 feet 3 inches from the property line. The only one arguably "close" to the property line was the first one (6ft from the line) and honestly, if she had come to me with a concern about it, I probably would have agreed to move it in the fall when it went dormant and it was safe to do so. Instead she chose tree violence.
Third, "the plan". Because my partner travels a lot, we both own our houses (so neither of us are going anywhere), and because I want to make sure she doesn't retaliate against the other 9 baby trees in my backyard (that's fenced in) or my dog, I've decided to take u/kemperflow 's advice to an extent. Basically I'm going to tell them someone vandalized and stole property out of my yard and that I'm going to be going through the video from one of the cameras in the next couple of days and this camera points at the area of the trees. I'm going to ask them if they've had anyone vandalize or steal their property in the last week or so. Basically giving them the opportunity to fess up and give me whatever lie they come up with on the spot as to why she destroyed the trees. If she owns up to it, I'll ask her to buy me new trees to make it right and then tell her she should not come onto my property and do something like this again without my permission. If she doesn't, in a few days I'll go back with the video and give her another opportunity to make it right. At that point if she still doesn't, then I'll report her for theft and destruction of property and have her trespassed. Because we're not going anywhere anytime soon, I don't want to go completely nuclear in the first round. Hopefully it doesn't get to last bit.
Fourth, she is an avid gardener. She has trees lining the back of her property, trees on the property line she shares with me (close to where the redbud massacre of 2024 occurred), a vegetable garden, so many rose and phlox bushes I've lost count and recently added some new low shrubs near the trees on the back of her property. Her yard is very curated with many shrubs, trees, and flowers -- both deciduous and evergreen. While I could be wrong, I don't think her removing the trees had to do with her being concerned about their leaves. If she were, she'd probably take down one of the two 60 yr old maple trees in her backyard.
Update: (Virginia) Neighbor is on video ripping my eastern redbud sapling out of the ground - 2024-05-07
Okay, so this will *hopefully* be the final update and there won't be any need to get motion activated sprinklers involved. I'm not ruling them out if this ends up escalating after this post.
Today I worked from my closet because it has a window that just so happens to overlook my neighbors garden and her car was in her driveway so I knew she was home.
Around 1pm she made an appearance so I went out to "check the mail". I waved to her with a big smile and said hello. She said hello and we exchanged minor pleasantries. And then I segued into asking
"Oh hey, have you guys noticed if you've had anything stolen or vandalized in your yard?"
"Oh no. not at all."
"I'm glad to hear it. I've had two trees taken from my yard over the last 3 weeks."
"What do you mean taken from your yard?"
"Well the two redbuds I had at the end of the driveway -- they were saplings and one was by the mail box and the other was by the lamp post. The first disappeared about 3 weeks ago and the second one disappeared sometime after Wednesday last week."
"No, we haven't had anything like that happen."
"That's great. Yeah, I don't know what happened. I'm going to check one of the cameras I have on the property in the next couple of days. It's pointed at the driveway, so it gets clear views of the trees and we'll be able to see what happened. Hopefully it's just animals or something because if someone came onto my property and stole them, I'm going to have to get the police involved for theft."
If I didn't have her attention before, I definitely had it at the last bit because she started asking more clarifying questions about these missing trees -- What kind of trees did you say? And where were they? How big were they?
I answer all of her questions and add on that it sucks because I bought these trees and they had been planted since fall but "Yeah, I guess we will find out what happened in a few days when I have an opportunity to check the video." And that's about the time she says "Oh, That might've been me. I think I thought they were weeds." (For the record — no I do not believe she mistook two 4ft saplings for weeds.)
I let her know that if that's the case, I would like her to replace them. To which she replies that she's not sure but it might've been.
I reassured her that it's okay if she doesn't know. We can wait to resolve this until I view the video because I absolutely do not want her to pay for replacements if she's not responsible.
Y'all. She absolutely did not want me to go to the video.
She asked me what kind of trees again and I told her. She said that if I told her how much they were, she’d pay me back.
And I said “are you sure you don’t want to wait to check the video?”
“No no. I’ll take care of it. Just let me know.”
I pulled my phone up and found comparable redbuds online and we calculated the total that she would owe together. She went inside and gave me cash to get replacements for the redbuds. We stood and chatted for a couple more minutes but I did reiterate that she needed to talk with me before doing something like this in the future and if she see's some weeds that she thinks needs to be pulled on my property to let me know because it isn't fair or right for her to bear the burden of weeding my yard.
And so concludes The Redbud Murder Saga. (I hope)
Reminder - I am not the original poster. DO NOT COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS.
submitted by PyroDesu to BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]
trigger warnings: Tree Destruction
mood spoilers: Mild Confusion
(Virginia) Neighbor is on video ripping my eastern redbud sapling out of the ground - 2024-05-05
TLDR -- (location: VA) neighbor came onto my property -- I have her on video coming from her yard and carrying yard debris, looking around as she goes, walking up to one of my redbud saplings, ripping it out of the ground and breaking it in half a couple of times as she walked back to her property. The tree is very clearly on my property. She was (very clearly) looking to see if anyone was around before she did it. What is "standard procedure" here? How do I get her to replace at least the one tree I have her on video destroying? I'd ask how to not make this living situation awkward, but we're way past that at this point.
Long Version:
I live in Virginia in a neighborhood without an HOA. I bought my house a couple of years ago and there were zero large trees in the yard.
All of my neighbors have very landscaped yards. My house needed renovation, so I haven't done much in the yard other than plant some trees so they had time to get established. In the 2 years I've lived here, I've planted 7 trees in the front yard.
4 of the trees I have planted have been eastern redbud saplings on either side of my driveway. The first pair died over the first winter I was here and then I planted the second pair this past fall.
The most recent pair survived. One was absolutely thriving and the other was struggling but had growth. Between the trees and my neighbors property is my mailbox and the trees have mulch rings.
I say these things because it's not like there's a question of whose property the trees were on or did they look dead (and did the neighbor think they were doing me a favor by removing yard debris).
Three weeks ago, I went out to check the mail and the one closest to my neighbors yard was missing. There wasn't a sapling laying on the ground so it wasn't like an animal chewed it at the base and it fell over. The entire thing was gone but the mulch wasn't disturbed. I even dug into the mulch to try to find the root ball because it was so weird. No root ball.
My partner and I couldn't remember the last time we had seen it and we had friends in town helping with the renovation so it went out of our mind as a weird thing. Partner was convinced it was an animal. I was convinced someone stole my tree.
Tonight, I went out to take the garbage to the road and -- lo and behold -- the 2nd redbud is missing.
I look around for it -- in case it's on the ground and it's not there. Mulch isn't disturbed. Exact same situation as the other one. So I dig down to try to find the root ball and there isn't one. it's only 4ft tall, so not like there'd be a big one to begin with.
I call my partner and let them know. They've been out of town but mention when they left Wednesday morning, they remember checking on the tree. So I go to the video footage.
It was there the morning of the 1st and the morning of the 2nd. The morning of the 3rd....hard to tell. It might be there. It might not. I go through more video from friday and confirm the tree is not there.
So I go back to the 2nd and I start going through the video and around 7pm, I get my answer -- I see my neighbor walk onto my property, carrying yard debris from her yard. She's looking around, and then walks up to the tree, rips it out of the ground, and walks back off to her property snapping the tree in half a couple of times as she goes. If I had to guess, she was carrying the yard debris as a cover "oh I thought it was yard debris and I was just trying to help".
I went back to check to see if I have her on video doing the same thing to the first tree, but the video doesn't go back that far unless you specifically save the video (which I didn't think to do). If I were a gambler, I'd put money on the fact that she did the same thing to the first tree.
I know tree law in VA states that if the trees are on your side you can trim them as long as you don't do it to a point where you kill them, but these trees were very much on my property. The one that she killed recently, it was literally the tree, my driveway, a small stretch of yard (where the 1st tree was that went missing) , my mailbox, and then the neighbors yard.
What is standard procedure here on addressing this with a neighbor? I don't want to get police involved for destruction of property but at the same time, who comes onto someones property and rips their trees out of the ground?
Unrelated -- my relationship with this neighbor has always been wonderful. Like I bake them pies and the give me things from their garden. We bring in packages for each other when fedex inevitably delivers them to the wrong house. There was a windstorm in March that blew a tree from their neighbors yard (two houses down from me) into their yard and I went out with my chainsaw to help cut it up so it didn't just sit.
*quick update\*
So this has gathered far more comments than I expected but I figured there were a couple of things that needed to be addressed.
First -- the video. The video is safe. I have a copy on my phone, personal laptop, work laptop, and have sent it to many, many friends because it's such a batshit situation. We have copies should I need to use it.
Second, tree proximity to property line -- because I was curious, I went out with my handy dandy tape measure to check to see how far the trees were planted from the line. The first tree that was yoinked 3 weeks ago was 6ft from the property line. The second tree that was pulled a few days ago was 22 feet 3 inches from the property line. The only one arguably "close" to the property line was the first one (6ft from the line) and honestly, if she had come to me with a concern about it, I probably would have agreed to move it in the fall when it went dormant and it was safe to do so. Instead she chose tree violence.
Third, "the plan". Because my partner travels a lot, we both own our houses (so neither of us are going anywhere), and because I want to make sure she doesn't retaliate against the other 9 baby trees in my backyard (that's fenced in) or my dog, I've decided to take u/kemperflow 's advice to an extent. Basically I'm going to tell them someone vandalized and stole property out of my yard and that I'm going to be going through the video from one of the cameras in the next couple of days and this camera points at the area of the trees. I'm going to ask them if they've had anyone vandalize or steal their property in the last week or so. Basically giving them the opportunity to fess up and give me whatever lie they come up with on the spot as to why she destroyed the trees. If she owns up to it, I'll ask her to buy me new trees to make it right and then tell her she should not come onto my property and do something like this again without my permission. If she doesn't, in a few days I'll go back with the video and give her another opportunity to make it right. At that point if she still doesn't, then I'll report her for theft and destruction of property and have her trespassed. Because we're not going anywhere anytime soon, I don't want to go completely nuclear in the first round. Hopefully it doesn't get to last bit.
Fourth, she is an avid gardener. She has trees lining the back of her property, trees on the property line she shares with me (close to where the redbud massacre of 2024 occurred), a vegetable garden, so many rose and phlox bushes I've lost count and recently added some new low shrubs near the trees on the back of her property. Her yard is very curated with many shrubs, trees, and flowers -- both deciduous and evergreen. While I could be wrong, I don't think her removing the trees had to do with her being concerned about their leaves. If she were, she'd probably take down one of the two 60 yr old maple trees in her backyard.
Update: (Virginia) Neighbor is on video ripping my eastern redbud sapling out of the ground - 2024-05-07
Okay, so this will *hopefully* be the final update and there won't be any need to get motion activated sprinklers involved. I'm not ruling them out if this ends up escalating after this post.
Today I worked from my closet because it has a window that just so happens to overlook my neighbors garden and her car was in her driveway so I knew she was home.
Around 1pm she made an appearance so I went out to "check the mail". I waved to her with a big smile and said hello. She said hello and we exchanged minor pleasantries. And then I segued into asking
"Oh hey, have you guys noticed if you've had anything stolen or vandalized in your yard?"
"Oh no. not at all."
"I'm glad to hear it. I've had two trees taken from my yard over the last 3 weeks."
"What do you mean taken from your yard?"
"Well the two redbuds I had at the end of the driveway -- they were saplings and one was by the mail box and the other was by the lamp post. The first disappeared about 3 weeks ago and the second one disappeared sometime after Wednesday last week."
"No, we haven't had anything like that happen."
"That's great. Yeah, I don't know what happened. I'm going to check one of the cameras I have on the property in the next couple of days. It's pointed at the driveway, so it gets clear views of the trees and we'll be able to see what happened. Hopefully it's just animals or something because if someone came onto my property and stole them, I'm going to have to get the police involved for theft."
If I didn't have her attention before, I definitely had it at the last bit because she started asking more clarifying questions about these missing trees -- What kind of trees did you say? And where were they? How big were they?
I answer all of her questions and add on that it sucks because I bought these trees and they had been planted since fall but "Yeah, I guess we will find out what happened in a few days when I have an opportunity to check the video." And that's about the time she says "Oh, That might've been me. I think I thought they were weeds." (For the record — no I do not believe she mistook two 4ft saplings for weeds.)
I let her know that if that's the case, I would like her to replace them. To which she replies that she's not sure but it might've been.
I reassured her that it's okay if she doesn't know. We can wait to resolve this until I view the video because I absolutely do not want her to pay for replacements if she's not responsible.
Y'all. She absolutely did not want me to go to the video.
She asked me what kind of trees again and I told her. She said that if I told her how much they were, she’d pay me back.
And I said “are you sure you don’t want to wait to check the video?”
“No no. I’ll take care of it. Just let me know.”
I pulled my phone up and found comparable redbuds online and we calculated the total that she would owe together. She went inside and gave me cash to get replacements for the redbuds. We stood and chatted for a couple more minutes but I did reiterate that she needed to talk with me before doing something like this in the future and if she see's some weeds that she thinks needs to be pulled on my property to let me know because it isn't fair or right for her to bear the burden of weeding my yard.
And so concludes The Redbud Murder Saga. (I hope)
Reminder - I am not the original poster. DO NOT COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS.
2024.05.15 04:47 JustKneller Epilogues for every BG NPC
By popular demand, I guess...
I was kinda just being a smart-ass, but some of you wanted more so here it is: epilogues for every NPC as if they didn't continue to travel with Gorion's Ward and instead just decided to live their own life. Obviously, there are some implied alignment changes here.
This turned out to be longer than I expected and I kinda just threw it all together while I was working. Please excuse any typos or sloppy writing.
I want to apologize for one thing, though. Viconia's epilogue really only works if GW is a male, so I had to make that assumption for the sake of her story. If it matters any, I easily play just as many female GWs as I do male GWs. In fact, I probably play more female GWs because I don't care for the romances, frequently play the canon party, and want to nip the lame Jah romance in the bud.
But, to have them all in one place, I included my original smart-ass epilogues with the additional ones I created. Now, every character from BG1 and BG2 has an epilogue. I don't have the EE characters, though, because I play the original games and don't really know them.
So, just for funsies, which one is your favorite and why?
"Anomen continued to wait at the Copper Coronet for a party of adventurers willing to travel with him. Maybe it was the grating sound of his voice, or perhaps the way he leered at women, but he continued to remain alone. Eventually, he needed to find work to make ends meet. With Gorion's Ward having disbanded the slave traders and pit fights, Hendak had to find a new form of entertainment for the patrons. As such, he invented an all male review ladies night, and Anomen found work as a 'dancer'. He left the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart to join the less noble order of the pole. He also renounced his faith to Helm and instead allied himself with Waukeen because if you wanna see some groin, you gotta have some coin."
"Despite Gorion's Ward clearing the trolls from her keep, Nalia was not able to reclaim her lands and instead lost her estate to Lord Roenall. The lord offered to let her retain residence in her family's ancestral home, but only in exchange for her hand in marriage. Nalia found the proposition to be repugnant. Instead, she salvaged whatever wealth she could from her family's keep and moved to Athkatla to start a new life. She no longer helped the less fortunate, as she was now among their numbers and had her own problems. Nalia's lack of any practical skills combined with her sense of entitlement sent her into a life of failure followed by drinking and debauchery. She now spends more time back at the Copper Coronet than anywhere else. It is hard to say where she squanders her wealth more, the alcohol, or on the dancers during Ladies Night."
"After the incident with the Planar Sphere, Valygar was finally free of his past, could retire to his cabin, and pursue his true passion: writing. Ironically, the only inspiration he found ended up stemming from his family's checkered past. Valygar's only works that even had middling success were 'Tuesdays with Lavok' and 'Dude, Where's My Planar Sphere', with the latter being made into a production at the Five Flagoons Theater."
"Haer'Dalis continued to work as a performer at the Five Flagoons Theater. Unfortunately, it struggled due to poor management. It might have turned out better if an outside agent with fresh ideas had stepped in, but Gorion's Ward had better things to do than be a bard. While the work was generally steady, the returns were not great and the material was a little low-brow for Haer'Dalis' liking. The tiefling realized he reached rock bottom when he was cast as the lead in a play about a buffoon who apparently lost a plane-shifting apparatus the size of a small castle and had to find it before his parents returned from Neverwinter. After the opening night, he took his own life in his dressing room. His body was found the next morning with a note saying, 'Art is dead and I am art, so I shall join art in death.' Biff the Understudy stepped in for Haer'Dalis despite never having an opportunity to read the script. Nevertheless, the production was a resounding success and launched Biff's career to new heights."
“A heartbroken Garrick found work as a character actor at the Five Flagoons Theater, but eventually gained more success as a writer and director. He found it to be a mostly agreeable situation, aside from a tiefling primadonna who would constantly belittle his work and call it ”trite" and “drivel”. Fortunately, that situation worked itself out in time and Garrick found Biff to be much easier to direct. With the tiefling gone, his ideas had room to grow. He invented a new kind of love story, one where the protagonist doesn't always get the girl at the end but the journey to that ending would be quite amusing. He labeled this genre “the Comedy of Romance” and the works were mostly based on his own life. His plays were quite popular among the commoners, with his top selling shows being 'Sleepless in Saradush', 'Silverymoon Linings Playbook', and 'Crazy Rich Aasimars'. He eventually fully transitioned off the stage into the director's chair. By the peak of his fame, he was married to none other than Queen Ellesime."
“Aerie continued to work at the circus and WOULD NOT SHUT UP ABOUT HER DAMN WINGS. Even Quayle eventually grew sick of hearing about it. This put strain on their relationship. Things took a turn for the better when Ribald Barterman acquired a new curiosity for his shop. It was a magical ring which he sold to Quayle at a reduced rate out of sympathy. This ”treasure" was actually a cursed Ring of Deafness, which Quayle found to be anything but a curse and wore it for the rest of his days."
“Xzar and Montaron were both slain at the hands of the Athkatla Harpers, but this is actually where their story begins. Xzar, as he had done so many times before, had a backup plan of an arcane nature should death befall either he or the halfling. Their mortal essences were pulled to a pocket plane he created. There they could be channeled into restored bodies cloned at his estate. With this particular round of ritual, Xzar had incidentally made a slight error in the incantation and the two found themselves in a time suspended state in Xzar's pocket plane. It was only five minutes for the rest of the world, but it was fifty years for them. This turned out to be a pivot point in their relationship. Having only each other's company in this shadowy void, they were finally able to work out their feelings for each other. When they had returned to the prime material plane, they discovered their mutual animosity was replaced with love. Rather than pick up their life where they left off with the Zhentarim, they decided to pack it all in, moved to Bryn Shander, and start a bed and breakfast. Montaron rediscovered his halfling roots and love for the culinary arts while Xzar would perform seances to connect guests with their late loved ones. Scones and Bones became an overnight success and was consistently listed as a “must see” in Volo's travel guides. In their golden years, the couple co-wrote a memoir of their journey, ‘Brokeback Montaron’, which is sold in bookstores everywhere."
“After briefly crossing paths with Gorion's Ward, Mazzy Fentan continued her crusade as a de facto halfling paladin. She eventually found herself petitioning for membership at the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart in Athkatla after she had singlehandedly saved a village from an ancient dracolich. Despite the extent of her virtue and accomplishment, her petition was denied on the basis that halflings could not possibly be real paladins. This inspired her next crusade, one to break down vocational barriers for all demihuman races. Why couldn't halflings be paladins or dwarves be wizards? And why did gnomes always have to be illusionists? It simply made no goddamn sense. She began to get traction with her quest when she attended lectures by the wizards of the (sword) coast in Candlekeep. With their help, she ushered Faerun into a newedition era where there would be no vocational barriers for adventurers based on their race. Soon, the world began to see roguish halflings that also venerated Helm, while tending to the wilds as a druid. Half-orc bards also studied as wizards while manifesting natural arcane abilities as sorcerers. Tiefling paladins took their crusades to the wilderness and served as rangers, while sidelining as clergy to Mystra. The world was now a liberated place, free to not make any goddamn sense in a myriad of new ways. At one point, Lady Mazzy Fentan of Trademeet (now formally a paladin) crossed paths with a dwarven shadowdancebard and in that moment she regretted everything. Seriously, just take a moment and picture that. It would look fucking ridiculous.”
“Yeslick's clanhome was flooded once again. Despondent and without options, he took work at a smithy in Baldur's Gate but never stopped dreaming of finding both a clan and a home. He found a way to bring this dream to life after a courageous halfling paladin broke down the barriers for, among other things, dwarves to be wizards. Yeslick had an idea. He studied magic diligently until he was able to cast two spells of great importance: Water Breathing and Permanence. He then searched the lands for other clanless dwarves who would be willing to try something new. With the new clan he formed, Yeslick permanently gave all his fellow clansman the ability to breath underwater. They then moved into the flooded Cloakwood Mines and built the first underwater dwarven stronghold. Using his arcane powers, Yeslick also developed the ability to speak with the marine life that shared this stronghold. And, with that, the clan Aquadwarf was born. At one point, Valygar visited and wrote a play based on Yeslick's story. However, he couldn't even get it to stage at the Five Flagoons Theater. The illustrious director Garrick was quoted as saying, “A hero that can breath underwater and talk to fish? Nobody would go for that!"
“Keldorn finally retired from the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and looked forward to a much simpler life. He rekindled his marriage with Lady Maria and life seemed to improve. It was rather early on when the couple discovered that Maria had become pregnant again. It was also not long after that when Peony, the housekeeper, also became pregnant. Maria started to ask Keldorn about this, but Keldorn started to get defensive and asked, ”Hey, who's the Inquisitor here?" Then Keldorn started to do the math with her to track the conception of Maria's pregnancy. She certainly did not want him to get to the end of that equation, so she quickly changed the subject. She suggested getting a new maid, but Keldorn chastised her for abandoning someone in their time of need who had been like family for years. He forbade Peony's departure claiming that his god, Torm, would not stand for it. Maria then made a passive aggressive comment about Torm being the god of loyalty, but she was mostly just muttering under her breath to get the last word in. Eventually, both children were born and had probably the most awkward upbringing of anyone in Faerun."
“After Gorion's Ward helped Coran take down a wyvern, the rogue brought the beast's head back to the mayor of Beregost for the reward and accolades. He thought this put him in a position to be a hero of great renown and perhaps, just maybe, people would stop mocking him for his flashy attire and completely superfluous eye mask. They didn't. He only gained acceptance when he crossed paths with a ranger who seemed indifferent towards Coran's keen fashion sense. Coran traveled the Sword Coast with his ranger sidekick, righting the wrongs against the ‘little guy’ and taking the law into their own hands when needed. This partnership dissolved when he discovered that the ranger thought Coran was the sidekick. As if! Coran tried to correct the ranger, whose argument was, 'Really, man, if that outfit doesn't scream sidekick then I'm Elminster's twin brother.' The ranger was not related to Elminster and shared no resemblance.
“Kivan never was able to get his revenge on Tazok. Unbeknownst to him, that honor was taken by Gorion's Ward. His thirst for vengeance continued to eat away at him until he found himself in a bat infested cave in the wilderness. It was then he snapped. He turned the cave into his secret hideaway, put together a disguise and started wandering the sword coast looking for evil-doers to punish. He would leave his calling card wherever he saved the day, a token of a bat with longer ears like an elf. And bats already had rather long ears so these bat ears were almost comically obtrusive. Nevertheless, his deeds were generally appreciated and the people stared calling him Bat-elf. For a short spell, another elf tagged along with him and tried to help, but he was so flamboyantly dressed that one could pick his sidekick out of the shadows blindfolded. Kivan eventually had to send him on his way. Unfortunately, his vigilante crusade abruptly ended after receiving a cease and decist order from DC Comics. Kivan could fight both monster and marauder all day, but his 14 Constitution wouldn't hold up against a lawsuit for trademark infringement.”
“Skie was deeply affected by both the death of her brother and the assassination of her father. And yes, her father was actually murdered and didn't lol-jk back to life in some crappy DLC. In any event, through these traumas, she came to realize the puerility of what she thought was her brilliant criminal masterminding. Instead, she decided to settle down and live a more responsible life as an upstanding citizen of Baldur's Gate. She took the reins of her father's estate after his death and rose to prominence as one of the Grand Dukes of the city. She maintained her relationship with Eldoth for quite some time, inexplicably, as he refused to get a job because he didn't want to take attention from his band which he swore was going to make it. However, the bard spent most of the day either lounging at Skie’s estate or gambling away his allowance with games of three-dragon-ante at the Helm and Cloak. Eventually, inspired by the book “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar," she decided to call it quits with Eldoth and sent him packing. Shortly thereafter, she met a man who was nothing like Eldoth and they settled down together to start a family."
“Eldoth's dreams of being a world-famous musician fronting the greatest band in Faerun never reached fruition. This was partly because he didn't actually have a band and partly because he didn't have the talent to write music. Instead, he just had a lute he purchased at Lucky Aello's Discount Store that only had one A-string and was missing the E-string. Also, Eldoth could only play power chords and he couldn't really sing and play at the same time. Most of the time he would just strum a chord or two and then talk about what the song would do next, often describing a solo and half playing it on an ”air lute" (while he was still holding an actual lute, mind you) to give people the idea as to how the song would sound when it was finally written. Yeah, he was one of those guys. After Skie kicked him to the curb, he bounced between various barmaids who clearly had low self-esteem, but not low enough to keep him around for long. Eventually, he got one of them pregnant and was forced into a shotgun wedding by the barmaid's father. He now works in the kitchen at the same inn as his barmaid wife. She helps the customers up front and he cooks eggs in the back. Eldoth continues to tell himself that this experience will just provide inspiration for his music and that someday he was going to get the band back together."
“After being rescued by Gorion's Ward, Xan made his way to Baldur's Gate to regroup. He spent an inordinate amount of time beating himself up over his failures and trying to muster the gumption to continue his quest to unravel the political turmoil of the region. However, it took him months to get to this point, and by that time, Gorion's Ward already sorted out the problems in the region. Discovering this, he deemed himself a failure yet again and sunk into a deeper depression. He pulled himself out of it when he met a woman who lost most of her family to violent deaths during the iron crisis, yet she still kept herself together and became a local success in a few short years. Xan immediately fell in love with the recently single Skie Silvershield and began to court her. They eventually married and started a family. At Xan's insistence, and inspired by his wife's name, their two daughters were named Sunshine and Rainbow. Xan was a staunch supporter of his wife's career and stayed home to raise the kids. When they were older and needed less attending, he followed a new dream and became a motivational speaker.”
“Korgan had his revenge against his backstabbing crew and employer, but he felt...empty. It was done, but he felt no satisfaction. Disgruntled and disappointed, he decided to lose himself in his cups at the Copper Coronet. Even this did nothing to alleviate his malaise. One night, having passed out drunk in a peasant room at the Copper Coronet, he dreamt of that final fight but something was different. In the background of the battle, there was a glow coming from the door of a shack and he heard the whispering of a language that sounded like it was from Kara-Tur. When he woke the next morning, Korgan returned to the rooftop and found the shack from his dream. He knocked and was greeted by a priest of Illmater. Korgan told the priest of his dream and he was led into the backroom where he found a man from Kara-Tur infirm and huddled over a cup of tea. The priest explained that he had just reincarnated this man of the faith using a heart delivered by a passing adventurer. Korgan took this as a sign, converted to the faith, and the two paired up to help those in suffering as a result of the schemes of others. The tales of Korgan and Yoshimo were not only told in many of a tavern by the bards, but also collected in graphic serials that were popular among the children of Athkatla.”
“Ajantis' death sent him into an afterlife at Everwatch, the realm of Helm. For his honor and diligence, the devout knight was granted an audience with his patron. Ajantis then told Helm what utter bullshit the god was. I mean, c'mon, he's the god of protection, the Vigilant One, and he couldn't protect a group of knights from a dragon's cheap illusion spell that a mage even tried to dispel with True Sight? It was like Helm wasn't even trying. Helm was stunned by the confrontation but also had no valid defense. Ajantis called Helm to a trial that was mediated by Tyr. After careful deliberation, Tyr determined that Helm was sleeping on the job and the judgment was to demote him to a lesser deity. Now, Helm was the patron of guards, but not actual guards that ever see action, just the ceremonial ones whose weapons and armor are super shiny and probably not even real. Ajantis was then granted Helm's old portfolio and became a god that truly protected his followers.”
“Viconia left Athkatla's government district perplexed. She was rescued from burning at the stake by Gorion's Ward and then immediately dismissed. She found this to be unusual behavior for a male. She was accustomed to men either trying to bed her or kill her, but this casual indifference was completely new. Viconia came to be obsessed with Gorion's Ward from a distance. She spiraled into a fantasy where the two of them had a future together. It was pretty bad. There were some extremely embarrassing vision boards involved and that wasn't even the worst of it. When her mania reached critical mass, her obsession actually collapsed and she had an epiphany. She came to realize that she did not need this man, or any for that matter. She started on a journey of self discovery and took a moral inventory of her past relationships. She wrote about it in the book, “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar”. She then used the revenue from the book sales to open Athkatla's first feminist bookstore. In Her Words became a mecca for women, particularly those who felt trapped in bad relationships. The community that emerged here created the group, Friends of Galia, which strove to free women from abusive relationships. Eventually, the bookstore expanded to include an apartment block above that became a shelter for such women. Occasionally, the partners of these victims would come around to In Her Words in an attempt to drag their partners back home. You can probably guess how a confrontation between a drunken 0-level commoner and a Drow priestess of Shar ends."
“Faldorn was defeated by Jaheira in Trademeet and lost her title of Arch-Druid. In truth, she was relieved to be relieved of the position. Years of pushing forward the Shadow Druid agenda led Faldorn to realize that she had lost touch with the real Faldorn along the way. After some soul-searching, she reinvented herself as a lifestyle guru and developed an entire line of organic health and beauty products under the name, She-Wolf. Both her products and seminars were all the rage in Athkatla, specifically among noblewomen who clearly had too much free time. Faldorn eventually gave up her residence in natural environs for a lavish estate in Athkatla's government district. Her following soon pressured her to petition to join the Council of Six after the fall of the Cowled Wizards left the position open (aside from a short-term replacement). Her petition was a success and she soon found herself on the Council of Six. Under her leadership, she created created the FDAA, the Food and Drink Association of Athkatla. Now, instead of draconian rules governing magic in the city, equally restrictive rules and standards were applied to the food and drink that the people consumed.”
“Barely surviving being gravely wounded by Irenicus, Tiax left Spellhold for Athkatla where he intended to do what he did best: rule. Learning from his past campaign mistakes in Baldur's Gate, he changed his slogan from ”Tiax Rules!" to “Make Athkatla Great Again”. Of course, what he thought would make Athkatla great was putting himself in charge as a despotic leader. But, he toned down that aspect of his platform and instead focused on the history of scheming and backroom dealing of the Cowled Wizards (as if he was any less evil or scheming) and promised the people he would be different than all the other corrupt politicians. Miraculously, despite his obviously apparent character flaws, he succeeded in replacing the Cowled Wizards' representative on the Council of Six. He decided to take their stance on restrictive magic to the next level and banned magic entirely. Since he didn't study the arcane himself, it was no skin of his nose. This move undermined his support base leaving him with only the most backwards and ignorant followers. He was ultimately removed from his position when he insisted the city build a wall around the planar sphere and was expecting that the city's wizards would be the ones to pay for it. After his removal, his few remaining extreme supporters organized an invasion of the main government building under the guise of freedom of assembly. All nine of these “rebels” were rounded up, tried, and sent to prison. Tiax was convicted of treason and reincarnated in Spellhold, which was now just a common prison. After his eventual release, he was prohibited from seeking any position of power in Amn."
"Edwin Odesseiron continued to lay low with the Shadow Thieves for a while. The Cowled Wizards suffered a crippling blow as a side effect of the conflict between Gorion's Ward and Irenicus. Edwin decided to step in and finish the job. His thought was that he could wipe out the Cowled Wizard remnants and then take credit for their defeat, thereby gaining him more clout among the Red Wizards of Thay. After many conspicuous mage battles in the streets of Athkatla, he succeeded. However, the people who noticed his efforts the most were actually the people of Athkatla. They were tired of living under the Cowled Wizards' iron fist and Edwin was lauded as a liberator and hero. He even had a statue in his image raised in Waukeen's Promenade. Edwin was initially nonplussed over people finally giving him the credit he always felt he so rightfully deserved. But, he quickly came to accept their praise and bought in to being a champion for the people. Edwin continued his agenda of liberation when a clearly insane gnome who found his way on the Council of Six tried to ban magic entirely in the city. Edwin and his followers were primarily responsible for having the madman removed from his seat.
“Shar-Teel, Safana, Branwen, and Alora all happened to cross paths with each other at Elfsong one evening. Shar-Teel was looking to fight a man, Safana was looking to shag a man, Branwen was recently petrified by a man, and Alora was just excited to be somewhere new. The four got to talking with each other and, despite having wildly different personalities, seemed to hit it off. Shar-Teel was sarcastic and aggressive, Safana was self-absorbed and man-hungry, Alora was kind and sweet, and Branwen was the matriarch of the group. You wouldn't think this lot would get along, but they actually did, and their differences merely become the fuel for innocuous hi-jinks week after week.”
"With Gorion's Ward's help, Cernd was able to rescue his child that he then abandoned again at the druid grove near Trademeet. He promised that he would return to raise the child, he just needed to run to the general shop in Trademeet for some pipeweed. He never returned, but that was pretty obvious since he didn’t even smoke. Cernd continued to wander Faerun. It came to light in Cormyr that Cernd had actually married, and had children, with numerous women in Cormyr, Amn, the Sword Coast, Tethyr, Calimshan, Turmish, Halruaa, Icewind Dale, Chondath, Sembia, Impiltur, the Silver Marches, and even the Troll Hills (don't ask). Furthermore, it was discovered that Cernd was not actually a druid, just a werewolf that had a Ring of Goodberries. The druid con was so that he could have a reason to abandon his wives and children and move on to a new situation. You would be surprised at how many women could fall for a guy that can conjure an impromptu picnic in the park. Unfortunately for Cernd, Cormyr was not the kind of place to run afoul of the legal system. For the crime of bigamy, he was sentenced to life in prison. He never set foot near a druid grove again, but he was allowed to participate in a work-release program tending to the gardens of nobles.
“Kagain returned to his shop and grew even more bitter, but not over what the death of Entar Silvershield's son had done to his reputation and business. Instead, he resented that even the Enhanced Edition of the game didn't give him a remotely decent companion quest. By Moradin's hammer, Cernd even had a pretty involved companion quest and the story there both starts and ends with a deadbeat dad! Also, Kagain can regenerate! Korgan can't even do that. And another thing! He was sick of people confusing the two of them as if all dwarves look alike or something. Ok, granted, they're both old dwarves with greying beards, but Korgan's beard is tied while Kagain's beard is brushed out. Of course, none of this made sense to anyone, even to Kagain who never actually crossed paths with Cernd or Korgan. However, the dwarf had nothing to do with his time except stand in his shop, isolated and alone, until he was done in by insanity and plantar fasciitis.”
“The death of Khalid shook Jaheira to the core. She convinced herself that she could never love again, certainly not so soon after his death nor with anyone that would be a child in her eyes. That would be absurd and rather tacky. After her escape from Irenicus' prison and deposing Faldorn from the druid grove, she took over as Arch-Druid. Being a Harper just wouldn't be the same without Khalid. However, the grove would allow her to explore a new, but comfortingly familiar, phase of life. She had barely been installed as the Arch-Druid when Cernd dropped off his child and disappeared again. He did not even stay long enough to tell Jaheira the child's name. Knowing he would likely not return, she named the child Khalid after her lost love. Realizing there were other children our there without families to care for them, Jahaeira would send her subordinates to wander nearby lands and bring them to the grove for a better life. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these children happened to be Cernd's. She eventually renamed the grove to Kinder Garden in honor of the grove's new purpose of giving these children a kinder upbringing. Jaheira's headstrong personality served her well with these lost children, who all loved her as they would any mother. The Kinder Garden became the most thriving druid grove in all of Faerun. Jaheira eventually died in 1547 DR, with hundreds of children haven been rescued in her lifetime, and a memorial was erected in her honor at the grove. The inscription read, 'Nature's Servant Awaits.'"
“After being freed from Irenicus' dungeon, Minsc put his boots on the ground at the Copper Coronet. Being the simple man that he was, he found himself unwittingly recruited into fighting in the gladiator pits (before Gorion's Ward was able to free the slaves). Yet again, Minsc took a blow to the head. But this time, its effects were something completely new. No longer was he the slow-witted evil-slaying ranger, armed to the teeth and packing a hamster. Instead, his intelligence and wisdom started to blossom and he explored, through dissertation, the impact of modern civilization on the overall ecosystem of Faerun. Indeed, before Minsc started his work, the people of Faerun didn't even have the concept of an ”ecosystem". He left Athkatla to pursue a residency at Jaheira's grove where he could study and work in peace. He published works like, “The Intersection of Geopolitics and Biodiversity: Living More but Dying Sooner”, “The Essential Symbiosis Between the Savage and Civilization”, and “Moral Urbanization: Seeking a More Comprehensive Prosperity”. Minsc continued his studies and writing and ultimately produced enough groundbreaking works to have his own annex in Candlekeep. It was shortly after the dedication of this annex that Minsc disappeared from Faerun, never to be seen again."
“Jan Jansen's fate was the most impressive of all as his endeavors shaped the very fabric of Faerun for centuries to come. His story truly serves as a moral lesson for everyone and we should heed its virtue quite seriously. Helping Lissa and Jaella planted a seed of regret in Lissa with regards to her marriage to Vaelag. Speaking of seeds, this reminds Jan of a time when he was helping his Uncle Scratchy with his turnip farm. However, Uncle Scratchy was hoodwinked and the seeds he received were actually purple carrot seeds. You can imagine Uncle Scratchy's surprise when they sprouted and he suddenly had a field of purple carrots. Well, as you probably know, you can't make turnip stew, or turnip casserole, or turnip pie with purple carrots. But it just so happened there was a mage tower nearby and the resident mage needed a vast number of carrots. Apparently, her plan was to animate them as a kind of vegetable army to combat a myconid infestation in cave system rather close to her tower. Of course, animated carrots are quite self-assured and were immune to myconoid's confusion spores. Anyway, Jan had a once-removed cousin, Bobil, that was lost in those caves when he was a young gnome. He had wandered so deep that he found himself in the den of a solitary xvart who was obsessed with a magic ring. Bobil happened to purloin that ring but it turned out to not be magic at all. However, it was still worth enough for Bobil to buy himself a nice cottage in Trademeet. He then started his own turnip farm and had better luck than Uncle Scratchy. Wait, what were we talking about, again?”
“Boo continued his mission to study the sentient life forms of Faerun and determine their potential impact on the metaverse. He preferred the continued company of Minsc due to the ranger's kindness and protectiveness. Boo found this to be quite valuable in his current miniaturized state. Even after Minsc's accident, where his intellect began to expand, Minsc never lost his good heart and inherent kindness and the two remained the best of friends. It was a number of years later that the term of Boo's mission was complete. A team of his fellow people arrived on a spelljammer to collect the giant miniaturized space hamster. Minsc (and Boo) were on a retreat in a remote part of the Neverwinter Wood when a vessel shaped like a giant acorn landed in a nearby clearing. A number of human-sized anthropomorphic hamster-like beings, who called themselves the Ysoki, emerged and met with Boo. One had a strange crystalline device which it used to restore Boo to his proper size. Minsc naturally remained composed while all this was happening. He and Boo talked often and he knew this day would be coming. Boo returned to the spelljammer with his brethren to debrief on the mission. The Ysoki wanted to bring a sample back to their homeworld for further learning and study. Boo offered Minsc for the task, as the exemplar human would fit in nicely with the Ysoki's advanced culture and society. Everyone was in agreement and made the offer to the ranger. Minsc felt like he had made every contribution he could to the people of Faerun, so he accepted and boarded the ship. Boo, excited to finally be on a spelljammer again, took the helm and plotted a course for his homeworld. At his side sat his friend and faithful companion, Minsc.”
submitted by JustKneller to baldursgate [link] [comments]
I was kinda just being a smart-ass, but some of you wanted more so here it is: epilogues for every NPC as if they didn't continue to travel with Gorion's Ward and instead just decided to live their own life. Obviously, there are some implied alignment changes here.
This turned out to be longer than I expected and I kinda just threw it all together while I was working. Please excuse any typos or sloppy writing.
I want to apologize for one thing, though. Viconia's epilogue really only works if GW is a male, so I had to make that assumption for the sake of her story. If it matters any, I easily play just as many female GWs as I do male GWs. In fact, I probably play more female GWs because I don't care for the romances, frequently play the canon party, and want to nip the lame Jah romance in the bud.
But, to have them all in one place, I included my original smart-ass epilogues with the additional ones I created. Now, every character from BG1 and BG2 has an epilogue. I don't have the EE characters, though, because I play the original games and don't really know them.
So, just for funsies, which one is your favorite and why?
"Anomen continued to wait at the Copper Coronet for a party of adventurers willing to travel with him. Maybe it was the grating sound of his voice, or perhaps the way he leered at women, but he continued to remain alone. Eventually, he needed to find work to make ends meet. With Gorion's Ward having disbanded the slave traders and pit fights, Hendak had to find a new form of entertainment for the patrons. As such, he invented an all male review ladies night, and Anomen found work as a 'dancer'. He left the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart to join the less noble order of the pole. He also renounced his faith to Helm and instead allied himself with Waukeen because if you wanna see some groin, you gotta have some coin."
"Despite Gorion's Ward clearing the trolls from her keep, Nalia was not able to reclaim her lands and instead lost her estate to Lord Roenall. The lord offered to let her retain residence in her family's ancestral home, but only in exchange for her hand in marriage. Nalia found the proposition to be repugnant. Instead, she salvaged whatever wealth she could from her family's keep and moved to Athkatla to start a new life. She no longer helped the less fortunate, as she was now among their numbers and had her own problems. Nalia's lack of any practical skills combined with her sense of entitlement sent her into a life of failure followed by drinking and debauchery. She now spends more time back at the Copper Coronet than anywhere else. It is hard to say where she squanders her wealth more, the alcohol, or on the dancers during Ladies Night."
"After the incident with the Planar Sphere, Valygar was finally free of his past, could retire to his cabin, and pursue his true passion: writing. Ironically, the only inspiration he found ended up stemming from his family's checkered past. Valygar's only works that even had middling success were 'Tuesdays with Lavok' and 'Dude, Where's My Planar Sphere', with the latter being made into a production at the Five Flagoons Theater."
"Haer'Dalis continued to work as a performer at the Five Flagoons Theater. Unfortunately, it struggled due to poor management. It might have turned out better if an outside agent with fresh ideas had stepped in, but Gorion's Ward had better things to do than be a bard. While the work was generally steady, the returns were not great and the material was a little low-brow for Haer'Dalis' liking. The tiefling realized he reached rock bottom when he was cast as the lead in a play about a buffoon who apparently lost a plane-shifting apparatus the size of a small castle and had to find it before his parents returned from Neverwinter. After the opening night, he took his own life in his dressing room. His body was found the next morning with a note saying, 'Art is dead and I am art, so I shall join art in death.' Biff the Understudy stepped in for Haer'Dalis despite never having an opportunity to read the script. Nevertheless, the production was a resounding success and launched Biff's career to new heights."
“A heartbroken Garrick found work as a character actor at the Five Flagoons Theater, but eventually gained more success as a writer and director. He found it to be a mostly agreeable situation, aside from a tiefling primadonna who would constantly belittle his work and call it ”trite" and “drivel”. Fortunately, that situation worked itself out in time and Garrick found Biff to be much easier to direct. With the tiefling gone, his ideas had room to grow. He invented a new kind of love story, one where the protagonist doesn't always get the girl at the end but the journey to that ending would be quite amusing. He labeled this genre “the Comedy of Romance” and the works were mostly based on his own life. His plays were quite popular among the commoners, with his top selling shows being 'Sleepless in Saradush', 'Silverymoon Linings Playbook', and 'Crazy Rich Aasimars'. He eventually fully transitioned off the stage into the director's chair. By the peak of his fame, he was married to none other than Queen Ellesime."
“Aerie continued to work at the circus and WOULD NOT SHUT UP ABOUT HER DAMN WINGS. Even Quayle eventually grew sick of hearing about it. This put strain on their relationship. Things took a turn for the better when Ribald Barterman acquired a new curiosity for his shop. It was a magical ring which he sold to Quayle at a reduced rate out of sympathy. This ”treasure" was actually a cursed Ring of Deafness, which Quayle found to be anything but a curse and wore it for the rest of his days."
“Xzar and Montaron were both slain at the hands of the Athkatla Harpers, but this is actually where their story begins. Xzar, as he had done so many times before, had a backup plan of an arcane nature should death befall either he or the halfling. Their mortal essences were pulled to a pocket plane he created. There they could be channeled into restored bodies cloned at his estate. With this particular round of ritual, Xzar had incidentally made a slight error in the incantation and the two found themselves in a time suspended state in Xzar's pocket plane. It was only five minutes for the rest of the world, but it was fifty years for them. This turned out to be a pivot point in their relationship. Having only each other's company in this shadowy void, they were finally able to work out their feelings for each other. When they had returned to the prime material plane, they discovered their mutual animosity was replaced with love. Rather than pick up their life where they left off with the Zhentarim, they decided to pack it all in, moved to Bryn Shander, and start a bed and breakfast. Montaron rediscovered his halfling roots and love for the culinary arts while Xzar would perform seances to connect guests with their late loved ones. Scones and Bones became an overnight success and was consistently listed as a “must see” in Volo's travel guides. In their golden years, the couple co-wrote a memoir of their journey, ‘Brokeback Montaron’, which is sold in bookstores everywhere."
“After briefly crossing paths with Gorion's Ward, Mazzy Fentan continued her crusade as a de facto halfling paladin. She eventually found herself petitioning for membership at the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart in Athkatla after she had singlehandedly saved a village from an ancient dracolich. Despite the extent of her virtue and accomplishment, her petition was denied on the basis that halflings could not possibly be real paladins. This inspired her next crusade, one to break down vocational barriers for all demihuman races. Why couldn't halflings be paladins or dwarves be wizards? And why did gnomes always have to be illusionists? It simply made no goddamn sense. She began to get traction with her quest when she attended lectures by the wizards of the (sword) coast in Candlekeep. With their help, she ushered Faerun into a new
“Yeslick's clanhome was flooded once again. Despondent and without options, he took work at a smithy in Baldur's Gate but never stopped dreaming of finding both a clan and a home. He found a way to bring this dream to life after a courageous halfling paladin broke down the barriers for, among other things, dwarves to be wizards. Yeslick had an idea. He studied magic diligently until he was able to cast two spells of great importance: Water Breathing and Permanence. He then searched the lands for other clanless dwarves who would be willing to try something new. With the new clan he formed, Yeslick permanently gave all his fellow clansman the ability to breath underwater. They then moved into the flooded Cloakwood Mines and built the first underwater dwarven stronghold. Using his arcane powers, Yeslick also developed the ability to speak with the marine life that shared this stronghold. And, with that, the clan Aquadwarf was born. At one point, Valygar visited and wrote a play based on Yeslick's story. However, he couldn't even get it to stage at the Five Flagoons Theater. The illustrious director Garrick was quoted as saying, “A hero that can breath underwater and talk to fish? Nobody would go for that!"
“Keldorn finally retired from the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and looked forward to a much simpler life. He rekindled his marriage with Lady Maria and life seemed to improve. It was rather early on when the couple discovered that Maria had become pregnant again. It was also not long after that when Peony, the housekeeper, also became pregnant. Maria started to ask Keldorn about this, but Keldorn started to get defensive and asked, ”Hey, who's the Inquisitor here?" Then Keldorn started to do the math with her to track the conception of Maria's pregnancy. She certainly did not want him to get to the end of that equation, so she quickly changed the subject. She suggested getting a new maid, but Keldorn chastised her for abandoning someone in their time of need who had been like family for years. He forbade Peony's departure claiming that his god, Torm, would not stand for it. Maria then made a passive aggressive comment about Torm being the god of loyalty, but she was mostly just muttering under her breath to get the last word in. Eventually, both children were born and had probably the most awkward upbringing of anyone in Faerun."
“After Gorion's Ward helped Coran take down a wyvern, the rogue brought the beast's head back to the mayor of Beregost for the reward and accolades. He thought this put him in a position to be a hero of great renown and perhaps, just maybe, people would stop mocking him for his flashy attire and completely superfluous eye mask. They didn't. He only gained acceptance when he crossed paths with a ranger who seemed indifferent towards Coran's keen fashion sense. Coran traveled the Sword Coast with his ranger sidekick, righting the wrongs against the ‘little guy’ and taking the law into their own hands when needed. This partnership dissolved when he discovered that the ranger thought Coran was the sidekick. As if! Coran tried to correct the ranger, whose argument was, 'Really, man, if that outfit doesn't scream sidekick then I'm Elminster's twin brother.' The ranger was not related to Elminster and shared no resemblance.
“Kivan never was able to get his revenge on Tazok. Unbeknownst to him, that honor was taken by Gorion's Ward. His thirst for vengeance continued to eat away at him until he found himself in a bat infested cave in the wilderness. It was then he snapped. He turned the cave into his secret hideaway, put together a disguise and started wandering the sword coast looking for evil-doers to punish. He would leave his calling card wherever he saved the day, a token of a bat with longer ears like an elf. And bats already had rather long ears so these bat ears were almost comically obtrusive. Nevertheless, his deeds were generally appreciated and the people stared calling him Bat-elf. For a short spell, another elf tagged along with him and tried to help, but he was so flamboyantly dressed that one could pick his sidekick out of the shadows blindfolded. Kivan eventually had to send him on his way. Unfortunately, his vigilante crusade abruptly ended after receiving a cease and decist order from DC Comics. Kivan could fight both monster and marauder all day, but his 14 Constitution wouldn't hold up against a lawsuit for trademark infringement.”
“Skie was deeply affected by both the death of her brother and the assassination of her father. And yes, her father was actually murdered and didn't lol-jk back to life in some crappy DLC. In any event, through these traumas, she came to realize the puerility of what she thought was her brilliant criminal masterminding. Instead, she decided to settle down and live a more responsible life as an upstanding citizen of Baldur's Gate. She took the reins of her father's estate after his death and rose to prominence as one of the Grand Dukes of the city. She maintained her relationship with Eldoth for quite some time, inexplicably, as he refused to get a job because he didn't want to take attention from his band which he swore was going to make it. However, the bard spent most of the day either lounging at Skie’s estate or gambling away his allowance with games of three-dragon-ante at the Helm and Cloak. Eventually, inspired by the book “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar," she decided to call it quits with Eldoth and sent him packing. Shortly thereafter, she met a man who was nothing like Eldoth and they settled down together to start a family."
“Eldoth's dreams of being a world-famous musician fronting the greatest band in Faerun never reached fruition. This was partly because he didn't actually have a band and partly because he didn't have the talent to write music. Instead, he just had a lute he purchased at Lucky Aello's Discount Store that only had one A-string and was missing the E-string. Also, Eldoth could only play power chords and he couldn't really sing and play at the same time. Most of the time he would just strum a chord or two and then talk about what the song would do next, often describing a solo and half playing it on an ”air lute" (while he was still holding an actual lute, mind you) to give people the idea as to how the song would sound when it was finally written. Yeah, he was one of those guys. After Skie kicked him to the curb, he bounced between various barmaids who clearly had low self-esteem, but not low enough to keep him around for long. Eventually, he got one of them pregnant and was forced into a shotgun wedding by the barmaid's father. He now works in the kitchen at the same inn as his barmaid wife. She helps the customers up front and he cooks eggs in the back. Eldoth continues to tell himself that this experience will just provide inspiration for his music and that someday he was going to get the band back together."
“After being rescued by Gorion's Ward, Xan made his way to Baldur's Gate to regroup. He spent an inordinate amount of time beating himself up over his failures and trying to muster the gumption to continue his quest to unravel the political turmoil of the region. However, it took him months to get to this point, and by that time, Gorion's Ward already sorted out the problems in the region. Discovering this, he deemed himself a failure yet again and sunk into a deeper depression. He pulled himself out of it when he met a woman who lost most of her family to violent deaths during the iron crisis, yet she still kept herself together and became a local success in a few short years. Xan immediately fell in love with the recently single Skie Silvershield and began to court her. They eventually married and started a family. At Xan's insistence, and inspired by his wife's name, their two daughters were named Sunshine and Rainbow. Xan was a staunch supporter of his wife's career and stayed home to raise the kids. When they were older and needed less attending, he followed a new dream and became a motivational speaker.”
“Korgan had his revenge against his backstabbing crew and employer, but he felt...empty. It was done, but he felt no satisfaction. Disgruntled and disappointed, he decided to lose himself in his cups at the Copper Coronet. Even this did nothing to alleviate his malaise. One night, having passed out drunk in a peasant room at the Copper Coronet, he dreamt of that final fight but something was different. In the background of the battle, there was a glow coming from the door of a shack and he heard the whispering of a language that sounded like it was from Kara-Tur. When he woke the next morning, Korgan returned to the rooftop and found the shack from his dream. He knocked and was greeted by a priest of Illmater. Korgan told the priest of his dream and he was led into the backroom where he found a man from Kara-Tur infirm and huddled over a cup of tea. The priest explained that he had just reincarnated this man of the faith using a heart delivered by a passing adventurer. Korgan took this as a sign, converted to the faith, and the two paired up to help those in suffering as a result of the schemes of others. The tales of Korgan and Yoshimo were not only told in many of a tavern by the bards, but also collected in graphic serials that were popular among the children of Athkatla.”
“Ajantis' death sent him into an afterlife at Everwatch, the realm of Helm. For his honor and diligence, the devout knight was granted an audience with his patron. Ajantis then told Helm what utter bullshit the god was. I mean, c'mon, he's the god of protection, the Vigilant One, and he couldn't protect a group of knights from a dragon's cheap illusion spell that a mage even tried to dispel with True Sight? It was like Helm wasn't even trying. Helm was stunned by the confrontation but also had no valid defense. Ajantis called Helm to a trial that was mediated by Tyr. After careful deliberation, Tyr determined that Helm was sleeping on the job and the judgment was to demote him to a lesser deity. Now, Helm was the patron of guards, but not actual guards that ever see action, just the ceremonial ones whose weapons and armor are super shiny and probably not even real. Ajantis was then granted Helm's old portfolio and became a god that truly protected his followers.”
“Viconia left Athkatla's government district perplexed. She was rescued from burning at the stake by Gorion's Ward and then immediately dismissed. She found this to be unusual behavior for a male. She was accustomed to men either trying to bed her or kill her, but this casual indifference was completely new. Viconia came to be obsessed with Gorion's Ward from a distance. She spiraled into a fantasy where the two of them had a future together. It was pretty bad. There were some extremely embarrassing vision boards involved and that wasn't even the worst of it. When her mania reached critical mass, her obsession actually collapsed and she had an epiphany. She came to realize that she did not need this man, or any for that matter. She started on a journey of self discovery and took a moral inventory of her past relationships. She wrote about it in the book, “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar”. She then used the revenue from the book sales to open Athkatla's first feminist bookstore. In Her Words became a mecca for women, particularly those who felt trapped in bad relationships. The community that emerged here created the group, Friends of Galia, which strove to free women from abusive relationships. Eventually, the bookstore expanded to include an apartment block above that became a shelter for such women. Occasionally, the partners of these victims would come around to In Her Words in an attempt to drag their partners back home. You can probably guess how a confrontation between a drunken 0-level commoner and a Drow priestess of Shar ends."
“Faldorn was defeated by Jaheira in Trademeet and lost her title of Arch-Druid. In truth, she was relieved to be relieved of the position. Years of pushing forward the Shadow Druid agenda led Faldorn to realize that she had lost touch with the real Faldorn along the way. After some soul-searching, she reinvented herself as a lifestyle guru and developed an entire line of organic health and beauty products under the name, She-Wolf. Both her products and seminars were all the rage in Athkatla, specifically among noblewomen who clearly had too much free time. Faldorn eventually gave up her residence in natural environs for a lavish estate in Athkatla's government district. Her following soon pressured her to petition to join the Council of Six after the fall of the Cowled Wizards left the position open (aside from a short-term replacement). Her petition was a success and she soon found herself on the Council of Six. Under her leadership, she created created the FDAA, the Food and Drink Association of Athkatla. Now, instead of draconian rules governing magic in the city, equally restrictive rules and standards were applied to the food and drink that the people consumed.”
“Barely surviving being gravely wounded by Irenicus, Tiax left Spellhold for Athkatla where he intended to do what he did best: rule. Learning from his past campaign mistakes in Baldur's Gate, he changed his slogan from ”Tiax Rules!" to “Make Athkatla Great Again”. Of course, what he thought would make Athkatla great was putting himself in charge as a despotic leader. But, he toned down that aspect of his platform and instead focused on the history of scheming and backroom dealing of the Cowled Wizards (as if he was any less evil or scheming) and promised the people he would be different than all the other corrupt politicians. Miraculously, despite his obviously apparent character flaws, he succeeded in replacing the Cowled Wizards' representative on the Council of Six. He decided to take their stance on restrictive magic to the next level and banned magic entirely. Since he didn't study the arcane himself, it was no skin of his nose. This move undermined his support base leaving him with only the most backwards and ignorant followers. He was ultimately removed from his position when he insisted the city build a wall around the planar sphere and was expecting that the city's wizards would be the ones to pay for it. After his removal, his few remaining extreme supporters organized an invasion of the main government building under the guise of freedom of assembly. All nine of these “rebels” were rounded up, tried, and sent to prison. Tiax was convicted of treason and reincarnated in Spellhold, which was now just a common prison. After his eventual release, he was prohibited from seeking any position of power in Amn."
"Edwin Odesseiron continued to lay low with the Shadow Thieves for a while. The Cowled Wizards suffered a crippling blow as a side effect of the conflict between Gorion's Ward and Irenicus. Edwin decided to step in and finish the job. His thought was that he could wipe out the Cowled Wizard remnants and then take credit for their defeat, thereby gaining him more clout among the Red Wizards of Thay. After many conspicuous mage battles in the streets of Athkatla, he succeeded. However, the people who noticed his efforts the most were actually the people of Athkatla. They were tired of living under the Cowled Wizards' iron fist and Edwin was lauded as a liberator and hero. He even had a statue in his image raised in Waukeen's Promenade. Edwin was initially nonplussed over people finally giving him the credit he always felt he so rightfully deserved. But, he quickly came to accept their praise and bought in to being a champion for the people. Edwin continued his agenda of liberation when a clearly insane gnome who found his way on the Council of Six tried to ban magic entirely in the city. Edwin and his followers were primarily responsible for having the madman removed from his seat.
“Shar-Teel, Safana, Branwen, and Alora all happened to cross paths with each other at Elfsong one evening. Shar-Teel was looking to fight a man, Safana was looking to shag a man, Branwen was recently petrified by a man, and Alora was just excited to be somewhere new. The four got to talking with each other and, despite having wildly different personalities, seemed to hit it off. Shar-Teel was sarcastic and aggressive, Safana was self-absorbed and man-hungry, Alora was kind and sweet, and Branwen was the matriarch of the group. You wouldn't think this lot would get along, but they actually did, and their differences merely become the fuel for innocuous hi-jinks week after week.”
"With Gorion's Ward's help, Cernd was able to rescue his child that he then abandoned again at the druid grove near Trademeet. He promised that he would return to raise the child, he just needed to run to the general shop in Trademeet for some pipeweed. He never returned, but that was pretty obvious since he didn’t even smoke. Cernd continued to wander Faerun. It came to light in Cormyr that Cernd had actually married, and had children, with numerous women in Cormyr, Amn, the Sword Coast, Tethyr, Calimshan, Turmish, Halruaa, Icewind Dale, Chondath, Sembia, Impiltur, the Silver Marches, and even the Troll Hills (don't ask). Furthermore, it was discovered that Cernd was not actually a druid, just a werewolf that had a Ring of Goodberries. The druid con was so that he could have a reason to abandon his wives and children and move on to a new situation. You would be surprised at how many women could fall for a guy that can conjure an impromptu picnic in the park. Unfortunately for Cernd, Cormyr was not the kind of place to run afoul of the legal system. For the crime of bigamy, he was sentenced to life in prison. He never set foot near a druid grove again, but he was allowed to participate in a work-release program tending to the gardens of nobles.
“Kagain returned to his shop and grew even more bitter, but not over what the death of Entar Silvershield's son had done to his reputation and business. Instead, he resented that even the Enhanced Edition of the game didn't give him a remotely decent companion quest. By Moradin's hammer, Cernd even had a pretty involved companion quest and the story there both starts and ends with a deadbeat dad! Also, Kagain can regenerate! Korgan can't even do that. And another thing! He was sick of people confusing the two of them as if all dwarves look alike or something. Ok, granted, they're both old dwarves with greying beards, but Korgan's beard is tied while Kagain's beard is brushed out. Of course, none of this made sense to anyone, even to Kagain who never actually crossed paths with Cernd or Korgan. However, the dwarf had nothing to do with his time except stand in his shop, isolated and alone, until he was done in by insanity and plantar fasciitis.”
“The death of Khalid shook Jaheira to the core. She convinced herself that she could never love again, certainly not so soon after his death nor with anyone that would be a child in her eyes. That would be absurd and rather tacky. After her escape from Irenicus' prison and deposing Faldorn from the druid grove, she took over as Arch-Druid. Being a Harper just wouldn't be the same without Khalid. However, the grove would allow her to explore a new, but comfortingly familiar, phase of life. She had barely been installed as the Arch-Druid when Cernd dropped off his child and disappeared again. He did not even stay long enough to tell Jaheira the child's name. Knowing he would likely not return, she named the child Khalid after her lost love. Realizing there were other children our there without families to care for them, Jahaeira would send her subordinates to wander nearby lands and bring them to the grove for a better life. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these children happened to be Cernd's. She eventually renamed the grove to Kinder Garden in honor of the grove's new purpose of giving these children a kinder upbringing. Jaheira's headstrong personality served her well with these lost children, who all loved her as they would any mother. The Kinder Garden became the most thriving druid grove in all of Faerun. Jaheira eventually died in 1547 DR, with hundreds of children haven been rescued in her lifetime, and a memorial was erected in her honor at the grove. The inscription read, 'Nature's Servant Awaits.'"
“After being freed from Irenicus' dungeon, Minsc put his boots on the ground at the Copper Coronet. Being the simple man that he was, he found himself unwittingly recruited into fighting in the gladiator pits (before Gorion's Ward was able to free the slaves). Yet again, Minsc took a blow to the head. But this time, its effects were something completely new. No longer was he the slow-witted evil-slaying ranger, armed to the teeth and packing a hamster. Instead, his intelligence and wisdom started to blossom and he explored, through dissertation, the impact of modern civilization on the overall ecosystem of Faerun. Indeed, before Minsc started his work, the people of Faerun didn't even have the concept of an ”ecosystem". He left Athkatla to pursue a residency at Jaheira's grove where he could study and work in peace. He published works like, “The Intersection of Geopolitics and Biodiversity: Living More but Dying Sooner”, “The Essential Symbiosis Between the Savage and Civilization”, and “Moral Urbanization: Seeking a More Comprehensive Prosperity”. Minsc continued his studies and writing and ultimately produced enough groundbreaking works to have his own annex in Candlekeep. It was shortly after the dedication of this annex that Minsc disappeared from Faerun, never to be seen again."
“Jan Jansen's fate was the most impressive of all as his endeavors shaped the very fabric of Faerun for centuries to come. His story truly serves as a moral lesson for everyone and we should heed its virtue quite seriously. Helping Lissa and Jaella planted a seed of regret in Lissa with regards to her marriage to Vaelag. Speaking of seeds, this reminds Jan of a time when he was helping his Uncle Scratchy with his turnip farm. However, Uncle Scratchy was hoodwinked and the seeds he received were actually purple carrot seeds. You can imagine Uncle Scratchy's surprise when they sprouted and he suddenly had a field of purple carrots. Well, as you probably know, you can't make turnip stew, or turnip casserole, or turnip pie with purple carrots. But it just so happened there was a mage tower nearby and the resident mage needed a vast number of carrots. Apparently, her plan was to animate them as a kind of vegetable army to combat a myconid infestation in cave system rather close to her tower. Of course, animated carrots are quite self-assured and were immune to myconoid's confusion spores. Anyway, Jan had a once-removed cousin, Bobil, that was lost in those caves when he was a young gnome. He had wandered so deep that he found himself in the den of a solitary xvart who was obsessed with a magic ring. Bobil happened to purloin that ring but it turned out to not be magic at all. However, it was still worth enough for Bobil to buy himself a nice cottage in Trademeet. He then started his own turnip farm and had better luck than Uncle Scratchy. Wait, what were we talking about, again?”
“Boo continued his mission to study the sentient life forms of Faerun and determine their potential impact on the metaverse. He preferred the continued company of Minsc due to the ranger's kindness and protectiveness. Boo found this to be quite valuable in his current miniaturized state. Even after Minsc's accident, where his intellect began to expand, Minsc never lost his good heart and inherent kindness and the two remained the best of friends. It was a number of years later that the term of Boo's mission was complete. A team of his fellow people arrived on a spelljammer to collect the giant miniaturized space hamster. Minsc (and Boo) were on a retreat in a remote part of the Neverwinter Wood when a vessel shaped like a giant acorn landed in a nearby clearing. A number of human-sized anthropomorphic hamster-like beings, who called themselves the Ysoki, emerged and met with Boo. One had a strange crystalline device which it used to restore Boo to his proper size. Minsc naturally remained composed while all this was happening. He and Boo talked often and he knew this day would be coming. Boo returned to the spelljammer with his brethren to debrief on the mission. The Ysoki wanted to bring a sample back to their homeworld for further learning and study. Boo offered Minsc for the task, as the exemplar human would fit in nicely with the Ysoki's advanced culture and society. Everyone was in agreement and made the offer to the ranger. Minsc felt like he had made every contribution he could to the people of Faerun, so he accepted and boarded the ship. Boo, excited to finally be on a spelljammer again, took the helm and plotted a course for his homeworld. At his side sat his friend and faithful companion, Minsc.”
2024.05.15 04:44 Jake_0311 Markup & Cost plus
I just want to preface this with there is NO set markup for all builders. Every company is different. Different overhead. Different profit. When people say a “20%” standard, they have no idea what they are talking about or they are feeding you a bunch of BS. Production builders are able to charge a lower markup because they have a larger gross revenue. Custom builders that only do a few houses a year have larger markups because they have less gross revenue. Or they can have a lower markup because they have lower overhead or set their net margin at a lower number. The numbers are what they are. There is a reason that 95% of contractors go out of business within the first few years. They might be good at their trade but they are terrible at their numbers. Never go with a cost plus contractor. It is guaranteed that the number they give you is a low ball number to get the job. 100% of cost plus jobs will end at least 30-40% higher than what was originally quoted. Or they will never be completed. What happens then? Here are a few things I would like the cost plus guys to mull over and answer as well as the attorneys I have seen commenting on CP contracts:
submitted by Jake_0311 to Homebuilding [link] [comments]
- There is no universal definition of Cost Plus or Time & Material Contracts or billing, thus creating confusion and misunderstandings almost immediately in any contract. Attorneys practicing law in the same town will often have different definitions of what is a Cost Plus or Time & Material Contract.
- Lenders often will not lend on Cost Plus or Time & Material jobs unless there is a "not to exceed" clause. When the job goes beyond the not to exceed clause, you must have written authorization to do that work (signed, dated and completely priced out on a Change Work Order) or your client is not obligated to pay you for the work.
- Some states now have laws that specifically prohibit the use of Cost Plus contracts.
- Based on discussions with attorneys Cost Plus or Time & Material jobs generate lawsuits at a rate of 3 to 1, and arbitrations at 9 to 1 over Fixed Figure contracts.
- Cost Plus or Time & Material contracts are an easy way out of doing detailed project study and estimating. This increases the chances that the original "estimate" for work to be done will be low to very low. You risk accusations of violating the Good Faith & Fair Dealing law for "low balling" estimates. An estimate below the actual price will lead to a fight over money when the real costs start the original estimate. coming in, and the client is requested to pay more for the job than
- Because of the perception that on Cost Plus or Time & Material contracts the owner is required to pay for absolutely everything, many contractors do not write out Change Work Orders and have the owner sign them, falsely believing that they (the contractor) will be paid for all the work that they do on that job.
- Owners often go into a Cost Plus contract thinking they have ample money to cover the job. When the job reaches the 60 percent to 80 percent completion point, and the owners have made multiple changes to the job increasing the cost, they run out of money. Their claim will be that the contractor overcharged from the start of the job, and the contractor will be expected to finish
- For your own protection, you must keep an accurate day-to-day log of all labor, materials, subcontract and other fees or costs on the job to be able to verify your actual expenses to date. If you do not, depending on your contract, you may not be able to collect for undocumented expenses, regardless of what they are or how much work has been done.
- In addition, you must have in your possession every document from the job that has incurred a cost. This includes all time cards, invoices, or any other papers related to the project. If you lose any item, you may not be paid for it.
- With the need to keep very careful records on the jobs, you substantially increase the amount of meeting and preparatory time necessary for the job. Often this time will be three to four times the amount of time necessary to complete a Fixed Figure contract. Cost Plus or Time & Material jobs require at least two, and often three times as many meetings with the client to review job progress, billings, invoices, labor, etc. Who pays for the meeting time and the extra administration time to prep all the documents for labor and invoices from subs and suppliers?
- Who draws the plans and gets the permits on a Cost Plus or Time & Material job? If a mistake is made on the plans, who pays for the time it takes to redraw the plans; and who pays to tear out the mistake and rebuild it?
- Who pays for the engineering if the owner forgets to include it on the plans that they provide; and who pays for your downtime while you wait for these revisions?
- Suppose engineering on a portion of the job gets by the plans examiner, the inspector catches the problem, and the job has to shut down until the engineering is complete and new plans are drawn and ready to use. Who pays for the new plans and delays? Who pays for tearing out the wrong structural work completed, and the materials that are ruined due to tear out? Who pays for the additional labor needed to correct the problem? Who pays for the downtime for you and your crew, driving time; restart up time?
- Will the owner be willing to pay for your travel time to and from your office for meetings or discussions on problems that might arise on the job; or from the jobsite to your suppliers and back to the job site for material pickup that either they or you forgot?
- If you make a mistake on a Cost Plus or Time & Material job, who pays for it? Do you donate your time or is the client willing to pay For it? Who pays for ruined materials? Who pays to go get the new materials and the cost of the vehicle expense to do the pickup?
- Who makes up the material lists for jobs with Cost Plus or Time & Material contracts that are needed before the job starts? If you do, will you be paid for that time?
- Owners are far more prone to want to furnish some or all of the materials for their jobs when using a Cost Plus or Time & Material contract. The contractor is expected to guarantee those materials when installed, not to mention losing the markup on those materials. Who pays for the time to replace defective materials supplied by the owner?
- What happens when the owner is to supply some of the materials and they forget to buy a certain item or don't know what materials to bring to the jobsite? Who pays to get the forgotten items? What happens if it takes the owner two or three days (or longer) to get the needed materials to the jobsite? What do you and your crews do in the meantime, and who pays for that downtime?
- The owner goes to your supplier (with your permission) and charges materials for the job to your account. What happens if you send the owner to a certain supplier you normally use for materials, he purchases the materials, and then later claims that he could have purchased the same materials at another location at a better price? You gave him the higher priced supplier to go to, so you are responsible for the difference in cost.
- Cost Plus or Time & Material reviews show owners what you're paying for materials. This will increase the probability of complaints from owners that they could have bought the same item elsewhere for less money. It also leads to owners believing they only have to pay the amount that they could have bought the materials for.
- Owners expect you to be fully productive on their jobs for 8 hours a day. They will be looking over your shoulder constantly. You will seldom, if ever, get the job done as quickly as they are expecting you to do it. Will they be willing to pay for your state's mandated morning and afternoon breaks for your employees? Will they be willing to pay for smoke breaks, coffee breaks, mobile phone time? Will they pay for the time for you or one of your employees to escort an inspector through the job and answer questions? Who pays for the labor and materials to do required changes?
- The contractor must be far more diligent in policing employees so that they are productive on the job at all times, with no miscellaneous discussions or activities on or about anything other than the job they are working on. Again, this pertains to starting and quitting times, smoke breaks, coffee breaks, mobile phone time.
- It is very difficult to "compete" on Cost Plus commercial jobs, because larger construction companies will take these jobs at cost to build a presence with corporations that allocate multimillion- dollar projects on assignment basis as a result of favorable past performance.
- From the client's standpoint, Cost Plus contracts give the contractor little incentive to get in and get the job done. Instead, the contractor's incentive is to keep the clock running, especially if he doesn't have the next job lined up. Cost Plus jobs often run far longer than would be considered normal with a Fixed Fee contract.
- Owners believe that Cost Plus or Time & Material jobs will cost them less money to build. Therefore, they expect you to charge them less money for the work that you do (i.e. less than your normal overhead and profit). In most cases, owners believe that you should only make: Remodeling: 10 percent overhead and to 10 percent profit New home construction: 10 percent overhead and profit Specialty construction: 6 to 10 percent overhead and 5 to 10 percent profit This makes it extremely difficult for you to use your established markup on that job, especially when you have to show them your invoices at the normally required meetings where you review the job progress and expenses to date.
- Owners do their homework, put their job out for "Bid" at Cost Plus or Time & Material plus 6 percent, 7 percent or 8 percent maximum markup. They tell you if you don't want to bid that way, don't enter a bid. They also tell you that "You're not going to make your normal markup on my job!' In other words, take it or leave it.
- One way many contractors handle Cost Plus or Time & Material contracts is to take items that are considered overhead and stuff those costs into the job cost section. In court, a sharp expert witness will find the overhead items listed under job costs and accuse the contractor of "double dipping" on the job. This immediately paints the contractor as dishonest, making a win in court even more difficult.
- Most Cost Plus contracts give the owner the right to either select the subs for his job from a list supplied by the general contractor, or the owner can hire his own subcontractors that the owner will supervise during the job. What happens if subs hired by the owner don't adhere to the general contractor's time schedule? Who's responsible for delays and downtime caused by their lack of cooperation? What prevents the owner from suing the contractor for lack of supervision and other damages caused because the job did not get done on time?
2024.05.15 04:43 soggybread666 How to minimise constant exposure with low income and disability issues ?
Hello all I apologise if this makes no sense I am feeling so incredibly defeated due to all this I'll do my best to answer any questions also I am on mobile.
I live in the UK and moved into a studio property almost a year this month and have quite a problem. I have lived with mould before but am aiming to move ASAP but what do I do in the meantime ?
I do not have an air purifier and will be looking to get a new dehumidifier (one I currently have too expensive to run for me on low income)
A lot of my property is/has been destroyed which does not help my mental health which has been contributing to the situation I'd really appreciate ways to 'save' or minimise what's happening to my things this includes mould on my clothes to rusting of metal items and affecting electronic devices where they don't work anymore.
I have a few pictures if necessary haven't had an expert check it but have been in touch awaiting an appointment
Thank you so much if you've read this far I'd really appreciate some advice
submitted by soggybread666 to Mold [link] [comments]
I live in the UK and moved into a studio property almost a year this month and have quite a problem. I have lived with mould before but am aiming to move ASAP but what do I do in the meantime ?
I do not have an air purifier and will be looking to get a new dehumidifier (one I currently have too expensive to run for me on low income)
A lot of my property is/has been destroyed which does not help my mental health which has been contributing to the situation I'd really appreciate ways to 'save' or minimise what's happening to my things this includes mould on my clothes to rusting of metal items and affecting electronic devices where they don't work anymore.
I have a few pictures if necessary haven't had an expert check it but have been in touch awaiting an appointment
Thank you so much if you've read this far I'd really appreciate some advice
2024.05.15 04:42 LGBTQIA_Over50 They outsource their call center too.
I called Whole Foods about an order and was transferred by mistake to their customer service department that was located in the Philippines.
I didn't ask where the agent was located, I made mention of a recent news article about Whole Foods and then asked if they had any major HQ stores in Seattle and she admitted to not knowing because of her location.
I notice many companies, including ones I've worked for, have outsourced to other countries.
I see a ton of empty Corporate office parks with "for lease signs."
On a different post, an AT&T agent said he works out of the country and the US comparable pay is $14-$17 per hour as a sales call center agent.
Lots of jobs are hybrid.
In Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, near the major cities, apts average $1,800+ a month, plus utilities. Cars are necessary to get around. Dental care is all out of pocket. Health, vision and prescription plans cost money and people in the 50+ age bracket use scans and specialty doctors.
Not all middle aged adults have spouses, or coshare with other adults. I've always lived independently, and can't qualify for an apt on these wages.
submitted by LGBTQIA_Over50 to jobs [link] [comments]
I didn't ask where the agent was located, I made mention of a recent news article about Whole Foods and then asked if they had any major HQ stores in Seattle and she admitted to not knowing because of her location.
I notice many companies, including ones I've worked for, have outsourced to other countries.
I see a ton of empty Corporate office parks with "for lease signs."
On a different post, an AT&T agent said he works out of the country and the US comparable pay is $14-$17 per hour as a sales call center agent.
Lots of jobs are hybrid.
In Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, near the major cities, apts average $1,800+ a month, plus utilities. Cars are necessary to get around. Dental care is all out of pocket. Health, vision and prescription plans cost money and people in the 50+ age bracket use scans and specialty doctors.
Not all middle aged adults have spouses, or coshare with other adults. I've always lived independently, and can't qualify for an apt on these wages.
2024.05.15 04:38 Immediate-Attempt-30 3 Best Lasik Surgery Clinics in Singapore 2024
 | Many acknowledge the paramount importance of vision among the senses, recognizing its pivotal role in perceiving the world vividly and functioning effectively in daily life. But sometimes, our eyesight gets worse as we get older or if we have an accident or illness. Wearing glasses or contact lenses can help, but they're not always easy to deal with. That's where LASIK surgeryMany acknowledge the paramount importance of vision among the senses, recognizing its pivotal role in perceiving the world vividly and functioning effectively in daily life. But sometimes, our eyesight gets worse as we get older or if we have an accident or illness. Wearing glasses or contact lenses can help, but they're not always easy to deal with. That's where LASIK surgery comes in. It's a special kind of surgery that can fix problems with your vision by reshaping your cornea. submitted by Immediate-Attempt-30 to u/Immediate-Attempt-30 [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/0z39rw2c5i0d1.jpg?width=744&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6241ec322f1626f1fcea7c6bc0b7a46ca0fdb2e Understanding LASIK Surgery: LASIK, short for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis, is a widely acclaimed refractive surgery aimed at correcting vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The procedure involves reshaping the cornea using a highly precise laser, allowing light to properly focus on the retina, thereby improving vision. The LASIK Procedure: Pre-Operative Assessment: Before the surgery, patients undergo a thorough eye examination to assess their eligibility for LASIK and determine the appropriate treatment plan. Surgical Process: During the procedure, the surgeon utilises a specialised laser to reshape the cornea according to the patient's prescription, a process that typically takes only a few minutes per eye. Recovery and Results: Following LASIK surgery, most patients experience improved vision almost immediately, with minimal discomfort and a quick recovery period. Full visual acuity is typically achieved within a few days to weeks post-surgery. If you're tired of glasses or fed up with buying contact lenses all the time, LASIK might be a good option for you. But choosing the right place to get LASIK can be tricky, especially with so many choices out there. To help make things easier, here are 3 best LASIK clinics in Singapore that you might want to check out. Each one has its own perks, so you can find the best fit for your budget, location, and specific needs. If you're considering LASIK surgery Singapore, these clinics are worth considering. When searching for a LASIK surgeon Singapore, these clinics offer top-notch services and experienced professionals to guide you through the process. 1. LSC Eye Clinic For over 15 years, LSC Eye Clinic in Singapore has been a beacon of hope for those seeking enhanced vision through advanced refractive laser procedures such as LASIK eye surgery. Boasting a satisfied clientele exceeding 85,000 individuals, the clinic has garnered acclaim for its commitment to excellence. Continuously advancing its medical technology and staff expertise, LSC Eye Clinic now presents an expanded array of specialised treatments catering to various eye conditions. Beyond its renowned LASIK offerings, the clinic introduces cutting-edge solutions including ZEISS SMILE® Pro vision correction, Epi-LASIK Advanced Surface Ablation, LASIK Xtra for corneal fortification, Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICL), and more. From addressing common issues like pterygium and dry eyes to complex conditions such as macular hole and keratoconus, LSC Eye Clinic strives to ensure optimal eye health for all ages. Recognizing the paramount importance of vision, the clinic is steadfast in its mission to enable everyone to perceive the world with clarity and precision. In addition to its exceptional eye care services, LSC Eye Clinic extends its medical expertise to encompass endocrinology through SMG Diabetes, alongside a specialised Thyroid and Endocrine Clinic, ensuring comprehensive healthcare for all patients. From childhood to senior years, the clinic caters to individuals across the lifespan, specialising in Laser Vision Correction for various refractive errors and Small Incision Cataract Surgery. Available eye treatments:
2. Dr Natasha Lim Eye CentreDr. Natasha Lim Eye Centre is renowned for its expertise in laser cataract and LASIK surgeries, led by Dr. Lim herself, an esteemed refractive surgeon. Holding fellowship status with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists in London, Dr. Lim specialises in laser refractive and cataract surgeries, ensuring top-tier care for her patients.Upon consultation with Dr. Lim, patients undergo thorough assessments to determine the necessity for surgery and the most suitable lens options tailored to their specific needs. Services offered at the clinic encompass a wide spectrum, including traditional LASIK surgery, surface ablation techniques such as LASEK, Epi-LASIK, and PRK, as well as advanced bladeless femtosecond laser cataract surgery and diabetic eye disease treatment. Under the expert guidance of Dr. Lim, patients can entrust their vision concerns to her passionate and proficient care, knowing they are on the path to achieving clearer vision and improved eye health. At Dr. Natasha Lim Eye Centre, patients receive comprehensive care and guidance for a range of eye conditions, from mild to severe. Dr. Lim, serving as the Senior Consultant and Medical Director, earned her medical degree from the University of Nottingham Medical School in the UK. With extensive training and accolades in ophthalmology, she is a fellowship-trained refractive surgeon with a particular focus on Laser Refractive and Refractive Cataract Surgeries. Additionally, she is certified in VISX excimer laser and IntraLase femtosecond laser procedures in both Singapore and the UK. Available eye treatments:
3. Atlas Eye Specialist CentreAtlas Eye Specialist Centre distinguishes itself as a renowned establishment in the field of eye care, committed to delivering top-tier, evidence-based, and FDA-approved treatments for various ophthalmological conditions. Catering to individuals dealing with nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, the centre offers a range of laser vision correction options, including ReLEx® SMILE, Wavefront Bladeless LASIK, and Wavefront PRK. Recognizing the uniqueness of each patient's eyes, the clinic's specialists meticulously assess which procedure aligns best with their visual requirements and lifestyle. Factors such as eye prescription level and corneal thickness guide recommendations; for example, PRK may be suggested for those with lower prescriptions and thinner corneas, while ReLEx® SMILE and LASIK surgery serve as suitable alternatives for others. Additionally, the centre presents various alternatives like ICL, refractive lens exchange, and monovision laser vision correction. From the initial consultation to post-operative care, Atlas Eye Specialist Centre maintains a patient-centric approach, ensuring comprehensive and personalised service throughout the treatment journey.Emphasising its commitment to excellence, Atlas Eye Specialist Centre boasts a team of internationally trained healthcare professionals dedicated to offering evidence-based medical and surgical solutions for vision correction and eye ailments. Its state-of-the-art surgical facility prioritises the highest standards of vision and eye healthcare, leveraging cutting-edge technology and medical expertise to prioritise patient well-being. Moreover, the centre provides tailored treatments, including Key-hole Surgical Techniques for both Refractive Surgery and Advanced Cataract Surgery, further underscoring its dedication to meeting individual patient needs with precision and care. Available eye treatments:
In short, LASIK surgery is a standout solution for vision issues like nearsightedness and farsightedness. It's a precise procedure with quick recovery, often providing immediate and lasting results. By using advanced lasers to reshape the cornea, LASIK offers a distinct way to improve eyesight. The article highlights reputable LASIK clinics in Singapore, making the procedure more accessible. LASIK presents a unique opportunity to enhance vision without the need for glasses or contacts, improving daily life for many. comes in. It's a special kind of surgery that can fix problems with your vision by reshaping your cornea. |
2024.05.15 04:36 Dazzling-Bee3214 Sibling dependence
I have two siblings with disabilities. One is legally blind and the other is a brittle diabetic with pain issues. Both have made bad choices in their lives both have made bad choices in their lives many bad choices.— many bad choices. My older sister and her husband and my husband and I have worked hard and have a decent income and standard of living. We are all over 60 with my oldest two sisters 65+. Within the past five years I moved to a southern state and interestingly enough, all of my siblings came and live near me. In fact, my disabled sister lived with me for three years, and I went away on vacation and my brother appeared to my home as well! my older sister and her husband built a lovely home and took my brother in. When my daughter came to live with me while her husband was deployed (to get help with her children) my other sister moved in with the oldest sibling. We are now all going to inherit a decent amount of money from an older relative, and instead of trying to get some independence, my disabled sister has decided she’s going to give money to her children — who are basically low functioning because of their own bad choices. My brother receives his medical care through Medicaid, which he will lose if he takes the inheritance. he lives a very nice lifestyle with my older sister, and has become accustomed to upper middle-class living. They each only pay about $400 a month for room and board. My one sister is constantly going to the doctor. My brother spends his money on musical and sound equipment. He constantly has people over and expects my brother in law to feed them. My husband has said he does not want to have my siblings living with me anymore. My brother-in-law feels the same. My oldest sister has many health problems and he is in charge of her care. He told me he did not plan to take care of my other siblings. We feel my brother should decline the inheritance so it will be divided among us and then we can give money toward helping to buy a home for them to live together. My oldest sister and I are more than willing to do this. My brother doesn’t want to do that and my sister wants to give her money to her children. (Her two have mega issues). The will is in probate and won’t be settled until the fall. At this point, I don’t know what to do. We are not against helping them, but feel that they need to start taking responsibility for their lives. They don’t appear to want to do this. I feel if my one sister gives money to her children then she needs to move out and take responsibility for herself. She most likely will need care is a few years. Right now she drives (a car I helped her to get). We are not against helping them, but feel that they need to start taking responsibility for their lives. They don’t appear to want to do this. I feel if my one sister gives money to her children then she needs to move out and have a deadline to do so. My brother in law is worried my brother will go through his money quickly and end up on his doorstep again (if he does move). He appears to be involved with a 38 year old woman who is troubled (he is almost 61). My older sister is tied up in knots about the whole thing. I don’t know what to do. I am the executor of the will and have no say in what they do with the money except to say they’re not living with me. This puts a great deal of pressure on my brother-in-law. Any suggestions?
submitted by Dazzling-Bee3214 to FamilyIssues [link] [comments]