I'm building my first custom bike from the frame up. This is going to be my super special bike so I'm hyped up for it. My current bike is a 2015 Giant Escape 1. It has been good but I've learned a lot about bikes and components since then. I'm also learning what to look for in a riding experience and I wanted to try some light MTB'ing.
I decided on a rigid MTB essentially.
My spec list is ever evolving but the major components I'm leaning towards are:

1. DV9 Ibis frame
2. SRAM XX SL transmission group set
3. Whisky Milhouse carbon fork
4. Whisky carbon seat post
5. Shimano XTR brakes
6. Nobl TR35 wheels
7. Onyx Vesper flanged hubs with ceramic bearing upgrade and custom Berd spokes
8. Gravelking Slick or SS 35c for daily road use
9. Still looking at 2.6" MTB tire options

Just upgraded to a simucube 2 pro and sold my old wheelbase (fanatec) quicker than expected which is a problem as a moza wheel won't be arriving for a few weeks. In the meantime I've been looking for a quick solution to get me by the next few weeks and also a backup when the new wheel arrived. In my haste I ordered a cheap GT wheel from ebay but I completely forgot that this wheel won't have shifters and I don't have any universal hub. I don't want to shell out a couple of hundred pounds for a hub for just a few weeks and was looking at a DIY solution that while not perfect, will be adequate for the job.
So far my thinking has revolved around momentary switches that I can mount on some sort of rail/spider from the middle of the hub (have received the simucube quick release adapter so can do this) but while these are easy to find from a diy store, it's all electrical circuit which I have zero experience in and can't seem to find any USB equivalent. Any hints/tips/tricks that can help out here?
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So if anyone saw an earlier post about a month ago I may have ruined my battery in my x1 max hub. I’ve decided to buy a battery to replace it and buy another board as well. The question is while I’m buying things should I replace my wheel bearings and how often? The board has done about 1200km (750miles). I’m intending to swap wheels as my wheels have a few little chunks taken out of them. So figured might be worth getting some bearings as well do a full “service” if you will

Help me out with this project, found a commencal absolut frame and will go from there, is that a good start at $400 AUD? Intermediate skilled rider, doing mostly pump tracks and smaller dirt jumps
Wheels Got 2 options Spank spike race 33 SS 26” - 300 aud Dt swiss 471 on pro4 hubs - 450 aud
Chill me some underrated:
Crankset Fork Handle bar / stem Hydraulic brake kit
🤘🏼

I recently got the G920 and after the second time using it when I opened any game (beam.ng and FH5) the wheel worked, but none of the pedals did anything. I went to G HUB and neither the wheel or the pedals seemed to change anything when I tested them. I have tried unplugging the wheel (from power and usb), I have restarted my computer and tried unplugging the pedals from the wheel but nothing seems to be working. I am on windows 11. Is there any way I can fix this problem?

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Chapter 169 – A moment of truth. A moment to lie.
Shida exhaled slowly as she flew in a parallel line along the massive, slowly rotating hull of the Sun. The near true-black surface of the enormous ship loomed ominously next to her, tricking her brain into the impression that it was somehow trying to pull her tiny little hunter into it like a black hole or some shadowy portal. Though obviously, that was just a literal trick of the light.
Activating her frontal thrusters yet again to slow the momentum of her flight, she just barely noticed the movement on the hull next to her as something adjusted to the now slowing movement of her cargo. A moment later, a harpoon much like the one she herself had fired into the lump of molten material that had solidified around the still dutifully pinging black box shot against the precious debris, latching onto it and connecting it to the larger ship.
With the press of a button, Shida's own harpoon then automatically shot off its tip before her hunter reeled in the connecting cable as well as the remaining rod. Almost as soon as she was detached, the Sun's harpoon already began to reel the black box lump in as well.
It admittedly took a bit of time and finesse, but this process was still much easier than trying to somehow land with the barely controllable lump of hull-slag still attached to her ship.
Rubbing a hand over one of her hears, Shida released a mild huff before then firing her engines up again as she adjusted her course to fly around the ship and find her way into the dock.
Once the slightly precarious maneuver of flying through the relatively narrow, rotating tunnel that was her entrance was overcome, the feline turned her hunter onto 'life support' mode as she sat back, since she would have to wait for the atmosphere in the dock to be reinstated before she could even think about getting out.
Suddenly, a comm came in for her, making her ears twitch as she listened up.
“Please move your ship to the corner of the dock and stand by, Lieutenant-Commander,” the voice from her radio informed her briefly. “The dock will be needed for the landing of an urgent shuttle. Atmosphere cannot be reinstated before it has landed.”
Blinking slightly, Shida stared at her console for a moment. Shuttle? Why was there shuttle flying around in a situation like this?
Luckily, it didn't even take a full second before her brain fired up again and she quickly reached for the button to activate her own microphone.
“Copy that,” she said before quickly starting her ship up again, just enough so that she could slowly roll it into the dock's corner. Once there, she activated her microphone again. “Standing by,” she announced before leaning back once again.
She released a long exhale as she stared at the wall that was now right in front of her. And as she sat there with nothing to do but to think while she was surrounded by an airless room, she slowly began to feel that something was wrong.
Not with the situation, no. Even if she still wondered why the hell a shuttle was dicking around out there just after an active combat situation, that wasn't what was irking her. Though, admittedly, she also didn't really know what was. Was it something about herself? Not really. She felt fine.
Though, after a few more moments of being alone with her thoughts, it slowly began to hit her. Why did she feel so fine?
Not that she had expected to be totally broken up by a combat situation, even if it was sudden. She was trained for that much, she sure would hope that she wouldn't let it get to her too much. However, while not being too stressed out was one thing...why wasn't she angrier?
The last few times she had so much as heard about an attack, she had been absolutely livid. Blood-boilingly so. And that didn't even come close to how she had felt when she saw the victims of the attack on the detention center...
But now? She was calm. They had just been attacked out of nowhere. She had been dragged into a sudden battle. So many people, both foe and friend, had died today. And she was sad about that. She felt the remorse about the people who had been killed here. She even felt the aftereffects of pulling the trigger herself down in her stomach. But apart from that? Nothing.
What was different now? Where was that fire? And more importantly...was it good or bad that it was so suddenly gone?
Prooobably something to bring up with Dr. Nasution once she got an opportunity to attend her next session, which would probably be quite soon given current circumstances. It had been a while with everything that was going on, but she figured there was at least a good chance that their 'pleasure cruise' would not be continuing after everything that had occurred.
It seemed that the coreworlds were even more hostile ground than they had imagined.
About a quarter of an hour later, the announced shuttle had finally settled down and all hatches were sealed shut while air was slowly funneled back into the room. It took maybe a minute or two more before a specialized sensor in her ship informed her with a glowing light on her console that the surroundings were once again breathable, meaning she could safely open her hatch.
Pressing the corresponding button, the hatch of her ship sprang open, releasing a slight hiss as the seal was broken and air-exchange with the outside took place for the first time since she had closed it.
Once it was open, Shida could already hear some commotion as a large group of people came immediately flooding into the room as soon as it was safe to do so, and once she had climbed out onto the wing of her ship, she could see that they had come bearing large bags as they hurried towards the shuttle, which was currently in the process of lowering its ramp.
Resisting her urge to stand and stare to see what was going on, Shida climbed off the wing in order to go and properly announce her return.
However, almost as soon as her feet made contact with the dock's floor, she suddenly felt how she was almost taken off her feet by another body crashing into hers, startling her so much that her claws were already coming out as her arms raised to meet her sudden tackler – though a combination of a familiar scent and breathing luckily soothed her nerves long before her aware mind could catch up to who had run into her there.
Instead of sinking their claws in, her hand laid flatly down on James' broad back as her arms wrapped around him to return his sudden hug. As she held him, she could feel that he was quite unsteady on his feet, and she subtly supported him to not loose his footing as they embraced for a long moment.
A bit of a purr started up in her chest as she leaned her head against his. She didn't say anything, worrying that it may come off as mockery if she did, but she could feel that he had been worried about her. And although she obviously didn't like making him worry – especially since she knew how much that stung after having to worry about him way too often recently - she still couldn't deny that she always appreciated getting to feel just how much he cared about her so directly, and a warm feeling spread throughout her as her purr intensified.
Though admittedly, she could've done without the firm kiss he pressed onto her cheek after a moment. Still, she knew that it was an important expression of his care to him, and so she simply closed her eye on the kissed side and endured it for a moment before he finally pulled away.
Looking at his reddened face, she could read right off it that he wanted to say something like 'Don't ever do that again' or anything in that vein, but obviously he also knew that she was just doing her duty, and so he held his tongue.
His mouth opened a bit, presumably to say something else, however the chaotic and from this distance slightly incoherent shouting of the group that had rushed in earlier now meeting with the crew of the shuttle interrupted him, catching both of their attentions as they looked over.
As they did, Shida's eyes widened slightly once she realized what the chaotic scene she was looking at there really was. A stretcher carrying Admiral Krieger was wheeled down the shuttle's ramp, surrounded by medics and doctors working on her on all sides.
Her skin was a ghostly white, far more so than even her usual pale complexion, and fully on display as the remains of her uniform were under her in tattered, cut-open rags, leaving her almost entirely exposed except for her most private area and her right leg, which had been covered with a white sheet. Every other inch of her skin seemingly had to remain free as the medical personnel worked on it from all angles; sticking her with needles or attaching cables, tubes and electrodes to her as she was rolled along. Two blood bags were already dripping fresh life into her at that point, and by the look of things, a third one was soon to follow.
Still, the almost body-horror-esque sight of the doctors trying to preserve her life was by far not the most gruesome one the scene offered. That honor belonged to her uncovered left leg. Or at least...what was left of it...
Shida's ear twitched as her concentration on the scene was briefly interrupted by a soft voice speaking right next to her.
“Mama...” James mumbled aghast, causing Shida's eyes to widen slightly.
It was one of the few words from his native language that the feline actually knew. “Mom”. And hearing it out of James' mouth was an almost bizarre experience. James never called his mother mom or any similar term of endearment. In fact he made it a point not to.
Granted, in this case, it was unlikely that he had consciously made the choice to do it in this case, however the sheer fact that it would slip out of him like this spoke volumes of just how deeply the shock of seeing her in that state reached.
Not that Shida didn't understand, of course. Familial bonds or not, the Admiral was...well, of course they both knew that she wasn't untouchable by any measure. Far from it. She was just a person like anybody else in the end.
However, knowing that she could get hurt and actually seeing it were two very different things, apparently.
In the corner of her vision, she noticed how James suddenly began to move in the direction of the ongoing rescue, and she quickly jolted forwards to stop him, wrapping her arm around him firmly as she held him back from getting in the way of anything.
Luckily, apart from a brief push that only lasted for as long as it took him to realize that he had been stopped, he didn't resist her as she restrained him from approaching any further, and so the both of them just watched as the stretcher was rolled along and ultimately out of the dock.
“That was meant for me...” James mumbled, clearly thinking aloud as he kept staring at the door even after it had closed again.
Immediately, Shida pulled him in firmer, side-hugging him as she pressed her body up to his.
“She wouldn't have traded places with you if you tried to force her,” she assured him while pushing her face against his shoulder. She knew that the relationship of those two was rocky to say the least, however she still knew that much to be true. Whether she was the motherly type or not, if anything, the Admiral was just as stubborn as James was, especially when it came to duty.
James stood frozen for a bit, seemingly not exactly knowing what to do with his feelings in his current state. Shida could only imagine how much ethanol was still flowing through his veins at that time, mixed with a cocktail of all kinds of different hormones and endorphins. With all of this added back-and-forth stress, she couldn't blame him for struggling to hold onto a single thought at that time.
“Oh, James!” a new voice suddenly joined the fray, whipping both of their attentions around yet again as even more bodies emerged from the shuttle, having presumably stood back to make room while the rescue efforts were ongoing.
But now that the coast was clear, so to speak, two familiar large forms came lumbering down the shuttle's ramp.
Moar and Congloarch looked...rattled...to say the least. With Moar, it was understandable. She probably didn't have all too much experience of standing right next to a dying person as every thinkable thing was done to them to keep them alive, so Shida wouldn't have thought twice about it had it just been her.
However, the tonamstrosite was a...different story. His four eyes didn't scan the room or focus on different things at all. All four of them were pointed straight ahead with only very loose seeming focus on the people he was approaching as he walked.
His mouth hung slightly open, and he seemed to push his tongue out just a little bit while the fleshy muscle twitched up in place before settling down again, over and over, making it appear almost as if he was subtly retching.
James' stormy mind seemed to immediately latch onto the the possibility to focus on anything and went right along with a wave of his usual compassion as his eyes fell onto the to giants. This time, Shida didn't hold him back as he hurried in their direction.
“What in chaos' name happened?” he asked once he was just a few steps away from them, though even in his now focused and concerned state you could clearly tell from his gait that he wasn't quite all there.
“Oh James...” Moar repeated, struggling to speak as she shuddered in place where she stood, both of her clawed hands firmly hooked into her long fur as if clinging on for dear life.
Releasing a deep groan, Congloarch shook himself so heavily that a grinding sound came from some of the plates along his body.
“There was an attack,” the large reptile then said the quite obvious before shaking again. “There was...an invasion-” he kept describing before pausing abruptly, turning his head away as his tongue pushed itself up again, causing him to clearly struggle to suppress whatever urge overcame him at that moment.
Shida's ears and tail sank deeply as she watched those two. She could only imagine what could've occurred to have even Congloarch so broken up. And she could see it on James' face that his heart sank just as much, even if less outwards signs clearly showed it.
Slowly, Shida began to walk up to Moar at an even pace. As she did so, she gently nudged James in the direction of the other giant while passing him, knowing that he had the better relationship to the tonamstrosite out of the two of them.
Taking the hint without issue, James walked up to the enormous reptile and placed his hand on the highest part of the man he could reach while Shida leaned up against Moar's plushy leg comfortingly.
“It's alright,” James then said softly, patting his hand against Congloarch's armored skin gently while also leaning his face against the side of the giant's body. “You don't have to talk about it right now. You can take some time.”
The reactions of the two giants were very different, but at the same time equally appreciative of the soothing contact.
Moar leaned down as one of her hands unclenched from her fur to reach for Shida, reciprocating the gentle touch through an innate social drive. Seemingly on instinct, her hand went right for Shida's hair, seemingly seeking the contact with fur since that is what another rafulite would provide, and so the old lady simply petted through Shida's hair in gentle strokes while the feline pressed up against her.
Meanwhile, Congloarch seemed to simply relax in place as James leaned against him, making no effort to initiate any form of contact himself as his eyes slowly closed.
It even went so far that it seemed like he needed to put in a conscious effort to not lay down right then and there, which would've probably been inappropriate in the middle of a dock. In fact, all of this was probably inappropriate for this place, but sometimes what had to be done had to be done.
Still, with James being only somewhat in-commission right now, Shida eventually felt it to be her duty to coax everyone out of the dock once she felt that things had calmed down enough to move so they could continue this at a calmer, more private location, where the two giants could truly focus on processing everything that had happened.
–
A gentle humming filled the air, stirring her awake as light uncomfortably shone through her twitching lids while she struggled back and forth between a conscious and unconscious state.
Though once she finally pushed herself far enough into awareness to gain control over the motion and slowly forced her eyes fully open, even if she still had to squint heavily against the light from above, she glanced around through her blurry vision, instinctively searching for the source of the increasingly familiar sound of the hummed song.
She recognized the melody. It was the 'Ode to strange suns', a very old and very famous song that first emerged back in the early days of Earth's interstellar travel, when traversing light-years to reach another star-system was still a daunting endeavor. It was often sung by those in the primitive ships, often called 'tubes', to give them hope during their bleak journey. A melancholic song about giving up your life just to see what's out there – and one day push your people so far beyond what they had once been.
So far, they hadn't quite reached the lofty goal that the song set for humanity, since it spoke of mapping every star and finding eternity too short and infinity too small for their ambitions. According to the song, the day would come when 'no more strange suns rise'. What an idea that was...
Still, even more so than the song itself, she recognized the soft voice that was humming it, and her heart lifted at the implications of hearing it. She felt soft sheets rustling underneath her head as she slowly turned her face towards the sound, and the corners of her lips slowly lifted into a smile as her eyes, which were gently tearing from the harsh light biting into them so suddenly, fell onto the scene before her.
Nia sat slightly leaned against the headrest of her bed with her eyes closed, the room's white light gently playing over her dark yet soft features as she turned her face in the Admiral's direction while softly swaying her head to the rhythm of her humming, not moving it more than a centimeter with each tilt so her gentle dance wouldn't interfere too much with the work of James' hands. He sat behind her with both hands behind her back, gently holding her hair as he weaved it into long braids with practiced motions. There was a clear 'weakness' to Nia's movements, and the way she sat strongly indicated that she likely lacked the strength to completely hold herself up on her own.
And yet despite that, her humming was cheerful and content as she had her hair braided by her brother. She seemed...at peace.
After simply observing the scene for a few long moments, feeling like she could get lost in the sight if she wasn't careful, Admiral Krieger then tried to push herself up a bit, however the attempt was short-lived as a searing pain shot through her right shoulder as soon as she put any pressure onto that side of her body, forcing her to flop back down almost immediately. And as soon as she did, the pain quickly dissipated into a mellow numbness that was all too familiar to her.
She was on some strong painkillers, she could tell. Therefore, if it still hurt like that when she attempted to move, moving was probably a bad idea. Not that she couldn't have borne the pain if it was necessary, however the sight of her children like that told her that it very clearly wasn't. Whatever other challenges and battles the future may have had in store for them, this was a moment of peace, and she should use it for her recovery while she still could.
Meanwhile, her movement and brief hiss of pain had naturally not gone unnoticed. Once her eyes were no longer closed from the brief jolt of pain, she saw that Nia's eyes had now also opened. Her humming had stopped as the sweet girl's face lit up upon noticing that the Admiral was truly awake and had not just shifted around in her sleep.
“James!” she exclaimed, trying to move so suddenly that she accidentally pulled on her own hair that was still firmly in her brother's grasp, before he could react and adjust to her movements. Uncaring about the brief discomfort that surely caused, Nia excitedly lifted her hand to point at the Admiral, however James already had a knowing look on his face.
“I saw,” he replied, clearly far less focused on the braiding process than his demeanor would indicate from the outside. He quickly finished up the in-process braid between his fingers and fixated it with a small, golden, tube-shaped clasp before letting go of Nia's hair, thus allowing her to freely move her head around again.
Nia then looked over at her while James slowly stood up and moved to the corner of the room.
“How are you feeling, Sophia?” Nia asked in a gentle tone that did nothing to hide her happiness, her eyes gleaming slightly in the light as tears began to well up within them.
The Admiral released a long exhale as she settled into the sheets, though her eyes never left Nia's face – apart from a very brief moment of them following James to see where he was going. Nia looked slightly messy with her hair half-braided and the light-blue gown she wore all crumpled up, however just like her earlier humming, that messiness had a certain peace to it that allowed the Admiral to relax.
“Just how I look, I suspect,” she replied, the smile on her face returning. “I'm glad to see you awake again.”
“Hey, that's my line!” Nia jokingly complained with a mild chuckle that audibly got very close to shifting into a soft sob at one point.
At this point, James had returned from the corner of the room, walking up to the side of Nia's bed opposite to the one he had been sitting at previously. And with him, he had brought a large wheelchair.
Briefly, he turned his head towards his mother, the look on his face rather unreadable. For a moment, his mouth twitched, and it seemed like he wanted to say something. However ultimately, he pulled his gaze away again before anything was said.
Without complaint, Nia allowed her brother to lift her out of the bed and into the wheelchair, before he slowly pushed her over to the side of the Admiral's bed.
Almost immediately once she was within reach, Nia's hand found hers, holding it gently while James was once again on the move, this time towards a bedside-drawer that stood in between both of their beds.
Opening it, he briefly rummaged through it before pulling out an arrangement of small items, with which he then sat down next to the Admiral as well.
Leaning down, he gently reached for her face in a gesture that could've been mistaken for tenderness, had his fingers not reached to pull her lids open a bit with gentle force right before he shone a bright light directly into her eyes. Despite the uncomfortable nature of the action, Admiral Krieger didn't resist it in any way, physically or otherwise.
After he had ensured her pupils worked properly, James then gently grabbed her by her chin and moved her face around so that she looked straight 'ahead', which in this case meant right up to the ceiling while he got up a bit to loom over her.
“Aaaaaah,” he then ordered while holding a clear, plastic tongue-suppressor close to her mouth.
Following the order without hesitation, the Admiral opened her mouth widely, though she forewent the actual saying of 'aaah' in the process. Soon enough, her tongue was uncomfortably pushed down by the plastic item while she could see some light leaking out of her mouth in the corner of her vision.
After a brief moment of inspection, the pressure was already relieved and she could close her mouth again as James moved away from her, checking some of the monitors of devices that were attached to his mother in various ways.
The Admiral couldn't help but gently chuckle at the professionalism he clearly very deliberately employed as he dealt with her waking up. It was a nice act, however, she was smart enough to know that, since he didn't call anyone in to do it, he likely had asked to conduct these precautionary examinations himself instead of calling a doctor in for it, likely promising to call in someone more professional than himself should he find anything actually worrying.
But, based on his reactions, it seemed like everything was in working order. At least the vitals she could see on the monitors herself certainly were. Not exactly 'healthy', of course, but also not directly concerning for someone who had just gone through the wringer like she had.
Or, well...she didn't quite know how 'just' it had been. She was admittedly a bit too groggy to fully remember the exact date and time during which the attack leaving her injured had taken place, which meant even the clock on the wall was of very little help with determining just how long she had been out for.
“Do you feel anything strange?” James asked her, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Any pain? Nausea? Discomfort?”
Krieger shook her head.
“Nothing, apart from being high as a kite,” she replied before briefly glancing down at herself. Her body was almost completely covered by a white sheet, so she couldn't exactly see anything. However, she knew what was underneath. “Though I'm sure my leg would be in a lot of pain if I could actually feel it.”
In the corner of her vision, she both saw and felt Nia flinch as she was still holding her hand, her face darkening a little.
James' expression also seemed to turn more serious after her jokingly said words, betraying his usually not horrible pokerface.
Slowly, she released a long breath.
“It's gone, isn't it?” she suspected immediately. Not surprising after the state her leg had been in when she last saw it.
Nia's face just turned even more glum at that, however James sighed and nodded.
“Most of it, yes,” he replied honestly, knowing her well enough to cut any sort of bullshit. “Though you will be glad to hear that your usual 'precautions' worked without a hitch. Your body accepted the prosthesis and you should be able to walk again almost immediately.”
She smiled.
“I always told you, it pays to be prepared,” she said, lifting her unoccupied arm with a finger playfully raised in lecture. Though then, she moved her gaze over to Nia, reaching her already raised arm over to Nia's head and pulling her in a bit closer before gently caressing her cheek. “Come on, why the frown?” she asked, giving a gentle smile. “You heard what he said, I'll be good as new.”
A returning smile fought itself through Nia's tears at the caress, and she nodded meekly – before then suddenly throwing herself forwards, out of the wheelchair and onto the Admiral in a brazen embrace.
A sharp pain once again shot through the Admiral's shoulder as another body suddenly pressed down onto hers, however this time she did not care a single bit as she moved her arms around her daughter and gently petted along her back while Nia clearly did her absolute best to suppress the quiet sobs leaving her. Meanwhile James stood next to it all with a stoic expression, only his eyes betraying the obvious compassion he felt for his sister's happiness.
Once the embrace was enjoyed and a few soft words were exchanged, he aided Nia in getting back into the wheelchair wordlessly.
And the Admiral didn't need him to say anything. The mere fact that he had decided to be here told her more than enough – even if he would likely say that he was here to visit Nia when he would be asked about it.
A few moments later, the door to the room opened, with two new people entering in a visible hurry. Though, despite their haste, both Tuya and Shida froze when they fully processed the scene they had barged into, with neither of them seemingly knowing if they wanted to proceed or not.
Taking the decision off them, the Admiral lifted her hand and waved them closer.
“Come in,” she said invitingly, not at all opposed to their presence here. Not for nothing, she was more than happy with the partners that her children had found for themselves. She could hardly have wished for better ones.
Still seeming a bit hesitant, the First-Lieutenant and Lieutenant-Commander then continued their motion, even if much slower now.
James and Nia both had pretty unreadable expressions on their faces at this point as they watched their respective partners approach. They all exchanged a long gaze with each other, which clearly told her children something that she wasn't quite privy to yet.
James was finally the one to break the silence.
“What brilliant timing,” he sighed a bit as he turned around, quickly grabbing a remote from a nearby nightstand. With it, he turned up the volume of a running but up until now muted screen that the Admiral had only been tangentially aware of so far.
Though now that everyone's attention seemed to be pulled towards it, she didn't need to be a genius to realize that something important was being broadcast there. And so she got quiet and listened, her professional seriousness returning as he fought through her slightly hazy state to not miss a detail, especially so as she saw just who the cameras were pointed towards.
Leaving her enormous head to hang slightly, Apojinorana Audoxya Tua, High-Matriarch of the zodiatos and current Acting-Leader-Supreme of the G.C.S. had taken the stage behind what had to be a house-sized podium, even if it didn't appear like it on screen.
The Admiral suppressed any feelings she had towards that vile woman as she concentrated on listening to her words.
They had seemingly missed the beginning of the conference they were not tuning into, so hopefully they hadn't missed anything important.
“...firm the attack. One of the current Nahfmir-Durrehefren, previously known as Melvolhorron, used his command over several of our ships and the loyalty of crews that had been radicalized by the ongoing galactic tensions -both zodiatos and coluyvoree- to mount the attack. No outside influence on his actions from any third-party outside of the zodiatos territories has been indicated during the investigations. The black box that was discovered by the human forces and handed over to galactic investigations in full accordance to communal law and without any resistance brought some additional light to his motivations. Among the usual logs and data you would expect to find, it also contained a seemingly deliberately saved...letter of devotion to...none other than my own person. It seems that this...tragic event turned heinous crime was something that he saw as his best chance to advance his position to that of the true Durrehefren. He seemed to believe that my devotion and favor could be gained through a decisive strike against the humans, whom he believed I hated deeply – along with all other deathworlders, it appears. It also appears that he believed this hate would go far enough that I would approve of any methods to achieve this strike against them – even an attack on not only another coreworld, but one of our oldest and most loyal allies. It's-” she cut of briefly, releasing a distressed trumpeting sound before reaching her trunk up to run its ends over her many dark eyes. “It is, of course, hard for me. Not only to have such a crime committed ostensibly in my name, but also that this seems to be an image that I have imprinted onto my people. An image of hate and discord that has radicalized them to the point that they would stoop to such levels simply to see the 'opposition' suffer. And while it is no secret that the humans have been at odds with me, I would never approve of such a heinous attack, not only because...friends of mine...were lost in it, too. And I am not free of blame. I see now that I was so focused on sternly defending us from the accusations posed against us, that I entirely forgot to also show the compassion that is so necessary at a time like this. And I want to apologize for this. Deeply. Even as the attack was committed by a blinded individual, the zodiatos will take full responsibility for it. We are willing to pay any required reparations to each of the injured parties involved, and we deeply wish that our ties we have to those harmed can be mended, be they old or new, strong or tattered. We will gladly welcome any diplomatic outreach from the injured parties as well as all others who are concerned in hopes to not only aid in the recovery of our alliances, but also in the healing of our very own souls as we will take any effort we can to move away from the hate that has caused this tragedy. Our people will not become one of violence and terror, that I swear by all three of my names. And I hope that all others follow that example, so that this tragic event may become a part of our history that will never be repeated. Now more than ever, we need to remind ourselves of the values that this galaxy was built upon. I thank each and every one of you for your attention. Success to you. Prosperity for all. Unity in the community.”

It’s officially summer travel season, driving this weekend and seeing everyone towing their trailers reminded me of driving out to the burn in ‘22. We’d rented a trailer on Outdoorsy. It was nice, the owner was nice, everything seemed fine. About 9 hours into the drive, another 6 to go, and I feel a hard pull to the right and the sound of what can only be described as hellishp. The rear wheel and tire on the tandem axle trailer was gone, and the front shredded. At some point the bearing had failed, destroyed the hub, and ejected itself off the trailer. This dropped the front axle and blew the tire, which in turn caused a bunch of damage to the trailer and bent both axles. Both axles, 3 tires, two wheels had to be replaced, to a tune of $3600 at Les Schwab Winnemucca. All of this could have been avoided if the owner had lubed the bearings on the trailer, aka repacking the bearings, which usually runs $100 per axle at any tire shop.
So here are some tips if you are towing anything to the burn this year. -repack your bearings every other year. If you aren’t 100% sure you did it last year, then do it this year. It’s a very easy process, tons of YouTube videos, or any tire shop will do it $100-150 per axle. This should be followed regardless of how many miles you towed it in the last two years. -check your tires. If there is any cracking, replace them. If they are older than 7 years, replace them no matter how much tread is left. If your reaction is anything other than, they look great, then replace them. Don’t forget to check your spares as well. -have a jack and tire iron that will work with your trailer. I once needed to swap a tire on a trailer and the car jack couldn’t get tall enough to lift the trailer. -trailer loading, don’t go overweight. The weight capacity of a trailer is determined by its axles. Unless very old, the weight rating should be stamped or stocked on the axle itself. Climb under and have a look. Tires blow when overloaded or unbalanced. -if you’re renting a trailer, specifically ask when they last had the bearings repacked. If they don’t have an immediate answer, clarify that they are on the hook for any damages and repairs resulting from a failed bearing.

A little over two weeks ago as I was changing my winter wheels for summer wheels on my 2022 Kia EV6 Wind AWD, I noticed one wheel stud on the right rear wheel was slightly bent. I got the wheel changed and put the all the lug nuts back on. I took it to a local tire shop and they took off the wheel, decided they could not fix it and gave it back to me. Whereas before the lug was on, now it was cross-threaded and would not fit back on the stud. Also the stud itself now spins freely. Today I took it to a Kia dealer who said that it would cost $560 to fix it IF they could do without replacing the hub. They said that to get the stud out they would have to pull half the axel, and maybe take the hub off too. They said “If you do that you have to replace the whole thing because it will never go back together right.” And just my luck, they took it apart and said yup, have to replace the half-axel and the hub. Since they don’t have the parts, they are giving me back the car and I will drive it back home to Colorado (from San Jose CA where I am now) and try to get it fixed there. This seems to be either a massive failure of automotive engineering (replace axle and hub because that’s the only way to replace a $2 part), or a failure or extreme caution on the part of the mechanics servicing the car. Has anybody out there had this issue with an EV6?

Please discuss and if you would liker rate out of 10.
The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell
Yesterday a child came out to wonder Caught a dragonfly inside a jar Fearful when the sky was full of thunder And tearful at the falling of a star
Then the child moved ten times round the seasons Skated over ten clear frozen streams Words like when you're older must appease him And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons they go round and round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We can't return we can only look Behind from where we came And go round and round and round In the circle game
Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town And they tell him take your time it won't be long now Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down
And the seasons they go round and round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We can't return we can only look Behind from where we came And go round and round and round In the circle game
So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty Before the last revolving year is through
And the seasons they go round and round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We can't return we can only look Behind from where we came And go round and round and round In the circle game

As unbelievable as this story may sound, it is entirely true. I witnessed it firsthand.
It was 2016, and I was seated near the back row of a movie theater on the opening weekend of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
About halfway through the film, a commotion stirred in the front row. A few minutes passed, and then the screen went dark, and the theater lights blazed on. A man lay motionless on the floor. The silence was deafening. Two men were at his side performing CPR. Moments later, paramedics arrived, brandishing defibrillators.
“CLEAR” … thunk. His body jerked with the shock. Again. “CLEAR” … thunk. Still nothing. All the while, the audience remained frozen in their seats, clutching their snacks and drinks. Children munched on popcorn and slurped the last dregs of their sodas, obliviously witnessing the man’s struggle for life.
The theater was eventually evacuated, leaving the unconscious man surrounded by medical personnel. We waited anxiously in the lobby, and after what felt like an eternity, he was wheeled out on a gurney, his limp arm hanging off the side.
Our tickets were refunded, but that man's soul never left the theater. His final moments etched into the memories of those who were there that day. I’ve never been able to finish that movie.

Looking at a private purchase of a 2013 Civic LX with 1.8l 4cl 5 speed automatic with 69,000 miles. This is will be a personal and work vehicle that I will be driving for now and will be letting employees drive it for runs around town. I dont anticipate putting 6k-9k miles per year for the first few years, and would like to hold onto this car into the 200,000mile mark or beyond (hopefully). For that, I am trying to avoid CVT, and turbos in newer models. My research tells me the 2013 is a pretty good option. Am I missing something?
Also the price is a good sweet spot for personal/business budget!
Looks like scheduled maintentnance is extensive and up to date, and in 2023/2024 had the following serviced or replaced: Wheel bearing(s)/hub(s) replaced,NEW TIRES AND HONDA BATTERY 2/2023, NEW FRONT BRAKE PADS 7/2023, TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSHED 10/2023.
I'll be test driving it next week an hour from where I live. I think I should take it to the honda dealer near the seller to have it inspected before purchase.Any advice, problems or issues I should be looking for? Thank you in advance!

• Emoji 101 Posts Library - Post with links to over 300 other "Emoji 101" posts!• IceJD maintains many comprehensive resources in this DEB Facebook Group as an admin

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Sketch Elsa and Sketch Blue Fairy LEVEL TO LEVEL & How They Work

BASICS
• Sketch Elsa (Rainbow!): First available May 18th-22nd on the Deluxe Premium Wheel with only 1% odds, then May 28th-29th in an Early Bird Box; her main introduction is the May 30th Festival of the Arts Clear Event (Diamond Box and winnable prize); if you don't get her by the end of the event she will NOT generally be available afterwards
• Sketch Blue Fairy (Rainbow!): First available May 28th-29th in an Early Bird Box, and then in the May 30th Festival of the Arts Clear Event (Diamond Box and winnable prize); if you don't get her by the end of the event she will NOT generally be available afterwards
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🖌❄️ SKETCH ELSA POWER DESCRIPTION
Non-Interactive power: Several emojis in specific spots on the top half of the board are cleared....as snowflakes fall to the bottom of the board, eventually transforming some of the emojis the snowflakes cover into Sketch Elsa emojis
😵‍💫 There are dedicated spots for the transformations and clears

• If an item or powerup is in a spot designated for clearing, the clear effect is simply lost (it is not relocated)
• If a spot designated for a transformation has either a) a Sketch Elsa emoji on it already or b) an item or powerup, then an alternative designated spot under the same snowflake will be transformed.....unless all possible spots are a Sketch Elsa/item/powerup (at that point the transform effect is simply lost

• Level 1 - clears up to 11 emojis; transforms up to 8 emojis (2 per snowflake) - 38 to activate power first time, 48 for subsequent activations
• Level 2 - clears up to 13 emojis; transforms up to 10 emojis - (3 for each of the left most two snowflakes, 2 for each of the right most two snowflakes) 38 to activate power first time, 48 for subsequent activations
• Level 3 - clears up to 15 emojis; transforms up to 12 emojis (3 per snowflake) - 38 to activate power first time, 47 for subsequent activations
• Level 4 - clears up to 17 emojis; transforms up to 14 emojis (3 for each of the far left and far right most two snowflakes, 4 for each of the other two snowflakes,) - 38 to activate power first time, 46 for subsequent activations
• Level 5 - clears up to 19 emojis; transforms up to 16 emojis (4 per snowflake) - 38 to activate power first time, 46 for subsequent activations
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🖌🧚‍♀️ SKETCH BLUE FAIRY POWER DESCRIPTION
Non-Interactive power: Four "draft" powerups are added to the board and brought to life by Blue Fairy's magic!
• Level 1 - adds 3 lightnings and 1 suns - 29 to activate each time
• Level 2 - adds 2 lightnings and 2 suns - 30 to activate each time
• Level 3 - adds 1 lightning and 3 suns - 31 to activate each time
• Level 4 - adds 4 suns - 32 to activate each time
• Level 5 - adds 3 suns and 1 rainbow star - 33 to activate each time
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🔖 MISSION TAGS
• Sketch Elsa: Girl, Purple, Yellow, Frozen
• Sketch Blue Fairy: Girl, Blue, Yellow, Flying, Pinocchio
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🎥 Full videos of all 5 levels posted at https://www.reddit.com/DisneyEmojiBlitzPowe

I just got a call back from a seemingly reputable shop that said it was going to be $1116 for driver and passenger wheel bearings and an alignment on this car. Does that seem wild? They are only going to do the passenger (which is the worst) for now and said it's $622.51. My gut hurts. I had an accord and I feel like it was like $225 to get them done.

I need to replace rear bearing on my kovee tlr wheels. Site i order from has only two options in my size. Both are made by MvTek one are labeled as ‘light hub bearings’ and other as ‘phosphated’ im really confussed by this , does anyone know anything more about it? Thanks