This is a long post. I have a friend, who now I can't stand his guts. He claims to have cared about me. Let's call him (S) For context, the reason I hate him is because when someone (let's call him H) we both know was going around disparaging and pretty much ended a friendship with me simply because I told H I felt like I had to choke things down. Which I believe to be true as often H would invalidate my feelings. Well that was too much for H to hear (snowflake!).
Well H told S about it in a way that trashed my name, as well as other people. S knew H was talking bad about me, yet didn't do anything to stop it. I lost friendships that I care about because of this. Had he told me that H was going around being a whiny brat, things may have had a better outcome.
Well ffw to the present, I saw him with some of my friends. I was like "look, it's the jacka** who allowed someone to ruin my life" and "f*ck this POS". A few of my friends were telling him to go f off, antagonizing him.
When we asked why, I said bc you allowed a crybaby to disparage me without telling me until months later. And I also told him, that if he talks to me or any of my friends, we'll have problems.
NOw I also admit, I wasn't perfect when it came to H. I made some mistakes for sure. But I feel that I didn't act in ways that I deserved to have my life ruined. And neither did H. But, I kept the drama between us to myself, H didn't. So I believe that was extremely shitty.
This is long as it is, so I'm not going to go into specifics, you can PM me. Just tell me, AITAH?

This post has the potential to be a bit long, so please bear with me...
A question I often ask myself is "are there financial planners for people like me who don't have a ton of money and often barely make ends meet?" So now, I guess I'm asking this sub. I don't know where to turn at this point in my life, which has been riddled with terrible financial decisions, bad luck, and family health issues.
About me: 39, male, USA. I work full-time for a health care company in Pennsylvania, making right around $88K yearly before taxes and deductions. My wife is unable to work due to a variety of health issues (both mental and physical), but does have a small Etsy shop that brings in an average of $300 on a good month. We have an unusually large family by today's standards -- 7 children ranging from 6 years old (twins) to 17. This is the part where people usually look at me like I have three heads, understandably so. Before my wife's health issues, she was a paramedic and in nursing school. So the plan was to eventually have two incomes once the kids were a bit older, but life didn't turn out that way. And before anyone asks, yes, we are done with having kids. I love them all more than life itself and would never imagine a world without them, but I am smart enough now to know that it would not have been this hard with fewer kids.
It's been very hard (nay, impossible) to get by on one income and a large family, even with some help from relatives along the way. But through it all, we have barely made it work, although I have shot my credit to hell and back in the process. My score hovers around 550 to 570 most of the time, but plummets pretty fast if I miss a payment on something.
Right now, high interest debt is my main issue. I have a variety of low-limit credit cards all maxed out (probably $5k total) a personal loan from OneMain Financial ($400 payment), an auto loan from Carvana/BridgeCrest ($508 payment, worst mistake of my life honestly but was in a desperate situation at the time), and student loans I've had to either defer or flat out stop paying. Other high expenses are groceries, obviously, but I do get $600 in SNAP benefits each month, car insurance at $250 per month because my wife has gotten into a few accidents the last 5 years, and of course rent, which is $1,900 since we need a 5-bedroom house for our large family. We used to own our home but were forced to sell in 2022 due to a variety of issues and our dire need to find a larger place to live for our growing kids.
Suffice to say, most months we either barely make ends meet, or don't at all. I sometimes have to rely on cash advance apps like MoneyLion and Earnin just to make it to the next payday. I have pretty much nothing in savings except for a very small "retirement" account, which is in quotes because I contribute 1% to it just to get my company match. I drained it a few years ago during an emergency that is too long of a story to tell here.
Everyone that I have talked to has said the same essential thing -- to look for a higher-paying job. While this is true, it's more complicated than that in reality. My current job (which I have been at for 1.5 years) affords me the flexibility to work from home most days, and understands that I need to care for my wife (who has substantial mental health issues) and kids and not be "on" 100% of the time. That is often more valuable than a higher salary, but I do know that I am capable and skilled enough in my field to eventually take a shot at a higher paying job.
So. What the heck do I do? Is there someone I can talk to about all this, who can give me real, practical advice? Would a credit union be able to help me with my high-interest debt yet terrible credit score/profile? Ideally, I would love to be able to consolidate all my debt into something more manageable. Is that even a possibility with my credit being bad? I get mail offers all the time saying I am "pre-selected" or pre-approved for a consolidation loan from some random company. I think these are all debt relief companies or possibly a scam, right? I am also severely underwater with our current vehicle as mentioned above. I owe probably 8k more than what it's worth right now, and the van is pretty much a lemon with how many problems it has.
Thank you for reading all this. I am a fairly positive person (I have to be, with the kids and taking care of my wife) but this feels pretty hopeless to me right now. I just wish I could hand over everything to someone who can manage my finances for me, and do the heavy lifting to get things under control. Sigh.

I am 30 weeks pregnant living with my boyfriend and his grandma, which is his mother figure in his life. They moved into this new house about 2 years ago because it was given to them after a family member passed, the two of them made an agreement that this house would be for him to put a mortgage down, set him up for the future , and that she would have a tiny home or trailer moved out onto the property or just completely move away. This was their plan before I ever came along.
I moved in a year ago after me and him got really serious, we want to really make this house a home and have a future together. I got off my birth control, however I was told it would take a good amount of time to get my cycle back in line and normal, but I got pregnant so fast. Which we are not unhappy about at all.
But it is now the end of the world for Gigi, his grandma. For months it has been nothing but a living hell. She has done everything in the book you can think of when it comes to in-laws from hell. My entire pregnancy she has ignored me, given me zero advice, fights with me over every small thing I do in the house trying to make this a baby safe space. It is only a 2 bedroom house, she has the master bedroom. Our plan has been to switch rooms because we have ZERO baby space in this other room, we didn't want to rush her into moving out because times are rough now of days, so to give her extra time I have been okay with sharing the master bedroom with our baby until that time comes. For months that has been the plan and she always seemed on board. But now. She refuses to finish cleaning her room and tells everyone that we are forcing her out, destroying her home, and getting rid of her stuff, when have done nothing but try to make it fair for her. Every time I clean any room in the house, she will go behind me and make a mess or undo shit I have done reorganizing. If I am alone with her, she whispers smart remarks about everything and anything, like about how she isn't allowed to do anything, for example she will grab a water bottle out of the fridge and ask if it is allowed to drink water in this house or she will just completely ignore my existence. She makes a fight about every small thing I do. If I close a curtain, she will come behind me and slam it open. If I move a dish in the cabinet, she will slam the cabinet doors and throw dishes around. She has woken me up many times slamming doors. Also she will hide the bills from us, lie about paying them, we have had a late fee charge so many times because of her. Even had the lights and water cut off. She will buy 2 of everything for only her and him. She has even stolen my makeup and clothes. She will pull my laundry out and throw it around. She will never clean up after herself, I am ALWAYS cleaning EVERYTHING, if I do not, it will not get done. And worse of worse she made my gender reveal all about her. Thats a long story but she ruined my party. And still till this day she hasn't asked me anything about the baby or shows that she even cares about me or my baby.
There is so much more, I could just go on forever. However when my boyfriend gets off work, she acts PERFECT. She never speaks to me directly still but she will act like she is the sweetest person around, acts like she could never do wrong and plays it off when he confronts her about the stuff I tell him.
My problem is, before I got pregnant, we all lived in harmony. Everything I do now was okay before. I'm a very shy, non confrontational person, and I dont have any family myself, so I'm not family understanding and for these 7 months, I've just stuck to myself and done my best to not stress out for my baby's sake. My health hasn't been great and I was ordered to be on leave for work at 5 months. We even have had a defect scare on our baby as well. I've just had faith and hope in my boyfriend to set things right with her, but now at 30 weeks, with no progress from her, her room still so dirty, while I have our room all packed up ready to switch, I'm losing hope. I am to the point of not wanting her around me or my baby at all. I stress so much having to do everything last minute, I just didn't want to not lose faith in my man , he takes care of me so well but now I'm lost. He loves this land and house, he wants to raise our family here and doesn't want to move, he loves his grandma and doesn't want to just kick her out with no where to go, but Gigi just shows to not care at all about my health or this baby and it breaks my heart. No matter how many sit down talks we have she manipulates the situation. I'm worried that I will go into labor early because of her honestly. My man hears my cries and tells her about all the health issues and everything but she will not stop. I try my best to ignore her and do what is best for me, but its SO hard now of days. I am now feeling distant from my man because he asks me what he can do, but in reality it seems like we either have to move out or really kick her out. But i dont want to put that onto him at all. But then again I feel I have been so understanding and supportive for these 7-8 months trying my hardest to ignore her, all I asked is that we dont have everything be done last minute and we just switch rooms. And now it feels as if Its all too late and I worry about the future when the baby comes.
Everyday I overthink and regret everything. I cry so much and I feel as if no one cares enough, I know my boyfriend cares so much. But how can he see it be like this? I dont know what I expect him to do... but there has to be more right? He tells me there are other pregnant moms out there dealing with much worse and I understand that SO much, but idk... I am just so tired of being unhappy and uncomfortable. I have a baby on the way, it should be a happy experience but its just not anymore and I hate it.
Any advice? Please share your thoughts or tips. Sorry its a book to read.

I gained weight trying to undergo body recomp at the gym.
I'm 5'5 (20F) and after my back surgery I went up to 140lbs. After feeling mostly recovered in Februrary I started to workout again. My workouts consisted of only body weight exercises and running because I wasn't allowed to touch heavy weights unit my 4-5 month mark post surgery. I was also on a caloric deficit of 1400kcals (some days I ate 1800, other days I ate 1200. All while tracking my macros to 90g of protein a day). During this time I lost 8 pounds and my waist sat at a nice 28 inches. I was proud of myself.
These past 6 weeks I transitioned from my body weight exercises to lifting weights at the gym. I go three days a week, doing 5 exercises. Each with 4 sets and reps ranging from 8 to 12 depending if I increased the weight or not. I last at the gym for about 2 hours and I have been skipping cardio to give my ankle a break (I twisted it 6 weeks ago after running 5 miles as a gym warm up. Yikes.) I've also been averaging 1600kcals and 80g of protein. A little below my maintenance and I've gotten worse at tracking protein because my college meals sometimes consist of just sleep. Or sometimes studying and sleep deprivation.
I have been weighing and measuring myself this week and I've been averaging 140lbs again and my waist is back to 31 inches. I mean I was hoping during body recomp I would lose fat (my waist is full of it) and change the shape of my body (get bigger legs) but is a caloric maintenance the worse way to go about it. Was I supposed to stay in a deficit? My goal weight is 120lbs and I'm so sad that I feel like I lost all my progress.

Genocide looked to the sky. He thought of his mentor. The one who had saved him. He remembered his childhood. How powerless he was. He remembered the anger. He never wanted to hurt anybody. He thought of all the times he showed compassion. How much they hurt him for it. He saw the world before him, a graveyard. Humans. People that were supposed to be made in the image of some divine creator. They were but maggots feasting upon his remains. They ate away at his very being until nothing human remained. His thoughts were no longer his own. He had no joys in life that mattered. He hated humanity more than he could love anything about himself. He remember his first killing spree. Being gunned down by police. Left for dead. He remembered a hooded figure moving towards him. Getting closer the more he neared his death. He saw its pale face. Its impossibly black eyes. It was a man. This figure in question appeared to be of Japanese nationality with long, straight, loose hair. It emanated extreme malice. It offered him a choice. A purpose. Power. He thought the figure a reaper but it identified itself as Amakusa Masataka. Masataka guided him on how to kill and gave him specific locations to kill people in. In a sense, he became a hitman for quotas of people. He inquired what Masataka was. The presence of evil, his ability to appear and disappear at will, how he could control what people could see him and what people couldn't. While vague, years of killing for this being offered some insight. Amakusa Masataka belonged to a group of people not of this world. His people had been corrupted by a dark force long ago and had aligned themselves with the warlord who had subjugated their version of Japan. Their dark high priest assisted the warlord along with two others. These four rulers in turn served a larger order. The four were tasked with bringing about the end of the current world as an act of retribution for some fallen deity. Masataka's people acted as covert operatives for this empire. They were feared across the land and were collectively referred to as "Shinigami". An agent of the coming apocalypse, a servant of evil possessed by the will of those gods of death, Genocide would walk the earth.
Genocide stepped toward the station. A police cruiser rammed into him. He pulled out a knife and stabbed the hood of the car. The inhuman force of the knife created sparks which burst the engine into flames. The car crashed into a streetlight and exploded. A second cruiser neared the scene. No way a man could have done this. Yet still, out of the fires Genocide strode forth. It set upon the second vehicle, shooting out it's tires while jumping 9 feet into the air. The car tries to reverse but crashes into a wall. Genocide lands on the hood and kicks through the front window. Glass shatters under its boot, blinding the two officers inside. Genocide shoots one of the officers with a shotgun, killing him. The second officer in the passenger seat readies his pistol and takes aim. Only two shots fired, both directed at Genocide's head. It casually cocks its neck to avoid them. Then it grabs the officer's arm, breaking it. Genocide uses its free hand to grab the officer's head and bangs it into the dashboard no less than 5 times. The skull is shattered on the final impact. Genocide jumps off the car and continues on his mission.
Detective Evans speaks through a megaphone," This is your first and final warning. Stand down or we will use any and all means at our disposal to put you down." Genocide dropped its shotgun and raised its hands. A group of five SWAT team members rushed out the station, surrounding Genocide with riot shields. An officer accompanies them, edging behind the figure to apply handcuffs. Suddenly, Genocide springs to life , grabbing the officer behind him. He flips the officer over his head, slamming him into the pavement at his feet. Then Genocide stomps his head causing it to burst. Genocide drops a flash bomb from his coat sleeve, blinding the SWAT team as he draws his knife. He drives it into one SWAT member, the knife puncturing the shield and piercing his chest. Genocide kicks the corpse away withdrawing his knife. He goes to another, this time using the end of his boot toe in a rising kick to disarm their shield. He grabs them by the throat and drives the knife slowly into their eye socket. Another is tackled to the ground and beaten to death despite still being under the shield. Another is picked up and thrown into the fires still burning from the first auto incident. In no time, Genocide stood before an indistinguishable mass of gore, blood streaking across his black leather outfit. He laughed" So this is all you can give me. I'm not entertained." Officers took aim from the station windows, and snipers did so from other rooftops. Genocide laughed maniacally as he was rained down upon from all sides by a hailstorm of bullets. His body convulsed, but he did not fall. Moments more and he was on his knees. Still though, their efforts were futile. Gracia looked out and saw a black mist coalescing around the man in black. His blood. Blood erupted from his body only to transform into this dark mist that reentered his wounds. Genocide screamed. No. It was just an elevated pitch in his laughter. Optimism failed everyone yet again. Gracia saw Genocide holding something in his right hand. She could only make out a beeping red light. Genocide pushed the button triggering the carefully concealed explosives he laid in preparation for this event. C4 explosives went off in all the places he saw fit. The sniping posts he couldn't reach. The assault of lead lightened. Then Genocide drew an RPG from...somewhere. He collected himself and fired at the station's entrance. The explosion shook the station. From inside, the lights began to flicker. Communications were down on all fronts. Had he modified the rocket with some type of EMP? Not good. Amisdst the confusion Genocide entered using smoke bombs to mask his presence. Moving like a shadow, he killed everyone in the lobby silently with his knife. He made his way to the holding cells. Still they chanted. Still they praised. Still they raved for the arrival of genocide. Genocide shot the lock opening the cell. Jim Jimenez walked out and bowed before his master. Genocide smiled. He couldn't have imagined how proficient he had gotten with possession. Well, not quite possession. He had known of the Shinigami's ability to share their thoughts and emotions with humans. Shinigami like his mentor were ancient. They had so many years of memories, such strong a hatred for life that they overwhelmed the personality of the victim. The victim sees themselves as one of them. Shinigami can't force the will of the victim, so they find those who are already similar to them in some way. Genocide found the collective universal distrust of police to be a prime sentiment to capitalize on. He armed the inmates, infecting them with samples of his own dark essence.One particular inmate caught Genocide's eye. He knew the man's work. An arsonist. The one whom he recalls was responsible for blowing up his first car way back in high school. Rather than a standard firearm, Genocide gave the man a random assortment of grenades containing a special surprise. Genocide showed them visions of anarchy, of sending a message to a society that used and disregarded them. While this was also true of how he felt, years of living in darkness had changed him. He needed no purpose. No end goal. No justification. He just wanted to watch the world burn.
Genocide's small army broke off to engage several different wings of the station. Genocide went to the security room. He found Wayne, his informant, playing some FPS on one of the monitors. Wayne took of his headphones and asked," You kill everyone yet?" Genocide responded," No. You should get going before that happens. Your life becomes fair game if I run out of pigs to cook." Wayne clapped his hands, "Aight, GC my man, say less." He packed his things and left. Genocide drew a twin pair of handguns and laid waste to the station. He followed a group that took cover in the men's restroom. Kicking open multiple stalls he was surprised to find...nothing. Where had they gone? He turned around and saw his mentor, Masataka, smiling at him. It looked like him. Long, dark hair, black clothing, and soulless, empty eyes. But it wasn't. It was Genocide's own reflection in the mirror. Genocide smiled. He didn't notice the changes at first. They must have happened gradually. Subconsciously. From the final stall, an officer sprung into action, rushing Genocide, hitting him point blank with a shockgun round. Genocide felt the tingling sensation electrifying his body and grew numb. In spite of the pain, he took a single step. Then, another. He came within striking range of the officer and snatched the shockgun. Two more officers erupted from another stall, battering him with baton strikes. Genocide felt nothing. He clutched the shockgun in his hand like a bat and went to work pulverizing his attackers. An officer kicked in the bathroom door, a woman holding a pistol. She fired multiple times to no effect. Genocide stood covered in blood. He even let her reload. Twice. He wanted to see her despair. Her hopelessness. He walked towards her, shrugging off bullets as they pierced his body. His wounds healed nigh instantly due to the dark essence he had been imbued with. He held her face with both hands, lifting her body off the ground. As she screamed, he used her head to shatter the restroom mirror, running down the full length of it while smashing her into it at several points. He dropped the remains of what he held, washed his hands with soap, dried them, then exited the restroom.
The inmates that rallied for the cause of genocide attacked the station. Fortunately, they were nowhere near Genocide in terms of power and only carried one type of firearm each. They shared his healing ability but could be killed quite easily. Gracia encountered a sniper on the end or a west wing hallway. Other officers waited behind corners unable to get close. Gracia noticed the faulty lighting. In this hallway, the lights flickered in intervals of 3 seconds. Finding a pattern and timing her movements, she rushed the sniper at the exact moment the lights went out. Running the length of the hall, Gracia zigzagged, dodging the sniper inmate's bullets. She jumped on a wall, ran 3 feet on it, then kicked off it, pouncing on the assailant. She fired five shots into him, making sure to hit the brain and the heart. Two severe injuries that were impossible for Shinigami essence to heal simultaneously. Elsewhere, Evans took on another escaped inmate. A vehicular arsonist named Carson. Carson had a bag filled with an assortment of different grenades and was happily giving them out like candy on Halloween. "A flash bang here, a bit of tear gas there. Oh. Wait! Was that an ice grenade? Did the explosion freeze your leg to the floor? Whoops. Maybe a fire grenade will melt that for you. Hold on let me get one fore you," Carson rambled gleefully. Evans looked at the carnage before him. Officers burning. Officers partially frozen in blocks of ice. He took a breath and aimed his wristgun. He steadied his right forearm. Carson readied to throw a random grenade. Evans shot it the moment it left Carson's hand. The grenade exploded directly in front of Carson. Both Evans and Carson looked at each other in shock. Confetti. A party grenade? Carson quickly fumbled for another but was tackled and restrained by several officers. Meanwhile in the South wing, Lary had some colleagues set a trap for another shotgun toting inmate. He had them bait the inmate and flee. Giving chase he turned a corner and ran straight into Lary's fist. The inmate recovered and motioned to shoot Lary. "Let's tango. " Lary gave the code word. Nearby officers activated a device. A signal jammer of sorts. The inmate shoved the barrel of his gun into Lary's gut and pulled the trigger. Nothing. The special signal jammer in question was designed for firearms. It was a last resort as it left officers just as defenseless. Lary was having fun. He boxed the inmate in hand to hand combat. Despite the inmate's enhanced strength, Lary's technique pulled through. Lary ducked under one of the inmate's wide punches and did some type of rising uppercut where he jumped off the ground while spinning. One of the other officers whispered" The rising dragon." Lary smiled giving a thumbs up" Yeah, it was a rising dragon uppercut. Saw it in one O my kid's vidya games. Thought I'd try it out while I'm jacked on adrenaline".
Jim Jimenez looked long and hard at himself in the mirror. He was in the women's restroom. Some brainless woman had broken the men's restroom mirror with her face. For the first time in a long while Jim could think clearly. He was becoming sane. At the least he was no longer a raving lunatic. The life essence of the dark gods had healed the wounds to both his body and his mind. He saw his face, his scraggly dirty beard. He found a razor and shaved. He trimmed his beard somewhat. He liked it. He washed his hair. It fell down his face like silk, no longer greasy. His bloodshot eyes once burning with crazed intensity had cooled. He blinked. Just for a second, he saw the man known as Genocide. The man that attacked him. The one that killed him and gave him new life. The drug dealers. The police. They were all the same in his eyes now. They were all to blame for the world being what it is. Jim wanted to hate them. He wanted to take revenge, but he felt nothing. It didn't matter. He knew he was wronged, could logically justify acting against them, but he just didn't care anymore. About anything. He was finally free. Sensing his presence was no longer needed here, Jim vanished into the night. He needed to find someone who had had the answers he needed. Himself. Who had he been? Who was he now? Who could he become? Where was he going? So many questions to ponder indefinitely. So much time left in the rest of his life.
Genocide ran down the station's halls raining hailstorms of bullets upon its occupants. He had a handgun in each hand as well as a wristgun on each wrist. This effectively gave him 4 separate firearms that he could use simultaneously. Lary regrouped with Gracia, Evans, and a handful of others. They radioed all surviving officers near Genocide to flee to the roof. This plan had been set in motion days before the assault and had been kept hidden from most of the force. The plan involved scheduling flights for several helicopters to arrive at some point after Genocide arrived. There would be no way for him to prepare for them and pre-scheduling their arrival ensured they arrived regardless of if they were called or not. Lary and the others set about preparing the second jamming device. Genocide stood among a hallway of bodies. He saw one man clinging to life trying to crawl away. He decided on trying that other thing he saw his master do. He grabbed the dying man and pinned him to the wall. Slowly he drove a knife into his chest. As the man's life slipped away, something else entered his body. Genocide channeled a small amount of his essence into the vessel. He had steadily done this with other casualties around the station whose bodies were somewhat salvageable. He dropped the body he was holding and looked upon the others. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyed were black, both sclera and iris. The scene before him changed. Genocide had a vision. He saw a dead gray wasteland littered with bodies. These people however weren't cops and wore traditional Japanese attire. In his hand wasn't a gun or knife but a short sickle akin to a farming tool. He heard a dark voice call out to him. Slowly, the corpses around him began to rise, now mere puppets bound eternally to their master's whim. The bodies sold to the reaper who had claimed their lives. Genocide's vision ended. His eyes had returned normal. Around him, dead cops began to rise. His dark essence had entered their bodies and reanimated them. He sent his dead army to attack the officers fleeing to the roof of the station. These zombies swarmed the stairwell giving chase to the few survivors. There were five of them. They had two flights of stairs to climb and a horde of their former colleagues close behind them. One officer tripped and was set upon by the horde. The zombies didn't bite them but held them firmly in place. The other four officers stared down wondering what to do. They could hear Genocide chuckling. They could hear humming. They could feel the temperature rising. Their colleague and the two zombies holding him were hit by an enormous green fireball. Genocide had fired a Magnum Opus and had charged the bullet to level 3. The Magnum Opus was simply a magnum that shot fireballs, with bullets that could be charged by holding down the trigger. It had three levels of charges. Level 1 was a small reddish ball of plasma. Level 2 was slightly larger and yellow. Level 3 was the maximum charge and resulted in a large slow moving green blast of energy. The officer was ignited and Genocide watched gleefully as the force of the blast sent him flying through a wall. The four officers continued up firing occasionally to slow down the zombies. Soon they made it to a door leading to the roof. Before one officer could reach it, he was sniped by Genocide, a bullet to the head killing him instantly. The remaining three made it out. They regrouped with the others already there, 12 in total, including Lary, Evans, and Gracia. This would be their final stand. They just had to hold out until Genocide made it up there. They just had to keep Genocide occupied until the helicopters arrived. Genocide slowly ascended the stairs behind his horde. On the roof, the remaining survivors faced off against waves of the undead. Evans recognized the attackers. These zombies were being controlled by nanomachines. He heard the stories of several weapons encountered by soldiers on the battlefield. These creatures were called Metaldeads as they were reanimated via machines. They had been officially banned by most of the worlds' governments for being unethical. However, this did not stop the technology from being spread still between shady organizations, terrorists, etc. Evans wondered how Genocide got this form of nanotechnology. Evans long speculated that the dark essence used by most of the killers they encountered was a a form of nanotech however it was different from anything else he had seen or heard about. The dark essence seemed to be an amalgamation of other types of nanotech. Evans had to save his inquiries for later. He reloaded his wristgun and took aim at the approaching group of Metaldeads. Gracia steadied her handgun and shot two Metaldeads in the head. From the single door countless arms seemed to spill forth from the darkness. The other officers took turns firing in intervals. this allowed them to create a steady stream of fire where no more that three guns needed to be reloaded at once. The horde seemed to thin out over time as if they were making progress. In actuality, the Metaldeads were just making room for Genocide to enter. Genocide exploded in a sprint from the door. Everyone fired upon the killer. Genocide had now chosen a wrist mounted mini flamethrower to use as his weapon. He stormed past the oncoming bullets taking some damage, but refused to slow down. He unleashed a stream of fire that caught five of the officers in one fell swoop. Gracia fired five rounds into Genocide's face. He stumbled back. Lary took the chance to fire several mine gun bullets at Genocide's feet. The mines quickly detected his movement and exploded. In seconds, Genocide was on his back.
Staring at the night sky Genocide saw the moon. He reached for it. He called for the darkness to give him more power. His wounds began healing. In the sky he could hear the whirl of propellers. There were six helicopters in total. The first two had evacuated the survivors while the others stayed to engage Genocide. Genocide got up and unstrapped the sniper rifle from his back. He stood before the searchlights as a black silhouette, cornered but unwilling to back down. Lary stared down at him smiling. "Okay!" He shouted, "Let's Tango!" Upon this declaration the second jamming device was activated. Now, isolated on the roof, Genocide's guns couldn't be fired and the helicopters were out of range of the device. Now Genocide stood like a sitting duck. A helicopter fired a rocket. Genocide side stepped and grabbed it. He turned his body redirecting the rocket to hit another helicopter. As it exploded Genocide drew his knife and threw it at another helicopter. Behind the knife was such force that it shattered the helicopter window's glass, embedding itself in the pilot. This helicopter too went down where it exploded. "Holy clucknuggets!Did you see that!?" Lary said dumbfounded. Evans looked out the helicopter door he was in jaw open in shock. "There's no way." He collected himself quickly and radioed the remaining two helicopters to keep moving and to use their machineguns as much as possible. The helicopters reigned down upon Genocide tearing apart his body. Shreds of leather and darkened blood sprayed across the pavement of the roof. Gracia watched as Genocide's body was destroyed repeatedly as it tried to heal. Surely he had to stop at some point. After 10 minutes the helicopters had exhausted their cache of ammunition and soldiers opted to fire their own rifles and occasionally throw grenades. After about six minutes, they too had run out of bullets. Genocide stood unfazed. He had long since healed himself and now appeared intangible with gunfire seeming to pass through his body. His coat once ripped , now appeared whole though on closer inspection seemed to writhe. Gracia looked in horror as she remembered the tales her adopted father had told her. Tales he had in turn heard from his predecessors. Every so often officers had reported encounters with ghost like beings cloaked in a cloud of living dark mist. The beings were rumored to be responsible for the deaths of multiple people ranging from scientists, veterans, mafia, politicians, etc. They were seen near such crime scenes and even more shockingly appeared around several sites where suicides were committed. These beings were reportedly impervious to bullets and filled anyone who got near with an impending sense of dread. If Genocide was connected to them or somehow turning into one , there was little chance they would be able to defeat him. Gracia's fears were confirmed when she saw that Genocide's leather coat had been destroyed and he had replaced it with the dark mist coalescing from his own spilled blood. The dark mist, swirling, grew larger and several tendrils sprouted out from it. Gracia could briefly make out a figure standing next to Genocide. A hooded figure cloaked in the same black substance. The figure stared up at her with soulless, blackened eyes which seemed to beckon her to jump from the aircraft she was standing in. Compelling her to give in to the death that plagued the earth. Genocide kneeled to his master. The Shinigami, Masataka stared down at his disciple. "You have done a great service to us. Even now the sealed god stirs in its slumber. Its...Awakening will soon be upon us. It calls out for war. It begs for famine. It longs to continue its conquest. We are the death it so desires. The death that is necessary for this civilization to grow. Use the power that I have bestowed upon you. Finish the mission as you see fit." The Shinigami vanished and Genocide stood.Genocide stared at his hands. He remembered the first killing spree. He was on a bus. It stopped. A woman got on the bus and walked to the back smiling as she passed him. Something about her eyes unnerved him. They were so bright but something dark reflected inside them. He ignored the thought and put in his headphones. In minutes he had dozed off. He jumped awake. He looked around and froze in panic. All around him, everyone had been hacked to pieces. He saw the driver, actively being stabbed by a masked assailant. The mask, painted white with black eyeholes, stared back at him. It raised a finger over where its lips would be. Even under the expressionless visage, he could feel that same smile. He ran home that morning. He went to his room to find it destroyed. His posters, his computer, his tv, everything, had been ruined. He turned around and saw a man at the end of the hallway holding a sledge hammer. "The hell you been, boy?", his stepdad sneered. The man dropped his hammer and walked closer, veins pulsing with rage. He tried to explain how his car had caught fire forcing him to walk 4 miles to the nearest bus stop, but the man's fist was faster than his words. "Boy!Answer me when I talk to you!!" the man says as he backhands the taste out of the would be Genocide's mouth. He took that beating for several minutes before being left to stare at his ransacked room. He hated how his stepdad went out of his way to destroy the things he loved. Soon, another set of footsteps could be heard. It was his mother standing behind his locked door. She didn't knock, or say anything. She just stood there, doing nothing as always. He never knew if she came to talk to him or apologize. All he knew was that she could never bring herself to speak to or even acknowledge him. Maybe out of guilt or perhaps shame. A year or two later after he had had enough he ran away from home. Living out on the streets alone, without friends, or family, he would embark on countless killing sprees. These killings weren't of his own volition however. He was coerced by some corrupt officers from The Unit. They made him kill on their behalf. Sometimes they were protesters, sometimes they were drug dealers, other times, petty criminals they couldn't be bothered to process. It was routine for him to be used to kill entire houses of drug riddled addicts. During one such venture he entered a drug den, killing the dealer as instructed. He took out several junkies before turning to leave. A woman who survived her injuries clung to his heel begging him to stop. Looking down he aimed the handgun he was carrying at her head of long disheveled brown hair and fired. Feeling nothing, he kicked her body aside like trash when it hit him. Her face. This woman had been his mother. What was she doing in a place like this? He felt a shock of emotion. He wondered if she had always been like this, or had she changed after he left. He never made amends, but decided to stop killing from then on. The unit did not like that. Once it became apparent that he was no longer of use to them they started a manhunt to apprehend him with lethal force. They found him. They killed him. But he survived.
He remembered the girl on the bus. He remembered her eyes. Those of a sadistic killer. Still there was something else inside them. Something faint but deeper. So. Much. Sadness. Just like him. He felt the hatred begin to spread. His purpose, he decided, was to make all humans rot in the hell they created for him.
These people, he thought to himself, these living diseases, all needed to die. Their struggles, their problems, they spread like cancer to others. The only cure for humanity's sin, its collective wrongdoings, was genocide.
Around him, dark tendrils continued to form and expand, spinning in a vortex. Genocide pulled out two pistols. He squeezed the triggers to no effect. "As I see fit, huh? Hehe." He squeezed both guns in his hands, breaking them into pieces. He concentrated. In his hands, two more guns materialized now completely black due to being forged from the dark essence. Forged by his will. Immune to the jamming device that shut down conventional firearms. He raised his arms at each remaining helicopter and opened fire. Countless tendrils whipped out and slashed at his targets joining the dark essence bullets. It was chaos. Dark tendrils and bullets tore through every direction as Genocide spun and swirled around in 360 degrees firing randomly with purpose. A tendril pierced Gracia's right arm, another, her abdomen. She was however, fortunate, as the other passengers of her helicopter were dismembered. She barely had time to jump from the vehicle before it crashed. She fell 2 yards onto solid concrete. She felt immense pain as her right shoulder shattered on impact. She looked up to see Genocide's blade like appendages ripping through the other escape helicopters. She rolled onto her back and tried to steady herself. Within seconds her body began to repair itself. The nanocells inside her had saved her life but were now depleted. She would need another supplement lest she receive another fatal injury. The standard nanocells she and the others had were much less potent than those of the killers they faced. In truth, they had only minimal strength boosts being able to lift 5-8 more pounds than before and healing being limited to one or two fatal injuries so long as death didn't occur instantly. Gracia blacked out. She awoke the next morning in a hospital. There the doctors refilled her nanocells. She learned that the station had been left in ruins. Genocide had detonated some type of minature nuke following his rampage. He always blew up the stations as if to send a message. Gracia looked out the window thinking about why she became a cop. Twice her family had been murdered by them. Her biological family had been killed in an on record drug raid committed by a group of corrupt officers called The Unit. She had been adopted by another officer that arrived at the scene who found her as a child hiding in a closed. Sadly, he too was killed for trying to expose the activities of The Unit. Gracia joined the force to avenge both losses and bring justice to the killers that disguised themselves as normal people. Law enforcement was neither good, nor bad. It depended upon the people that made it up. In the dying corrupt world Gracia lived in, she vowed to be a beacon of light. Evans laid in a bed adjacent to Lary. "That damn Genocide's somethin else in' he?Like the stories you told us were understatements. That man could legit not die at this point in the story. Like he has friggin plot armor or somthin.'' Evans cut him off" I get it. We all got our asses handed to us. But did you see that ..thing that appeared next to him. Right before he created that black vortex that wiped us out. That must have something to do with his power. Maybe there's a still a way to stop him."Lary chimed in," That fella looked like he was on the way to a black metal concert wit all the black facepaint he was wearin' Creeped me out to be honest." As the survivors mulled over their predicament, the cycle of evil continued to spread elsewhere.
Budley flips through the pages of a magazine. He checks his watch. He looks around the gas station and doesn't see any customers. Seizing the opportunity, he puts in his headphones and begins playing an imaginary guitar as he jams to a progressive deathcore album. Oblivious to the screams coming from outside, the store clerk moves on to thumping two candy bars on the counter to simulate drums. Budley sees that his shift has ended and begins locking up the store. He sweeps the aisles and jumps as a shadow appears behind him. He turns and sees a well groomed bearded man dressed in a black hoodie, black shirt, and black and gray camo pants. The man holds out his hand and smiles. Budley rings up the pack of nicotine substitute gum. "Tryin to kick the habit huh?" Budley asks. The man replies, "Somethin like that. Gotta get my priorities back in check. Focus on the things that really matter. That damn KonCreep's a hell of a band aren't they?" He nods to the playlist on Budley's phone. "Yeah, they're killer. just got into them a month back." Budley answers. "You know, I'm something of a musician myself. Maybe you'll hear of me on the news someday." Jim Jimenez says as he sees himself out. He walks to the back of the building and passes an ominous form of graffiti. A woman lays unmoving and above her, written on concrete in red is a message that simply says "Genocide Reigns".

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hi all. thanks for reading, this is a throwaway since people know my reddit...a little background... i have a home with a 2.8% interest and $100,000 in equity. i pay $1400 a month. i have several other monthly payments (not including monthly maintenance and utilities) that total $2620. i have attempted to get a heloc or loan but my credit score is in the trash since i consolidated some other debt. i have been working a snowball debt plan and i can have it paid off by 2030. i have found out that i can do a cash out refi with my lower credit score that would make my mortgage payment $2000 at 6%, but by taking most of my equity out, i could pay off all of that other debt and free up cash flow of $2000 a month. i can save more and can do some work on my home. im torn because i dont want to give up my low interest rate but im stretched so thin every month. the idea of freeing myself is very appealing even though i would be paying more for my home. any other options i didnt consider? what do you think? tia

I have accrued some funds in a company sharesave scheme. In a few months these savings will convert to shares in my company bought at a preferential rate. I have three options, immediately sell my allocation of shares, hold them and become a shareholder in the company, or transfer them into an ISA.
My preference is to transfer them to an ISA, but I’m struggling to identify an ISA product that allows this. Do all S&S ISA’s allow you to do this which is why it’s not mentioned when describing the product or do I need something a bit niche to do this? Is it a complex process to transfer those shares in?
Once transferred, can I then sell those shares and either use the cash for something else or invest it in another way?
Lost in all this stuff as I’ve not been down this path before.

This is in New Jersey, in case that makes a difference. My mother (deceased) had a vacation cottage in a shore community. A friend of mine asked to store his boat in her driveway temporarily, in return for doing some small repairs on the house exterior. This is against the rules of the local beach club (sort of like an HOA for the area,) but we allowed it because it was only supposed to be for a few months.
The friend became ill and died very suddenly. He left no will. His next of kin lives out of state, and has been letting friend's long term girlfriend dispose of much of the estate. GF has been promising to remove the boat, but couldn't find the paperwork, then couldn't get a hitch for her car... it's now been 2+ years with more and more excuses. (GF now states she has recently had an accident and is recovering from surgery.)
My brother and I are technically now the owners of the cottage. I'm wondering if I can contact some state authority, have the boat declared abandoned, and then have somebody haul it off. GF did say she would contact the next of kin; I don't know if she will actually do that. Am I legally obligated to do so before taking action?
Any suggestions for how to get this mess resolved would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Divorce initiated by spouse, but can file married jointly for next year. NC law requires us to separate for 1 year before filing, but we can setup a separation agreement to guide payments and custody now.
I’m here to ask for help, I’m embarrassed to say how little I know about taxes. I am trying to make a table that accounts for a base salary of $175,000 and a hypothetical bonus of $87,500. I have 3 kids and and will need to pay child support around 10% of gross and alimony we are discussing as a percentage of the net. I am in sales, so the “bonus” is not guaranteed and so I will pay that as it is earned. I cannot “prepay” child support and alimony in a lump sum anticipating a big commission and it does not come in.
I have been asking my payroll contact to help me simulate net pay for different scenarios below, but they don’t offer tax advice.
Does the below sound correct with a Federal Dependent Amount of $6,500 and 3 NC state allowances? I think I am entering in an accurate Federal Dependent Amount at 2k x 3 kids plus 500 for my wife as a dependent.
Gross bi-monthly paycheck is $7,291
Net pay when married With roughly $805 in pretax deductions for 401k and healthcare, net pay is $5,226.40 bi-monthly. A $87,500 bonus would net $57,531. That is from my payroll team, they said it’s taxed at 22% supplemental income federally.
Net pay when single, only 2 kids under 17 and 4k Fed Dependent amount - $4728 net pay bi-monthly - $54,425 net bonus one time
Net pay when single with only 1 kid under 17 and 2k Fed Dependent amount - $4649 net pay bi-monthly - $53,725 net bonus one time
My goal is to not receive a refund and not owe.
TLDR: getting divorced. It’s really hard. Want to be smart in budgeting and understanding my earnings picture with variable compensation. My net income is flat but bonus can be 25k-175k. Assuming a bonus of 87,500, meaning I hit 50% of my target in a modest year, what’s the net total so I can subtract child support and alimony and know confidently what is left for me to live, as I switch to filing single and kids age out of being dependents.
Thank you sincerely for your help.

The Moralintern, short for Christian Moralist International, is a ecumenical Christian, humanitarian, and peacekeeping organization. They were originally created as an organization of churches who wanted to coordinate and rebuild their communities after the 4th World War, which eventually become a significant force in the reconstruction of America. Starting out from a collection of different denominations, they eventually came to include most of the mainstream Protestant Denominations in the United States as members. The Moralintern is not a church, but rather a organization which can provide direction and leadership for American Christians, organize humanitarian relief missions, and ultimately faciliate the eventual creation of God's Kingdom on Earth.
The Moralintern was originally founded and lead by an aging and elderly Victoria Cortez in the devastation of a postwar America, an act of pure altruism just to further complicate and muddle her already divisive and complicated legacy. But she died very soon afterwards, leading to the organization to be lead by one Anne Luthor, who was the organization's first real leader. The Moralintern had largely developed around the ideology of Christian Moralism, an ideology that formed when Christian values was delinked (though not entirely seperated) from conservatism and allowed to float in a vacuum for a bit. After the immolation of the right in the Conservative Civil War of the 2050's, American politics was a mess that had become dominated by Ryan Jackson's cult of personality. The Factions of American politics had reshuffled, and were allowed to develop on their own during the Jackson years, eventually recombining into something wildly different, and creating new combinations.
The Moralintern's ideals were influenced by one of these new ideologies, known as Christian Moralism. It's ideals are basically humanitarianism, globalism, and Christian internationalism, essentially serving as a Christian version of the United Nations. As of the year 2100, it is the only organization of its type, with no other organizations engaging in international peacekeeping, global humanitarian efforts, and the promotion of a new globalism. The Moralintern very much admires the United Nations, though it definitely sees it through a very distorted, rose-tinted lens, and sees themselves as its worthy successors. A great statue of the Last Peacekeepers of Shattered Africa stands outside its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
They've intervened in countless conflicts all over the world, straining their very finite budget and teethering on the verge of bankruptcy until the institution of an American church tax helped solve their financial woes. They are the world's leading diplomatic peacemaking organization, setting up humanitarian zones under their juristiction and preventing excessive deaths in regions they control. They've been pivotal in the reconstruction of Haiti, as well as peacekeeping missions in Central Africa/former Shattered Africa. The UN Compound of the Last Peacekeepers has been turned into a heritage site and a monument, and they protect Mecca and Medina from the ravaging hordes of the Godless state, a militant anti-theist group who want nothing less than to raze the most holy city of Islam to the ground.
Though the world has a never-ending line of problems to throw at them, they are always the first to enter, last to leave. Their tired and overworked peacekeepers needing to respond to threats popping up all over the globe, it is perhaps them who is holding the world together. They are sometimes called the "Third arm of the American Empire", with both them and the Milintern (Militarist International, an alliance of private military corporations) exerting what could be called American influence abroad, though also having their own independent agendas. It is a thankless job, and they only get more tired with every day.
Aside from their peacekeeping missions, the Moralintern is also seen as a guiding authority for American Protestantism and Christian Moralists more broadly, particularly in regards to the interpretation of new scientific and technological advancements. They have ruled various times on issues relating to transhumanism, the essence of the human soul, uplifts, and various others, leading the way for other Protestant denominations, and through the Moralist Party of America (Seperate, but related organization. One of the two main parties in the American two party system.) have gotten their rulings made into law. Despite primarily being made up of Protestants, the Moralintern also has representatives from Catholic, Mormon, Secular, and Orthodox voices.
Speaking of which, the Moralintern has collaborated with the Catholic Church in regards to ecumenical cooperation, and humanitarian assistance. Their relationship can be described as rivals who can sometimes put aside their differences. Their relations have warmed and cooled over the years, though the Moralintern constantly needs to avoid a Catholic takeover of their organization. (There was also that time they had to fight off a corporate takeover by Albion Megacorp and their Corporate Anglican Church... Long story.)
They are the thankless peacekeepers holding much of the world together by the year 2100. It seems the more they try to help the world, the more the world punishes them. But they will not give in, they know the world would always hate them, and they do this for the good of all mankind. They are the first to enter, and the last to leave.

So im a 22 year old Nigerian American (M) and i still live with my parents. Im planning to visit Nigeria next month and i have locs.
My parents (mostly my dad) and I got into this big argument this morning and he basically said that he wouldn’t allow me to stay in the family house with my hair the way it is. So basically he wants me to cut my hair or be homeless while I’m out there. On top of that, he said that he disowns me as a son because of my hair. This has to be some sort of emotional abuse.
I’ve done nothing but respect this man and this household in general. What can i do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I just got my annual escrow analysis and my minimum required balance went up from $0 last year to $998 this year. This amounts to $82 dollars increase to my monthly payments - a big hit to my budget! My insurance and taxes did go up some, but this is in addition to that. Our servicer changed at the beginning of the year and clearly the new servicer is implementing the RESPA allowed 2 month minimum, where the previous servicer did not. When the handover happened in January, we received multiple communications stating that "...the terms of your mortgage haven't changed." I have been in contact with the servicer and their only reply is that the previous balance must have been an error. Do I have any other recourse?

My boyfriend and I have been together for about 12years. We have an 11year daughter together. We spent a good amount of our relationship in Hawaii and have moved and been living in Washington for over a year. In Washington they have what is called a committed intimate relationship law. I stayed home with the her when she was young and did college online with my GI bill and then when she was in school I attended college in person, partly for the income that I spent in the household. Now that shes older I have gone back to work, working two part time jobs while he has followed a career path in govt and makes more than enough to cover costs and I pay him half my monthly income about $1000 and cover about $500 a month in groceries, leaving me with about $100 a month in free money after gas, insurance, and her allowance.
The issue why I'm considering court is that anytime we argue and it doesn't come to a conclusion at that time he gets upset and has tried taking away access to the vehicles, at points locked me out of our shared bedroom, and has locked me out of the house at times. (Funny side note is that I kicked him out of our shared bedroom recently after he said I couldn't use the car to get to work on the morning, and he called the cops on me for not being willing to immediately give him his stuff in the room. The cops had us exchange the necessities).
Maybe I'm the asshole but I'm tired of this treatment and I don't even know if I would have a case given most of our relationship was in another state.

Looking for someone to take over my lease beginning June 1st, 2024. This would be your lease, and this is approved by management. I will have zero involvement once its all said and done. The lease expires February 1st, 2025 with option to renew. Each applicant will pay a $30 application fee and formally apply. I will reimburse you if you are accepted and take over the lease. I will waive the deposit and you will collect it when you move out ($700) as incentives. I'm leaving my lease early to move in with my partner elsewhere. I've been really happy living here. Noteworthy that my rent did not increase when I renewed my lease last year (this is my second lease on this unit). I can also give you my couch for free if you want it!
Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAgWSomMa7A
Building website: https://www.yale25stationapartments.com/

• Rent: $1,785
• Fixed utilities: $140 (everything but cable/internet)
• Optional parking spot in secured/covered garage: $100

Unit info: Building is Yale 25 Station, maybe a 2 minute walk from the Yale RTD stop. 3rd floor corner unit (west and north facing windows). 1 bed, 1 bath, 819 square feet. Central air & heat. Stainless steel appliances including dishwasher. Washer & drier in unit. TONS of storage in this apartment - 2 big pantry style closets, lots of storage in the W&D closet, hallway coat closet, and 2 large closets in the bedroom. Plenty of countertop & cabinet space in the kitchen and bathroom. Tons of natural light in the afternoon on the west side of the unit. Carpeted bedroom, faux hardwood in the rest of the unit. Ceiling fan in the bedroom. Tub/shower in the bathroom. Unit is on the backside of the building so road noise is minimal from Yale Ave. You can see the mountains peeking over the trees from the living area (not a full blown mountain view, but close)!
Building info: Very well managed building - no joke. I know a lot of these buildings suffer from crappy management - this is not one of them. Maintenance requests are typically done same day (I've never had any major maintenance issues, just normal wear & tear such as lightbulb replacements). Parcel locker for packages. Club room with pool table and Starbucks coffee machine. Rooftop with gas fire pit, two gas grills, various games such as bags/cornhole, lounge chairs, etc. Gym with free weights, treadmills, elliptical, rowing machine, cable machines, etc. Additional storage available in the building. Trash chutes down the hall. Pets are allowed, I believe there is an additional pet rent but I don't know the cost as I do not have pets. Garage has bike storage and a bike repair station as well as 2 EV charging stations. Exterior doors, some interior doors, elevators, and garage require key fob for access. Apartment front door is also a key fob. Callbox at main front door. Management hosts events every month or so.
Area info: King Soopers & Sprouts down the street along with plenty of restaurants and a bunch of your normal shopping options. Steps from Yale RTD, easy access to I-25. Not far from DU's campus. Half mile to Highline Canal Trail via the residential neighborhood across the street.
Please DM me for more info, questions, photos, and to set up a time to tour with me.

So im a 22 year old Nigerian American (M) and i still live with my parents. Im planning to visit Nigeria next month and i have locs.
My parents (mostly my dad) and I got into this big argument this morning and he basically said that he wouldn’t allow me to stay in the family house with my hair the way it is. So basically he wants me to cut my hair or be homeless while I’m out there. On top of that, he said that he disowns me as a son because of my hair. This has to be some sort of emotional abuse.
I’ve done nothing but respect this man and this household in general. What can i do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Nobility Arc - Arc 5
Previously on Leveling up the World...
Reality shifted, transforming into an endless forest of purple glowing vines among green and yellow trees. Minuscule creatures of all shapes and sizes flew about. To the untrained eye they seemed charming, even beautiful, yet they were all parasites taking advantage of the richness of magic threads for sustenance. They weren’t the problem, though. Other entities were also present in force—aether golems.
Summoning a clay cylinder, Dallion unleashed a ray of destruction, shattering hundreds of the crimson-purple constructs like glass. The spell was followed by a spark infused spiral attack directly below.
​
Realm section damaged!
Overall completion 78%
​
Large chunks of land erupted at the impact, transforming into clouds of dirt high up in the air. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any more golems hidden in the soil.
“Seventy-eight,” Dallion said as he gently floated to the ground. “Mages really don’t maintain anything, do they?”
The life of academia is filled with its own challenges, dear boy, Adzorg protested, practically admitting the statement. That’s a domain ruler’s job.
“I suppose it is.”
Dallion looked at his feet. They were there, along with his shoes and the lower part of his trousers. Nothing seemed to be wrong with them, yet this was only a fake projection. In the real world, they no longer existed.
There’s no reason to be alarmed. With your magic and body levels, you should be able to have them restored in a matter of months. Until then, you’ll just have to use aether stand-ins, or even a good illusion, if you prefer.
Dallion considered it. If there was someone who’d know, that would be Adzorg. The mage had his hands severed not too long ago. Looking at him now, no one would be able to guess that they had been gradually restored over the course of months.
​
REALM INVASION
​
Red rectangles filled the sky.
“Seems like they’ve taken me seriously.” Dallion stood up. His real-life troubles would have to wait.
Knowing Alien, he probably only modified the golems to treat you as an intruder. The area guardian must have stepped in.
“Doesn’t the emperor control this? Or an overseer?”
The Academy has always been sort of different, dear boy, Adzorg explained. While we serve the emperor, we’re technically autonomous.
“Like the Order.”
To a certain degree. Think of this realm as isolated. That’s why moving it around isn’t as easy as moving everything else. Due to the magic concentration and frequent experiments, the area has become… more susceptible to other worlds. That’s why I did my experiments here—it’s far easier to break through the protective barrier here than elsewhere. Well, except the fallen south, possibly. The old mage added with a brief laugh. To prevent anything spilling out into the rest of Tamin’s domain, the Academy is isolated from everything else.
“That shouldn’t stop him from coming here in case he wants to,” Dallion said.
Not in the least. That doesn’t make it desirable, though.
That was a strange statement. There were too many benefits for the emperor not to get involved. Even if he were afraid that someone might do what he had done to the archbishop. Either way, the faster Dallion could take control of the domain, the better. He knew he couldn’t keep it, but that wouldn’t prevent him from transporting a few pieces to his own territory. As for what was left, he’d make sure that no one could take advantage of it in the future.
Aqui, he said within his personal realm.
The orange-scaled dragon emerged within seconds. Ten times larger than in the real world, she was doing her best to present herself larger than she actually was. Even so, her present level was clearly visible should anyone look at her white rectangle.
“Grasped the concept of eating?” Dallion looked at her.
The large dragon snarled.
“Can you do it from within the realm?”
The anger changed into bewilderment.
“No one can consume magic from within a realm,” she said defensively. Dallion knew for a fact that wasn’t the case. He himself had done so many times and he wasn’t the only one.
“What about outside? How fast can you drain the area of magic?”
“Why?” She lowered her head, bringing it to Dallion’s level.
“I’m going to do something and when I do, we’ll have to get out of here quickly.”
The dragon snorted right at Dallion.
“It would be nice if you can reach level ten at least.”
Pride filled the dragon’s body, as blue blobs the size of houses emerged within her. There was no way that she would only level up to such a low level. Of course, Dallion’s subtle use of music skills had also helped in the making of the decision.
Before anyone could say anything more, a cluster of aether cones flew straight at him. Free of the confines of reality, the armadil shield teleported between him and the projectiles, growing three times its size.
Unable to counter the force, Gem was pushed back dozens of feet to the point it reached Dallion himself. Extending one hand, the otherworlder easily countered the attack.
Aquilequia, on her part, had used her natural speed to move away before the cones even got close.
“Best leave.” He said, glancing at her new location. “After I’m done, I’ll need you to be at least as strong as this.”
The dragon didn’t respond, yet didn’t leave the realm, either. Curious as every low-level companion, she moved a safe distance away, eager to see exactly what was referred to. Meanwhile, Dallion sprang into action. With speed surpassing that of Aquilequia, he dashed around the shield, heading straight for the source of the aether cones. To little surprise, they were being released from five spell circles, at huge intensity. More curious was the entity that had cast them.
​
LEARNING HALL GUARDIAN
Species: COPYETTE
Class: SHADOW
Health: 78%
Traits:
- BODY 45
- MIND 60
- REACTION 55
- PERCEPTION 50
- MAGIC 100
Skills:
- ATTACK
- GUARD
- ACROBATICS
- SCHOLAR
- CARVING
- MUSIC
- SPELLCRAFT
Weakness: NONE
​
“Never thought you’d be a copyette,” Dallion said as he performed a series of slashes targeting vital points on the guardian.
Each of them hit, yet instead of red rectangles, the form transformed into cyan sludge that splashed onto the ground.
“Lucky coincidence?” Dallion split into instances, using his music skills to add doubt and weight into his words. “Or were you working for the Order all this time?”
“Nice to see you too, apprentice.” A new figure formed. It was very different from the first, taking on the form of Alien. Spells circles formed in different spots hundreds of feet from Dallion, each releasing anything from lightning to aether shards.
Despite the overwhelming amount, not a single one of Dallion’s instances got harmed. Performing a three-sixty line attack with his harpsisword, he sliced through the new appearance of the guardian, breaking the spell circles in the process.
Don’t be overconfident, Giaccia said. Experience trumps level every time.
There was no way Dallion could disagree. There was a time when he, too, had defeated opponents many levels above him. While it was said that a ten-level difference was insurmountable, the guardian was a copyette with a very high magic trait.
“You can always surrender,” Dallion said, looking in all directions with his instances.
“It’s just like you to offer.” Two forms of the guardian appeared in different locations, now taking on the forms of children in Dallion’s class. “And no, I’m not working for Simon, even if he put me here.”
Dallion dashed, appearing next to one of his former classmates, slicing it to bits using a multi attack.
“Wrong one.” The other form laughed.
Dallion was fully aware that both of them were wrong. His real goal was to try and figure out where the rest of the guardian was hiding. As a copyette, he could create dozens of copies, all an insignificant part of his overall body. Destroying each individual one wouldn’t do anything; harming the one considered the main one might.
He’s stalling for time, Giaccia said.
“Your music attacks are rather good.” Two more copyette forms emerged. “Sadly, it doesn’t depend on me. You’ll have to deal with the main guardian for that. I’m just here to obtain information. Being a hunter, you should know that.”
“It’s been a while since I was a hunter,” Dallion replied. “I’m not an apprentice, either.”
“That’s true. You made full mage, didn’t you? Also, I heard that you were an archduke shortly before rebelling. Quite the achievement.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m just like my grandfather.” Dallion let it slip.
“Your grandfather?” Confusion emanated from the copyette. “I was about to say that you’re like Jeremy. A lot more straightforward, to be sure, but the drive is there along with the skill.”
Going by large areas, there had to be roughly ten guardians responsible for the realm. Defeating them would effectively make Dallion the new owner. A faster and more challenging way, though, was taking on the main guardian.
No time to hesitate, the harpsisword Guardian reminded Dallion.
It would be a lie to say that Dallion wasn’t. Even with all the copyette’s tricks, he had enough raw power to defeat the guardian, destroying a large part of the realm in the process. It was no accident that of all the key guardians, this one had been sent to reveal his skills. Dallion had spent a significant part of his life in the Learning Hall. While not particularly long in terms of time, it had marked a significant change in Dallion’s life. Before that he was little more than a skill game piece—barely defeating the Star, he was on the run from Countess Priscord, and in debt to the void. His life at the learning hall of the Academy had elevated him to the point that the emperor, the Order, and even the Moons themselves had taken notice.
“Yes.” Dallion sighed. “There’s no time for hesitation.”
Summoning his aura sword, he slashed the air, casting a flight spell that propelled him up like a rocket. Half a mile above the ground, he stopped.
“Sorry, Learning Hall,” he said, slashing the air in what appeared to be a multi attack. Magic symbols and connections were drawn, yet instead of casting multiple five-circle spells, Dallion cast one complex spell chain.
A vortex of spell circles emerged beneath him, shooting bolts of magic draining lightning.
​
Realm section damaged!
Overall completion 77%
​
Realm section damaged!
Overall completion 76%
​
Red rectangles popped up as the ground became covered in craters. Aether projectiles shot up to him in response, most of them blocked by the aether shield before reaching Dallion himself.
“Thanks, but no need,” Dallion unsummoned the shield, unwilling to have it be accidentally affected by his magic draining spell.
​
CRITICAL STRIKE
Dealt damage is increased by 200%
​
A few purple rectangles appeared among the mass of red. At the current rate, the Learning Hall guardian would be defeated in a matter of seconds. Hopefully, there would be enough left for Dallion to restore afterwards. Were this to be the Hall’s realm, there would be no concern on the matter—defeating a guardian merely improved it. In this case, the realm was the Academy, though, not the Learning Hall itself.
Suddenly, a sun gold colossus emerged less than a few hundred feet away. A massive hand reached out and grabbed the vortex from beneath Dallion. Sparks of lightning enveloped the fingers, yet had no effect whatsoever.
A second hand reached for Dallion himself, but he had already darted further back, safely avoiding the attack.
So, that’s the Academy? Dallion looked at the glittering mountain of gold. When it came to the colossus, he shared many of the same characteristics. The one major difference was the colossus’ “attire.” Not the usual Roman-Greek design that Dallion had seen before, the design followed twenty century Earth norms.
“It’s been ages since a domain ruling mage has ventured in this realm,” the colossus said in a booming voice. “You’re the second so far.”
“What happened to the first?” Dallion concentrated. Not a single domain marker appeared anywhere along the guardian’s body.
“He created this area and made sure that no other mage will be able to take it.”

Hi all - strap in lol..
I (23M) had been seeing a girl (22F) for around 9 months and we became official just touching 7 months ago..
At the beginning, everything was pretty good and I was happy. Around March this year, her effort dramatcially decreased. There were a few red flags that I admittedly ignored such as a promiscuous past ( not necassarily a red flag in itself but she was pretty vocal about it which I'll get to ), me being her first boyfriend and from what I could gather, the first guy to treat her well.
For the duration of the 9 months, she didn't plan one single date, she did not get me anything for Valentines day or our 6 month anniversary, when I asked her to join me and my family for dinner for an important milestone in my life ( 1 year sober ) she did not make the effort to be there as she was " too tired " . I got her a nice photo of the two of us framed for our 6 months which she hadn't even bothered to unwrap up to the last time I saw her which was less than a week ago..
I planned every date, paid for 98% percent of them, planned and paid for two holidays which I wouldn't mind doing had she shown effort in other ways.. Like at the beginning, she would make the effort to call me every night which was more than enough for me to know she cared. I'm not a needy bloke, I didn't need gifts and to be wined and dined but something so simple as the phone calls was good for me, but that faded around February..
Things really started to look bleek around the time of our second Holiday which was the beginning of last month. She had been out drinking the night before and told me the next day she had a guy from her class pour liquour into her mouth which personally for me, was a boundary crossed that I foolishly ignored. Then, one of the nights on holiday, while drunk, she decided to show me a list she had kept in her notes app of all her past sexual partners and even went as far to tell me how big one of the guys dicks was (upon reflection I should've left her there and then).
Now, don't get me wrong, she was not a demon. She had many moments of showing affection and care, she bought me some nice clothes for Christmas and my birthday aswell as other small but thoughtful gifts and often used to keep my favorite drinks in the fridge for when I came over. But for the mostpart, the effort was just not there and would frequently go hours without snapping me back, and often times wouldn't start an actual verbal conversation ever and there wouldn't be one if I didn't start one..
I brought up the lack of effort to her 3 or 4 times and and told her, if she just wasn't into me it was fine and we could call it quits, but we needed to communicate. Each time she would cry, maintain that she loved me, she wanted me in her life and wanted to be with me. She is super focused on her studies and I told her I totally get it and that I don't expect to come first, and don't want much, but something so simple as the nightly phone call was enough for me to know she cared. Each time she told me she would try and do better but nothing ever changed.
So, this Sunday gone, I couldn't do it anymore and initiated a break up. Once she saw I was serious she kind of scrambled to make it mutual, but I inititated it and I don't think she had intented to finish with me any time soon. I told her nothing has changed and I don't see it changing, she told me she doesn't feel she can give me what I need (which is not very much) or deserve. She said she loves me still and probably always will. The last thing I said to her was, I will miss you, I am thankful for the times we shared, wished her the best of luck with her studies and the rest of her time in my country ( she's not from here) and goodbye. I have since entered a period of no contact with her.
I also don't believe there was another guy on the scene, she was never secretive with her phone and always left her location on, which I never checked as I found that to be unhealthy, but her wilingness to leave it on was fairly reassuring in that regard.
The reason I am conflicted is because, I don't believe she saw it ending and I do believe she had genuine feelings for me, but I couldn't allow myself be disrespected and taken for granted any longer for my own sanitys sake.
What I'm asking is, given it ended amicably, is it hopeless to think that she will realise what she lost and come back and make an effort, or is it dead in the water.. Afterall, even though I ended it, I am in love with her and am finding the no contact incredibly difficult although have no intention of breaking it.
I find it hard to believe she is able to let someone who did and cared so much for her go that easily, but am also aware life is cruel and unforgiving..
I'd really like some non biased opinions on this.. Thanks!
Edit: she has not yet taken down the photos of us together on Instagram if that counts for anything...

“The country that I have spent nearly 76 years in and that I love is no longer here. I 100% put the blame on the pathetic 'thing' that is 'leading' our country. He only gives a shit about himself and power. The MINUTE he became President, he shut down the Keystone Pipeline and opened the border. More than ten million illegals from all over the world have come through the border, not legally at border crossings, but wherever they could cut fence, take down the wall, cut through razor wire, ANY WAY THEY COULD GET IN! The border patrol 'process them' except for God knows how many 'gotaways' that get in in the dead of night. ALL of the illegals are given cell phones and money. Crime is at an all time high. Illegals are robbing and killing people in New York City almost daily. ALL of the liberal states, as in California, have a huge homeless population with people everywhere, shitting all over the place. Liberal Cities, New York included are putting the illegals up in 5 star hotels, which they destroy. They give them money, free food, whatever they need, while the people just trying to get by are being attacked and killed, even in Time Square, almost daily. People are leaving California and New York in droves, mostly moving to Florida. Liberal States have defunded their police and most have a no bail policy. So, illegals who rob and beat and kill, are being arrested and then let back out. Normally, they go right back out and do it again. Migrants are sleeping at O'Hare airport and other airports. Residents are being asked to house illegals for $500 a month. Illegals are getting free health care, free everything while we have people that cannot afford to buy food. Over 45K in Chinese Nationals (all men) have been allowed in at the border. China does not just let military age men leave of their own accord. Wonder what they are going to do? China is buying up thousands of acres in the U.S., normally around military bases, including Oklahoma and nobody can stop it. The FBI director is warning everyone in the U.S. that all information points to Iran, Syria, etc., ARE planning on terror attacks in the U.S. Great! Biden has screwed Israel and demanded that they have a cease fire because they are killing too many people. He never mentions the innocent people that were killed in Israel on October 7th, bragging about putting babies in ovens and cutting off their heads. Israel is our biggest ally in the middle East. There are HUGE protests all over the U.S. that are against Israel. Practically EVERY college in the U.S. has protesters that basically want every Jew dead. Yale, Harvard, all of those kind of schools, along with many, many more colleges. Professors have been fired, as well as the President of Harvard resigned in January because of her condemnation of Jews, and so on and so on. As a person, Trump is not my favorite person, BUT EVERYTHING was better than it had been in a long, long time when he was President. The MINUTE Biden got in, he started undoing everything that Trump had done....and the deterioration began and continues. I could go on and type all night, but I am just telling you why I hate so much right now, but mostly our ass wipe 'leader' and all of the Democrats who support them. An illegal was caught at the Walmart in Wagoner trying to get in a woman's trunk, in WALMART! Biden promises he will raise taxes, especially on the 'rich.' They need to pay their 'fair share' even though the top 1% of taxpayers in the U.S. 45.8% of the income taxes paid, even though they only earn about 25% of the income. The top 1% of taxpayers accounted for more income taxes than the bottom 90%....and asshole wants them to pay their fair share! Illegals are breaking into homes, making up a fake lease and then squatting in the houses. Guess who has the rights? It is not the homeowners! Squatters in NYC had broken into a woman's home who had just died. Her daughter went to check on the house and was killed by two illegal squatters and put in a bag. She was found by her son. Boeing planes are having huge problems, to the point that the head of Boeing and another person resigned. While descending, a door in the exit row blew off. It had never had any bolts in it. There have been fires in engines, tires falling off right after taking off, pieces just falling off of the planes and others that I can't remember. It seems that is a weekly thing. Ask me if I would get on a plane right now, especially a Boeing, which the majority are. I could go on and on and on, but I am going to bed. Overall, prices on everything are up around 20%. People can't buy the food they need. Gas is back up. Illegals are taking over the schools to where citizens can't go or are afraid to. I am glad I am old. Going to bed. Love you guys. Aren't you glad I 'shared?' “

We live in NJ. My spouse lost her job last year and opened an S Corp in January and has been without health insurance. She’s the only employee of the S Corp. I guess it’s too late for her to join my plan. For some silly reason, it’s mandated in NJ to have health insurance but at the same time she isn’t allowed to join my plan or get an ACA plan because there’s no qualified life event. So I’ll repeat that: she’s mandated to have it but not allowed to have it. This is crazy to me. But ok. Is there any way to avoid the penalty ? We make a lot of money combined so I think the penalty would be around $7k and that’s without any coverage. Having coverage would be cheaper lol. Of course , knock on wood, hopefully she won’t need to use the coverage until she can join my insurance on Jan 1st. She’s healthy so no doctor appointments needed unless there’s a true emergency. If she could join my benefits that would be amazing. But as a worst case scenario , if she doesn’t have benefits until Jan 1, is there any way to avoid the 7k penalty that NJ would charge ? One exemption says if you have a utility shut off notice you’re exempt. If we don’t pay the electric bill for 2 months, get a letter in the mail, and then pay it , would that work? Another exemption I saw was religious. Anywhere there to prove ? This was obviously a lie and terrible mistake and we will get her on my insurance as soon as allowed , I just want to atleast avoid the penalty , which again to me is really silly. Especially with how high our taxes are regardless.