Was wondering if anyone has had success/positive experience with a private care endo specialist in Scotland? I had an initial consultation with one which seemed promising only to find out after 2 months that he has essentially ghosted me as a patient. I've contacted another one at a different clinic in a different city via email and they never replied. I can't waste anymore time or money as I'm rapidly deteriorating both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to DM.

It was a kid/teen book about mermaids. It had some creepy/horror elements. In one of the books the main character is sold at a slave market. In another a hand reaches up from the ground and drags him under the sand or ocean floor where he discovers a city. The books are in norwegian although im 99.9% sure it was translated from english if that helps.

I won't disclose its actual location, so if that's why you're here, sorry to disappoint. It's not time for that yet. However, I do think it's time to start getting the word out. I've noticed an increase in what I'll call "Antennas" lately, or people who can detect cross-planar phase shifts. Without getting into all the math (some of which I don't even know), this is basically a phenomenon which refers to entropy seeping into our universe from other realms or universes or whatever you want to call it. Simply put, people think our universe is a closed system to entropy, meaning that the disorder of any variable in our universe can only increase or decrease in direct proportion to other variables in that same system (the universe). Under this precept, we can establish rules like the Laws of Thermodynamics, and for most people, they're effective. But not for Antennas.
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.

I won't disclose its actual location, so if that's why you're here, sorry to disappoint. It's not time for that yet. However, I do think it's time to start getting the word out. I've noticed an increase in what I'll call "Antennas" lately, or people who can detect cross-planar phase shifts. Without getting into all the math (some of which I don't even know), this is basically a phenomenon which refers to entropy seeping into our universe from other realms or universes or whatever you want to call it. Simply put, people think our universe is a closed system to entropy, meaning that the disorder of any variable in our universe can only increase or decrease in direct proportion to other variables in that same system (the universe). Under this precept, we can establish rules like the Laws of Thermodynamics, and for most people, they're effective. But not for Antennas.
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.

I am absolutely loving this game! It’s the city builder I have dreamed of and I can’t wait to see what gets added to it. I would love so many more buildings, plenty for different occupations but also more community ones like the church so we can have something for everyone to do.
But the main thing I hope gets added is water! Whether it’s lakes or rivers or oceans. Having fishing in the game would be awesome, it would also be a cool thing to specialise in trade and there could even be more trade routes opened through sailing. I also just aesthetically love making coastal cities.

Gonna do the students by club, now

Sakyu Basu

Sakyu and Inkyu are some of my least favorite names, mostly because they're two of the few students with translated word names that haven't gotten a retconned name. I would name Sakyu, Serera Gouma: 精 (sei) meaning spirit or essence, 霊 (rei) meaning soul or mystic power, 姫 meaning princess, 降 (goh) meaning to fall or descend, 魔 (ma) meaning demon or evil spirit. Leaning hard into the "they're supernatural beings" angle here

Inkyu Basu

Kiyoko Gouma: 精 meaning spirit or essence, 子 (ko) meaning child or junior, 降 (goh) meaning to fall or descned, 魔 (ma) meaning demon or evil spirit. I chose a -ko name for her because she's the younger of the sisters

Kuu Dere Kumi Deruma

Kumi is such a cute name, but Deruma isn't a name that I can find. So Kumi Demaru: 紅 (ku) meaning crimson, 海 (mi) meaning ocean, 出 (de) meaning exit or leave, 丸 (maru) meaning round or circle. 紅 is meant to reference her red eyes while 海 is for her blue hair. Her last name was just something close-ish to her canon real surname

Horuda Puresu Horuda Umetsu

Umetsu is a real last name, but none of the spellings have much to do with her character. And Horuda Puresu is "place holder" pronounced in Japanese and flipped around. I named her Satsuki Sabishiro: 花 meaning flower, 咲 meaning to bloom or blossom, 淋 (sabi) meaning loneliness or desolation, 代 (shiro) meaning replace or era. Real talk, I know that's a valid spelling of Satsuki but I don't get how the characters are meant to be read. Anyways, Satsuki refers to a type of azalea flower that symbolize fragility, appropriate for the only "fragile" student

Kyuji Konogawa

His name is actually just fine! Though I would romanize it as Kyuuji Konokawa: 久 (kyu) meaning long time or cherished, 示 (ji) meaning to demonstrate or instruct, 此 (kono) meaning this one, 川 (kawa) meaning river. 示 was chosen because the player instructs him on how to talk to Osana

Otohiko Meichi

Another good name! YanDev got better at naming as time went on, so a lot of the most recent characters have good names. But I would write it 乙 (oto) meaning second or duplicate, 彦 (hiko) meaning young man, 米 (me) meaning rice, 地 (chi) meaning ground

Hazu Kashibuchi

Hazu isn't a name by itself. I would change it to Hazuki Kashibuchi: 蓮 (hazu) meaning water lily or lotus, 貴 (ki) meaning valuable or noble rank, 柏 (kashiwa) meaning oak tree, 淵 (fuchi) meaning deep pool or abyss. He could still be nicknamed Hazu-kun, though

Toga Tobara

His name is fine as is. I'd write it 都 (to) meaning city or capital, 雅 (ga) meaning elegant or proper, 都 (to) again, 原 (hara) meaning origin or source.

Raibaru Fumetsu

Neither of these are real names. Raibaru is the english word rival and fumetsu means something like indestructible or immortal. I'd rename her Akira Muteki: 愛 (ai) meaning love or affection, 力 (riki) meaning strength or power, 来 (rai) meaning to arrive, 無 (mu) meaning nothing or zero, 敵 (teki) meaning rival or adversary. 力 and 敵 are obviously meant to reference her strength and her origin as Rival-chan, repectively, and 来 is because we all waited for her (and Osana's) arrival to the game.

Hey folks, forget about my usual questions and problems, I've got a wild solution for you today😅. How about we embark on a journey to form and build a city in Somalia free of qabil influence and qabyaalad? I know, I know, it sounds like a plot of a comedy movie, but hear me out.
Imagine a city where clan affiliations are a thing of the past, where people are judged not by their qabil, but by their contributions to society. It may seem like a far-fetched idea but don't you think it's time to think outside the box? 🤔
Picture this: streets bustling with a collective identity that transcends clan lines. Only individuals who refrain from qabyaalad and embrace a vision of cooperation would be welcome in this city.
And let's not forget the location, a place far away from arid areas and nestled close to the ocean so we can spend our days soaking up the sun and surfing the waves haha!
Now, I know what you're thinking this idea is silly but remember, we're talking about a country where qabil has caused more drama than a soap opera!!
Lastly, building such a city would be no small feat but hey, stranger things have happened, right?
So, what do you say? Do any of you entertain this whimsical idea?🤷‍♂️😂
Ah! Forgot to add this; we shall liberate the other states from these shackles in the future✌🏽😁

Just wanted to here if anyone here has tried Ketamine therapy and had success. There seems to be quite. Few clinics in our city and within driving distance if our home.
I hate seeing my partner live the way she has for so long. I am considering giving her enough money for the recommended 6 infusions over the course of a month or two so that it hopefully helps propel her forward.
We will also be starting couples therapy soon with her CPTSD therapist.
I just need some hope I guess. To know I'm not just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Seems like a perfectly viable option for us and I'm hoping it brings us closer and helps relieve her symptoms. Maybe it'll give her new outlook on life. I know it doesn't erase the years of pain, but I'd like to here anyones experience.

Our footsteps were the questions echoing in the dark. Across effortless bridges spanning black nothing, through the porticos and cathedrals that could hold cities in their hearts, wreathed by carvings that would have taken a legion of masons countless lifetimes. We interlopers prodded the dimness, trespassers and pilgrims at once.
Who were you, Great Ones? Why shun the light that reigned over the world, for the darkness and the damp? The words we spoke, hushed and small, ran away into the belly of silenced grandeur, too afraid to be heard by ghosts who once had mounted so much glory.
We looked down into the waters, seas that were still without the moon to tide them, and dark without the sun to light them. The sunless oceans that poured through vestibules, thundered across cisterns and aqueducts like rivers made not by old, reckless, blind chance, but willful hands. Our wonder kissed their chilly surface, but the seas did not answer, and held the secrets of vanished masters.
Atop spires that contemplated ceilings made from every age of the old, old earth, and down into vaults that were warm with fire just beneath their polished floors; we wept quiet tears, breathed air that once supplied only the purest lungs.
We slipped warm, nascent hands over onyx seams. What became of you, Great Ones? Where have you gone, and will you come again? Through the mist and the strata we wandered, pilgrims all, looking for the bygone-gods beyond every turn.

TLDR: Below average stay at the Mission Pacific Hotel.
Stay was between Sunday (May 12) through Tuesday (May 14). Checkin was easy, room wasn’t quite ready when I came at 4 PM, but they were nice enough to comp me $50 worth of drinks (2h) at the rooftop bar while I waited for my room. Wait was only for 10 minutes so I basically got free drinks.
I used a SUA and received the Dream Scape Suite. Beautiful room, very spacious, and an amazing view of the ocean and pier. Nothing really to complain about the room.
Here’s where the issues come in. There was construction throughout my stay and it was right above my hotel room. I wouldn’t have minded if it started and ended at a reasonable time. Monday and Tuesday construction started at 7-8 AM and ended latest as 7 PM. Nobody really wants to wake up to power tools on vacation, and I did make note of that to the hotel staff and managers. They didn’t offer me any solution until 6 PM Monday, where they offered to move me to the Bohemian Suite for the night which I declined since I didn’t want to be hassled with packing everything up just to do it again Tuesday morning. I would’ve taken their offer had I known they told me the construction would’ve began again at 7 AM.
Also there was a conference at the hotel, which did not affect me in anyway besides the pool being closed from 2-8 which guests were allowed to go across the street to the sister property to use their amenities. However, the hot tub wasn’t working which was a bummer.
I didn’t get a call until the morning where I was supposed to leave. They offered me 20k points for my trouble,but I just wish that they would’ve been more proactive in the construction noise rather than reacting until after the damage had been done. Hot tub situation didn’t really bother me all too much, but I could see how others would’ve been PO’ed.
Last Note: the parking situation for non globalists is awful. In order to not get a parking ticket you have to repurchase a pass at midnight every night. Not the hotel fault since it’s a city thing but just making note for those who aren’t on the globalist level and don’t want to spend $50 a night on valet.
I’d love to try and stay again since it is such a beautiful property. Is 20k points comp standard for this situation? Should I have asked for more or expected less? I know they probably aren’t obligated to give me anything so that’s why it was still nice for them to offer.

I am looking to make a list of volunteers and organizations that are fighting for Beverage Container Deposit Systems (Bottle Bills) in the United States. I'm looking to set up a group so we can learn from each other. I have Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland and North Carolina and the City of New Orleans already. Any other organizations or private groups organizing?

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• THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE

 
   
   
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$

• Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Western Press
• Kholat
• 140
• MirrorMoon EP
• Contraption Maker
• Air Guardians
• Gentlemen!
• Gravity Badgers
• Ignite
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• McGuffin Curse
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars

5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
   
10$
Game deslisted from Steam

• Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition + DLC Europe + France + UK + Asia + India + Nordic + USA 1910 + Switzerland

   
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
   

• 140
• 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
• A Juggler's Tale
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Air Guardians
• Akane the Kunoichi
• Axis Game Factory
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
• Blob From Space
• Clickr
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Conan Chop Chop
• Contraption Maker
• Dark Raid
• Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
• Death Track: Resurrection
• Demolition Master 3D
• Depths of Fear: Knossos
• Divekick
• Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
• Dock Clock
• Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
• dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
• Dynamite Jack
• Endorlight
• Evan's Remains
• Faces of War
• Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
• Fun with Ragdolls
• Fury Unleashed
• Game Corp DX
• Gentlemen
• Girls Like Robots
• Gravity Badgers
• Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
• Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
• Heileen 1: Sail Away
• Humanity Asset
• Ignite
• Into the Void
• Kholat
• Kingdom Elemental
• Love Letter
• MacGuffin's Curse
• Mayhem Intergalactic
• Memories of a Vagabond
• Metrocide
• Millennium: A New Hope
• MirrorMoon EP
• N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
• Nether: Resurrected
• Nightsky
• Ocean City Racing
• Out of Reach
• Particulars
• Party of Sin
• POSTAL 2
• Praetorians
• Random Access Murder
• Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
• Reflex
• Relicta
• Retimed
• Rover Mechanic Simulator
• SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
• Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
• Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
• Shelter 2
• Shoppe Keep
• shutshimi
• Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
• Size Matters
• SOL Exodus
• Space Trader: Merchant Marine
• Spirits
• Splendor
• STANDBY
• STCC II DLC for Race07
• Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
• Still There
• Stonerid
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Super 3-D Noah's Ark
• Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
• Sweezy Gunner
• Symphony
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
• The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
• The Wild Eight
• THOTH
• ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
• TIMEframe
• Total Pro Golf 3
• Uriels Chasm
• Valfaris
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
• Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
• Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
• Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
• Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
• Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
• Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
• Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

   
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$

• The Red Lantern
• OTXO
• Rebel Inc: Escalation
• Kraken Academy
• Black Skylands
• Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
• Terraformers EU
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
• King Of The Castle
• Amanda the Adventurer
• Loddlenaut
• Steelrising

   

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  Want List

• Huntdown
• We Were Here Forever
• THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: LITTLE HOPE

 
   
   
SPECIAL PACK This 15 games for 1$

• Western Press Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Western Press
• Kholat
• 140
• MirrorMoon EP
• Contraption Maker
• Air Guardians
• Gentlemen!
• Gravity Badgers
• Ignite
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• McGuffin Curse
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars

5$ * Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair + a ton of DLC * DLC list here
   
10$
Game deslisted from Steam

• Ticket to Ride: Classic Edition + DLC Europe + France + UK + Asia + India + Nordic + USA 1910 + Switzerland

   
0.80$ each one
OFFER Buy 5 games of the this list for 3$
OFFER Buy 10 games of the this list for 4$
   

• 140
• 3079 – Block Action RPG FPS
• A Juggler's Tale
• Age of Steel: Recharge
• Air Guardians
• Akane the Kunoichi
• Axis Game Factory
• Battlesloths 2025: The Great Pizza Wars
• Blob From Space
• Clickr
• Combat Wings: Battle of Britain
• Conan Chop Chop
• Contraption Maker
• Dark Raid
• Dark Shadows - Army of Evil
• Death Track: Resurrection
• Demolition Master 3D
• Depths of Fear: Knossos
• Divekick
• Doc Clock: Toasted Sandwich of Time
• Dock Clock
• Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus
• dUpLicity ~Beyond the Lies~
• Dynamite Jack
• Endorlight
• Evan's Remains
• Faces of War
• Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
• Fun with Ragdolls
• Fury Unleashed
• Game Corp DX
• Gentlemen
• Girls Like Robots
• Gravity Badgers
• Haegemonia: Legions of Iron
• Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage
• Heileen 1: Sail Away
• Humanity Asset
• Ignite
• Into the Void
• Kholat
• Kingdom Elemental
• Love Letter
• MacGuffin's Curse
• Mayhem Intergalactic
• Memories of a Vagabond
• Metrocide
• Millennium: A New Hope
• MirrorMoon EP
• N.P.P.D. RUSH - The milk of Ultraviolet
• Nether: Resurrected
• Nightsky
• Ocean City Racing
• Out of Reach
• Particulars
• Party of Sin
• POSTAL 2
• Praetorians
• Random Access Murder
• Recovery Search & Rescue Simulation
• Reflex
• Relicta
• Retimed
• Rover Mechanic Simulator
• SanctuaryRPG: Black Edition
• Shadows: Price for Our Sins Bonus Edition
• Shark Attack Deathmatch 2
• Shelter 2
• Shoppe Keep
• shutshimi
• Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies
• Size Matters
• SOL Exodus
• Space Trader: Merchant Marine
• Spirits
• Splendor
• STANDBY
• STCC II DLC for Race07
• Steam Bandits Outpost Explorer Equipment
• Still There
• Stonerid
• Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones
• Super 3-D Noah's Ark
• Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
• Sweezy Gunner
• Symphony
• Tank Operations - European Campaign
• The Great Jitters: Pudding Panic
• The Uncertain: Last Quiet Day
• The Wild Eight
• THOTH
• ThreadSpace: Hyperbol
• TIMEframe
• Total Pro Golf 3
• Uriels Chasm
• Valfaris
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
• Western Press + Mk Cans II Character DLC
• Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge
• Destroyer: The U-Boat Hunter
• Cities: Skylines DLC - K-pop Station
• Cities: Skylines DLC - Airports
• Cities: Skylines DLC- JADIA Radio
• Cities: Skylines DLC - African Vibes
• Encased: A Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic RPG

   
1.75$
OFFER Buy 3 games of this second list for 4$

• The Red Lantern
• OTXO
• Rebel Inc: Escalation
• Kraken Academy
• Black Skylands
• Small World + Spider Web + Cursed + Royal Bonus
• Terraformers EU
• Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
• King Of The Castle
• Amanda the Adventurer
• Loddlenaut
• Steelrising

   

Im 25f and I feel like such a loser and waste of space. I still dont know what career I want to do. It's a very long story but I was born and raised in a cult, there I was raised to believe as a woman I would never have a job ever, I would just get married and have kids. Because of that I never developed any kind of work ethic or drive.
I escaped the cult at age 20 and the abuse I suffered has left me emotionally and socially stunted. I feel like I have no aspirations and no drive for a career. I desperately want to find that passion and KNOW what Im meant to do. From age 20-23 I worked at 2 vet clinics and a kitten rescue. The first 2 jobs I was fired from because I didnt learn fast enough. The rescue job I managed to keep for 2ish years but ended up quitting.I have ptsd and depression and at times it can make it very diificult to remain consistent with my work. I decided that field is just not for me.
I am currently my grandmas full time caregiver and I really enjoy it, but I have zero clue what I am going to do when she eventually passes away. What I do know anout myself is I enjoy taking acre of others and making them feel safe. Ive considered going into eldercare. Ive also considered early childhood education like at a daycare facility. But from everything Ive seen theres nowhere to gain experience working with children because everyone wants experience upon hiring.
I just feel completely lost. Everyone else around me my age has a career, house, kids and I have no clue what Im going to do. I feel like I was dealt an awful hand and I will always be behind everyone else. Im lost in an ocean..

This is a follow up to my previous post covering Wexland Trading Company. Here are some more faction ideas for high seas adventures in the Lucidian Ocean.
Wexland Trading Company (WTC) Several decades ago, some Wexlish nobles and merchants banded together to form WTC. Their pooled resources allowed for more bold business ventures and has led to tremendous success. To put it simply they are 1/3 resource extractors, 1/3 shipping company, and 1/3 mercenary company.
Power source: wealth
Rivals: The Marquises of the Clovis Concord (especially the southern cities), the Revelry
Allies: Dwendalian Empire, Menagerie Coast Merchants, Golden Chain
Specialties: lumber, furs, textiles
Current Operations:

• aid the Dwendalian war effort
• setting up resource colonies in the Shattered Teeth, Lushgut Forest, and several islands

The Wanderman Assembly Rival charter company to the WTC based in the Shattered Teeth. The assembly is a conglomerate of successful merchants and privateers from the archipelago colonies. They hold a near monopoly on trade into and out of the Shattered Teeth, but their grip is loosening as WTC heads south.
Power source: excellent fleet
Rivals: WTC, The Revelry
Allies: smugglers
Specialties: spices, rare spell components
Current Operations:

• maintain control of the Shattered Teeth's resources
• explore the vast sea east of Wildemount

The Myriad The Myriad is seeking to expand their operations and get a cut of the lucrative shipping business. They are infiltrating any and all maritime trade out of Wildemount. However, there is not a central leader of the Myriad currently so they have been plagued by infighting and rival groups making conflicting deals.
Power source: espionage, ruthless tactics
Rivals: Revelry, WTC
Allies: Clovis Concord
Specialties: mercenaries, smuggling, reconnaissance
Current Operations:

• make friends and get a cut of the trade markets
• provide a protection racket against the Revelry

The Revelry Loose confederacy of pirates who run roughshod over the Lucidian Ocean. Their largest settlement is the pirate city of Darktow. The Plank King dwells there but his title is mostly ceremonial. Pirate captains do as they wish when out at sea, but owe respect and patronage when at one of his ports.
Power source: intmidation, lawless freedom
Rivals: Clovis Concord, Iron Authority Pirates, The Myriad, WTC
Allies: anyone who can be bought
Specialties: piracy, smuggling
Current Operations:

• Dominate islands in the Lucidian Ocean
• Terrorize the Clovis Concord

Golden Chain Mercenary Company The very best mercenaries in the Lucidian Ocean belong to the Golden Chain. Their headquarters is in Port Damali and they travel wherever pay is good. WTC has expanded quickly by spending a fortune to hire the Golden Chain to work alongside their own mercenaries. It has been a fruitful alliance so far.
Power source: best mercenaries
Rivals: whoever stands in their way
Allies: WTC, the highest bidder
Specialties: mercenary work
Current Operations:

• dozens of open contracts with almost every faction

Iron Authority Pirates The Western waters of the Lucidian ocean are crowded with Marquesian merchant vessels and pirates of another kind, the Iron Authority. The goblinkin junk ships are a rare sight near the Menagerie Coast but they have become more bold as of late. They have taken some small western isles and now press into the waterways that belong to the Revelry.
Power source: fast ships, seasoned pirates
Rivals: Revelry, Clovis Concord
Allies: none
Specialties: piracy
Current Operations:

• strongarm merchant ships in the west
• take over the Revelry's domain

Some Extra Inspiration
Imho Wildemount works best as a renaissance fantasy setting, rather than medieval fantasy, for a lot of reasons... but one of the benefits is getting into an age of exploration and trade in the Lucidian Ocean. If you liked this and want to explore a pirate filled adventure or campaign check these out:

• Great Podcast about the East India Company
• Blogposts by Skerples about how to make a Pirate Wavecrawl Adventure
• Pirate Borg RPG

Hello Roanoke,
Norfolk, VA resident here who's really kind of tired of all the flatness in Hampton Roads. I'm in my mid-50s, both daughters have graduated from college, so nothing is really anchoring me here. I've spent two decades convincing myself that I love the ocean, but I find myself completely bored after 10 minutes in my beach chair.
I had never been to Roanoke until recently, when I "ran" the Blue Ridge Marathon and was super-impressed by the support of the local community. I extended my stay and loved browsing at Roanoke Mountain Adventures, lunching at the Green Goat, and listening to outdoor music at the little outdoor amphitheater near Black Dog Salvage.
I was so impressed by the outdoorsy, active feel of the community that I've impulsively decided to put a bid on a house in South Roanoke. I'm slightly concerned that there isn't a college or university in town, as I've always enjoyed life-long learning, but I'm hoping that the active, outdoor lifestyle will trump that missing piece.
I've read the "Moving to Roanoke" thread, which was great, but just hoping to see if anyone else who decided to up and move to your beautiful mountain city remains happy with that decision? Is it truly an active, outdoor community, or was the influx of marathon runners skewing my perceptions of the city?

Every week I post some DD on promising penny stocks that I have been watching and have interest in accumulating. I mainly do this because some people tend to find these posts useful, including me since I have discovered some solid companies from commenters suggestions, so ty. ( JAGX was actually recommended under my last post. So as always feel free to share some tickers you would like me to check out!
Jaguar Health, Inc. $JAGX
Market Cap: 80M
Company Overview:
Jaguar Health, Inc. specializes in developing and commercializing plant-based, sustainably-derived prescription medicines for gastrointestinal conditions in both humans and animals.
Investment Highlights:
Clinical Pipeline: Jaguar Health's lead product, Mytesi, is already FDA-approved and on the market, providing a reliable revenue stream. Beyond Mytesi, the company is advancing crofelemer in Phase 3 trials for several indications, including chemotherapy-induced diarrhea and rare gastrointestinal disorders. This broad clinical pipeline targets significant unmet medical needs, potentially leading to substantial market opportunities.
Strategic Subsidiaries Improving Reach and R&D: Jaguar Health is expanding its geographic reach and diversifying its research into additional therapeutic areas through its subsidiaries, Napo Pharmaceuticals and Napo Therapeutics. Napo Therapeutics is focused on European market penetration, particularly for orphan and rare diseases, which often benefit from favourable regulatory incentives.
Technology: The company’s use of plant-based compounds for gastrointestinal treatments sets it apart in the pharmaceutical industry. This niche focus on natural and sustainable sources could cater to a growing consumer preference for "greener" medical solutions.
Potential for Market Expansion: The company identifies a significant market potential for Mytesi in the U.S., estimated at approximately $50 million annually. Additionally, expanded indications for crofelemer could open further revenue streams in both human and animal health markets.
https://preview.redd.it/5u5p4lk5xt0d1.png?width=937&format=png&auto=webp&s=8cd1d73108893bb080f784797f403faddbd9051b
Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. $GDNSF $GDNS.CN
Market Cap: 92M
Company Overview:
Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc., is a cannabis company in the United States. It cultivates, manufactures, processes, and distributes medical and adult-use cannabis products. It operates a network of retail dispensaries under the Green Goods and other Goodness Growth brands in Maryland, Minnesota, and New York.
Investment Highlights:
Solid Revenue Growth: In Q1 2024, Goodness Growth reported a 44.5% year-over-year revenue increase, excluding discontinued operations and the New York market. This significant growth was driven by strong performance in Maryland and steady results in Minnesota.
https://preview.redd.it/q3mxqnm7xt0d1.png?width=670&format=png&auto=webp&s=fdfb78a5a2d1b97159a7b7bff545b7bfc9467adb
Strategic Divestiture and Focused Expansion: The company is in the process of divesting its New York operations, a move expected to be completed by June 30, 2024. This strategic divestiture aims to streamline operations and focus resources on more profitable markets, enhancing overall financial stability.
Product Innovation and Market Penetration: Goodness Growth recently launched Hi*AF and Boundary Waters branded cannabis beverages in Minnesota. These products are expected to establish a brand presence ahead of the anticipated start of adult-use sales in the state in 2025, positioning the company for future market growth.
Operational Efficiency: The company reported a 28.6% increase in gross profit and a substantial improvement in operating income, which rose from $0.4 million in Q1 2023 to $4.8 million in Q1 2024.
Expansion in Key Markets: Maryland, a key market for Goodness Growth, began adult-use cannabis sales on July 1, 2023. The company's performance in Maryland has been strong, with revenue from this state increasing by 191% year over year. Additionally, consulting, licensing, and wholesale agreements with other dispensaries are expected to improve market penetration.
https://preview.redd.it/xaeg1bs9xt0d1.png?width=1823&format=png&auto=webp&s=1fc91cdab4016e887368a3bb7fe0a14b37737208
Promino Nutritional Sciences Inc. $MUSLF, $MUSL.CN
Market Cap: $11M
Company Overview:
Promino Nutritional Sciences Inc., based in Burlington, Canada, is a nutraceutical company that develops and markets nutritional products. Founded in 2015, Promino focuses on science-based formulations to address muscle health through its flagship products, Rejuvenate and PROMINO.
Investment Highlights:
Strong Product Efficacy and Scientific Backing: Promino’s flagship product, PROMINO, is built on over 20 years of research and 25 clinical trials conducted at the University of Arkansas. The patented formula has been proven to be twice as effective as traditional whey protein in building muscle, offering a significant competitive advantage in the market.
High-Profile Brand Ambassadors: The company has secured endorsements from well-known athletes such as NHL player Jack Eichel, MLB legend José Bautista, and NHL legend Kirk McLean. These endorsements enhance brand credibility and broaden Promino’s products' appeal to a larger audience, including professional athletes.
Expanding Market Presence: Promino is expanding its distribution network, with plans to onboard products in thousands of new retail doors and the top seven e-commerce marketplaces. This broad distribution strategy aims to increase product availability and market penetration significantly.
https://preview.redd.it/89ccin4gxt0d1.png?width=1218&format=png&auto=webp&s=3227863a112301641feacc2744b54a49fd3a93e1
Product Line: The company's product line includes Rejuvenate Muscle, a daily muscle health beverage clinically proven to assist in muscle rebuilding and prevent age-related muscle loss, and PROMINO, an elite performance supplement for athletes. These products are designed to cater to a wide demographic, from performance athletes to aging individuals seeking to maintain muscle health.
Experienced Leadership Team: Promino is led by CEO Vito Sanzone, who brings over 25 years of experience in the health, wellness, and fitness industries. Sanzone has a successful track record in high-stakes mergers and acquisitions totalling $1 billion and is known for successful product launches and company turnarounds. This experienced leadership is key to driving the company's growth and strategic initiatives.
Medical Applications: Promino is expanding into the medical sector with pre-clinical studies focused on the efficacy of its patented amino acid formula in mitigating muscle loss in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. This initiative targets a significant unmet need, as muscle loss during cancer treatment can severely impact patient outcomes and quality of life.

As the deadline to SIR approaches closer and closer the more undecided I am about which school do end up at. I got into UCSD for Sociology with a concentration in law and UCI for criminology. Both schools were my top choices.
UCSD sounds like a dream given that it's a beachside school overlooking the ocean and also in the beautiful city of San Diego. It's also ranked the 3rd best public university according to forbes which makes it even more tempting.
UCI is another great school and their criminology program is highly ranked throughout the nation, #2 in fact! The city of Irvine is also a very clean and safe from what I've heard.
If I commit to UCSD I would get my bachelors in sociology and then go for my masters in criminology. I'm basically wondering if i should go towards the prestige of a school or the rank of the program I'm interested in. Any info is appreciated!!