So i've got this script, where i have some attacks, 3 of them. And a cooldown of 3 seconds, within every attack. What i want to do is add 3 sliders, that fill up for each attack. using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;
public class PlayerController : MonoBehaviour
{
// Reference to the capsule
public GameObject capsule;
// Joystick input threshold to detect direction
public float inputThreshold = 0.1f;
// Reference to the joystick
public Joystick joystick;
// Reference to the LineRenderer
private LineRenderer lineRenderer;
// Number of successful attacks needed to destroy the capsule
private int attackCounter = 0;
// Number of attacks needed
public int requiredAttacks = 3;
// Length of the aiming line
public float lineLength = 10f;
// Layer mask to determine what is considered "ground"
public LayerMask groundLayer;
// Line width settings
public float startWidth = 0.1f;
public float endWidth = 0.1f;
// Sphere prefab to shoot
public GameObject spherePrefab;
// Number of spheres to shoot
public int numberOfSpheres = 5;
// Time before spheres are destroyed
public float despawnTime = 3f;
// Shooting force
public float shootingForce = 10f;
// Rotation speed
public float rotationSpeed = 5f;
// Number of available shots
private int availableShots = 3;
// Cooldown time in seconds
public float cooldownTime = 3f;
// Cooldown timer
private float cooldownTimer = 0f;
// Reference to the UI text element for the message
public Text messageText;
// Message display duration in seconds
public float messageDisplayDuration = 1f;
// Message display timer
private float messageTimer = 0f;
// Previous frame joystick input
private Vector2 previousInput;
// Target rotation
private Quaternion targetRotation;
// Flag to indicate if we should rotate
private bool shouldRotate = false;
void Start()
{
// Get the LineRenderer component
lineRenderer = GetComponent();
// Initialize LineRenderer settings
lineRenderer.positionCount = 2;
lineRenderer.startWidth = startWidth;
lineRenderer.endWidth = endWidth;
// Initialize previous input
previousInput = Vector2.zero;
// Initialize target rotation
targetRotation = transform.rotation;
// Hide the message text at the start
messageText.gameObject.SetActive(false);
}
void Update()
{
// Update the cooldown timer
if (cooldownTimer > 0)
{
cooldownTimer -= Time.deltaTime;
if (cooldownTimer <= 0)
{
availableShots++;
cooldownTimer = cooldownTime;
}
}
// Update the message display timer
if (messageTimer > 0)
{
messageTimer -= Time.deltaTime;
if (messageTimer <= 0)
{
messageText.gameObject.SetActive(false);
}
}
// Get joystick input
float horizontalInput = joystick.Horizontal;
float verticalInput = joystick.Vertical;
Vector2 currentInput = new Vector2(horizontalInput, verticalInput);
// Check if the joystick input is above the threshold
if (currentInput.magnitude > inputThreshold)
{
// Calculate the input direction
Vector3 inputDirection = new Vector3(horizontalInput, 0, verticalInput).normalized;
// Draw the aiming line
DrawAimingLine(inputDirection);
// If the capsule exists, perform the attack logic
if (capsule != null)
{
// Calculate the direction from the player to the capsule
Vector3 directionToCapsule = (capsule.transform.position - transform.position).normalized;
// Check if the input direction is in the direction of the capsule
if (Vector3.Dot(inputDirection, directionToCapsule) > 0.9f) // Adjust the threshold as needed
{
// Increment the attack counter
attackCounter++;
Debug.Log("Attack Count: " + attackCounter);
}
}
}
else
{
// Hide the line when the joystick is not being used
lineRenderer.enabled = false;
// Check if the joystick was released
if (previousInput.magnitude > inputThreshold)
{
// Check if there are available shots
if (availableShots > 0)
{
// Rotate the character to face the direction of the joystick
SetTargetRotation(previousInput);
// Shoot spheres forward with a speed of your choice (e.g., 5 units per second)
ShootSpheresForward(5f, previousInput); // Pass previousInput to determine the direction
// Decrease the available shots and start the cooldown timer
availableShots--;
cooldownTimer = cooldownTime;
// Check if the aiming line touches the capsule
if (LineTouchesCapsule() && attackCounter >= requiredAttacks)
{
// Hide the capsule
capsule.SetActive(false);
Debug.Log("Capsule Destroyed");
}
// Reset the attack counter for the next sequence
attackCounter = 0;
}
else
{
// Display the message if no shots are available
messageText.text = "You've got no more attacks!";
messageText.gameObject.SetActive(true);
messageTimer = messageDisplayDuration;
}
}
}
// Smoothly rotate towards the target rotation
if (shouldRotate)
{
transform.rotation = Quaternion.Slerp(transform.rotation, targetRotation, Time.deltaTime * rotationSpeed);
if (Quaternion.Angle(transform.rotation, targetRotation) < 0.1f)
{
shouldRotate = false;
}
}
// Update the previous input
previousInput = currentInput;
}
private void DrawAimingLine(Vector3 direction)
{
// Enable the line renderer
lineRenderer.enabled = true;
// Start position of the line (player's position)
Vector3 startPos = transform.position;
startPos.y = 0.1f; // Slightly above the ground to be visible
// End position of the line
Vector3 endPos = startPos + direction * lineLength;
// Check if the line hits the ground
if (Physics.Raycast(startPos, direction, out RaycastHit hit, lineLength, groundLayer))
{
endPos = hit.point;
}
// Set the positions of the line renderer
lineRenderer.SetPosition(0, startPos);
lineRenderer.SetPosition(1, endPos);
}
private bool LineTouchesCapsule()
{
Vector3 startPos = lineRenderer.GetPosition(0);
Vector3 endPos = lineRenderer.GetPosition(1);
RaycastHit hit;
if (Physics.Linecast(startPos, endPos, out hit))
{
if (hit.collider.gameObject == capsule)
{
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
private void ShootSpheresForward(float speed, Vector2 inputDirection)
{
Vector3 direction = (lineRenderer.GetPosition(1) - lineRenderer.GetPosition(0)).normalized;
// Determine which axes to freeze based on the input direction
bool freezeYOnly = Mathf.Abs(inputDirection.y) > 0.1f && Mathf.Abs(inputDirection.x) > 0.1f;
bool freezeX = Mathf.Abs(inputDirection.y) > Mathf.Abs(inputDirection.x) && !freezeYOnly;
bool freezeZ = !freezeX && !freezeYOnly;
for (int i = 0; i < numberOfSpheres; i++)
{
// Instantiate the sphere
GameObject sphere = Instantiate(spherePrefab, transform.position + direction * (i * 1.5f), Quaternion.identity);
// Get the Rigidbody component
Rigidbody rb = sphere.GetComponent();
if (rb != null)
{
// Freeze rotation to keep them aligned
rb.freezeRotation = true;
// Apply constraints to freeze the specified axes
if (freezeX)
{
rb.constraints = RigidbodyConstraints.FreezePositionX RigidbodyConstraints.FreezePositionY;
}
else if (freezeZ)
{
rb.constraints = RigidbodyConstraints.FreezePositionZ RigidbodyConstraints.FreezePositionY;
}
else if (freezeYOnly)
{
rb.constraints = RigidbodyConstraints.FreezePositionY;
}
// Calculate velocity based on direction and speed
Vector3 velocity = direction * speed;
// Apply velocity to the Rigidbody
rb.velocity = velocity;
}
// Destroy the sphere after despawnTime seconds
Destroy(sphere, despawnTime);
}
}
private void SetTargetRotation(Vector2 inputDirection)
{
Vector3 direction = new Vector3(inputDirection.x, 0, inputDirection.y);
if (direction != Vector3.zero)
{
targetRotation = Quaternion.LookRotation(direction, Vector3.up);
shouldRotate = true;
}
}
// Optional: Method to dynamically change the line width
public void SetLineWidth(float newStartWidth, float newEndWidth)
{
lineRenderer.startWidth = newStartWidth;
lineRenderer.endWidth = newEndWidth;
}
}

Hi. As the title suggests, I'm having a boot problem with Linux. I used the archinstall-master package. Followed the instructions to the letter. Everything worked fine. Made a profile. Renamed my laptop to "ae0narch." Created a profile with a user and password. After calibrating everything and waiting for Linux to finish what it was doing, I loaded it up. It sent me to the boot menu. I chose the "boot from UEFI" option. Chose Linux and it loaded up nice. It then put me on a login screen. I entered the user and password I made. But then I got stuck on a prompt line.
It looked like this: "ae0narch login: jerome password: ******** Last Login: Mon Jun 3 19:38:55 on tty1 [jerome@ae0narch~]$_"
I already entered my login info. Am I supposed to just run a regular start prompt? Can anyone help?

Hi just looking for some general feedback on this laptop I just purchased. Let me know what you think I should expect.
Ordered it last week from backmarket but the more research I do the more I'm getting cold feet and thinking I should return it.
Let me know what you think I should have paid for it. Frankly thinking I could go a lot farther with the money with a PC build and trying to weigh the convenience of it being a laptop.
Model : Ideapad Gaming 3 15Arh7

• OS : Windows
• Resolution : 1920 x 1080
• Storage : 512 GB
• Memory : 16 GB
• Processor speed : 3.2 GHz
• Processor brand : AMD
• Processor Core : 8 core
• Screen type : LCD
• Graphic Card Type : NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4050
• SSD Storage Capacity (GB) : 512
• Storage Type : SSD
• Graphic Card Memory Size (GB) : 6
• Touchscreen : No
• Bluetooth : Yes
• Webcam : Yes
• Microphone : Yes
• Backlit Keyboard : Yes
• Numeric Keypad : Yes
• Memory Card Slot : No
• Release Year : 2022
• Processor : Ryzen 7 7735HS

Samsung Galaxy S24 SM-S921 FRP Lock Removal Service
https://www.full-repair-firmware.com/2024/01/remove-frp-galaxy-s24.html
Get Rid of Google Accounts Quickly and Permanently
When you forget your Google Account password, it can be impossible to Hard Reset or Factory Reset your S24, which leads to activation lock and a frozen screen with a message that says, “Verify Your Account – The device was reset. To Continue. Sign in with a Google Account that was previously synced on this device.” This means that your S24 is “Google Account FRP locked.” With our service, you can remove this lock and bypass the Google Account FRP service on your S24 device.
What do you need to unlock FRP Galaxy S24?

• PC or Laptop (Windows OS)
  
• Good internet speed
  
• Good USB cable
  

Supported devices to bypass FRP lock Samsung S24 SM-S921
SM-S921B, SM-S921N, SM-S921U, SM-S921U1, SM-S921W

Let me start by saying I'm not a homewrecker. I'm just someone who decided to wake the fuck up and sniff the fucking sunshine. I like my best friend. It was a wake up call when i figured it out.
I met her at least 8 months ago when I transferred jobs. She was leaving the position and I was the new hire taking her place. We got along straight away. Ussally I have to tone myself back because no one matches my energy but she was as loud and weird as me. It was nice finding someone it felt easy being around.
When she left to her new job we kept in contact. I was the only one she talked to from her old job. She didn't make friends easy and only talked to her boyfriend and myself. It was odd because her relationship confused me. She had been with the guy for three years and yet all she did was complain about him. I can't justify how annoyed it made me feel to listen to all his toxic masculinity. It was a frustration I couldn't stifle, something burning in my chest when she talked. She would often say she felt bad hanging out with me because it was "easy" and she was given shit from her boyfriend because he was jealous of all the time we spent together.
One time I woke up from her groaning in frustration because they were having an argument about how often she sees me at 7 in the morning. I guess this is when I started to have major issues with their arguments. It was a new feeling. Something in the way she was wrapped in the extra blankets I laid out for her because she gets cold. Something in the nightgown she was wearing that complimented her figure. Something in the extra pillow I added to my bed when she started spending nights. Something in the way she seemed to fit into my world perfectly without even trying at all. I didn't recognise this at first. All I knew is that I had a huge dislike for her boyfriend. She would be so happy around me and one text from her boyfriend would make her frown. It made me angry.
It was so simple to me. Break up with him. And I don't get why she dosent. She tells me it's not easy for her to break it off and start over. I hadn't acknowledged my feelings at the time so I was still in denial about the way I felt. All I knew is that I opened doors for her, joked with her- made her laugh. I would tell her "I'm trying to show you how you should be treated. Don't you see the difference between me and him?". She acknowledged it begrudgingly and her rants continued. We often went around in circles about this. I didn't know what else to do.
And then it hit me. I was in my room thinking about her. I was infront of the mirror, taking off my eyeliner when I was wondering how she was doing. She had been low today. Something about not taking her meds on time. I realised that I was thinking about her constantly- that by this PIONT her name had left an imprint on my brain. This couldn't be normal. Could it? I was confused -brows scrunched as I ran the micellar water over them. Somehow she had become so important to me in such a short amount of time. No one ever made me think like this- made me worry like this. I didn't have many friends. Just the occasional friend I saw sometimes. But I have had best friends before. They shouldn't affect you like this. I realised my feelings in that moment. I could barely comprehend my actions but soon enough I was calling her. She answered "hey" I was nervous, flustered over my compulsiveness. "Do you have time to talk?" I pushed out. It was hard to speak . There was a lump in my throate and the room was spinning. All I could see was the phone on the bed- her face plastered across the screen. "Of course I do, what's up?" She responds. I hesitate "maybe I shouldn't say this" There's a shuffling on the line. It's almost like she's straightening herself up- preparing for bad news. "Am i smothering you?" She asks. "What! No!" I shake my head "why would you think that?" She's sheepish "oh.. I just worried. We spend a lot of time together is all" I smiled. She defiantly wouldn't think I felt smothered after I fessed up. But then the anxiety crept in. "What? There's something bothering you" she pushes. And that's all it took. It was like a damn came loose. My mouth was the brick holding it together and then the words fell out. "I have feelings for you" Silence. I bite my lip knowing I fucked this up. "Oh" she says "that's ok" I retort "No it's not. I know you have a boyfriend and there was no agenda in me telling you. I guess I just wanted some closure..." I'm shaking my head. This conversation went too fast. I was blinded by my foolishness- her reaction and my stupid ability to do stupid things and not think about the consequences. Because what happens now? I've just bared myself before her and all I've recieaved is "oh that's ok". And I don't know what I wanted from her- what would have been an acceptable reaction in my eyes. I guess maybe I wanted more then her chirpy response. Like... I just poured out my heart to u, darl. Can you give me something here?
The next part of the conversation was awakwrd. She told me she wasn't going to break up with her boyfriend but that she did have feelings for me to. I wasn't sure what to do with that. All I know is that it made me angry how calm she was. Because how could she be calm? I wasn't calm. I was frantic, feeling somber as the minutes pressed on. Because how could she stay with him? She dosent owe me anything I know but it dosent sit right with me that he treats her so horribly and she puts up with it. Like I'm right here.... just open your eyes.
I told her that I will respect her choices and don't want to pressure her. We seem to be in an ok place but she keeps calling me because she thinks I might cut her off. It is a possibility at this point. I just need to think. I feel disappointed with myself but I can't help how I'm feeling.
Am I the asshole?

Is there an option to hide these 2 icons from the main screen? Kills the immersion for me and I end up taping on the shop icon because it's the first thing in line.
Fully understand the monetisation for the Dev but an option or including in the starter pack would be nice so i don't need to see that all the time in the main menu
I don't mind supporting the game with the packs as I have done with other games (mainly Game Coaster games types)
Thanks in advance

Fresh install of Ubuntu 24.04 on a Dell Optiplex 7040. I've been using 24.04 on various VM's since it's release, so I'm comfortable with using it. I decided to install a second DE, firstly because I just can't leave well enough alone, and secondly because it's good to have in case something goes wrong with Gnome.
Investigating the alternatives, I almost went with XFCE (but hate the ancient UI) and then almost went with LXQt, but at last second decided to go with KDE because have used it in the past. Bad idea. Installed, rebooted and immediately I'm facing a new login screen, so ugly with this huge virtual keyboard taking up half the screen. Login, and more weirdness in various places. The dealbreaker was when I was not able to launch the Settings app.
Find instructions to uninstall KDE. Run thru a list of about a dozen terminal commands and end up rebooting to the command line. Found instructions to start Gnome from command line and managed to get back to trusty Gnome desktop. Problem is that every subsequent reboot and dumps me into the command line and I have to manually start Gnome. Resolved it with this command: ln -sf /lib/systemd/system/gdm.service /etc/systemd/system/display-manager.service
So, I think I'm back to normal. Thanks for reading about my experience, and I'm wondering if anyone has safely installed an alternate desktop on 24.04?

Hello, as stated in the title, I need some help choosing a laptop for work and personal use.
What I value:
Display width (16" and up) Processing power (that allows me to do my work efficiently) Battery life (more than 8 hours).
I have two laptops in mind:
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus: i7, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA RTX 3050 - currently priced at $899. HP Spectre 2-in-1 16" 3K+ Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Evo Platform - Core i7 - 16GB, Intel Iris graphics - on promotion from $1700 to $800.
I'm leaning towards the HP because of the build quality compared to Dell. However, I'm not sure if it will handle the software stated above for work purposes with the Iris graphics. I don't do heavy 3D work, just some renderings with CYPECAD.
I'd appreciate having your opinion on this. Any other suggestions are welcomed.
NOTE: Budget $1200.

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WaveOfWire Edits :D
- - - - -
Harrison’s vision was still foggy from waking up, several blinks failing to clear the tears from his drawn-out yawn. He just escaped the encompassing embrace of his four-armed guardian, leaving their shared bed for the bathroom, where he would have to say goodbye to his beard. If he was going to travel out of the settlement, a proper seal on his gas mask was a must.
It was a shame. The slow buildup of the hair over the last month or so was a representation of his growth in a way, building up alongside his experiences in this hellhole, be they life-threatening or informative. It was almost like wiping the slate clean, even if cutting some chin scruff didn’t really change anything at all—he’d never be able to forget anything he had seen here for as long as he lived.
And there was no telling how long that’d be.
The engineer sighed, splashing the lukewarm barracks water into his face from one of the many wall-attached sinks, allowing him to fully open his eyes and size up the damage done to his favorite black blood-and-sweat-stained t-shirt. It always stayed in good condition with washing and fabricator repairs, but somehow Shar’s talons always found a way to make small holes in it. She wasn’t trying to, but with the way she fully wrapped her arms around him, the tips of her sharp fingers sometimes ended up poking into the fabric and causing some cuts.
It was such a small issue that he never considered bringing it up to her. Plus, she’d probably do her whole guilty talon-tapping thing with puppy eyes and all… He shook his head, letting the stray beads of water on his face drip into the sink.
His palm ran across his beard while his other hand reached for the razor. There wasn’t any shaving cream or the like, but he’d make do. At least he had one of the proper tools for the job. He went into the task, the blade driving through his scruff, slopping off wide areas of his hair from jaw to chin for a few seconds before it was interrupted.
A short ‘woosh’ of the entrance caught his attention.
“Aww, you’re shavin’ it off?” Tracy commented dejectedly through a yawn, the lazy drawl reinforcing the fact that she just woke up. “Th’ beard was sorta growin’ on me.”
He eyed her through the mirror, his voice coming out in a dull tone. “Yeah. I feel the same.”
She squinted under the bright bathroom lights, rubbing an eye with her wrist as she walked up to the sink beside him and started her own morning routine. “Mmm… Womp womp. Why though?”
“Need it to get a gas mask seal,” he stated flatly, focusing on the task at hand.
The technician stopped momentarily, the gears turning in her head before she gave him a downcast frown. “You’re still set on going for the vehicle bay? You know we can just send some long-range drones out there, right?”
His short exhale echoed throughout the tiled room. The engineer closed his eyes, already mentally withdrawn from the conversation. They've had this discussion twice now. “It’s to be better prepared for any chemical, biological, or radiological surprises that might come up—not just for the excursion. Even more importantly, there’s no guarantee the module is in perfect shape. If I’m there in person, I’ll have the means to get through anything for those blueprints. Plus, it should only be four days, so the only issues we have are my beard and finding a way to protect the Malkrin from the radiation while we’re out.”
Tracy looked like she wanted to say something back, but bit her lip and cast her eyes down at the sink in front of her, twisting the knob before mumbling a quiet response. “I don’t think you need to protect them from radiation at all…”
“Hmm?”
She stared at him meekly, his dismissal of her worries having clearly dampened her mood. Guilt tugged at the back of his mind before her words further caught his interest. “I think they’re immune… or resistant or something. Radiation immunity is the whole reason they were sent here. You’ve added up the pieces together too, right?”
He stared down at her, running a hand through his hair with tired exasperation depressing his voice. “Tracy, I’ve been trying my hardest to just make it another day on this God-forsaken planet, not dig into their religion. So, no. I have not spent the time to add up the pieces. Enlighten me, please.”
“…S-Sorry. I just, you know, get a lot of time to think when working on drones, and Cera has been drawing all kinds of representations of these things.” Tracy paused, gesturing toward the engineer. “Okay, so you remember the whole backstory for why the Malkrin are on the mainland in the first place?”
“Pseudo-eugenics?” he commented dryly.
“Yeah.” She nodded, a sense of excitement leaking into her voice. “And what were the parameters of banishing someone?”
“Not getting sick from a rock.”
She eyed him feverishly, brows raised with a sudden zeal. “Aaaaand that rock represented the Sky Goddess’ wrath, which did what?”
“Uhhh…” He looked upward in thought, recalling his conversation with the paladin. “I think Shar mentioned nausea, vomiting, blisters, skin melting… off…” He froze, the pieces forming. “Wait, you don’t think…”
“I do. Those symptoms could mean a lot of things, but the anomaly field was the real kicker. You know that Shar just straight up didn’t have any lingering radiation effects or anything while you were nearly put… six feet under…” Her voice quieted momentarily, the speed of her speech outpacing her train of thought. “Sorry. Um… so, I was gonna say that she, uh, I mean the scanner mentioned she had damage from ‘alpha particles’ on her skin, but nothing else happened to her organs or anything.”
Harrison squinted at her for a moment, mouth slightly opened and prepared to give some alternative reasoning besides ‘immunity.’ Maybe her armor protected her from it? No… she didn’t even have full protection, radiation would have certainly gotten around her eyes or snout. What about her height? What if… No.
He didn’t just want to believe that somehow the Malkrin could just evade a force of nature, but he didn’t have any way of proving or disproving it on hand… Well, no humane way of testing it.
“I… guess?” the engineer grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Even then, they still need armor and gas masks. The worst part of the radiation isn’t even the ionizing part. It’s the trace elements that get into your lungs and decay there. So it doesn’t hurt to use some CBRN filters.”
“Fair… but it’s interesting, isn’t it?” Tracy beamed. “Like, what kind of evolutionary factors lead to radiation immunity? Why do only some of the Malkrin have it and others don’t?”
The only real cause of radiation he could think of would be a massive nuclear proliferation of some sort. Maybe the anomalies? He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the lingering thoughts away. “I wouldn’t know. You could always ask Sebas to bring up some papers about it or generate some theories when you get the chance.”
“I probably will at some point… Maybe while I’m working.” She poked him in the bicep. “You’re still helping me with the mule, right?”
He bobbed his head, loose beard hairs itching up his chin. “Sure am. Gimme a bit to shave and test the fifty-cal ammo, then I’ll be free to assist.”
“Kay Kay.” The tradeswoman smiled and returned to the sink, washing her face.
- - - - -
“What the hell did you do to your shield?” a stunned Harrison asked the paladin, his face scrunching up in concern… and confusion.
Sharky proudly held up her once grungy orange shield with a smile, looking at its new… paint job? “Artificer Tracy has s—n to imbue my bulwark with the crest of the Sky Goddess herself! Observe the b—utiful wings that cover it!”
The engineer had just got back from setting up and overseeing the automated mule’s first excursion to the mine and back. It was a grueling task, requiring him to reset its pathing several times before it was able to make a round trip without input. Now, the maroon-skinned Malkrin in front of him had apparently gotten her massive aegis laser imprinted with crossing wings in the two hours or so he’d been gone. The areas between the black feather decals were colored with white and blue paints, contrasting with the new dark gray background.
A small weight was placed on his shoulder, Tracy’s forearm suddenly appearing atop it despite her being nearly a foot shorter than him. She beamed, staring up at him with all-too-proud eyes. “The scout regiment symbol looks good on it, right? Cera helped me with the laser engraving.”
“I…” His brows raised in perplexity. “The scout regiment?”
She shrugged, watching the paladin observe her shield from all sorts of different angles underneath the workshop’s light fixtures. “From an anime I used to watch. Men and women who were sent out to battle against massive titans for the greater good of the last settlement of humanity. Somewhat fitting, and fuckin’ awesome on her big-ass shield! Matches the bird’s wings on her armor too.”
He loudly sighed. “You wasted materials on imprinting wings on Shar’s shield? Really?”
“Hey!” Her brows furrowed into faux-annoyance, a smug grin betraying it. “It’s not a waste if you were never gonna use the paint we had on hand. Plus, we’ve got energy to spare with all the wind turbines and power cells you’ve been printing out.”
“Those paints probably could have been used for important designations… or something…” he grumbled.
“Doesn’t matter.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyway, want me to put some scary teeth or something on that big ‘ol fist-sized muzzle break on your shotgun?”
“No?” he took an incredulous step away from her, letting her arm fall off his shoulder and to her side.
“It’s okay to admit you’re jealous of Shar’s awesome decals, bro,” Tracy teased, her smugness growing tenfold. “No need to get defensive.”
He groaned, figuring there wasn’t a point in staying to bicker with the tradeswoman, leaving the two vanity-focused females to their devices. He still had to figure out how to fabricate armor and gas masks for the Malkrin and himself.
“Hey! Where ya goin?” the technician called out, clearly disappointed that he hadn’t indulged in her taunts.
“Work.”
Short taps against the hard floor sounded out as she caught up to him. She leaned forward and curiously looked up at him as she walked, holding her hands behind the small of her back. “What kind? Can I help?”
“Just need to take some measurements and compare options. Right… Speaking of which.” He turned around and cupped his palms around his mouth. “Hey Shar! Get over here, I need your help!”
The addressed Malkrin perked up, snapping out of the small haze of admiring her new shield and happily making her way toward him. She stood at attention, her tail oscillating side to side. “What n—d do you have of me?”
“Just a quick task,” he briefed her, grabbing some measuring tape from his desk… that Tracy had decided was her new chair. He sighed and turned his attention back to the paladin. “Can I bother you to lean down for a few seconds while I take some measurements?”
“Of course. Pl—se, take your time.” She stepped forward and kneeled, her head brought down to his height. Her face wore that simple content look he was growing all too accustomed to by now—slightly vibrating frills, a little curl upward of her lips, and warmly glowing eyes.
He wasted no time getting to work, noting down the various distances around her jaws, snout, eyes, and ears, already piecing together how he could cobble together some gas mask designs to fit the dimensions. She sat there quietly, sometimes leaning into the accidental head scratches adorably. It contrasted heavily with the cold-sweat-inducing layers of razor-sharp teeth within her muzzle as he measured the angle her maw opened at, bringing an idle curiosity prodded his mind.
“Say, Shar, do your teeth grow back if they fall out?” he poked, absently observing the dozens of triangular bone protrusions in her mouth as he held the underside of her jaw.
“They do,” she confirmed, the way she was able to speak despite not moving her mouth still messing with his head. “Do y—rs not?”
“Nope. Only once.”
She attempted to tilt her head, but quickly returned it when it left the embrace of his palm. “Only once?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sometime a few years after birth. They’re replaced with the teeth I have now. Don’t get any new ones, so we gotta take care of ‘em.”
“Birth?” The Malkrin’s eyes widened. “You were not cr—ted as you are now?”
A shock of stress poured down his spine like a bucket of ice water, raising the hairs on his back. Fuck. How did he let that slip? He was supposed to have just appeared from the sky to her, right…? He was doing so well for so long in keeping that in. God, had he really gotten so comfortable with the paladin that he simply forgot what he was to her? His teeth clenched, a huff of air escaping his nostrils as he lightly shook his head. It was a bit too late to backtrack. It could be explained vaguely and brushed off, right?
“Yeah. I was born,” he affirmed flatly. His hand dropped away from Shar’s muzzle, her head falling an inch or two before she registered that she couldn’t keep leaning into his touch. “That’s it for measurements, so you’re free to leave.”
A frown carved through her small smile. “I… See… F—give me if I have brought up someth—g improper.”
His exhalation burned through his frustration at himself, his hand running through his hair to wash away the spike of anxiety. “You’re fine. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Th-Then I shall take my leave,” the massive alien stated softly.
He nodded, feeling a little regretful for pushing the kindhearted Malkrin away as he shuffled back to his desk. Tracy was still sitting atop it, giving him a disappointed reaction with low brows, forcing a pointed reaction from him. “What?”
The technician took a long inhale before shrugging. “Nothin’.”
“…Alright.”
The rolling chair squeaked lightly as he rested himself, his hands already going through the motions of opening the computer and the blueprint folders. There were plenty of tabs open of sensors and motor assemblies he hadn’t closed from the previous night. That wasn’t even mentioning the pile of notes he had on proper radio-protective methods, their corners bent from his frequent flipping through them.
“Soooo…” The short black-haired woman leaned forward from her perch atop the only clear part of his desk. “Can I help you with your ‘comparing options’ work, mister busyman?”
“Sure…” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, raising a brow. “How much do you know about armor?”
- - - - -
“No way. The back support is a must, so you can have extra plating over your shoulders and chest.” Tracy pointed out from her seat beside Harrison’s, all but forcing him to pause his Malkrin gas mask designing to give her argument his full attention.
He calmly took his hands off the mouse and keyboard. “A back support needs leg assistants, which means I’ll need to have at least a fifteen pound battery pack somewhere. Those kinds of exosuits are either all in or not at all. You can go full armor and engine, or lightweight protection and simple limb support.”
“So you’re just gonna go out there with normal armor? Just run-of-the-mill plates and gear? Those fucking things would go through that shit like butter! I know we can’t make synthetic muscle yet, but at least consider wearing something a bit more. Please. Even Sharky has heavy armor!”
Harrison pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows furrowed. “Do I look like a several-hundred kilogram monster of pure muscle to you? I’m more than willing to put on a few extra kilos for protection, but I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons of putting on more armor rather than more equipment. I’d rather fifty pounds of magazines and ammo than fifty pounds of armor. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah yeah… You and your storage space…” she mumbled, swiping through a few more images on her data pad when a familiar Mars-pattern suit showed up, catching his eye.
“Hey, wait, pull that one up…”
She rotated the tablet for him to see a little better—despite already being shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “This one? What’s so special about it?”
He analyzed the few pieces of equipment on screen, noting the rusty-orange and tan color scheme, the old Martian-American flag attached to its breastplate, and the iconic quad-nod integrated helmet. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “That’s… We have that in our blueprints?”
She raised a brow, clearly confused. “Whaddya mean?”
“That’s an Orbital Drop Ranger’s standard kit,” he stated slowly, a simmering sense of awe bubbling up—why the hell was it in their blueprints folder? “It was used during the Sino-Venusian incursion of southern Mars. It still has the Old Earth American flag embedded into it, so you know it’s pre twenty-two-hundred C.E.”
“Oh shit… Pre-St.Loual’s construction? This is ancient, then, huh? Would it be any good?” She leaned in closer to him, eying the tablet further.
“Does it have the assembly view of the armored pieces?”
“Mmhmm.” She tapped a few icons, showing an isometric, exploded view of all the parts and their individual components.
It was a piece of history alright. The armor was produced just about the time when Mars was connecting their orbital stations and ground colonies to work in tandem, allowing for specialized forces to be trained in space and launched anywhere across the planet from drop pods in mere minutes, leading to common nickname of ‘Minutemen’ given to the troopers. The suits were expertly designed to withstand the harsh environments of Mars and give the soldiers the ability to engage with enemy combatants for several days before extraction, though the adept units usually completed their objectives within twenty-four hours of their landing.
The helmet was very angular and blended in with the expected rocky terrain of Mars, each component taking on a sloped frontal design with rectangular prisms flowing behind—radio, breathing apparatus, and vision modules all sharing a sleek, yet bulky look in their own right. It reminded him of some in-atmosphere ships, with the overhanging visor above the quad-nod viewport being the only non-aerodynamic pieces.
The chest and legs were a bit different, following the design of late twenty-second-century operators with tan lightweight rigs, and ammunition pouches alongside armored plates that ran from the shoulders to wrists in segments. There was a rusty-orange undersuit beneath it all for the purpose of keeping air in, which required some sturdy polymer structures to ensure it didn’t rip. Then, of course, there were the classic shock-absorbing leg supports. They weren’t too far off what Tracy was asking about earlier, but these ones didn’t provide any assistance in moving with any motors—just straight-up structural reinforcements.
Hell, the blueprints on screen even had the mag-grip gloves used to scale domes, buildings, and satellites alike. There was no doubt that the Orbital Drop Rangers had some of the coolest equipment on Mars, especially considering that it was the last to keep the ‘operator’ look… It was such a shame the government decided the orb-like helmets and rounded bubble armors were more effective.
“Hey, you know what?” he asked the technician, a shot of excitement in his voice. “This might actually work out as a suitable armor replacement.”
She perked up, her brows raised. “Oh? Actually?”
He shrugged, trying to play off the smirk plastered on his face. “Wouldn’t need a horrible amount of changes to work for our purposes. Just need to remove the oxygen converter on the back and put a gas mask replacement in the front portion of the helmet. Plus, we could probably get rid of the airtight aspect and just keep the undersuit for scratch protection. And, most importantly, it’s radio-protective.”
“Meets all your criteria, then?” She tapped through some UI interfaces, sending the armor assembly to Harrison’s monitor, which he accepted quickly.
“Sure does.” He readily clicked through the different parts and systems to differentiate what needed to be kept. “We have the resources for it, and all it needs is a layer of cadmium plus a few replacements. Definitely doesn’t need the heads-up display since there’s nothing for it to interact with either, so that’ll save on print time and materials too. Shame I cut up the beard… the Orbital Drop Rangers were allowed to have some cool ones.”
The tradeswoman scooted in even closer, practically resting her chin on his shoulder and watching him sift through the working parts. “Yeah, rest in peace, beard. Still, your armor situation is solved. What about the Malkrin?”
“I’ll be working on their gas masks, then I was thinking I’d use another one of your modeled armors for their protection since they’ve helped Shar a hell of a lot. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Mmmmm…” She looked up in thought, a smile forming along her cheeks. “You know, until we can make them any real power armor, I was thinking just some regular phobos-pattern armor. Could color ‘em based on their skin too.”
“Phobos-pattern armor?” he hummed to himself, clicking through the folder to find it. It was just as bulky as Shar’s armor, except it appeared a good bit smoother, with more rounded edges compared to her horns-and-spike-lined gauntlets and pauldrons. The blue suit Tracy was proposing didn’t have the four-armed protection compared to the chaos version, but it certainly had the same thickness of its metal plates. “Looks like it’d work pretty well. Does it have any electric components or anything?”
“No…” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not so good with designing that stuff in the modeling program I did the WarHarberd stuff in. Could add in more sophisticated leg support or whatever if you gave me time, but for now it’s just maneuverable slabs of alloy.”
“I think that’s all we need for the time being.” He shrugged. “I just don’t want the others to be vulnerable to getting cut up by the little spider-crab grunts.”
“As long as it works for what we need, then.” Her elbow poked into his arm. “Here, how about I take care of that armor stuff while you finish up the gas masks? They need the extra arm slots too, yeah?”
“I’d actually appreciate that a lot.” He offered her a back-palm fist bump, to which she eagerly took, taking on a grin that he mirrored. “Thanks, Trace.”
“Don’t mention it. I wish work was always just doing my hobbies like this.”
\= = = = =
A grand pylon of metal construction taller than the mightiest female’s frills stood atop the beach. Blue-scaled surfaces extended near the foot of the tower, gathering the power of the sun itself. The lattice layering upon their sides hid the weaving wires and Goddess-blessed machinery. A staff the same as Shar’khee’s peeked from its top, the glass eye on its side given a wide view of the sandy environment it resided on, the defense it now provided becoming absolute. The aura it exuded as a creature of pure metal was awe-inspiring, its mere presence a showing of Harrison’s might and domain.
No abhorrent would dare step foot upon the meadow’s rolling hills, for such a mistake would ensure their immediate execution for encroaching upon his settlement—the ‘fifty-cal-e-bur’ bullet is not one to rend any beast with only simple injuries, especially with three hundred of them available at once.
The maroon-skinned paladin treaded up the hill, having completed her task of setting up the last turret. The craftsman, the juvenile, and the lumberjack had also assisted with its setup, pulling their weight in both mind and muscles to piece the components together. They completed a few others around the modules already, but this one was done without the star-sents’ oversight. The four Malkrin had practiced and learned enough to be entrusted with such.
The idea of Harrison having enough confidence in them sparked much conviction in the group, each of them more than eager to prove him right—none more so than Shar’khee herself, of course.
She finally returned to the workshop, the sun’s last rays pressing into the back of her head and frills as she crouched beneath the doorway, a small gnawing hunger for dinner digging within her stomach. The cacophony of machines soon reached her ears, the sounds of their efforts almost working in tandem with the strange melodic music playing from an unseen source above her.
Tracy was in her corner, working on new beings of metal as always. The bright lights above were turned off in favor of smaller, warmer emplacements atop her surrounding circle of desks. A hard worker, that star-sent was, though both of them were like that, the paladin supposed. Their kind was certainly intent on keeping their hands busy.
Shar’khee passed through the snakes of machines, finding her way to Harrison’s desk with an increasingly strong sway in her tail. He was working with a black object with light gray accents. It appeared to be partially flexible, yet firm in other places—notably, a large glass fixture on one side of it. There was very little she could make out about its purpose, but with the delicate touches he applied, it appeared to be quite important.
Her tongue clicked twice, garnering the attention of the Creator. He paused his work, swiveling his chair to face her and revealing a long blue-leaf jutting from his mouth. Her male appeared quite tired, but his voice did not show it.
“Oh, Shar, what’s up? Did y’all need any help with the last turret?”
She shook her head. “We do not n—d such, for it is completed. Would you care to join me for din—r? The rest of the settlem—t is enjoying their meals as of now. ”
He raised his brows before looking back at the myriad of notes, tools, and materials atop his cluttered desk. “Well, I’m kinda busy, but…” His jaw rolled around in contemplation. “Here. Let’s just test this thing real quick.”
Her head tilted. “What sh—l we be testing?”
“Your gas mask… er, well, a Malkrin gas mask. Kneel down real quick, I’ll run ya through putting it on.” He stepped off his chair and grabbed the equipment, uncomfortably rotating his shoulders. How long was he sitting on that chair? The male approached her and she did as requested. “I had the sewist help me with some of the design. Never considered you guys would ever wear hats.”
She nodded. “It is unh—lthy for one to have their frills touched by the sun for so long. Adequate shade is a must, and trees are not so p—valent along farm land.”
“Mmhmm. Shame this is just a mask… Alright, this might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll do the job.”
He stepped forward and slipped the black apparel onto her snout, pushing it over her face until it pressed against the sides of her head. A cool material rubbed against her skin, locking her into its embrace. It was encapsulating, surrounding her wholly.
Her breaths strengthened as she allowed the mask to cover her, a short shock of nervousness riding down her spine. She was only now registering how vulnerable she was, allowing him to possibly suffocate her… but she stayed put, keeping her four palms rested within her lap as he continued to apply the straps around her ears. She would allow it. She trusted him with her life. She would not falter.
The cords around the back of her head were tight, a few of which went along both sides of her frills, pushing up against their sides. He kept going, ensuring a ‘seal,’ but it was getting much too—
Pop.
A lightning bolt of pain rolled throughout the top of her head, sending her reeling. It stung for the briefest of moments, but its effects rebounded through her entire body, short sparks pulsing from its origin. She felt nothing but its agonizing hold for several more moments as the rest of her body caught up.
When her eyes opened once more, she found herself on the floor and staring at the ceiling. The star-sent rushed to her side, appearing to ask many questions while looking over her head, but all she heard was a piercing ring and the gruff vocalization he made whenever he shared his intent. No words reached her mind, only the now faint phantom pains from where her frills met her skull. It put everything in a haze, her eyes barely settling on her dearest’s, despite how nauseous she had become.
His deft hands quickly worked to loosen the straps, practically ripping them off until his voice suddenly reached her, like breaching the surface of the water. His voice was deep, attempting to be calculating, yet despite his calmly created stoic demeanor… she could feel his panic, his sheer worry almost flooding her senses through practiced medical queries. She slowly sat up on the floor, holding herself with two arms while the other pair quelled the kneeling male, assuring him that she was alright with their weight resting atop his shoulders.
“I am well, dearest Harrison. Do not fret for me. The straps were simply too tight.”
His anxious breaths barely slowed, narrowly allowing for his exclamation. “Too tight? Shar, you practically blacked out!”
“Too tight upon my frills, I mean. There was a pain there for a few moments, but it has passed,” she returned calmly, softly kneading his stiff shoulders with the joints of her digits.
He exhaled sharply, matching her gaze with regret in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Shar. I should’ve known. I was just trying to see how…” He paused, resting his palm atop her forearm. “Nevermind. I just… Are you alright? Should I get you to the med bay for a quick scan?”
“I do not believe that to be necessary, no.”
His guard finally fell. “If… If you say so. Guess I have to redo the straps then. Definitely gotta make sure they’re not pressing on your frills like that.”
She smiled, appreciating his dedication. “Would you like my assistance?”
“As long as you don’t have anything else to do.” He shrugged, his shoulders barely moving upward against her massaging hands.
“There is no greater wish of mine than to be by your side,” she stated warmly.
He was frozen, the soft ministrations of his digits along her arm slowly stopping in contrast to the red flush growing from his cheeks to his ears. The crack of a smirk on his face finally with a short, heart-warming chuckle brought the statue back to life after a few moments. “You know… that’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve heard for years.”
Her brows raised in subtle surprise at his response. “It… was not intended to be such… However… you are more than welcome. You must understand by now that I am speaking only the truth.”
The two of them sat there in relative silence amongst the desks and machines; her half laying on the ground with her hands on his shoulder, and him on his knees by her side, a singular hand running up and down her comparatively large forearm. She felt… weak, in a way. A vibrating sensation rummaged through her stomach, attempting to pull her muscles and nerves astray.
It was warm, just like his palm, each motion of his hand sending lightning through her skin. The upward curl of her lips into her cheeks was suddenly an insurmountable force, incapable of being put down by a thousand females. There was a tear within her to either look away or… close the distance, and she suddenly found looking anywhere but his curious green eyes to be a waste of her time.
Her talons wrapped further around his shoulders and his back, ever so slightly bringing him into her embrace—
“A-HEM.” A voice cut the moment down to its knees. “The fuck happened here?” Tracy’s swift interjection caused the paladin to flinch backwards, allowing her to see that Harrison’s other hand had been hovering right beneath her snout. The female star-sent wore a furrowed brow and crossed arms, looking down at them. “I heard a crash and came over. Are you two alright?”
Harrison cleared his throat, ever-so-subtly scooting away from the paladin. “Uh, yeah. Shar fell because, um, I tied the gas mask a lil’ too tight.”
The artificer wore an expression that told of her disbelief. “She fell because of the gas mask?”
“It was something with her frills.” The male returned with a shrug, picking himself off the floor before offering the paladin a hand up.
She took it, despite not requiring it, and wiped off some loose dust from her pants. The three of them quickly returned to work soon after, with both her and the black-haired star-sent joining Harrison in his quest to produce the gas mask. She was much less… What did the Creator call it? Bubbly? Yes, that was it. She was much less bubbly than usual, sometimes sending a cold yet emotionless glare toward Shar’khee… Nevertheless, the two females offered input on the design and applied help where they could, eventually creating the final piece of equipment.
Tracy commented on its looks, apparently drawing inspiration from the Leviathan itself, as she believed it to be like that of a ‘Sea Dragon’s.’ The maw-covering portion held two cylindrical canisters on the adjacent sides, the bottom portion being capable of distention, so that the user’s mouth may open somewhat. Its motion created what the female star-sent believed to be ‘the coolest teeth design on a mask’ she’d ever seen with how the separation formed alternating triangles.
The monster-like appearance was furthered by her own frills and horns that peeked out from behind the mask. That was not even mentioning the see-through visor that formed a malicious glare of sharp brows. The paladin looked through a hand-held mirror, finding it difficult to disagree with the look. She could imagine the horror on a fisherwoman’s face as such a terrifying creature approached from the depths.
And yet, despite its nightmarish visage, it was apparel designed to save lives, not take them—much unlike the unassuming metal rods that spewed fire with a mere flick of a lever. Curious indeed. The star-sents were seemingly never out of surprises. They even spoke of grand robots and firearms larger than Shar’khee herself as possible future projects.
Only time could tell what machinations of alloy would be birthed from their hands.
- - - - -
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Under The Milky Way

Why ice accumulates on an horizontal line at a specific height during winter while on heat mode? The defrost does not get rid of it. It’s 20 years old. I never noticed this ice accumulation before this past winter.

I was getting a popup message about a system crash, so I looked at the crash log and the offender was light-lock so I googled that and a suggestion was to remove light lock (sudo apt remove light-lock) so I did that. Now my Ubuntu 24.04 64-bit system will not boot. Grub works, and on laptop boot I select the kernel from Grub, and so I get the black screen that shows what you see below. Is there a way to repair my system without losing all my installed apps? I still have the Live Ubuntu 24.04 flash drive. I did see a message on a previous black screen of messages that said the root filesystem needed a manual fsck. Also, before I was unable to boot into Linux, I went to reinstall light-locker and I was unable to load synaptic either from the Discover apps app, or from the command line; without synaptic I feel my system is really messed up now, sigh.
Loading Linux-6.8.0.31-generic ...
Loading initial ramdisk...
_

Hello. I hope this allowed- I know that pictures of big bites aren't usually useful for identification, but I'm hoping a description of the bite behavior is helpful/allowed?
Every year for the past few years, I start getting bug bites around June-August in central and coastal North Carolina . This usually occurs when I've been out on my porch/patio, and was particularly bad in one apartment when my bed was next to my porch door.
The bites tend to show up 2-3 days after I've been out on the porch and not right away (though I'm normally a bit slow to react to bites) and while they can occur alone, they're usually grouped together in a line of 2-3 with each one a few inches apart. They don't tend to go for the feet or ankles and really like the middle of my legs, around the front and backs of my knees. They'll also go for the back sometimes, and rarely the arms. Never my front or face.
That sounded very bed-buggy to me, and year after year I'd freak out, check my bed, have pest control out to check my bed, find nothing, and the bites would stop happening as soon as my porch was sprayed, though I've never actually seen any bugs. The one year I didn't get any, I had a screened in porch, so whatever it is is big enough to be kept out by a screen.
Does anyone have any idea what the bug could be?

https://preview.redd.it/gmutsc0bvj5d1.png?width=1119&format=png&auto=webp&s=1e6ecd2c3cf99a9adcfbd655857fd4794f530c05
Hi, my sister asked if this Macbook pro I've posted is good for the price. She's mainly just looking for something to play Sims on, and I imagine Fortnite too. Are there better laptops for a similar sub €800 euro price point? Both new and second hand laptops are ok to suggest.
LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: €800, Ireland
• Are you open to refurbs/used? Yes
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? Performance
• How important is weight and thinness to you? Not important
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. N/A
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. Gaming
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? Fortnite and The Sims, ideally at default graphic settings and 60 FPS
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? N/A
• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion.

But my kitten just skipped my youtube video, closed a separate web browser, turned my laptop off and back on, and set my screen to 200% magnification.
I didn't even know 'magnification' was a thing my laptop could do 😭❤️

Day four of no-contact, one of our (apparently now formerly) mutual friends had gotten a hold of me yesterday to say the ex had tried to reach out to her about something and then got pissy when she didn't get an immediate response, so she just never responded to the ex. I had a good long chat with the friend about things and the way things had been while I was with the ex, and her response to most of them was along the lines of "Jesus, I didn't realize... Just... no. Just no." The more responses I get from people like that, the more I think my gut was right. So I figured I'd throw some of them out to all of you and see what Reddit thinks. This is going to be a long one.
1) Back in high school (20 years ago) she smoked weed, drank, partied, fucked around, and always reminisces about it with a big smile on her face. Had no problem talking about her exes from high school in the same way, especially "J1." She brought him up a million times, and always gave me the same spiel as if she forgot she had told me every time. "He was my ex from high school, my first everything but a kiss. We were together for about a year and a half, we were so in love. You know he's the only guy I've ever cheated on in my entire life, and I still feel so bad about it to this day... I actually apologized to him a few years ago, I know it's stupid high school stuff but I just felt so bad. We still talk sometimes, I can always go to him with my problems or anything. He's just always going to be my person." I mean, one night for no reason she sat down next to me with a photo album. She flipped through the early kids stuff without saying anything and went straight to her high school photos. She went right to her exes and started pointing them out and naming them, then got to J. She started the spiel but caught herself a couple sentences in, closed the album, and put it away. After the breakup I had moved and was helping her digitize some of her old 8mm tapes, we were watching an elementary school Christmas program and at one point she sits up and exclaims "Oh my God is that J1?!" with the same big smile.
2) At the end of high school she had gotten with this other piece of garbage and got pregnant. They were together with the kid for a couple years then he cheated on her and they split. He was a worthless deadbeat dad, but they still kept in occasional contact. We'll call him "J2." She had him come out a couple times when she bought her house after her own divorce to help with renovation. Before we had dated, I noticed those two were acting like a couple (even though she was already starting to get serious with someone else... call him "C"). At one point we were out in the garage while she was gone at the store, discussing a decision on the house she told me she wasn't going to do but she was going to do it now. He says "Oh that's cause I told her to do it. Yeah, she always listens to me. She does whatever I say, that little girl fuckin loves me. I got her wrapped around my little finger." A year later after her and I had started dating, I was staying at her place a couple nights a week while helping out at another branch. One night she says "I need to get J2 out here again at some point soon to finish the painting in the front hallway." Next day while I was going to work, she had gone from talking to me all the time to dead radio silence all day. I got back from work a couple hours early and she had gone to pick up her kid from school. I come inside and walk through the kitchen, and much to my surprise J2 steps out from around the corner with his hands up and a big smile on his face like he was ready to give somebody a big hug. He sees me, his face immediately turns to "oh shit." I just said "what's up" and went back to the bedroom to drop my bag. The sheets on the bed were all wadded up at the end, the clothes she had been wearing to bed were tossed around on the nightstand, pillows, bed. I piled the clothes up and set it next to my bag on the bed, just to let her know I had been in there. I went back outside to work on the grill, this dumbass came and sat out back and tried to make small talk. Smoking weed, yelling and swearing, you can hear the music he had blaring inside the house, a bunch of stuff that she said she did not want going on considering her neighbor was an elementary school principal and she had DHS stuff going on with her ex-husband. But apparently he got to do it all. Eventually he goes back inside, she comes home and blows right by me without even looking at me. A couple minutes later she comes rushing out, standing over on the other side of the patio, going right into this story about how the 4-year-old messed the bedroom up like that. No hugs, kisses, how was your day, sorry I didn't have my phone on me, nothing like that. The rest of the time he was at the house, he didn't say anything to me and he looked very uncomfortable whenever he looked over at me. A few hours later she took the four year old with to take this guy back home an hour away. She was gone for a long time.
3) Right around the end of all her divorce proceedings, one of our other mutual friends introduced her to someone she knew, for the sake of maybe being friends with benefits. Something to try to blow off some steam, try to move on, rebound kind of thing. Let's call him "R." Before we were dating, she mentioned him once or twice (same time she was getting involved with the previously mentioned C) but that the whole friends with benefits/fuck buddies thing wasn't really her kind of thing so nothing ever happened between them. But they were still friends. I noticed that seemed like she talked to him more and more as time went on, but she was always trying to hide it. One time I glanced over and saw she got a text from him. "How's it going, doll?" Another time I saw him talking about "the mystery in your eyes." Anytime I was nearby after she got done texting with him she would immediately turn her phone screen off and set it face down next to her leg away from me. One time I came home from work and she was sitting on the couch in the living room with the kids, and she was on the phone. I set my bag down and walked across the living room to give her a kiss as we always did when one of us came home from work. I got halfway there and she stood up and started walking around me to the kitchen. She stopped to look at her screen and turn the volume down and I saw his name on it. She then went to the kitchen without a word to me and got quiet. I sat down on the couch for a few minutes then went into the kitchen to get something to drink, and when I got there she went right back to the living room without a word to me. Got my water and went back to the living room, she went straight back to the kitchen. Eventually she came back to the living room, stood there texting for like 10 minutes straight. I asked if she was chatting with R, she said yeah, she had only talked to him on the phone one other time, so they were just catching up. Then she came back and sat down on the other end of the couch from me, nothing about how our days were, no welcome home kiss, nothing. After the breakup while I was still living there, one of the times she handed me her phone to look at a house listing she found, as soon as I looked at the screen a text from him popped up. "He doesn't know shit."
Thoughts? I know this was a long one, this was just the biggest things that had been on my mind regarding her from the last couple years.