yes, the newest season is very good. very little complaints, probably one of the best seasons since season 4. BUT i have not played any of the most recent seasons all the way through. first of all, i know we win. didnt there used to be this thing where there was a chance you didn’t win? second of all, i feel like the endings only get switched up a little bit so i don’t really care to play all the way through. third off, what’s the point on wasting gems towards the end of the season when i can use those gems on the next season? this whole post makes me feel like a party pooper ngl. but if i am wrong please let me know, if the endings are maybe some sort of different? or whatnot.

Reflecting on 2021, truly marked the zenith of my young career. The pandemic was coming to an end, I was fresh from the hallowed halls of a prestigious but unheralded college, thrust into the corporate labyrinth where, as a mere sidekick to the big shots, I contributed to a deal of record-breaking magnitude. My modest corporate minion life was exaggerated into legend by my professors during an alumni reunion, leading to a rather embarrassing episode where I was paraded around as the poster child of their education career’s success. My parents, not ones to shy away from a bit of pomp, lauded my achievements to anyone within earshot.
But as 2022 unfurled its chaos with the epidemic, my professional life spiralled downwards as swiftly as it had risen. I was laid off, and replaced by a nepotistic hire—my boss's new mistress's nephew. During my dismal final days, my colleagues, once comrades became corporate sharks, whispers of them scheming to claim my last efforts as their own filled the empty office spaces.
Compelled by financial duress to abandon my central city dwelling, I relocated to the outskirts with two college mates, Jaz and Kath, who had similarly found themselves victims of the economic downturn. We settled into apartment 606, a unit with dubious charm, suspiciously affordable on the 13th floor of a dreary building, its corridor haunted by a flickering sensor light that was only designed to function on rare occasions. Yet, the apartment itself was surprisingly very well furnished, almost like something that jumped out from a design mag, out beating sample rooms in Ikea, boasting a spacious balcony, a living room ready for an impromptu soirée, a dining table that’s good enough to hold a banquet(became our co-working space) and a kitchen isle that became our sanctuary and curse.
When we first settled into our new abode, we discovered a trove of fine kitchen utensils, perfect for whipping up sophisticated cuisine and crafting cocktails worthy of a swanky soirée. Tucked away in the fridge, among the remnants of the previous tenants' life, was a quaint note: “The three of us really enjoyed our stay here, especially our meals and nights spent by the kitchen island. We hope you find as much joy in it as we did. Use it well.” With a casual flick of my wrist, I dismissed the note into the garbage can, oblivious to the depth of its seemingly innocuous message. Little did I know, that piece of paper was more a passing of the torch than a simple goodbye.
Our initial days in apartment 606 brimmed with camaraderie and impromptu celebrations: movie nights sprawled on the living room sofas, barbeque dinners under the stars on our balcony, and co-working sessions at the dining table, peppered with resume tweaks and contemplative conversations over cocktails. We even scored a second-hand karaoke machine, allowing me to channel my inner diva—a throwback to my musical theatre days in college and my stint as the voice of corporate presentations and negotiations at my previous job, where I was known for my resonant yet finely tuned voice.
Yet, as the months wore on and the job market remained unyielding, our early merriment slowly surrendered to a creeping anxiety. The kitchen island, once the heart of our home where laughter and shared meals flowed freely, gradually morphed into the epicenter of our collective unease, bearing silent witness to the quiet desperation settling over us.
One evening, in the suspiciously affordable yet stylish apartment, I sank into the sofa, my spirits dampened by my favorite team's disheartening loss. The mood was grim, mirroring my fears of my beloved player's potential retirement at season's end. Later, as we congregated around the kitchen island for dinner, I transformed into an impromptu sports commentator, passionately preaching about the game’s disappointing details that led to failure and my favorite player’s fine qualities. Meanwhile, Jaz updated us on a friend's melodramatic breakup, with guesses that something ugly must have happened behind the scenes. Kath, ever the culinary enthusiast, not only served up her delicious pasta but also dished out the latest celebrity gossip, each tidbit as spicy as her sauce.
The next day, during a late breakfast at the same kitchen island—our unwitting oracle—we were hit by a triple whammy of reality checks. The news of my favorite player's retirement broke, echoing my gloomy predictions from the night before. Jaz chimed in with an update that our friend had uncovered a cheating scandal worthy of its own reality TV special. And Kath, never one to be left out of the drama: her favorite celebrity was now the star of a scandal.
By the third morning, as we sipped our coffee, the newspaper slapped me with another bizarre twist. I was going through the devastating economics and politics sections, then I saw the sports section——featured an irate coach, hell-bent on convincing my favorite player to dismiss retirement plans and keep his jersey on a little longer. Meanwhile, Jaz had good news for a change: it turned out our friend's love story might have a second act after all, as misunderstandings were being cleared up. Amidst these revelations, Kath, who had been grumbling about the nearby supermarket’s inability to stock anything remotely gourmet, and hadn’t had a taste of her favorite Blue Mountain coffee since the beginning of that year, triumphantly found a can of Blue Mountain coffee, and it was on sale and therefore affordable—proof that miracles happen, and sometimes they even go on discount.
As I sat there, absorbing the serendipity of our discussions manifesting into real-world events, I couldn't help but marvel at the mysterious knack of our kitchen island. Was it merely a coincidence, or had this stylish piece of decor become the unlikely conductor of our lives symphony? One thing was certain: life in apartment 606 was never dull, and our kitchen island seemed to be more than just a place to eat—it was a place where, apparently, you could stir the pot of fate.
I decided to conduct a whimsical experiment with our now seemingly magical kitchen island. Clearing my throat theatrically, I declared, "I should be interviewed for a director position." To my sheer astonishment, the next day a headhunter rang me up, claiming I was the ideal candidate for a directorial role at a prestigious corporation in my field. Despite the other candidates possessing decades more experience which defeated me with no effort, and my own lingering self-doubt from months of unemployment, I sailed to the final interview round with the company's executives.
Upon returning to our apartment, I found Kath flaunting a chic dress from a designer brand brand she’d snagged on clearance—a little luxury courtesy of our wish-granting island. Inspired, I approached the island and cheekily requested, "Get us jobs. Something fun." Lo and behold, the following day was spent lounging and binge-watching Netflix, only to be interrupted by a call from a former bigwig at my old job. He was venturing into a more illustrious company and wanted me onboard. The informal chat that followed was a breeze, and just like that, I was back in the game with a fancier title and a fatter paycheck.
The subsequent week was a flurry of celebrations. Jaz secured a senior-level position, and Kath landed her dream job at an influencer management agency. Feeling triumphant, we decided to indulge in a night of fine dining—our first in months. That Friday evening when I went from office to restaurant, on a whim, stopped at a convenience store to grab snacks and cigarettes for our post-dinner revelry. Outside, I encountered a homeless person. After offering him a sandwich (which he traded for a cigarette instead), he took a drag, peered into my eyes, and ominously muttered, “Look, young lady, this isn’t my business, but be wary of what you wish for; everything comes with a price. Good luck and god bless you.”
His words barely registered until later that evening when a mishap occurred that seemed to underline his warning. As we enjoyed syphon coffee post-dinner, a barista accidentally tripped over Kath’s flowing dress. The resulting spill left her with first-degree burns, abruptly ending our night as we rushed to the emergency room. Though it was "just" a first-degree burn, the pain was significant enough to require several days off for Kath’s recovery. Amid the drama, I couldn't help but wonder about the cryptic caution from the man outside the store—had our fortunate streak come with a hidden cost?
We chalked up the coffee calamity to bad luck. The next month flowed smoothly: Kath's fingers healed, she returned to work, and I quickly found my groove at the new job. With all of us gainfully employed, our communal meals at the kitchen island became rare. My mornings were a whirlwind of grabbing breakfast and coffee on the go, followed by an hour's commute to a job that had me scarfing down instant noodles by nightfall, just in time for a quick shower.
As the busy season kicked in, my workload ballooned—not just from the seasonal uptick, but because I was hell-bent on proving my mettle. I quickly outshone most of my peers, and my employer, recognizing a budding overachiever, piled on major tasks, which I eagerly accepted. What started as the occasional hour of overtime soon devoured my weekends. Unpaid overtime, as the fine print in my contract gleefully noted, became my new norm. Driven by a mix of ambition and expectation, I had become the go-to young hotshot, the erstwhile record-breaker now expected to continually outdo myself.
Mentally, I was too swamped to entertain thoughts of anything beyond work, which, in a twisted way, felt like a break. Physically, however, the strain began to show. A bout of flu caught on a business trip escalated into a fever. Sick as I was, deadlines waited for no one, and I soldiered on medicated and miserable. By the time I made it home, my voice had abandoned me. Unable to utter a word the next morning, I resorted to emailing my manager about my sorry state.
That week, robbed of my voice, I mused that it was perhaps a well-deserved hiatus for my overworked vocal cords—a silent retreat if you will. But when my voice did return, it was as a raspy whisper, a shadow of its former crisp and melodious timbre. My doctor offered a grim prognosis: slight improvement might come, but the golden tones were gone for good—scarred by the relentless grind. Ah, the price of ambition—a scratchy throat as a permanent reminder of my corporate conquests.
It seemed I had unwittingly exchanged the clarity of my voice for the tumult of career success. In the midst of our domestic enchantment with the possibly mystical kitchen island, Kath unearthed the contact of a reputed psychic, hailed as the finest in the land. However, the consultation fee was nothing short of princely, and with Jaz vehemently dismissing anything that couldn't be explained by cold, hard science, she promptly opted out of splitting the bill. Kath and I, unwilling to drain our wallets on what could be mere phantasmagoria, reluctantly let the opportunity pass.
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but notice a curious change in Jaz’s routine. She had ceased dining at the kitchen island, avoiding it as if it were cursed—or perhaps, in her view, simply out of style. The Saturday morning brought a particularly harsh twist: a murder of crows took to spiralling above our balcony, their cries as sharp as the plot of a Poe novel. We found ourselves drawn to the infamous kitchen island, lined up like the cast of a macabre play, silently praying for the birds to disperse. Kath, ever trying to restore some semblance of normalcy, offered up cups of Blue Mountain coffee. She absentmindedly inquired if I wanted cream or sugar in mine—a blunder that made me realize just how long it had been since our last coffee klatch at this very spot. My inner monologue couldn't resist a dark wish for the crows to scatter, perhaps too dark, for they began to dive bomb our balcony in a feathery kamikaze. The spectacle was enough to knock Jaz off her feet—literally—as her mug met its end on the floor. Kath, meanwhile, made a hasty retreat to worship the porcelain god, and I sat frozen, my brain offline, pondering the twisted power of our kitchen island's apparent wish-granting.
After the unnerving spectacle of crows turning our balcony into a scene straight out of a Hitchcock film, our first rational step—post-collective fainting, of course—was to summon cleaners to manage the feathery carnage. Then, still rattled but increasingly curious, we visited a psychic, who, contrary to the crystal-ball-gazer image, operated out of a posh boutique in a high-end mall and dressed more like she was headed to a fashion show than a séance. We laid bare our saga of the seemingly cursed kitchen island, complete with photographic evidence of where domestic bliss meets eerie phenomena.
The psychic introduced a term that chilled the air around us: “limbo,” the threshold between our world and the otherworldly, and she dubbed our kitchen island the "Devil’s Bargain Counter." According to her, our wishes came with a heavy and unpredictable price, because we have accidentally started trades with beings from the netherworld. Her advice was disarmingly simple: cease all trades on the island. To address the repercussions of past wishes, she advised us the first line of defence, which was an eclectic mix of offerings laid out on our cursed countertop: raw meat(rooster works the best), a cocktail of spices(coca and cinnamon preferably), liberal splashes of spirits(whiskey and rum ideally), and an eerie bouquet of black flowers(luckily I found some black roses at a flower shop of the mall). In a grander gesture of appeasement, Kath relinquished her shiny new diamond bracelet, Jaz her absurdly expensive headphones, and I parted with cash—— a hefty slice of my bonus in hopes of placating whatever capricious spirits we'd angered.
Our return to normalcy was brief but sweet, prompting us to plan a getaway, eager to forget about our nefarious kitchen island. Yet, the respite was merely a tease. Jaz, in a stroke of spectacular misfortune, narrowly dodged disaster twice in one day—first nearly becoming subway track fodder on her way back after work, and then almost getting knocked out by a rogue plant at our apartment building’s doorstep. Clearly, our previous offerings were mere appetizers to whatever forces we'd stirred. The psychic, summoned once again to our now-dubious sanctuary, decreed that the spirits had developed rather expensive tastes, unsatisfied by our initial gestures.
In a desperate bid for closure, we had the psychic over for a nighttime ritual, timed perfectly with Earth's closest approach to the netherworld, according to her. Our living room turned into a ritual chamber, with windows blacked out for days, to keep the otherworldly dealings strictly nocturnal. That night, we arranged ourselves around the island, now less a kitchen fixture and more an altar of last resort.
The psychic, amidst a chorus of Latin incantations, directed us through a chilling séance that included a mirror that reflected nothing but darkness and a burning black candle, the three of us sat in a row, joined hands, eyes closed. When the black candle was flickering at its last, the first eerie scratches heard prompted our eyes to open prematurely, we saw a command appear on the island, written by invisible hand and pen, in blood-red script, urging us to find the next "succeeder" before our lease on otherworldly disturbances could be terminated.
With bated breath, we agreed, and as if by magic, our signatures materialized on the countertop, then faded as the candle sputtered out. We tore off the black cardboard taped on the windows at dawn, the sunrise revealed a final message etched into the surface: "Debt cleared." As the daylight grew, the ominous inscription dissolved into nothingness, signalling the end of our spectral saga.
The ordeal, now officially behind us, left us enjoying a semblance of normalcy: life in 606 returned to its mundane rhythm, with dinners and movie nights back on our social calendar. Though not without its scars—literal and figurative.
It’s been two years since then, Jaz, in the throes of romantic bliss, is now gearing up for a new chapter waiting to be written alongside her soon-to-be spouse; Kath, her career finally taking a lucrative turn, was poised to upgrade her living situation, she secured a lease on a lavish serviced apartment in the city center—a place that matched her newfound financial swagger.
I’m not without my own leaps forward. With a modest boost from my parents, I took the plunge into homeownership, snagging a property within the city’s vibrant confines. The process was a whirlwind of paperwork and decorating decisions, culminating in a space I could truly call my own.
As we are packing up now, my last act is to type out our story, at the infamous island, and of course, I left a note in the fridge for the next tenants:
"Welcome to 606. We had a wonderful time here, especially at the kitchen island, filled with joy and unforgettable moments. We hope you find as much happiness as we did. Use the isle well. Warm wishes, the previous tenants."

I don't really know what i'm looking for here. Advice? but also trying to find a way to write this down without it all seeming absolutely mental.
My father has been an alcoholic for as long as i can remember. Growing up there has been more than one occasion me and my mum have fled to a hotel overnight or went and lived with my nan for a number of weeks before my dad would come begging for my mum to come back (spoiler: she did). When I was 12 he pushed my mother into the fireplace and broke her arm. I remember being told we had to tell everyone that the dog did it running into her. It was always seemingly perfectly timed around some sort of important event (e.g the night before i had my first a level exam). I could list off things that have happened but we'd be here all night so i'll skip ahead. My mother never left him.
Back then he was what you would call a high functioning alcoholic. Binged Friday, Saturday and sometimes Sunday night but maintain the normal work week life. My mum would say he was a different person in the weekdays, on the weekdays he was David, and on the weekends he was 'Dave'. Over the years hes got worse but since the pandemic he has sunk so low that I didn't know it was possible without a body failing. He is his own boss now in his company and so with that mixed with work from home he will be binge drinking almost every night. When he drinks he is incredibly abusive to my mother. He will send her abusive text messages when she has excused herself to bed early. He has blocked her cards before when she goes out grocery shopping in order to embarrass her. He hides her items around the house. Broke her phone multiple times so she cannot contact me.
Just before the pandemic he convinced her to move away from her family to a new city 2 hours away (alot for uk) I'm now 28 living in Norway with a family of my own. I didn't set out to move to a different country but it has led to my mother being even further isolated. When we visited 2 summers ago and i was pregnant I walked in on him holding a knife to my mums throat in the kitchen and when I got him off her he tried to attack me (all was okay but incredibly scary). Ever since this i have been recording incidents down as they happen and sending them to myself so I have the memories as they were at the time incase i need it in the future.
I tried to get my mum to call the police and she is just too scared to do it. She is scared if she finds somewhere to go she will not be able to to take her dogs with her (2 golden retrievers) and they truly are her babies. He has also been working on her to tell her she is the abusive one, not him and that's where i lead to.
I talk to my mum on the phone almost everyday around 8pm so she can talk to her grandson a little and we talk about how things are. the last few days shes been telling me about my dads recent ailments. a few days ago he fell down the stairs from drinking and has smashed his shoulder in and needs an x-ray. He has turned this into saying my mother did it to him and she is abusing him. Last night he went out to get more alcohol and the bag with his red wine broke and smashed on the floor, he stood on it and got a deep cut on his foot. Now he is saying my mother has also done this to him,
Today I get a message on my phone from him telling me that he is filing for divorce from my mother on the grounds of physical abusive.... that she will get no money and its what best. she thinks he is clever enough that he will be able to pull this off...
I just can't believe the audacity of this man, but i'm also really scared for my mum. In my honest opinion he needs sectioning.
I wonder if anyone has been through anything similar with an abusive partner and have any outcomes they can share with me?
tldr: my abusive father is filing for divorce against my mother and saying she is the abusive one. She thinks he will be able to convince people of this and she will end up with nothing. How can i help her?

i see you
[First Contact] [Dark Ages] [First] [Prev] [Next] [wiki]
^{can you hear the buzzing of the bees?
eternity is in their buzzing}
"What does this button do?" asked the being who strolled into the Room Of Buttons Not To Press If You Don't Know What The Fuck You're Doing - Tadpole's Warning Bedtime Tale - Leebaw
^{the one and the zero, the octal, the hexidecimal
exist in their buzzing like blood pumps through their wings
can you hear them?
your name is Dhruv}
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.
And I have very good judgement when I'm not on fire. - Unknown, Age of Reasonable Concerns
^{i see you
your name is Dhruv
but before that it was Dahlit 397721
do you remember why they named you Deshmuhk?
i do
to remember, we have to go back}
The dust swirled around, carried by the winds that roared through the mountain passes, howled in the valleys, and scoured the faces of the mountains. It was a thick gray dust, glittering here and there with plasma glass dust. Burnt out cars were covered by the dust, thickly caked after being rained on by thick, black rain.
A single building somehow sat intact amid the rubble and destruction. It was a low, squat building, surrounded by wreckage and ruin. A sign, blasted and scorched, had two jumping fish on it and the legend "Pop: 4,823" at the bottom even though the middle of the sign was gone.
The sound of drums and singing could be heard from the building. Not the driving frantic beat of modern music, but the steady cadence that carried with it a solemn feeling. The singing was from many different voices, male and female, but all of them in a language that time had nearly forgotten.
From out of the dust came figures. Two female, four male, and single figure that stood out from others.
Together, they moved toward the sound of singing, until the reached the door.
The leader, a large man of heavy muscle and bone, checked the doors with one hand, a large pistol in his hand.
"Barricaded," the large man said. He motioned. "We should check for any other entrances."
The older woman of brown skin and tightly braided hair moved forward.
"Allow me, brother," she said gently. She held her hand out, twitched her fingers, and smiled.
From inside came the sound of furniture scraping across the floor.
"Thank you," the large man said. He pushed open the doors, holding them for the others.
Inside was a curio shop slash tourist center slash museum. Buckskin and beaded works hung from the walls and ceiling. Glass cases containing ancient artifacts were scattered about, the glass shattered by the apocalypse that had rained down upon the world.
The drums played and the voices sang.
"It's a recording, Father," the slender brown skin man said, brushing the gray dust off of his clothing.
"Live voice," the largest of the men said. He lifted his head, cocking it slightly to listen closer with his right ear. "Young. Early twenties."
"If you say so," the thin man said. He looked around. "This is all devoted to a single person."
"Sometimes, people are that important to others, Dhruv," the older brown skin woman said softly, patting the slender man's arm. "Important to others as you are to us."
The slender man looked doubtful but nodded.
The youngest male of the group looked around, staring at the artifacts and relics scattered around. On his shoulder sat a green mantid wearing a food wrapper as a poncho.
"She's this way," the heavyset man said, leading them on a winding course through the shattered displays and racks.
In the back room, surrounded by artifacts, buckskins, and beaded works, sat a single young woman. Her eyes were white, blinded from the plasma flashes. Her skin was scarred from burns, her hair was only left in small patches. Her skin, beneath the ash and the scarring, was a rich bronze, her remaining hair was black.
She was singing along with the recording, swaying back and forth slightly.
^{there she is
remember her
remember remember}
The larger man knelt down, touching the young woman.
She did not react.
"She's dying," the man said, standing up. "Hunger, thirst, radiation poisoning, at least a half dozen infections," he heft the pistol. "There's nothing we can do for her. Low-vee Apers."
"Low-vee APERS" the pistol replied in a heavy synthesized voice.
"Stay thy hand, Phillip," the one who was markedly different said, his voice as gentle as his features formed of flowing blue and white computer code.
The large man lowered the pistol.
"She's dying," the large man repeated. "Radiation poisoning, starvation, a hard way to go."
"Will none of you speak for her?" the man of code asked gently.
Before any of the others could act, the slim bald man stepped forward. "I will," he said softly.
^{the first time you reached out
a frozen moment of time remembered
by the buzzing of the bees}
The man of code stepped forward, touching the hairless brow of the slender man, just above the missing eyebrows.
"I understand her words now," the slender man said. He moved up and knelt down. "I can heal her."
"Then do so, Luke," the man of code said.
The large man stepped back, a compartment opening on his thigh. He holstered the pistol, looking doubtful, and the compartment smoothly closed, leaving his leg unblemished.
"I need more genetic code," the slender man stated. He stood up, moving around, touching artifacts. "This. Here. An artifact recovered from a collector only a few years ago. It has genetic code attached."
He touched the artifact, then moved over to the woman, who was still swaying back and forth, singing, unaware of the others around her.
He knelt down, reached out carefully, and touched her forehead.
^{you reached out to another
helpless and alone
like you}
The woman threw her head back, her eyes opening wide, her mouth opening in a gasp. The white drained from her eyes, the scar tissue went soft and was replaced by unblemished skin. The blisters, sores, and scratches on her body vanished.
She collapsed forward, the slender man, Luke, catching her.
"Is she alright?" the youngest male asked, his voice full of honest concern.
"Exhausted," Luke said. He lowered his head slightly, sweat dripping from his bald scalp. "That was tiring."
The glittering man moved forward, kneeling down to touch the shoulders of both the woman and the bald man.
"Now you see in yourself what I saw in you," he said.
^{remember
remember
even the smallest can shake the universe
remember}
Sirens were howling in the bay as Jaskel wriggled, trying to break free of whatever was holding him upside down in mid-air. He'd already dropped his chainsword, his pistol had fallen from his equipment belt.
The two stood in the middle of the deployment area for Clone War Bay Sixteen, the male's arm protectively around the shoulders of the female, who wore only the cloak.
"I..." the word hung in the air.
It seemed like the entire universe held its breath to Jaskel.
"...am Legion."
The Admiral grabbed his pistol, rolling in place, firing it as fast as he could pull the trigger.
The rounds exploded on the glowing blue shield that only appeared around the impact points, showering sparks across the bay.
The bald figure made a motion and the pistol flew into pieces, the Admiral yanked into the air upside down.
"Gimme missiles," Jaskel grated from between gritted teeth.
--legion legion legion-- 8814 transmitted. --wait don't wait--
The woman spoke, her cadence stately and almost archaic feeling.
The man spoke back to her in the same language.
More troops ran into the bay, even as the windows overlooking the bay shattered. Weapons deployed, pointing at the pair.
The slender man, without looking, motioned.
Guns flew away, breaking apart, rapidly disassembling. Power armored troops were flung into the air, to hang upside down. Captain N'Skrek found himself upside down, scrabbling for purchase on this air.
The woman spoke to the man. He spoke back.
Finally, he turned, facing the troops hanging in mid-air.
The woman spoke.
"My sister apologies for my rude actions," the man said. "I am merely ensuring her safety."
She spoke some more.
"She has been gone for many years," the man said. He looked around. "My sister, a Biological Apostle of the Digital Omnimessiah, pleads with you to lower your weapons and stay your hands."
The tension was so thick it almost made Jaskel gag.
Finally, the Captain put the tip of a bladearm against his temple.
"Stand down," he said, Jaskel hearing it through his armor's commo system. "All hands, stand down."
There was silence for a moment, only broken by the background humming of the ship's systems.
The woman spoke.
The man faced the Captain.
"She will go with you, to answer questions, on the stipulation that I accompany her and that no man's hand is raised against me without cause," he said.
The Captain nodded.
Jaskel felt relief as he was flipped over and set on his feet.
--luke luke luke is here--
999999
Captain N'Skrek ducked slightly to fit through the doorway into the Captain's Briefing Room Six.
Sitting at one end was the woman, now clothed in what his implant assured him was treated deer hide leather, with tassels and beads upon it. The man was wearing a uniform that made his implant twitch and his nerves draw tight.
A Terran Combined Military Authority uniform.
His staff filed in behind him and took their seats once he sat down.
"I'm Captain N'Skrek, currently assigned to the Gray Lady on autonomous assignment," N'Skrek said.
"You heard me," the slim bald man said. He gave a grin. "You may also know me as Vat Grown Luke or Dhruv Deshmuhk."
The woman spoke and he shook his head. "Yes, sister, I know, Deshmuhk is my slave name. I wear it for revenge."
The woman spoke again, her tone slightly chiding.
"Like they say, the best revenge is living well, sister," the man said, still smiling.
Again, the woman spoke.
N'Skrek noticed that his implant was absolutely no help in deciphering the woman's speech.
"I know that doing things like that and saying things like that is exactly why Daxin always told me people wanted to punch me in the face," the man laughed.
He turned back to Captain N'Skrek.
"My apologies. My sister refuses to speak anything but her people's ancient tongue," his eyes gleamed with mischief. "She is slightly put out with me for answering in Confederate Standard, since now you know that she understands perfectly what you are saying."
N'Skrek nodded. Vat Grown Luke had given up a valuable piece of information in what was sure to be delicate negotiations.
"And what should we call your sister?" N'Skrek asked.
Vat Grown Luke smiled. "Tsakáka Wia, but it would probably be easier for you to use the more common name," he said.
The woman spoke sternly.
"What? It's your commonly known name?" he said, smiling.
The woman's face grew stern and she spoke rapidly.
"The first lesson we learn, sister mine, is that we must bend the knee to reality," Luke said gently. "That name has no power, only a few of us remember it."
^{i remember
the bees remember
can't you hear it in their buzzing?}
The woman spoke again, her expression softening.
Luke turned back to the gathered officers. "Her name, as you would know it, is Sacajawea."
N'Skrek consulted his implant.
And felt fear chill his icon. He looked at his staff and saw that a lot of them looked sick.
"That's right. We are real, and he was real," Luke said. He leaned forward slightly. "He was real both times."
N'Skrek stayed relaxed and calm, at least outwardly.
"I am willing to accept, at this time, that the Biological Apostles and the Digital Omnimessiah were and are real," N'Skrek said.
"Just be glad Dax isn't here. He's not as even tempered as I am," Luke said.
Sacajawea spoke again and Luke laughed. He looked at Captain N'Skrek. "She was just reminding me of the time Daxin completely lost his cool and went to town with his cutting bar on a Countess Crey Bingo Cola vending machine that ate his money then mocked him for it."
"He was known as Enraged Phillip," N'Skrek said.
Sacajawea spoke for a moment and Legion laughed, then turned to N'Skrek.
"Yes."
N'Skrek hated that. When a person spoke at length and the translator just replied with a single word.
"Why are you here?" N'Skrek asked.
Legion smiled. "You have forgotten important things, Captain. You, and the entire Confederacy have forgotten some very important things."
"Like what?" N'Skrek asked.
"If you print enough identical clones, I am reborn through them," Legion smiled. "But that's not the big part. The big one is the one that the Mar-gite's masters either forgot or never learned."
"What is that?" N'Skrek asked.
Legion smiled widely.
"What fear tastes like."
^{your name is dhruv}
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What is the best way to deal with toxic church members?
I try hard to be friendly and get to know them, even exchange numbers but they never continue talking or being friendly only the elder women and 1 or two ppl..Idk what to do. I already tried 3 different places in the span of 10 yrs and its always end up being the same 😢
Ppl immediately start treating me badly, bad looks of anger and or envy. Almost demonic. Females Ignoring me, avoiding me... men acting strange around me. Almost wounded like or offended etc without any reason. One male almost picking on me calling me out while I slightly nodded off as he preached (Hes not a pastor) and then in the youth e event. I am always friendly and smile with everyone and I dress modestly and am pretty shy.
Today one of them did the rudest thing ever, I went to her to ask her if she had my ticket number( they were playing a bible game) so I called out to her "sister" and she yelled out "I'm no sister of yours" in front of everyone. I was flabbergasted
I stopped going to church for years and I went back just last month and this is what I go back to 😔 Advice appreciated

Other examples:
I am timid but confident I can also be very social when I feel comfortable. As soon as I arrived with my husband to the church we greeted everyone. I greet people with confidence and friendliness. I prayed together with one. I immediately create connection with those who I see can be good, exchange numbers, i contacted one and told her I was excited about choir then the day we went she greeted me with a hug and then right after she took our son to the bible class and I thanked her she gave me a strange look. After she never approached me or anything. Since that day she has been acting distant and weird..
Another I never spoke to as I didnt have the chance to acted strangely. Giving bad angry vibes. Called us out in the midle of a group meeting. Basically bossy like and almos intimidated behavior for no absolute reason. Never spoke before. The first one even though I asked the first to introduce me to her, which she never did or had the chance to.
Another even more strange, she sang in church the first time we went. I was so impressed. Smiled friendly several times at her on her way back to being seated and was excited to speak to and connect with and she didnt smile back and had a strange angry look then avoided me the rest of the day. The next week, another sister called her to ask to add me to choir group cause I joined the choir and she didnt even turn her face to me and handed me her phone for me to put my information while having her back and legs on the church bench. I ignored it and handed her the phone. Week after, I took our son to kids bible class and she was surprised to see me and she turned her body to not have to interact with me lol. Just strange behavior.
When I am on the table and interacting with new people and women they act anxious and I feel sttange vibes as well which makes me feel uncomfortable and now has made me not talk much to them.
I dont understand really. 😕
As for the men, I dont do anything in particular. I am very reserved at first like I said due to being timid at first. So all I do is smile and greet. Since I am married I try to be as respectfull. I dont purposely go up to them to talk unless we are all sitting at a table eating lunch. If i am im a table I speak with them. Most of them start speaking to me or my husband first. But onetime I spoke to one men and complimented his singing that day and he stood surprised and silent but the women next to him spoke to me. He had a wife so I figured and understood it was because of this but the other men act strange too.
For example what I mentioned in the post. The choir instructor calling me out etc in front of ppl. Last week he did it again and sat behind me but didnt speak which I felt was weird and I felt strange vibes. Then during the youth service called me out again when the speaker gave me a gift bag cause I was the first one to go upstairs for the class. He said "does it really count cause she probably just came up cause she didnt know we didnt have choir practice" . He has a wife btw and knows I am married. Other men in church act offended? I dont purposefully go up to them to speak cause we are all married as a respect to my husband and their wives. So i do try to avoid them as much as possible. One men I asked if he could take our family mothers day pic since they had a church photoshoot and he did and I thanked him. Later acted weirdly. Another too without us ever interacting. Both walked ahead of me and the other girls when we finished the missionary work and then looked right at me like "hey i am a man and I walked before you, pay attention to me". Lol. I dont understand this behavior.
What am I doing wrong???

Quick background summary: always wanted to get into Dynasty Warriors, the only PS I owned was the first one, my first Warriors game was SW3 on the Wii, and my first DW was the PC port of DW8XLCE (or I think that was the order of the letters).
As a total newbie to the Dynasty Warriors franchise (and therefore to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms lore) I played DW8 completely blind. I didn't know who were any of the characters. So I run the game, select Story Mode and the game presents me five options: Wei, Wu, Shu, Jin and Other. Reminder that I came from SW3, which had a character-centric Story Mode. By that time I also didn't know jack shit from the Sengoku era, but at least I could choose which stories to play based on the character's models --I either started with Nobunaga because he looked cool or with Kai because she was a sexy lady dressed in red.
Back to DW. Since I wasn't sure which kingdom to start playing the game, I just played them in the order the game presented them to me. Which now, in hindsight, made me realize that, maybe unwillingly, the game leaned me towards being anti-Liu Bei. My reasoning:

• While playing as Wei, the impression I took of Liu Bei was that he was a spineless coward. Always picking fights, losing them, crying into the arms of a stronger warlord, picking more fights, also losing them, and finding a new warlord's lap to hide under. Rinse and repeat until Zhuge Liang appeared.
• While playing as Wu, that impression evolved into the one of a filthy backstabber. Jing Province, anyone? Like, yeah, Wei (Cao Cao) was on a conquering spree, but their battles never felt personal; it was just survival, regular war. But with Shu (Liu Bei)? Oh, those always felt personal.

By the time I reached the point I had to play as the Shu characters, the damage was already done. Playing Chibi as Wei? The tragic defeat of a great general bested by circumstances. Playing Chibi as Wu? The heroic underdogs fighting teeth and nails against a bigger enemy. Playing Chibi as Shu? Let's use every underhanded trick under our sleeves to get out of this one.
Meanwhile in SW: as said before, I played as Nobunaga first, but I didn't feel any animosity when playing as Nagamasa or Mitsuhide later. I love Nene's character, but seeing her depressed after losing all her loved ones during Hanzo's story didn't make me hate Hanzo himself. I'm pro Mitsunari, so while I can joke about Ieyasu being an opportunistic like Liu Bei, I still can see some nuance to his character. There was no "common enemy" so to speak between all the stories.
And that seems to be one disadvantage with faction-based narratives. If there's 3 main factions, by the time you finish the stories of two of them, it's very likely you will be inclined to see the last one as the "common enemy". Of course, I'm just talking off my ass right know. So I ask to any who was patient enough to read so far:
Did you happen to have a similar experience? For example, if you played Shu's and Wu's stories first, did that make you feel like Wei was the bad guy of the whole game?

This report is directed to the Military engineers of Super Earth. I am mainly a light armor scout, weaving through the battlefield unnoticed, bombing locations and taking out primary targets with my AM-Rifle. After 44h on duty, I have grown accustomed to the feel of the battle and I feel that this report might guide us all to a better, more democratic future.
I will not be diving deep into our primary armaments- there are quite a selection of great weapons, however, equally there are weapons that have no niche or are simply underdeveloped and require MORE firepower. Certainly there are Helldivers with better eloquence than me on this subject matter.
Stratagems- I have received notification that Super Earth wants all Helldivers to rely on Stratagems to clear major enemy targets, however this is mostly not possible. The loading times for armaments are WAY too long, and by the time we load the next salvo, we are swimming in Robot guts and electronics. Mind you, the bugs are fine, but the Robots.... Not so much. Let me not get into the horror of Rocket and Heavy Devastaors are IMPOSSIBLE to beat fast.
Each of our turrets draws enemy fire like they are programmed to attack the turrets and not us, rending most turret placements WORTHLESS. The turrets ALL need to be harder, stronger and more durable. Why are they a primary target over 4 juicy DEMOCATIC LIBERATORS? Makes no sense. Even the bugs focus fire turrets. And imagine- we gathered many samples to make them beefier but now they take backseat to Aerial stirkes. Make turrets DEMOCRATIC AGAIN!
​
I am writing you all this because it was a JOY to spend my hard earned campaign salary on new modules for MY VERY OWN DESTROYER. It is to my great sadness seeing 500k bomb take out 3 targets in a tiny, non-democratic radius. Its all flash and no oomph. It really needs MORE FUEL in the bomb, sirs.
120 and 380 Barrages need to be MODERATED towards targets, this way they are just blind shooting at NOTHING. Or, if we will shoot blindly, lets load those shots three times faster and BURY the enemy in heavy LEAD!
Why is our lasor expandable? Does if fall off from the Destroyer? How can this be? It needs to be UNLIMITED LIKE DEMOCRACY ITSELF! Next up - the energy wall is powered by enemy batteries? Instead of having unique HP that gets removed on deployment - Boost energy dome to have DURATION and INFINITE DEMOCRATIC PROTECTIVE HP! It has niche uses vs Automatons and should be a great addition to load-outs if boosted.
We have high tech aiming system, yet a plane is our best delivery system? All those FREEDOM FIGHTERS on our ships cant aim for nothing, and all the guiding lasers seems to bounce of many surfaces. These need to be fixed asap!
Also - our helmets need to give battle boons, and bolster our lines of defenses!
Lastly - you adjust our weapons too many times per a month, making all our investments UNCERTAIN. These changes end up being quite UNDEMOCRATIC, as if aimed to HELP the enemy? Lets make weapons more stable, in terms of EXPLOSIVE firepower.
Lastly, I circle back to you- fellow Helldivers? Do you agree we should have MORE FIREPOWER?

Hey people! I need help because I'm at very odd crossroads. Bit of background - I'm driving a small Hyundai Kona that will soon be sold. My family expanded by one and I have one real need for my next car - to be big.. I've been car hunting for the past month and the best deals I got so far are two and are hard to compare... Skoda Superb Combi L&K 2.0tsi FWD or BMW x3 xDrive20i 2023
So... pros and cons, right?
PROs: Skoda is bigger, cheaper(39k EUR after discounts) have more features such as adaptive cruise, better sound system, heated steering and most importantly has a better dynamic. Tested it just today and I like how quick it goes despite the heavy body and the 190hp engine. BMW on the other hand is 4x4, has a sportier look and it is an SUV(I live in a badly infrastructure neighborhood with bad roads and also love to go to the mountains) still has good quality of life features but not as much as the Skoda, and probably the biggest pro in my head is that.. it's a BMW.
CONs: BMW is more expensive(53k EUR after discounts), sounds like it isn't thar fast with a 186hp engine to carry that 1.8tons body(will be test driving it in few days) and is missing some quality of life features such as the adaptive cruise... Skoda on the other hand.... well the only con I find for it is the way it looks... looks like a car my uncle should be driving, not me..
Now.. the thing which concerns me the most is the residual value for the BMW... I have 21k EUR residual value of 5 years lease contract for the BMW, which makes me feel that not only I won't be buying it off the dealer, but will also mean that when I "sell" the car, I won't be getting much out of it and will leave me empty handed in 4-5 years, am I right to think that? Skoda on the other hand has 10k of residual value which I can easily safe with time and I can work with the money after 5 years when I get to "sell" the car...
So... be the sanity check I need - should I follow my emotions and get the BMW because it's a sportier SUV that will take me farther with its 4x4, or should I play it safe and get the Skoda which will make me feel classier with the more feature it has, but will make me look 10years older the moment I get out of the car... Sorry for the long post

throwaway account <3, NY Metropolitan Area based
Hello personalfinance!
I am currently a senior in college that is looking down the barrel of some relatively (?) serious debt that I would like help navigating. Let me lay out my situation as best I can below:
Got into some legal trouble last year, and it is still pending, so lawyer fees will likely increase, but right now they are sitting at just over $22k. I did not take out a loan, but this was money lent to me by my father. We sent a retainer of $25k that we have been eating at, but with the case pending this could end up being anywhere from $25k to $50k. We have not sorted out a payment plan yet, as the focus was and has been on making sure I am legally okay.
Despite being a senior in college, I am returning in the fall to finish some classes I need to graduate. Tuition + living (and food) expenses are looking to be around just above $17k. The bulk of that ($14k) is really my tuition. I will be subletting from a friend on campus so my living expenses are already far lower than the norm for my university/area. My 4 years of college have already been covered, I just have to cover my remaining semester. This is an upcoming cost, and not something I have paid for yet, but will have to come end of summer.
Those are my two financial stressors at this point in time. As for income and savings, lets dig in:
I plan to work at least one job this summer. I am currently interviewing for positions in NYC doing software engineering and data science. I am entering the final rounds of interviews at several companies, and I hope *knock on wood* to receive offers from 2 of them. If that is the case, I will work both, one full-time, and one part time. I have already talked to the (prospective) part-time company about this, and they have told me if I get a full-time offer from them, they would still take me part time. With that said, I do not have wages for either.
I also plan to work in the fall. I have started applying for positions, but most of my job search has been focused on this summer for now. I would love to find a computer science adjacent role for next fall, but if I cannot, I will at the very least find an on campus lower wage position, to have some income. After graduating in December I plan to find a full time position somewhere and be salaried where I can start earning real sustained income.
The real meat of my question though, is that I have $45k sitting in a fidelity account that has been earning interest (variable based on rates). This account has been continually added to by my parents as I grew up. The purpose of the account is to start off my life/career with a good sized fund to keep adding to and use a solid foundation for savings moving forward. As I look down the barrel of more debt, I am wondering what is the best way to deal with this. I understand it is hard to say with certainty without having a total value and payment plan setup for my legal debt, but I hope I can still get some valuable advice.
For example, is it more advantageous to take out however much is needed and cover my tuition and legal fees, or is it better to pay those off over time while that $45k keeps working for me? I feel like people are always anti-debt (for obvious reasons), but I also know that there are cases where leaving your money in the market may be more beneficial.
Anyway, thank you very much in advance, I will answer comments as best I can and edit this is I missed anything big.
tl;dr I have $22k in legal debt lent to me by my father. Case on going, legal debt will likely increase, but not more than $50k. I have to pay $17k in tuition/housing fees for next fall (final classes before December graduation). Have income prospects, but nothing locked in at the moment. Have 45k in savings account accruing interest. Spend savings or other options??

High above in her hiding spot, Zildiz had heard enough. The Leapers were her kindred’s most hated of adversaries, and she could not allow them to gain even a fraction of the grey behemoth’s awesome might. An apocalyptic vision arose in her mind of titanic Leaper variants towering over the rooftops of Chthonis, setting the Parchment City alight with beams of all-destroying light emanating from their many eyes.
Four against one. Those were slim odds even under the best of circumstances. Still, she had the element of surprise, and ambush predators were often unaccustomed to being preyed upon themselves. But Leapers were notoriously difficult opponents to sneak up on as they literally had eyes on the backs of their heads. But Zildiz was a veteran of countless border skirmishes, and had learned of a small blind spot in their vision. It was above and slightly behind the axis of their posterior lateral median eyes. But many Gallivants who had tried to make their first kill that way did not survive to tell the tale—the flutter of their wings gave them away. She would have to drop straight down on her first target. No hesitation, no second chances.
She saw the alpha Leaper lean down to extract the prey-form’s gilt helix, and saw her opening.
Rene heard a branch snap somewhere above him and felt a gust of wind blow across his neck, bearing with it droplets of moisture that pattered lightly against the visor of his mask. His first thought was that it had started to rain. He glanced up at the monster to find that it had extruded a new mouthpart, some manner of sharp, serrated tongue whose tip oozed a wet and viscous fluid. Rene flinched reflexively, expecting at any moment to feel the point punching through his skull before draining out its contents like a straw. But then the blade twisted sharply, wrenching its way out of the back of the monster’s head and drenching Rene’s mask in a shower of gore, the four-eyed devil letting out a wet gurgle as it slumped over in a twitching heap.
Pawing at his mask with his bound wrists, Rene peered through his smeared vision and saw a figure standing atop the corpse that, if anything, possessed an even less lovely countenance than his erstwhile interlocutor. A bulbous compound eye stared back Rene like a shattered mirror, a thousand miniscule reflections of himself repeating across its scaly lenses.
Rene recognized the creature as one of the harpies from earlier. One of its broad wings was missing. It drew its bloodstained blade across its mandibles, casually licking the weapon clean as an eight-limbed devil leapt at the harpy from behind, letting loose a bloodcurdling scream. But the harpy did not even turn at the sound, merely pointing its other blade arm behind it and letting its attacker impale itself upon it, clean through. With its dying spasms the devil pulled itself up the length of the blade in an effort to reach the harpy, even as its two kin recovered from their surprise and pounced at the harpy from either side. What followed was a blur of movement almost too quick for the human eye to follow as the harpy spun in place, cleaving the monster on the left halfway through its sternum. In the same movement it turned the devil stuck on the end of its blade into the path of the attacker on the right, using it as a living shield. The impact still bowled the harpy over, all four of the combatants rolling on the ground in a ball of threshing limbs and furious struggle.
The din was horrendous. Siezing the golden opportunity which had presented itself, Rene reached once more for the sword of the ancients, stretching his sinews for all they were worth. It was just enough to let him pinch the pommel-button between his middle and forefingers. Raising it up in spite of his trembling, sweat-slick grip, Rene coaxed the hilt into palm of his waiting hand, then pounded the button against his chest, feeling the sword come alive in his hands. As the fight raged on behind him, Rene sliced his legs free. He tucked in his head as he hit the ground, rolling onto his arse and reversing his grip on the sword, swiftly cutting the bonds around his wrists. When he tried to stand, however, he found that his legs were still unresponsive, all the blood within them having flowed up to his torso during his time spent hanging upside down. Pounding the life back into the clammy flesh of his calves with his fist, Rene looked anxiously around and discovered that the battle had since moved elsewhere, leaving two black-furred corpses in its wake. Cries of rage and a frenzied shaking among the bushes allowed him to guess where the other monsters were. He hoisted himself to his feet, picked up the safety kit and staggered away from the sounds of fighting, pins and needles still numbing the soles of his feet.
As he stepped over the dead bodies in his path, Rene was just about to congratulate himself on a smooth escape when his toes snagged on something and he tripped, going down heavily on his side. Rene felt a powerful yank on his ankle and looked to see the previously impaled monster glaring up at him. It wriggled on its belly and pulled him closer with one hand while it held in its spilled guts with the other three. By the ancestors, was it strong! Rene hacked at the hand holding his foot and lopped it off at the forearm, feeling only the slightest tug of resistance as the edge sheared through bone and meat alike. The hand was still clamped shut about his ankle with a death grip as he stood back up.
The fiend’s back arched as it brought its vile hump of flesh to the fore, dozens of sucking orifices on its misshapen surface spreading open wide.
Thwip! Thwip!
Jets of silk flew out of the spinnerets, the monster using its claws to grasp the threads and shuttering them back and forth like the shuttles of a loom. Cords flicked out and ensnared Rene’s sword arm, pinning it to his side while the weaver applied a lightning-fast field dressing on its abdominal wound, closing off both ends with wads of its makeshift bandage. Rene strained mightily against the loops of silk, but they never budged an inch. Meanwhile, the monster raked him with its claws, opening bright lines of agony across his chest and shoulder. Rene bit back a scream and dropped the sword point-first into the soil. It sank quivering up to its hilt, leaving him completely defenseless as the monster jumped and snatched him up in its gangly embrace. Rene fell to one knee as its weight bore him to the earth, reaching out with his free hand to draw the sword out of the ground and cleave through its rows of hairy legs.
Severed limbs went rolling every which way, the black devil tottering. Yet as it fell its outer mouthparts seized Rene by the temples and pinned him in place as it bit right into his face. Venomed fangs skittered across the transparent surface of his mask, scoring it with deep scratches. To his amazement the crystal held strong and did not shatter—once more the materials of the ancients had proven their incredible durability. Rene worked his arm clear and chopped wildly at the monster’s arms, felt its hold on him slacken as they fell away, leaving only spurting stumps. The butchered devil fell on its humped back and began shrieking its head off.
Rene raised his sword to deliver the coup de grace but was interrupted by the sudden reemergence of the other combatants who burst back onto the scene. The harpy was grappling with one of the devils, quickly being overpowered by its brute strength. As the devil sank its fangs into the bulging pair of compound eyes and tore off the top of the harpy’s head, the latter found an opening and slipped both its blades through in tight uppercutting motions, ramming them under the devil’s chin and out the other end. Ripping outwards and across with its arms the harpy tore its enemy’s head apart and sent the soggy chunks scattering into the treetops.
Reeling in obvious pain, it kicked the body aside and took off with a shutter of its wings, attempting an escape. A feral scream split the air as, the last devil leapt up to intercept it, entrails dangling in the place of its missing lower body. Devoid of sanity or self-preservation, it tacked the rising harpy and sent both of them crashing into a stout branch. They fell back to the earth with a bone-crunching thump, followed by a confetti-shower of dead leaves shaken from their stems.
Rene looked back at his enemy and saw the devil stubbornly gathering itself up for another spring. All it had left were a single arm and leg apiece, that and a merciless glitter in its eyes.
“You can’t be serious,” he complained, and put an end to its efforts by splitting its head right down the middle. Rene shook his head in disbelief and went over to polish off the other two, snipping his webbed arm loose as he did. He found the bisected devil crawling on its elbows and mewling with pain as it wriggled towards the unmoving body of the harpy, clearly intending to finish what it had started.
There were eyes on the back of its head, Rene now noticed. Four of them, the same number as on the front. It saw him coming and rolled over, raising its arms to shield itself.
Rene’s boot came stomping down all the same. He felt its head crunching under his heel as he squashed it into a flattened pie and was nauseated. Rene then approached the harpy, eyeing its blade arms warily and giving it a wide berth. He didn’t want to get anywhere near those frightful things, not after what he’d seen. Instead he went over to a fallen log and cut himself an oversized club from one of its boughs. Sticking the sword back into the ground, he hefted the length of wood over the harpy, intending to smash its head in from a distance.
He felt strangely squeamish at prospect of another head going splat. A wave of dizziness came over him and he had to take a moment to collect himself, doubling over and beginning to dry heave. Leaning heavily on the bough like a staff, he examined the harpy and thought that it looked sufficiently dead. Through the gaping holes in its face he saw the gooey interior of its head. Was that its brain poking through the cracks in the armored hide? Blimey, it had a big one. Equal parts revolted and intrigued, Rene reached over with the branch and prodded at it, testing for a reflex.
Nothing. Better to be safe than sorry, though. Rene raised the bough on high and steeled himself to do the deed once and for all.
A piece of the head fell away, and Rene gasped. Abandoning common sense, he threw aside the club and squatted over the body, frantically tearing off the rest of its cranial casing, plunging his fingers into the sticky mess and pulling out clumps of armored flesh until what lay beneath was finally revealed.
Rene clutched at his forehead as if it was about to explode. Backing away with a sense of dawning horror, he repeated over and over to himself: “It can’t be. It can’t be, it can’t! That’s not possible! It’s…it’s…”
Beautiful.
That was what Rene had meant to say. But the word felt so utterly absurd given the context that it took all his will to keep from bursting into a fit of deranged laughter. And who could have blamed him?
For beneath the ruined visage of flesh, the creature wore the face of a woman.

It was requested that I post one of my replies in a new thread so others can learn. I feel like it’s been repeated many times before, but hey, I guess that magnifying glass 🔍 in the top header is harder to use on some. Just know, I’ve learned everything I know just by doing that, searching keywords until it all came together and made sense.
Not to mention, I was motivated AF to get out of the office.
So the original post went something like this: The classic questions…is it illegal, how to go about it undetected, FT or PT, what if deadlines and/or meetings overlap, how do I answer the “why are you leaving J1” questions…yada yada yada.
My reply…that hopefully will calm the nerves of others and maybe shine some light on why we’re crazy to do such an outlandish thing.
ahem (response below)
lol my sweet summer child.
We’ve all been where you are now. And let me just say this: nobody, not even IT, is getting paid enough to investigate you.
Yes, OE = more than 1 FT Job. You’ll quickly find out that PT gigs make you do more for less. It’s a trap. Don’t do PT.
Overlap? I’m assuming you’re referring to Teams meetings - always be on mute. Make sure each set up has their own accessories but nothing that’ll flag IT concerning suspicious downloaded software. (Plug usb’s into an external surge protector thing) My meetings overlap often, and I’ve got myself muted listening to both. If I’m asked anything, I calmly take my time to mute the sound of the opposite meeting, unmute myself to answer whatever they want, go back on mute, and again listen in to both. If anxiety will take the best of you, hop on Amazon and find a mute button with a big a$$ bright light that doesn’t require software to download. To be fair, this actually might be the one device you could explain your way out of to IT about software being downloaded. Idk. Share your experience below.
Deadlines on the same day? Personally, I wouldn’t recommend OE for jobs that require a lot of production. But, being the person I am not taking my own advice, this is quite literally my J1. I’m usually up early in the mornings and can knock out about everything needed for J1 between 4:30am - 8am. I know it sounds crazy, but during this time there isn’t anyone bothering me. Kid is asleep, coworkers from J1 aren’t blasting me on Teams, dead zone quiet. By the time 8am rolls around, I can finish whatever is needed from J1 while focusing on the active Teams activities and whatever for J2. From noon til 5, I’m playing Fortnite while all of my mice are on jigglers to keep them moving and my Teams notifications are on full blast volume.
I actually nailed J2 and convinced them I was leaving J1 due to the promise of working remote, but then they took it back. It wasn’t far from the truth actually. I really was about to leave J1. But, they gave me a test drive to work remote and see how it goes. I used this opportunity to go above and beyond hitting my numbers to where they said “as long as you’re hitting those numbers, we don’t GAF what you do.” So, I never cancelled J2 and onboarded during this time. I’ve now found the perfect routine for myself, which includes those early morning hours. Even though technically, I guess I’m on the clock longer, but it really doesn’t feel like it. I’m blowing off the second half of the day kicking some 10 yo butts online.
Keep in mind, the overall culture for OE is this: Why go above and beyond for an employer who wouldn’t do the same for you - just get by with what you need to maintain your presence at both, be mediocre and average, and make twice the salary by working/stressing less.
*No. It is not illegal.
*Inform yourself on what this link is and put your data on freeze mode just to be sure (I still haven’t done it but that’s because one employer doesn’t even show up on it): https://employees.theworknumber.com/employment-data-report is
*Call your tax lady and get informed on how to fill out your taxes for W-4s, contract, etc. General rule here is to claim nothing and put more in to make sure to get some back. You’re about to be bumped into another tax bracket. Brace yourself. Taxes get tricky when this happens. Have your local HR Block lady on speed dial.
*go all in on aaalllll the bens. Max out 401k, get all the pre-tax deductions your little heart desires, insurances, the works. My J2 has insurance for employees AND THEIR PETS. So, my retriever has his own insurance for medical as does my child and myself.
*click here and study: https://overemployed.com This site will give you the ins and outs of this culture. Many do it for financial freedom: to pay off debts, live frugal, work for enjoyment of extracurricular activities rather than paying to live sorta thing. This site is extremely helpful especially when breaking down what devices to use to help remain undetected.
Use AI to automate as many dumb tasks as possible. My fav is recording, summarizing and organizing meeting notes. I’ve got an app (that I pay monthly for and it’s totally worth it) that does it for me. I just have to push record. It takes down all the nitty gritty details and puts them into categories. Blew everyone away HOW DID YOU DO THAT YOU ARE SO DETAILED OMG I NEED TO LEARN FROM YOU etc etc. *pats phone gently
*Be responsible. Whatever financial goal you have, put stickies all over your monitors to remind you why you’re doing this. Fact check yourself on your spending and don’t go overboard. You just hit the lottery. Act like it. Don’t tell a single soul, don’t make it obvious, don’t make the IRS angry, and for the love of Satan DO NOT OE FOR GOVT EMPLOYERS.
*your J1 or J2 boss might actually be in this sub. Be vague.
*YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE- heaven forbid you land a job that requires you to be active on the socials. For one, I’d say that is NOT the opportunity you want to look for. BUT I get it. Beggars can’t be choosers, so, there’s a hack for that. Your answer needs to be as broad and humiliating as possible to make them feel uncomfortable for asking in the first place..such as “my therapist and case worker have gone to extreme lengths to put my safety first due to a past relationship. If I am to have a social media presence, it has to be vague and limited to past events.” Leave it at that. Girls, this one is your golden ticket. Boys, you make need to tweak it a bit to work better for you…maybe identity theft or something. Sorry I don’t make the rules. It is what it is. MOVING ONNNNN….
Regarding to socials, if you absolutely have to have a LI acct, make multiple. Be careful to upload different occupations, limit your name info, DO NOT USE THE SAME PROFILE PIC LET ALONE AN ACTUAL REAL PIC. Do one of those AI trends and fancy yourself a professional shot. Make each different. Does it look like you compared to Teams calls? Eh, maybe it’s arguable. As long as there is room for doubt, you’re golden.
Any other questions, just ask.
((( Don’t talk about fight club. )))
Please, more seasoned OEs post your experiences. It’s very educational to learn from others.

I grew up playing gen 3 and gen 4 mostly, that was kind of my Pokemon golden age, so I was pretty excited to get into playing the 'remakes'. It took a while, but I got there! Mostly positive experience, but theres some stuff I really just don't get.
Overall, I enjoyed BD. It feels very much like the OG Diamond, just looks a bit better (depending on who you ask). And while this similarity is a good thing, it's also my biggest gripe with the game.
There's lots of different ways you see the game industry describe these sorts of games: remaster, remake, definitive edition etc. Pokemon tend to avoid such titles, but this is very much a remaster in my opinion rather than a remake, and certainly NOT a definitive gen 4 experience, and I really think 'definitive' should be what these Pokemon 'remake' games aim for.
Here's some of my issues with it.
Issue 1: I do not understand why a definitive experience isn't given to the player in these 'remake' games, in particular I'm talking about 'Event' Pokemon, and meaningful new content (one and the same in many ways).
I hate the idea of 'Event' Pokemon. I always have. Where I grew up, we didn't have access to Event Pokemon. So Deoxys, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus etc. were always out of reach for me, and it always bugged me as a kid. How does a game like this get created, and the developers don't take every opportunity to truly make this a definitive version of generation 4? This game should have standalone events in the base game for Darkrai, Shaymin, & Arceus.
I get you can transfer them easily now with Home, and from Legends: Arceus save data you can get the Azure flute, I do get that - but it's not the same, and a separate game shouldn't be a requirement. I just do not understand why they can't make these games the definitive experience they should be, it just feels so outdated and unfair to players to have Darkrai/Shaymin events time bound and never repeated (and who the hell wants to just get a legendary off a mystery gift, it sucks. Whatever if its a shiny variant or something, but for the regular Pokemon? Trash). Just put them in the base game, or for goodness sake even make it purchasable on the Nintendo store if you really want, I'd honestly pay 4.99 for a Shaymin/Darkrai event add-on (though that too shouldn't be necessary).
I just feel the game would've been so much more satisfying and 'complete' if there were events included for these previously unobtainable Pokemon. It feels lazy and just not in the best interests of the player, or the game.
I give ORAS some credit with this in terms of how they handled Deoxys, overall I thoroughly enjoyed that and it did give me that satisfaction that I never got when playing RSE. I say 'some' because I still don't understand why Jirachi wasn't given the same treatment. The same applies to the likes of Mew in FRLG, Celebi in HGSS. I just don't get it.
Issue 2: We are so beyond Pokemon games needing difficulty options. Look, I know the games are for kids but Nintendo surely know their audience by now, a lot of people have grown up with these games and will continue to play them, at least allow us the choice of a challenge.
This game is a piece of cake. I casually strolled through it without any sort of trouble, skipped numerous trainer battles (of which their are honestly so many it becomes draining and takes away from the fun), and still didn't experience any sort of challenge until Cynthia's Milotic made me somewhat consider a tactical move choice.
Exp. Share completely kills the difficulty. Is there a way to turn it off? I had a quick check and couldn't find one. If there is, well I rescind this point, if not, then the point stands.
Issue 3: Something that will likely never happen, but I really wish for the remakes they would just focus on the third entry in the gen. For example, instead of BDSP, just focus on a Platinum definitive experience. Emerald, Crystal, if and when they do B/W I truly hope they incorporate the story of both BW & BW2 into one game if at all possible, a truly definitive experience of gen 5 (though, I won't hold my breath).
Issue 4: Is it just me, or does the Pokemon art style lack something? I've been staring and staring and I feel like it's the lack of black edges/outlines. Obviously, sprites had it. But we even saw it through Gen 6/7. I think since SwSh, the lack of those outlines really takes away from the designs - but look, this is just a personal take. I don't hate it, I just feel like something's missing.
I'd love to hear some other views on it, the above is by no means gospel, just some thoughts I found when I finished playing. Some satisfaction, but some disappointment in a big missed opportunity.

Hi all, early in second trimester and this is my second time being pregnant. I started feeling baby kick a few days ago. Today I've been feeling some weird tightness or something in my low belly? I don't know, I feel like that's the best way to describe it. It's not painful per se, but definitely new. It's off and on. It moves when I lay on one side vs the other. I don't really remember this in my previous pregnancy. Wondering if I’m feeling baby rolling around? Or if this is round ligament pain? Or if it's something I should be worried about. Looking for reassurance, thanks in advance :)

This is my first time posting in reddit, I really don't know who to talk to about this because I'm scared of being told to that Im dramatic lmao. I was mainly going to ask for advice but I feel like I'd rant more than actually ask for help haha. My grammar is bad btw. (edit : after I finished writing this, I was right that I ended up ranting instead lol. don't mind me, I feel like I just needed to get this off my chest and my notes doesnt really help with it)
So a little background about me. I'm someone who had been considered "gifted" ever since I was young. According to my teachers, I tend to learn quicker than my peers and requires little to no effort in doing so. I also have a weird way of doing math which is basically just shortcuts but the end result is always right anyway so my teacher would just end up accepting it but warns me to use proper formula during exams. I also like watching those what if science vids, so my mind is really packed with useless stocked knowledge that comes handy when the lesson is somehow related to the things I know. Overall, I'm considered smart for basically not trying at all in school. It changed during 6th grade though, I experienced many deaths among loved ones during those year and it really messed up my health. It also doesn't help that for some reason my father blamed me for my younger sister's death, atleast that's how I remember it. I became top student to "alitaptap" real quick. It really damaged my pride yk lmao, I won't deny that I took pride on how I'm smarter than my peers at class (I know there are other people more smarter than me but in my class, I know that most of them are slow) I think it's the way I'm raised but the fact that Im aware of it, means that I should work on my attitude and all.
Anyways, I tried my best to regain myself in highschool, it all went well til 10th grade which is the current grade I'm in. It feels like everytime I'm close to graduation, shits always happen to me, I dont know if this is some kind of obstacle that I need to tackle but it really frustrates me and I know it's a me problem but I can't help but feel unmotivated. My parents seperated at the start od 10th grade. I had no time to process things and I have to look after my younger siblings too cause both of my parents refuse to be in the same room together which makes it harder for us, their kids. I wasn't in honor students at 3rd quarter and I'm already scared for 4th quarter. I feel like I won't make it and I'm self pitying myself again. I really wanted to be in STEM and I passed my entrance exam to a school I wanted, but I'm already overthinking that I would not be accepted because of my low grades in my last year of highschool.
I just want to cry at this point but that wont help with anything. I really hate myself for being easily affected ; so when my mom and dad would fight, I will lose motivation in whatever I'm doing and it can go on for days. I shouldve just stayed at grandma's during my 10th grade to ensure that I wont be bothered at all but I dont want to leave my siblings in that situation alone. I really feel shitty and like, being the first born, it feels like theres alot of pressure. My mom kept on reminding me too what happened to my aunt (my aunt is the first born among 5 siblings, really smart but ended up the worst during her highschool and college years because of family circumstances)
It wouldve been more comforting to cry this all out to my friends but I don't want to traumadump on them or smt, especially since one of my friends are in honors too and know my situation. I dont want her to feel guilty when its not really her business and frankly, she wont be able to help me since I refuse to cheat my way though homeworks and quizzes.

Sorry for the lack of photos, but this one is easy to follow since the repair was so simple. This should be the same for all of the blue headphones with an internal amp
The blue ella has been discontinued, so it's selling for about $110 on amazon, down from its $700 MSRP. If anyone saw my review, I think they're easily the best closed backs under $200 by a country mile right now, with the ability to be used without the internal amp, with it to just cleanly amplify a weak source (amazing for my miyoo mini which has a stupidly weak amp) or with an "analogue" EQ mode that bumps the sub bass and warms it up a bit. I've been using them and adoring them, they're superb gaming cans. HOWEVER, I noticed the amplifier battery was lasting an absolutely wretchedly short amount of time, like 45 minutes. Turns out a battery powered device sitting in a box for like 7 years means the battery isn't gonna be very happy.
However, the repair was dirt cheap and super, SUPER easy. The battery is a very standard 3.7v, 1000mAh unit with the standard charging PCB covered in capton take inside the right earcup. I ordered a replacement one off amazon for $9 along with a $4 roll of double sided electrical tape. The replacement battery is 5x34x50mm, but the original is about 4x36x60 with another 1mm thickness of double sided adhesive foam. But the new battery fits just fine with some double sided tape that isn't 1mm (I used 1mm tape and it was a hair thick, but still worked. regular double sided tape is ideal) and the repair was a snap, only requiring a spudger or something to gently pry the earcup off (a butter knife would work) a t5 torx bit, and two little dots with a soldering iron (you should also get some solder and a little flux, some isopropyl alcohol and a Q tip to clean up the flux) and a pair of pliers or flush cuts to snip the connector off the replacement battery and strip back some wire. A pair of tweezers would be helpful too.
Firstly, remove the earcups (do both sides since it's easy and makes accessing the rest much easier) by gently placing the spudger or device between the brown of the earcup pad and the black plastic trim, and prying until it pops, then just work around, they'll pop right off. The bezel is very sturdy but be mindful of not nicking the pleather cups, they are glued to the frames and replacement pads are only really available through a custom pad maker like Vesper.
Now all we need to work on is the right side. Unscrew the 6 long T5 torx screws holding the driver and its bezel in place. The two short t5 screws just hold the bezel to the driver and can be left in place - removing them makes the whole thing a bit more unwieldy. The driver and bezel come right off, there's no adhesive. Don't lose the foam pad that goes between the driver and the rest of the earcup. Now remove the 2 t5 screws on the little cross brace that holds the battery down and set it aside.
Now we can remove the old battery - Safety dictates that you desolder the battery first - just follow the super obvious two wires to the board, make note or take a picture of which is red and which is black, and desolder them. The solder joints on mine were quite aged, so a touch of flux and fresh solder was necessary, but this is about as easy as soldering work gets. Once the battery is desoldered, use your spudger or pry tool to gently pry on the sides of the battery to release the adhesive. it's not super strong adhesive and mine came free with minimal effort.
Now place some double sided tape on the replacement battery and put the replacement battery in its place. the little battery "tray" makes lining it up easy. Align it the same way the old battery was, with just tape on one side. My new battery had a JST connector, so I snipped it off and stripped the wires back about 2mm. Tin your wires by touching them with some flux and fresh solder. Then I used some tweezers to hold the wire down while I soldered them in. Wipe up any excess flux with a little isopropyl alcohol on a Q-tip, make sure the solder didn't bridge between the positive and negative, and put it back together! Don't forget the little cross brace that clamps the battery down first, then orient the foam/drivebezel pack in place and screw it down. Pop the ear cups back on by pressing down on their very outside edge to make 'em clip into place. Charge it up and enjoy!
(one piece of advice when screwing screws back into plastic - when you put the screw into the hole, first turn it backwards until you feel a little bump or click, and THEN drive it in. This prevents cross-threading and accidentally chewing up the threads. And be mindful of not over-tightening. They aren't going to come loose on their own very easily, plastic is a lot grippier than screwing metal into metal, so you don't need to torque anything down.)
If your amp switch ever starts to get wonky, I also discovered in my disassembly adventure that the knob just engages with a regular slider switch like a gameboy uses. You can just touch some contact cleaner in that switch if it ever gets weird.
Overall, I was really impressed at how easy they are to repair and how pleasantly standard the battery is. I was worried that maybe I'd only ever just use them unamplified (which isn't too hard, as I understand they're fostex T50 drivers) but for maybe... 15 minutes of work start to finish, they're as good as new.
Now I just need to see how long these vinyl pads last before I have to get vesper audio to make me some proper leather replacements. I hate pleather.

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91 Hours After the First Round of Interloper Interrogations. UNAFS Perseverance. Hangar Bay.
Evina
The stage was set, and my game face was on. It had to be, especially with what Vir had concocted over the course of his sleepless night.
The realization that AI didn’t exactly… sleep, was something I’d expected. But I’d at least thought the sleepless downtime would be used for something remotely related to downtime, something like maintenance, server repairs, or just anything at least remotely related to a decrease in productivity if only to relax.
I certainly wasn’t expecting that downtime to result in the creation of a literal sci-fi arsenal that now sat there, waiting for me just in front of the shuttle.
“A gift, Evina.” The AI spoke, gesturing to what could only be described as a small procession of bots, carts, and self-navigating cargo containers; all of which kept Eslan’s curiosities at a constant all-time high as he walked around the collection of bots, his eyes enamored by every little detail of each and every one of them.
But it was what was inside and within the containers that sat atop of those autonomous machines which was what I was really interested in. Moreover, it was a particular outfit currently sitting there on top of a felinor mannequin that really drew most of my attention.
Though the term outfit would definitely be underselling it. As what was being offered to me now was something that could no longer be found anywhere else on the continent, save for the odd military bunker and of course, the books and iterative memories belonging to that of the pre-war world.
To put it simply, it resembled advanced police armor, or maybe even military. Though its sleek design, metal pieces, and thinner silhouette put me in mind more of the former than the latter.
More to the point, it seemed to be capable of being fitted atop of my regular gear, instead of requiring me to swap it out entirely; consisting of three distinct pieces that resembled a pair of pants, a jacket, and a helmet.
I took a moment to stare at it intently, analyzing every last detail of it, from its space-age aesthetics of shiny plastics to matte metal chrome, to its soft interior that seemed to be gel-lined with some weird jelly-like fluid.
Moreover, I seized the moment to tease Eslan, as I turned towards him, then Vir, in rapid succession. “I’m assuming the gift isn’t for Eslan, right?” I snickered, prompting the smaller felinor to pout in a fit of resentful jealousy.
“I can arrange one for him if you’d like.” The AI responded casually, as if hinting at the fact that this wasn’t a one-off project, that this wasn’t just something pulled from storage and simply tailored down to my size.
“Let me guess, you have an entire factory deep within the ship somewhere?” I asked, half sarcastic, and half serious, knowing full well the answer could go either way given the track record of everything else on the ship I’d seen so far.
“Right on the money there, Evina.” Vir responded with an electronic chirp, prompting me to re-evaluate both the ship’s unfathomable capabilities, and the two dorks that were in charge of it all.
Nevertheless, it would seem as if Eslan was excited by the prospect, as he began pulling the armor pieces off of the mannequin, examining the finer details before handing them off for me to wear.
“I’m assuming the gel-like internal padding is a sort of passive heat regulator?” The felinor asked.
“Yes, but more than that, it acts as a layer of thermal insulation against energy-based attacks that manage to penetrate the ceramo-reflective plating lining the outside of the armor. This version’s passive since I don’t think you’ll be encountering anything like that on the surface but…” The AI shrugged ominously. “It’s lightweight, comfy, and there’s also ballistic-weave and kinetic-resistant properties embedded in the fabric. Along with some kinetic resistance that’ll help stop projectiles in their tracks if they penetrate the outer layers and somehow manage to make it through to the gel. Think non-newtonian fluid.” The AI’s platform shrugged. “Anyways, I thought it’d be a good, light-weight, adaptable, no-frills all rounder you could keep even after the mission’s end.” The AI explained, prompting me to more or less double-down on my re-evaluation of its seemingly conflicting personality matrix.
Vir was… complicated. In a good way. Seemingly practical, level-headed, tactical, and terrifyingly efficient on one hand, but also very much personable, surprisingly relatable, and most reassuring of all… self-reflective to the point of empathy and benevolence.
My first iteration was practically working overdrive trying to make heads or tails of him.
But my current mind was simply occupied with getting the armor on, which was more or less straightforward.
It was, surprisingly, lightweight. Like wearing a trimmed-down flak jacket that hugged and tightened to your form. The pants were the same story, which only left the helmet that I was hesitant to try on given its roundish shape and tight squeeze.
I examined it, looking inside as I noticed two little indents marking the recesses where my ears could actually comfortably fit.
“I’ve taken the liberty of creating a few modifications to the human baseline design in order to accommodate for your alien anatomy. I learned this the hard way when Lysara first donned a human helmet. It was… not fun, to say the very least.” The AI managed out with a nervous chuckle.
The idea of Lysara’s frills being squished inside a round helmet with no room for that sensitive looking extension of his head sent shivers up my spine. But then again, this made me even more curious as to just what these humans looked like if they lacked frills, ears, or anything else adorning their heads.
“I’m guessing the human-baseline must be really boring then.” I managed out unexpectedly, garnering a cock of the AI’s head. “You know what I mean right? What with having just a round space to shove their heads into. No frills, ears, or anything.”
“Ah, well, I can definitely see where you’re coming from with that.” Vir chuckled in response. “But honestly their appearance is not a big secret or anything. I can just pull up a-”
“Ah! Good morning, Evina!” Lysara announced brightly, cutting Vir off mid sentence as he jumped down from the shuttle and back onto the hangar bay proper. “I’ve been doing some final checks just to make sure we’re ready to go. Sorry I didn’t come out to greet you earlier.” The alien paused just before reaching me however, as he looked me up and down, then smiled. “I see Vir has been up to his usual work.”
“Seems so.” I shrugged. “In any case, I’m feeling more ready than I was just a few minutes ago, which I didn’t think was even possible, so thanks, Vir.” I gave Vir another nod of appreciation, before turning back to Lysara. “We're good to go, then?”
“As ready as ever.” Lysara responded promptly, surprising me with his register slowly shifting more towards something normal, rather than being entirely pulled from a university thesaurus.
Maybe I was starting to rub off of whatever translation software he was using.
“In any case, I don’t think I’ll be using your toys for the time being, Vir.” I gestured towards the rows upon rows of black and chrome weapons alike. Most of them resembled somewhat traditional looking firearms, whilst others were more or less pulled from the pages of science fiction, what with their tapered ‘muzzles’, and raygun-looking grips. “And it’s that I don’t trust that they could do some damage. It’s just a safer bet if I went with what I know. It’s better to use a gun you’ve trained and lived with, than a new one you’ve just messed around with the night prior.” I smiled, more or less alluding to the small escapade the AI and I went on for a short hour after the dinner. “Though I do thank you kindly for the ammo for my revolver, I’d say it’ll be helpful but… I’d rather not say anything at all until we get to our destination.”
The AI responded with a simple sharp dip of his head. “Chemically-derived combustion sluggers are always a solid choice. I wish you all the best, and I hope you don’t end up having to use that gun. I’ll make sure my boys take good care of you and Lysara.”
With a final exchange of nods, Lysara and I strode off and into the shuttle.
But just as we reached the precipice, I turned back, if only to give Eslan a reassuring hug. “I’ll be back sooner than you expect. So don’t get bored now.” I offered, prompting the smaller felinor to grin widely.
“Oh don’t you worry about getting bored.” He gestured to the space around him. “I probably won’t even be done with this room by the time you’re back.”
“Just make sure to save some mysteries for me. Oh, and Vir?” I turned to Vir for a moment, garnering a small cock of his head.
“Yes, Evina?”
“Do make sure that you tire him out some with your explanations. I’d rather come back to a quiet bedroom to pass out in, rather than one with an excitable Eslan ready to chew my ear out with his latest discoveries on the ship’s deep lore.” I jokingly ordered, prompting Eslan to give me his signature side-eye.
Following a dumb smile of my own signaling our temporary goodbyes, I soon found myself back within the bowels of the shuttle. Except this time, the backramp cargo bay seemed to be chock-full of those heavy-duty combat bots I caught glimpses of back in the forests.
In fact, every corner of the shuttle’s cargo bay seemed to be crammed to the brim with one or another form of combat drone. From flying drones, to clusters of those smaller insect-drones, to what looked to be oversized spiders ready to drop from the ceiling at a moment’s notice.
The whole space seemed to be decked out for combat.
Which gave me a lot of confidence about the outcome of this mission.
Lysara and I didn’t say much as we both made our way towards the cockpit, strapped into our respective seats, and began the nausea-inducing flight out of the ship’s hangar bay, and down towards the planet.
A whole minute passed in absolute silence as I tried to steady myself for what was to come.
“So, let’s go over a few of the key details for this mission.” Lysara suddenly broke the silence, bringing up a top-down map of the forests, with the facility in question highlighted in orange. “We’re going to be landing in a clearing made by Vir.” The map shifted, highlighting a very conspicuous open clearing of trees and a charred forest floor that made it very clear something big had happened here very recently.
If I’d seen that place from the ground? I’d have probably cited that aliens did it.
Which, ironically, would’ve been more on the money than I could’ve ever thought possible.
“From there, we march through the open clearing made by Vir, with drones taking point, up and towards the facility.” The map shifted once more, highlighting yet another clearing that more or less formed a clean path towards the entrance of the bunker. “From there, I assume you know your role?”
“Yup, if my prior iterations come through on this one, I’ll open the facility door, and from there… We head inside, and see what’s what.” I responded.
“The drones will make the first move, we’ll have two squads proceed inside and ascertain if it’s safe to enter. After confirming that all hazards are within a tolerable margin of safety, we’ll proceed.”
“Understood.” I acknowledged with a heavy sigh, my eyes trained on the continent that now took up most of our cockpit view.
“Whatever happens, I know for a fact we’ll be safe as long as we play it safe.” Lysara tried filling the silence with his own brand of reassurance.
“I know. But it’s not so much the physical dangers I’m worried about.” I managed out, before pausing, as my eyes once more strayed towards the top-down view of the mission map. “It’s what we’re going to find inside the facility that worries me.”
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(Author’s Note: Evina gets a cool new outfit for her mission, Eslan is promised an entire day of having his sci fi interests satiated, and we're now on our way with Lysara down towards the signal station! The next chapter is already out on Patreon as well if you want to check it out!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 96 of this story is already out on there!)]

I honestly don't feel like banking.
I mean I'm totally on the fence about wanting to start a family.
I guess I just don't want to regret not banking first before starting HRT.
There have been other trans & non binary people who have said that they wished that they banked first.
Going off of HRT (especially temporarily to bank) is extremely rough to deal with mentally and emotionally.
Which is why it's highly recommended to go through banking prior to undergoing HRT.
I'm getting my prescription soon and don't want to start until I do that first.
Actually emotionally drained and stressed out from thinking about this way too much.
Anyway which is best? RMA of New York or Maze Laboratories?
Or are there any other fertility clinics or hospital that are recommended in the NYC area?
I really want to start hormone replacement therapy as soon as possible.
Anyone have any advice?

This album does not “ruin” “lessen” or “de-elevate” Ye’s discography, it only makes it better, and people who truly think the album is mid - bad are lying to themselves to make other people like them. The album holds a crisp 52 min runtime and it holds your attention throughout it all. Every song is dynamic in a way that makes each song sound like it could only come from a project of this magnitude.
Starting with the first track; Stars brings you into this masterful narrative told my Ye & Ty Dolla $ign. As the drums kick in and the choir sings in the background, Ye raps about his life like he never has. Keys To My Life has one of my favorite low key beats of Ye’s latter catalog with India Love singing a very melodic outro. Paid is one of the most fun and replayable Ye songs ever with a very danceable beat and an amazing ending. Talking is Ye’s first song with his daughter, North West, as they have fun together, showcasing their chemistry as father & daughter. The beat switch and second half is also really enjoyable, and when accompanied with the music video, you can feel holy vibes that feel magical. Back To Me is one of the best off the album, with a stellar Ty verse, a very funny Ye verse that makes me laugh all the time, and a legendary Freddie Gibbs verse. The beat is also super smooth and relaxing. Hoodrat, while being hated by smooth-brained individuals, has some of Ye’s best singing ever, the lyrics come over many fans heads but the top 0.5% usually enjoy the track like they should. Similar to Paid, Do It is a party banger with a great verses from everyone including Nipsey and YG who make an appearance on the song. The beat switch is also welcome as the second beat is one of the best beats of the album. Paperwork sounds like it could come from Yeezus, from the experimental Instrumental, to the impressive and iconic chorus, paperwork brings a lot to the table. Burn brings back Late Registration Ye with a soulful sample, a relatable and iconic verse, and an overall amazing vibe. Fuk Sumn, has one of the most recognizable beats of the Vultures era with an amazing Carti verse, and revolutionary bridge towards Ye’s verse. Ty does his thing with his gifted voice and Travis proves why he is one of the great in the game right now. Vultures has a melodic beat with the greatest verse of Vultures 1, performed by Bump J. This is one of the greatest singles Ye has ever released as it perfectly sets the tone for what the Vultures era is. Carnival brings back Off The Grid Ye with an imaginative hype song that features Rich The Kid & Playboi Carti who both have some of the greatest verses of their careers. Beg Forgiveness shows Ye’s vulnerability about his family and when the beg forgiveness chant start, one of the greatest moments of Ye’s career starts. Ty sings his greatest verse ever and you will be changed after a first listen. Good (Don’t Die) shows that Ye can still make a song that sounds like someit off 808s & Heartbreak with the same quality. Problematic is Ye at his best, immaculate production, absurd verses, and a great time. King is the final song, as Ye states he is still the king whilst being criticized at every turn. The final verse & flow are very great and the beat is a hard hitting banger.
For The Reasons I Have Mentioned, I believe Vultures 1 is an amazing album and you’re objectively wrong if you don’t like or think it’s bad. I hope to destroy all arguments against Vultures 1. Deuces ✌️

Importance of a business bank account

A business bank account is of utmost importance for any business, including taxidermy studios. It provides a dedicated platform to manage financial transactions related to the business. One of the key benefits of having a business bank account is the availability of specialized business banking solutions. These solutions are tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses and offer a range of services such as online banking, merchant services, and payroll management. By opting for a business bank account, taxidermy studios can ensure efficient financial operations and separate their personal and business finances. Moreover, business banking solutions provide enhanced security measures to safeguard against fraud and unauthorized access. Therefore, it is crucial for taxidermy studios to consider the importance of a business bank account and explore the various benefits it offers.

Benefits of a free business bank account

A free business bank account offers several benefits that can greatly assist in managing your taxidermy studio finances. Firstly, it provides a dedicated account solely for your business transactions, separating personal and professional finances. This separation not only simplifies bookkeeping but also ensures accurate tax reporting. Additionally, a free business bank account often comes with features such as online banking, mobile banking, and electronic payment options, making it convenient to manage your finances anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, it allows you to build a professional relationship with your bank, which can be beneficial when seeking loans or other financial services in the future. Finally, having a free business bank account adds credibility to your taxidermy studio, as it demonstrates that you are a serious and legitimate business entity. Overall, the benefits of a free business bank account are numerous and can significantly contribute to the success and growth of your taxidermy studio.

Considerations when choosing a business bank account

When considering a business bank account for your taxidermy studio, there are several important factors to take into account. First, you should consider the fees associated with the account. Look for a bank that offers low or no monthly fees, as well as minimal transaction fees. Additionally, it's important to consider the bank's reputation and customer service. Look for a bank that has a strong track record of providing excellent customer service and support. Another important consideration is the bank's online banking capabilities. Make sure the bank offers a user-friendly online banking platform that allows you to easily manage your accounts and make transactions. Finally, consider any additional features or benefits that the bank may offer, such as overdraft protection or rewards programs. By carefully considering these factors, you can choose a business bank account that meets the unique needs of your taxidermy studio.

Researching Business Bank Accounts

Identifying banks that offer free business bank accounts

Identifying banks that offer free business bank accounts is crucial for entrepreneurs looking to start a new website with a bang. A business bank account provides a solid financial foundation for any venture, and finding one that offers free services can greatly reduce overhead costs. By conducting thorough research and comparing different banks, entrepreneurs can find the perfect fit for their taxidermy studio. It is important to consider factors such as account fees, transaction limits, and additional features like online banking and mobile apps. Start your taxidermy studio off on the right foot by choosing a bank that understands the unique needs of your business and offers free business bank accounts.

Comparing features and fees

When comparing features and fees of different business bank accounts for your taxidermy studio, it is essential to carefully evaluate each option. Consider the specific needs of your business, such as the number of transactions you anticipate, the ability to process online payments, and the availability of business loans or lines of credit. Additionally, pay close attention to the fees associated with each account, including monthly maintenance fees, transaction fees, and ATM fees. By thoroughly comparing the features and fees of different business bank accounts, you can make an informed decision that best suits the financial needs of your taxidermy studio.

Reading customer reviews and ratings

Reading customer reviews and ratings is an important step in the process of selecting a service or product. It provides valuable insights into the experiences of others and helps in making informed decisions. When it comes to traffic generation, customer reviews and ratings play a crucial role. They serve as social proof and can greatly influence potential customers. By reading reviews and ratings, individuals can get an idea of the effectiveness and reliability of different traffic generation methods. This information can guide them in choosing the most suitable strategies for their business. Moreover, customer reviews often contain helpful tips and recommendations that can further enhance the success of traffic generation efforts. Therefore, it is highly recommended to thoroughly read customer reviews and ratings when exploring traffic generation options.

Opening a Free Business Bank Account

Gathering required documents

Effective communication is crucial when gathering the required documents for opening a free business bank account for your taxidermy studio. By maintaining clear and concise communication with the bank representative, you can ensure that you provide all the necessary paperwork in a timely manner. This will help expedite the account opening process and avoid any unnecessary delays. Additionally, effective communication will also enable you to ask any questions or seek clarification on any document requirements, ensuring that you submit the correct information. Therefore, it is important to prioritize effective communication throughout the document gathering process.

Visiting the bank or applying online

Visiting the bank or applying online is the first step in getting a free business bank account for your taxidermy studio. Whether you prefer the traditional in-person approach or the convenience of online banking, we have you covered. Our seamless and user-friendly online application process makes it easy for you to apply from the comfort of your own home or office. Alternatively, if you prefer a more personal touch, our friendly and knowledgeable staff are available to assist you at any of our conveniently located branches. Powering all the ways you do business, our free business bank account provides the essential financial tools and services you need to manage your taxidermy studio with ease and efficiency.

Completing the application process

Completing the application process for a free business bank account for your taxidermy studio is a crucial step towards managing your finances efficiently. To ensure a smooth and successful application, it is important to gather all the necessary documents and information beforehand. Start by preparing your business registration documents, including your tax identification number and any licenses or permits required for operating a taxidermy studio. Additionally, gather your personal identification documents, such as your driver's license or passport, as well as proof of address. It is also advisable to have a clear understanding of your studio's financial needs and goals, as this will help you choose the right bank and account features. Once you have all the required documents and information, you can begin the application process by visiting the bank's website or contacting their customer service. Follow the instructions provided and provide accurate and complete information to increase your chances of approval. By completing the application process diligently, you can enjoy the benefits of a free business bank account, including high open rate subject lines.

Managing Your Free Business Bank Account

Setting up online banking

Setting up online banking is an essential step for any business, including taxidermy studios. It allows you to manage your finances conveniently and securely. One of the first things you need to do is create an account with a reputable bank that offers online banking services. With the rise of digital platforms, many banks now offer the option to open a business bank account online. This process is often quick and straightforward, requiring you to provide basic information about your business and upload any necessary documents. Once your account is set up, you can easily access your funds, make online transactions, and monitor your financial activities. To enhance your online presence and streamline your business operations, consider integrating your business bank account with your Wix website. This integration allows you to accept online payments, track sales, and manage your finances all in one place. By setting up online banking and integrating it with your Wix website, you can ensure a seamless and efficient financial management system for your taxidermy studio.

Tracking income and expenses

Tracking income and expenses is a crucial aspect of managing any business, including a taxidermy studio. By diligently monitoring the money coming in and going out, you can gain valuable insights into the financial health of your studio. This information is essential for making informed decisions, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring compliance with tax regulations. Implementing a system for tracking income and expenses will not only help you stay organized but also enable you to accurately assess the profitability of your taxidermy business. Whether you choose to use accounting software, spreadsheets, or a combination of both, it is important to establish a consistent and reliable method for recording all financial transactions. Additionally, regularly reviewing and analyzing your income and expenses will allow you to identify trends, identify potential cost-saving measures, and make strategic financial decisions to support the growth and success of your taxidermy studio.

Utilizing banking tools and features

Utilizing banking tools and features is essential for the smooth operation of any business, including a taxidermy studio. One of the key aspects to consider when managing your finances is finding a free business bank account. A free business bank account not only helps you keep your personal and business finances separate but also provides you with a range of tools and features to manage your money effectively. With a free business bank account, you can enjoy features such as online banking, mobile banking, and access to a network of ATMs. These tools allow you to easily track your expenses, make payments, and monitor your cash flow. Additionally, some free business bank accounts offer perks like cashback rewards or discounts on business services. By utilizing these banking tools and features, you can streamline your financial management and focus on growing your taxidermy studio.

Maximizing the Benefits of a Free Business Bank Account

Taking advantage of fee waivers

One effective way to reduce costs when setting up a business bank account for your taxidermy studio is by taking advantage of fee waivers. By using Clubhouse, a reputable online banking platform, you can benefit from various fee waivers that can save you money in the long run. Clubhouse offers fee waivers for account maintenance, transaction fees, and international transfers, among others. This means that you can enjoy the convenience and security of a business bank account without having to worry about excessive fees. By utilizing Clubhouse's fee waivers, you can allocate your financial resources more efficiently and focus on growing your taxidermy studio.

Exploring additional banking services

When it comes to exploring additional banking services, small businesses often require a range of financial services to support their operations. One crucial aspect is finding the right financial services for small businesses. These services can include business loans, credit lines, merchant services, and cash management solutions. By partnering with a bank that specializes in catering to the needs of small businesses, entrepreneurs can access a suite of tailored financial solutions that can help them grow and thrive. Whether it's securing a business loan to expand their taxidermy studio or obtaining merchant services to streamline payment processing, small business owners can benefit from a comprehensive range of financial services offered by banks.

Building a strong relationship with your bank

Building a strong relationship with your bank is crucial for the success of your taxidermy studio. By establishing open lines of communication and demonstrating financial responsibility, you can gain the trust and support of your bank. Regularly reviewing your account statements, promptly addressing any issues, and maintaining a positive credit history are essential steps in building this relationship. Additionally, taking the time to understand your bank's policies and procedures will ensure that you are able to navigate the banking system effectively. By building a strong relationship with your bank, you can access the benefits of a free business bank account, such as lower fees and personalized financial solutions, for your taxidermy studio.

Conclusion

The importance of a free business bank account

A free business bank account is of utmost importance for any taxidermy studio. It not only helps in managing the financial transactions of the business but also ensures transparency and credibility. With a dedicated business bank account, taxidermy studio owners can separate their personal and business finances, making it easier to track expenses, calculate taxes, and monitor cash flow. Additionally, having a free business bank account provides a professional image to clients and partners, instilling trust and confidence in the business. By choosing a free business bank account, taxidermy studio owners can save on unnecessary fees and charges, allowing them to allocate more resources towards growing their business. Therefore, it is crucial for every taxidermy studio to prioritize obtaining a free business bank account to streamline their financial operations and establish a solid foundation for success.

Choosing the right bank for your needs

When it comes to choosing the right bank for your needs, it's important to consider the features and services they offer. One bank that stands out in the market is Square Banking. With its innovative and user-friendly platform, Square Banking offers a range of features designed to meet the specific needs of businesses, including taxidermy studios. One of the key highlights of Square Banking is its comprehensive banking features. From easy account setup to seamless integration with accounting software, Square Banking provides a hassle-free banking experience for taxidermy studio owners. Additionally, Square Banking offers competitive interest rates, low fees, and convenient mobile banking options, making it an ideal choice for those looking for a free business bank account. By choosing Square Banking, taxidermy studio owners can enjoy the benefits of a reliable and efficient banking solution that caters to their unique needs.

Managing your account effectively

Managing your account effectively is crucial for the success of your taxidermy studio. It allows you to keep track of your finances, monitor your expenses, and ensure that your business is running smoothly. One important aspect of managing your account is payment processing for travel agencies. This is a key consideration for taxidermy studios that offer their services to travel agencies. By implementing efficient payment processing systems, you can streamline your financial transactions and provide a seamless experience for your clients. To achieve this, it is important to choose a reliable payment processor that offers secure and convenient payment options. With the right payment processing solution, you can easily accept payments from travel agencies and ensure timely and accurate transactions. By prioritizing effective account management and payment processing for travel agencies, you can enhance the financial stability and growth of your taxidermy studio.
In conclusion, Square is the ultimate solution to power your entire business. With Square, you can sell anywhere, diversify your revenue streams, streamline your operations, and manage your staff. Get paid faster and sign up for Square today to experience the benefits of a powerful business tool. Start maximizing your business potential now!