Shoes fitness that present claudia molina

Just something I was pondering the other day after having a discussion with a co-worker about minimalism. She had no idea that I consider myself a minimalist because I am always the most fashionable person in the office. I broke down my wardrobe to her and she was stunned at how it worked and how she had never noticed the "repetition" before. My co-worker had the stereotype of minimalists in her head: that we all strive to own as little as humanly possible and that we wear super plain things like jeans and black t-shirts as our daily uniform. So, just curious about other minimalists who love fashion of some form and how you do it! I'll outline my system below now for those curious! It's long to type out, but was actually pretty quick conversation over lunch in person!
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Basically, besides socks/bras/underwear here is what I own:

1. Leggings. I have about 12 pairs of leggings that are either capris or full-length and basic neutrals like black, grey, and brown. I have 2 pair of fleece-lined ones for winter and separate workout leggings. I buy these new and from two different brands I really like. Replace as needed.
   
2. Dresses. I have about 20-25 dresses at any given moment and they are all simple, classic cuts (t-shirt, a-line, sundress etc.) with a few sweater dresses and maxi dresses. I don't buy "themed" dresses, such as prints that are very obviously Christmas or Halloween. I stick to neutral solid colors and basic patterns like stripes and polka dots, as well as small non-flashy florals. Most of these dresses are thrifted and I enjoy the hunt for something. I do sometimes purchase new dresses but only if they are high quality, extremely versatile, look fantastic on me, and I can get them in several colors/patterns and just buy 4 versions of it in one go.
   
3. Cover-ups. This is where the "style" comes in. I have about 15-20 different coverups in different styles that are ALL thrifted. They consist of things like cardigans, blazers, vests, button-down shirts, and light jackets. These are all pretty neutral as well but I love finding pieces with a little flair to them. Like, I have 2 denim vests, one that is just a plain, simple vest and one that has fun embroidered daisy patches on it.
   
4. Shoes. I pretty much only ever have 9 pairs of shoes. 2 pair of sneakers, 2 pairs of sandals, 2 fashion boots (ankle/riding), 2 ballet flats, and 1 pair of work boots. These are all new and slightly higher quality and I rarely have to replace one, besides the pair or sneakers and boots that I work out/hike in and thus get worn down more quickly.
   
5. Accessories. I have a small collection of scarves, jewelry, purses, belts, and a few odds and ends like that.
   

The only pants I own are a pair of hiking pants and a pair of work overalls! I do have in one part of my sock drawer two hiking t-shirts, a swimsuit, and sleeping shorts/sweats. That's it.
ALL of this fits in one 4 drawer dresser and 1 standard size hanging clothes rack, taking up maybe one quarter of my walk-in closet. Yes, including the accessories. Most of the closet is just storage for the seasonal things like our small boxes of holiday décor, our snowshoes, and the cushions for our patio furniture. There are two whole shelves just empty in there.
Now, the fashionable part is that because all my clothes are mainly neutrals or very subtle little extras, they all mix and match, and I can throw an accessory on to completely change the feel of the outfit. The day my co-worker and I were talking about fashion and minimalism I was wearing a plain black sundress with a plain denim vest, plain blue sandals, and a summery scarf tied in my hair. I told her this was the same dress I wore to the big fancy fundraising dinner last November, but I paired it with a black blazer, my black riding boots, black leggings, and a simple pearl necklace/earring set. I also worse this dress/boot/legging combo to our Christmas party too, I just switched the blazer for a red cardigan and threw on a white scarf and snowflake earrings. She was flabbergasted and she swore she'd never seen this dress on me before. But I literally wear this dress all the time. I've repaired the straps on it twice and the hem once, it's that old and loved. I love taking the same core pieces and mixing & matching them in creative ways to create whole new looks. I've worn the same dress three times in one week and gotten compliments on my outfit from the same people telling me I always look so put together. People think I must own a whole closet full of clothes and spend tons of money, but I don't. It's just strategy! _________________________________________________________
WOW, that was long! But who else can I talk all this out with, lol! There's gotta be SOMEONE here that loves fashion as a minimalist too, or someone who thinks they have to give it up to be a minimalist. This post is for us!

I will start with my main problem, i have super wide feet (29cm long by 12cm wide).
I have a trip to Japan in a couple of months and i don’t have any comfy shoe to endure the long walks ahead of me.
I went to a running store and tried around 15 pairs of shoes

• Hoka Bondi, Gaviota, Clifton
• On Cloudrunner, Cloudmonster 1 & 2, Cloudsurfer
• Asics nimbus Gel 25 & 26
• Altra Via Olympus 2
• Ultraboost 1, 22

Finally i decided to buy the Via Olympus 2 as they were the ones that fit me better in a size 11US
Once at home i’ve put them on and they feel tight on my ankle/arch.
I’ve orderer a size 46 EU - 11,5 US and it feels better but now they feel way bulkier and heavy than the 11 US.
What should i do?.. i’m starting ti be overwhelmed by all of this but honestly i just want to have a comfy pair of shoes..
Thanks in advance.

Okay so given the recent story line and I'm as tired of it as anyone else is of Joker but given what has been revealed with the three Joker fiasco... okay I think Joker was never the Red Hood gang's leader rather. I think the real Red Hood planned to fake his death and used Joker to pull it off. I believe he grabbed a random victim out of Arkham someone so messed up in the head they didn't even know what was going on or who they were.
This random victim was Joker and he was propped up to act as the boss and was set up for a final confrontation with Batman. Except things went even more off the rails than originally planned and the entire place went boom and the fall guy survived becoming the Joker in the process. Which is where I think things get interesting.
His outside appearance changes causing some of his alters to develop the same Joker persona albeit different versions. However due to the severity of what happened Joker was made the active and present personality to protect the (Primary). In short I believe Joker is like Crazy Jane from Doom Patrol and The Horde from Split he's got a lot of different personalities each with a different function. However, they all share a common belief that everyone is a threat and so they have the Joker constantly killing as a self-defense mechanism.
This is why he'd rather die than know his name he's protecting the true personality from some trauma and that is above even the Batman obsession.
Joker's a more extreme version of TwoFace is what I'm saying. I also feel this fits well because it anti climatic and tragic at the same time Batman has spent years obsessing over a man who he sees as the devil only to learn he's just another victim of the corrupt city.

Was about to take my flight and had to stop at new Chennai airport's departure customs to receive my item which was kept in hold, No issues in there, Infact I was treated very nicely by the same officers.
But while waiting to receive my belongings, It was not hard to notice a few people already there. A group of 5 friends travelling for vacation, I had a quick chat with the group and they were stood up because of carrying excess cash and were asked to pay directly to the head officer instead of a fine. They missed their flight but still were asked to pay to proceed.
The other guy was actually caught up for carrying more cash while comming back to India after finishing his job in Middle east. He was treated so bad that he was took inside a room adjacent to the security check and could literally hear him getting beaten up and made to sit on the floor without shoes like an accused in a police station in front of everyother traveller until he submitted and accepted to pay the share.
These officers were not donning any uniforms nor speaking any Tamil. I was literally terrified to see those officers for what was happening there and the number of people getting dragged into the room to secretly doing unfair deals.
Im not supporting the travellers breaking the law, but against the way they are treated openly in an international airport and should have acted more lawfully. Not blaming the entire department as I know there are a couple of honest officers present, but the majority of them are just purely working out of greed.
Has anyone faced similar situation and what's your view on this?

There is no sex in this episode, and it is more of a filler episode as to what is to be seen. Next week's episode is definitely going to be worth the wait! All characters are 18+
There was no way for me to take my mind off what Alexa and I had talked about before I went and slept with Luca. Sure, in the moment, it was enough to fog my thoughts and fill them with lustful desire, but it didn’t erase the fact that I was going to be dad, and somehow, I had to tell Luca and Travis. We are not all exclusive to one another, but I hope they will say to me if we are in the same shoes. I’m going to be telling them tonight.
I didn’t know how to go about it. Hey, so you know how I was straight before, like a month ago? Yeah? My ex-girlfriend just told me I’m going to be a dad, I thought to myself, but it sounded stupid in my head, and more than likely would sound stupid aloud.
“They’re going to kill me,” I sighed, tossing on my shirt and slumped down on my bed.
“Who’s going to kill you?” my roommate asked. I had forgotten that he was here; he never really said anything. “Your boyfriends?”
“They are not my boyfriends,” I scoffed. “But yes, Luca and Travis.”
“For what?”
“My ex is pregnant and is claiming I’m her baby daddy,” I exclaimed.
“They are so going to kill you,” he laughed at me. “Those boys are like lowkey obsessed with you, you must fuck them real good if they keep coming back.”
My face reddened at his comment, and I didn’t want to admit the truth, so I just went with it. “Not helpful, and I know,” a slight smirk spread across my cheeks. “I just have to sit them down and tell them it doesn’t change anything, I don’t even know if I’m the father, it has been nearly a month since I last slept with Alexa, and the idea now seems even grosser than it was in those moments before Luca and Travis.
“I’ll start planning your funeral,” he said, giving me side-eye and pulling out his notebook. So, who do you want to speak about? Travis and Luca are clearly off the board now.”
“Bro, just stop,” I huffed. “They’re just going to need to understand.” For a long time I was that straight boy, the one that craved the touch of women, to feel their delicate skin, and no inclination of doing anything with my butt. Alexa is the one that changed me, which I think is for the better, but it was her fault; she was the one that left, and she was the one that did this to me. “Any tips?”
“Just rip it off like a bandaid, and then offer them your cock,” he shrugged. “Bro, you must be so lucky; I’d kill to have two chicks go down on me.” I wanted to laugh and tell him the truth because he was stereotyping my position based on the fact that I’m a jock and Luca and Travis are nerds. But I also didn’t want to make it weird. I know he would have if he had known that I was the one getting filled by both of them regularly.
“It’s nice to be able to get some whenever I want, and threesomes are easy to arrange,” I chuckled. “Well, when you’re not here.”
“Fuck, bro my room sees more action than I do,” he groaned. “If they care about you, it won’t matter, man, but I do recommend getting a paternity test done as soon as you can.”
“I was thinking about that,” I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. “Do you think I might not be the dad?”
“Dude, you’ve been fucking with Luca and Travis for what? Like a month now? And she left you high and dry like six weeks ago. Don’t you think it’s possible she was screwing with someone else?” He spelled out for me his doubts and created even more doubts within me. Alexa wouldn’t do that . . . I also told her not to touch my butt. . . and she did it anyways . . . maybe to expose me to anal bliss . . . to justify her leaving me for her side piece, I wondered, did she even have a side piece? None of it made sense to me. “If I were you, I’d be demanding that paternity test and bounce when you find out it’s not yours. Don’t let that bitch ruin what you have.”
“How did you become so wise, Camden?” I asked, feeling as if some weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
“To be honest, I’ve been jealous of you with those boys. They remind me of the boy I was once more than just friends with,” Camden divulged, “my father is also a lawyer–”
“Wait, a damn minute,” I interjected. “You’ve had a boyfriend before, I thought you said you were not into that gay shit.”
“Maybe I was just trying to hide it; I haven’t thought about him in a long time. Two summers ago, I started to secretly see my best friend's younger brother after he got outed by my best friend,” Camden told me. “High school romance is not bound to last. College is where you make those friendships that never end.”
“It sounds like you have a wonderful best friend,” I laughed. “Are they just not compatible? Or too complicated?”
“Dating your parent's best friend's son is always complicated, especially when you spend nearly every summer together,” Camden chuckled. “It was just too complicated, and we ended things before anyone found out.”
“Dude, I want to know more. But I really need–”
“To go tell that bitch, you want a paternity test, and tell Luca and Travis you might be a Dad in nine months?” he furrowed his brow. “Text them, text them now.”
Nathan: Alexa, I've been thinking, and I want a paternity test.
Alexa: Wow didn't sleep with anyone besides you, you're the slut, but whatever.
Group Chat Travis 🎮🍆 & Luca 📓🍆
Nathan: Guys, we need to talk ASAP, in person.
Luca: I didn't have Travis's #, everything good Nate?
Travis: He probably wants some dick, Luca gonna get mine too, I wanna run a train.
Luca: I'm not a bottom Trav, you won't fit . . .
Nathan: I mean, I'm down, but we need to talk first.
“Do you mind giving me the room for a bit, they’re on their way over,” I told him, “and Alexa is being a cunt about it, but said fine.”
“Dude, I just admitted so much shit to you, it’s the least I could do,” Camden smiled. “Unless you wouldn’t be opposed to sharing those boys with me.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I need to get a new pair of Lone Peaks due to wear. I am happy with the 6, but have seen a few reviews on REI that are not happy with the apparently narrower fit of the new ones.
What do any former LP6 wearers like that’s available now and similar?
2nd question: I like boots versus shoes, and I see that Altra has a boot version of the LP and another model (Timp I think).
Thanks in advance!

Ever since New Vegas became the most beloved Fallout game by diehards, there's been a lot of talk about this theme that shows up here and there, mostly in the DLC but sometimes in the base game too: That the Old World destroyed itself, therefore any society that represents the Old World is also destined to destroy itself. That you need to get over your "Old World Blues" and pick something new for the wasteland to have a hope of constructing anything worthwhile that can last. What's more, after the release of the Fallout show, and seeing certain plot developments that happen there, this sort of discussion has made a serious comeback, for reasons (if you know you know).
On the surface, I guess this makes for a plausible moral for the series; Don't imitate the doomed past, build something new. But...is that even possible? What would constitute 'new'? After all, all of the existing factions are unambiguously failures by that measure:

• The NCR is obviously just another United States, complete with democracy, a President, a Congress...Old World.
  
• Mr. House is literally from the Old World! And while he might have big dreams of space travel, he's modeled his whole mini society over the trappings of old Las Vegas out of...nostalgia? Bzzzt. Old World. Next.
  
• The Legion, despite presenting themselves as "a new society built for the challenges of the wasteland"...I mean...it's Rome. Actually, if anything, it's a worse, more cruel version of Rome, but either way, it's based on the very, very Old World, by design. Can't get much more "Old World" than Ancient Rome!
  
• You might think the independent ending is automatically the New World choice, but, like, think about it. Either this ending means "anarchy," which is pretty much the oldest form of "government" known to man, or it means "you rule everything, and boss people around with Securitrons." Which is...just a dictatorship. Which the Old World had plenty of. Yeah...outside of some major headcanon-ing, I don't see it.
  
• The Brotherhood of Steel literally name themselves after knights! And squires! And paladins! AND they're the offshoot of the U.S army! Old World! Gah!
  
• Envlave? Same thing! Only even worse, cause they're literally fighting to BRING BACK the Old World United States! They still see themselves as part of it! It's the most Old Worldy faction so far!
  
• The Minutemen? Forget it! They're dressed up like Revolutionary War soldiers for no reason! Other than, I don't know...imitating the Old World?!
  
• The Railroad? That's obviously a reference to the Underground Railroad, an Old World historical movement! Sorry, you're out!
  
• The Institute? You mean the offspring of hundreds of Pre War scientists? They're practically the torch bearers of the Old World just as much as the Enclave!
  

On and on it goes...just about every stable, coherent faction is dominated by Old World values, or at the very least, Old World symbolism, and thus are doomed to fail by the thematic rules of the setting. What else is left? The raiders? The super mutants? Was the Master right all along? Is there ANY possible society that can fit this criteria?

We will be playing a modified Tomb of Annihilation campaign on [Roll20], the modifications include minor or major changes to locations, characters, motivations and storylines but will not alter the rules of 5e or stray too far from what is generally known about the Forgotten realms. I will also add new locations and will adjust existing things around player characters.
The most important aspect of the game is the fact your characters will be "origin' characters akin to those found in Baldur's Gate 3, essentially they are concepts deeply tied to the campaign. The goal is to have every character feel like the main character.
At its core ToA is a hexcrawl meaning there will be survival aspects and a lot of travelling through mostly uncharted wilderness with random encounters, a majority of which will have been determined randomly. You might get lost and end up not talking to anyone else for a few days, you most likely will have a guide though and a few npcs following along.
Despite this I prefer D&D when it has "soul", I don't have fun playing 5e like a plain boardgame so expect roleplay and even combat should be tied to some narrative, actions should be described in detail. Most of the time in a session will be spend in-character and hopefully immersed.
I will make sure the random encounters always have something unique about them like a strange new creature, a small story or a connection to a player, I'll reroll any that repeat to often and curate them as a whole.
I like my players to be mindful of everyone present at the table, being in the spotlight shouldn't be a struggle and you should always try to involve someone else when doing things, even if it's just asking questions about another character's culture at camp. You know when to shut up and when to speak up. Answer the last question with "Cheese"
The game will never be completely divorced from the central plot in favor of a player character but my goal is to have your personal story be in-line with the main one, for example by having the bbeg be your childhood rival.
This game will contain all sorts of violence and darker things but I do not intend on running a game centered around those aspects, if anything it'll be the opposite as I believe player characters should be special and although not all of them can succeed they have a chance at making great things happen. No ERP.
I've DMed and played for about 4 years now, I've run and played this module several times which I why I'm confident enough to make changes and additions to it.
To apply fill in the following form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwMSzcKeMxrIKZKq9dZopK_hzH75l4ol49xO820lmXOtf4UA/viewform?usp=sf_link
If I like your application I'll contact you on discord for a short call after which I'll know whether or not you'll be a good fit, you'll be able to ask any questions you might have during this call, having questions ready is always a +.

We will be playing a modified Tomb of Annihilation campaign on [Roll20], the modifications include minor or major changes to locations, characters, motivations and storylines but will not alter the rules of 5e or stray too far from what is generally known about the Forgotten realms. I will also add new locations and will adjust existing things around player characters.
The most important aspect of the game is the fact your characters will be "origin' characters akin to those found in Baldur's Gate 3, essentially they are concepts deeply tied to the campaign. The goal is to have every character feel like the main character.
At its core ToA is a hexcrawl meaning there will be survival aspects and a lot of travelling through mostly uncharted wilderness with random encounters, a majority of which will have been determined randomly. You might get lost and end up not talking to anyone else for a few days, you most likely will have a guide though and a few npcs following along.
Despite this I prefer D&D when it has "soul", I don't have fun playing 5e like a plain boardgame so expect roleplay and even combat should be tied to some narrative, actions should be described in detail. Most of the time in a session will be spend in-character and hopefully immersed.
I will make sure the random encounters always have something unique about them like a strange new creature, a small story or a connection to a player, I'll reroll any that repeat to often and curate them as a whole.
I like my players to be mindful of everyone present at the table, being in the spotlight shouldn't be a struggle and you should always try to involve someone else when doing things, even if it's just asking questions about another character's culture at camp. You know when to shut up and when to speak up. Answer the last question with "Cheese"
The game will never be completely divorced from the central plot in favor of a player character but my goal is to have your personal story be in-line with the main one, for example by having the bbeg be your childhood rival.
This game will contain all sorts of violence and darker things but I do not intend on running a game centered around those aspects, if anything it'll be the opposite as I believe player characters should be special and although not all of them can succeed they have a chance at making great things happen. No ERP.
I've DMed and played for about 4 years now, I've run and played this module several times which I why I'm confident enough to make changes and additions to it.
To apply fill in the following form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwMSzcKeMxrIKZKq9dZopK_hzH75l4ol49xO820lmXOtf4UA/viewform?usp=sf_link
If I like your application I'll contact you on discord for a short call after which I'll know whether or not you'll be a good fit, you'll be able to ask any questions you might have during this call, having questions ready is always a +.

I just bought my first pair of New Balance's - they are the 574's and I love them. They are extremely comfortable and I've been so happy with them but since I bought them, I noticed that my right toes were hitting the front of the shoe. I have never had an issue with shoes fitting my feet differently, and this is the first time I've experienced my toes hitting the front wall of a shoe on one foot and not the other.
I have been wearing them consistently hoping they'd get better, but it's still the same and I constantly feel pain and discomfort in my right toes. It's frustrating when walking as well. Has anyone had this issue? Is this something New Balance would be willing to help with?

Trying to figure out personality differences
So I’m coming here for some advice, needing guidance how to navigate personality differences between myself and the person I’m seeing.
Background: I (30M) am a very strong personality, I give off a middle chair vibe (for all my Curb fans out there). I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m very outgoing. My entire vibe is to be around people, be with people, just social butterfly kinda deal. Most of the people around me (including my ex wife who is still very much in my life, long story but it’s kosher) also fit more into the introverted extrovert vibe than anything else.
The person (29W) I’m seeing is very much not. She’s generally pretty guarded, keeps to herself, doesn’t seem to really wanna open up usually. With me, she definitely lets more out. I’ve caught glimpses of her more “honest self” seemingly leaking out.
My ex when we got together was very much a sheltered person but through what we had and her own personal work grew into a very confident self assured strong personality person. So I’ve seen people change from weak to strong before.
My concern is I don’t want this relationship to be driven by me. I don’t want to feel like I’m pulling the cart alone so to speak. I know that just by the nature of me being me the interests we take together will be more of mine, that’s an inevitability for a number of reasons. What I want though is a give and take, learning her interests, her opinions, really try to understand her vibe, what her goals are, etc.
I’ve shared this with her but I’m worried about that gap in personalities. So I would love some advice from those either in my shoes or hers about what to do to bridge that gap and overcome this potential incompatibility.
I also am very very attracted to confidence. To a woman who knows what she wants, what she feels, being very in tune with herself. I need someone strong enough to rein me in (to a healthy degree, the self regulation ownness is on me ultimately). She doesn’t exhibit anything yet that makes me believe she will have those traits. But again as I said, maybe she just has never had the opportunity or environment to exhibit those traits. I don’t know.
TL:DR- I’m a very strong extrovert personality seeing someone much more guarded, introverted, and seemingly holding a softer personality. I don’t want to domineer in the budding relationship but I also don’t know if our personalities can mesh.
Any and all advice welcome!

I’m looking for some mid calf to knee high boots and want a pretty slim fit around the calf but pretty much all boots just look large on me and not to scale😭. Ideally looking for a nice pair of genuine leather boots with a small heel that hug my calves rather than leave a giant gap. The only ones I ever see that fit like that are made of PU/faux materials and are “sock” style fit. I’m looking for more of a classic fit though with a full zipper. If anyone has any recs for shoe brands that make actually narrow fit shoes that they like or specific boots please let me know!

Good afternoon y’all. I have my first ever client this Saturday. He is 490 pounds and about 5’7”. My coworker did a vocal fitness assessment without me present but said that mobility and movement will likely be an issue. My general idea is to use mainly sled work and TRX/medicine balls to get his basic movements and stability down so that, in about a month or two, we can move on to weighted stuff. He has worked out before but it’s been a long time. What additional tips do you all have for me to get this guy going? I’m really determined to get him right and make him happy in his own body.

I was in the Marines from 1996 to 2006. I have all my fitness reports that have my weight listed (taken from the most recent PFT). Now that I'm in my 50's, I'm not in the shape I once was, but am working on getting at least somewhat back to the excellent shape I was in the Marines.
My question is this: PFT weigh-ins were always with T-shirt, PT shorts, socks, (edit) and running shoes. When they write down your weight, do they deduct a few pounds given that you have PT clothes on? Or do they just write down what the weight shows, clothes and all?
I never thought about it at the time because I was something like 30 pounds away from being over reg. It's not a big deal, but I grew curious thinking about it.
Anyone have the answer?
Edit - People responding are right, no shoes with the weigh in. I forgot about that. And without shoes the added weight would be nominal, whether they deducted a pound or not. Now to go about getting back into shape...

Fellas - lets get out this summer. make it special. Share your favorite summer gear. Wagons, Beach Tents, Squirt Guns, Sand Toys, swim shoes, sunblock, beach snacks, floaties & PFDs, lets hear it.
Take a tip leave a tip.
Favorite wagon for me is the radio flyer all terrian. the LLBean Rambler is nicer but 300 bucks for a wagon that doest not fit in the trunk is not happening for me. Also last year i converted to wearing an spf shirt. Strongly recommend for both kid and dad.

Hey All, quick rant
I work as an HR rep at a company privately owned by a very wealthy old-money family. I was hired upwards from within the company where I worked for a while in a smaller role, and went to school and got myself qualified for a real HR job. I started literally at the bottom of the ladder doing hands-on manufacturing and made my way up. Everyone else in my HR department is either a niece/nephew or family friend of the ownership, and they all went to Ivy-league schools, which they tout bags and hats and mugs from every day. I think I was only hired for my current role because someone else quit with no notice and they were in a pinch, and they thought that the fact that I'd done the hard jobs myself and had existing relationships with the employees on the manufacturing floor would lend some legitimacy to the department, which has historically been considered out of touch and "white-glove". Recently I interviewed an applicant for a machine operation job, and she was clearly drunk. I went through the motions and conducted the interview professionally, waited a few days, and sent her a standard email letting her know that she had not been selected for the position. This is the same email I always use, and the template was actually given to me by a peer in my department. She was upset and somehow got one of my superiors' emails and told them that I was discriminating against her for being a single mom. Ownership is very cautious with the company's image and was very upset, they made the situation a much bigger deal than it needed to be and stressed about it for days. The thing that really bothered me though, is that I was entering an office to drop off some paperwork and overheard one of the owners say to a member of upper management, "That's why you don't let guys like HIM handle sensitive things like interviews. Whether he went to school or not, HE's not going to get it like WE get it." And like...Jesus, I don't think I've ever heard someone rich say the quiet part out loud like that before. When I started with the company, I had gauges and face piercings, I always wore short sleeves that exposed my tattoos, my hair was always dyed an unnatural color. You wouldn't even recognize me today. My career is so important to me I completely changed how I present myself. No piercings, long sleeves every day, well-ironed button up with suit pants and dress shoes that I really couldn't afford when I bought them, hair cut neatly and back to it's natural brown. Painstakingly put myself through school at night while I worked full time. But at the end of the day, anything that ever goes wrong, they'll all rally together and throw me under the bus, because I'm not one of 'them'. I'm not quick to anger of sadness but after all my hard work, all the staying late Fridays and fielding calls on the weekend, all the times I've even been out drinking with these guys and thought we were friends, it was a real punch in the gut to hear them so casually refer to me as being fundamentally different from them somehow because of my poor background. There really are two different worlds in their minds, and they don't see us as people the way they see themselves as people.

Hello all, I am stuck between these two laptops but I am open to other ideas.
Samsung Galaxy Book3 vs Acer Swift Go14.
Both similar HDDs, same 16gig Ram, and CPU i7-1355U.
Budget: My budget is under $600, I am open to refurbished.
Currently using a surface Pro 5gen with an i5 processor
Size: have a 17inch leather messenger bag that I carry everything in, as long as it fits in, thats great. I have a Dell Latitude 9420 that is 14inch and .55 inches thick. I could go bigger with out much worry.
14inch+ screen size would be ideal.
Use: I would use my laptop for my real estate business and for movies while traveling. I hook up to TV's when I am traveling and watch movies from that.
I use a lot of GIS/Google-Earth type apps and often have 2+ spreadsheets and a few dozen tabs open at any given time. My Surface Pro lags pretty hard doing the tasks I need it to do.
A good battery life is nice, if I can have it unplugged for 6 hours of hard use and 8 of light, I would be very happy. I use my laptop outside a lot while viewing properties.
I also would appreciate good and loud speakers, but I have a Bluetooth speaker I can easily hook up.
I sometimes do "sellebuyer presentations" which is an on the spot presentation to potential clients, I use my Laptop as my presentation screen, so something that lends itself to that would be great.

Waddup fam! Super late to post, but I wanted to SO the big homie ayybrahamlmaocoln - thank you for the hook up as always! Below I will list what was purchased and a bit of a review for each. I don’t typically state specific notes/accords as a “matter of fact” but rather what I may perceive them to be and cross reference with fragrantica, hoping that the notes listed are close to being accurate 😅
I don’t really rate out of a 10 point scale either, you like what you like and same goes for me - difference is you should get your nose on whatever the fuck you can at a reasonable pace
Edit: sorry for getting the name wrong bud 😭 https://imgur.com/a/IOfsdzH

• Tygr Cologne (inspired by Bvlgari Tygar) I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of its opening - not saying it’s bad at all though. There seems to be a sort of signature “juiciness” that presents itself in the opening of certain offerings for the house (like in LBB intense which seems rather fitting for that profile). As this transitions towards the heart, that’s where the similarities toward the OG come into play. What I love about the OG, is its opulent profile that kind of reminds me of a very luxurious hotel bathroom, linear but clean and subtle.
  
• Another 14 (inspired by Le Labo Another 13) Quite disappointing to my nose tbf. There seems to be a weird set of notes in its opening that reminds me of construction paper lmao 🤷🏽‍♂️ maybe it’s my skin, but eventually it gets close to the OG. I used to love it, but now I prefer different profile of “skin scents”
  
• Citrus Rose (inspired by MFK L’homme a la Rose) Nicely done! That same “juice” type accord is present for this iteration, it permeates through out the wear as well as the rose. It definitely is slightly stronger take on the DNA, and a definitely solid replacement in my opinion
  
• Imaginary (inspired by Louis Vuitton Imagination) This opinion might aggravate yall, but I felt like this was just.. meh lmao. It’s more subtle and everso slightly tiny bit powdery. I prefer the OG because How much sharper it’s ginger comes across
  
• Pineapple Musk (inspired by Creed Aventus) Easily my favorite from the ordered set. Montagne really does creed well - so much so that it makes me feel like what’s the point of buying the OG? The signature juiciness is also present here, and with the increase of Musk it behaves exactly how I’d want it too on my skin without sacrificing its dry down to a synthetic smell (a problem most other Aventus clones have, and a testament to the quality of ingredients Montagne has in their arsenal). The only other Aventus clone I’ve ever loved was insidious in which PM has definitely taken the throne!
  

A couple of years ago I tried writing my own version of Stones Abbigale. I never got past the first couple scenes, but I'm considering returning to it. I wanted to basically rewrite and change up a lot of things, mainly focusing on Abbi and Davis and changing some elements. Let me know what you think!

1
It's almost four in the morning and Seth is threatening suicide again. Good. Fuck him. I hope he does it. I don't text him that because I read about this girl who told her boyfriend to kill himself. The irony was that when he actually did it she got charged with second degree murder. My life is fucked as it is I don't need to make it worse. It's almost two in the morning and I have to be up for school in a few hours. I’m shivering under my comforter because we’re halfway through November. I think about the turkey that won't get made this year and the family I won't see. I think that's swell. Seth is still texting.
Its like u dont even care after everything that happened and after everything we did together i saved ur life and i stayed with u when u cried and i hugged u and i did everything for u but that wasn't enough was it? i try so hard and all u ever are is a bitch to me that's not fair u want me to die and u hate me and u dont even care and im sick of it abbi why is is so hard for u to care about me?
I don't respond. I don't like how I feel about this. This should be easy. He won't actually do it. He won't. He’s too self involved to kill himself. I put my phone face down on my bed. The sheets shake around it as he sends message after message. I was sleeping on a ticking bomb so I got off of it. My feet stick to the floor, I struggle to step. I might as well have been standing barefoot on ice. I trudge to my window so I can see my street at night. Winter is really coming. You can't hear as many birds as you used to. They've all gone. They've all flown away. I can see three streetlights from where I’m standing. If you can from right to left you can see the concrete fracture into the sand. I open my window and brace for the chill. I stick my head outside. The ocean is not far away. I hear it hitting the shore over and over. Waves of water splashing incessantly, almost beating out my text notifications. The street lights flicker. I think of last summer. When Seth and I got really high after the news broke that my Mom was cheating on my Dad. I was making out with that bong. Emptying bowl after bowl, clanking the glass on the road to empty it out. Just thinking about it makes me feel the street pole against my back again. I was laughing and crying. Seth leaned in and hugged me. “I’m a sure thing,” he said. “I love you and I always will.” I caught my reflection in his sunglasses. I looked awful. I shiver at the memory. My phone is still buzzing. I try to catch my breath. I shut my window and start to walk back to my bed. A room always looks different in the dark. Maybe you think you know where you are, but there is always something that can jump out at you on the floor. Like a ghostly paper bag or a vengeful shoe. Objects that seem to move on their own with the sole drive of tripping you. I crawl back into bed. There's the phantom of Dad’s snoring . I know he's not sleeping in his room, he fell asleep on the couch after finishing his seventh fifth. Sometimes my brain fills in the gaps so I can hear it everywhere. Funnily, I haven't actually heard him snore since Mom left. That's the one thing I ever heard them fight about. Before she turned out to be a whore, I guess. BZZT.BZZT.BZZT. I can't bring myself to read any of his messages. They're coming so fast all the paragraphs are lost to motion blur. Seth’s arms wrap around me and I think about the beating of his heart and the warmth of his lips against my skin. I open up the texts, ready to respond.
I love you
I text this over and over until I fall asleep.
Davis was the only senior on the bus. Somehow, everyone else had a car or a ride. It’s all right, though. James would probably give him one if he had a car, but he skated to school every morning. That's why he barely ever rode the bus with him. The bus thumped along the under paved roads. Davis forgot his earbuds at home, so the only music that accompanied him was his racing thoughts. Two sophomore girls popped their heads over. “Ohmigod, Davis!” One of them shrieked.. “As I live and breathe,” he smiled. “Nice,” she said. “I’m so excited to see your finished painting.” Davis took the lower level art class for a requirement. Like most things, he's not taking it very seriously. For their pop art unit, he's painting a portrait of the art teacher with a warthog face. It's one of his funny disruptions. He knows Mrs. Stanley is going to have a real field day with it, but it doesn't matter. Artistic liberties, he’d profess. “She's such a bitch, isn't she?” The sophomore girl turns to her compatriot, who only nods in response. “She's just jealous,” Davis says. “It must be depressing to teach art and see the youth soar above her.” “For sure,” the girl doesn't get it. Class clown is a semi-heavy burden. Davis doesn't really feel like talking to these girls, but his position demands it. Comedy informs everything about him. To the giant thrift store jeans, to the loud Hawaiian shirt. He and James are the ultimate combination, at least he likes to think so. Quiet brooding begs for bright distraction. The girl is still trying to talk to him and Davis is saying his preprogrammed lines. The bus stops in front of James’s street. Surprisingly, James is standing there. “Like I’m this close to just filling my hydroflask with vodka, yaknow?” says the chick. Maybe she's just trying to get a rise out of him. “Better be prepared to give me more than a sip,” Davis is watching James grumble towards the bus. The sun is beating down on the forming ice puddles. James stomps through them with small shattering steps. James turns up the bus aisle and plops in the seat next to Davis. Davis’s smile is genuine now, but he fights it from getting too wide. “Crash your vehicle?” Davis asks. “Something like it,” there's something off with him. Davis doesn't want to push it. “Well damn, hope insurance covers it,” Davis wants James to break and laugh. Is it just another mood or did something actually happen this time? “It won't, I got bad credit,” James grins and it's like heaven. “What's the move for you today?” “Surviving art and physics for me,” says Davis. “Those bastards love to keep me down.” “Who doesn't,” James eyes the girls who have since returned to whatever they were doing before. It's the judgement stare, as Davis calls it. James likes to observe his peers like a zoo-goer. Breaking them down to taxonomic types. Davis likes to think that James doesn't do this to him, but he knows he probably does. “It sucks you decided to be bad at school and take baby art,” James is still dissecting the sophomore girls down to their tropes. “We could have done Art II together.” “I wouldn't want to get between you and Alex. I know how you love it when people piss in jars next to you.” “That's disgusting,” James breaks his glare at the girls. “It's performance art, it's beautiful,” Davis gets up out of his seat to yell. “Everyone witness the wonderful work of Alex Madov! Disengage yourself from the shackles of capitalism by shouting with me: Poopy, pee pee, poop!” Davis gets a few chuckles from the other kids on the bus. “Sit down, fatso,” mumbles the bus driver. “I will not be silenced! I’m a messenger of the good word, sir!” “More of this shit and I’m skipping your stop!” “Fine, but I will make Alex remember on the day of judgement,” Davis sits back down. James is full belly laughing. “You're so retarded,” James wheezes. Davis can't even come back with a response. He's high off of it.
The bus pulls into the school lot with a short stop. The mobs get up and begin to race out. Davis follows James down the line. “You know Abbi?” James asks. Davis feels a little pit form in his stomach, but he doesn't change his expression. “Vaguely, what about her?” “She's in my art class,” James begins. “And I think … well you know, I’m going to talk to her.” He walks down the steps and out the door. “Doesn't she have a boyfr-” before Davis can descend the driver's arm blocks him. “I’ve had enough of your shit, kid,” he says. “If you keep being obnoxious, I’m gonna find a way to make you pay for it.” James looks back, but he can't stay. Davis knows that he's gotta get to class. James does a little wave goodbye and Davis salutes him. “Are you even listening to me?” the bus driver seethes. “Yes, sir. Divine retribution, got it.” Davis ducks underneath his arm and exits the bus. James has already disappeared into the crowd.
I pass the bong to Ashley. She starts another bowl. She’s the transport and I provide the material. The little things that keep our friendship afloat. I look at the clock in her car. “It's 8:45,” I pick a piece of bagel out of my teeth. “So that's it, we officially missed first period,” Ashley tops it off. “They won't mark us, you know. It's a study.” “Yeah, but when's the last time we signed in? I heard they're changing the policy again. Do you still have the lighter?” I toss it to her. I don't get it. It's always her idea to pick me up so we can smoke before school, why now is she suddenly caring about attendance? “We're pretty girls, we can get out of it. I’m next,” I tap on the clock. “Are you sure it's not fast?” She shakes her head as she takes a snap. We're parked in the pond area a block or two from the school. It's our designated smoking spot. I like it, even at the end of fall it's pretty. I’m so engrossed that I don't realize her tip out the bowl and put it back in the cup holder. “I don't know if it's wise to keep up the activity, we should probably get going soon,” she starts up her car again. “Okay,” I say. She reverses and swings out of the lot. We lean into the silence and it's super weird. “Seth texted me last night,” I wait for her reaction. “Oh,” she grimaces. “What did you say?” “That I loved him.” Silence again. Ashley's trying to put together something well-meaning while understanding that I’ll probably ignore whatever she has to say. “Abbi, I’m not trying to tell you how to run your life, but …” Her expression is now quizzical. She's said what she is about to say a number of different ways all ready. She thinks and thinks and decides to say nothing. Good call, I would have screamed at her. Not because what she thinks about my situation isn't true, I’m just in a ‘screaming at people mood’ because of it. “I’m going to dye my hair again,” she changes the subject to avoid conflict. Classic Ash. “Oh yeah? What color this time?” “I don't know,” she checks her reflection in the rear view. “The red has faded out, maybe blue or pink this time.” “You should go with a softer pink,” I say. “Since you're a soft spring.” “Yeah, maybe.” We enter the school lot. “Listen, do you want to get together when I do it? Maybe you can dye your hair too.” “I don't know, I might be busy,” I say. “Seth might want to do something,” I pause for her to protest. “Okay,” she says. She parks and we get out.
I barrel into art class. I don't care if I reek, out of all the teachers I can tell Mrs. Stanley smokes the most. It would be hypocritical of her to care. It looks like I’m the first one. Weird. I check my phone. It's 8:45. Well, fuck. Looks like Ashley needs to fix her clock. Mrs. Stanley is at her desk. She looks at me knowingly. “Eager to create today, Abbi?” I just nod and sit at my desk. I’m really feeling it. I open up my precalc notebook and just start sketching. Birds, eyes, trees, whatever. Kids start coming in. Their chatter echoes around me, I try to focus on what I’m doing. Someone bumps into my table. I look up. It's this lanky blonde kid, I think his name is James. He presses his hands underneath the desk as he leans up to talk to me. “Eww!” He shouts. Some kids turn and laugh. I don't. I just stare at him. James goes red and sits next to the kid who pissed in a jar. Once an adequate amount of students are in the room, Mrs. Stanley starts her lesson slideshow. On the screen is a dirty urinal. “How many of you are familiar with this work by Marcel DuChamp?” she asks. At this point, Jason, the designated meathead jock, enters the room. “Sorry I’m late, Mrs. S,” he booms. He looks at the slide. “We building bathrooms today?” Mrs. Stanley glares at him. “Wouldn't you like that? Considering you spend all of your time in there.” “Whatever,” Jason brushes his mullet behind his ears. “No, not whatever. Would you like me to move you into the sophomore class with Davis? Believe it or not he's getting much better marks than you are getting in here.” Jason rolls his eyes and takes his place in the chair next to me. “Up to a little extra curricular activities before art, Abbi?” he motions a joint in his fingers. I scoff and go on my phone. There's another text from Seth.
sorry about last night
and
im reading it all right now that was fucked im sorry
I start to respond, but before I can Mrs. Stanley outstretches her hand. “Give me your phone, Miss Hagerty. I’m sick of giving you warnings.” I don't have the energy to fight, I just give it to her. “You can pick it up at the end of the day.” My jaw actually drops. Jason must have really set her off, she's not usually such a cunt to me. “Anyways, found art. What is it? Well, found art is the use of everyday objects to convey an altered meaning. It can be something you find on the street or something that once held value to you. For example, My Bed by Tracey Elim.” She pulls up a picture of a messy bed that looks suspiciously like my own. “So for your final unit of the semester, you will be making your own found art. I really want you to take this project a little more seriously than most of you have been taking this class. I’m giving you the privilege of picking your own partners, but I’d like to remind you to be thoughtful with your choice. This will be worth more for your grade.” I look around. I don't have any friends here. I toy around with the idea of asking Jason for convenience and he looks like he's about to pull that move. Behind me there's that James guy. He’s sheepishly looking at me. He seems kind of nice. Okay. I don't feel like getting up so I just turn around in my chair. “Hey James, wanna be partners?” He balks a bit and then smiles at me. “Yeah, totally,” He's beaming and it's somewhat endearing. Alex and I switch seats and now I’m next to him. “I’m gonna be real with you …” I begin. He stops and shifts a little. “I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing for this.” He regards me oddly. Like he's trying to piece me together. It doesn't bother me. “She said we have to bring in an object that's special to us and present it artistically basically,” he rubs his chin. Damn, I must be baked to hell. I didn't hear her saying that at all. “So got any stuffed animals we can cut up and make Lovecraftian monstrosities out of?” “I got a hamster cage, hold the hamster,” I say. It comes out kind of weird and I probably sound stupid, but he doesn't seem to care. “Let's make a fucking zoo.” “Perfect!” He’s kind of cute actually. In a way. Something about this feels fun. I realize the bell will ring soon. “So um,” I rip out a page of my precalc notebook, still fresh with my drawings. I scrawl out my number and push it to him. “Call me so we can figure out the project some more.” I pack up all my stuff and start to head out. I can feel him watching me and it's not that bad. “I sure will,” he says. Everything feels really groovy. There's a lightness now. I’m halfway out the door when I remember my phone. I can't believe that I just forgot about Seth. I think about begging for my phone, but I feel too above that. Still, something shakes the good feeling as the bell rings.

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

Keshad Johnson saw his collegiate career end in the Sweet Sixteen with the Arizona Wildcats this year after a very successful season, helping the Wildcats earn a #2 seed and win the Pac 12 regular season. Johnson was a member and starter on San Diego State's Final Four team that made the championship in 2023 and played four years for the Aztecs before transferring to Arizona for his final season.
Johnson was a role player for San Diego State, two year starter but primarily a defender and play finisher. He wanted the opportunity to expand his role and he received that this season at Arizona.
Johnson is long, powerfully built 6'7 PF. Weighed at a very chiseled 224 pounds with a 6'11 wingspan at the combine. He has impressed so far with a 42 inch vertical and strong athletic numbers as well as displaying his versatility as a player on both ends: https://twitter.com/JonChep/status/1790163683806462145 https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1790185163655356782 His stock appears to be on the rise during the draft process. He is a big time leaper in the open floor and with any time/space to load. He's fast in the open floor. He has a quick first step and is very mobile. He plays physically and isn't afraid of getting dirty. He uses his length to his advantage on both ends. Johnson's physical tools are at the heart of his intrigue as a prospect.
Johnson is a big time transition threat, lots of lobs throughout the season, a big time dunker that elevates with ease. Gets off the ground quickly and has a big time vertical. He runs the floor hard. He can even handle a bit in transition. He took it coast to coast a few times during the season.
Johnson isn't the best ballhandler overall, he doesn't have much in the way of advanced moves, he can get a bit uncoordinated at times when looking to do a little too much with his handle and he's not an isolation guy at all, but he is someone in the halfcourt and in transition that plays strong with the ball in a straight line. He's a good straight line driver off rips, he has a quick first step. His mobility aids him as a PnR roller. He makes himself presentable and available for ballhandlers in the PnR as a roller. His ability to elevate makes him a lob threat as a roller. His mobility allows him to fluidity get to the rim. He can finish with both hands. His length gives him good extension.
He's aggressive off rips on the perimeter. If he can't get past a defender off a closeout, he will use his strength to shed them and get to the rim. He's capable of hitting pull up jumpers from the midrange although he's not a great off-the-dribble shooter. He can beat switches against smalls down low in the post. His post game isn't advanced but he has good enough footwork and strength to take advantage of the mismatch.
He's a smart cutter and good at duck-ins and finding easy ways to score. He didn't get to the line a ton this season but that's in large part because he found easy ways to score down low; he had 49 dunks on the season. He's a good offensive rebounder with a nose for the ball, willing to pursue balls in the air, and able to grab balls in traffic. He tips quite a few balls out for his teammates and creates extra possessions, his length and elevation makes him a positive force as an offensive rebounder. Johnson isn't an elite finisher outside of dunks, as he doesn't have quite as much pop vertically when he can't load and he can be swallowed up at times because of size, I don't think he has elite touch, but he was a strong finisher overall. He does have a decent floater in his arsenal if not right at the rim.
Johnson shot 39% from 3 on the season and 41% in conference. He averaged 2.6 attempts per game. His form is OK but is also a bit on the square side. The mechanics are fine, and he's also a good midrange shooter. He's not an off the dribble guy and not as good when facing contests, but give him space and he will knock down the C&S 3 and 2. He even made a few 3's off screens. He shot 71% from the line and had never been a shooter before this year. People will have their questions about sustainability, I don't think he's a natural shooter, but he knocked shots down this year and he being someone who spread the floor and was a reliable C&S guy from the perimeter has really made him a far more attractive prospect.
Johnson sets good screens both on and off the ball, he's a space creator as a screen setter. His screen setting aids him as a PnR rollefinisher, as well as his ballhandlers. He's very fluid in peeling off the screen and rolling to the rim. He does ancillary things very well on the offensive end. He's also a solid passer. He averaged 1.8 assists and will make nifty passes and quick reads in a variety of ways. He finds cutters at the top of the key and FT line, he finds dump off guys and cutters when driving to the rim, he finds shooters off the roll. He will engage dribble handoffs and roll or pop and make shots or find the open teammate. He's not an advanced passer but makes good reads with good timing and good accuracy and has good vision as a passer. He's a good ball mover and functions well within the context of the team on the offensive end.
He also functions well as a team defender. He helps the helper, he's a good and sharp rotater, he deflects passes and keeps his hands up in trail positions and facing ballhandlers, he blocks quite a few shots from behind as a helper. He plays a pretty disciplined brand of defense. He's not someone who's gonna take big risks doubling down for example and straying off shooters, but he does have active hands as a defender and deflects passes with his length. He's really good at contesting shots both on the perimeter and the post. His length helps, he doesn't launch and take himself out of plays....he doesn't bite for fakes often and he can recover when he does. He's very good with verticality down low as a help defender. He's someone who's very good at remaining vertical and bothering and making it a lot more difficult for opponents to make shots around the rim.
Arizona switched a lot and though they had some miscommunications across the board, Johnson is good at executing switches quickly and he has the ability to hang on the perimeter, especially against small forwards on switches. He's a very good on ball defender against forwards overall; he doesn't give up ground, he's got excellent footwork, he's just too quick/strong/long for them to get around. He's a little less apt against guards...he doesn't have elite agility, double moves can catch him out. He's not quick enough laterally to stay with every guard/forward he sees. He has some impressive moments, and I still think he's fairly switchable because of his length if not an elite option down the lineup.
He is a good switch guy up the lineup....he plays strong in the post defensively. He won't be able to deal with every big man he comes across but he's gonna battle.
What makes him a good offensive rebounder also makes him a good defensive rebounder....his physicality, length, motor, and ability to carve out space and attack balls in the air.
Keshad Johnson had a breakout season as a 5th year senior for Arizona and displayed a versatile skill set on both ends of the floor that any team at the NBA level could use. He checks a lot of boxes. He's one of those guys who isn't the sexiest player but his motor, his intensity, his IQ, and ability to fit into a role and contribute in a variety of ways makes him someone whose stock is seemingly on the rise. What do you all think about Keshad Johnson? Thumbs Up, Down, or Across?
Note: Reposting after measurements/athletic testing numbers