The new perfume handbook

I (24F if that matters) have been trying to think of ways to get out of my comfort zone and maybe make new friends as of late (I’ve had some depression and social anxiety problems) and thought dnd would be a good option. I’ve heard most people are welcoming to new players and I’ve developed an interest in the after playing Baldur’s Gate 3. They’re obviously not the same but the concept and lore were pretty interesting.
I have the 5e Player’s handbook, but I’m not sure what else to get or how to find a game. I’ve seen people recommending lfg but it’s kind of confusing and there are so many YouTube videos I don’t know where to start. And a lot of people have a variety of dice. Is it just personal preference? I really want to get into the game but I’m kind of lost lol Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

Pictures of Decant Bottles: Click Here
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Hello,
I have a few fragrances available to decant from my collection, including Folkwinds Santi Ana, and Areej le Dore's Russian Oud II and Santal Galore. I also have the 2020 version of Colorado by DSH Perfumes. If you'd like to give one a try, please let me know. Just send a PM with any questions. Happy to help!
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All decants will be made with glass bottles, new syringe to prevent cross-contamination, and sealed with Teflon tape to prevent leaking as best as I can. 2ml decants will be made in 3ml decant glass atomizers.
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Preferred payment method is Paypal F&F. If you have another preferred payment option please let me know. All shipping will include a tracking number, lots of bubble wrap, and a cardboard box. Please comment before PM. If you have any other questions please send me a PM.
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Shipping: USPS First Class + $5, Priority Mail + $8, Canada + $15
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Example of Atomizer
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Fragrance	House	2ml	5ml	10ml	Remaining
Santal Galore	Areej le Dore	$35	$85	N/A	20/50ml
Russian Oud II	Areej le Dore	$25	$60	N/A	33/50ml
Santi Ana	Folkwinds	$25	$60	N/A	50/50ml
Embers - 2021	Teone Reinthal (TRNP)	$22	$55	N/A	90/100ml
L'Air du Desert Marocain	Tauer	$10	$20	$35	18/50ml
Shalimar EDP	Guerlain	$5	$10	$18	90/90ml
Vetiver EDT	Guerlain	$4	$8	$15	115/198ml
Sun	Lush	$6	$11	$18	15/30ml
Dear John	Lush	$6	$11	$18	30/150ml

Hi! I’m on the lookout for a new perfume… in the past I’ve used Si (Armani), La vie est Belle (Lancôme), English Pear & Freesia (Jo Molone) and Hugo Boss Nuit - so I pretty much like anything floral / fruity / subtle …
Any recommendations/suggestions appreciated :)
Sorry if this isn’t the right subreddit to ask!
EDIT: Thank you so much for your responses!!! Going to give them a try

Looking for some new perfumes that scream sophistication? I'm all about finding that perfect scent that's both elegant and memorable. I've been on the hunt for something classy yet not overpowering—something that leaves a lasting impression without knocking everyone in the room out. You know what I mean? I've tried a few, but I'm always open to suggestions from my fellow fragrance enthusiasts. Whether it's a high-end brand or a hidden gem, I'm eager to hear your recommendations! Bonus points if it's something versatile enough for both daytime and evening wear. So, hit me with your best perfume picks—I'm ready to up my scent game and turn some heads!

Throwaway account our of paranoia. Looking for advice to see if it's worth seeking out a labor lawyer.
TLDR: Took a big vacation, and now have a seemingly punitive custom PTO policy being enforced that does not align with our handbook policy. Any legal grounds here, or just be upset about it?
My company (in NY state) introduced an unlimited PTO policy last year. I requested a 13 day vacation with 6 moths of notice and got approved by my boss who is now gone. I followed all the handbook rules. My new boss was hesitant about me taking this much time, asking if my tickets were refundable or if I could check in during vacation. I said no to both.
The handbook says any requests up to 3 days need to be submitted 20 days in advance. The supervisor then has 3 days to approve/deny. 3 to 5 days require 30 days notice. Over 5 days requires 30 days and ownership approval. The employee may be required to check messages during pto if deemed necessary by the supervisor.
After the fuss around the big vacation, I've been asked by my new boss (one of two owners) to submit a "pre-submittal" request directly to him outside of our pto software for any requests over 2 days. If approved, then I have to submit an actual request in our software for approval by him. Any requests of 3 days or more need ownership approval from both owners. I was also asked to submit pre-requests for any winter holiday time off...in the beginning of April.
I couldn't find any labor law in regards to non national holiday pto for exempt salaried employees. Is there anything I can do here aside from just be upset that this feels punitive for me taking 13 days off in an unlimited pto policy? I've asked around and nobody else has this custom policy. I've been told it's because my work is very critical to operations. I've been sure to take screenshots of conversations and download copies of emails and the handbook.

What’s New Dua perfumes did you order this week? Which did you love right out of the box? Which do you think need more time to macerate?

My mother has been bitching at me all day for who knows what reason. I'll give some backstory on yesterday: My bf of 2 years and I gave my mother separate gifts for Mother's Day. Why? Because my bf gets extremely emotional during Mother's Day, as he is estranged from his mother and no contact (her choice). I will spare the details, but it's safe to say it's not his fault. He rather go out to buy his gifts on his own, when there are no crowds, on his own accord.. I guess where he doesn't feel as emotional. I have told him a few times that I can put both of our names on a gift, but he felt comfortable enough to get something, so he did. I thanked him and appreciate the effort he's putting forth towards my mom, who he says he sees as a mom now. He ended up getting her a Bissel Steam mop, which she mentioned she wanted quite a few times.
Here's where I probably fucked up: I asked her a week prior what she wanted for Mother's Day. She had a short but expensive (perfume, gift cards, stuff from amazon) list. I started a new job, and we get paid monthly so I am stuck on 0 til the end of the month. I planned on making it up to her then, but at this point idk. I got her the cheapest thing from the list, and created a grab bag of smaller but cheap things she likes (her fave cookies, gift card to fave restaurant, fave (stuffed) animal).
I completely forgot to tell my bf what the list was.
Anyway, on the actual day, my mom seemed happy with her gifts, but a bit snarky. I couldn't figure out why.
It all came to a head today, I get interrogated in my room about who bought what gift. I realize there's some aggression there, so I ask if everything is ok. My mom goes "so you weren't the one who bought the stupid gift." I ask which gift is stupid. She says the mop. I explain that he probably thought it was the mop you wanted. She explains that she already has a steamer that works fine (we didn't know about the steamer) and that if we were so unsure, we should have just gave her cash. Then she calls the mop a waste of money and that we could have taken her out to eat with the money.
I told her that she is really ungrateful and selfish, and that with knowing his background, she is really rude to react this way. She then starts attacking me for other things, like my character, communication skills and how I need to start giving her more money because she does more for me than I do for her.
I know I should have told my bf about her requests, but I genuinely forgot and really thought she would be happy with whatever he gets her. To solve this, she could return it, but to get cash she'd need the receipt. And I know he'd be devastated to know that she took the mop back. Is this all my fault?
TLDR: BF with mom trauma bought my mom a gift, she called it a "waste of money" and blamed me for it getting to her in the first place.

Free shipping on orders over $60
Plus,

• Buy 2, get additional 10% off.
• Buy 3-5, get additional 20% off.
• Buy 6-10, get 25% off.
• Buy 10+, get 30% off.

Prices updated to reflect Jomashop and Fragrancenet, but they change prices often - if you like something, and there is a better price elsewhere, I'll beat it! Let me know in the post/chat/inbox - I am not firm on anything. I will definitely provide discounts for multiple purchases.
I can meet face to face (Fort Collins, CO), and I can ship USPS Priority for $8. Shipping in USA only, unless you have a forwarder that you want to use.
Prices are for Paypal F&F or Venmo. Please add 3% for Paypal G&S.
All the boxes are brand new, but due to handling, some might have issues with the cellophane cover - I'd say that 95% are in perfect shape, but some might be missing the cellophane. I'll send a photo of the actual unit in chat.
Type:EDP is perfume, EDT is toilette, Size is size in ounces, and Q is quantity I have left, Price is the price I have them listed for.
Mens
Brand - Name - Type - Size - Quantity - Price
Armani Acqua di Gio EDT 1oz 1x $45.00
*SOLD - Azzaro Chrome EDT 3.4oz 0x $40.00
*SOLD - Azzaro Wanted by night EDP 3.4oz 0x $80.00
*SOLD - Azzaro Wanted EDT 3.4oz 0x $60.00
Calvin Klein Defy EDT 3.3oz 2x $40.00
Calvin Klein Defy EDT 1.6oz 3x $30.00
Coach Platinum EDP 3.3oz 2x $40.00
Coach Platinum EDP 2oz 1x $33.00
Coach Coach for men EDT 2oz 1x $34.00
Dolce Gabanna "K" EDP 1.6oz 3x $45.00
Dolce Gabanna "K" EDT 3.3oz 4x $55.00
Dolce Gabanna "K" EDT 1.6oz 4x $37.00
Jimmy Choo Man EDT 1.7oz 2x $30.00
Jimmy Choo Man EDT 3.3oz 3x $40.00
Jimmy Choo Man Blue EDT 3.3oz 3x $40.00
John Varvatos Artisan Pure EDT 2.5oz 1x $28.00
Montblanc Legend EDP 3.3oz 5x $42.00
Montblanc Legend Spirit EDT 1.7oz 1x $28.00
Montblanc Legend Spirit EDT 3.3oz 1x $35.00
Paco Rabanne 1 Million EDP 3.4oz 1x $80
Womens
Brand - Name - Type - Size - Q - Price
Ariana Grande R.E.M. EDP 3.4oz 1x $60.00
Ariana Grande R.E.M. EDP 1.7oz 4x $40.00
Armani Terra Di Gioia EDP 1oz 1x $50.00
Armani My Way Intense EDP 1oz 7x $55.00
Armani My Way Intense EDP 1.7oz 1x $60.00
Armani My Way EDP 3oz 2x $80.00
Armani My Way EDP 1.7oz 2x $60.00
Armani My Way EDP 1oz 9x $55.00
Bvlgari Omnia Pink Sapphire EDT 2.2oz 8x $50.00
Bvlgari Omnia Coral EDT 2.2oz 4x $50.00
Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste EDT 2.2oz 2x $50.00
Caroline Herrera Good Girl Supreme EDP 1oz 1x $50.00
Coach Coach EDP 1.7oz 1x $35.00
Coach Coach EDT 1.7oz 1x $35.00
Coach Dreams EDP 0.3oz 2x $20.00 - Free with COACH 1oz and larger
Dior Joy EDP 1oz 2x $45.00
Dior Miss Dior Roses n'Roses EDT 1.7oz 2x $70.00
Dior Miss Dior Roses n'Roses EDT 1oz 2x $50.00
Dior J'adore EDT 3.4oz 1x $70.00
Dior J'adore Infinissime EDP 1.7oz 2x $80.00
Dior J'adore Infinissime (new, but no celophane) EDP 3.4oz 1x $85.00
DKNY Be Delicious EDP 1.7oz 1x $30.00
DKNY Be Delicious EDP 1oz 2x $28.00
Dolce Gabanna Dolce Garden EDP 1.6oz 1x $40.00
Dolce Gabanna Light Blue EDT 0.84oz 1x $30.00
Dolce Gabanna The One EDP 0.25oz 1x $20.00 - FREE with any DG 1.7oz or larger
Dolce Gabanna The Only One EDP 0.33oz 2x $20.00 - FREE with any DG 1.7oz and larger
Donna Karan Cashmere Mist EDT 1oz 4x $30.00
Donna Karan Cashmere Mist EDT 3.4oz 2x $70.00
Donna Karan Cashmere Mist EDP 1.7oz 4x $40.00
Escada Summer Festival EDT 3.3oz 2x $45.00
Escada Summer Festival EDT 1oz 1x $35.00
Gucci Bloom Nettari di fiori Intense EDP 1.6oz 1x $70.00
Gucci Bloom Acqua di fiori EDT 1.6oz 1x $70.00
Gucci Bloom EDP 1oz 1x $40.00
Jimmy Choo Fever EDP 1.3oz 2x $30.00
Jimmy Choo Jimmy Choo EDP 2oz 2x $38.00
Jimmy Choo Jimmy Choo EDP 1.3oz 3x $25.00
Jimmy Choo L'eau EDT 1.3oz 1x $27.00
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy le bubbly EDP 1.7oz 1x $35.00
Juicy Couture Oui EDP 1oz 1x $30.00
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Rose EDP 3.4oz 1x $35
Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Rose EDP 1.7oz 1x $25 (no cellophane)
Kate Spade Kate Spade EDP 0.33oz 1x $20.00
Lancome Idole Le Grand Perfume EDP 3.4oz 1x $90.00
Lancome Idole Aura EDP 3.4oz 1x $90.00
Lancome Idole Le Parfum EDP 0.8oz 2x $40.00
Lancome Idole Le Parfum EDP 1.7oz 3x $70.00
Lancome Idole L'Intense EDP 2.5oz 1x $75.00
Mark Jacobs Perfect EDP 1.6oz 3x $60.00
Mark Jacobs Perfect Intense EDP 1.6oz 3x $60.00
Mark Jacobs Perfect Intense EDP 3.3oz 3x $80.00
Mark Jacobs Daisy EDT 0.33oz 2x $20.00 - FREE with any Mark Jacobs 1.7oz and larger
Mark Jacobs Daisy Eau so fresh EDT 0.33oz 3x $20.00 - FREE with any Mark Jacobs 1.7oz and larger
Mark Jacobs Daisy Love Eau So Sweet EDT 0.33oz x $20.00 - FREE with any Mark Jacobs 1.7oz or larger
Michael Kors Wonderlust EDP 3.4oz 1x $50.00
Michael Kors Sparkling Blush EDP 1oz 1x $40.00
Mugler Alien Goddess EDP 1oz 8x $50.00
*SOLD - Philosophy Fresh Cream EDT 2oz 0x $30.00
Philosophy Amazing Grace Magnolia EDT 2oz 4x $30.00
Philosophy Amazing Grace Ballet Rose EDT 2oz 2x $35.00
*SOLD - Philosophy Amazing Grace EDT 4oz 1x $30.00
*SOLD - Philosophy Pure Grace EDP 2oz 1x $30.00
Viktor&Rolf Bonbon EDP 1.7oz 2x $60.00
Viktor&Rolf Bonbon EDP 1oz 2x $50.00
Viktor&Rolf Bonbon Pastel EDT 1.7oz 1x $50.00
Viktor&Rolf Bonbon Couture Intense EDP 1.7oz 2x $60.00

• https://imgur.com/tssYeIJ
• https://imgur.com/9VZwXIk
• https://imgur.com/GHM7nWV
• https://imgur.com/L9ezdjO
• https://imgur.com/nRVr1uK

I’m looking for a new fragrance. I’ve had two “signature scents” in recent years; the first was Juliette Has a Gun NAP, and the most recent is Serge Lutens L’Orpheline. I loved both in different ways. I’m still working through my last bottle of L’Orpheline, and while I love it and I love the way it sits on my skin, it lacks good throw.
Now, I don’t want to knock anyone down, but I want people to notice me when I walk past. The vibes I’m going for are best described as a mixture of femme fatale, dark academia, old money and pretty princess. I want to smell sensual, expensive, and a little bit dangerous.
I’m not a fan of anything overly floral. I’m also not a fan of anything too sweet, but I don’t want to smell “manly” if that makes sense. I plan to order a couple samples from recommendations here and try and find a new favorite before my first international trip next month!
Bonus to more niche/indie perfume houses. I don’t want something you can get from Sephora (though I did enjoy CH Good Girl when I sampled it!) Thanks in advance for the recs!!

My hands are shaking as I write this, I have to document my story incase something happens to me in the next few days. I'm not sure where to begin but I suppose here is better than anywhere.
I've always had this weird feeling, this sensation inside of me that I was older than I actually was. By the time I was twelve, my soul felt as though it was forty. By the time I reached twenty, I felt like an old woman. I would watch people around my age acting foolish, and I always thought, "What a bunch of children." So it was no surprise to anyone that when I turned twenty-one, I left my hometown and college and decided to spend the summer alone by renting an old farmhouse in an insignificant town on the edge of an even more insignificant border.
When I told my mother, she had a veritable fit, unable to find the words. She spluttered and raged around me for days before I finally left early one morning to avoid her guilt and frustration with my choices. I was not sure why I craved solitude at such a young age, why I found solace in being alone and removed from society.
In high school, I had changed unexpectedly, cutting my long blonde hair short and dying it black, getting piercings that my mother loathed and claimed no young lady should have. You see, my mother was raised proper, as she called it. Good family, good husband, and finally a good life. She despised her perfect life being squashed by my alternative looks and feelings of the same world. She just didn't understand me or the world as it changed around her. I felt like I was just a trophy to her and my father, her perfect angel who had been tainted by my own demented thoughts.
I never told my parents where I was staying, one last rebellious mission before leaving for a few months, and it took me only a few hours to arrive at the farmhouse where I would be staying for the next few months. The land around the farm was dead or dying, old crops rose out of the dry dusty earth and had turned black and forgotten, as if this land was the example of dreams long forgotten and empty. A single dreary lane connected this desolate farmhouse to the rest of the world. On the outside, it was drab and looked as though it would fall apart. It had two stories but still seemed cramped and small, as if it were a single floor tied to the ground.
Across from the house, bordering the tall weeds that had reclaimed much of the farmland, stood a maudlin-looking faded red barn, one door propped open in a dejected manner revealing naught to me but shadows, dust, and a little mystery.
Next to the barn, staked into the ground on an old-looking cross, was a ragged scarecrow. It had drab brown clothing, but its face was oddly realistic, like it was watching me with a disapproving manner. Straw poked through its joints at odd angles like they were trying to break free from their confines. The scarecrow obviously didn't do its job as it was covered in no less than three crows.
I parked my car next to the barn and stepped out into the dusty yard before the farmhouse that I would make my home for the next few months. I checked under the front mat for the key and put it in the lock.
With a satisfying click, the door fell inward into the farmhouse. Surprisingly, the inside of the farmhouse was modern, clean, and looked quite inviting. I could smell the fresh paint on the walls, and everything was so white. The realtor had told me she would stop by tomorrow to collect the rent, and she had tried to chat my ear off on the phone about all the renovations she and her son were doing on the place.
I sighed with contentment and tossed my bags beside the door. I dug around in my bag and removed my camera, my father's old film shooter as he called it. I had taken up the hobby years ago for what I called capturing the oddity in the world.
I explored the small house a little more; the ground floor consisted of a single room and small bathroom with a shower. The bedroom was upstairs and was the only room, the stairs connected directly to the white and pink monstrosity that was the master bedroom. The pillows had laces on them and almost made me gag from the cuteness. There was even cute white lace curtains on the window with little flowers stitched onto them.
Out of the only window of the room, I could see the barn and the scarecrow. I aimed my camera at the pair and snapped a photo. From this angle, the scarecrow appeared to be staring straight at me. It stood next to the left side of the barn in a dejected manner like a chastised child.
A shudder involuntarily ran through me at the sight, but I moved on back downstairs. It was getting close to dinner time now, and I had brought some food with me.
After a few minutes, I had my dinner on the stove cooking and the crickets chirping outside the open window. As I sat down to eat next to the window, I felt at peace for one of the first times in years. The solitude of this old farm was exactly what I needed. The window supplied a nice breeze that wafted through the place, it smelled of grass and warm summer nights, made me feel at peace. The simple dish of spaghetti with tomato sauce and a glass of wine was all that I needed right here, right now in this moment.
That night I climbed into the frilly laced bed and sunk into the claustrophobic mattress. I felt like Goldilocks in the mama bear's bed as it was altogether too soft. From my perfumed bed, I had a good view out the window. I had left the porch light on, and it cast an eerie glow across the yard. The barn loomed ominously, stalwart against the light of the porch, like it was protecting the shadows from the battering ram of light. The somber scarecrow leaned against the left side of the barn.
With a small jump, I thought I saw its arm move slightly. I peered through my camera using the zoom to get a better view of the scarecrow. It was completely still in the night, and I laughed quietly to myself at my silliness. I had always enjoyed horror movies, but there was no chance I was living in one. I settled back into bed and put my camera down. Within a few minutes, I fell into sleep's warm embrace.
What felt like only a few minutes later, I sat up in bed. It was still dark out, I could hear crickets chirping through the open window, and I strained my ears for a moment.
I thought something had woken me up. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine as a cold breeze wafted in through the window. I pulled the frilly blanket up around myself when I heard it. A thud sounded below me, shaking the whole world into silence. The crickets stopped chirping, and my heart felt like it had stopped beating. Someone was in the house. I hadn't locked the door or closed the kitchen window, and now someone was downstairs. A second thud sounded like a boot on the staircase. Then another and another as something was slowly moving up the stairs towards the room.
I don't know why I did it, but something came over me. I wasn't big or especially brave, but my normal cowardice in social situations changed instantly. With a dash, I tore across the room, flicking on the lights, ready to face my attacker, to defend myself against male or female. I would fight, and I would win.
But as the lights turned on, ready to strike with my foot, nothing was there. The staircase was empty, and upon further inspection, the entire house was empty. The kitchen window was open, and I shut and locked it securely before checking the door. Nothing. I sat down on the couch, my heart pounding out of my chest, as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.
"I must have still been half-asleep," I said aloud to the room in a thinly veiled attempt to calm my nerves. It failed horribly, but I went with it. What else could you do in a situation like that?
After locking up the house, I went back up to that frilly four-poster bed in the bedroom and stared out the window. Nothing was in the yard except my car, the barn, and the same old sad-looking scarecrow staring across the yard.
Day 2
The next morning, I woke up to the soft light filtering through the lace curtains. Despite the strange events of the previous night, I felt strangely refreshed, as if the morning sun had chased away the shadows that lingered in my mind.
I descended the stairs, the wooden steps creaking softly under my weight, and headed to the kitchen. As I brewed a pot of coffee, my mind wandered back to the events of last night. Was it just a figment of my imagination, or was there really someone in the house?
Shaking off the unease, I decided to explore the farmhouse in the daylight. I wandered through the room, admiring the modern renovations that clashed with the rustic exterior. The farmhouse had a charm to it, despite its eerie surroundings.
As I made my way outside, the cool morning air greeted me, and I took a deep breath, letting the serenity of the countryside wash over me. The barn stood tall against the backdrop of the morning sky, and the scarecrow seemed to watch me as I crossed the yard.
I approached the barn, curiosity getting the better of me. Pushing open the creaky door, I stepped inside, the musty scent of hay filling my nostrils. The interior was dimly lit, the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wooden walls.
I explored every nook and cranny of the barn, but found nothing out of the ordinary. As I turned to leave, something caught my eye. In the corner of the barn, hidden beneath a pile of old blankets, was a small wooden chest.
My heart racing with anticipation, I lifted the lid of the trunk and peered inside. What I found took my breath away. It was a collection of old photographs, yellowed with age, depicting scenes from a bygone era. They were of a man with his family, two young kids, and a beautiful young wife. The man had yellow blonde hair, almost like straw in texture, but he smiled so happily with his family.
I sifted through the photographs, my fingers trembling with excitement. Who had left these behind, and why? Each photograph seemed to tell a story, a glimpse into the past of this forgotten farmhouse.
As I sat there, lost in thought, a sudden noise jolted me back to reality. It was the sound of footsteps coming from outside the barn.
"Hello?" The dreamy voice of a woman called to me from the entrance to the barn.
I slammed the lid of the trunk shut, closing the memories up in a flurry as I spun around to be greeted by a quite pretty woman with blonde hair and a pink suit skirt combo. She had bright pink lipstick, that seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face, and quite shiny and sparkly blue eye shadow on her lids. I myself only wore black eyeliner. This woman was like Barbie in her proportions, thin waist, long hair, and large tracts of land, as my father would have said.
"Oh, hello," I said simply, always awkward in normal social situations.
If she noticed anything odd about me, she breezed over it in an easy manner. Taking me by the shoulders, she led me out of the dusty barn and into the yard.
"You must be Polly. We have been waiting a while for you to come. I simply must know what you think of the renovations to the house. Aren’t they just to die for?" The lady said all in one breath, as if she didn’t need air to speak.
"Yes, they are quite nice..." I started before she cut me off, not in a rude manner but instead in one that she would have continued on even if I had just told her I was not Polly and instead I was a mass murderer looking for my next victim.
"You see, me and my son Eli—yes, Eli, you stop lurking in the shadows over there," she said, continuing on as I noticed a younger man leaning up against the barn. He wore simple clothes of jeans and a white t-shirt but had a handsome face. His hair was brown and hung slightly over his eyes.
"I hope you don’t mind if my son here continues working on some renovations while you stay here? Strictly on the outside of the house, mind you. A fresh coat of white paint would make this little beauty shine. We would have finished by now if not for the accidents," she continued, completely unabashed by my silence.
"Sorry. But you are the realtor?" I said, trying to regain my feet under me.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry, dear!" she said with an affable cackle.
"Yes, yes, I am Barbara, but all my friends call me Barb. That over there is Eli. Eli, come say hi," Barb said while her painted talons rested firmly on my shoulder.
Eli stomped over, keeping his eyes low, in a sort of moody way that actually intrigued me, sort of.
When he glanced up at me, I noticed he drank in me from head to toe, and for the first time, I realized what I was wearing. An old rock t-shirt of one of my favorite bands and, of all things, my black pajama bottoms with cartoon bats on them that said "happy halloween."
I felt my face blush crimson as he made eye contact with me. He had very mysterious eyes of blue that seemed to cut right through my soul.
"Nice shirt," he said while gesturing to me. His voice was quiet and uncertain, as if he didn’t get much practice with the art. Knowing his mother, it seemed highly accurate.
"Thanks. Do you like them?" I asked.
"Oh, he likes all sorts of things, don’t you, Eli? Honestly, you two can gab on forever. But miss, I believe we have a small matter of payment," Barb said, drawing the conversation back to herself.
"Of course. Let me go get it," I said as I went back into the house and retrieved the envelope with the rent money in it.
Barb grabbed the envelope in her bright pink talons and snapped a piece of bubblegum between her teeth. With quick fingers, she leafed through the cash, counting it. As she counted, her normal bubbly personality seemed to disappear, giving way to what I gleaned was her true thoughts and feelings before the facade slipped on once again.
"Mmkay, perfect honey, this is the right amount. Now you have my number, so you call if you need anything. Like I said earlier, Eli will stop by from time to time to work on painting the house. I promise you he won’t be an imposition, just pay him no mind," Barb said in a sweet voice as she popped her gum in between each word.
"Eli, come on, please, I have an appointment in town," Barb said to her son, and they both climbed into a garish pink convertible with jewels hanging from the mirror wrapped in a gold chain.
Barb waved one last time as she sped off out of the driveway, covering me in dust as she spun the wheel around.
With their departure, I went inside and retrieved my camera. I spent a few minutes shooting a few pictures I thought were worthy. I re-entered the barn and pulled the old trunk out into the sunshine. Inside was only a handful of photos, some old clothes, and what looked like some old heirlooms. A beautifully old candlestick and a few leather-bound books lay at the bottom, covered by an old tablecloth. The tablecloth was a nice white with intricate swirling patterns inlaid around the edges.
Why would these things be packed away in here? They were so beautiful. I decided to bring the stuff inside for further inspection. As I lifted the trunk, out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something move in the tall grass at the edge of the property. I stared for a minute, but nothing moved again. I must be getting jumpy being alone like this. After last night and then this, I was just imagining things.
I brought the items inside and spread them out. I put the tablecloth on the table, and it hung low to the ground. I placed the candlestick by the window and took out the photos again, spreading them out.
The photos told me a story of a loving family that obviously lived in the farmhouse before me. They had a photo next to the barn, with a brand new looking scarecrow in the back. The man even had his arm around it; it looked so much cleaner and proper in this photo. I stared outside at the sad-looking scarecrow.
I took my camera and the photo and went outside to stand next to the scarecrow. His post hung kind of crooked in the earth like it was weighed down by the scarecrow.
I snapped a photo of the scarecrow as it was, then examined the original photo. I began resettling the post in the ground, but it kept sagging. I decided to pull him out of the ground and move him while I added more dirt to his hole. With some effort, I reseated him into his original hole. He already looked better, but I straightened his clothes and pulled out the last bits of straw that stuck out of his clothes. When I was finished, I looked back at him and took a photo, smiling while I did so at my work.
I then spent some time sweeping the front porch and banging the dust out of the cushions before I curled up on a wicker chair with plump cushions for a few hours reading a book I had brought with me.
I felt quite content at this place. The sounds of the crickets began again, putting me at ease as the sun began to descend. I had spent the entire day just relaxing, and it was perfect. I sat sprawled out in the chair, too lazy to go and make dinner or even move. My bladder was full, but I waited until the last moment before dashing inside and relieving myself.
That's when I noticed it, out in the yard. It seemed as if the scarecrow had moved closer. Once shrouded by the barn slightly, it now had moved a few steps into the light from the porch. My heart dropped at the sight. Not again, I must be asleep on the porch in the chair. I pinched myself, trying to wake up, but all I received was a sore arm.
I closed my eyes, then rubbed them, hoping to dispel whatever plagued my mind, but when I opened my eyes, I noticed the scarecrow was even closer. Halfway across the yard now, it sat menacingly, hanging crooked in the dirt. The scarecrow seemed to be staring at me with an intense gaze. The slits in its face were open now, and in the porch light, I swear I could see human eyes underneath the mask.
I moved towards the front door, locking it in a swift motion. I was shaking now, and it took me a minute to relax. I never took my eyes off the scarecrow for fear of it moving again.
My cellphone was upstairs, so I couldn't flee without the scarecrow moving again. I breathed out slightly and unlocked the door, letting it swing in with a creak. The night outside was silent, as if everything was holding its breath. The usual crickets that plagued me with their song day and night had fallen quiet. I stepped out onto the porch; I needed to go confront this demonic entity. Something about this still made me think this was a prank.
"Eli, is that you?" I called out to the scarecrow.
No response, of course. I steeled myself and put one foot off the porch, never taking my eyes off the scarecrow before me. Something seemed to be dripping from its head as I approached, a dark slime that seemed to be melting from its joints as it stood there silently, except for the constant drip of the liquid on the dry dirt before me.
I walked around the scarecrow, determined to figure out what was going on. As I circled it, my vision darkened for a moment as I faced towards the light of the house. I jumped as the scarecrow's head turned to face me as I looked away. The black liquid drained faster from the being, forming a shallow pool at its feet.
I'm not proud of what I did next, but I fled, taking my eyes off the scarecrow. I made a mad dash for the farmhouse. Behind me, I could hear the pounding of feet. I screamed as loud as my lungs would let me. My voice rang through the silence as I grabbed the door handle and wrenched open the door as I felt a strong grip fall on my shoulder.
I turned to defend myself, but nothing was there. The scarecrow was gone, the wooden cross had vanished, as had the pool of dark liquid in the dirt. The world sprung back to life; the crickets began chirping loudly, and my heart restarted. I slammed the door, and the air from my force scattered the photographs on the table. I ran upstairs, leaving the lights on in the house, and dove onto the bed, wrapping myself in the frilly blanket like a set of frilly armor.
I snatched my camera from the bedside table and held it close, determined to document the rest of the night. I held it in shaking hands as the noise downstairs began—the sound of boots crossing the floor to the stairs and the careful but heavy steps of ascension as they climbed closer and closer to me.
This time, I didn't lunge forward as the light was already on. I glanced out the window, but the scarecrow was still gone. I focused my camera on the stairs and waited as the steps came closer and closer. A shape began to form as the head of whatever was coming up the stairs crested the floor. Then a plain brown mask with slits where the eyes would be. It froze for a moment, then slowly turned its head towards me. Inside the slits were human eyes that seemed to be leaking dark red blood.
In the light, I could see it now. I snapped a photo of the beast, the flash setting off a reaction in the beast. The scarecrow moved so fast up the stairs it was a blur. My scream echoed throughout the house as it lunged at me. Filthy hands pinned me down, and the deep crimson liquid began pouring out of every joint of the scarecrow. It began covering my face, my eyes, and getting into my open mouth. I spluttered and kicked at the beast, but my blows had no purchase, as if the scarecrow on top of me had no substance to itself.
I coughed and spluttered on the liquid as it began to fill my mouth faster and faster. I tried not to swallow any, but it tried to find purchase as I was held down.
"Polly?" A nervous voice called from below.
Suddenly, as if the angels had called, the pressure dissipated, and I crashed to the floor in a heap, trying to spit the blood out, but nothing came—it was gone. Footsteps pounded up the stairs again, and I flew back in fear, closing my eyes.
"Oh my god. Polly, are you okay?" A voice said, and gentle hands grabbed my arm.
My eyes shot open at the human touch, and I grabbed Eli into a tight hug, where I promptly began sobbing in fear, my whole body shaking as Eli awkwardly hugged me.
"Don't worry, it's going to be okay," Eli said patiently to me as he hugged me back gently and began stroking my back.
I shivered in a choking sob and fell into his arms, desperately wanting to believe him, and for some reason, I did.

Hi,
I’m wondering how little I can spend on all new contents of a house that are decent but not luxury quality. I was planning to buy a house and spread its cost out over several years, such as five because I saw advanced decorators on YouTube doing that. And then I saw some who said their houses were finished in a year to 18 months.
I know we all have our own budgets and timetables but I wonder if I’ll get myself in over my head. This question is for people who bought all new houses and miniatures, not second hand.
I’m on a limited budget due to disability. It would seem that I’d have a lot of time to make items but I don’t have the nimbleness in my fingers to do much of that. For instance, I’m better off paying the $5-10 buying ready made books than trying to fold them from card-stock.
I can’t buy secondhand due to sensitivity issues. I’ve had bad experiences, some recent, with items smelling of cigarette smoke or perfume even though the sellers claimed otherwise. I’ve not found deodorizers to work, and they often just add more scent to trigger my asthma.
So if you don’t mind, could you tell me how much costs you to furnish your house including wallpaper, lighting, flooring, and furniture and well as tools and construction materials? Would you furnish your house differently depending on the price or quality of the house alone? I’m trying not to bite off more than I can chew.
Thanks so much for your help.
ETA; per suggestion by thethundersaid I’ll rephrase the question to your overall estimate of how much it costs to furnish your house and were you buying more or less expensive items altogether and not divided by yearly expenditures.
I do have more time than money, and I guess it won’t hurt to try to make some items such as beds or sofas. I’m pretty terrible at art and sculpting but you never know. Doesn’t hurt to try it. Does DIY furniture really save money versus regular neither luxury nor rock bottom items, or does it just add to the enjoyment of the hobby?
Is this doable at $750 USD? $1,000? $1,200? Can’t imaging spending more.
Thanks.

I felt sick around 4 weeks before, suffered from a nasty flu for about two weeks on the third week i had recovered. My stepdad asked me to create a website for his company. interestingly, i did it a ease. I find it very interesting. now i am back to the usual routine.
DRDCEWMEC- i have found out new ways of recording the CBT techiniques on to my fitnes pal so that i am not only recording the diet and excercise but also making notes for the CBT.
As for today i woke up inthe morning aorund 11am. I realise the situation at my rented house. the outside environment is very difficult for me to sleep. I thinking moving outside of here and moving to a larger also quieter apartment would deemed to be neccessary for me in the near coming future. So from now on my routine has changed to sleep at 12am so that i am wake up around 8 to 9 am then i will start my day. today i woke up 11am then i had two coffee i took the usual supplements following the CBT strategies.
CBT; 1. meditation 2.diary 3. supplements including omega three, multivitamin and vitamin d3 4. sleep music 5. sleep tea 6. sleep perfume 7. cold room 8. lavender shower gel and shampoo (from 1 to 6 are active and 7 and 8 are passive). another classification is that the diary belong the the D and the other 7 are the CBT which belong to the C.
After i took the supplement i went to the gym. I realised i had no groceries left so i took the supplements with two cups of coffes and one mug of milk and i developed very bad diarroeah around 4-5 times. very good for losing the weight that is the good side.
later on the day i completed my food diary and then read sunzi, 33 strategies of the war and 36 military strategies of chinese warfare. One thing i learned most today is the ending strategy. Most ppl when they declared a war with others, they did not end with good terms and they will resume back to the original enenemies for no reason. Robert greene state that if you know/ analysis the situation, most often this is because of either of conflicting interest or the way of human behaviou human nature. very often there is nothing we can do about it. e.g. if this business or coroperation is against this someone's interest then obvious both you and him cannot come into terms. on the other hand let's say if he who can longer come into terms or taking advantage of you then he would hate you if you do not delater the ending strategy. From the famous quote the kindeness does not necessarily breed kindess in return in this world by Robert greene. The pp who do not understand this principal would struggle greatly.
Application: recently my roomate had trouble with me using the shared bathroom with him. he is claiming that he find it too difficult to share with me because he would like it to be more available with him . we had two shared bathroom one upstairs right next to me and one downstairs. I orignially agreed with him that it is ok for me to go downstairs if it is not too urgent but if it is then obviously i had to rushed to the one closer to me. Despit having repeated conversation i have devided to use the ending strategies.
There are a lot of ppl in this world who do not understand the society. they sort of live the world of their own in the example of my roommate he only considers for himself that if the bathroom near him is more available to him then it would be conveient and beneficial but he forgets to consider that what might seems convinient for him would also be conviniet for the others. this brings the key to advancing social skills, being a ppl person simplys means considerate more about others not only yourself. From the famous saying fit yourself into other ppl's boots. interestly, there are a lot of ppl in this world who does not understand this despite many years of repeptive failure experiences. in this situation because i had conversation over and over, i would not need to talk to him again. simply because if he does not get this principal then no matter how many times i expalinning to him it wouldn't make any difference. so what's the point really? so now it's the time to use the ending strategy. this is 1. the issue with the interest 2. the nature of the room who does not understand the common principles in life despite many times of repetitive explaining. the best practice now is to leave it there.
another learinig point of this strategy is the learn how to end the failure. in the past i had also experience failures and like many ppl i had learn to dealt with my failure 1. being hopelss and despair - thinking this is the end of the world and now there's nothing i can do 2. having negative thoughts and action about the society - blaming, accusing, being extremly defensive about yourself think everything happened is the fault of society 3. find nothing positive about the past failure experience and fallen into constant cycle of regreat.
what Robert said in his book as 1. Do not treat failure as failure but as a lesson to sucess so you need to know that both failures and success is in a constant cycles of repetition that is a common norm. what you need to do is to deeply analyse your failure and learn something useful out of it. this is also expalined in Rober kiosaki book do not just let life pushes you around instead learn something out of it which makes you stronger and smarter everyday 2. instead of being negative all times you should start learning some postitives out of it. this is greatly illustratd by the chinese philosophy so Ying and Yang. No matter how bad something gets as long as you are still alive there must be a corresponding positives. in other words if something is really happening terrible to your life then after you analysed it very carefully then there must also be at least one correponding huge positive. e.g. for my i graduated from pharmacy shcool becuase of my condition i cannot become pharmacist in the past i always thought of how other ppl in this society always descriminat me but on the other hands i have also learned the fundamental rules and algothrim of the society which is a key thing to master in order to thrive in this society. at the same time i als found my passion in tech, web desigh and cyber and going to pursue a carrere in this field. imagine if i never experienced these failures then how could i possibly learn and self develop and figure out my true passion. 3. feel extremely excited about failures since i just told you failures in life is inevitable and yuo know that failures taught us how to succed failures taught us how to thrive and strive better in life and in this society, failure has taught me how to fucntion better and accpeted better in this society, failure has taught me the importance of finding your target, do not be afraid, action and immeditate execution and the importance of long lasting perseverance. then now why are you afraid and why you are running away?

It's been a month since I resumed writing in this diary. A lot has happened. I felt sick around four weeks ago and suffered from a nasty flu for about two weeks. By the third week, I had recovered. My stepdad asked me to create a website for his company, and interestingly, I did it with ease. I find it very interesting. Now I am back to my usual routine.
Recently, I've found new ways of recording the CBT techniques on my fitness pal so that I'm not only recording my diet and exercise but also making notes for the CBT.
As for today, I woke up around 11 am and realized the situation at my rented house. The outside environment makes it difficult for me to sleep. I'm thinking of moving to a larger, quieter apartment in the near future. So, from now on, my routine has changed to sleeping at 12 am so that I wake up around 8 to 9 am to start my day. Today, I woke up at 11 am, had two coffees, took my usual supplements, and followed the CBT strategies.
CBT:

1. Meditation
   
2. Diary
   
3. Supplements, including omega-three, multivitamin, and vitamin D3
   
4. Sleep music
   
5. Sleep tea
   
6. Sleep perfume
   
7. Cold room
   
8. Lavender shower gel and shampoo
   

After taking the supplements, I went to the gym. I realized I had no groceries left, so I took the supplements with two cups of coffee and one mug of milk and developed very bad diarrhea around 4-5 times. It's good for losing weight, though.
Later in the day, I completed my food diary and then read Sunzi's "33 Strategies of War" and "36 Military Strategies of Chinese Warfare." One thing I learned today is the ending strategy. Most people, when they declare war, do not end on good terms and often resume hostilities for no reason. Robert Greene states that this is often due to conflicting interests or human behavior. If someone cannot come to terms or takes advantage of you, they would hate you if you do not detail the ending strategy.
Application:
Recently, my roommate had trouble with me using the shared bathroom. He finds it difficult to share because he wants it more available for himself. Despite repeated conversations, I have decided to use the ending strategy. Many people in this world do not understand society and live in their own world. Being a people person means considering others, not just yourself. Since I've had multiple conversations with him and he still doesn't understand, there's no point in talking to him again. The best practice now is to leave it there.
Another learning point of this strategy is learning how to end failure. In the past, I experienced failures and dealt with them by being hopeless and despairing, having negative thoughts and actions about society, and finding nothing positive about past failure experiences. Instead, failures should be treated as lessons to success. Analyze failures deeply and learn something useful from them. Also, find positives in every situation, no matter how bad, and feel excited about failures, as they teach us how to succeed and thrive better in life and society.

Hello everyone
Player handbook, page 198, says

Sometimes an attacker wants to incapacitate a foe, rather than deal a killing blow.
When an attacker reduces a creature to 0 hit points with a melee attack, the attacker can knock the creature out.
The attacker can make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious and is stable

Polymorph says

The transformation lasts for the duration, or until the target drops to 0 hit points or dies.
The target assumes the hit points of its new form. When it reverts to its normal form, the creature returns to the number of hit points it had before it transformed
As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce the creature's normal form to 0 hit points, it isn't knocked unconscious.

So if something is polymorphed, and you try to knock it out, it will just wake up upon reverting to its normal form ? Is there no use in trying to knock out a polymorphed foe ?

Husband is currently being investigated at work. What are his rights during the investigation? Can he ask for a copy of the companies handbook/harassment policies? They continued having him work last week but called today to say not to come in but he would be paid for his time.
A new younger female employee (about 40 days on the job) has filed a case making some pretty strong false allegations. Some of the statements were merely taken out of turn. He believes this is in retaliation because he manages the female employee. At the beginning of this month him and his manager jointly determined she was not eligible to receive a large comission last month (her paperwork incomplete).
The work dynamic tends to be toxic in general. So husband will be seeking additional employment anyways. He was due to go on Paid Paternity Leave through the state next month, so we were trying to stick it out through the next month. However, he is wondering what this will mean for future jobs. Will the company be able to disclose the reason for termination (assuming it comes to that)?

My new medication is causing constant nausea and only a few perfumes are working with this right now. I expect to add a lot to my destash list unfortunately. Anything too heavy or cloying has to go.
I purchased decants of lavender lemon bar and Dana OShee. These are perfect and calming.
I checked the bpal forums but there's not quite enough info on what I'm looking at.
Lavender earl grey cookies
Lavender coconut cream pie
Nightingale
How do they compare to the two listed above? Any recommendations appreciated. White cat is nice too but not as calming.

I just moved into a brand new apartment building a month ago. Today my neighbor apparently used so much perfume it is stinking up my place. Fortunately I do have a good air purifier, for my asthma, or else I'd be hitting my inhaler. This is something that maybe only migraine sufferers can relate to, but it really really pisses me off that it is acceptable to do that. There are very strict rules about cigarette or cannabis smoke (fully legal here) but dousing oneself in perfume is totally ok. Pisses me off extra because cannabis helps my pain and nausea but I have to go outside to use it. I am considerate of my neighbors when I did smoke or cook with it indoors, the air purifiers help considerably. They should only be applying perfume outside too (also no one needs several direct sprays of perfume, for it to stink up my place they def aren't just going with a couple sprays.) I hate it and I hope this doesn't happen daily.
Edit: typos

Hi guys, in new around here because I'm in frantic search of a nice dupe or the closest alternative for Colors of Benetton. This is an old, discontinued fragrance. So far I've had no luck :(
Here's a link to the fragrance: https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Benetton/Colors-de-Benetton-2493.html
I've already tried most of the suggested fragrances from Fragrantica in their perfume finder but I find they're not similar at all.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

My new employer is stressing and making me agree to not hold multiple jobs at the same time. My current employer is part time and doesn't mind me working another job. However, I am starting a new job that is full time. I've been struggling to find a full-time job so I'm taking it. Under the employee handbook they are stressing that I am not allowed to work multiple jobs unless HR approves. They are even threatening that I can forfeit my pay and be fired if they find out.
They can't find out unless I tell them or I somehow mess up right? There's no way they should find out? Can they legally withhold my last paycheck if they find out and they fire me?

I was very recently fired for not showing up to a Saturday work event. I was Sales Supervisor at a call center for a decent size insurance brokerage, my office was based out of Florida.
When I got promoted never once was it stated that these optional work events were something that supervisors had to attend as a part of our responsibilities. I've been to a bunch of them in the past but this last one just didn't interest me so I didn't go and I didn't give anyone notice because I didn't feel it was necessary seeing as I in no way was being compensated. I will say that all the supervisors were strongly suggested to go and it was heavily implied that we were expected to be there. Once again though, seeing as nothing I've ever signed, read or been verbally told indicated that this was a requirement as a supervisor I didn't feel the need to give any notice of my absence.
The night of the event, around 9pm, my two managers started to blow my phone up asking where I was via text. I will admit that I could have handled this a bit better because I at no point responded seeing as again, this was outside of business hours and I was not required to be there. In the messages my managers were pretty clearly irate (using profanity) and they spoke of consequences for not showing up to the event. One of my managers is part owner and founder of the company, I'll call him Bill. Bill told me that he would speak to me on Monday and that he let me know what he decides.
Monday rolls around and things are pretty smooth for the first couple of hours. As I'm training a new agent one on one, the office manager who I'll refer to as Bob asks me to come see him when I'm done. I finish up with my agent and go to talk to my two managers Bill and Bob privately in a conference room. If I'm being honest, the conversation is pretty normal for the first 10-15 minutes. Nothing really indicated that they were about to drop a bomb on me. Towards the end of the conversation Bill starts comparing my position to that of a professional athlete, saying that athletes would get fined for not showing up to a press conference as an example. Bill then starts to say that his initial idea for what my consequence should be was that I would go 3 months without being paid my commission, then he bumped it down to 2, then 1, and finally settled on docking me $500 from my next commission (how nice of him.) I was trying hard not to be argumentative as I like to argue by nature, but obviously my pay being docked is something I absolutely was not going to accept. I told them that it wasn't fair for them to dock my pay for not showing up to an event that was not a requirement. Bill told me that it was a requirement which prompted me to ask to see that in writing, I was fired on the spot without a second thought.
My main question is if I even have any legal recourse. I have screenshots of all the text I was sent (foul language was used by Bill in these messages,) and I've saved emails where my managers talk about the work event. I also saved a copy of the employee handbook and nowhere in there does it say anything about work events outside of the normal working hours. I have the entire 20 minute conversation that lead up to my firing on recording as well (I kind of thought my job could be at risk so I prepped for it before hand.)
Any and all advice is welcome. Really sorry about the wall of text but I didn't want to miss anything.

Reddit Account: kgdaguy
Discord Tag:justkaegjuice
Name and House: Aelor Belaerys
Age: 25
Cultural Group: Valyrian
Appearance: Silver hair kept short but wild in appearance, purple eyes and of average height. Prefers to wear an amethyst in his right ear ensnared by a white serpent, similar to that of his house banners and rarely ever without perfumed attire.
Trait:Agile
Skill(s):Dragonrider, Nimble, Skulker, Prepared, Infiltrator
Talent(s): Fishing, Painting, Likes to sing but not the best at it.
Negative Trait(s):
Starting Title(s):Heir to Aegon’s Rest, The Father’s Flame, Dragonlord
Starting Location: Opening Party
Alternate Characters: N.A

Bio

Aelor Belaerys was born on Dragonstone to Baelor and Baela Belaerys. His father was occupied marching with the Targaryens leaving his mother to birth the child with the aid of Dragonstone servants. He would be the eldest of their two children with his sister Aelora being born a few years after and from a young age, Aelor was expected to follow in the footsteps of many Belaerys before him.
He was set to be a warrior, a man sworn to serve the Targaryens with nothing but a farm to his name. A faded legacy clung onto his name but even young, his mother would often tell him that she’d prayed to Arrax, the father of all Valyrian people, that her child, her jewel, would one day find great power and restore their house to its former glory.
For seven years he’d live on Dragonstone and for a short period in Aegonsfort before the King was killed, by Tullys they’d claimed. Aelor was too young to understand what had happened but he remembers his family moving to the Riverlands where they ‘had a new home’ given to them by Visenya Targaryen, the Warrior Queen.
Life seems perfect for Aelor who has taken to the role of heir quickly. Where he was once destined to learn how to wield a blade, instead Aelor found himself a fan of the finer arts, things like painting, singing and singing had filled his time. That bothered his father who believed that his heir needed to be a strong knight in hopes of filling his boots upon his death.
That displeasure grew into rage when the Maesters told Baelor that Aelor would often ignore lessons, when their Master-at-Arms told him that Aelor skipped training sessions and worse when Aelor instead skipped lessons and training all together to paint a ruined tower of Aegon’s Rest.
But before Baelor could lash out, his beloved Baela would die unexpectedly, the cause unknown but natural according to the Maesters. This alone would give Aelor a few years of reprieve from punishment as Baelor pulled his claws away from all his children and focused on his lordship.
They’d return when Aelor was fourteen however when the boy had begun to spend too much time with the Rivermen smallfolk in one village or another. By this point the Maesters had grown tired of Aelor, he was rebellious, quick to let his temper run wild and worse, dyslexic which made learning a battle in itself.
For all the perceived problems that Aelor had caused his father, Baelor decided the only way to correct the boy was lock him away in the castle and ensure he was taken to all his lessons by a flock of servants, but unlike the ones from the Riverlands, Baelor ensured only men and women from Dragonstone and Driftmark surrounded the boy.
In 16 AC, after four years of trying to correct Aelor’s foolishness, Baelor finally had enough after Aelor’s constant escapes, ploys and just in general sheer dimwittedness he decided it was time to replace him as heir and worked on getting remarried, asking the Queen Rhaenys to aid him in finding a wife amongst the Westermen.
And so Baelor brought Aelor into his solar, where he’d tell his son plainly that he’d found a match in Jeyne Westerling. Expecting the boy to lash out, he’d run around the fact but eventually he’d say it plainly. Aelor would no longer be his heir when their son was born, he would lose his inheritance for he was a dimwit, a shame upon their house and a disappointment to his father.
Aelor would never forget those words.
He’d gathered plate armor, a sword and some gold, much to his siblings, cousins and uncles dismay and ran off to King’s Landing. Few knew his surname when he’d arrived and that resulted in the young boy joining the first group of hedge knights he’d come across.
For six months he’d leap from one to another until he’d settled down with a group of older knights led by Ser Jon Costayne. A reachmen who’d jumped ship when Aegon first landed made for a perfect mentor to the young Belaerys, he was everything he’d wanted his father to be and Jon was in need of a squire so he’d take him in.
Life was sad and dark for him during the two years he’d spend as a hedge knight traveling the Crownlands and the Vale. At some point he’d even made it to White Harbor before sailing back go King’s Landing.
During his time with the band, the Costayne would often jokingly call him a Dragonlord, in part harmless joking but some bit of it often followed him telling the boy to make for Dragonstone to tame one of the beasts that lived there.
Jon would often say that Aelor and Aegon were only a few letters apart, why couldn’t the Belaerys take the Black Dread? When he’d tell him that the Queens would take his head, Jon would claim the Big Bitch could take both the Queens and then some.
Eventually those jokes however turned serious and Jon convinced him that the only way he’d get out of his slump, that he’d keep his inheritance was to take a dragon from the island Aelor once called him. Had it not been for news reaching him that his younger brother had been born, Aelor might have shrugged it off and kept to his lonesome life.
But the birth of Aegon Belaerys to Baelor Belaerys and Jeyne Westerling lit a fire under him. One fierce enough to cause him to make his way to Dragonstone, up the Dragonmont and into the lair of the a dragon he’d heard much of from his upbringing.
Veraxes
His mother used to tell him that there were two dragons that all the naughty boys and girls should avoid for fear that they would sense their bad tendencies and eat them whole. The first was Cannibal, a foul creature that ate it’s own kind and spared no little boy either. The second…now that one was one that used to scare him most as a boy.
But he was no longer a boy. He had sought her out. Brought with him meats from his family's old farm now run by the seeds of House Targaryen.
She was said to be ugly, that her belly was filled with cattle, children, and just about anything that bled. That she would eat until she was incapable of moving. The Golden Menace they’d call her for her tendency to burn those who came too close or simply bothered her while she ate elsewhere on the island.
He would see her as anything but a menace that day. Now her weight he couldn’t change but her demeanor was unlike what they’d all claimed it to be. The She-Dragon turned her gaze from the bones of cattle she was picking away at. Even in the dark lair he could see those bright golden eyes watching his every move.
She rushed forth, the ground shook with each step the rotund dragon took until she was practically atop Aelor and then she let out a snarl. He’d later learn that this was simply her way of telling him that he would not get her food, she’d taken it herself and not a soul could take it away from her.
Instead of growing fearful, Aelor held out the cows head for her. Veraxes thought he meant that he’d his own food which meant none of hers was going to be eaten. But then he’d throw it towards her. The first of many offerings he’d make to the dragon.
Over the entire night and next morning he’d slowly inch towards her, pushing her boundaries, each time feeding her as he got closer until he’d eventually be able to mount her the next day.
When she took off for the first time over Dragonstone he’d felt truly alive. He was the first Belaerys Dragonlord since the Doom and he felt great ecstasy for a few hours until he’d realized what this meant to the world at large.
Knowing that if he’d returned to King’s Landing Orys might just decide to kill him the moment he was away from her, Aelor flew home to Aegon’s Rest. There he’d find thousands of men camped outside his home, all prepared to wage a war he’d not heard of.
His uncle Baelon would be the first to see him atop the beast as he’d landed in a field. Aelor would tell him what happened and Baelon would tell the boy that he’d felt great pride in him but war had come and they needed that dragon more than they ever had.
His uncle would tell him that his father Baelor had sided with the Blackwoods in a dispute between them and the Brackens. The conflict had grown larger than just a petty squabble and houses from as far as the North had begun to march for one side or another.
It’d be then that he’d see his father at the gates of Aegon’s Rest, rushing towards him and it would be then that he’d make up his mind and climb back atop Veraxes. He’d wondered if this was what the first Dragonriders had felt like when they’d rode without a saddle.
As the Golden Menace took off and tents flew in all directions, he’d set his sights to the Northeast where he’d followed the River until he’d found a clash between the Brackens and Blackwoods. He’d imagined one side or the other and thought he’d come to help but the Veraxes had come for neither side, not here for either.
In the end, both forces would be given a simple demand. Return to your homes, embrace peace, or stick to your paths and enter the afterlife hand in hand.
All but a few chose to burn.
This would mark the day that the Aelor the world now knows was born. He’d taken inspiration from what he’d thought Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys had said to those they’d conquered and it had worked. It meant he was like them, a true Dragon in the flesh.
He’d return home after ending that war and write to the Targaryens and the Baratheon letting them know that he’d ended the conflict in the name of the Crown. A hope that it would be enough to placate them enough to ensure they did not hunt him down and it had worked.
His father Baelor seemed to have shifted his tone now that Aelor rode Veraxes, where he’d once called him a disappointment to their bloodline and their people, he’d now call him the saving grace of the House Belaerys.
Aelor did not take a liking to that change but he could not bring himself to say anything, negative nor positive about his father instead he’d simply asked to meet his younger brother Aegon. The boy was like him, silver haired and lilac eyes.
He’d wanted to hate him. To demand that his father send Jeyne off to the Silent Sisters and that the boy be given away to the Faith or the Maesters to do as they wished but he couldn’t bring himself to do that either.
Instead he’d told his father that Aegon’s Rest would be his when he’d died and just as quickly as he’d returned he’d left again. Travel called to him and he’d wanted to show Jon Costayne Veraxes.
He’d spend a few years embarking on his travels, though he’d long leave Jon behind after offering him a position in Aegon’s Rest. His travels would take him to much of the Westerlands, the Reach, the Vale and the Stepstones where he’d met the Queen Rhaenys for the first time. There he’d live for a short period where he’d partake in their parties, meet a girl called Zhoe Whitemane.
Funny thing she was. A Valyrian with the touch of the North. Quickly he’d befriend her and eventually before he’d departed back home, he’d find himself as being more than just the average friend, the type that held hands scandalously.
His return to the Riverlands marked an interesting period. Aelor flies to all it’s corners, no regard for which Lord Paramount claims what domain. The skies of the land that holds Rivers are his and all who sit below them are under his protection, often he’d say he does so in the name of the King but what King?
Only time can tell.

Timeline

1 AC - Born to Baelor and Baela Belaerys.
7 AC - Moved to Aegon’s Rest after King Aegon’s death.
12 AC - Mother dies.
14 AC - Vibes with the Smallfolk around Aegon’s Rest a bit too much for his father’s liking, gets told he cannot leave the keep without his permission.
16 AC - Father decides he’s a shit heir and wants a new one so he weds Jeyne Westerling causing Aelor to run off to King’s Landing.
18 AC - Aelor under pressure from Jon Costayne decides to snatch up Veraxes on Dragonstone the year his younger brother and replacement Aegon is born, securing himself as heir.
19 AC - Begins to travel Westeros, goes to Summerhall and finds out that parties are kind of cool. Meets Zhoe Whitemane and becomes her bff4life.
21 AC - Settles back into Aegon’s Rest.
25 AC - Present.
Family Tree
Name and House: Baelor Belaerys
Age: 45
Cultural Group: Valyrian
Appearance: Long silver hair reaching his shoulders, purple eyes and a slender build. The Lord of Aegon’s Rest naturally appears unamused and irritated in appearance.
Trait:Inspiring
Skill(s): Tactician(e), Cavalryman
Talent(s): Fishing
Negative Trait(s):
Starting Title(s):Lord of Aegon’s Rest
Starting Location: Opening Party
Alternate Characters: N.A

Bio

Born twenty years prior to the Conquest to Monterys Belaery and his younger sister, Jaenara Belaerys. Baelor has two siblings, Baelon and a younger sister named Elaena. He spent his entire youth on Dragonstone until he’d grown to become a member of the household guard for the Targaryens.
During the Conquest, he’d land with Aegon at what is now known as King’s Landing with his father Monterys Balaerys, ever faithful warriors to the Kings cause. He'd die in the arms of his child during the Field of Fire.
He would go down as one of the hundred men who fell for Aegon against the Reach. Even now Baelor can recall the sight, he’d cut down two men when he’d witnessed his father fall as arrows riddle his aged body. Instead of pushing on and charging, Baelor would fall to his knees beside his father and seek to shield him as he looked up towards those banners in the distance.
A red huntsman preparing to let loose once more but then his savior would come. A bright flash turned everything in the distance into flame. He remembers men ablaze running in all directions as they cooked.
Aegon had burnt them too late but he did not blame his kin as his father died in his arms. This was the war they’d signed up for, the cause they’d devoted themselves to. All so they could fight and earn a place in what Monterys called the remaking of Valyria.
And so Baelor continued on in his father’s memory. Loyal and faithful as ever. When the Conqueror took the faith, so did he, when Aegon made North to face the Starks, he marched albeit well behind in the army.
Forever loyal to the cause that was Aegon Targaryen, as many were. But that cause would crumble when the Tullys killed his beloved King, a man he'd served, a man he'd die for, a True Dragonlord.
Much to Baelor's surprise he’d gain a Lordship, his line's long loyal efforts, their staunch desire to fight for the Targaryens and in truth partly sheer luck on his part given he was nothing but a knight swore to the Dragonlords had finally amounted to something.
Visenya would bestow upon him Aegon's Rest. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. He had no great displays of valor, no moments where he’d made himself any more remarkable than any other man but the Queen had granted his line the burnt ruins of Riverrun, now named in the honor of the man he’d once served.
Still he knew that he was no true Lord, he was but a warrior who had served the Targaryens and he’d wanted his son to be more than that. He knew that his child could do what many before him had hoped for, that he could finally amount to something since the fall and this was his chance to make his ancestors proud.
The boy was young enough that he was easily shaped into the Westerosi way of life in the years following Aegon’s conquest. Aelor had to be a knight he’d thought, skilled in Rivermen matters, charming and bold. That was what Baelor had dreamt for Aelor but his son was anything but the making of a Knightly Statesmen.
Aelor was too slow with a blade, letters move about in his mind and made his Maesters grow tired of the boy and his temperament, oh how horrible the boy was they’d proclaim! Spoiled by his father and mother, by servants and smallfolk who’d thought him charming and sweet.
It was when his sister-wife died that Baelor would lessen his grip on Aelor. Grief overtook him and he’d hoped that would be the wake up call for Aelor but it wasn’t. The boy was a rebel, loved by the smallfolk but too darn incapable of being the perfect Lord he’d envisioned he’d be.
Many years later he’d decide he had enough. Baelor doesn’t recall calling his son a disappointment to his people but he did say the boy was not his heir and that he’d already found a new bride to make one with.
He’d wed Jeyne Westerling the next year and would sire a child with her the year after. They’d call him Aegon in honor of the Conqueror. It’d be months after the birth that he’d receive a letter from Raventree Hall asking for his assistance and given that he’d felt closer to the Blackwoods, Baelor would begin to raise his men in preparation for war.
That was when his son would return, a different man now with a dragon. He’d felt as if the dream had come true, that the House Belarys had returned to their true place on the food chain and he’d wanted to congratulate his son when he’d returned but Aelor fled, his brother Baelon would tell him that the younger Belearys had gone to fight the war.
That made him proud.
And that pride would shatter when Aelor returned and told him he’d stopped the war. The happy and charming boy stood before him stoic, quiet, as if he didn't want to be in the same room as him.
All his son would say was that he’d wanted to see his brother and he saw him. After that, Aelor would say Aegon’s Rest belonged to him and he’d have it once the old man died and that was rather sad to hear from one’s own son.
For years after Baelor would not see his boy but he’d hear that Aelor was see in this region or that region. He’d use the boon that came from having a dragonrider son to push himself into powerful places in various courts, Casterly Rock albeit he did not remain there long and of course across the Riverlands as a whole.
His goal was to display power through his son and even if he were away, he’d do it.
When Aelor returned he’d find that his son had forever been changed. No longer was he some great rebellious spirit but instead a man who believed himself better than even his own father. Some of the Smallfolk would even claim that he was the ‘Father’s Flame’.
They did not see his drinking albeit he’d stop eventually. They did not see how he’d carried himself as if he were some God.
Baelor knew that this was what every ancestor he’d had since the Doom had wanted but Aelor was different than most men now and that Veraxes was a pain in the ass to feed.

Timeline

20 BC - Born to Monterys and Jaenara.
2 BC - Sires the bastard Daemon which results in his parents wedding him to his sister, Baela the next year.
1 AC - Lands with Aegon and watches his father die in the Field of Flames due to the Reachmen.
7 AC - Aegon dies, he weeps for his King and Visenya grants him Aegon’s Rest. They dedicate a Dark colored sword akin to Dark Sister on their banners in her honor.
12 AC - Baela dies and he pulls away from his son Aelor.
16 AC - Tells Aelor to kick rocks and weds Jeyne Westerling.
18 AC - Aegon is born.
Baelon Belaerys - Magnate
Aemon Belaerys - Builder

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