I'm late to reddit but this case AND the book got me intersted in joining and participating. Think it was in the 280's when I subbed. Good work mods for keeping it on track.
Curious what you thought when the very first reports came out on this case, the initial newspaper and TV coverage.
Never heard of the Sherman name until their demise. BC equivalent is Jimmy Pattison. My first thought was burglary gone bad. Wealthy couple, fancy neighbourhood, Toronto gangs .... home invasion , who knows . The M/S details later sounded plausible too. Figured there would be some terminal disease angle somewhere. Police weren't excited - so it seemed - so I figured was one of those family things that is just kept quiet about. I left it alone until seeing the Fifth Estate show and then the Donovan book made a real impression. The perks of being high profile AND super wealthy is that your crimes get solved or exposed as it may be. Either side of the crime you're on you get more treatment than the nobody in the suburbs. Shouldn't be but the media needs a hook to keep eyeballs and ears perked.
Hoping the 10th anniversary isn't needed by the cops for a presser pleading for help or IDing another neighbourhood walker.

I'm a 29 year old guy living in London on the lookout for new people to talk to 😊. Ideally I’d prefer if you’re local, but long distance is absolutely fine too 😊.
I like going out and exploring new places around London. Additionally, I enjoy various sports, working out, cooking, chess, board games, and writing my novel and travelling to name a few. I like to watch the occasional film or show and some of my favourites are (Marvel, Disney, Stranger things, Umbrella Academy, One Piece, and Squid Game to name a few). I also play Xbox, (mainly Disney Dreamlight Valley, Grounded and Fallout 4 at the moment, but I also play a variety of multiplayer games too).
If we have things in common and you fancy messaging me, I look forward to chatting with you :).

I'm a 29 year old guy living in London on the lookout for new people to talk to 😊. Ideally I’d prefer if you’re local, but long distance is absolutely fine too 😊.
I like going out and exploring new places around London. Additionally, I enjoy various sports, working out, cooking, chess, board games, and writing my novel and travelling to name a few. I like to watch the occasional film or show and some of my favourites are (Marvel, Disney, Stranger things, Umbrella Academy, One Piece, and Squid Game to name a few). I also play Xbox, (mainly Disney Dreamlight Valley, Grounded and Fallout 4 at the moment, but I also play a variety of multiplayer games too).
If we have things in common and you fancy messaging me, I look forward to chatting with you :).

I'm a 29 year old guy living in London on the lookout for new people to talk to 😊. Ideally I’d prefer if you’re local, but long distance is absolutely fine too 😊.
I like going out and exploring new places around London. Additionally, I enjoy various sports, working out, cooking, chess, board games, and writing my novel and travelling to name a few. I like to watch the occasional film or show and some of my favourites are (Marvel, Disney, Stranger things, Umbrella Academy, One Piece, and Squid Game to name a few). I also play Xbox, (mainly Disney Dreamlight Valley, Grounded and Fallout 4 at the moment, but I also play a variety of multiplayer games too).
If we have things in common and you fancy messaging me, I look forward to chatting with you :).

I'm a 29 year old guy living in London on the lookout for new people to talk to 😊. Ideally I’d prefer if you’re local, but long distance is absolutely fine too 😊.
I like going out and exploring new places around London. Additionally, I enjoy various sports, working out, cooking, chess, board games, and writing my novel and travelling to name a few. I like to watch the occasional film or show and some of my favourites are (Marvel, Disney, Stranger things, Umbrella Academy, One Piece, and Squid Game to name a few). I also play Xbox, (mainly Disney Dreamlight Valley, Grounded and Fallout 4 at the moment, but I also play a variety of multiplayer games too).
If we have things in common and you fancy messaging me, I look forward to chatting with you :).

I'm a 29 year old guy living in London on the lookout for new people to talk to 😊. Ideally I’d prefer if you’re local, but long distance is absolutely fine too 😊.
I like going out and exploring new places around London. Additionally, I enjoy various sports, working out, cooking, chess, board games, and writing my novel and travelling to name a few. I like to watch the occasional film or show and some of my favourites are (Marvel, Disney, Stranger things, Umbrella Academy, One Piece, and Squid Game to name a few). I also play Xbox, (mainly Disney Dreamlight Valley, Grounded and Fallout 4 at the moment, but I also play a variety of multiplayer games too).
If we have things in common and you fancy messaging me, I look forward to chatting with you :).

I'm a 29 year old guy living in London on the lookout for new people to talk to 😊. Ideally I’d prefer if you’re local, but long distance is absolutely fine too 😊.
I like going out and exploring new places around London. Additionally, I enjoy various sports, working out, cooking, chess, board games, and writing my novel and travelling to name a few. I like to watch the occasional film or show and some of my favourites are (Marvel, Disney, Stranger things, Umbrella Academy, One Piece, and Squid Game to name a few). I also play Xbox, (mainly Disney Dreamlight Valley, Grounded and Fallout 4 at the moment, but I also play a variety of multiplayer games too).
If we have things in common and you fancy messaging me, I look forward to chatting with you :).

Not sure how else to phrase it, because I love him but he has a really bad way of being thoughtless and selfish. Our first Christmas, I was impressed with a gift that he made for his mom. It was cheap, literally just a bunch of notes in a paper bag labeled "reasons I love you" and each was a sentiment or story or inside joke. It was cheap and I understood because he was a broke-ass teenager who couldn't hold down a job.
Since then, though, I've come to experience his assumption and expectation for what he will be receiving for birthdays and Christmas. For example, he'll assume we were going to spend a few hundred dollars on gifts, and ask for it in cash instead of gifts. He asked for us to renew his medical weed permit ($250 at the time) and claimed that's all he wanted, then acted all shitty when there wasn't much else to open. He knows he gets money from his grandpa, so he's asked for advances on it. Every gift he treats as an expected transaction, taken for granted, not as a gift. For Christmas, his mom got him a necklace I think, that was sort of silly but there was a reason she got it. If he didn't like wearing it, I didn't blame him, but he could hang it from a tac on his wall or something. Instead, he actually gave it back to her right there within moments of opening it, saying it wasn't his style.
What finally pissed me off enough to write this was Mother's Day. I asked him weeks ago what he was going to do for his mom. He's 24 and no longer lives with us, but he has a job and is still getting food stamps from his brief unemployment, Actually has more than he needs to the point of stocking up before the benefits expire. Anyway, I remind him weeks ago that Mother's Day is coming up, his mom doesn't want anything but a nice heartfelt card or note because we know he's working hard and trying to save for a car and a better place. We tell him Mom wants to go to ihop, nothing fancy at all. We didn't offer to pay, but I assumed we would. We pick him up and take him after work. While we are waiting for our food, he gives her a card.
The card was literally a picture on the front and a sentence on the inside that he said "this kinda says how I feel so I didn't write anything else." And to be clear, what I mean is: the card had a sentence printed on the inside. He did not write anything, he didn't even sign his name. If we wanted to return the card, we could have. It was literally right off the shelf, and obviously a last minute purchase that he bought from work just moments before we picked him up.
Number one, I hate how shitty it makes me feel when WE show emotional investment in him with not only our thoughtful gifts but also very sincere cards and notes. We show a ton of support, love, and appreciation for him and everything he does and has done. For him to gloss over that while searching for the money inside the card is like holy shit, you're an adult, are you not aware of how selfish you look? If you're going to be an asshole, at least pretend to not be one in front of us. Second, and this is important: You will not be successful in relationships if you are an emotional slug like that. I can't imagine how his girlfriends would feel or how his wife would feel with this approach to her birthday or anniversary. You cannot half-ass something that is significant to you in any way, especially when it is equally or more significant to people you love.
My wife, who often suppresses her reactions to these kinds of things, actually broke down and told me how disappointed she was when she got that Mother's Day card. If she's willing to say something about it, I can only imagine it's more than what she's expressed because she doesn't want to be negative toward her son. I get that. So I can't imagine how low she felt when after all that she's done for him, especially in the past year, his only gift is a last-minute purchase of convenience, no thought, and not even his own words. Not even a signature.

Synopsis:
Carlos was an ordinary software engineer on Earth, up until he died and found himself in a fantasy world of dungeons, magic, and adventure. This new world offers many fascinating possibilities, but it's unfortunate that the skills he spent much of his life developing will be useless because they don't have computers.
Wait, why does this spell incantation read like a computer program's source code? Magic is programming?
___
Here we go with book 2!
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Carlos lounged comfortably on one of the mayor's fancy sofas. At 23 years old with a healthy body he really didn't need cushioned upholstery, but he liked how it felt. Honestly, he was probably more comfortable with high quality furniture than someone of his relatively low-income background should be in this world. Spoiled by the mass production factories of modern Earth, I suppose. All of this stuff here is probably handmade. Er, make that definitely handmade. Unless they have magic factories I haven't heard about, or something. He mentally shrugged. There was no point trying to change his attitudes toward furniture now. While this world might have higher prices for a lot of things than he was used to, he was also a lot richer than he was used to thanks to having become a noble lord. People would expect him to treat fine furniture as cheap because of his station.
I might have the physical habits of a couch potato, but at least I don't look like one. Too skinny. Not as skinny as Amber, though. He smiled as he watched the young woman next to him on the sofa continue animatedly expounding on their recent adventures together. She was lanky, with few curves to speak of and spindly limbs, far from any conventional picture of feminine beauty. Her hair, a slightly lighter shade of brown than his own, was cropped short. He thought she was 18 or 19 years old, but wasn't sure. Have I really never asked her age before? ... Would that be a rude question here? Regardless of her age, she had grown her confidence a lot since their first meeting a few weeks ago. She'd found her footing in a new life that she'd seized with utter determination, and he saw no sign of the shyness that she'd first greeted him with. The way her potential was finally blooming was beautiful to watch.
Carlos turned his gaze to the sofa across from them and carefully held back from laughing at the expressions Trinlen was making as Amber wrapped up explaining the events and developments they'd gone through since their introduction to him at the Royal Mage Academy. Carlos had contributed a fair amount to the explanation at first, but Amber had taken to it with enthusiasm when she arrived, and he could tell she was enjoying it. The young man in front of them, newly graduated from said academy, was on the edge of his seat and leaning forward, hanging attentively on every word. His casual attire, plain and made of cheap materials, looked thoroughly out of place on the finely embroidered velvet of the sofa, but he'd shown no sign of even noticing the finery around him. Excitement warred for control of his face with surprise, disbelief, envy, and dismay.
Amber finished her impromptu monologue, and Trinlen slowly schooled his face into a neutral expression. His voice was tense and tightly controlled. "So... In short, you're telling me that in the mere two weeks since you met me, you discovered a mana-poaching conspiracy of nobles, were abducted right under the noses of two royal guards without them even noticing, absorbed mana so fast that you gained 6 levels in a day and a half - so unfair, by the way - somehow learned an obscure portal spell from just its name and description, found evidence of a conspiracy against the Crown, and personally met a princess." He paused, then threw his hands up as he wailed in frustration and disappointment. "And I missed it!?"
Carlos threw back his head and burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. Trinlen just sounded so much like a little kid who'd barely missed out on a candy store giving away its entire stock for free. It was such an incredible light-hearted contrast with how everyone else viewed these same events that the sheer ridiculousness of it was overwhelming. Amber joined the laughter a moment later, shaking her head in amused disbelief, and after a few more seconds Trinlen started chuckling too.
Carlos's laughter eventually trailed off, and he took a deep breath to settle down. "Thanks, Trinlen. It's been a very stressful two weeks, and laughing like that helped release a lot of it. Feels good. Anyway, what have you been up to? I thought you would take a whole month to graduate?"
"Technically I only said 'next month', not that it would be at the same point in the month. But yes, this is earlier than I expected. The normal graduation ceremony is still a week and a half away." Trinlen shrugged. "They didn't explain the reasons, but after what you said I'm guessing your meeting with the princess prompted her to do something. The vice headmaster called me to his office yesterday morning, a few teachers grilled me on my classwork, and they declared I'd passed my exams. Then they told me to pack because I'd be teleported to my new employers the next day, and here I am." He sighed. "Hmph. Now I won't get to humiliate Norla in front of the whole academy when she gives her speech." Then he perked up and grinned widely. "But it sounds like you two are going to be so much fun that I'll get over it in no time!"
"I'm not sure if I agree with your idea of fun, Trinlen, but if it motivates you to help us more then that's good enough for me." Carlos chuckled again. "Anyway, do you need some time to get settled in? You might need to think about lesson plans for us too. We don't need just catalogues of incantations to learn anymore, at least not for simple ones, but I believe you learned other things in the academy too. You mentioned creating your own spells, as I recall."
Trinlen nodded. "I did mention that, yes. I'm guessing your lack of need for a catalogue is because of your newfound ability to somehow pull entire incantations from thin air? You'll have to at least tell me about the limitations of that so I'll know what I still need to teach you, but yeah, there are other things. For one thing, there's your sloppy terminology! Why does no one outside of the academy care about properly distinguishing between the states of mana? Is it really that hard to understand that calling aether, mana, and essence all by the same term obscures your meaning and often causes confusion? Or are people so stupid that they can't even understand the difference?"
Carlos blinked and exchanged a look with Amber. His comprehension aid informed him about the distinction the instant Trinlen spoke the terms. That would have been nice to know earlier. The comprehension aid is a house secret, so we should let him explain. "At least for us, it's just ignorance. I don't think I've even heard the other two terms you mentioned, and certainly no one ever explained them. So, what is the difference?"
Trinlen paused, cocked his head for a moment, and slowly deflated after his impassioned rant. "Yeah, okay, that's fair. I don't think I ever heard about it before going to the academy either." He sat up straight. "Aether is what you've been calling ambient mana. It's thin like air, and it's everywhere. Its only use is converting it to mana or essence. Mana, using the term with proper precision, is thicker but still fluid like water. It exists primarily in people or creatures and is used as fuel to supply power for spells and magical effects. Essence is hard and solid. It is the material that soul structures are made of, as well as the forms of active spells and enchantments. Am I clear so far?"
Amber answered first. "Yes, I'm familiar with each of the forms you described. I have questions about more details - so many questions - but you should get properly settled in, and maybe eat lunch, before we really get down to it. Have you spoken with Mayor Stelras yet? Do you have lodging sorted out?"
"I went by his office first. He's having someone take my luggage to an inn. The Adventurer's Haven, I think? He said something about a 'low-value target' and having an empty suite already booked." Trinlen's eyes widened. "Waaait a minute. Is he putting me in the room you two were abducted from?"
Carlos shrugged. "Sounds like it."
"Nice! Think there'll be any evidence left of how it was done?"
"Haha! Probably not by this point, but you're welcome to look. Now go get unpacked, eat a meal, and start planning your lessons for us. I'm glad you're here, but we have some other things to do too."
Trinlen nodded and stood up. "Sure. I'll be back before you miss me."
Carlos waved as Trinlen sauntered out the door. He and Amber sat in companionable silence for a while as he felt the mana - or essence? - of Trinlen's soul moving off into the distance. "Well. That was interesting. It's good to have him, but I was expecting a bit more time to think and plan before he'd get here."
"Yeah." Amber stretched and then leaned back into the sofa's cushions, luxuriating in their soft firmness. "So, how much are we going to tell him? How useful will his knowledge even be for us, now that we have, what did you call it, the reference documentation? That bit about the states of mana is good to know, but is it really relevant and important, and how much more can there be that's not in the documentation?"
"Be careful talking about that out loud, remember?" Carlos relaxed and draped his arms across the sofa's back as he focused his mind on their mental bond through Purple, their friendly dungeon core. [On Earth, we made many languages similar to the language of incantations, and we had the reference documentation for all of them. We even published that documentation free for everyone to have. Teachers for those languages were still useful, and even critically important for many people. Having access to knowledge doesn't mean you automatically understand how to properly apply it. There may be related knowledge we have no idea even exists. There could be techniques and patterns for how to use the language that are simply outside the scope of the documentation. Perhaps most importantly, a teacher can use their experience to notice a student's mistakes and correct them before they become problems.]
[Hmm.] Amber bit her lip, thinking. [Like how I knew about making soul structures and synergies between them, but had no idea about the importance of being able to examine and fix them, I suppose.]
Carlos nodded. [Yeah. And that's a really simple example. I know some that are a lot more complex, though I'm not sure how many of them are even applicable for incantations. Inversion of control, dependency injection, factory patterns...] He shook his head. [Just the context knowledge needed to be able to fully understand those could take days or weeks to teach well enough for you to use them. I could maybe explain the basic ideas faster with some simplified analogies, but that would lose so many details that I doubt it would still be useful.]
Amber paused. [... Even my comprehension aid is baffled by the terms you just said. It translated the individual words that you said, but all I got for the phrases is a confusing jumble.] She chuckled. [Anyway, I concede the point. Trinlen will still be able to teach us important and useful things. We still need to decide what secrets to share with him.]
[A lot depends on how good he is at keeping secrets. We don't actually know him all that well yet. He's certainly fun, and he seems clever, but for assessing his integrity we're leaning pretty hard on just a janitor vouching for him.] Carlos frowned in thought. [In order for him to do his job, he needs to know that we can only "pull an entire incantation from thin air" if it's a simple one. He does not need to know the full details of help, however, and most certainly does not need to learn to use it himself. That secret is a very sensitive one, where even just letting too much knowledge of it spread would lose us a major advantage.]
[Definitely. No casting help where he can hear it, and don't say anything about it that's not directly relevant for his teaching, either. Not until he's earned our full trust.] Amber lapsed into silent consideration. [We should introduce him to Purple. We'll kind of have to at some point anyway, and the really valuable thing there is Purple himself, not just the knowledge of his existence.]
Carlos nodded. [True. I think that probably is the least sensitive of our house secrets, and being able to call him through a bond with Purple would be useful.] He chuckled. [And maybe his cleverness will end up producing some good ideas for Purple to use. See if he can find a more productive outlet than pranks for his creativity. And then... If he keeps that secret well enough for long enough, we can consider trusting him with more secrets.]
Amber sent back wordless agreement.
Carlos started sitting up, lifting himself out of the comfortable cushions. "Well, we should get some food ourselves, too. And maybe introduce Trinlen to everyone else along with Purple." He stood up and spotted a letter he'd set aside when Trinlen arrived. "Oh yeah, and what do you think we should do about Kindar?"
"Wait, what's this about Kindar?"
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Hey all, a little context: My neighbor Henry (fake name) is an older gentleman, probably 70’sish, good ol’ neighborly southern guy. I’ve chatted with him from time to time. He gives my gf and I homemade peanut butter fudge every Christmas (courtesy of his old lady), he once helped me cut down some old trees in my back yard without me even asking him for help.
The problem is he has a couple of quirks. He’s sort of a gun nut. Always has a pistol on his hip. He sports a tshirt that says “aromatherapy,” with a picture of a magnum with a smoking barrel. I think he fancies himself the neighborhood watch. Ok fine.
The issue is, he stands outside between my house and his, and just stares at us (my gf and I 32m 29f). He doesn’t say hello or anything unless we do first, and afterwards he’ll linger around watching what we’re doing. It’s not unusual for him to come outside almost every time either of us pull into my driveway. If we’re outside doing yard work, we will look up 4 or 5 times to find him enjoying the show.
Here’s where I feel like an AH. I bought a hot tub recently for the back patio, and my gf is super uncomfortable at the possibility of Henry watching us at night. She calls him peeping Tom lol. I have no reason to think he’s some kind of pervert, but the staring is very odd.
So my gf’s dad offered to build a small section of fence to go between mine and Henry’s house where he usually stands to watch us, but I can’t help by feel like this sends a strong message that we think he’s creepy, when he’s been friendly in the past. I don’t really want to have the conversation with him about it, because it just feels too weird to tell an elderly man not to look at us, and maybe he’s just lonely or something.
I’m leaning towards putting the fence up for my gf’s peace of mind. So Reddit aitah?

This post, in its fullness, is about Ta Mando and the Shiftverse, a setting we'll talk about in a bit but before we get started I do wanna mention something kind of neat.
I've vaguely alluded to how I learned about jumpchains, mentioning that it was through a CYOA creator who also does jumps. Pre-pandemic I was a member of the Make Your Choice & NSFW CYOA communities, and I saw FancyFireDrake's Goddess of Mankind CYOA and I really liked it so I checked out some of their other stuff. At the time I was already paying attention to NSFW CYOAs because of TroyxPage, specifically Grand Adonis which to this day remains at least in my top three favorite CYOAs of all time, and when I saw that I really liked Goddess of Mankind I wanted to see what else FFD had done so I looked through their stuff and saw stuff on Jumpchains. This was happening around the same time I was joining the Shiftverse as a player.
Through the power of coincidence I was joining the Shiftverse, an original setting by a friend of mine named Philososhy, at about the same time I was learning about jumpchains and beginning to really discover the power of crossover fan fiction and stuff like that. Here's a little bit of canon Luciano Lore; as a child I began writing, which is part of what I do professionally and semi-professionally, by writing self insert crossover fan fiction though at the time I didn't know these things had terms. I was raised overseas, as I am an army brat, and I was homeschooled, and my family wanted me to get into reading and writing, and so they had me write stories. I don't think they anticipated the lifelong rollercoaster that that would send me on. Anyways, back to the central topic.

The Shiftverse

Before we get started I wanna say that I'm describing a LIVING setting I'm a PLAYER in not the MASTER of so this information will be necessarily limited and imperfect. That said I'm a VERY passionate player, and given the RL circumstances of this setting and my character's circumstances I know a healthy chunk of lore, though I am not even scratching the surface due to this being a special interest of mine and me being a big nerd, plus my character also has had the chance to learn a lot of neat stuff about the metaphysics at play here and has just been taught a lot of cool lore on the interior of things, SOME of which I'm communicating here in a very broad sense of strokes.
The very, very basic gist of the shiftverse from a player character perspective, is that player characters are... reality TV stars whose lives are shows airing on multiversal, cosmic televisions, and they are watched by monstrous, unknowable beings, while the player characters go from world to world, for various different amounts of time, and just LIVE among the inhabitants of the world, free to do as they please and to interact with locals however they wish. It is a pure coincidence that this VERY basic gist sounds so remarkably similar, conceptually at least, to Jumpchains, though as a very funny matter of fact in the SPECIFIC setting I have a character in, there are others with player characters and another one of us knew about jumpchains before I started sharing stuff about jumpchains in the Ta Mando (the SPECIFIC world my character lives in, which is just one of many settings which exist for the Shiftverse) server (which is public, I'll be posting a link to the world-anvil later).
All of the player character primes (the term used to apply to beings who get sent from world to world for the sake of the tv shows, which does not encompass ALL multiversal wanderers in this setting, and also NPC primes exist) I know of are humans from a mundane Earth, in fact many of us in Ta Mando (though almost certainly not all of us) are from the SAME Earth. Certainly all of the player character primes for Kanda, which is the central location, "location" being used real loosely, are from the same Earth and about the same time period.
Primes get superpowers of various sorts to help us survive and live exciting lives. We're also capable of using the powers native to the world's we visit, though learning and attaining such powers isn't always easy. My character is Jonathan Mondragon, who on Earth prior to them becoming a Prime, was a Puerto Rican doctor. I did insert SOME traits of myself in them, they are non-binary, they are bilingual, they are a charisma main, but my ORIGINAL idea for this character was for them to be a Caribbean Homelander (they have a few different powers, namely the powers of Superman (Smallville style, so the powers are steadily growing and new ones become accessible over time) & a set of social powers, which along with Omega Beams and some doctohealer stuff represent their STARTING kit, in the time since they've arrived they've become a champion of a deity of truth and honor, gained the very beginnings of a dragon's power set, and have attuned to the Ta Mando equivalent to The Force, so we love a chaotic ass power-grabber). That idea... did not last long. Jonathan has been in Ta Mando for a few months now, and is a solidly moral person due in large part to the fucking nightmare they had to endure in the beginning of their time here (they were deliberately summoned by the people of a colony of Kanda who were in a bad spot, and Jon has largely succeeded in solving SOME of the problems but it was ROUGH), and the growth they've endured as a result of both pain and the good things they've done since they arrived. Some other primes include characters with really strong magic stuff, someone who is a Saiyan, and a person who is the Avatar, as well as people more attuned to the Ta Mando version of the force and a Space Marine, so as you can see our power sets can VARY.
There are other vague similarities with Jumpchains, such as vague similarities between items in jumps and items in shifts, as a prime tends to get SOME basic items at the start of a chain (usually a facility which serves as a house, which can differ from prime to prime, and functions as a bit of a less protected/more accessible warehouse) but not ALL primes get that and SOME primes get WILDLY more advanced facilities than others. OTHER items can be included as well, as my character has stuff for medicine and farming, and I know of other primes who've got uranium mines, lightsabers, and even pets as part of their starting kit. There ARE difference, one of the biggest differences is that a shift's (the in-universe term for a stint in a world/setting) length is NOT a decade and can last however long the eldritch beings who run the show feel like, though from what I, Luciano, know it seems like most last about a human lifetime, though there are some that last WILDLY longer than that. Another significant difference, as has been explained and hinted at to my character, is that remembering the details of a shift once you leave is not guaranteed, nor is having and keeping the same powers you once had, and all of this is similar to the idea of drawbacks in a jumpchain but these changes, as far as I know, across shifts do not confer any advantages in exchange like a jumpchain drawback does.

Ta Mando

I'm not gonna say much here, I'll just post two links. One is to the World Anvil for Ta Mando, one SPECIFIC setting in the Shiftverse (there are many worlds someone could get shifted too, Ta Mando is just one of them). The other is to my character's World Anvil page, Jonathan Mondragon. This is not SUPER up to date, but it's the beginning of a good set of articles for people in Soterri, as well as a way to learn more about my adventures. Also, this is a text-based TTRPG campaign and we play using GURPS. It's... weird. I'm very much a D&D person, I've been playing D&D over half of my life (literally, I'm 29, the first time I played D&D I was 13, and I had the books BEFORE then), so it's been an adjustment. I like it though, my character DOES feel powerful and has had plenty of kicks moments, but just LEARNING what I can do and the mechanics of everything was a trip.
Anyways, Ta Mando is my favorite TTRPG setting I've ever been in, there's a lot to discover, there's a lot more for me to do there, and I sometimes think about doing a Shiftverse jumpdoc. I think it'd be very funny to blend the two systems like how I've blended the Troyverse & Jumpchains, and how I plan to blend Akumakami64's Love Azathoth CYOA (have a little surprise announcement, as a treat, for making it this far, but do note that I'm in the middle of my busiest time of the year so this won't be for a minute), but truthfully I just don't know enough to really do it justice. Maybe someday I'll make a jumpdoc for The Shiftverse. it could be fun honestly.

I have been married for 6 years now,with three kids and my husband is in jail. He has been in Jail for two years,and my husband is in so much debit. He’s parents are so entitled that they tried to blame my family for their sons debits,saying that since he’s their only SIL they should pay off their son debits,and that went on and off for sometime,demanding to talk to my family or ask my father to loan me 50k or sell my jewelry to my father and get him to give me at least 25k(my jewelry doesn’t reach 25k) or to open a business with my name and credit card or take a loan……and this list go off a lot !!!’ After some fighting and cornering me,I decided to sell my jewelry except a bracelet my father bought me. However, they found out about the bracelet,and my phone started ringing demanding I sell everything I own,including the bracelet. And I got a call from my SIL calling me all sort of name saying that I’m hiding my jewelry and didn’t sell everything… After some fighting and yelling,I decided to sell it……. After I sold it my father knew and he blow off on my In-laws,calling them all sort of name and he talked trash about them,LIKE A LOT!!!! But after that each time a have a fight or disagreements with my SIL she would tell this::
OH!!! WE KNOW WHAt YOUR FATHER SAID ABOUT THE US SELLING THE JEWELRY,AND MY BROTHER ALREADY KNOWS!!!
I said yes he knows because he called my father and they had a talk!!! In this two years my mom was responsible for my necessities and would drive everywhere(i don’t have a car) they never took my to an appointment or elsewhere,even my kids are in The same pre school as my SIL and she never picked the kids to take them to school or take them home back from pre school!!!
Now my dear father bought me car,not that fancy but it does take me places,and guess what!??!? My SIL feels entitled to it…
(My dad put the car under his name so they can’t try to pressure me to sell it or not to ask me to take them places)
First time my father took the car at Friday,my husband had a visit in jail planned on Sunday,but my SIL calls me Saturday night demanding I tell my father to take the car back so I can go visit her brother!!!
(Since he got jailed I was the only one visiting him,my in-laws visited him once and the rest was me alone)
At the phone call with my SIL I told her that my father needs the car in the meantime and he can’t give it to me ,she started yelling saying I never loved her brother and never visited him while he’s in jail..I fought back and called my
Other BIL (he’s decent unlike my SIL) he said that it’s not a problem and he can assure I have a car in the morning to go to see my husband. Which he DID!! He brought me his wife’s car but I didn’t use it because my young SIL was home and she was happy to drive me their (she’s young like 20 years old ) And we went and visited my husband.
Second story my two kids were at my parents and my mom called to come pick them up,I went!!!and when I reached home my SIL was standing at the porch fuming demanding to know if they gave me the car forever or for sometime…
What do I do with this peace of S$&@??!

Getting an iPhone in India is basically a huge deal for an individual. It involves a lot of financial planning and timing to get the latest iPhone. I come from a middle-class Indian family and I am no different. When Apple released the iPhone 14 Pro series with the Dynamic Island, I was really into it. But, working as a tech writer and having the knowledge that Apple would add the same to the lower-end iPhone 15 models, I waited a year, and Apple did add the Dynamic Island to the lower-end iPhone models in 2023.
As I was already planning to get the iPhone 15, I had saved for it. Hence, without a second thought, I got the device in October 2023. It was a blue iPhone 15 and it was a big deal for me!
Fast forward to February 2024, I was going on a planned trip to Kasol with my friends. We had to catch a train from Sealdah, Kolkata, and to get there, we planned to take a local train to Sealdah station. So, we got to our nearest local station and were waiting for the train. During that whole waiting time, a person was standing right next to us and was fiddling with his phone but also giving questionable looks to us.
The train finally came and if you are an Indian, you would know the amount of struggle that one needs to go through to get on a packed local train. We all had rucksack backpacks and went through the struggling ordeal to simply get on the train. That was not all! During the whole ride, I could not move anywhere or any body part due to the sheer amount of people surrounding me.
When we reached Sealdah, our final station, I got down with my friends. Then, my mother called my girlfriend's phone to check on us and told her that she could not call me as my phone was switched off. I thought that my phone was not switched off and should be right in my pocket. I went on to check my pocket only to find out that it was gone! It most probably was the guy who was giving the looks to us when we were waiting for the train.
Naturally, I started panicking big time and went straight to the Railway Police station nearby to report it. By the time we filed a report, our main train left the station and as a result, our entire trip was canceled. Without a phone in my hand and after having a dreadful day, I went back home.
Find My [The Savior]
Now, as my girlfriend also had an iPhone 11 and was a part of the Apple Family plan, I used it to put the stolen iPhone 15 in Lost Mode via the Find My app. I checked the location of the phone in Find My and it showed a station that falls between our local station and Sealdah.
My aunt is in the police force, so I informed her about the stolen device. She told me that as it is an iPhone, it would be difficult to locate its position. However, she got the IMEI slots of the device blocked and said that if anyone puts a SIM card in it and tries to use it, the device will be marked. Only then the police could locate the user and grab him.
I knew that no one would be able to unlock it and put a SIM to use it. Apple has some great security features that prevent thieves from accessing personal information stored in an iPhone. Hence, I was sure that he would never be able to unlock or reset the device.
Someone once told me that stolen mobile devices are taken to Bangladesh and sold in black markets. If the mobile devices are locked, they even open up the parts and sell them individually.
Days went by and there were no updates about the phone, neither from the police nor from Find My. As I work with iPhones and as it was so dear to me, I broke an FD to get another iPhone 15 in the meantime. I also closed the EMI for the previous device with the same and accepted the situation.
Now, a few weeks ago, the stolen iPhone 15 started pinging locations in Find My on my iPhone. In the meantime, my girlfriend also got an iPhone 15 and started checking the Find My app obsessively on her device to track its locations daily. Some days it showed multiple locations, and some days it was stagnant.
The more regular locations from where the iPhone was pinging were near a place called Canning. The place is known as the "Gateway of Sunderbans" and is one of the biggest crime hubs. If you search for Canning on YouTube or Google, you will get a gist of it.
Citing the last known location of the iPhone showing Canning station, I and my partner went there one day despite the risks, dangers, and warnings. Although we did not get any further location updates that day, we scoured around the place but did not talk to anyone. While returning home disappointed, we stopped by the police station there to let them know about the situation.
The next day, the iPhone showed multiple locations near the city of Kolkata, though none of them were much closer to my home. However, the day after that, my girlfriend woke me up in the morning to show that the phone was pinging a location that was very close to my place. Not only that, the phone pinged the same location thrice since she started checking the Find My app. So, I immediately got up and went to the location.
It was in a place called Dover Lane (Kolkata), near a residential tower and a hotel. I went there, parked the car, and started hovering around the place, trying to locate the person who we suspect stole the phone. During that time, the phone pinged the location once or twice, and at one point, it even showed that the device was "With You" in Find My.
I stood at the location for four hours and tried to spot the suspect. During that whole time, I kept the Find My app open on my current phone to aid the stolen device ping the location. However, it showed location was updated 3 hours ago.
Hopelessly, I sat in my car, thinking of returning home without the device. Just then, I saw this guy with a red t-shirt passing by my car. He looked like a young migrant worker or a daily laborer. His t-shirt was a bit torn and his pants were pretty dirty. I don't know why I looked at him in the first place but that is when I saw him take a phone out of his pocket.
"Is that a pale-blue colored phone?" Yes. He turned on the screen. "Is that the iPhone's Dynamic Island?" Yes! "Why is he on a setup screen?" I have no idea!
Right at that moment, I check the Find My app. After 3 hours, the location was finally updated and the "With You" tag was back. I hurriedly got out of my car and followed the guy for a few meters. He stopped at a local shop to get a beedi. Just when he was about to light it, I went up to him and said "Show me your phone, brother!". He answered, that there was no balance to make a call. I said that I didn't want to make a call.
"Just give the phone. I want to see it once!", I said. He immediately got it out and handed the device. During my usage, I once dropped the iPhone 15 and that made a tiny dent on the chassis, just above the screen. I checked for it, and it sure was there!
I grabbed the phone tight and said "Let's go to the police, kid!" Bewildered, he said, "That is not my phone, I got it from a friend! My own phone was stolen a few days ago and my friend gave this to me for the time, until I get a new one. If you want to go to the police, I sure can but believe me I did not know that this phone was stolen."
Now, it is worth noting that this guy was not the guy who we suspected stole the device. He was 25-28 years of age. This guy was just 18! He was still a kid.
I asked him where does he live and what does he do for a living. He said that he lives near Canning and works as a housekeeper in the city. Then I asked him, you cannot use this iPhone whatsoever, it is in the setup-screen and is showing locked to owner, so what exactly are you doing with this device? He said that when my friend gave it to me, I liked this phone. So whenever I leave the house, I carry it around just for "fancy"!
We knew that if we took him to the police, they would lock him up and beat him. The kid was just 18. So, after taking his name, address, and father's name, we let him go!
I emailed the GRPS at Sealdah where I first filed the FIR that I got the phone back.
To be honest, I had zero hopes of getting back the stolen iPhone, and that too with Find My. But thanks to my girlfriend who never lost hope and also motivated me to try and retrieve the device.
After all this, I have a newfound respect for Apple's Find My network and am surprised that it works so very well. It is one of the most underrated features of an iPhone that more people need to appreciate.
So, that is my iPhone story. If you ever lose your iPhone or have it stolen, do not, I repeat, DO NOT underestimate the power of Find My, and above all, never lose hope!

Spring is winding down, summer's on it's way; would love to get a little cash to fund the summer fun (and the next parts order). Still, trades are always on the table. Don't be shy with the cheapies.
TLDR
I got:

• A bunch of unique handmade stuff, including fuzzes, drives, and filters.
• Some 9V/12V practice amps I made from old speakers.
• A handful of cheapies
• A digitech Multi-FX
• Some bulky items for local trade in the Nashville, TN area.

I want:

• Just about anything related to musical instruments and music making: Effects, instruments, gizmos, recording stuff, etc.
• Or lots of other things not remotely related to music. Try me.
• Or money
• I mean, basically, if you want a pedal, especially a handmade one, and are willing to send me something of reasonable value for it, you have a good shot at getting it.

DIY STUFF
(If you are NOT into handmade stuff, scroll down because I have some other items at the end.)
This is hand-built stuff that I made, mostly relatively unique or heavily tweaked designs built on vero or point to point. Many are housed in upcycled tins, a few in Hammond boxes. They all run on standard 9v pedal power. These aren't clones for the most part, unless they are; but normally I actually monkey about with the circuits quite a bit or just test out wacky ideas. If you want something nobody else has, you're in the right place…
I have the handmades valued in 4 tiers:

• D tier are my trashy cheapies, made from reclaimed components. I don't feel right asking a lot for reclaimed components. I value them in the $40 - $50 range, not really picky about what I trade for. I might even take dirt pedals for these. Only got one left, trying to phase out this tier.
• C tier are the cheapies made with new components. I value these in the $50 - $60 range, not very picky here either.
• B tier are my average builds, I will trade for pedals in the $65-$90 value range, depending on the complexity of the build. A little pickier, but still pretty open.
• A tier are my happy happy builds, usually more complex or just nicer quality. I will be picky about trades for these. (But still not Boutique prices; I have no delusions). It's probably less about value here and more about how much I actually want the thing you have. Think in the $90 - $130 range.

MOBILE USERS: There are 4 columns in the tables below: Name, Tier, Links, and Notes. If you don't see all 4, scroll over or ask for more info.
Fuzzes

Name	Tier	Links	Notes
Bazz Me Fuss You #1	A	PIC DEMO	A bazz-fussified perversion of the Escobedo push-me-pull-you, featuring controls for octave and volume. This is the first unit I've built using my own custom PCB. Housed in a painted 125B with top jacks.
Space Fuzz	B+	PIC DEMO	This is a Hollis crash sync fuzz that I souped up with an LFO to modulate the filtesync frequency. Really wild flangery/phasey type gated fuzz sound. At the right settings you can get some octave-down effects as well. Housed in a ~3.5 inch square game tin reinforced with recycled plastic. Pretty pleased with this build.
SwirlFuzz	B+	PIC DEMO	Modulated octave fuzz prototype. It's an octave fuzz, but you can switch on an LFO to modulate the octave amount. Controls for Rate, Depth, Gain, and Volume, plus switches for waveshape and mode (Normal/Octave/Modulated). In a circular tin reinforced with recycled plastic.
Baller Fuzz	B	PIC DEMO	Another Bazz-Me-Fuss-You build with an added BMP-style tone control. In a slightly beaten-up heart-shaped basketball tin. Y'all ready for this?
Big Green Fuzz for Attractive Bass Players	B	PIC Demo	Like my bazz-me-fuss-you circuit, but with a big muff tone stack, a clean blend, and optional clippers for more compression. Housed in a big round tin reinforced with recycled plastic and designed specifically for attractive bass players. Unattractive ones may not really gel with this.
Creature from the planet Chyowngg	B	PIC Demo	Prototype of a unique fuzz I've been developing that I call the Chyowngg fuzz. It's a 2-stage octaver that gives a bright synthy tone with a distinctive envelope (hence the name). You can toggle each stage from octave to non-octave mode for a variety of interesting timbres. Also has a tone control, but the tone control is before the octave stages so it results in interesting behaviors depending on the switch settings. It's in a tin meant to be painted like an alien, though some say it looks more like a triceratops.
Dumbo's Bazzrite Fussrite	C	PIC Demo	A bazz-fussified mosrite fuzzrite circuit I cobbled together in point-to-point wiring style. Housed in a little Dumbo puzzle tin with GLITTER! Controls are for balance (kind of tone-cum-gain) and volume.
Wiff Spwinkles on Top	C	PIC Demo	This point-to-point fuzz lives in the same neighborhood as the Harmonic Percolator, but has a few differences. I altered the way the gain knob works, and added a switch to toggle bass cut. It's housed in an ice-creamity welly tin.

Drives, Distortions, and Boosts

Name	Tier	Links	Notes
Bronze Drive	A	PIC Demo	This is a point-to-point, transistor based overdrive I designed based loosely on the Davisson Easy Drive. Good for low-gain crunchy tones and plenty of output volume on tap if you want it for a boost. Tone circuit is like a BMP stack but with a mid hump instead of a mid cut. Housed in a painted 125B.
Copper ZenerMorph Drive	B	PIC Demo	This is an experiment in zener diode clipping. Nice crispy drive that gets beefier as you turn up the gain, lots of good edge-of-breakup tones to be had. Housed in a decorated tin reinforced with some recycled plastic.
Shining Hope Drive	B	PIC Demo	Differential mirroring drive, gives a kind of overdriven-mixer-channel distortion. Controls for gain, tone, and volume. Housed in a star-shaped Christmas tin.
B is for Beast	C	PIC DEMO	This fun little drive/boost consists of two cascading MOSFET gain stages with optional clipping in between. It goes from clean and loud to massive wall-of-gain distortion nicely. Controls for gain, clipping, and volume. In a small heart-shaped tin about 4in by 4in.
Green Sparkler Boost	D	PIC	Just an Escobedo Duende JFET boost built point-to-point in a sparkly little round tin. Gives a little gain and a bit of warmth to the tone.

Non-Dirt

Name	Tier	Links	Notes
Quack like a penguin	B+	PIC DEMO	Third build of the Chykka Wakka, a WIP all-transistor envelope filter. This one is built on vero, and features controls for Q, Range, and Attack, as well as toggles for Voicing and envelope smoothing. Housed in a smallish penguin tin reinforced with recycled plastic.
Gift of Chykka Wakka	B	PIC DEMO	First build of an all-transistor envelope filter I designed. Built point-to-point style and housed in a little giftbox tin reinforced with recycled plastic. Controls for Q and Sweep, switch toggles envelope smoothing.
Vortex of Funk	B	PIC DEMO	Second build of the Chykka-Wakka circuit, this one features attack, Q, and range controls. Built point-to-point and housed in a painted tin.
BZZZ BOOP BEEP	B	PIC DEMO	A basic square wave oscillator on a momentary switch. Can go from bzzz to boop to beep with a sweep of the big knob. Also has tone and volume controls, and a 3-way switch for different decay amounts. Use it to simulate a spring door stopper or dying cow. Or bleep your foul-mouthed frontman. Or mess with the sound guy. Or send Morse code to the bar. I dunno. Housed in a painted tin reinforced with recycled plastic.

Little Amps

Name	Price/Trades	Links	Description
Ample iMank	$65	PICS DEMO	This is a Runoffgroove Ruby Amplifier built into this old multimedia speaker enclosure designed to look like an old iMac. Glows blue when you turn it on. It runs from a standard 9v pedal power. It's not terribly loud, nor terribly clean, but if you dig the classic mac vibe it might be fun. Controls for gain and volume, and a power switch on the back.
Nosy Amp	$75	PICS DEMO	Another solid-state amp based on the Ruby amplifier, housed in a repurposed bookshelf speaker. This one actually has pretty decent volume, even on 9V (can run on 12V as well for more), and can stay clean while getting loud enough for a quiet jam with friends.
Fleur-de-Lis Amp	$90	PICS DEMO	A tiny bookshelf speaker turned into a practice amp. This one features a class D power amp for lovely cleans, and a custom designed discrete preamp that gets punchy & crunchy when cranked. Runs on 9V but pretty loud nonetheless.

Non-DIY Stuff
Make an offer. I respect Reverb Price Guide values, though I may lean high if it's a feeler.

Brand	Name	Condition	Notes
Danelectro	Fab Chorus	Excellent	Cheap plastic chorus, but sounds great. Probably just a make-weight, too cheap to trade on its own.
Caline	10-band EQ	Good	Works fine, I just don't really need 10 bands of EQ. Has velcro on the back, and sometimes makes a weird noise when you turn on the pedalboard. Another make-weight.
Ibanez	PH7	Good	Tonelok phaser. Great pedal, has some glue on the bottom I couldn't get off, but works fine.
BOSS	TU-12H	Good	Crusty vintage tuner from Boss. Still works great, but it's missing the outer case (still has the inner part). If you had one in the day and want to relive the magic, feel free to make an offer.
Digitech	RP360	Very Good	Great multifx, I've gotten some fun sounds out of it, but it isn't seeing much use. I'm just more of a discrete FX guy I guess.
MOTU	MIDI express	Good	This is an antique MIDI patchbay and interface. It's pre-USB and uses the parallel cable (PC) or some kind of Apple-specific DIN cable (Mac). Could be used standalone, or maybe you're into retro MIDI setups? Comes with box and cables anyway.
unknown builder	PedalPCB Cataclysm	Very Good	This is a really solid build of a PedalPCB cataclysm (Disaster Transport Jr clone) built by someone other than me. Pics here. Not sure what to value it, but make an offer.

Local (Nashville TN area) ONLY

Brand	Name	Condition	Notes
TEAC	A3340S 4-Track Reel-to-Reel	Good	Cleaned up, oiled up, and in good working order last time I tried it out. Meant to do some analog recording, but just haven't gotten the time or space. Would trade for a decent instrument of some kind. Might even throw in a copy of Craig Anderton's "Home Recording for Musicians", which uses the same unit.
Altec-Lansing	Power amp (9442A)	Fair	300 W, 2 rack-unit power amp, can work in stereo or bridged mode. Last time I used it one of the channels was a little flaky. Couldn't be bothered to fix it myself. Heavy as all get out, I'll sell for cheap if you're local.

What would I trade for??
I'm wide open to trades for music gear of all kinds and other items of value.
Some Priority Wants:

• A next level looper like the Pigtronix Infinity 3. Feeling limited by my current setup. Something with MIDI sync, multiple loop tracks, tempo sync.
• Boss OC-5.
• A reverb with a really good plate algorithm.
• Compact 12 channel mixer. Preferably a Mackie VLZ or similar.
• Isolated pedal power supply.
• Genuine e-Bow. Already own 2 clones, looking to try the real shebang.
• A multiple-MIDI I/O unit.
• A 1-U rack-mount mixer.
• Money.

Other things I'd likely trade for:

• Pedals, naturally:
  • Especially fancy DSP type pedals (the kind I can't build), or a nice analog flangechorus.
  • Decent analog pedals that need repair. Expect a lot of questions and not much value, though.
  • Check "probably not wants" below
• Studio gear like mics, headphones, cables, small mixers, rack gear, etc.
• Synths and midi gear, especially cheap stuff like Volcas or Reface, etc. Really need a MIDI interface with multiple I/O.
  • I kinda dig old casio/yamaha cheapies.
  • Drum machines are interesting to me.
• Musical instruments? I play about everything, or would like to try anyway.
  • I'd like to acquire a tele style guitar at some point. Even just a cheapie knockoff.
  • If you've got a not-too-expensive Ibanez fretless bass (or similar), let's talk. I'll offer things on the secret menu.
• Also Non-music things:
  • Unbuilt pedal kits, pedal enclosures, bulk lots of electronics parts, etc.
  • Electronics/DIY tools or supplies (scope, transistor tester, solder, etc)
  • Something weird and creative. Random items of modest value you want to get rid of. Handmade items that are giftable.
  • Did I mention money? I do paypal and venmo.

Probably not wants (doesn't apply to C or D-tier builds, offer anything for those):

• Dirt pedals. Might make an exception for something really intriguing, though.
• Eurorack modules, unless anyone wants to trade me a whole starter setup (yeah, probably not, right?)
• Guitaamp/cab parts. Not really into modding that stuff. Yet.
• Behringer pedals. Just not a fan.
• Any pedal whose value is primarily as a collectible (Vintage, Rare editions/colorways/signature models, etc)
• If I can get it on Amazon or Reverb for under $50, I'd rather we bundled a few things to make it worth the shipping cost.

A Note about mods/repairs/custom jobs: Feel free to shoot me your ideas, but probably I'm leaning toward not doing these. Expect to pay/trade way more for something custom than what I ask for the pedals I've already built.

Note: I posted a parody comment yesterday on one of Kelly's birth saga posts and some people kindly asked me to keep going. So, I wrote some more. Hope it raises a smile or a puff of air through the nose! Let's get into it...
Part 1: Shadows in the Candlelight
It was 8:20 PM, and all was peaceful. Geppetto was at his place by the fire, whittling a puppet—a simple fancy for my little Atticus, fast asleep in the hayloft above.
I sighed, laid down my hoop, and gazed through the rain-streaked windowpane at the impetuous treetops. Suddenly, my babe gave a violent kick, and I was flung upon the kitchen flagstones. A mighty gust tore through the room, pressing candle flames flat and ripping at the pages of my Bible.
“Geppetto!” I cried in alarm, but he was lost in his work. I gasped, staring at the candle Moonfawn had bought me that same afternoon (how we had laughed at its comical scrollwork and, as mirth subsided, danced with naked exaltation in the deep pools of our eyes). Despite the buffeting gale, it had remained lit with a steadfast flame where the others had snuffed out!
With throbbing, passionate conviction deep inside me, I knew it was the hand of the Lord who had stayed the cursed wind. And then I saw the blood-slicked stones, scarlet as an accusation, red and obscene like a harlot’s lolling tongue. Had Geppetto cut his thumb? Was this blood … mine?
“Go hence to the healer’s house,” Jesus said into my heart with a silvery laugh. “Find you there a surgeon, for your wound lies beyond a midwife’s skill to mend.” And at once, I was overcome with serene certainty that come what may, Moonfawn’s love would guide me through this hour of darkness.
“Geppetto,” I grated harshly, and he looked up in astonishment. “Saddle the mare and hitch the buggy. The hour has come, and we have a long mile to step this night.” Oh, Moonfawn! Where are you?
(To be continued)
Part 2: Ships in the Night
Geppetto lashed reins against the mare’s flanks, shielding his eyes against the driving rain and guiding us through the slow-moving I-80 traffic. I lay propped against a pile of macrame-bound decorative gourds in the buggy, wrapped in a periwinkle towel, though the clean straw Geppetto had forked in to soak up the blood was quickly turning red.
Floating in and out of a lucid dream, I could see Moonfawn’s haunting visage in front of me, but when I leaned in to kiss her pale face, she faded from my sight. Oh! You promised me, my dearest heart! You promised to be with me here at the end! Bitterly, I left another message on her machine, and tossed the phone over the side of the buggy.
“Easy now,” chuckled Geppetto, over the sound of screeching brakes and breaking glass. “That phone cost me three copper shillings! And see, we’ve arrived at the inn.”
He hoisted me from the buggy and thumped heavily on the iron-banned door with his gloved fist. I noticed he was still holding the half-finished puppet. Jesus again. It had to be, who else?
“Open up, in the name of Yuaha, Pentach of the Golden Isles!” he cried hoarsely. The din inside subsided, but the door remained shut fast. “Please,” I whimpered. “In the name of J.C. Penny, leaders in affordable home decor!” The door swung inward, light spilling over the street.
And there, in the doorway, stood Moonfawn.
I dashed headlong into her arms, relief and joy overwhelming me. I drank in her perfume, kissed her neck, and knew no more.
The door swung shut.
(To be continued)
Part 3: An Unexpected Guest
Moonfawn swept an arm over a table of the smoky inn, sending dishes of stew and tankards of ale crashing to the floor. She laid me on the tabletop and ripped the bodice of my maternity corset wide so that I might breathe. She laid a spring of palest winterfrost blossom twixt my breasts, to aid my breathing and share the poignant sorrow of the last day of spring. I whispered a silent prayer I had on my cleanest camisole. Jesus again. It had to be.
And so, at 10:50 PM the surgeon-general swept into the room. “What is the meaning of this?!” he roared. “This woman is dilated half a crown! And the babe is crying for brandeh, is there no one in this rom without cloth for ears?? I can see its wee face peeking out from here. Nurse! Attend me at once, this instant!”
Nurses appeared bearing silvery trays forceps of cold steel and several large bottles of brandy. I shivered, yet was not afraid. Somewhere close, I felt Moonfawns cool hand slip into my own.
Shrugging into his white coat, the surgeon general turned to me. “I’m dreadfully sorry about all this,” he mumbled. “Now, where on earth is that chloroform?”
“Not so fast,” someone drawled from a darkened corner of the inn. A figure rose, casting back a deep hood.
The room gasped in shock.
“Fraulein Fännyfärhht!”
(To be continued)
Part 4: Showdown at Dan’s Bar & Birthing Center
“Step aside, doctor,” the matronly lady commanded. Her hair was swept into a bun of iron, hard and cold like the flat planes of her face. “I have tended to this woman in eons past! I know the petals of her flower better than her own husband here,” she gestured towards Geppetto, and paused. “Though perhaps not so well as some.”
Beneath my swoon, I felt my face burn crimson in sweet shame, remembering again that night at Henley Manor, on the beach, when I was named Starchild in the light of the sacred candle. I gripped Moondawns hand tightly.
The surgeon general made a lunge for the door, but the Fraulein’s booted foot shot out and tripped him up, sending him sprawling to the floor.
“Let’s see who you really are, doctor!” I watched aghast as the midwife reached down to the hapless doctor’s neck and with one smooth motion, whipped off the indiarubber mask.
“Jesus Christ!”
There on the floor, grinning weakly, was Jesus, the son of God. A nurse moaned and slid to the floor, and lay there, twitching. Through the fog of chloroform, I gazed on his face in utter rapture.
“Hi, guys,” he said into the shocked silence. “I’m back. Uhhh… sorry, I got kind of held up.”
Standing up awkwardly, Jesus stepped to the table and faced Moonfawn. “I think the jig is up,” he murmured, reaching out to her neck. Moonfawn held her head proudly, eyes glittering with tears, as Jesus slipped off her mask.
“Marmee!”
Another nurse slumped to the floor, brandy glass shattering.
“You know,” said a small piping voice from between my legs. “I’ve been out for the last 10 minutes, and I could really use a drink.”
And that, my dearest friends, is the story of the birth of Tess Stickle, at 12:09 PM.

Hello,
I would like to host a birthday party invitation card, something fancy but simple, just to show the event name (xx birthday party), the location, the weather forecast at the day of the event and some other usefull information (maps for location, nearby public transport, etc...)
Something likle Rallly, in fact rallly has some "events" functionality comming soon, but i need it this week.
Is there any app or should I invest some time to do a landing page (i think it may take up to 5/6 hours to do something "static" (i could do a static html+js+css project, no problemo, but this app would help in future events).
The idea is to have something like a canva poste to share on whatsapp birthday party group so everyone can have all the information. It's mandatory for the application to have a mobile view.
Thank you!

Just sharing a few free tools, resources etc. that might make your tech life a little easier. I have no known association with any of these unless stated otherwise.
But first, in the latest Security Swarm Podcast: "A Breakdown of CSRB’s Findings on Microsoft Storm-0558 Breach (PART 2),” is a continuation from last week’s episode where we discussed the CSRB’s findings on Microsoft’s Storm-0558 Breach. This week, we continue picking apart the findings and providing insights.
We're looking for your favorite tips and tools we can share with the community... those that help you do your job better and more easily. Please share your suggestions on the IT Pro Tuesday subreddit, and we'll be featuring them in the coming weeks.
Now on to this week's list!
A Free Tool
Centro 365 is a browser extension that makes it easier to find the info you need on Microsoft Azure and 365. Dintid explains, "My work consists 95% working in the 365 suite—in all of the sections. And being a small IT staff in a non-profit, it’s hard to keep up with the weekly changes MS are doing to naming and placement of stuff. Leads to my useful tool on a daily basis, an extension for my browser, which basically is just a drop down with the different sections and subsections. Clicking it and you go to the right url for it."
Another Free Tool
Mermaid is an online flowchart and diagrams editor that was designed to keep tech documentation current. TheRaido explains, "For documentation with diagrams, I tend to use Mermaid, which can be used in Markdown in VS Code and is also supported by Obsidian.md."
A Tip
A favorite Windows command for jonathanjohnson0724:

• for /l %i in (1,1,254)
• do ping -n 1 - w 10 192.168.0.%i
• Followed by arp -a

will list the IP and MAC addresses of almost everything in the local subnet (192.168.0.[1-254]), including most things that don’t respond to ping. Not as fancy as Angry IP Scanner, but it’s on every Windows system; so quick and easy to use.
Yet Another Free Tool
WizTree helps you quickly find the files and folders using the most disk space on your hard drive. Rather than searching the drive and checking each file to determine size, WizTree gets its information straight from the NTFS Master File Table—which means it happens almost instantaneously. evilkasper finds it does the same thing as WinDirStat, but much faster.
One More Free Tool
Page Countster is a small, portable application for reporting on network printers. Provides a super fast, easy way to access info and interact with all the connected printers. tkecherson says, "For printers, I prefer an old freeware utility, Page Countster. Automatically picks up just the printers and a host of other info about them in an incredibly lightweight utility."
You can find this week's bonuses here or signup to get each week's list in your inbox here.

Welcome back to IT Pro Tuesday!
In the latest Security Swarm Podcast: "A Breakdown of CSRB’s Findings on Microsoft Storm-0558 Breach (PART 2),” is a continuation from last week’s episode where we discussed the CSRB’s findings on Microsoft’s Storm-0558 Breach. This week, we continue picking apart the findings and providing insights.
We're looking for your favorite tips and tools we can share with the community... those that help you do your job better and more easily. Please share your suggestions on the IT Pro Tuesday subreddit, and we'll be featuring them in the coming weeks.
Now on to this week's list!
A Free Tool
Centro 365 is a browser extension that makes it easier to find the info you need on Microsoft Azure and 365. Dintid explains, "My work consists 95% working in the 365 suite—in all of the sections. And being a small IT staff in a non-profit, it’s hard to keep up with the weekly changes MS are doing to naming and placement of stuff. Leads to my useful tool on a daily basis, an extension for my browser, which basically is just a drop down with the different sections and subsections. Clicking it and you go to the right url for it."
Another Free Tool
Mermaid is an online flowchart and diagrams editor that was designed to keep tech documentation current. TheRaido explains, "For documentation with diagrams, I tend to use Mermaid, which can be used in Markdown in VS Code and is also supported by Obsidian.md."
A Tip
A favorite Windows command for jonathanjohnson0724:

• for /l %i in (1,1,254)
• do ping -n 1 - w 10 192.168.0.%i
• Followed by arp -a

will list the IP and MAC addresses of almost everything in the local subnet (192.168.0.[1-254]), including most things that don’t respond to ping. Not as fancy as Angry IP Scanner, but it’s on every Windows system; so quick and easy to use.
Yet Another Free Tool
WizTree helps you quickly find the files and folders using the most disk space on your hard drive. Rather than searching the drive and checking each file to determine size, WizTree gets its information straight from the NTFS Master File Table—which means it happens almost instantaneously. evilkasper finds it does the same thing as WinDirStat, but much faster.
One More Free Tool
Page Countster is a small, portable application for reporting on network printers. Provides a super fast, easy way to access info and interact with all the connected printers. tkecherson says, "For printers, I prefer an old freeware utility, Page Countster. Automatically picks up just the printers and a host of other info about them in an incredibly lightweight utility."
P.S. Bonus Free Tools
Get this week's bonus tools by visiting the IT Pro Tuesday blog, or sign up to get this in your inbox each week here.
Have a fantastic week and as usual, let us know any comments.

I (28 F) am getting married soon, the guest list is creeping up there to be over 100+ people tons of family and friends, fancy venue, the works. My best friend (27 F) since 1st grade and maid of honor has been making a huge fuss for months about being able to bring a plus one to my wedding. Which would be fine if she was actually dating someone… She’s currently single… I love her but to be honest she “dates” the worst type of people and I desperately do not want an unpredictable stranger at my wedding thats just some guy my friend met a week ago. And also she has a track record of some pretty GRAPHIC PDA in front of me and other people. Like she gets off on doing public sexual acts and not getting caught when she goes out with these gross guys and I do not trust her to behave classy at my wedding when she’s with a “date”
So I gave her an ultimatum, no significant other, no plus one. She thought I was joking and when I said I wasn’t she called me a bitch and told me I wasn’t considering her feelings and that she won’t have a good time at my wedding without a date. And that because she’s the maid of honor that she has to have a date. I don’t think I’m in the wrong here I don’t want to be stressed out on my big day thinking about how a stranger will act. But she’s making me feel like I’m the asshole for telling her no. I do feel bad that we’re fighting over this. AITA?
Edit: For extra Info:
Only friends and family who I know are in serious long term relationships get a plus one. Names have to be on the invitation. I’ve met them all so I know who they are and what they’re like. So no nobody is getting a random plus one. She does not have a name or even a clue who she even wants to bring but still is fighting me to bring someone. She thinks I’ll wait till the very last minute to have her bring someone.
Yes she’s my very best friend and I love her very much. She’s perfectly fine by herself but becomes a totally different person around her “dates” I just really want her to be there for me and not make the day about getting laid by a stranger at my wedding lol but she feels like she has to for whatever reason.
Edit again: SHE WILL NOT BE ALONE. She knows my friends AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY also HER parents and both of her sisters will also be there.
Edit x3: Oh wow I didn’t expect so many comments thanks for your input on both sides. Everyone has good perspectives, I’m not trying to be mean to her though I guess I don’t trust the guys more than I don’t trust her to behave. The guys are always very off putting and I’ve been embarrassed by who she’s brought to meet my friends and family before at different events or outings just for them to be gone the next day. I just don’t want some random to cause drama. Okay more information wedding is in 2 months I need to send out rsvps SOON. Her maid of honor duty’s are basically just help me pee, do a speech, and plan the bachelorette I will be the one bankrolling everything for the bachelorette that aren’t activities and transportation split among my friends. I do not expect her to pay for anything without my help. Edit again: MY FIANCÉ ALSO DOES NOT WANT HER TO BRING A STRANGER for these reasons ITS NOT JUST ME.

Hello. Hoping I could get some help here! My husband (32 Male, 5’11 170 Ibs) was experiencing muscle pain in his upper back and chest a few years ago so he went to the doctor in April of 2022. The doc sent him for a chest x ray and said that he had pneumonia. He had no symptoms, no cough fever nothing other then muscle pain in chest and back. the doctor gave him antibiotics and sent him for another xray a month later. The fluid was still there. Doctor sent him for some sort of testing with spit to check for other things I don’t know the exact name. All his spit was clear and good, blood was good but still he said the pneumonia was there. He sent him to a specialist. The wait list for specialists here is months long and by the time he got the call for the appointment he didn’t end up going, I had a baby and had some complications and then his mom passed a few months later. Now it’s been 2 years since the initial scan and after telling him to go to the doctor all these months he finally made an appointment. He doesn’t have any pain though no cough or anything but we were cleaning out our garage the other day and found papers from back in 2012 stating that he was sent to a specialist for fluid in chest.. at the time he was new to the country and didn’t know English so he didn’t even know about this. So now I’m wondering is it possible to have pneumonia for all these years? What could this be? My husband is very scared of doctor and his appointment is next week so he is super anxious. Thank you in advance

Alright folks, company registration in the US can seem scary, but it's actually not that bad. Especially if you're a bootstrapping entrepreneur like me and want to avoid those fancy formation services. Here's a breakdown of the steps to register your company yourself and save some serious cash.
If DIY feels overwhelming, Northwest Registered Agent would be top recommendation to get your company registered at a low cost.
Here are the steps you need to follow:
1. Choose your business structure: This is the foundation. LLC (Limited Liability Company) is common for smaller businesses. Check your state's website for details on different structures.
2. Name it: Make sure the name is available. Most states have a business name search tool online.
3. Get a Registered Agent: This is an official address where legal documents are received. You can use your home address (check local rules) or hire a registered agent service (Northwest Registered Agent is a good affordable option).
4. Prepare the paperwork: Each state has its own forms. Find them on your Secretary of State's website. It's usually Articles of Organization for LLCs.
5. File and Pay: Submit the completed forms and pay the filing fee to your Secretary of State's office. They often have online filing options too.
6. Get an EIN (Employer Identification Number): This is like a social security number for your business. You can get it for free from the IRS website.
Things to keep in mind:

• Compliance: Every state has its own rules. Check your state's website for ongoing filing requirements (annual reports etc.).
• Banking: Once registered, you can open a business bank account to separate personal and business finances.
• Taxes: Consult a tax advisor to understand your business tax obligations.

Formation services like Northwest Registered Agent can help you with the registration process for a fee. Their $39 business formation offer is one of the best in the industry and gives you all you need to successfully operate your company as an LLC. They can also handle your registered agent service. However, if you're comfortable with DIY and want to save money, registering yourself is totally doable.