Before showing the chapter, I want to put some context: I wrote a fantasy saga that I recently finished just half a month ago. The "problem"?: they accompanied all throughout my late teens, so there's a clear difference in the way I used to write versus how I write now from the first chapter of the first book (written when I was 16) to the last chapter of the last one (finished this year, now that I'm 19). And whenever I go check the first two, maybe three, books, I feel like it's ridiculously childish compared to how's later on. So, although I'll obviously appreciate absolutely ANY comments on any subject, my main doubt is in that: do you indeed feel it's childish? Maybe it's because it's just simply a small introduction to the book, but the feeling is still there.
Here it is:
When I arrived to Loqui Silvis, the twins were about to be born. I’ve made a long trip, where I went through many magical kingdoms until I arrived to the Speaking Woods kingdom. My wings were tired, but my excitement told it to keep going. It was understandable, we were talking about my first job!
“Hello. My name is Theshiniestgoutfromthedew, I’m the guardian phoenix that you asked for to the Celestial Assembly!” I told to the old woman who came to open the door.
Her hair was as grey as the rocks that formed her house, with hands of long and thin fingers, and the looks of a queen. She stood in there for a few moments without saying anything. Her eyes were wide opened and was staring at me, and for a moment I thought she froze, because, instead of answering me, she kept still and quiet like a statue.
Suddenly she got startled, squinted her eyes as if she wanted to hear better and uttered:
“Huh???”
She didn’t give me time to repeat myself, because she, after sighing, told me while smiling:
“A pleasure to meet you, Goutfromthedew, I mean, Theshiniestdew… Anyways, welcome home. Let me get a closer look at you, you’re much more adorable than I imagined… Please, sit in this cushion, I recently ironed it and it's still warm, you’ll feel comfortable and will be able rest.”
The beautiful lady sat in a big rocking chair that creaked, she smoothed her cute lavender pink dress and took a solemn aura.
“As I’ve already told the Celestial Assembly, my dear phoenix, your salary will be of twenty willow crystals per months plus two vanilla cupcakes on holidays. And… I’d like it if we could call you Niestgou, if you don’t mind.”
Oh, twenty willow crystals per months was incredibly good! And let’s not talk about the vanilla cupcakes, that I love them. But ‘Niestgou’… It squeezed my heart! Did she really wanted to replace my beautiful name?
I adopted, at the same time, the most serious and solemn tone that I could and…
“It’ll be my pleasure to work for you, Fairy Andromeda,” I said without stuttering. And I wasn’t lying.
Andromeda Pallene was the most famous and respected fairies of all times; for me she was a legend. She’d received three times the Golden Branch for Bravery and Gentleness, such as many other important recognitions because of her discoveries in the magic ground. There were thousands of myths about her: people said that she’d rode a dragon, that she could tame the ocean waves with a glance, that she knew how to bloom the firewood and thousands of other things. Were those things true? I found out with the time, although something in her eyes told me that she could perfectly ride a dragon, of course that she could! And that all those things must’ve been true. In any case, Andromeda never boasted about anything. She was a very discreet and wise person, maybe the wisest among all the fairies out there.
Truly, it was an honor to work for her. And from the very first moment it was gonna be the biggest adventure too.

Pretty much that. I sat down at a table where I was meeting my brother and his three guy friends and as I was sitting down and talking there was a server behind us, (we were at an Irish pub so it was a barestaurant) and I say hi and she says "Hi, you're really pretty—" and then immediately backtracked, and I truthfully responded she was too and...
like, she actually really was, and I'm sure she was just being that customer service nice, but dude... like she had the piercings, the pink hair, and the over the top makeup and I just... swooned.
She was so cute and just sweet.
Ugh, how do I even try to go about this? Truthfully, I'm like 25 and I've never dated. Neither guy nor girl and I just... I wanted to try flirting but my brother was there and she was working so that's innappropriate, but I live in a small-ish town, how do you try to woo a waitress?!
I don't even know if she's fruity, but she also had some of those vibes and you can't judge people based off of how they dress but also it can be an indicated based on past experience... I don't even know if she has a boyfriend... or potential girlfriend.
What do I do?!

I’ll start off and say I’m an American liberal & although I can’t even begin to understand totality of the the generational conflict between Palestine & Israel, it needs to stop and I do NOT support us funding Israel in the conflict in any way.
On to the topic: I see these people on TikTok and Instagram with perfectly manicured eyebrows safely sitting in their nice looking cars or houses with an iced coffee with all the privilege they don’t even understand they have preaching about how we should block Zendaya, Taylor Swift, the Kardashians, Amy Shumer, The Rock, Kevin Hart, etc in solidarity because they haven’t said anything against Israel. Not because they are NOT supporting Palestine—they just haven’t said anything.
And I get it, celebrities have millions of dollars. It’s easy to be jealous of that. I certainly am sometimes. But they aren’t politicians. They aren’t in control. I doubt majority of the people in Israel/Palestine even know half of the celebrities people are harassing.
And this #blockout2024 “movement” is ubsurd because of that. I saw a video of celebrities at the Met Gala juxtaposed with images of people grieving their dead children in Palestine while the “Hanging Tree” from Hunger Games was playing in the background. Is it gross that people are that rich and can afford wild dresses for a night out while humans in a different area in the world are starving or trying to survive after getting bombed? Yes. It’s abhorrent. It sucks. But also, are those celebrities openly cheering and betting on the deaths of innocent children like the people of the Capitol did in the Hunger Games. No, they’re not.
If you really want to make a difference, don’t block celebrities and spam them with #freepalestine on their photos. Do you really think a mother with a dead child in her arms in Palestine will give a shit that you blocked Chris Hemsworth on Instagram and made some dumb viral video about how great you are? Absolutely not. Go out and make a REAL difference and grow up.
Change my mind.

Me and my friend went to a jazz club a few days ago to watch a live event, where we met up for the first time. During that time he said he likes how I dress and we conversed for a while. But then he said that he thinks I am special, saying that there’s not many people like me. That is the biggest compliment to me coming from him. I can’t believe he said that. We started talking about our past relationship(s) and our dating life and I said I have no luck in it haha. Then he said “I am surprised you have no luck.” I asked him why and he just went “because you’re nice.” In a shy type of way. Me and him are very shy people as well. Whenever I looked at him he smiled.
Now we’ve planned to go to a record store on Friday. He said he’s excited and when he said that he said he is sorry if he sounds forward. He also said that I reminded him of a specific actress and I said I wanted to watch some of her movies. He suggested we could watch them together sometime.
I don’t know if he likes me, he may just be friendly. He said he “really likes talking to me” and he understands my quietness. He is genuinely the most kind and understanding person I’ve met.

I had a friend named Amy.She was a shy person,but I was always there to encourage her or I helped her get things when she was sheepish at times.We were really close with each-despite being in different grades,we manage to meet each other.
One day,we were texting on the phone when she spontaneously texted me an invite to her dinner party that was going to start in the evening.I accepted the invite and told the punctual time I would be arriving at.
When it was 6:40 pm I got out of bed and took a warm shower.After that,I dried myself up and wore my clothes.Then,I curled my hair and wore diamond earrings to match my outfit.i was so excited.I then hailed a cab by the sidewalk and told my location.While I was travelling,I texted her on the way.After a while,i arrived there.The house looked really strange and the he place was creepily quiet and cold,but i was sure I was gonna met nice people.
Well,it was something I didn't expect.Nobody greeted me,only Amy.The rest were staring down at me coldly. "Oh,so you are the one?"her mother said. "Yes,I'm her friend",I replied with a smile.She rudely smiled and left.I quietly sat on the couch,talking to Amy. On my right,I could see a couple of smokers staring at me.
Finally,dinner was served.I arrived at the dinner table,and everyone was full-on staring at me.And,there was something fishy about the food. "Excuse,what did you cook?"I asked.Her sister looked angry and smiled. "Why?It's fried rice". "It smells weird",I said. "Is this beef?". "Oh right,you are Indian. Here,let me get you the chicken salad",she got up from her spot and passed me the salad. It was a sheepish moment for me.
It was eight o'clock.Dinner finished.I was talking to Amy at the balcony. Then,I experienced a sudden black out.Then,I woke up-right I was asleep.I was in the same dress.I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs-it was creepy.The mother in the kitchen seemed like a crazy lady chopping meat.her eyes and dark circles underneath and her siblings her smoking. "You are a little shit,aren't you?"they said.I ignored it,and ran away in a cab.
It was so weird. HOW COULD SHE BE LEAVING WITH THEM?!

"Golden rules" about buying cheap flights, like booking domestic flights 57 days before the departure date, are no longer valid, as there has been a huge shift in the travel industry in what days were thought the cheapest to booking flights. If a study has not been conducted recently, or only one year ago, do not put too much faith in it; there's no reason to worry about booking a flight far in advance. The stellar tips below are current.
Check airlines which don't appear on 3rd party websitesOne of the major weaknesses of Internet search engines is that they frequently will not display the flights of all airlines such as Southwest, Frontier, and Allegiant. To solve this problem, use a free resource like Wikipedia to learn which of these airlines operates a certain airport. Visit Wikipedia, go to their airport page, and search for a section called "Airlines and destinations." You are advised to locate a list of each airline that flies to that airport as well as all the nonstop destinations that airport operates. So, once you become aware of any carriers which did not show up in your first searches, you could now look for flights straight on the airlines' sites.Search one-way & round-trip flightsOnce upon a time the majority of round-trip flights were cheaper than booking two one-way airfare flights. That's no longer the situation today. For instance, Southwest and Jetblue set their prices for their flights on a one-way basis; and a round-trip flight is only the sum of the 2 one-way rates. So, you'll want to check one-way flight rates to ensure you buy the best round-trip deal by pairing two one-way flight tickets, probably on two different carriers.Look for one seat at a timeThere exists a virtually unknown quirk in how carriers price seats which could result in greater prices if searching for many passengers as opposed to a single ticket. Airlines put their inventory in fare classes, or called buckets, which are not always obviously visible to customers. For instance, there may be just three seats left in a fare bucket for $300 each, and the next higher bucket may be $400 for each ticket. But, if you happen to look for four seats, each one would end up falling into the $400 fare bucket.Search alternate airportsAt times the cost of a certain flight is extremely high that it could be a good idea to use your second or even third choice of airports. For instance, you perhaps are aware of the New York area's 3 biggest airports: New York-JFK, Newark (EWR), and New York-LaGuardia. But did you know that Stewart (SWF), Westchester (HPN), and Long Island McArthur (ISP) are also in the region? Several airlines permit you to look for all airports in a region by just specifying the destination as the city itself rather than a certain airport. The ITA Matrix tool is also a great way to look for close by if you do not know the area too well, and Google Flights offers a "Nearby airports" option to assist in this search, too.Don't always travel directBeing flexible with your route you'll be flying is another way to find a cheap flight. For instance, at times it's cheaper to travel to London and use a budget airline to Amsterdam instead of flying directly to Amsterdam from the actual departure city.To utilize this approach, learn how much it costs to fly directly to the target destination. Next, open Google Flights, type in the destination's details like country name to see the rates to nearby airports. If the difference happens to exceed $150 dollars, find out how much it actually is to fly from the 2nd airport to the main destination.Leverage elite statusAlthough having elite status will not allow you to book flights at a discount, you still could use it to save money another way. But with elite status with the majority of airlines let you to standby for earlier flights or perform same-day verified flight modifications. This can permit you to buy a discounted airline flight at an awful time, only to modify it to the flight you really want but at no extra charge. Even without elite status, the charge to standby or make a same-day verified flight modification might be less than the airfare difference between the flight you truly want and the lowest option that day.Use the correct credit cardThe right credit card may very well provide you major savings on flight tickets in a number of various ways. For instance, The Platinum Card from American Express now offers 5x points on all airline bookings made directly with the carrier or with Amex travel, worth 10 cents each dollar spent, based on TPG's recent valuations. That card in addition offers the International Airfare Program, providing cardholders discounts for premium class flights on certain airlines.Search for free hotels and stopover toursWhenever an airline imposes a lengthy layover because of its very tight schedule, the airline will usually offer a free STPC, or stopover paid by carrier, which can include a free tour or hotel room as well.
Don't mind the mythsThe initial and main fact to know whenever locating a cheap flight is there exists no magic trick for achieving this objective. There are however a ton of myths floating online about certain ways to seek cheap flights. Without doubt, you must have run into a lot of them while searching for the best flight deals.Airline companies use advanced technology like computers and pricing algorithms for determining flight prices and offer deals based on various factors like time of the year, weather, time of day, passenger demand, fuel prices, competitor prices, and others. These myths and similar ones will lead you astray. Be flexible in respect to your travel times & datesAirline flight rates vary a lot depending on upcoming holidays, day of the week, and time of the year. August is a major month for flying to Europe, and plenty of people are planning to travel somewhere hot during winter or fly while the kids are taking a break from school.In summation, if you're traveling when everyone is also flying, then logically your flight price will be higher.Flexibility is everything for cheap plane tickets & cheap flight dealsThe more flexible you are, you'll get better cheap flight deals you can book. Here's a new way of doing things: Instead of deciding where to go next, choosing dates, and then searching for the cheap plane tickets to certain destinations on those particular dates, consider first selecting your destination and dates based on the best going deals available. By exercising greater flexibility where you travel and the specific dates you fly, you will have a far better opportunity to find cheaper airfare.Book first, think later for cheap flight finder cancellationTake complete advantage of the free 24-hour cancellation window while purchasing flights. Because of the Department of Transportation's strict regulations, any cheap flight booked to or from the United States could be canceled without worry of incurring a penalty, for 24 hours after the flight's reservation; it must be booked no less than one week before the flight's departure. Yes, it's a very good idea to use a cheap flight finder these days. What this means is that if you buy a flight and the ticket price drops within 24 hour window, you could cancel the original flight and purchase the new, less expensive one.Warning: the 24-hour rule can only work for flights directly bought with the airline or with booking engines such as Priceline.Set a price alert for all cheap flight ticketsYou can choose emails or push notices to your cell phone which will tell you exactly when the flight you are interested in has increased or decreased in price. This may be a great way for getting the best possible price on all cheap flight tickets in the near future. You can do this on the majority of search travel sites and OTAs. Why miss out on potential easy savings? You can then always locate flight tickets cheap when you need them.Buy in foreign currency to get cheap flight ticketBecause regular fliers travel abroad now and then, you could switch the currency on the airline's website to determine if the price would be listed in other monies.You can save big this way. For example, if an airline increased the flight price in US dollars but not in Indian rupee, you could book flights at half the price! But this may require altering either the location or language on the airline's website; or you may change to the home country's URL, where ticket prices are generally cheapest by searching in its local currency. This is how you can in fact find cheap flight ticket to wherever you like to travel.Sign up for an airline's travel rewards credit card for cheap flight bookingOne of the smartest ways to take full advantage from travel credit cards is to use the hefty sign-up bonuses. For example, if you sign up for a new travel card when the airline is offering unusually high quantity of bonus miles, you could score yourself literally thousands of dollars worth of reward points by just opening the card.Although several of these travel cards could have higher annual fees, a big sign-up bonus may amount for months or even years worth of cheap flight booking for you and your whole family.The cheapest day to book flightsEven though you might see great deals flashing on your computer screen for international airfare three to six months out, if you are flying during peak times, or perhaps your plans are not very flexible, it's smart to begin searching sooner. The cheapest day to book flights actually evades many flyers.This does not automatically mean you ought to purchase tickets when hitting the 6-month window; hold on till you book cheap flights online. And, just ignore the old advice that travel experts often repeat regarding booking the cheapest flights at 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday; that used to be true but now airfare prices are updated often and great deals could pop up any given moment when least expected. So, now you can secure a flight cheap most of the time.Utilize momondo to book cheap flight air ticketsUpon finding what you imagine to be the cheapest flight wherever, try searching on Momondo; it will search dozens of OTAs; bear in mind that it may not display the cheapest fares seen on large OTAs and Google Flights. But you got a greater chance to find cheap air tickets sooner this way. Otherwise, only one cheap air ticket may be attained, if tried another manner. Now you too can enjoy when you book cheap flight tickets when you need them.Fly cheap during the low seasonHave you ever scanned flight prices from the USA to Europe's insanely popular cities in August? Surpassing quite easily $1000.00, they can frighten seasoned and expert travelers alike.But are those the same ticket prices in February? So, fly cheap from major hubs in USA to Europe, you could often locate roundtrip flights throughout the winter months for less than $400 or even $300!Fly basic economy for cheap air flightsA basic economy flight ticket could save you money, if you do not require checked luggage or advance seat selection. Pay only for what you need. In theory, you'll achieve cheap air flights via this option.Enroll in the airline's loyalty program for cheap airfareIf you fly one particular airline often, join its loyalty program in order to earn points each time you go anywhere. Then, you can redeem such points for upgrades or cheap airfare in the future. If you accumulate enough miles and achieve a considerable status with the airline, you might receive free upgrades. Now, you can take fuller advantage of cheap air fare whenever you require it.Skiplag to discover hidden-city cheap airfares & last minute flightsHidden-city ticketing happens by booking a flight to a place beyond your final destination, and then end your flight on the layover city. This could help you in getting cheap airfares as well as best last minute flights to most destinations. Think about it: can you imagine a better, more creative way to book cheap air fares while searching the Internet?Prolong your layovers for cheapest flight ticketsSometimes only by extending a layover a few days in another city in-between, you can score cheapest flight tickets to your original destination. In conclusion, more often than not, you'll usually find the cheapest flight ticket by following this method consistently. Why not? A lot of people are discovering that they are by accident getting the cheapest flight via the extended layovers.Don't overlook sales for cheapest flight bookingAirlines are frequently offering amazing deals which you may jump on fast enough and save yourself hundreds of dollars on your next flight. Sign up for your favorite airline's newsletter to be on top of their latest flight deals. This is yet another way to know about the cheapest flight booking that becomes available whenever.Focus on going across the ocean for cheap fly ticketsIf you are thinking to visit a distant location, it could be less expensive to book one ticket to the main hub, and then a second ticket from there to your final destination. For example, if you wish to fly to Alhambra, Spain, it's probably cheaper to book one roundtrip flight from your home to Madrid and a second roundtrip ticket from Madrid to Alhambra than it would be to buy a ticket to Alhambra on one itinerary. In essence, you'll end up with cheap fly tickets by following the above example.Don't overlook destinations with low cost carriers to get cheapest flightsCarriers such as Frontier, AirTran, and Southwest all drive down airfares along their routes. So, it may be quite wise to travel a bit longer to a larger airport with low-cost carriers, because even major carriers flights will most likely be cheaper. Using this method regularly, you are more likely to find the cheapest flights to most if not all your destinations. Why not take advantage of low cost flights whenever possible?Avoid Friday, Sunday flights, & traditional air travel daysThis may mean going away before and returning later than usual, or even flying exactly on the holiday. Pelletier, the air travel specialist, says you can save up to 50% by simply flying Christmas Eve or Day. She said: "We saved $300 per ticket around Thanksgiving for our family of four by flying out the Saturday before Thanksgiving and coming back the Saturday after. Not everyone can swing that with their work schedules, so my advice is to leave Thanksgiving day and return on Saturday for cheaper fares."Begin with a reputable flight search engine to find cheapest international flightsWhile searching for a flight, the initial thing you will wish to do is determine which airlines run a certain route and get an estimated price on the biggest carriers. Opposed to individually visiting all of these airlines' sites, begin by looking for a website which will provide results from many airlines and different combinations of carriers. You may end up with the cheapest international flights this way. So, you could start with Expedia or another such as Orbitz, Hotwire, Travelocity, and Cheap Tickets. Do not ignore Google Flights, which, though a very powerful search engine, know that it's not a booking platform and can't buy a flight ticket there. This is how you could find cheapest flights to many popular locations.Be flexible where you go to book discount flightsIf for some reason or another you cannot be flexible with the time factor of your flight, then try to be flexible with your destinations. It's ideal to be both. However, you still can save a lot of money and book discount flights by being flexible with either factor.You don't have to conduct manual searches, going city by city and day by day. Websites such as Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Momondo provide explore tools and permit you to add your nearest airport and see a world map with all the possible flights on it. This helps you to quickly compare many destinations with no need to brainstorm each potential option.Fly budget airlines/carriersMany years ago, you were generally stuck flying with traditional costly airlines. That's not true anymore. Budget airlines today service both short and medium-haul routes all over the world. For example, AirAsia provides incredible cheap flight deals around Australia and Asia for less than $150 dollars! Indian and Middle Eastern air carriers sell cheap flight tickets throughout Africa and the subcontinent.Book early: how to find the cheapest flightsYou can discover how to find the cheapest flights by booking early. Although flight rates continue climbing the nearer you get to departure, there exists a great spot along the way when airline companies start to reduce or increase flight prices based on demand. Do not wait till the last moment but do not book too far in advance. The ideal time to buy your flight ticket is about 2 to 3 months prior to your departure, or even about 5 months prior if you're flying there in their peak season.

I use to work for McDonald's, got fired a month or two ago. I had a habit of coming in 5-10 minutes late because I lived downtown, I had lived near but moved. I didn't want to quit because I cared about who I worked with which was my 2 nightshift mangers, and a co-employee, and he bullied the f*ck out the co-worker and kinda one of the managers. But before I was fired half, if not most, employees hated the GM.
When he transferred to the location I worked he fired LOT of workers. A few understandable but others were just dumb. He fired and banned two workers that were taking food, understandable. But he fired one for eating a fry out the fry station. Everyone at the location even the managers and cooks, but for some reason he was the only one who got fired without any other reason or, to my knowledge, warnings.
The GM is so rude he told the MANGER, "You should work on your appearance." The manager was fully dressed to code and requirement. meaning he was most likely talking about her face or weight, it clearly wasn't here hair since she never changed it back to stopped coloring her hair.
With the people who worked there that he bullied daily. My co-worker, he noticed when he first came, that she constantly came to work 30 minutes late or not come in but would also stay 1 hour+ late to help and make up for her lost time. He said he was being "fair" and told her he wouldn't fire her if she doesn't miss a day again. FOR 7 WHOLE MONTHS on the schedule HE PUT for her. Keep in mind he NEVER works graveyard, but those who did work Graveyard didn't care or mind. Every week he constantly barraged her with threats to fire her. Motherf*cker even called her one dad and YELLED at her over the phone. It was at the point where she was afraid of him because like most people these days, she has anxiety. One night she worked perfectly, everyone got there food and drinks, and restocked half the whole store, but when he suddenly came in super early, her hands were shaking with fear and she handed out two wrong orders. He would just flat out change her schedule without her permission or knowledge without warning or heads-up.
With the manger he bullied, because we were short-staffed and graveyard just so happen to constantly get the slow and lazy workers. Our time was on average high, 200-700. He told her that she was just bad at her job. He never let her change her schedule even if he changed it on her, even though she had to take her kid(s) to the doctors. He never messed with any other employee or manager schedule without permission.
Me, well we had a lazy employee. So me caring about who I worked with, was asked every time to come in on my day off. Only having 1 day off despite working for a disability company as my main job. And I was the only night shift worker that volunteered to come in 2 hours early to help on X-mas eve and day. I was so incredible, the mangers that day can vouch for me, that I cleared all 3 screens within the 1st hour of working there. My manager during night shift saw our time at 600, left to do something for 10 or 15 minutes. Came back and saw my and the bullied co-worker, me bagging and running food while other was at window handing orders and drinks out, got time down to around 100 or less. One day the lazy employee who actually speaks Spanish got put to a speaker since one cook didn't call in. I ask the employee, if she wanted to switch spots. She said she was told by the night manager to be there and I told her that I know and asked if she wanted to switch to kitchen since the kitchen spoke Spanish only. after telling her she called the GM and told him I was HARASSING her, career ruining accusation. GM calls the manager and asked if I did. She told him I didn't and all he did was tell the manager to send her home. Never came to ask me what happened or anything.
A LOT MORE things happen, but I'll skip to the end. I clocked out, came on time that day, and while on a game on my phone which I'm being timed on. The night manager called me into the OFFICE as I'm waiting for my ride and playing game. As she speaks I'm playing the game and she ask if I'm listening, I say yes but she doesn't believe me so asked what she said. I repeat word for word what she said, and we continued as I'm responding. GM doesn't like it so he tells me to get off my phone, I tell him I can't since I use money on the battle pass so I'm not letting it go to waste. He tells me to put it away and I say no because I'm off the clock and he can't tell me to do so. So he gets angry and makes me sign the termination paper work or whatever he had me sign. But because I put the wrong I put the wrong date and asked the manager for the company number, he tells me it. And I guess he felt like being an a*s he said as I WALKED AWAY, "Make sure you spell my name right." I have dyslexia and anxiety. He felt the need to make the comment so that he can have the last word.
The mangers quit because one reason, the GM. He fired anyone who he didn't like or spoke back to him. And yes I have screen shots, and screen records on my phone of all this evidence and even the lazy worker would say I harassed her so, I can show all evidence. The GM mad ethe place SOO toxic and full of hate and fear. Last thing, he constantly took pictures of the cameras to tell the manager to tell us get off our phones (we went on our phone when we had no customers and nothing else to restocked or clean. However not one of the back window which is where the lazy worker was always on her phone and letting cars pass her window because she had attitude and such. But the kitchen, eventually got to the point where they didn't even care enough to even wear gloves. I was hired to be a Overnight Crew Member, but I had to and could counting inventory, had a thumb print to do refunds, promos and do other stuff, but I promised to only do it for codes and promos when it was busy. I kept that promise till I left. But I ALSO working lobby cashier, and KITCHEN. When I went to kitchen. I listen to my music, but when using my pinky, WITH GLOVES ON, my manger told me to not do that. I even turned off my music when morning staff arrived.
Short story: I worked 6 out of 7 days, as a part-time worker with the ability to do managers and kitchen jobs. But because I live 15 minute drive away, and came in 5-10 minutes late. But on my time off while tired from the work day since we had the lazy worker, as well as from the 6th day, I wanted to relax. But the GM had his feelings hurt, I got fired. Should I report? and How?

Hello,
I, F (23) have been texting/calling with a M (30), we had a first date i believe 3 or 4 weeks ago, we went for drinks at a restaurant. It was going well and he then asked to go for a drive, but before we could even get into his car, he kissed me and it was lovely. We then went inside his car for a heavy petting/make out session but I kept second guessing myself and stopped it from going further. He asked if i wanted to go to his place to meet his dog, and of course i said yes.
we were at his place and we just cuddled and watched a movie, about this time its 2 AM and well, after the movie ended, we started fooling around and you can guess what happened next. After the first time, we cuddled and had pillow talk for about 2 hours, then we did it again and around 4 AM we decided to fall asleep. in my mind, i was thinking this isn't just some hook up, people don't have pillow talk for 2 hours or spend the night. they typically just go straight into it and then sleep together then leave. However, when i woke up in the morning, he was awake for like maybe 2 minutes and i heard him on his phone. He was on this app for maybe a literal 15 seconds. All i heard was "swipe, swipe, swipe, buzz buzz"
Yeah...he was on a dating app and matched with someone. So a minute later he asks if i was awake and i tell him "yeah..were you just on a dating app? I heard you match with someone so congrats"
He responded with the "whattt, how did you know? wait- now you're going to think im not serious about you". of course i responded with a "well yeah" and he said "but i am serious about you"
I brushed it off, thinking i was wrong that maybe this was a 1 time thing. However, he still texts me every day and sometimes calls me a few times a week but he only sees me on fridays? He also told me that he wants to be exclusive. we've been going about this for going on 4 weeks now. I somehow feel he doesn't take me seriously, we have gone out in public and all, but last Friday he upset and I was getting dressed to leave. He was stopping me, but when he was talking to me as i was putting on my shoes, he wasn't even facing me. Mind you, he was asking me to stay and to not be upset with him and just come back to bed. But why wouldn't he face me? he was half turned facing the opposite way but with his head turned to his side so i was in his peripheral vision. Was it because he doesn't like showing vulnerability? was it because he doesn't take me seriously?
My friend told me that he probably just settled on me, and when i told my situationship about this he actually got upset with me and said i ruined the vibe of our relationship or whatever this is? which the only reason i have doubts about us is solely because he was on a dating app while i was in his bed next to him.
**TL;DR;** i can't tell if my situationship is serious about me or not

Cover Art!
Just because you’re transported to another world, doesn’t mean you’ll escape from your pain.
Abused by her parents, thirteen-year-old Frances only wants to be safe and for her life not to hurt so much. And when she and her class are transported to the magical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the self-titled Demon King, Frances is presented with a golden opportunity. If she succeeds, Frances will have the home she never had. If she fails, Frances will be summoned back to the home she escaped.
Yet, despite her newfound magic and friends, Frances finds that trauma is not so easily lost. She is dogged by her abuse and its physical and invisible scars. Not only does she have to learn magic, she has to survive the nightmares of her past, and wrestle with her feelings of doubt and self-loathing.
If she can heal from her trauma, though, she might be able to defeat the Demon King and maybe, just maybe, she can find a home for herself.
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 216] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 218 May 28 or see the next chapter now on Patreon]
The Fractured Song Index
Discord Channel Just let me know when you arrive in the server that you’re a Patreon so you can access your special channel.
Frances and company catch up before the final battle.
***
“Hold on. How would he win this battle if we outnumber him and surround him?” Ginger asked.
“He could target our leadership. Focus on killing Titania, Antigones, you and Martin,” said Ayax.
“Only, he’d have to kill Sebastian and Megara, as well as Edana and you too, Frances, along with a whole list of targets. I’m not sure how he could pull that off,” said Elizabeth.
Ayax grimaced, brow furrowed, but Frances knew the answer to that question.
“Thorgoth doesn’t need to find half the targets he’s after. Myself, mom, Titania, our strongest mages and the rest of the people that will be on his list have leadership positions. Like it or not we’ll be involved in the battle and he just needs to find us on the battlefield. A well-placed spell and he’d snuff any non-magic person out,” Frances said.
“So what do we do then?” Martin asked.
Frances’ heart was pounding, for she knew the answer, but was afraid to give it life. Yet what could she do but tell what she knew was the truth?
“Take the battle to him. Thorgoth will have to operate by himself with maybe just his Royal Guards. We need to hold him and his escort and defeat him before he hurts everybody else.”
“So, all the Otherworlders, our best mages?” Ayax asked.
“Not all of them. But my mother and I, Jessica and Leila, Dwynalina and Jim and Nicole, with a few Otherworlders holding off his guards,” said Frances.
Elizabeth pursed her lips. “Ayax and I can go after Queen Berengaria. I can’t imagine her going far from her husband.”
“This is assuming we can at least split the attention of the dragons and keep them occupied of course,” said Martin. He touched Ginger’s elbow. “Not that I don’t trust you dear.”
“Oh I know, but it is a consideration.” She swirled the wine in her cup. “That means Martin and I will be directing the battle with Sebastian and Alexander.”
“It’s likely you’ll be the overall commander with Martin. Alexander and Sebastian would then take charge of their own contingents,” said Elizabeth. She bit her lip. “Do you feel up for it?”
Ginger shrugged. “I mean, we have to—”
Elizabeth reached out to pat her friend’s shoulder. “Martin, Ginger, you know we have every faith in both of you, but if you need help, there is no shame in asking for it.”
“Besides I think we’re all scared. I know I am,” Ayax said with a smile. Even so, they could all see how her tail looked like it was trying to twist itself into knots. Frances figured her cousin wasn’t trying to hide her fear, just trying not to alarm or panic them.
Martin sighed. “I think that’s the problem, Liz. Duty compels us. Love binds us. So I know no matter what happens, I know we’ll stand together to face him. Still, we are afraid and while I know I won’t run, I worry that fear may cloud my judgment at a crucial moment.”
Ginger wiped her eyes, but her tears now flowed freely down her cheeks. “How do I know I won’t panic, and make a bad call? How do we know we are all coming back? We can’t. I…I guess we have to accept that, but I don’t want to lose you. Any of you.”
Drawing her friend into a tight hug, Elizabeth gently patted Ginger’s back. “I don’t either. I suppose that for me, I’ve always looked to my faith in God, and in you all. Have we not triumphed in all we’ve faced?””
Frances found herself nodding, her throat unclenching and the tight nervousness in her shoulders and neck fading. What remained was a faint feeling of lightness that lifted her chin.
“You’re right. We should believe in ourselves, and hope. Hope for a future when we win this war. Hope that our good will triumph over Thorgoth’s evil. Hope that in a few days, we’ll be home with our family, and our friends.”
Martin gave Frances a wondering look. “How are you able to hope that?”
Frances smiled. “I think that I have always been good at having hope. I didn’t realize it until now, but even in my darkest moments, I always hoped that I would find a place where I could be me.”
Ayax stood up, raising her glass. “To faith, friendship and hope. May it see us all through our final trial.”
Rising to their feet, the five touched glasses and drank deep. They all were smiling. The pain and fear in their hearts soothed by the hope they held and the determination to see each other once again.
***
“Frances, can I walk with you?”
Frances would never have said no to her best friend, and she could tell that past Elizabeth’s bright smile, her friend was worried. There were just too many small signs learnt from years of friendship. She was scratching behind her ear, and her eyes were narrowed just slightly from the tension in her face.
“Of course,” said Frances, falling in beside the tall Otherworlder. “How are you and Ayax?”
Elizabeth giggled. “We’re great! Fantastic even. She and I are even talking about what we might do after the war. We have so many plans and well, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that.”
Frances waited as Elizabeth continued to walk beside her, lips pursed.
“I know that after the war, I’m choosing to stay here with Ayax, with all of you. I just…” her voice trailed off, and her walk slowed to a crawl.
Taking a slight breath, Frances touched her friend’s hand. “Liz, you know it’s okay for you to doubt that.”
Elizabeth stopped and shook her head. “Oh no, I don’t have any doubts about my decision. At the very least, I’m past the point where my doubts aren’t going to change my decision. I know I’ve changed too much in the past seven years. I’ve come to terms with my sexuality. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with a woman who loves me just as much. I’ve commanded armies, led soldiers into battle and helped to make decisions affecting hundreds of thousands of people. I can’t go back pretending I’m Grade 8 and neither do I want to.” She squeezed Frances’s hand. “My decision is the right one. I know it in my heart and I’ve prayed about it. I can do a lot of good here and me going back? That won’t just hurt the people I love here, but it’ll hurt me and my family at home. I can’t hide who I’ve become and I’m proud of what I’ve grown into.”
Frances closely studied her friend knowing Elizabeth wouldn’t mind her staring.
“So what are you feeling, Liz?”
Closing her eyes, Elizabeth sniffled. “Guilt. It’s stupid. I know I’m making the right choice. I’m sure in my heart that God is encouraging me to make this choice, but I still feel guilty.”
“How could you not? You know your family loves you.”
“And I’m abandoning them. I know I’m doing the right thing but I still feel like I’m doing something wrong,” said the Otherworlder.
Frances hugged her best friend, squeezing her tight, hoping that her warmth and touch could comfort the woman who she’d trusted as much as her own mother.
“Liz, if they are everything you told me, they’re going to be alright. Have faith in them, like your faith in me and your friends.”
Elizabeth let out a sigh, but returned the hug. “Thank you, Frances. If…if the worst comes and you are sent back without me, go to them. Tell them I love them.”
Tears in her eyes, Frances nodded. “I promise. If you are sent back, I will take care of Ayax.”
Elizabeth let out a gurgly hiccup. “Thank you. I know you will.”
***
The historic coronation of King Martin and Queen Ginger would found what would be known as the Congrey dynasty. Con for Conthwaite and Grey for King Jerome’s dynasty.
It was an unusual coronation as King Martin and Queen Ginger were long-betrothed but not married. Yet King Jerome and Queen Forowena’s wills had been clear. Apart from that, the coronation involved as many of Eridale's traditions as possible in light of the circumstances.
Down the parade route attended by all those that could be mustered, King and Queen marched in at the head of an honor guard composed of their closest companions. These included Frances, Elizabeth, and Ayax, who held three poles of a crimson banner that hung over the pair. The fourth corner was held by Martin’s sister Mara, who wore a slightly undignified grin. Yet, nobody could really blame her.
Martin wore a black-white checkered tunic with red-gold trimmings and shoulder epaulets. His trousers were dark gray with again red-gold tassels. Ginger did wear a dress. It was of a dark maroon with silver lacing. A bejeweled gorget studded with emeralds hung from her neck and her ears sparkled with dark blue sapphires.
There was one minor alteration. As the procession marched up to the entrance of the old Goblin Empire palace, on a raised wooden dais dressed with elaborately embroidered carpets stood the attending dignitaries. They included all the other Erisdalian lords and ladies such as Viscountess Katia and Lord Tarquin, dressed in all the finery they could muster. Other notables such as Prince Timur, representing the Kingdom of Alavaria, Grandmaster Edana of the White Order and Alexander and Eloise of Erlenberg stood proudly side by side.
Towards the center of the dais were three figures. King Sebastian and Queen-Consort Megara, and the former Queen Janize. Sebastian and Megara were standing, holding Queen Forowena’s crown, whilst the heavily pregnant Janize sat, holding King Jerome’s crown. Thorgoth may have taken their decorated helmets, but he did not have their ceremonial attire.
Martin and Ginger stepped out from under the awning, giving their bearers a brief nod, before taking the last steps up the dais.
Whistling a spell, Megara touched her throat with her wand. “Who stands before the crowns?”
Martin knelt to one knee. The bearers of the awning followed. “Sir Martin of Conthwaite. A Knight of Erisdale.”
Ginger curtsied low. Frances nearly split her lips as she grinned at her friend’s perfect form. “Ginger. Just Ginger of Erisdale.”
Janize’s expression was unreadable as she rose to her feet. There was a slight archness to her features, and yet that could just be how she lifted her haughty cheeks.
“As witnessed by all, and by the King and Queen of Lapanteria, do you swear to defend Erisdale with all means at your disposal including force of arms?”
“We do.”
“Do you swear to uphold the laws of the land and the rights of Erisdale’s citizens?”
“We do!”
“Do you swear that until your dying breaths, to govern and reign over Erisdale not for your benefit, but for the benefit of the people and for their future generations?”
From her kneeling position, Frances frowned. That wasn’t quite the right oath. The wording was “Do you swear to govern over Erisdale wisely and justly?” She supposed that she might have missed it, or maybe there was a variation.
Yet as she noted her fiance’s face, she noticed his eyes were wide and her mother’s eyebrow was arched.
Not skipping a beat, Martin and Ginger bellowed. “We do!”
“Do you swear that you will do your utmost not to make the same mistakes as your predecessors and do whatever it takes to preserve Erisdale’s peace, even if it may cost you your lives?”
Frances blinked. Janize had gone completely off script. There was no fourth oath.
However, Martin and Ginger only hesitated for a moment as they exchanged a glance and looked up to meet Janize’s gaze.
The blonde woman’s eyes were bright and the hands holding Jerome’s crown were trembling ever so slightly. Frances had wondered why she’d insisted on doing this. Martin and Ginger had wanted to approach her to ask if she was willing, but the enigmatic former queen had surprised them by demanding they allow her to crown them. She now had an idea as to why.
“We do,” said Martin, smiling.
Ginger returned that smile. Blinking back her own tears, she took a breath. “In the name of Queen-consort Forowena and your brother, King Jerome. We solemnly swear.”
Janize closed her eyes, a single tear running down her cheek.
“Then as the last heiress of House Grey, I pass the crown of Erisdale on forever. Long live the Congrey dynasty. Long live Martin the Hero of Erisdale and his queen to be Ginger, whom I dub Erisdale’s Burning Heart.”
Lifting Jerome’s crown high, she set it onto Martin’s head. Swiftly taking Queen Forowena’s crown from Sebastian, she set it on Ginger’s head.
“Hail King Martin and Queen Ginger!” Janize bellowed as Martin and Ginger rose to their feet.
The crowd chanted back, their voices filling the great cavern. “Hail King Martin and Queen Ginger! Hail King Martin and Queen Ginger!” Frances could barely hear her own voice over the crescendo. The call that they all raised. Like the sound carried up into the void, she could feel herself be carried up. It was like she was floating on the power of their united song.
Turning around, Martin and Ginger smiled at Frances. Their eyes were wide, and she could see them clasp each other’s hands tightly.
Frances found herself standing on her feet, the pole to her awning in her hand. Without a second thought, she stabbed the pole’s spike into the ground. As her hand dropped to Alanna, she paused for a moment before her mind caught up with her body, and she nodded as if to herself.
Drawing the estoc, Frances raised her blade high, saluting her two friends.
“Long may they reign! Long may they reign!”
Elizabeth was right behind her, hammer raised high. Ayax followed suit with her staff and Mara and the rest were soon drawing their weapons. From the corner of her eye, Frances even spotted Morgan and Hattie raising their wand and staff.
“Long may they reign! Long may they reign!”
***
Helias glanced over his shoulder toward the accursed city. Despite the distance, there was a tremble in the air of Kairoun-Aoun itself.
“Helias?” Sara asked.
“Sounds like they crowned Martin and Ginger. They’re going to attack soon,” he said.
Sara nodded, her tense jaw the only sign of the worry that had seized the harpy-orc. As gently as he could manage with his rough, scarred hands, he wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Sara. We’re going to be fine.”
“You’re lying,” she said with eyes fixed forward.
The general couldn’t help but wince. “Sorry.”
Slowing in her stride, Sara placed a hand over Helias’s. “I still appreciate you trying to comfort me but I would prefer you to tell me the truth. How bad is it?”
Helias looked around. “Thorgoth may pull off a miracle and get himself and Berengaria out. However, a lot of Alavari are going to die.”
“What are you going to do?” Sara asked.
“I’ll have to attend this meeting and see what Thorgoth is planning. We’ll make a plan after that.”
“You and I know it’s not going to change anything,” Sara said, looking up at her husband, who could not meet her gaze. Yet, she didn’t push him away. Instead put her hand around his waist, drawing him closer.
“I know, but I want to be sure,” said Helias in a low tone.
“I understand. See you soon,” said Sara.
***
Helias found himself exchanging side-long glances with Glowron. The pair sat, both leaning forward toward King Thorgoth and a pacing Queen Berengaria, who’d finished explaining tomorrow’s strategy.
“Do you have anything else to add, my good generals?” Thorgoth asked. The king still smiled easily as he swirled a cup of wine in his hands.
Glowron shook his head. His tone was short but he kept this expression neutral. “No sire.”
The goblin general was Helias’s superior in rank and social class. The fact of the matter was that if Glowron had no objections, then there was no way the tauroll could object.
And still, Helias felt bile rise in the back of his throat. He froze, ever so briefly. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. Nothing mattered, except for Sara and Gwendilia.
“No sir. I’ll have my troops ready for tomorrow.”
That should have been that. They would have been dismissed to prepare for tomorrow’s suicide mission, but the king’s whims had other plans.
King Thorgoth put his cup down and leaned forward. “Oh come on my good generals. Surely you have something to improve on this plan.”
Glowron’s expression remained blank, whilst Helias smiled. “Your Majesty, you were the one who taught me everything I know. I can think of nothing I can add to your strategy.”
Queen Berengaria strode toward him. “You’re usually so talkative, Helias. Are you sure you have no other thoughts?”
“I beg your apologies, but I do not have any further additions to your plan, Your Majesty. My lord Glowron?” Helias asked.
“I do not either, my liege—” Glowron fell silent and Helias’s tail stiffened.
Thorgoth and Berengaria were no longer smiling and with a few more steps, the harpy queen had put herself behind the two generals.
“Let me be plain, we are now not asking you about how to improve the plan. We are asking for your thoughts. Give them.”
The Demon King’s remaining dark eye was narrowed. The other was now covered with a black silk eyepatch, the remains of the scar that Queen Forowen had given him, a discoloration scouring a line along the side of his face and right over his ear. In spite of the king’s injury, Helias felt nothing but cold dread dry his mouth.
“Your Majesty, my only thought is that we have no option but to follow your plan. No matter how we got into this situation, the only thing we can do is go forward and try to win this day,” Glowron said.
“And do you blame me, Glowron?”
Helias watched, eyes wide as somehow the much smaller goblin general continued to meet the king’s eyes. “I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t assign some responsibility to you at all, but I believe we ought to have thought of the possibility of such a trap. So the responsibility is mine as well.”
Thorgoth nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, Helias saw the slightest of nods that Berengaria gave to her husband. Alarm shooting his gaze back toward the Demon King, Helias found the full attention of his sovereign and sometimes uncle directed right at him.
“And you, General Helias?”
Lie and he might not be able to make it convincing enough. Tell the truth about what he thought about this war and he was never seeing Sara and Gwendilia again. Thorgoth hadn’t just been hurt, his pride had been wounded and he was now backed into a corner. It would be unwise to anger him, but what to say? What could he say?
All he could think of, and see was his child and her adoring gaze. All he could feel was the touch of Sara’s hand against his. They’d become closer than he could have imagined and were more than just companions with mutual goals now.
If he was to die, then maybe he could tell this truth.
“I am mostly thinking of my wife and my child, my king. The coming battle has me greatly concerned with how dangerous it shall be.”
Thorgoth narrowed his eyes at Helias for a brief moment. The tauroll, staying very still, waited for the presumed reaction by Berengaria.
Whatever Berengaria did made Thorgoth arch an eyebrow.
“I thought you didn’t consider your wife to be worth much,” said the king in a mild tone.
His mind racing, Helias ran with the idea. “She has responded well to the constraints and discipline I’ve enforced on her. She does nothing but facilitate all my needs and has served me well.”
He could feel Berengaria’s eyes narrow, but Thorgoth was already leaning back onto his chair. “Good for you. You are dismissed.”
“Thank you, sire,” said Helias, almost unable to hide his sigh of relief.
***
Author’s Note: While I wish I could have spent more quality time with Martin, Elizabeth, Ginger and Ayax, I do love the best-friend/team that I created for Frances. This chapter and the last was my little way of giving each of them a bit of time with Frances before the final battle.

I (24M) never had many friends growing up. In fact, I only had acquaintances. I was never invited to parties, hang outs, etc. People only used me for small talk, gossip, or to trauma dump. Due to this, I started to suffer from social anxiety. I felt like no one really liked me or valued my friendship.
However, at times, I pushed myself to overcome my social anxiety. I started reading and watching videos on how to create close friendships. This entailed me initiating conversations and hangouts with people. So, I initiated hangouts with my acquaintances. During the hangout everything seems normal, but after no one contacts me ever again unless I contact them first. If I contact them, they seem engaged. Yet, the relationship doesn’t evolve. This has happened several times. Unfortunately, this reinforces my theory that people really don’t like me which lowers my self esteem. I’m completely loosing motivation. I want to feel like the friendship isn’t one-sided.
I’m a pretty normal guy. I dress well, have good hygiene, non-confrontational, educated, non-judgmental, helpful and I’m pretty open minded.
Why does no one reciprocate the same energy? It’s hard to build friendships if no one seems interested enough. Should I keep trying with these people?

Regina gets all "motherly" on her older sister.
No, wrong. She gets all TRITONY. Except...
"I hate you, how dare you mate with that scoundrel!" Instead of "HUMANS! I'm prejudice against them! Ariel!!!!!!!!"
I mean, at least Triton came around (because Eric saved Ariel) after screaming at Ariel for saving Eric, which is more than I can say about REGINA!
Also, actually, that mirror thing Regina did, which is called STALKING. Yep, Regina STALKED Zelena...was not exactly Triton but Young Sister's Watching You creepy as f***.
Zelena did not bother telling Regina, "You do realize, with all that salivating you do in that mirror that BELLE is the one who gave me the idea to date Sir Dead Guy, eh?" Belle is the one who said, "You might want to get Hades in the sack! It's time, love. You haven't done it in a long time, right? It's growing back. I think...you've only had the baby, what, five days ago? Postpartum bodies, who gets them? Me, I'm getting morning sickness even though my husband told me I was pregnant SIXTY SECONDS ago...I'm super smart though!" (I'm frankly amazed they didn't make Belle be nine months along already and drop the baby at Hades' feet, all wth is that??? A baby? Is it Will's?)
Yes, Zelena never would have stopped guarding her heart if BELLE hadn't talked sense into her. So...Regina can thank Belle because she's a better Young Sister than Regina is.
I absolutely hate Regina's attitude toward Zelena. I GET Zelena's a total jerk to her up until she's in the underworld and the writers chiseled off her psychotic energy. But Regina thinks she's a GOOD PERSON because she won't let anyone kill Zelena?
That's BULLS***. I don't know what the writers are smoking, but you know what makes someone a good person? Compassion. Merely NOT KILLING SOMEONE doesn't make you a good person. You don't have to be a murderer to be a truly terrible person. Cora really f***ed Regina up because she never listened to her. Regina repeatedly complained that Snow and co were too self-righteous...then she becomes TEN THOUSAND times more self-righteous than any of them ever are.
And that's saying a lot. Considering when Anton was raging at them, Snow said, "We're good!" Who does that? In real life? That's cringey, but I guess if we're saying they grew up with fictional people brains, it kinda works...
I know some people disagree with me, but it really bothers me how Regina acts toward Zelena in s6, when Zelena is genuinely TRYING to be a good person. NOBODY was that nasty to Regina, even GRUMPY, when she tried to turn a new leaf.
And if I wished Regina had gotten tired of everyone treating her cruelly when she was trying to be a good person in s2 and wished she'd blast them already and go, "Fine, I'll be evil, just like yall want," in s6, Regina is like a parole officer sniffing Zelena's breath every time she gazes off into a sunset. It would've been a lot more realistic if that tight chokehold Regina had on Zelena made the wicked come out...with no remorse attached. And it'd be all Regina's fault. There IS no compassion. If you want to be angry about her r**ing Robin, I'd get it, but she's angry because Zelena AND ROBIN saved Regina from Hades but Robin had to die and Zelena got to live.
For aaaaaalllllllll Regina "nobody gets to kill my sister", in s6, she shows the audience if Hades had killed Zelena and Robin lived instead, she'd be happy. Because Regina lives in the land of "I wish my life were different" instead of being kind to what people try to love her who she has left. Zelena is really trying in s6...and Regina is the one who TOLD HER TO KISS HADES and start his heart. Sure, Zelena should've ignored her. But you can't tell someone to do something then hate them forever because they LISTENED TO YOU.
Regina wasn't mad about Robin's r***, she was just feeling like a better person (when she r***d Graham for probably 35 years then KILLED him because he was coming out of the coma, so to speak). But when Robin dies...and Zelena saves her life...Regina's thong gets stuck. So snide, so self-righteous. I like her better when she'd smiling smugly and destroying random people's happiness than when she goes around acting better than Zelena because Zelena is trying to open her heart to Regina and Regina is being snooty.
Basically, empaths dressed in vipers clothing are extremely obnoxious.
And far as the whole Cora thing goes...let's remember...she gave Zelena up as a baby thinking Zelena would be eaten by wolves. S5 has a flashback where she goes to get her to save Regina's life (and while this is definitely a "new idea" instead of an old plan, lets pretend it was planned all along), and when she goes to get her, she sees Zelena's adopted father about to hit her.
And what does Cora do? She throws her back to be beaten by the adoptive father.
THEN SHE TRIES TO CONVINCE ZELENA SHE LOVES HER. Why does she even want to MEET Zelena? For Regina. To help Regina.
Then she makes up some bs before she departs about how she cares about Zelena, so she goes to heaven. No, Cora. No, you don't care about Zelena at all. You just lied.
People do it all the time, make up some grand sob story about how they care about you purely to guide you into biting the bullet they have reserved for you.
If Cora cared about Zelena (I don't care if she had her heart or not), the time to stop bsing would be when she saw that guy about to hit Zelena. She would not have sent Zelena back to him if she cared about her on any level.
I really wish the writing had not forgiven Cora. They should have just made her actually be accountable for the bad things she did. But the ONLY thing she did that wasn't totally shitty was explain to Regina that Hades can't be changed by something as simple as "love". Then the second she goes to heaven, Regina forgets all about that, and she tells Zelena to make wild love to Hades.
Then she gets mad at Zelena when she goes and does exactly that.

Disclaimer: Not all Norwegian people are like that. These are just my observations & experiences & perhaps other people might disagree with me and that’s ok.

1. There is no individuality in this country. Everyone talks, dresses, thinks, acts the same way. Their houses all look the same. They use the same phones, they drive the same cars. I’d say that everyone even wants the same things, has the same goals. They don’t have any unique family traditions. You’ll see a trampoline in every single house garden. People expect you to conform to their Norwegian ways and if you don’t you’re branded as a weirdo and freak of nature. People have the same hobbies.
   
2. Norwegians are the worst gossipers I’ve met in my entire life. It’s actually quite funny because they are seen as these calm, peaceful, introverted people but they talk shit about everything and everyone behind their backs while pretending to like them at the same time. When they get caught and get confronted about their judgmental & two faced behaviour they constantly use words like “ I didn’t mean it like that”, “ it’s just an expression in Norwegian” ( when it really isn’t), “ I wasn’t judging I was just making conversation”, etc. When you get past through this bs & successfully call them out they will say that in Norway it’s normal to gossip.
   
3. Family life is horrible and exhausting. The in-laws are up in your ass*s all the time and it’s even worse if you are a woman married to a Norwegian man. Prepare yourself for unsolicited advice and judging your ways of parenting and living because you simply aren’t Norwegian. If you don’t behave a certain way especially for Norwegian families, it creates too much drama. They keep meeting up all the time, like good families, but most of the time they just sit there talking about the same things over and over again, old gossip or just silence.
   
4. They are passive aggressive and that stems from the fact they are incapable of showing their true feelings or expressing their actual thoughts. They hate confrontation. This creates dishonesty and just bad situations overall. When you call them out on their rudeness and condescending attitude they get so defensive and start pulling out words & sentences like “you have misunderstood me” “, “I didn’t mean it in a rude way” “I was just giving you advice”, “I was just being kind”, “oh it’s because I don’t speak English very well you don’t understand me” when in fact 99,9% of the population here speaks English very well. And when you try to explain to them that you haven’t in fact misunderstood them you’re painted out as this horrible person who is accusing them of things “they didn’t mean”.
   
5. People will show you they speak English and then proceed to only speak in Norwegian, ignore you and just speak to your partnefriend/ whoever you have next to you who speaks Norwegian even when the conversation regards you too and it’s important to you. Which brings me to my next point.
   
6. Everyone speaks English, but you will never fit in here, if you don’t speak Norwegian. Groups never try to accommodate you by having everyone speak English, because they don’t really want to. They want to speak Norwegian. That’s okay that they like speaking their own language in their own country, it’s their right 100%, but first of all I find it extremely rude if it’s a person who is just visiting the country and just sits there in a group of people feeling excluded because nobody puts the effort to speak English. Secondly even for a person who lives in Norway and is the transitioning position of learning the language it is still rude because they still might not understand a lot of Norwegian. They also do something really horrible, you might speak English with them and when they want to say something they don’t want you to know they switch to Norwegian in front of you. It’s always funny when you know the meaning of what they just said and you translate for them and they end up feeling embarrassed.
   
7. Norwegians truly believe their way of doing things is superior to other people’s ways. If you disagree with them they will make sure they get their way. They believe they are entitled to be the advisor on a situation as if they are the holder of wisdom, knowledge, experience, they never listen, especially to outside perspectives because they are so conforming and used to their own ways. Anything else just shocks them.
   
8. They think they will die in the heat. They actually think hot weather is dangerous. My MIL thinks it’s dangerous for our child to be in the Mediterranean during the summer. They keep blabbing all the time how cold the weather in Norway is and are for some strange reason proud of it in a way (maybe because they think it looks “cool” that they can endure cold weather?) but once they must be in a hot country they are scared of it and talk about it aaaaall the time.
   
9. They throw and waste so much food.
   
10. The drinking problem is obvious to everyone.
    
11. They are extremely stingy to the point it’s a bit sad. Even inside their own families they Vipps each other for simple things such as being dropped off somewhere with the car or buying a bottle of water. I’ve never seen this before in my life anywhere.
    
12. They pride themselves for being introverted, cold, unfriendly and not talking to strangers and I never understood why they think it’s something to be proud of.
    
13. Good luck finding friends here. They only stick to people they’ve known since primary school times, they have already created their own social bubbles and you’re not welcome in them because you don’t go way back. This is a problem even Norwegians themselves face.
    
14. On the positive side of things Norwegians will return things they don’t belong to them, they will make sure to at least find the owner of a lost item they’ve found, they are good at keeping the crime rate as low as possible and a safe society for everyone.
    
15. One might say they are nationalistic and that it’s bad but it’s actually interesting and nice to see them celebrating 17th of May, wearing their traditional clothes, being happy and enjoying themselves.
    
16. They like to be close with nature and are very active people. I would not say that their diet or food they eat is particularly healthy but they like to keep in shape and do outdoor activities a lot.
    
17. There is high social mobility.
    

Edit: Jeg snakker norsk nå, ikke flytende men godt nok. Jeg snakker om de første årene når jeg ikke snakket norsk enda og jeg fortsatt sliter med språket. Det er 100% naturlig for man å ønske å være med i konserasjoner. Det er også veldig trist å se familien min besøke oss, være på familiemiddager eller andre arrangementer og ingen snakker til dem på engelsk! Beklager men de kan ikke snakke norsk og de vil ikke lære norsk fordi er det ikke nødvendig til dem! I tillegg, som jeg nevnte, snakker jeg ikke norsk flytende så jeg forstår ikke medisinske termer, det er for avansert for meg. Jeg fødte for ikke så lenge siden, jeg går til legene eller helsesykepleieren med mannen min for barnet vårt, jeg nevner at jeg foretrekker om samtalen er på engelsk, de snakker engelsk og så bytter til norsk og snakker kun med mannen min for barnet vårt og ikke med meg.

Over the course of the past few months I have been working on compiling a list of my 500 favorite songs. It was sort of challenge that I gave myself and I'm super pumped with how it turned out. There were a few rules (only 5 songs per artist being the big rule, among a few others), and here's the list I came up with. Thought it was fun, so wanted to share here and see if it might spark any discussion about song placement, lack of songs/artists, or see if anyone had any similar lists. All thoughts are welcome! (and if you don't care to comb through all 500 songs for your favorite song or artist I'm more than happy to help you track 'em down)

1. Trash Panda - Aging out of the 20th Century
   
2. Djo - Roddy
   
3. The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down
   
4. Snail Mail - Heat Wave
   
5. Phoebe Bridgers - Savior Complex
   
6. Joji - SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
   
7. The Shins - The Fear
   
8. Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
   
9. The Cranberries - Linger
   
10. Post Animal - Ralphie
    
11. Hop Along - Not Abel
    
12. The Beach Boys - Heroes And Villains
    
13. Electric Light Orchestra - Livin' Thing
    
14. The Monkees - As We Go Along
    
15. Blondie - Heart Of Glass
    
16. The Strokes - Oblivius
    
17. Chet Baker - It's Always You
    
18. The Beatles - Rain
    
19. Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line
    
20. Husbands - Must Be a Cop
    
21. Faces - Ooh La La
    
22. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??
    
23. Frank Ocean - Nights
    
24. Harry James - It's Been a Long, Long Time
    
25. The Turtles - Happy Together
    
26. Etta James - At Last
    
27. The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside
    
28. The Beatles - Here, There And Everywhere
    
29. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
    
30. Kanye West - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1
    
31. Briston Maroney - Sinkin'
    
32. John Lennon - Oh My Love
    
33. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Ladyfingers
    
34. Squirrel Flower - Headlights
    
35. The Backseat Lovers - Maple Syrup
    
36. The B-52's - Rock Lobster
    
37. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
    
38. Snail Mail - Ben Franklin
    
39. Laura Elliott - Grass Stains
    
40. Djo - Chateau (Feel Alright)
    
41. Tame Impala - Eventually
    
42. The Backseat Lovers - Snowbank Blues
    
43. Claude Debussy - Clair de Lune
    
44. The Weeknd - Save Your Tears
    
45. Talking Heads - Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
    
46. The Zombies - Time of the Season
    
47. The War On Drugs - Nothing to Find
    
48. Queen - Brighton Rock
    
49. The Dream Academy - Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
    
50. The B-52's - Strobe Light
    
51. The Cranberries - Dreams
    
52. Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
    
53. Molchat Doma - Тоска
    
54. Tyler, The Creator - ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?
    
55. The Mamas & The Papas - Dream A Little Dream Of Me
    
56. The Chords - Sh-Boom
    
57. The Beatles - The Abbey Road Medley
    
58. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
    
59. The Who - Baba O'Riley
    
60. Dr. Dog - Where'd All the Time Go?
    
61. M83 - My Tears Are Becoming A Sea
    
62. Billie Eilish - everything i wanted
    
63. Outkast - Hey Ya!
    
64. Nat King Cole - Orange Colored Sky
    
65. The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
    
66. Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
    
67. Foreign Air - Shut Up and Show Me
    
68. Leonard Cohen - So Long, Marianne
    
69. dodie - If I'm Being Honest
    
70. Briston Maroney - June
    
71. Post Malone - Sunflower
    
72. John Lennon - Isolation
    
73. Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Not Fade Away
    
74. Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End
    
75. Kanye West - All Falls Down
    
76. Alvvays - Adult Diversion
    
77. John Lennon - Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
    
78. Clairo - Amoeba
    
79. The Beach Boys - I Know There's An Answer
    
80. Paul McCartney - Let Me Roll It
    
81. Frank Ocean - Ivy
    
82. Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack
    
83. Djo - Mutual Future (Repeat)
    
84. Phoebe Bridgers - Scott Street
    
85. Childish Gambino - Me and Your Mama
    
86. Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine
    
87. The Pied Pipers - Dream
    
88. The Beach Boys - All I Wanna Do
    
89. Djo - Change
    
90. Второй этаж поражает - Крайности
    
91. Little Richard - Lucille
    
92. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Shanghai
    
93. Chet Baker - Deep In A Dream
    
94. The Beatles - It's All Too Much
    
95. Post Animal - Dirtpicker
    
96. The B-52's - Love Shack
    
97. EDEN - foreve/over
    
98. Kanye West - Ultralight Beam
    
99. The Zombies - Going Out Of My Head
    
100. Talking Heads - Found a Job
     
101. Snail Mail - Pristine
     
102. Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
     
103. Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
     
104. WILLIS - I Think I Like When It Rains
     
105. Chet Baker - But Not For Me
     
106. Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me
     
107. Tyler, The Creator - GONE, GONE / THANK YOU
     
108. Djo - Half Life
     
109. Trash Panda - Check Please
     
110. Briston Maroney - Deep Sea Diver
     
111. Beach Fossils - This Year
     
112. Momma - Medicine
     
113. Hop Along - Prior Things
     
114. Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
     
115. Electric Light Orchestra - Turn to Stone
     
116. Briston Maroney - It's Not My Fault
     
117. Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND
     
118. Snail Mail - Headlock
     
119. Phil Collins - Take Me Home
     
120. Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
     
121. The Beach Boys - Do It Again
     
122. Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper
     
123. Ella Fitzgerald - Misty
     
124. Phoebe Bridgers - Waiting Room
     
125. Kanye West - Runaway
     
126. Daft Punk - Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
     
127. Dire Straits - Money for Nothing
     
128. Kendrick Lamar - Alright
     
129. Black Country, New Road - Concorde
     
130. George Harrison - If Not for You
     
131. Harry Styles - Cherry
     
132. Ms. Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
     
133. Paul McCartney - Junk
     
134. Wings - Maybe I'm Amazed [Live]
     
135. Talking Heads - Houses in Motion
     
136. Del Water Gap - Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat
     
137. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
     
138. Queen - Seven Seas Of Rhye
     
139. Paul McCartney - Jet
     
140. Sufjan Stevens - Death with Dignity
     
141. A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
     
142. Tame Impala - Let It Happen
     
143. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
     
144. Clairo - Management
     
145. Tommy James & The Shondells - I Think We're Alone Now
     
146. Fergie - Clumsy
     
147. Childish Gambino - This Is America
     
148. Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock 'N' Roll
     
149. Joy Again - Looking Out for You
     
150. Beach House - Space Song
     
151. John Lennon - Mind Games
     
152. The Weeknd - Gasoline
     
153. Weezer - Buddy Holly
     
154. Phoebe Bridgers - Sidelines
     
155. Tame Impala - New Person, Same Old Mistakes
     
156. Lana Del Rey - A&W
     
157. The Dillards - I've Just Seen a Face
     
158. The Doors - Break on Through (To the Other Side)
     
159. Julie London - I'm Glad There Is You
     
160. 2Pac - California Love
     
161. Dean Martin - Everybody Loves Somebody
     
162. Snail Mail - Anytime
     
163. The Strokes - The Adults Are Talking
     
164. Jordana, TV Girl - Better in the Dark
     
165. Juice WRLD - Hide (feat. Seezyn)
     
166. The Wild Reeds - Get Better
     
167. Finom - Mine
     
168. Hop Along - One That Suits Me
     
169. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
     
170. Michael Cera - Clay Pigeons
     
171. Clairo - Bags
     
172. Prince - Let's Go Crazy
     
173. The Zombies - She's Not There
     
174. Blackstreet - No Diggity
     
175. Frank Sinatra - I've Got You Under My Skin
     
176. John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads
     
177. Harry James - I'm Beginning to See The Light
     
178. The Clash - London Calling
     
179. Charles Bradley - Changes
     
180. Buddy Holly - (Ummmm, Oh Yeah) Dearest
     
181. Eagles - Seven Bridges Road [Live]
     
182. Moxie - Honey
     
183. Faces - Stay with Me
     
184. Post Animal - How Do You Feel
     
185. New Order - Age of Consent
     
186. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
     
187. Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time
     
188. Twin Peaks - Blue Coupe
     
189. Kanye West - Gold Digger
     
190. Fruit Bats - The Bottom of It
     
191. Frank Sinatra - Somethin' Stupid
     
192. Lorde - Perfect Places
     
193. Martha Tilton - Exactly Like You
     
194. King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man
     
195. Glen Campbell - Southern Nights
     
196. Claire Rosinkranz - Frankenstein
     
197. Guillemots - Made-Up Lovesong #43
     
198. Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me
     
199. Frankie Valli - Can't Take My Eyes off You
     
200. The Crickets - Don't Ever Change
     
201. Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder
     
202. George Harrison - Isn't It a Pity
     
203. Trash Panda - Off
     
204. Super Besse - Holod
     
205. Beyoncé - Hold Up
     
206. Charlie Burg - I Don't Wanna Be Okay Without You
     
207. Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling
     
208. Ella Fitzgerald - It's A Lovely Day Today
     
209. PERMSKY KRAY - Дорогой Человек
     
210. The Little Dippers - Forever
     
211. The B-52's - There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)
     
212. Patti Page - Old Cape Cod
     
213. Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
     
214. The Soggy Bottom Boys - I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
     
215. Trash Panda - Things Will Never Change
     
216. Hop Along - Well-dressed
     
217. Sixpence None The Richer - Kiss Me
     
218. TV Girl - Daughter of a Cop
     
219. LAUNDRY DAY - Jane
     
220. Tyler, The Creator - EARFQUAKE
     
221. Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Love Missile F1-11
     
222. Joji - Gimme Love
     
223. The Backseat Lovers - Pool House
     
224. The Weeknd - Take My Breath
     
225. Mild High Club - Homage
     
226. Doc Watson - Am I Born to Die?
     
227. Daniel Caesar - Streetcar
     
228. The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
     
229. John Lennon - #9 Dream
     
230. Tame Impala - Elephant
     
231. Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell
     
232. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
     
233. KIDS SEE GHOSTS - 4th Dimension
     
234. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
     
235. The B-52's - Song for a Future Generation
     
236. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
     
237. Lana Del Rey - Blue Jeans
     
238. Billie Eilish - Halley's Comet
     
239. Glenn Miller - In the Mood
     
240. Kid Bloom - Control
     
241. The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home
     
242. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
     
243. Brenda Lee - If You Love Me (Really Love Me)
     
244. TV Girl - Lovers Rock
     
245. Art Lown - Knew You Well
     
246. Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
     
247. Miniature Tigers - Like or Like Like
     
248. Electric Light Orchestra - Sweet Talkin' Woman
     
249. The Hunts - Ages
     
250. The Cars - Good Times Roll
     
251. Bill Withers - Lovely Day
     
252. Drake - God's Plan
     
253. Kansas - Point of Know Return
     
254. The Neighbourhood - Stargazing
     
255. The Clash - Rock the Casbah
     
256. Hop Along - What the Writer Meant
     
257. Briston Maroney - Under My Skin
     
258. Jack Stauber - Buttercup
     
259. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ya Love
     
260. Ginger Root - Loretta
     
261. Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now
     
262. Frank Ocean - Pyramids
     
263. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
     
264. Destroy Boys - I Threw Glass at My Friend's Eyes and Now I'm on Probation
     
265. Mild High Club - Dionysian State
     
266. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
     
267. Kevin Abstract - Empty
     
268. The Frights - Crust Bucket
     
269. Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
     
270. The Shins - Fighting in a Sack
     
271. fun. - We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)
     
272. Lil Uzi Vert - Money Longer
     
273. Miniature Tigers - Cannibal Queen
     
274. The Doors - Touch Me
     
275. Jean Dawson - Clear Bones
     
276. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Catching Smoke
     
277. Molchat Doma - Люди Надоели
     
278. The Go-Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed
     
279. Billie Eilish - ocean eyes
     
280. BOYO - Crown
     
281. The 1975 - Somebody Else
     
282. Husbands - She's a Betty
     
283. Syd Barrett - If It's In You
     
284. Trash Panda - Atlanta Girls
     
285. Frank Ocean - Godspeed
     
286. Alice Phoebe Lou - Glow
     
287. Childish Gambino - Redbone
     
288. New Order - Blue Monday
     
289. Post Animal - Schedule
     
290. Harry Styles - Fine Line
     
291. Harry James - I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
     
292. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
     
293. Chet Baker - I Fall In Love Too Easily
     
294. The Cranberries - Put Me Down
     
295. John Mayer - Edge of Desire
     
296. George Harrison - All Those Years Ago
     
297. Electric Light Orchestra - The Diary of Horace Wimp
     
298. Alex Clare - Too Close
     
299. Eric B. & Rakim - Know The Ledge
     
300. Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way [Live]
     
301. Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson
     
302. Black Eyes - Deformative
     
303. The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
     
304. Bonny Light Horseman - Deep In Love
     
305. The Walker Brothers - The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore
     
306. Cage The Elephant - Cigarette Daydreams
     
307. Hot Flash Heat Wave - Raindrop
     
308. Clairo - Sofia
     
309. Kendrick Lamar - PRIDE.
     
310. Camille Saint-Saëns - The Swan
     
311. Weezer - Say It Ain't So
     
312. C418 - Sweden
     
313. Lana Del Rey - Let The Light In (feat. Father John Misty)
     
314. The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
     
315. Pickin' On Series - Those to Come
     
316. Lana Del Rey - Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing (feat. RIOPY)
     
317. John Mayer - Moving On and Getting Over
     
318. Field Medic - POWERFUL LOVE
     
319. Cage The Elephant - Flow
     
320. Joji - Run
     
321. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
     
322. Boston - Peace of Mind
     
323. Ben E. King - This Magic Moment
     
324. David Bowie - Starman
     
325. Beastie Boys - Sabotage
     
326. Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day-O)
     
327. Gene Krupa & His Orchestra - Rhumboogie
     
328. The Cardigans - Lovefool
     
329. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
     
330. The Zombies - She's Coming Home
     
331. Michael Jackson - Thriller
     
332. Moxie - Blue Skies
     
333. The Mamas & The Papas - Straight Shooter
     
334. Peter, Paul and Mary - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
     
335. Green Day - Brain Stew
     
336. Dua Lipa - Levitating (feat. DaBaby)
     
337. The Police - Roxanne
     
338. Britney Spears - Toxic
     
339. Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels
     
340. Rex Orange County - Pluto Projector
     
341. The Strokes - Call It Fate, Call It Karma
     
342. Portugal. The Man - Feel It Still
     
343. The Black Crowes - Twice As Hard
     
344. Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
     
345. fun. - Some Nights
     
346. Wings - Silly Love Songs
     
347. Paramore - Still into You
     
348. Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way [Live]
     
349. The Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville
     
350. Royel Otis - Oysters In My Pocket
     
351. The Backseat Lovers - Growing/Dying
     
352. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
     
353. Post Animal - Goggles
     
354. Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1
     
355. Childish Gambino - IV. Sweatpants
     
356. Steely Dan - Dirty Work
     
357. ABBA - Lay All Your Love On Me
     
358. Still Woozy - Goodie Bag
     
359. Arlo Parks - Black Dog
     
360. Goth Babe - Weekend Friend
     
361. George & the Handsomes - Sleepy Beats
     
362. boygenius - 20
     
363. The Mills Brothers - You Always Hurt The One You Love
     
364. Travis Scott - SICKO MODE
     
365. Pinegrove - Need 2
     
366. The Backseat Lovers - Sinking Ship
     
367. Franz Schubert - Ave Maria
     
368. Zac Brown Band - Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffett)
     
369. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors
     
370. Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
     
371. The Cranberries - Zombie
     
372. Daniel Caesar - Japanese Denim
     
373. Billie Holiday - Easy Living
     
374. ISLAND - By Your Side
     
375. Phil Collins - Tomorrow Never Knows
     
376. Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'
     
377. The Four Freshmen - Day By Day
     
378. Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
     
379. Billy Joel - Big Shot
     
380. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
     
381. Yot Club - down bad
     
382. Rihanna - Stay
     
383. Fleetwood Mac - Landslide
     
384. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 10, Scene. Moderato
     
385. The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl
     
386. Alvvays - Easy On Your Own?
     
387. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - If We Were Vampires
     
388. Blackway - What's Up Danger (with Black Caviar)
     
389. Albert Hammond - It Never Rains in Southern California
     
390. Matt Maltese - Jupiter
     
391. John Denver - Mother Nature's Son
     
392. Childish Gambino - Sober
     
393. Claire Rosinkranz - Pools and Palm Trees
     
394. The Cars - Just What I Needed
     
395. The Doors - Light My Fire
     
396. Blondie - Tomorrow Never Knows
     
397. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Hell's Itch
     
398. The Japanese House - Saw You In A Dream
     
399. Franz Schubert - String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, Op. 29 No. 1, D. 804
     
400. The Drifters - White Christmas
     
401. The 1975 - Robbers
     
402. George Harrison - Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
     
403. The Frights - Tongues
     
404. Paramore - Ain't It Fun
     
405. Billy Joel - Pressure
     
406. Frank Sinatra - My Way
     
407. Art Lown - Going Back to Carolina
     
408. Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are
     
409. Under The Rug - Lonesome & Mad
     
410. The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated To The One I Love
     
411. Foster The People - Sit Next to Me
     
412. Weezer - Undone - The Sweater Song
     
413. Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
     
414. Tia Blake - Plastic Jesus
     
415. Los Bravos - Bring a Little Lovin'
     
416. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
     
417. Minnie Riperton - Les Fleurs
     
418. Billy Idol - Dancing with Myself
     
419. Cody Fry - I Hear a Symphony
     
420. Gringo Sapiens - Driver's Licence
     
421. Vacations - Relax
     
422. Glitter Party - time waits
     
423. Steve Lacy - Bad Habit
     
424. The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
     
425. The Pied Pipers - Mairzy Doats
     
426. Mitski - Bug Like an Angel
     
427. James Ray - I've Got My Mind Set On You
     
428. Clairo - Bubble Gum
     
429. Masayoshi Takanaka - SEXY DANCE
     
430. Nat King Cole - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
     
431. Sleigh Bells - Crown On the Ground
     
432. Olivia Rodrigo - favorite crime
     
433. No Doubt - Just A Girl
     
434. Foreigner - Long, Long Way from Home
     
435. Heart - Crazy On You
     
436. The Hunts - Darlin'
     
437. David Bowie - Heroes
     
438. Alice Phoebe Lou - Hammer
     
439. Thee Oh Sees - Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster
     
440. Roar - I Can't Handle Change
     
441. TV Girl - Birds Dont Sing
     
442. Laufey - From The Start
     
443. Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group - Freight Train (feat. Nancy Whiskey)
     
444. Metro Boomin - Am I Dreaming
     
445. Liana Flores - rises the moon
     
446. POP ETC - Speak Up
     
447. Jean Knight - Mr. Big Stuff
     
448. The Platters - Twilight Time
     
449. Derek & The Dominos - Layla
     
450. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Homeless Man in Adidas
     
451. Charlie Burg - Lovesong (The Way)
     
452. Hot Flash Heat Wave - Gutter Girl
     
453. ABBA - Fernando
     
454. Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine
     
455. Savannah Conley - More Than Fine
     
456. Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter
     
457. Future Crib - Yer Movin'
     
458. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
     
459. benches - Violent
     
460. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie
     
461. Olivia Rodrigo - vampire
     
462. Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone - City Of Stars
     
463. Maya Hawke - Thérèse
     
464. Current Joys - A Different Age
     
465. Wayne Newton - Danke Schoen
     
466. La Roux - Bulletproof
     
467. Jason Segel, Walter - Man Or Muppet
     
468. U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
     
469. The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes
     
470. The Ink Spots - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall
     
471. Ace of Base - The Sign
     
472. Vulfpeck - 1612
     
473. Nordista Freeze - Hey GiGi
     
474. The Chainsmokers - New York City
     
475. Suki Waterhouse - Johanna
     
476. Pete Rodriguez - I Like It Like That
     
477. Calvin Harris - Summer
     
478. The Rare Occasions - Notion
     
479. a-ha - Take on Me
     
480. Rush - Working Man
     
481. Traffic - Dear Mr. Fantasy
     
482. Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
     
483. Van Halen - Drop Dead Legs
     
484. The Troggs - Wild Thing
     
485. Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times
     
486. The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
     
487. Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love
     
488. Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (feat. Timbaland)
     
489. David Bowie - Suffragette City
     
490. Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 "Moonlight"
     
491. Avicii - Wake Me Up
     
492. The Who - La-La-La-Lies
     
493. The Spinners - The Rubberband Man
     
494. MGMT - Time to Pretend
     
495. Hootie & The Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You
     
496. Sheck Wes - Mo Bamba
     
497. Claire Rosinkranz - 123
     
498. Ringo Starr - Photograph
     
499. The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
     
500. Duran Duran - Rio
     

Before we start, I want to make one thing clear: I am in no capacity a new player. I have been playing Dragon Raja for over 4 years, about a year or less after its release, and when there were the only 4 OG classes.
Now, I'm a major Raja fan. It's been my favorite game for the almost half a decade. However, so many things have changed that make me feel that I wasted those 4 years... that I could have played a different game altogether. So, I'll just get into the list:

1. Mostly Centered Around P2W/Favoring Whales
   • Dragon Raja makes so many things require a payment of real life currency, otherwise, you don't get the same or even similar playstyle as a paid player. Almost everything revolves around paying, and very little is actually free much. You can literally tell who is a whale just by looking at them - no joke.
2. False Advertising (??)
   • A bunch of dresses say "Participate in Total Top-Up to Redeem". Guess how much money you actually have to put into top up to get these outfits? $100. Thats right, real money. If your seriously thinking about spending that much for a digital dress, please invest it or do anything else with it. Please.
3. Laziness on CS Fairness
   • If you've played Tide of God, Snowmoon BG, or Day of Liberty, you know how hard it gets after level 140, with a bunch of whales spawn killing you. And guess what? They have too much of an advantage, so much so they ONE TAP you. They just rack up kill after kill and make people hate the game, and it's genuinely annoying. No level fairness, nothing.
4. Storyline Fragmentation
   • Why is the storyline more fragmented than a frag grenade? Why the hell am I jumping from Johann Chu on a mission, on some ship, to him disappearing out of existence?
5. Insanely Hard to Level Up
   • Someone has to explain to me why it takes so STUPIDLY long to level up to DO A STORY. I can beat the enemies anyway, why the hell do I have to be level 190 when the enemies are only level 185?

That's all my rant has, add what you think is wrong, or dispute my ideas, I'm human too though, so please note that even I make mistakes.
Take care :D

I'm a 27 yr old, who feels kinda lost. Granted I have my 2 kids, a stable job, a wonderful boyfriend, and a supportive group of wonderful people in my life. I just found out that I'm pregnant and the family is excited. However I'm currently taking my abuser to court and it's been getting stalled. Multiple times. What I mean by stalled is that they keep pushing it off for one reason or another. I wanna give you guys some background before I ask my questions.
When I was 11 my biological father signed his rights away, gave me to my biological mother and (at that time) my stepdad, and left my life. I remember, on my birthday, the school threw a wonderful party for me. Then my dad picked me up from school early and we drove to a gas station miles away and I saw my biological mother for the first time since I was 8. My stepdad gave me gifts and I saw my dad signing something on the back of his car and handing it to my biological mother. We eventually got back to my bio mom's house (after a tire flying off the car and spending a night in a hotel room) and got settled. We lived in an old house and they converted the dinning room into a bedroom for me. So in order to get into the kitchen from the front room, they had to come through my room. Every night my stepdad would come by and run my head. Tracing over my hair from the front of my head to the end of my pixie cut hair. At that time I thought that this is what a dad who loves their kid does because my bio dad wasn't that affectionate. 6 months after we got home from the gas station, my stepdad adopted me. Since he was 14 years younger than my mom and only 10 years older than me, it was easy to get along with him. I saw him more as a friend than a father and my bio mom was distant so he'd be the one interacting with me. When I was 12 my bio mom and adoptive father used to check if I brushed my teeth by smelling my breath. My bio mom stopped doing it and asked my adoptive father to do it, so he was the main one that checked my breath. Once he joked about if I were to do it again that he'd kiss me. I told my adoptive father that I wasn't scared of him and he kissed me. The adult activities followed a few days after that. When I was 13, I had a boyfriend who I told that my adoptive father and I did adult things, because I wanted him to know that I knew about that world. My bf (at that time), let's call him Tod, informed me that my aunt needed to hear my stories. So I told her. I remember her face going pale for a moment and then she was back to her normal self. Since I was only at my aunt's house because me and Tod were picking out me a homecoming dress, we got in the car shortly after I told my aunt. She drove us (me and Tod) home and there was a white car there. I got taken into foster care until I was 14 (only spending the beginning of 8th grade in care). I felt so bad for talking about what happened between me and my adoptive father that I recanted what I had said and ended up being placed back in the house with my bio mother and adoptive father. The adult activities continued just a couple weeks after I got home. When I was 16, I ran away with a new bf. That bf got scary aggressive so I messaged my bio mom and told her I needed to come home. She told me she wasn't going to be there if I came back. I didn't believe her because she's lied to me multiple times before. I broke up with him. My adoptive father came to get me and got me back to the house. My bio mom ended up not being there. So for the next couple years, I still went to school, adult activities still continued, alcohol and drugs were introduced, physical violence started, more abusive language came out, and all of that my adoptive father made sure of. I found out I was 3 months pregnant when I was 18. I got kicked out. Keep in mind it was only me and my adoptive father in the house. I ended up getting myself an apartment and was able to make a little money by selling jewelry and crafts I made. All that time, I didn't understand that what he did to me was wrong. So when he showed up to my apartment with flowers and a card for mother's day(even though the baby wasn't born yet), I let him inside. My adoptive father apologized. The cycle started all over again except for the drugs and alcohol because of the baby. I gave birth and couldn't breastfeed so he started smoking green with me. My adoptive father caused a huge fight that cost me my apartment so I moved towns away into a friend's house. We will call her Bee. Bee had dated and had a kid with my brother and we were really close. I knew Bee since early highschool and she knew a lot of what I went through. I made friends there and Bee had my kicked out of their house so me and my first born moved into another friends house. I got beat there so I call my uncle to help me find a place. Unfortunately my uncle didn't know what my adoptive father had done so they showed up to pick me up together. We (me, son, and adoptive father) moved into adoptive grandma's house. The cycle started again. This time he was the only one who was allowed to drink and it was behind doors because Grandma was against it. I didn't even know until after. It was in that house, he disclosed to me that he used to peek through the slats of the wall of the bathroom while I showered when I was 11, and that he was the one to leave the vibrator on the counter for me to find. Adoptive grandma bought me and my adoptive father a house that needed some work on. Adoptive father attacked adoptive grandma so we got evicted and moved into that house alone. The house didn't have electricity or running water, but we were able to stay clean and comfortable because we knew how to survive in that environment, but even I can admit that's no way to live. Drugs and alcohol were common. Adoptive father also gave me(I don't think I have to say in what way) to several of his friends. One night, a friend of Bee's came over and hung out with us after my son fell asleep. The friend had brought alcohol over and we all had a few drinks. Adoptive father because angered and the friend left. My son woke up because of the yelling so I picked him up to comfort him. I should have left him there because what happened next I still hold a lot of hate towards myself for even though my son is perfectly fine now. Adoptive father became more and more upset by the minute so I moved so it'd put space between us. I moved to where there was a table between me and adoptive father. I'm still holding my son at that time. Adoptive father comes rushing towards the table and throws it out of the way. He swung at me and I turned my body thinking that I had to block the blow for hitting my son. I didn't turn quick enough and my son (only 1yrs old) had a red mark on his chest. Adoptive father paused for a moment in shock that he hit the baby and gave me enough time to put the baby down and grab my phone. I started to call my closest friend at that time (who was aware of my life story and was on call whenever I needed a safe place) but adoptive father grabbed my phone, hung up, and held me down until I told him I wouldn't leave the house. I waited until he was asleep and call my friend again. Minutes later me and my baby were in a car heading to safety. The last time I spoke directly to my adoptive father was when I was 21, and that was because he called me and asked if I pressed charges against him for hitting the baby. I told him, no I didn't but his bio dad (who he hated) was the one to talk to the cops and gave them pictures of my bruises. He spent 2 years in prison for assault and that was his third strike at that time. The states attorney found out that I had a child with my adoptive father and called me on the number I gave the cops. 4 years ago they opened a case of incest against him and have filed charges. The trials and sentencing dates have been postponed multiple times and the next courtdate is in July of this year. The last one was supposed to be in April, however the defense attorney was sick. 2 years ago, while I was in a lot of counseling appointments, I finally understood what grooming was and that my childhood and teenage years weren't supposed to happen. At least in a good family, the situations I was put in wouldn't have happened. I found out that my adoptive father married Bee (the friend who had a kid with my brother) and that they had 3 kids together. My brother found out that that couple had beaten my niece and now has full custody of my niece.
I currently live in a home with my kids and bf. I have a job. I have kept up with every court date. I have shown up for every courtdate. Even driving hours to and from the court house because I lived 2 years in a different state. I have done everything in my power to make sure my kids are safe and away from the situation. However I feel like my oldest will need to know who his bio father is eventually. He's only 8yrs old rn. He does resemble his bio father in some ways that are only shown when he's mad or trying to hide something and it scares me every time. I love my kid and I feel horrible everytime my mind sees my adoptive father in my son. My son knows that his biological father is responsible for a scar across his middle finger because his bio father turned on a industrial fan while my son's hand was on it, but that's all he knows about his biological father. How do I go about helping him not turn into the type of person his biological father is? How would I address it later when he has more questions?

HELP! I Need advice. I was invited to my nephews wedding, which is on the West Coast and I am on the east. My sister wants me to go because I am basically the only family left except for my son which he doesn’t want to go and I don’t blame him because he’s not close with my nephew. I let him off the hook as I would have to pay for him to go as far as getting him a suit, airline, etc. Not to mention, I am not close with my nephew either. I wanted to just give a nice gift which was a substantial amount of money instead of going to the wedding which would cost me dress, hotel, air and the list goes on. But my sister really wanted me there, and since my son was not coming, she said to bring Wayne my significant other that I’ve been with for over two years. I was hesitant to do this as I felt he would not know anyone and since we are renting a car, he could just explore California on his own while I’m at the wedding for the day. Well my sister kept saying what is he gonna do stay in the room by himself, I finally agreed and told Wayne that he could go to the wedding. At least I’d have someone to be at the reception to dance with and eat with because I basically don’t know anyone else and everyone will be couples. Wayne was fine with either way. Well I just learned that the wedding was overbooked in other words, they invited 170 people hoping that 120 would show. I am sorry, but this is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. restaurants over book or airlines but you don’t overbook for a wedding if you invite 100 people you should expect 100 and maybe a few won’t show but plan for 100. That’s how I see it, I was told that since they’re overbooked, I can’t bring Wayne. I didn’t want to go to this wedding from the beginning, but didn’t want to cause trouble with my sister. I need advice what you would do and how you would handle this. My sister does not want to talk to the bride and my nephew just tells my sister to ask Janelle (his fiancé) as she is the planner. I believe my sister is afraid of her and doesn’t wanna cause a commotion. In My mind I’m angry because my sister did not stick up for me and on top of that has only a very few coming. there are many others from other sides, I am her only sister, and basically the only person left in her family. Lastly this is a weekend wedding. Rehearsal dinner Thurs., Wedding, reception and party all day Fri., brunch on Sat and pool party on Sunday. I am not going to rehearsal dinner as I am pissed and as of now just going to wedding on Friday which is at another location from the hotel. I will be stuck at that location all day, unless I have Wayne pick me up after ceremony and we can be on our way but I will be by myself and I was only replacing one body with another. TIA

FTM, 14, this is a long post as it includes a lot of back story, sorry. I have had persistent feelings of being male, despite being born female, since I was around 5 years old (early on, this was things like telling my parents I wished I could be a boy like my brother, only having male friends, disliking nearly everything related to being female). I have never felt like a girl, or felt that being female was what I was supposed to be. When I was 6 years old I began dressing like a boy and got a short, male haircut, but I was unaware of what trans was until I was around 8. I realized that I was almost definitely trans, but didn't really consider that it would be a part of my life or matter until I was 11. When I was 12 I told my parents, who had basically already known since I was a child, and was supported emotionally and now, at 14, medically. Throughout this entire time period, from 6 years old to 14, I have presented as male and felt male. There have been a few instances since starting the process of medical intervention around a year ago (It takes a long time for minors where I live) where I have been hesitant of whether or not I could trust the way I have felt since I was a child, "what if I'm wrong" type thoughts. These are likely worsened by my obsessive compulsive tendencies, which I have been told by my previous therapist that I exhibit. Despite this, after the short period of time I worry about this I go directly back to how I have always felt. I am set to start hormones, testosterone, in one month. I am definitely looking foward to it, because I will be finally righting a wrong that I have lived with my entire life. I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria by professionals at the gender-care clinic I have been going to for all of this hormone-related stuff, but I do not feel like I was asked questions even remotely thorough enough to diagnose me with anything at all, I was unaware I was even diagnosed until months later when my mother mentioned it, because nothing they asked me felt like a diagnosis-related discussion. I told them almost none of what I have typed out in this post, yet was still very quickly diagnosed. Regardless of how I have felt my entire life, I am thinking about getting a more formal diagnosis from a professional outside of the gender care-clinic. I am aware of how serious it is for someone as young as me to go on hormones for transsexual-related purposes. I am wondering what other people's thoughts are on this. Do you agree that I should get a more professional and thorough questioning for a diagnosis? I just feel like it's important, but I also know that I sometimes have irrationally obsessive fears regarding being "wrong" about not being female, and my urge to be more formally diagnosed, or basically "double check" that I'm not wrong could just be a compulsion as a result of this. Thoughts? Based on my personal experience with being trans, do you think my fears are irrational? Just to clairfy, my 'fears' are very minor and infrequent, I just worry about things and tend to be self doubtful. Thanks

tl;dr: Security isn’t always a dead end. I never wanted it, but I’m in the middle of an amazing career in it.
My dad was a cop. I had every intention to follow in his footsteps, maybe more. I dressed up as a Secret Service agent for Halloween in sixth grade. That was back when you could take fake guns to school. What I thought I really wanted was a career in federal law enforcement by way of local law enforcement.
Spoiler alert: that’s not what I do 20+ years later, and I’m glad for that.
My first job out of high school was that of a part time security guard. I worked Friday-Monday, varying shifts, for a company that would quickly get absorbed by one of the world’s largest contract companies. My first fortune came from the fact that my company was contracted by a Fortune 500 company in my small hometown, and I was assigned to their World Headquarters as a “corporate security officer.”
My first day on the job was June 20, 2001. Less than three months later, the whole industry changed. Obviously.
I worked that job to pay my way through community college.
✅Accomplishment #1.
Because I wanted to go federal, I needed a bachelor’s degree, so I quit and went to college full time. Luckily, my “experience” afforded me a chance to keep working private (contract) security jobs while working on campus jobs to pay my bills. I now have a B.S. in Criminal Justice.
✅Accomplishment #2.
I still wanted to be a cop. I have always had a strong desire to help people, especially when they’re at their most vulnerable. Year after year, I tested for some of the most competitive departments in the US. One of the most competitive and progressive at the time, somewhere in Wisconsin, I made it to the Chief’s interview one year. I wasn’t hired. I know I should’ve been, and I know I would’ve done amazing thing for that community, but I wasn’t their guy, and the fact is, I’m better off for it.
I tested for police jobs for 5 years. All the while, I worked the private sector to pay the bills. Then, one day, I got an email from LinkedIn.
Subject: “Here Are Some Jobs You May Be Interested In.”
Two jobs stood out. One was a security director position at a hospital outside of Cleveland. The other was the same at the historical home of one of the most influential men in American history. I landed one of them.
In retrospect, I wish I had gotten the hospital job. There’s a lot of money in healthcare. We, as a country, are terribly unhealthy. The future of healthcare is a bright one. Brighter than the past, which is what the other job offered.
But today, 12 years later, I’m not in healthcare, and I’m more successful because of it (I think so, anyway).
Today, I’m regarded as an expert in my field (not healthcare), and on top of my salary and benefits at one of the nation’s top institutions in my field, I also make money from consulting in private security for corporations and institutions of all sizes.
I’ve never forgotten where I came from and how I got here. Front-facing teams - like so many of you - have the hardest jobs. And you get paid nothing to do it. Sadly, that’s the industry. I don’t like it, but I don’t control it.
What I do control, I advocate for. I wish it was more, though.
All I want to say tonight is that, for those of you who are dedicated and sincere in this job, your work is appreciated and noticed. I was you, I am you, and I’ve succeeded because of it. And for those of you here who are just trying to get paid, I respect you. That’s where I started, and there’s nothing wrong with that. What I hope is true, and what I am mindful of everyday, is that you get what you put into it, like most other things in life. If you take pride in your work, it will be noticed, eventually. Maybe not by your current employer or your next, but eventually it will be seen. Don’t ever feel committed to your employer because they are, in most cases, not committed to you at all.
By the way, since I’ve found success in security I have been offered jobs in law enforcement, at the local and federal level. All of my “dream jobs” were made available to me. The fact is, they can’t afford me now. I make more money and have far more flexibility - and success - in the private sector than I ever would in the public side. Sand most importantly, I get to partner with LE to support their mission and help protect people. They can come to my facilities anytime for free coffee, meeting space, events, training, or anything else they need. That fills my cup, knowing that I still play a role in public safety, even if I’m not wearing a badge.
So don’t stop trying if this is what you believe in and want to do. I know my path and story won’t be available for everyone, but you should try if you have a passion for helping and protecting people.
And if there’s anything I can do to help you on that path, please PM me.
✅accomplishment #3: success for me, and orhers.

By popular demand, I guess...
I was kinda just being a smart-ass, but some of you wanted more so here it is: epilogues for every NPC as if they didn't continue to travel with Gorion's Ward and instead just decided to live their own life. Obviously, there are some implied alignment changes here.
This turned out to be longer than I expected and I kinda just threw it all together while I was working. Please excuse any typos or sloppy writing.
I want to apologize for one thing, though. Viconia's epilogue really only works if GW is a male, so I had to make that assumption for the sake of her story. If it matters any, I easily play just as many female GWs as I do male GWs. In fact, I probably play more female GWs because I don't care for the romances, frequently play the canon party, and want to nip the lame Jah romance in the bud.
But, to have them all in one place, I included my original smart-ass epilogues with the additional ones I created. Now, every character from BG1 and BG2 has an epilogue. I don't have the EE characters, though, because I play the original games and don't really know them.
So, just for funsies, which one is your favorite and why?
"Anomen continued to wait at the Copper Coronet for a party of adventurers willing to travel with him. Maybe it was the grating sound of his voice, or perhaps the way he leered at women, but he continued to remain alone. Eventually, he needed to find work to make ends meet. With Gorion's Ward having disbanded the slave traders and pit fights, Hendak had to find a new form of entertainment for the patrons. As such, he invented an all male review ladies night, and Anomen found work as a 'dancer'. He left the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart to join the less noble order of the pole. He also renounced his faith to Helm and instead allied himself with Waukeen because if you wanna see some groin, you gotta have some coin."
"Despite Gorion's Ward clearing the trolls from her keep, Nalia was not able to reclaim her lands and instead lost her estate to Lord Roenall. The lord offered to let her retain residence in her family's ancestral home, but only in exchange for her hand in marriage. Nalia found the proposition to be repugnant. Instead, she salvaged whatever wealth she could from her family's keep and moved to Athkatla to start a new life. She no longer helped the less fortunate, as she was now among their numbers and had her own problems. Nalia's lack of any practical skills combined with her sense of entitlement sent her into a life of failure followed by drinking and debauchery. She now spends more time back at the Copper Coronet than anywhere else. It is hard to say where she squanders her wealth more, the alcohol, or on the dancers during Ladies Night."
"After the incident with the Planar Sphere, Valygar was finally free of his past, could retire to his cabin, and pursue his true passion: writing. Ironically, the only inspiration he found ended up stemming from his family's checkered past. Valygar's only works that even had middling success were 'Tuesdays with Lavok' and 'Dude, Where's My Planar Sphere', with the latter being made into a production at the Five Flagoons Theater."
"Haer'Dalis continued to work as a performer at the Five Flagoons Theater. Unfortunately, it struggled due to poor management. It might have turned out better if an outside agent with fresh ideas had stepped in, but Gorion's Ward had better things to do than be a bard. While the work was generally steady, the returns were not great and the material was a little low-brow for Haer'Dalis' liking. The tiefling realized he reached rock bottom when he was cast as the lead in a play about a buffoon who apparently lost a plane-shifting apparatus the size of a small castle and had to find it before his parents returned from Neverwinter. After the opening night, he took his own life in his dressing room. His body was found the next morning with a note saying, 'Art is dead and I am art, so I shall join art in death.' Biff the Understudy stepped in for Haer'Dalis despite never having an opportunity to read the script. Nevertheless, the production was a resounding success and launched Biff's career to new heights."
“A heartbroken Garrick found work as a character actor at the Five Flagoons Theater, but eventually gained more success as a writer and director. He found it to be a mostly agreeable situation, aside from a tiefling primadonna who would constantly belittle his work and call it ”trite" and “drivel”. Fortunately, that situation worked itself out in time and Garrick found Biff to be much easier to direct. With the tiefling gone, his ideas had room to grow. He invented a new kind of love story, one where the protagonist doesn't always get the girl at the end but the journey to that ending would be quite amusing. He labeled this genre “the Comedy of Romance” and the works were mostly based on his own life. His plays were quite popular among the commoners, with his top selling shows being 'Sleepless in Saradush', 'Silverymoon Linings Playbook', and 'Crazy Rich Aasimars'. He eventually fully transitioned off the stage into the director's chair. By the peak of his fame, he was married to none other than Queen Ellesime."
“Aerie continued to work at the circus and WOULD NOT SHUT UP ABOUT HER DAMN WINGS. Even Quayle eventually grew sick of hearing about it. This put strain on their relationship. Things took a turn for the better when Ribald Barterman acquired a new curiosity for his shop. It was a magical ring which he sold to Quayle at a reduced rate out of sympathy. This ”treasure" was actually a cursed Ring of Deafness, which Quayle found to be anything but a curse and wore it for the rest of his days."
“Xzar and Montaron were both slain at the hands of the Athkatla Harpers, but this is actually where their story begins. Xzar, as he had done so many times before, had a backup plan of an arcane nature should death befall either he or the halfling. Their mortal essences were pulled to a pocket plane he created. There they could be channeled into restored bodies cloned at his estate. With this particular round of ritual, Xzar had incidentally made a slight error in the incantation and the two found themselves in a time suspended state in Xzar's pocket plane. It was only five minutes for the rest of the world, but it was fifty years for them. This turned out to be a pivot point in their relationship. Having only each other's company in this shadowy void, they were finally able to work out their feelings for each other. When they had returned to the prime material plane, they discovered their mutual animosity was replaced with love. Rather than pick up their life where they left off with the Zhentarim, they decided to pack it all in, moved to Bryn Shander, and start a bed and breakfast. Montaron rediscovered his halfling roots and love for the culinary arts while Xzar would perform seances to connect guests with their late loved ones. Scones and Bones became an overnight success and was consistently listed as a “must see” in Volo's travel guides. In their golden years, the couple co-wrote a memoir of their journey, ‘Brokeback Montaron’, which is sold in bookstores everywhere."
“After briefly crossing paths with Gorion's Ward, Mazzy Fentan continued her crusade as a de facto halfling paladin. She eventually found herself petitioning for membership at the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart in Athkatla after she had singlehandedly saved a village from an ancient dracolich. Despite the extent of her virtue and accomplishment, her petition was denied on the basis that halflings could not possibly be real paladins. This inspired her next crusade, one to break down vocational barriers for all demihuman races. Why couldn't halflings be paladins or dwarves be wizards? And why did gnomes always have to be illusionists? It simply made no goddamn sense. She began to get traction with her quest when she attended lectures by the wizards of the (sword) coast in Candlekeep. With their help, she ushered Faerun into a new edition era where there would be no vocational barriers for adventurers based on their race. Soon, the world began to see roguish halflings that also venerated Helm, while tending to the wilds as a druid. Half-orc bards also studied as wizards while manifesting natural arcane abilities as sorcerers. Tiefling paladins took their crusades to the wilderness and served as rangers, while sidelining as clergy to Mystra. The world was now a liberated place, free to not make any goddamn sense in a myriad of new ways. At one point, Lady Mazzy Fentan of Trademeet (now formally a paladin) crossed paths with a dwarven shadowdancebard and in that moment she regretted everything. Seriously, just take a moment and picture that. It would look fucking ridiculous.”
“Yeslick's clanhome was flooded once again. Despondent and without options, he took work at a smithy in Baldur's Gate but never stopped dreaming of finding both a clan and a home. He found a way to bring this dream to life after a courageous halfling paladin broke down the barriers for, among other things, dwarves to be wizards. Yeslick had an idea. He studied magic diligently until he was able to cast two spells of great importance: Water Breathing and Permanence. He then searched the lands for other clanless dwarves who would be willing to try something new. With the new clan he formed, Yeslick permanently gave all his fellow clansman the ability to breath underwater. They then moved into the flooded Cloakwood Mines and built the first underwater dwarven stronghold. Using his arcane powers, Yeslick also developed the ability to speak with the marine life that shared this stronghold. And, with that, the clan Aquadwarf was born. At one point, Valygar visited and wrote a play based on Yeslick's story. However, he couldn't even get it to stage at the Five Flagoons Theater. The illustrious director Garrick was quoted as saying, “A hero that can breath underwater and talk to fish? Nobody would go for that!"
“Keldorn finally retired from the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart and looked forward to a much simpler life. He rekindled his marriage with Lady Maria and life seemed to improve. It was rather early on when the couple discovered that Maria had become pregnant again. It was also not long after that when Peony, the housekeeper, also became pregnant. Maria started to ask Keldorn about this, but Keldorn started to get defensive and asked, ”Hey, who's the Inquisitor here?" Then Keldorn started to do the math with her to track the conception of Maria's pregnancy. She certainly did not want him to get to the end of that equation, so she quickly changed the subject. She suggested getting a new maid, but Keldorn chastised her for abandoning someone in their time of need who had been like family for years. He forbade Peony's departure claiming that his god, Torm, would not stand for it. Maria then made a passive aggressive comment about Torm being the god of loyalty, but she was mostly just muttering under her breath to get the last word in. Eventually, both children were born and had probably the most awkward upbringing of anyone in Faerun."
“After Gorion's Ward helped Coran take down a wyvern, the rogue brought the beast's head back to the mayor of Beregost for the reward and accolades. He thought this put him in a position to be a hero of great renown and perhaps, just maybe, people would stop mocking him for his flashy attire and completely superfluous eye mask. They didn't. He only gained acceptance when he crossed paths with a ranger who seemed indifferent towards Coran's keen fashion sense. Coran traveled the Sword Coast with his ranger sidekick, righting the wrongs against the ‘little guy’ and taking the law into their own hands when needed. This partnership dissolved when he discovered that the ranger thought Coran was the sidekick. As if! Coran tried to correct the ranger, whose argument was, 'Really, man, if that outfit doesn't scream sidekick then I'm Elminster's twin brother.' The ranger was not related to Elminster and shared no resemblance.
“Kivan never was able to get his revenge on Tazok. Unbeknownst to him, that honor was taken by Gorion's Ward. His thirst for vengeance continued to eat away at him until he found himself in a bat infested cave in the wilderness. It was then he snapped. He turned the cave into his secret hideaway, put together a disguise and started wandering the sword coast looking for evil-doers to punish. He would leave his calling card wherever he saved the day, a token of a bat with longer ears like an elf. And bats already had rather long ears so these bat ears were almost comically obtrusive. Nevertheless, his deeds were generally appreciated and the people stared calling him Bat-elf. For a short spell, another elf tagged along with him and tried to help, but he was so flamboyantly dressed that one could pick his sidekick out of the shadows blindfolded. Kivan eventually had to send him on his way. Unfortunately, his vigilante crusade abruptly ended after receiving a cease and decist order from DC Comics. Kivan could fight both monster and marauder all day, but his 14 Constitution wouldn't hold up against a lawsuit for trademark infringement.”
“Skie was deeply affected by both the death of her brother and the assassination of her father. And yes, her father was actually murdered and didn't lol-jk back to life in some crappy DLC. In any event, through these traumas, she came to realize the puerility of what she thought was her brilliant criminal masterminding. Instead, she decided to settle down and live a more responsible life as an upstanding citizen of Baldur's Gate. She took the reins of her father's estate after his death and rose to prominence as one of the Grand Dukes of the city. She maintained her relationship with Eldoth for quite some time, inexplicably, as he refused to get a job because he didn't want to take attention from his band which he swore was going to make it. However, the bard spent most of the day either lounging at Skie’s estate or gambling away his allowance with games of three-dragon-ante at the Helm and Cloak. Eventually, inspired by the book “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar," she decided to call it quits with Eldoth and sent him packing. Shortly thereafter, she met a man who was nothing like Eldoth and they settled down together to start a family."
“Eldoth's dreams of being a world-famous musician fronting the greatest band in Faerun never reached fruition. This was partly because he didn't actually have a band and partly because he didn't have the talent to write music. Instead, he just had a lute he purchased at Lucky Aello's Discount Store that only had one A-string and was missing the E-string. Also, Eldoth could only play power chords and he couldn't really sing and play at the same time. Most of the time he would just strum a chord or two and then talk about what the song would do next, often describing a solo and half playing it on an ”air lute" (while he was still holding an actual lute, mind you) to give people the idea as to how the song would sound when it was finally written. Yeah, he was one of those guys. After Skie kicked him to the curb, he bounced between various barmaids who clearly had low self-esteem, but not low enough to keep him around for long. Eventually, he got one of them pregnant and was forced into a shotgun wedding by the barmaid's father. He now works in the kitchen at the same inn as his barmaid wife. She helps the customers up front and he cooks eggs in the back. Eldoth continues to tell himself that this experience will just provide inspiration for his music and that someday he was going to get the band back together."
“After being rescued by Gorion's Ward, Xan made his way to Baldur's Gate to regroup. He spent an inordinate amount of time beating himself up over his failures and trying to muster the gumption to continue his quest to unravel the political turmoil of the region. However, it took him months to get to this point, and by that time, Gorion's Ward already sorted out the problems in the region. Discovering this, he deemed himself a failure yet again and sunk into a deeper depression. He pulled himself out of it when he met a woman who lost most of her family to violent deaths during the iron crisis, yet she still kept herself together and became a local success in a few short years. Xan immediately fell in love with the recently single Skie Silvershield and began to court her. They eventually married and started a family. At Xan's insistence, and inspired by his wife's name, their two daughters were named Sunshine and Rainbow. Xan was a staunch supporter of his wife's career and stayed home to raise the kids. When they were older and needed less attending, he followed a new dream and became a motivational speaker.”
“Korgan had his revenge against his backstabbing crew and employer, but he felt...empty. It was done, but he felt no satisfaction. Disgruntled and disappointed, he decided to lose himself in his cups at the Copper Coronet. Even this did nothing to alleviate his malaise. One night, having passed out drunk in a peasant room at the Copper Coronet, he dreamt of that final fight but something was different. In the background of the battle, there was a glow coming from the door of a shack and he heard the whispering of a language that sounded like it was from Kara-Tur. When he woke the next morning, Korgan returned to the rooftop and found the shack from his dream. He knocked and was greeted by a priest of Illmater. Korgan told the priest of his dream and he was led into the backroom where he found a man from Kara-Tur infirm and huddled over a cup of tea. The priest explained that he had just reincarnated this man of the faith using a heart delivered by a passing adventurer. Korgan took this as a sign, converted to the faith, and the two paired up to help those in suffering as a result of the schemes of others. The tales of Korgan and Yoshimo were not only told in many of a tavern by the bards, but also collected in graphic serials that were popular among the children of Athkatla.”
“Ajantis' death sent him into an afterlife at Everwatch, the realm of Helm. For his honor and diligence, the devout knight was granted an audience with his patron. Ajantis then told Helm what utter bullshit the god was. I mean, c'mon, he's the god of protection, the Vigilant One, and he couldn't protect a group of knights from a dragon's cheap illusion spell that a mage even tried to dispel with True Sight? It was like Helm wasn't even trying. Helm was stunned by the confrontation but also had no valid defense. Ajantis called Helm to a trial that was mediated by Tyr. After careful deliberation, Tyr determined that Helm was sleeping on the job and the judgment was to demote him to a lesser deity. Now, Helm was the patron of guards, but not actual guards that ever see action, just the ceremonial ones whose weapons and armor are super shiny and probably not even real. Ajantis was then granted Helm's old portfolio and became a god that truly protected his followers.”
“Viconia left Athkatla's government district perplexed. She was rescued from burning at the stake by Gorion's Ward and then immediately dismissed. She found this to be unusual behavior for a male. She was accustomed to men either trying to bed her or kill her, but this casual indifference was completely new. Viconia came to be obsessed with Gorion's Ward from a distance. She spiraled into a fantasy where the two of them had a future together. It was pretty bad. There were some extremely embarrassing vision boards involved and that wasn't even the worst of it. When her mania reached critical mass, her obsession actually collapsed and she had an epiphany. She came to realize that she did not need this man, or any for that matter. She started on a journey of self discovery and took a moral inventory of her past relationships. She wrote about it in the book, “Men Are From Menzoberranzan, Women Are From Immilmar”. She then used the revenue from the book sales to open Athkatla's first feminist bookstore. In Her Words became a mecca for women, particularly those who felt trapped in bad relationships. The community that emerged here created the group, Friends of Galia, which strove to free women from abusive relationships. Eventually, the bookstore expanded to include an apartment block above that became a shelter for such women. Occasionally, the partners of these victims would come around to In Her Words in an attempt to drag their partners back home. You can probably guess how a confrontation between a drunken 0-level commoner and a Drow priestess of Shar ends."
“Faldorn was defeated by Jaheira in Trademeet and lost her title of Arch-Druid. In truth, she was relieved to be relieved of the position. Years of pushing forward the Shadow Druid agenda led Faldorn to realize that she had lost touch with the real Faldorn along the way. After some soul-searching, she reinvented herself as a lifestyle guru and developed an entire line of organic health and beauty products under the name, She-Wolf. Both her products and seminars were all the rage in Athkatla, specifically among noblewomen who clearly had too much free time. Faldorn eventually gave up her residence in natural environs for a lavish estate in Athkatla's government district. Her following soon pressured her to petition to join the Council of Six after the fall of the Cowled Wizards left the position open (aside from a short-term replacement). Her petition was a success and she soon found herself on the Council of Six. Under her leadership, she created created the FDAA, the Food and Drink Association of Athkatla. Now, instead of draconian rules governing magic in the city, equally restrictive rules and standards were applied to the food and drink that the people consumed.”
“Barely surviving being gravely wounded by Irenicus, Tiax left Spellhold for Athkatla where he intended to do what he did best: rule. Learning from his past campaign mistakes in Baldur's Gate, he changed his slogan from ”Tiax Rules!" to “Make Athkatla Great Again”. Of course, what he thought would make Athkatla great was putting himself in charge as a despotic leader. But, he toned down that aspect of his platform and instead focused on the history of scheming and backroom dealing of the Cowled Wizards (as if he was any less evil or scheming) and promised the people he would be different than all the other corrupt politicians. Miraculously, despite his obviously apparent character flaws, he succeeded in replacing the Cowled Wizards' representative on the Council of Six. He decided to take their stance on restrictive magic to the next level and banned magic entirely. Since he didn't study the arcane himself, it was no skin of his nose. This move undermined his support base leaving him with only the most backwards and ignorant followers. He was ultimately removed from his position when he insisted the city build a wall around the planar sphere and was expecting that the city's wizards would be the ones to pay for it. After his removal, his few remaining extreme supporters organized an invasion of the main government building under the guise of freedom of assembly. All nine of these “rebels” were rounded up, tried, and sent to prison. Tiax was convicted of treason and reincarnated in Spellhold, which was now just a common prison. After his eventual release, he was prohibited from seeking any position of power in Amn."
"Edwin Odesseiron continued to lay low with the Shadow Thieves for a while. The Cowled Wizards suffered a crippling blow as a side effect of the conflict between Gorion's Ward and Irenicus. Edwin decided to step in and finish the job. His thought was that he could wipe out the Cowled Wizard remnants and then take credit for their defeat, thereby gaining him more clout among the Red Wizards of Thay. After many conspicuous mage battles in the streets of Athkatla, he succeeded. However, the people who noticed his efforts the most were actually the people of Athkatla. They were tired of living under the Cowled Wizards' iron fist and Edwin was lauded as a liberator and hero. He even had a statue in his image raised in Waukeen's Promenade. Edwin was initially nonplussed over people finally giving him the credit he always felt he so rightfully deserved. But, he quickly came to accept their praise and bought in to being a champion for the people. Edwin continued his agenda of liberation when a clearly insane gnome who found his way on the Council of Six tried to ban magic entirely in the city. Edwin and his followers were primarily responsible for having the madman removed from his seat.
“Shar-Teel, Safana, Branwen, and Alora all happened to cross paths with each other at Elfsong one evening. Shar-Teel was looking to fight a man, Safana was looking to shag a man, Branwen was recently petrified by a man, and Alora was just excited to be somewhere new. The four got to talking with each other and, despite having wildly different personalities, seemed to hit it off. Shar-Teel was sarcastic and aggressive, Safana was self-absorbed and man-hungry, Alora was kind and sweet, and Branwen was the matriarch of the group. You wouldn't think this lot would get along, but they actually did, and their differences merely become the fuel for innocuous hi-jinks week after week.”
"With Gorion's Ward's help, Cernd was able to rescue his child that he then abandoned again at the druid grove near Trademeet. He promised that he would return to raise the child, he just needed to run to the general shop in Trademeet for some pipeweed. He never returned, but that was pretty obvious since he didn’t even smoke. Cernd continued to wander Faerun. It came to light in Cormyr that Cernd had actually married, and had children, with numerous women in Cormyr, Amn, the Sword Coast, Tethyr, Calimshan, Turmish, Halruaa, Icewind Dale, Chondath, Sembia, Impiltur, the Silver Marches, and even the Troll Hills (don't ask). Furthermore, it was discovered that Cernd was not actually a druid, just a werewolf that had a Ring of Goodberries. The druid con was so that he could have a reason to abandon his wives and children and move on to a new situation. You would be surprised at how many women could fall for a guy that can conjure an impromptu picnic in the park. Unfortunately for Cernd, Cormyr was not the kind of place to run afoul of the legal system. For the crime of bigamy, he was sentenced to life in prison. He never set foot near a druid grove again, but he was allowed to participate in a work-release program tending to the gardens of nobles.
“Kagain returned to his shop and grew even more bitter, but not over what the death of Entar Silvershield's son had done to his reputation and business. Instead, he resented that even the Enhanced Edition of the game didn't give him a remotely decent companion quest. By Moradin's hammer, Cernd even had a pretty involved companion quest and the story there both starts and ends with a deadbeat dad! Also, Kagain can regenerate! Korgan can't even do that. And another thing! He was sick of people confusing the two of them as if all dwarves look alike or something. Ok, granted, they're both old dwarves with greying beards, but Korgan's beard is tied while Kagain's beard is brushed out. Of course, none of this made sense to anyone, even to Kagain who never actually crossed paths with Cernd or Korgan. However, the dwarf had nothing to do with his time except stand in his shop, isolated and alone, until he was done in by insanity and plantar fasciitis.”
“The death of Khalid shook Jaheira to the core. She convinced herself that she could never love again, certainly not so soon after his death nor with anyone that would be a child in her eyes. That would be absurd and rather tacky. After her escape from Irenicus' prison and deposing Faldorn from the druid grove, she took over as Arch-Druid. Being a Harper just wouldn't be the same without Khalid. However, the grove would allow her to explore a new, but comfortingly familiar, phase of life. She had barely been installed as the Arch-Druid when Cernd dropped off his child and disappeared again. He did not even stay long enough to tell Jaheira the child's name. Knowing he would likely not return, she named the child Khalid after her lost love. Realizing there were other children our there without families to care for them, Jahaeira would send her subordinates to wander nearby lands and bring them to the grove for a better life. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of these children happened to be Cernd's. She eventually renamed the grove to Kinder Garden in honor of the grove's new purpose of giving these children a kinder upbringing. Jaheira's headstrong personality served her well with these lost children, who all loved her as they would any mother. The Kinder Garden became the most thriving druid grove in all of Faerun. Jaheira eventually died in 1547 DR, with hundreds of children haven been rescued in her lifetime, and a memorial was erected in her honor at the grove. The inscription read, 'Nature's Servant Awaits.'"
“After being freed from Irenicus' dungeon, Minsc put his boots on the ground at the Copper Coronet. Being the simple man that he was, he found himself unwittingly recruited into fighting in the gladiator pits (before Gorion's Ward was able to free the slaves). Yet again, Minsc took a blow to the head. But this time, its effects were something completely new. No longer was he the slow-witted evil-slaying ranger, armed to the teeth and packing a hamster. Instead, his intelligence and wisdom started to blossom and he explored, through dissertation, the impact of modern civilization on the overall ecosystem of Faerun. Indeed, before Minsc started his work, the people of Faerun didn't even have the concept of an ”ecosystem". He left Athkatla to pursue a residency at Jaheira's grove where he could study and work in peace. He published works like, “The Intersection of Geopolitics and Biodiversity: Living More but Dying Sooner”, “The Essential Symbiosis Between the Savage and Civilization”, and “Moral Urbanization: Seeking a More Comprehensive Prosperity”. Minsc continued his studies and writing and ultimately produced enough groundbreaking works to have his own annex in Candlekeep. It was shortly after the dedication of this annex that Minsc disappeared from Faerun, never to be seen again."
“Jan Jansen's fate was the most impressive of all as his endeavors shaped the very fabric of Faerun for centuries to come. His story truly serves as a moral lesson for everyone and we should heed its virtue quite seriously. Helping Lissa and Jaella planted a seed of regret in Lissa with regards to her marriage to Vaelag. Speaking of seeds, this reminds Jan of a time when he was helping his Uncle Scratchy with his turnip farm. However, Uncle Scratchy was hoodwinked and the seeds he received were actually purple carrot seeds. You can imagine Uncle Scratchy's surprise when they sprouted and he suddenly had a field of purple carrots. Well, as you probably know, you can't make turnip stew, or turnip casserole, or turnip pie with purple carrots. But it just so happened there was a mage tower nearby and the resident mage needed a vast number of carrots. Apparently, her plan was to animate them as a kind of vegetable army to combat a myconid infestation in cave system rather close to her tower. Of course, animated carrots are quite self-assured and were immune to myconoid's confusion spores. Anyway, Jan had a once-removed cousin, Bobil, that was lost in those caves when he was a young gnome. He had wandered so deep that he found himself in the den of a solitary xvart who was obsessed with a magic ring. Bobil happened to purloin that ring but it turned out to not be magic at all. However, it was still worth enough for Bobil to buy himself a nice cottage in Trademeet. He then started his own turnip farm and had better luck than Uncle Scratchy. Wait, what were we talking about, again?”
“Boo continued his mission to study the sentient life forms of Faerun and determine their potential impact on the metaverse. He preferred the continued company of Minsc due to the ranger's kindness and protectiveness. Boo found this to be quite valuable in his current miniaturized state. Even after Minsc's accident, where his intellect began to expand, Minsc never lost his good heart and inherent kindness and the two remained the best of friends. It was a number of years later that the term of Boo's mission was complete. A team of his fellow people arrived on a spelljammer to collect the giant miniaturized space hamster. Minsc (and Boo) were on a retreat in a remote part of the Neverwinter Wood when a vessel shaped like a giant acorn landed in a nearby clearing. A number of human-sized anthropomorphic hamster-like beings, who called themselves the Ysoki, emerged and met with Boo. One had a strange crystalline device which it used to restore Boo to his proper size. Minsc naturally remained composed while all this was happening. He and Boo talked often and he knew this day would be coming. Boo returned to the spelljammer with his brethren to debrief on the mission. The Ysoki wanted to bring a sample back to their homeworld for further learning and study. Boo offered Minsc for the task, as the exemplar human would fit in nicely with the Ysoki's advanced culture and society. Everyone was in agreement and made the offer to the ranger. Minsc felt like he had made every contribution he could to the people of Faerun, so he accepted and boarded the ship. Boo, excited to finally be on a spelljammer again, took the helm and plotted a course for his homeworld. At his side sat his friend and faithful companion, Minsc.”

I noticed that all the women seem to have at least their upper arms covered, and sometimes much more. I was curious about the dress code and cultural norms, and tried to find info online. It mostly detailed how the northern part of Nigeria was more heavily Muslim, and there some people wear full hijab and other cultural adaptations of hijab style but with looser Nigerian fabrics. Most of the travel advisories I saw said long dresses with flowing material and modest cuts were appropriate for Nigeria. It said that while casual wear may be OK, shorts should be knee length or longer and in Moslum areas and the coast things like shorts and t-shirts would be frowned upon.
At the women in leadership event , I was surprised to see her and what looked like a red evening gown, whereas the other two presenters on the day we're clearly wearing modest dress past the ankles and have their arms mostly covered (past the elbow for both).
At the Nigeria Unconquered event, all the other women in the photos were long sleeves to the wrist, and gowns to the ankle, and aleo covered their hair. MM wore a strapless column gown
Wt the State Govors House visit in Lagos, she again went completely sleeveless in the yellow Carolina Herrera.
At the Lightway Academy event, it also looked like every other woman there had some sort of sleeves, but MM went sleeveless AND backless....
I have never been to Nigeria, but if I was faking an "official visit" I provably would have read the room and tried to observe the standard of modesty for women that is advertised/ suggested.... but as I have never been to Nigeria myself, perhaps someone with more knowledge than I could shed light on whether this was appropriate attire or not?