Life is exhausting sometimes ...
I know it's too early pero I woke up having relapse moments and kinda wishing na I didn't wake up today, and if possible, to can skip this day.
I used to have someone around me for the past 8yrs, even if the relationship wasn't that great, at least I have someone who's with me whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on. If things are not at home or at work, I have someone I can rant to. That someone who sees how weak you are, and just lets you.
Growing up in the province and being the eldest child, parang being strong is the only option we have. Nakakapagod. Sobrang nakakapagod.
After my long term partner and I broke up, ang pinakamahirap na adjustment ko was to find someone, I can run to whenever life is being unkind. Na I realized that even if the relationship wasn't great, atleast I have someone who will hug me when I needed. It's just so hard to find comfort from other person these days, as I know na they are just temporary.
I can't count how many times, I said this morning na "PAGOD NA PAGOD NA AKO". If not with my dogs, I can't really find peace inside our own home, my siblings are too much. People around me are too much.
After the break up, I have been telling myself na I do not want to have anyone else in my life. No kids, no husband. Just my 2 little dogs. I will work until I can afford to go to Switzerland on random Tuesday afternoon. Magpapayaman lang and travel whenever.
Pero at the back of my mind, I want to have a family. I want those late night talks with my husband on how proud parents we are. I want those good morning kisses. Those random "just because flowers". Those cuddles. Those family days. Those grocery shoppings. I want those petty fights. I want those "I couldn't sleep because I was waiting for you to come home". I want those breakfasts together.
I want to love again and be loved again. I want to take care of someone and raise a family. I know for sure na I would be a great housewife and mum
But then reality hits me, I can't settle down with someone until my sibs are fully settled in life I can't just jump from being a career woman to being a mom kasi it's so hard to find a good father this days.
I should be really working pero here I am.
Lord, gusto ko lang ng someone who will let me have a good cry while patting my back. Mahirap ba yun?
Ps. I didnt have time to proofread since I am crying while writing this.
Anyway, Happy Wednesday, I guess xx

In preparing for med school applications this year, I’ve been worried about getting the number of clinical hours that is typically recommended for med school admission. I’m currently in a research lab under an internship that will last until the end of my senior year (spring 2025), and when I started that internship, I still thought I wanted to go the PhD or MD/PhD route. However, since then I’ve changed my mind towards an MD and a future career in pathology. Overall, I really like lab work, but I would greatly prefer to do diagnostic hospital work than work on a research project. That brings me to my main question. By the time I apply this cycle, I predict I’ll have nearly 1000 hours of research under my belt, along with one or more publications. However, this research is basically full-time over the summer and reduced part-time during the school year, making it very difficult for me to find time to get clinical hours as I see defined on here (such as scribe, CNA, etc.), especially with the training requirements for many of those positions. I’m currently volunteering in a hospital Emergency Department (projected at about 150 hours), but I don’t have too much patient interaction, so I doubt it would count as meaningful clinical experience. Otherwise, my stats going into this cycle will be 517 MCAT and 4.0 GPA. Overall, I was wondering if I could gear my personal statement towards my interest/goals in pathology, or if that would be unwise due to deemphasizing the patient care aspect of medicine that seems most important for admissions. If emphasizing pathology wouldn’t likely work out, I’d really appreciate any advice on gaining meaningful clinical experience while still continuing my research obligations this summefall, even if that may require applying next cycle. I apologize for what may seem naive questions, but I’ve had relatively little outside help in knowing how to prepare for med school applications. Thank you!

After a recent, unusually painful smear I got sent for an examination to discuss my pain and other weird symptoms I’ve been experiencing over the last few years but I’m very good at gaslighting myself and convincing myself I’m fine so I’ve always clocked it up to my body and cycle changing due to age (30 in August) The symptoms I presented were - Worsening cycle, no heavy bleeding but random cramping throughout the month, unbearable ovulation pain to the point of nausea and exhaustion (my day is a write off if I’m ovulating) - Constant bloating and heavy/tender feeling in my lower abdomen unrelated to period - Deep pain during sex and sometimes orgasm, no position is better or worse it’s always a deep uncomfortable/stabbing pain, I can’t have sex around ovulation/period because it’s too painful - Fatigue, constant, every day, basically my main personality trait at this point - Constipation followed by cramping when relieved and feeling like my lady bits are also gunna fall out of me - Lower back aches and tender to touch at different parts of cycle
When I told the nurse all this she looked at me bewildered that I’d think any of this were normal and asked if I’d ever considered endometriosis and booked me in for a scan just to check everything. But I still don’t feel like.. I’m that bad? I feel like I’m being dramatic about the whole thing and just can’t handle my cycle. Does anyone else have these symptoms and have any other diagnosis’s? She also wants to check for cysts. I’ve gone years thinking all this is just me so I’m finding it very hard to wrap my head around any diagnosis.

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and i hope you'll enjoy it as much as i did writing it
again a huge thanks to u/Objective-Farm-2560 for helping me with my grammar and spelling
[First]-[Previous]
Memory Transcription Subject: Vaill, Venlil Rescue
Date [standardized human time]: November 28, 2136

The paws that went by on that ship were better than the one in the pens. No one was eaten, and no Grays were stalking around. It was like they were avoiding us. No one but me knew where they were taking us, others guessed we were being moved to another cattle farm, which I guess wasn’t far from the truth, but most were quietly stewing in what was likely our last paws. The cut from that thing had healed up mostly, and was now scarring without the proper medical attention.

I didn’t tell the others that we were going to the ‘extinct’ predators home, that would only create more panic, so I kept my mouth shut so that the people here might have some hope. Even if it was a false hope.
The cargo bay that they had loaded us into was a similar dark metal to the cattle facility, but this one was missing the old rusty metal meaning this was likely a new ship. I doubted that these monsters could clean anyway.
They didn’t communicate with us at all. They stopped feeding us and just left us in the cargo bay with a bucket of water and a crate of food. There was no sense of rationing it so it was gone within the first 2 paws of this cattle exchange.
I don’t want to be a human’s play thing, they are just as bad if not worse than the Arxur. I have seen what they did to one another… they are so brutal.. I couldn’t finish the video about them..
A few of the other Venlil around me also had scars. We were lucky to escape that place alive… or were we?
The ship began to slow and the tell tale sign of entering a atmosphere was felt. This was a feeling that I had felt before when I would stay with my father. I used to go with him on some of his colony work. I would stay on the ship so I was never in harm's way.
The ship landed and we saw the Grays for the first time in several paws. I assumed that we were on the predators’ planet, but as we disembarked we were greeted by nothing but us cattle and… an old neighborhood of Venlil design? The Grays herded the last of the cattle off, throwing or shoving them, and once we were all off the cargo bay doors closed and the engines powered back on… they took off and just left???

This didn’t make sense in the slightest… Why would they just leave us their cattle here? There weren't even any predators here to take us just, the empty space of a lost colony.
Then it clicked with me that other predators must already be here and they wanted to hunt us, they were just as bad as i had thought. I had failed these people before, but I wouldn't fail them again.. I just needed to find something I could use, anything.
I won’t let these people or myself be taken by monsters… not again.. I can’t.. I will not fail my job again.. I-
I was pulled from my thoughts as more ships landed around us. I was ready to try to protect these people but they were… of Venlil make…? This had to be a sick joke played by the predators. they had to have stolen our ships. There was no way my people had anything to do with these monsters, they couldn’t be reasoned with.

It has to be predatory tricky.
I watched with bated breath as the landing ramps touched down, ready to be proven right, but to my shock and horror, Venlil medical staff began to come out of the ships and started to load the cattle onto stretchers, and then take them to the ship board.
My head was spinning and I felt sick about what this could mean. Had the Tarva betrayed the Federation and made a deal with these things? No, that wasn’t possible. They made it very clear they would never talk with us prey, let alone make a deal. For the first time I was at a loss.
How had we been sent back to our people? We were food for the Grays yet they had just let us go. This didn’t make sense…
My breathing had become irregular and I started to feel dizzy. Nothing about this made any sense.
HOW WERE WE RELEASED.. What had Tarva don-
I fell back from the shock from all this and was loaded onto a stretcher, my breathing quickened and everything went black.

***********


I woke in a stretcher being wheeled into a hospital room. I pawed at my eyes trying to see clearly and when my vision unblurred I saw a large figure with a black reflective mask over their face and Venlil by their side, I didn’t recognize the tall one. Had we made first contact in the time I’d been gone..? Why didn’t they have a tail?

A growl suddenly came from the tall one that my translator told me meant “You’re safe now, you’re on Venlil Prime. I’m Andrew, and this is my friend Annek. She and I are here to help as much as we can.”
I didn’t say anything. For all I knew this was a dream.. misplaced hope the Arxur wouldn’t just give us back to our people. Annek couldn't actually have made it out alive. There was something that had to be happening. Had my home been taken by the humans that Arxur had spoken about, was this tall one in front of me one of them? Was any of this even real..? Was I still in a pen..?
The Venlil made slow steps to me and started to untangle my fur.
“What’s your name?” the Venlil asked me softly. If this truly was Annek, then how could she not see it was me? Had the Arxur really mangled me so much that my best friend couldn’t see that it was me.
Again I didn’t answer.
How could I just go back to normal after what I had seen? Why was it so hard to just be happy to believe the lie even if only for a while, this was my friend?
I had an uneasy feeling of being watched like in the cattle pens. The comment that the Arxur made stuck in my head, but I didn't see any ‘extinct’ predators.

As the tall thing started to walk over to me with slow uncertain steps, I tensed up and my paw grabbed the fur around my legs. It seemed to slow as I did which showed that it had at least a minor amount of empathy and wasn’t a human, and I began to relax, still perplexed as to why we had been given back. Had the Federation hit the Arxur hard somehow and got us back? Was that even possible?

“hello? Is anyone in that head of yours?” I was pulled back to reality by Andrew shaking my shoulder softly.

“…. Y-yes j-just lost i-in m-my head.” I was stuttering much more than I would’ve liked to, but it was impossible to not stutter. My voice was a far cry from what it once was deep and hoarse from disuse.

“So there is someone in there. What’s your name?”

“U-uh, I think i-it was V-Vaill…”
How was my name that far away in my own head…?
The Arxur had deprived us of anything that let us feel sapient and my mind was reeling from what seemed to be a safe place… why would they let us go? Especially me as I was on the taller side of Venlil..
Annek's ears shot up upon hearing my name. “V-Vaill? You're alive?!”
“Y-yeah, I guess I am…”
“You two know each other? Never mind, do you know when you were taken by them?” the tall thing growled.

“I-i’m n-not sure…”

“Well Vaill, I’m going to check the database for when you were last seen so we can get an idea of how long you were gone, ok?”

I flicked my ears in agreement nervously when he walked out of the room, and I was left with the Annek, who seemed overjoyed to see me after all this time.
“Vaill! You’re alive!” She hugged me tightly, wrapping her tail around me as well.
“I-I didn’t think you m-made it out a-alive, A-Annek… it's g-good to see you again.”
Lacking the energy or the will to say or do anything else, I let myself fall back into her embrace, which lasted for a few moments before she went back to brushing my fur.
After around {20 minutes} passed she had finished straightening my fur. It felt good to feel like a person again, to remember who I was, but I would never be my full self again, not after what those things had done to me…

After some time Andrew made his way back with a holopad. He tilted the screen so that I could see, fortunately it was in Venlil script so I could read it.

“I-it's been f-five months…” It had felt like an eternity in that nightmare, time slipped away from me. I’d been stuck in my own head, wondering if there was a way I could’ve done more to protect the people of my town, knowing I failed.

There is nothing left for me here anymore, the people who cared for me, gone…
I was a failure for not doing better and protecting them, I should’ve done better.. I failed Annek, she is the last thing I have.. But she deserves someone who can protect her.. She doesn't need me…
“So you two know each other?” the tall thing growled, which snapped me back to reality.
I remained silent, unsure on what this thing was but Annek didn’t seem to mind it, so it was clearly prey like us, which meant I should start calling it by gendered pronouns. They seem male, at least by Venlil standards. I was not sure if this is real but Annek was all I had left. Even if this was a dream, I would trust her.
“Yeah, we met a long time ago. Vaill and I were best friends up until he was taken by them.”
“I-I.. yeah, we met d-during s-school..”
My head was spinning, still caught up on what that Arxur had said… humans… but there were no ‘humans’ where I had been offloaded, there were only Venlil.. That meant that the humans must be here… but no one was panicking and if there were predators here, people would panic, wouldn't they?
I trust Annek, I need to ask her about what the Arxur said…
“A-Annek… d-do you k-know.. If there a-are h-humans h-here..? The A-A-Arxur s-said we w-were b-being sent as ‘p-pets’ for them…”
The happiness from Annek drained as her ears drooped. The tall one, Andrew I believed they called themselves, froze and took a step back. Why would he do that? Unless… unless h- it was…
“A-Annek?.. W-what… what…”
It looked at my best friend.. like it had forward facing eyes, which confirmed my suspicions and my fur puffed out with fear and my ears pinned back against my head. I pushed my paws on the bed and tried to get as much distance as I could. It was standing in the doorway so I had no way out. My worst fears had been proven true, the Arxur wasn’t lying, we had simply been moved to another cattle farm… one that was once my home… Venlil Prime had fallen to the monsters I wanted to protect it from.
“Vaill there's no need to overreact, the humans are our friends, Andrew is my exchange program partner, he hasn’t hurt anyone. I can’t even imagine him hurting anyone,” Annek said that… with confidence? Why would she lie for a predator? Why was her tail wagging!?! It was like she trusted this thing, no, it was like she LIKED it?!“H-has the taint r-really gotten to y-you, Annek?”
“Vaill, the humans are the ones that saved you!”
How could she say that after what predators had done to me! I knew this was too good to be true.
Annek was blind to their trickery and yet she was so sure of herself.. I trusted her.. But not that thing behind her..
“H-how can you trust it?”
“He has done nothing to hurt me. Please, just give him one chance.” Her eyes and body took on a pleading look.. Damn it, why was she so good at that?
“F-fine, one ch-chance, but that's it.”
That same happiness returned back to her and almost fell over by the door where it caught her.
She may not see it, but I do, I will atone for my mistakes by proving that these humans are up to something. It shouldn’t be hard, I just need to make it to an exterminators office. ‘Till then, I'll play along with it’s game.

Hey, I'm Weemo or Regal on NA, washed Challenger player now hardstuck GM garbage. I've been thinking a lot about TFT and just wanted to put my thoughts out there. This is by no means a major critique of the game, but just my way of organizing my thoughts and trying to open up a dialog around parts of the game that I've been finding frustrating / confusing and am interested in understanding both how other players of varying skill levels and potentially how the dev team feel about them.
I think the major part of the game I've been confused about for some time is early stage 4, specifically the level 8 roll down. Maybe the game has always been this way, but it currently feels like there are really only a couple of options:

1. Get an augment that opens up a unique line that dodges this part of the game (Enter the dragon, duelist crest, hero augments, etc.)
2. High roll enough units or have an uncontested 4 cost line where you can safely hit in little gold on 8 or fast 9.
3. Fortune stage 2
4. Send it on 4-1 or 4-2 and pray you hit in enough gold to go 9 without having to donkey forever on 8.

If we generously assume that 1, 2 & 3 only happen 50% of your games, then that means half of all games are forced into this level 8 lottery. Now, rolling on 8 for a stable board is nothing new to TFT, so why does this feel so bad at the moment? Am I simply burnt out on the game, or are there reasons that are making this feel especially bad? I'm going to write out a few potential reasons and hopefully that can spark some discussion.

1. Bag size change
   1. No real surprise here. I think we can all agree that smaller bag size means it'll be harder to hit, especially when contested. (I know the math is a bit more complicated than that but you get the point)
2. Gold inflation through encounters and portals
   1. When there is so much additional gold in the game, more players are hitting interest breakpoints, which results in less of a reward for properly managing econ stages 1-3 or streaking.
3. Lack of viable 1, 2 & 3 cost rerolls
   1. When varying reroll comps and 4 cost comps are viable at the same time, it means there'll be greater comp diversity in the average game, which'll result in less contested comps on average.
4. Inability to skip level 8 / econ augments playing for 8
   1. I still need to organize my thoughts on this, but in prior sets, an econ augment typically meant that a player would skip level 8 and play for a fast 9 legendary board. Today, an econ augment means that you're playing for a level 8 roll down ahead of your opponents.
   2. I'm not sure exactly what causes this, but I'd love to compare data across sets to see how players engage differently with econ augments and what level they're typically playing around.
   3. Some potential reasons could be: more expensive to go 9, no guarantee of stabilizing on legendaries (lower odds from olds sets with the introduction of level 10 & no chosen like in set 10), smaller bag size means the odds of stabilizing on 4 cost frontline could be lower if Annie / Galio / Naut are gone from the level 8 rollers.

Because of everything above, it feels like very little of stage 2 or 3 matters. There's almost no reason to roll on 3-2 like in previous metas because the hp save is oftentimes not worth it and the gold you lose will put you behind if you need to play for any of the contested 4 cost lines. Similarly, econ augments are king on 2-1 and 3-2. You can have the best combat augments in the world, but you'll almost always lose to the players with Epoch, Cluttered Mind, Shopping Spree, etc. They'll almost always have their 2 star 4 cost before you, which snowballs into them being 9 before you as well.
So what can be done about this? Without knowing the TFT team’s KPIs it’s hard to know the real rationale behind their changes or how well the set is performing compared to previous ones. Mort said in clip that his boss referred to set 11 as a “good set.” I’d ASSUME that this likely means that set 11 is either bringing in good revenue and/or the set is doing a good job of bringing in users, engaging them, and retaining them. You have to keep in mind that this sub reddit is only a very small portion of the player base, and any decision the devs make will almost certaining not be directed towards us unless it’s net neutral for the rest of the player base. Given that, any suggestion changes we make should factor this in. Since we don’t have access to their data, we’ll have to make speculations, but here are some suggestions I have from a high elo perspective that is also considering the average player:

1. Remove or change level 10
   1. As it stands, I don’t think level 10 is achieving the vision that the dev team set for it when it was introduced, and I believe it’s negatively impacting levels 8 and 9 in its current iteration.
   2. The negative impact to level 8 and 9 shop odds may be contributing to the current ‘lottery” feeling.
   3. Level 10 was meant to be a super capped fantasy for the player, but I don't think that's been the case at all in set 11. I’d wager that hitting a 3 star 4 cost on 9, which was the meta for multiple weeks, fulfilled this fantasy more for all cohorts of players better than going 10 and adding a single extra unit ever did.
   4. A potential way of changing level 10 in the future would be to raise the gold required to hit it and give it a unique effect beyond simply adding another unit. There’s infinite creative potential for what could be done here, but I think anything is better than level 10 being another unit slot and better shop odds. Elements of choice and skill expression could even be added here if there were multiple possible effects a user could get when going 10, and they’d be given a choice for their “buff” when reaching 10.
2. Revert bag sizes to pre set 10 sizes
   1. I don’t think there’s any reason to have the small bag sizes with Chosen not being in the game anymore. The concern around a 3 star 4 cost meta shouldn’t be realistic in most meta, and is only exacerbated by augments, encounters, and Hwei, all of which are unique to set 11 and will hopefully not be returning.
   2. Small bag sizes certaining contributes to the “lottery” feeling and makes the user experience feel even worse during heavily contested metas.
3. Revert shop odds to pre set 10 odds
   1. Indirectly related to the first point, but the addition of level 10 negatively impacted shop odds on levels 8 and 9, and I believe we’re feeling the ripple effects of that.
   2. In general, the lower shop odds are on a specific level, the more you’re leaving up to chance. If the expectation is that players are meant to play for 4 costs on 8 and 9, then players need to have more agency to craft their comps, IE the need for better odds.
   3. NOTE: I’ve heard that the vision is that 8 is for 1 star 4 costs and 9 is for 2 star 4 costs and 1 star 5 costs, but that isn’t how the game is actually played at almost all levels of play. I’d also disagree with this design principle as that invites wide disparities between those who high roll and those who don’t, which we’re seeing today.
4. Incentivize early stages
   1. I don’t know the best way to do this, but there needs to be some incentive for players to care about the early stages. Players care about stage 2, but it’s much less important than prior sets after the streaking changes. As for stage 3, I don’t know what system needs to be tweaked, but the idea that it’s oftentimes optimal to not roll at all on stage 3 is kind of crazy and doesn’t make the game feel engaging.

Anyways, those are my thoughts. I’m sorry if they weren’t very clear or well organized. I really just wanted to put my thoughts down on paper and figured it’d be interesting to see what other people think about them. Hopefully this can spark some dialog on some of these topics and maybe we'll see some of these things addressed in set 12.

I’ve (47m) have been with my gf (48f) for almost a year. I met her on Tinder a month after I relocated following the separation with my now ex. I know, I know, I shouldn’t have jumped into anything so soon, but I’d been in a db for years and she was fun…and also rebounding. Ugh, just writing this makes me feel like such an idiot.
It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago, when she “broke up” with me by text while driving home after what I’d thought was a nice weekend together. After a huge blowout argument over the following days, we worked through things, and that’s I began to put her behaviors together. As in, she never took blame for the immature text break up, and instead dried to guilt trip me, like it was my fault, for things I’d said days later in an argument. Then, after we’d made up and slept together, in bed, she told me I wasn’t loyal to her cuz I’d been talking shit about her to my best friend of 34 years (a guy).
Thing is, talking shit is one thing. To me that’s done with malicious intent, and is basically contempt, one of Gottman’s four horses of the apocalypse. (Lots of therapy with the ex of 15 years.) Asking your best friend for a second opinion of someone’s behavior that feels off to you is another thing. And it felt very controlling. Too controlling. And I started looking into dating a narcissist and god damn does she check nearly all of the boxes. In hindsight, god damn was I an idiot. And the list is WAY too long for this already too long post.
Anyway, hate to say it, but I’m very dating naive. My ex was my longest, and only, ltr, and she initiated the divorce. So I’ve never broken up with anyone and I’m wondering what do I owe a narcissist? If I break up in person, she’ll try to manipulate things. I know she will. A phone call? I’ve still got stuff at her house I can live without, but I’d love to get back. Go to her house when she’s at work, leave her stuff, grab mind and leave a letter? I definitely won’t do it by text.

We may be anonymous strangers on the internet, but we have one thing in common. We may be a world apart, but we're here together!
Welcome to the 24 hour pledge!
I'm pledging myself to not drinking today, and invite you to do the same.
Maybe you're new to /stopdrinking and have a hard time deciding what to do next. Maybe you're like me and feel you need a daily commitment or maybe you've been sober for a long time and want to inspire others.
It doesn't matter if you're still hung over from a three day bender or been sober for years, if you just woke up or have already completed a sober day. For the next 24 hours, lets not drink alcohol!
This pledge is a statement of intent. Today we don't set out trying not to drink, we make a conscious decision not to drink. It sounds simple, but all of us know it can be hard and sometimes impossible. The group can support and inspire us, yet only one person can decide if we drink today. Give that person the right mindset!
What happens if we can't keep to our pledge? We give up or try again. And since we're here in /stopdrinking, we're not ready to give up.
What this is: A simple thread where we commit to not drinking alcohol for the next 24 hours, posting to show others that they're not alone and making a pledge to ourselves. Anybody can join and participate at any time, you do not have to be a regular at /stopdrinking or have followed the pledges from the beginning.
What this isn't: A good place for a detailed introduction of yourself, directly seek advice or share lengthy stories. You'll get a more personal response in your own thread.
This post goes up at:

• US - Night/Early Morning
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A link to the current Daily Check-In post can always be found near the top of the sidebar.
GRAND RISING, SOBER WARRIORS!
I"m posting this one a bit early because I'm flat out exhausted, and the tea is hitting HARD. Be safe y'all!
Today is day 427 for me, my favorite Chevy engine. And it's also FOURTEEN MONTHS SOBER! I'm also only 13 days until my birthday!
I wish I had something poignant to say today, but I'm still struggling with the emotional and PTSD fallout of the weekend's events. Things that gave me good vibes yesterday in here: 1) The fact that people have started sharing their battle anthems and linking to them as well. I love that shit, please keep it up! 2) The sheer number of those of you starting anew in the summer of all times, when people want to drink and grill the most, is just amazing. You're doing it! 3) Those of you starting again is also high but encouraging to see so many of you getting right back on the horse. Keep up the fight!
Today I'm just lost in thought, I have therapy this afternoon and I'm hoping to have good feelings afterward. I'm down in the dumps a bit, but even when I get in these spaces and the temptation is high, I draw inspiration from Mineshaft by Dessa: "I've been here before, I know where it goes, it goes down."
I want to shoutout u/Fantastic-Buy-1009, u/sandbrilliant2675, and u/Illustrious_Start592 today in hopes they made it to double digits! u/Sea-Weakness-7581, u/growingandlearning, and u/SoberinSD for 10 days yesterday! u/bradwwfc and u/alexrogerson123 on THE DIRTY THIRTY yesterday!!! u/soberingthought on 1800 days yesterday!
AND THE BOSTON BRUINS STAY ALIVE TOO, ONE MORE HOCKEY GAME!! I hope that y'all have a good sober hump day out there, and I'll see you again tomorrow!
KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT AND IWNDWYT!

I see many people here, in different posts, using arguments like:
"Not having answers doesn't mean having to believe in a silly fairy tale."
"I won't believe in God, not until it's proven."
I even see warmer responses like;
"There is nothing good in religion, and it only causes harm."
Firstly, I would like to highlight that it seems to me that many of these comments are specifically directed at the Christian notion of God. I don't know if these people would adopt the same position in the face of other views on metaphysical issues, although I have often seen this being expanded in the following way:
"You don't believe in thousands of other gods, right? I just don't believe in one more (the Christian)."
The truth is that believing in a metaphysical view is fundamentally different than not believing in any.
Firstly, I will leave here some "concrete" benefits of having a faith, for people who categorically say that religions are useless and only cause delays/harm:
Religiously active older adults tend to have lower blood pressures than those who are less active. This applies to attendance at religious services and private religious activities, but not to religious media. Physiological mechanisms are discussed.
“Religious and spiritual traditions give you access to different methods of coping that have distinctive benefits,” says Doug Oman, a professor in public health at the University of California Berkeley. “From the psychological perspective, religions offer a package of different ingredients,” agrees Prof Patty Van Cappellen at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Chronic stress response can result in physiological changes such as heightened inflammation, which, over the years, can damage tissue and increase your risk of illness. As a result, the size of someone’s social network and their subjective sense of connection with others can both predict their health and longevity, with one influential study by Prof Julianna Holt-Lunstad at Brigham Young University suggesting that the influence of loneliness is comparable to that of obesity or low physical exercise.
Religions, of course, tend to be built around a community of like-minded worshippers who meet regularly and have a shared set of beliefs. And many of the specific rituals will also contribute to a sense of communion with others. Christians, for example, are encouraged to pray on behalf of other people and this seems to bring its own health benefits, according to a brand new study by Prof Gail Ironson at the University of Miami."
From the guardian.
Anyway, by doing a quick Google research we find out that having faith is something that can bring benefits to the individual. Obviously, religions also caused harm delays in certain contexts, but it depends on the religion and the historical context, it is not possible to compare the inquisition with individuals contemplating nature from a metaphysical point of view in the Americas. The effects of religion depend on the context, and it can be good or bad, it's up to us to know how to use it in the best way.
Now, going beyond this issue, I like to bring up Einstein himself and his views on the topic, about atheism, God and religion, since he is one of the most emblematic people on science matters and a lot of his fans label themselves as Atheists, It seems that many treat religion as an absolute opposition to science, and treat religious people as being mentally inferior, but Einstein seems to disagree, recognizing that religion would be a very broad term, he believed that religiosity was very important and special when shaped in the right way:
"According to biographer Walter Isaacson, Einstein was more inclined to denigrate atheists than religious people. Einstein said in correspondence, "[T]he fanatical atheists...are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who—in their grudge against the traditional 'opium of the people'—cannot bear the music of the spheres." Although he did not believe in a personal God, he indicated that he would never seek to combat such belief because "such a belief seems to me preferable to the lack of any transcendental outlook."
"Einstein said people could call him an agnostic rather than an atheist, stating: "I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal god is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being." In an interview published by the German poet George Sylvester Viereck, Einstein stated, "I am not an Atheist." According to Prince Hubertus, Einstein said, "In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views."
"In 1930 Einstein published a widely discussed essay in The New York Times Magazine about his beliefs. With the title "Religion and Science," Einstein distinguished three human impulses which develop religious belief: fear, social or moral concerns, and a cosmic religious feeling. A primitive understanding of causality causes fear, and the fearful invent supernatural beings analogous to themselves. The desire for love and support create a social and moral need for a supreme being; both these styles have an anthropomorphic concept of God. The third style, which Einstein deemed most mature, originates in a deep sense of awe and mystery. He said, the individual feels "the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves in nature ... and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole." Einstein saw science as an antagonist of the first two styles of religious belief, but as a partner in the third. He maintained, "even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other" there are "strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies" as aspirations for truth derive from the religious sphere."

Alright, long story short…
I am a college-aged female. I did technically try “therapy” about 3 years ago, but I don’t consider it therapy. It was basically a lecture from a “therapist” trying to tell me that my severe chronic pain was not real and that I probably just have anxiety and OCD (which I don’t), and should take medication for those and it will all be better. Big waste of time, made me really angry and resentful towards therapists in general, especially since that occurred around the same time I was experiencing a lot of medical trauma from attempted treatments for that chronic pain.
Fast forward to now…
I’ve realized over the past few years that my experience is not what therapy is supposed to be, and after talking to a trusted older friend about it, that that person probably shouldn’t even be licensed, at least as a pain specialist. I have decided to try therapy again at a different place with a different person. I have some medical things that I need to deal with, but my extreme fear of going to the doctor is preventing me from seeking any sort of treatment for anything.
It’s easy to say it all on here anonymously, but saying it out loud to someone’s face is really hard :(
But seriously, it’s gotten to the point that I would rather die of cancer than go to the doctor to get any necessary screenings, or stuff like that.
I had my first therapy eval yesterday, and it went better than I expected it would based on my experience last time. I’m trying to keep an open mind about it all and not let my past experience get in the way of me making progress.
Anyways, I’m not seeking a PTSD diagnosis or anything like that, but I do get flashbacks and nightmares about the things I experienced at the doctor a few years ago (I was in a pain clinic for a long time), and there was a procedure I had when I was 3 that was not supposed to be a big deal, but it still haunts my memories (sexual in nature), as it was done while I was fully awake and un-anesthetized.
These have caused me a lot of distress, but I am also very embarrassed about it all, so I have kept all of this to myself (save for like 2 people who I am very close to). There are very specific moments/memories from these instances that pop into my head several times a day. I mentioned in my eval yesterday that I have had bad experiences with doctors that still bother me, but I didn’t go into specifics (therapist didn’t push for specifics either). Am I supposed to tell her about these memories/moments in depth, or just give her the gist of what happened, or do I not have to tell her the specifics of them at all? Will her knowing exactly what happened be beneficial?
I’m asking because I don’t know HOW to tell her. These are things I have never told anybody, and I don’t even know how to talk about it. Only a very few of my trusted friends even know the real reason why I don’t go to the doctor anymore, but even when telling them, I have kept the reasoning to a simple “I had bad experiences and it still scares me today”. If my therapist must know the details to better help me, would it be weird to write it down and let her read it? I think if I tried to say it I’d either burst into tears and not be able to talk or I’d be completely numb to it since I’ve held it in and thought about it for so long that she’d think I was lying.
Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

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

Cryptocurrency has entered the casino gaming market, offering users a decentralized and sometimes more transparent alternative to traditional online casinos.
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Some platforms use blockchain tokens to represent in-game assets, such as chips or tokens, enhancing the gaming experience and providing users with a sense of ownership.
Many crypto casinos implement a concept called "provably fair gaming," which allows players to independently verify the fairness of each game by checking the algorithms and cryptographic techniques used in generating outcomes.
Dedicated crypto casino platforms have emerged, allowing users to play a variety of games using different cryptocurrencies. Examples include BitStarz, FortuneJack, and CryptoSlots.
Here HugeWin is an interesting platform in crypto casino games.
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I'm a third-year doctoral student, and personally think my life would be hell without EndNote. But I had an interesting conversation with my doctoral supervisor today.
We are collaborating on a paper with a third author and I asked if they could export their bibliography file so I could add and edit citations efficiently whilst writing. They replied "Sorry I just do it all manually". This is a mid-career tenured academic we are talking about. I was shocked. Comically, the paper bibliography was a bit of a mess, with citations in the bibliography but not in-text, and vice versa.
After speaking directly with my supervisor about it, he also said he can't remember the last time he used referencing software. His reasoning was that he is never lead author, and that usually bibliography formatting/editing is taken care of by the journal.
All of the doctoral students in my cohort religiously use EndNote. But is it common to stop using it once you become a 'seasoned' academic?

The digital age has revolutionized entertainment, and the online casino industry is no exception. Gone are the days of limited options and geographical restrictions. Online casino platforms like Nuebe Gaming have ushered in a new era of accessibility, convenience, and variety, fundamentally reshaping how we experience the thrill of casino games. This article delves into the exciting world of online casino gaming, exploring the factors that redefine the online gaming experience and why Nuebe Gaming stands out as a leader in this ever-evolving landscape.
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Here's an abbreviated list of iddhi powers grabbed from Wikipedia:

• Replicate and project bodily images of oneself
• Make oneself invisible
• Pass through solid objects
• Sink into solid ground
• Walk on water
• Fly
• Touch the sun and moon with one's hand

I think it's fairly easy to visualize these kinds of things as happening when the mind is very calm and focused. Heck, a lot of hypnosis techniques involve a person concentrating to visualize themselves sinking into solid ground or floating (as a means to induce trance state), not to mention magick /occult /esoteric practices outside of Buddhism
What I wonder is, how ought we to make sense of iddhi? Given that iddhi is referenced in the bodhipakkhiya dhamma I don't think this is a trivial question. If iddhi were irrelevant to the path, I don't think it would be mentioned so often in the suttas.
Are these powers skillful to intentionally develop in our meditation practice, or are they simply something we should expect to occur naturally in our mind's eye as we develop concentration?
If we ordain and become bhikkhus, are they something we should expect senior monks to be capable of literally, physically doing as evidence of spiritual development? Or something we should expect to develop ourselves? Or is this a case where humans no longer fly, or walk on water as a result of "dharma decline" - or maybe the only people capable of doing these practices keep them very, very secret -
There are other cases in the suttas I think where supernatural things are discussed as happening in a way that regular vision can't observe. Maybe an example would be - the Buddha is described as having the 32 marks of a great man but "worldly people" often can't perceive them, he appears to them as a normal beggar among beggars

First Previous Wiki
Ezeonwha was walking down a long hallway. The dry and plain painted walls and the pure white lighting of the lower levels of the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office helped to frame the dingy realities of those who could only afford these floors. Not even capable of having windows, these were for those who were the cheapest of the cheap or those who mingled with them. He'd passed several Guides on the way in, their claws echoing in the halls as a sign of authority in this lawless land.
Here, mediocrity was king, and he was a loyal servant. He drew his cloak closer about his neck, unwilling to reveal himself to those who weren't already equipped to see through it all. He was famous enough to be an abduction target if he let his guard down. This place was no exception, though Justicar tried to make them such. Too much security on the higher levels and too little on the lower levels. That was the way of things.
Another hallway, this one marked with bullet holes. Two contractors and a Guide were discussing the pricing of the fix project when he turned the corner. Their voices quieted to nothing, the stillness pressing down upon them with the same intensity as the false lighting. Ezeonwha clacked his jaws, giving them a low bow before continuing on his way. He saw the Guide's eyes light up with the sign of his implants getting a reading. It was another impromptu way of tracking via facial recognition, but it was an ancient practice.
Nothing was new about what the Guides did; only how many of them seemed to be on general patrol. Had Justicar hired more of them or actually done full conversions for all of them? Those arm cannons surely weren't cheap or ethical to insert into unwilling participants. And giving a victim a gun they couldn't be disarmed of was a very bad idea, even for Elders. And Justicar was better than most Elders when it came to abject stupidity. He'd likely only been dropped a few hundred times as a child versus the more likely Elder average of a few thousand.
Ezeonwha chuckled at his internal joke, heading deeper underground into the complex. He was going to a certain meeting, and it would be best not to be late. Even if the Guides tracked him, it wouldn't be negative. The group he had been approached by a few days ago wasn't a terror group. He'd looked them up. They dealt in 'freedom and liberation from all chains.'
The Eyes Of Liberty had focused upon Penny as their latest propaganda target and perhaps as a valuable ally in their fight against all tyranny. Though such a flowery message was likely steeped in idealism for the lower ranks, with more pragmatic and likely richer inner circle elites and leaders ensuring the pot would always simmer but never boil or grow cold. That was the way movements such as these managed to skirt the line between inaction and terrorism.
It was a dangerous thing to do. But these were dangerous times. If Penny left, he'd die. Someone with a grudge would kill him. It was a given, and he'd made peace with it now. He needed to get to work, to help others like him and those worse off, with just a small piece of the meager time he had left.
He was in the system as a friend of Penny, so little scrutiny would fall on him as he came and went. He had a new friend, one who was very interested in connecting to Penny.
The offer had come through his communicator, and he'd answered it given its interesting title. After a lengthy discussion about their goals for him and Penny, he'd agreed to at least have a meeting. He didn't tell them that he had a tracker from Phoebe, which would 'be impossible to miss' if things went badly. He knew the value he had, which was why one of the androids was also accompanying him under the guise of being a Sprilnav.
The android was 'walking' on all fours, its mechanical motion entirely silent. It was obscured by a wave of holograms and hard light holograms that would ensure that it wouldn't be considered suspicious beside him. His only guard was a capable one, and Phoebe had all the confidence of an AI who knew that the destruction of her android would only be an inconvenience for her.
Ezeonwha came to an unmarked door with a well-worn door frame. One knock. One pause. Two knocks. Another pause. Four knocks. He waited, and the door swung open. Eight Sprilnav greeted him warily but warmly, their eyes shifting to Phoebe.
The inside of the room was a dull red, coming from a pair of lights in the center of the ceiling that cast dark shadows near the edges. The whole room felt dark and dangerous, and the walls were lined with guns, computers, and several drones. Shelves and drawers were neatly stacked against the wall, as well as five couches and four double beds with ladder access to the top portions.
Bags of food rested atop a trash compactor unit, and the room service button on the inner side of the wall that Ezeonwha could see in the mirror was worn down to the raw metal. No paint jobs here, only grit and business. The room faintly smelled of body odor and assorted foods. Not entirely unpleasant, but also not what he'd expected from a group with sich a flamboyant name. Perhaps they worked in cell-based units. And that was another thing.
Minds were visible in the distance of the mindscape, but the people here were huddled together mentally. They appeared to be haphazard, but Ezeonwha recognized an old army-type defensive formation a mere step from each of their positions. They were more than they appeared. Though based on how their room looked, they probably weren't veterans, just decently trained.
As they walked through the doorway, a scanner activated. One of the Sprilnav, wearing a headset with numbers and letters swirling on the inner side of the visor, called out: "Phoebe android. Commando variant. Risk assessment: Certain Death. Ezeonwha. Carrying two pistols, one hidden in the pack on his left, and the other tucked inside a strap near the lower bottom of his chest."
That made them all pause, sizing each other up. Ezeonwha smiled nervously, failing terribly to break the building tension once again. His nerves started to get to him, but finally, Phoebe spoke. "Well, friends. I, for one, am happy to talk of the business of liberty. Tell us, what do you have in mind for my friend Ezeonwha?"
"It is not about him, AI. It is about the freedom all sentient beings deserve, and which we shall bring to the galaxy no matter if we are alive or dead."
"An honorable goal to strive toward," Phoebe said.
"Thank you. Your words are quite kind for your type."
"I didn't know I had one," Phoebe replied. "But thank you."
Ezeonwha turned his head toward the Sprilnav with all the fancy equipment.
"What is the best way for me and Penny to help in the fight?"
"The best way would be for you to start killing the gang leaders you come across. Barring that, have Penny ignore the graveyards, and continue freeing the slaves as she ought to. The dead have their freedom; the living need her work more."
"I agree with my companion," another of them said. "So far, Penny has done more for the fight for justice than any other on Justicar in generations, so it is a terrible thing to ask more, but we must ask. Even knowing the terrible toll it would have if she loses the Judgment, Sprilnav are at stake."
"People are at stake, you mean," Ezeonwha said. "There is no need to bring species into this."
"There would not be, but it is still a clear factor," another of them said, a female who looked more shifty in her gaze and demeanor. The Eyes of Liberty seemed like one of those groups with too much division.
"Do you disagree with each other often?" Ezeonwha asked innocently.
"Here and there," the tech guy said. "Not often enough to be a problem, and not when what matters is at stake."
"But that is the thing. How can you agree on when something that matters is a stake?"
"Is this a test?"
"Why would it be? Think of it as a genuine concern," Ezeonwha said. "To associate with your group, I have to be certain it will be resilient to change and risks escalating in the future. If the gangs cannot strike at Penny, they will pick the next best targets. Currently, that is me. If I associate with you in a way they can find out, and I assure you they will find out eventually, you all may be at risk as well. And your group's seemingly cell-based design also means large scale mobilization is difficult, ineffective, and risks severe coordination issues which cannot be quickly or safely remedied without changing core security features of it."
"You deduced all of that from context? You are smart, Ezeonwha. And have a good brain in your head. Everlasting knows we need one of those between all of us."
They all shared a laugh.
"I am not as young as I may look," Ezeonwha said. "Penny is not properly learned of the danger that faces us here. I am. The Underground will kill me when this is over. Do you want to die alongside me, all for your beliefs?"
Silence descended again. Ezeonwha kept the pressure on them when one of them stepped forward. "For freedom and liberty? Yes. I would die for that."
"As would I."
"And I."
They all declared the rest in orders that followed the patterns Ezeonwha was noticing. There were variances in their levels of belief and faith in their purpose. Each person had a different level of value difference, which meant that their lives would be worth more or less comparatively.
Cohesion was weaker, too. Not a full defector team, but likely pieces of several. Was that by design from a higher up leader, or was that just circumstance? Another thing to figure out later, that wasn't critical yet, but he would know before he truly went on any missions with them, if he did at all.
He suspected running messages to Penny would be the majority of their tasks. The quality of intelligence the Eyes of Liberty had offered was substantial. Perhaps enough for Penny to turn herself from a major annoyance to the gangs into an actual existential threat. With Justicar's swarming protection of the Fort Court and the 102nd Visitor Welcome Office, there was a limited amount of things that even the gangs could do. And if the rumors were correct, a Progenitor would be partaking in the trial.
"To be clear, if I join up with you, Phoebe would come too."
"Why would we let an AI join us?"
Phoebe smiled. "Without me, you'll die in this fight. You have trained for around 2000 days. You're acceptable combatants, as is Ezeonwha. But you are fighting in a city, and underneath it. You need to know how to keep a low profile. You need to know how to move through a crowd, get in and out. And you need to keep collateral damage to a zero, or the gangs will use you like they have others who had your purpose and were less careful to justify their 'protection' continuing. If you march in there and kill 50 slavers, if you kill a few slaves or a single bystander in the process, your credibility will be smeared. And frankly, with me on your team, you won't get blown up by an IED when you try clearing your first room in a fortress."
"IED?" One of them asked, while the rest digested her statement, going through various levels of offended looks.
"Your translator is too cheap. Improvised explosive device. Here, that can be old engines, reused oil, cracked plastic, frictional fuel bombs, circuit extruders, sodium splash grenades, as well as the more military style attacks they can pack, from small micro rockets all the way up to lower level fission or fusion bombs. Though if you're in a fight with those things involved, you're already dead."
"Why?"
"Because unless you're Elders, or holograms, a nuke will kill you whether you're right next to it or just inside the same shield. They concentrate the thermal pulse, so your bones would be ash before the pain hit your eyes."
"And what protection could you bring against that?"
"Telling you it's there before you start the attack. That is, if you listen to me. I value your lives over that of this android, but also I value Ezeonwha over all of you combined. I will not prevent him from doing this, but I will have you all know the risks involved."
"We are prepared, Phoebe. We have done much of the training you say, though we do not believe the gangs would plant explosive devices in their own fortresses. There is too much risk around that, with betrayals so common. However, the minefields we have scouted are easy to defeat with the right tactics. Perhaps you can give us a briefing on those, too?"
A challenge.
"I can, depending on how long you wish to do this for. But I have the stamina for either hours or weeks, depending on which you choose."
"What of your batteries?"
"They are of sufficient quality," Phoebe assured.
"I hope so."
Their tech guy nodded, more numbers flashing on his visor. Ezeonwha hoped he had a different way of display, like through an implant or something, for the missions in darker areas. The Underground was, by its name, not a place where much natural light was to be found. And the gangs controlled all the power systems in their territory. It was another part of the racket.
"Why aren't you guarding Penny?"
Phoebe's back straightened, a subconscious posture change to make her seem more confident. Ezeonwha caught the tactic for what it was, though without extensive knowledge of bipedal forms, it was less likely the surrounding Sprilnav knew it.
"Penny proved before a trillion eyes she's capable of fighting Elders, Progenitors, and a Dreadnaught Captain. Not to mention her immense power. I can shoot bullets, but she can literally snatch them out of the air and eat them. She has her own way of doing things, and it is a good way."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Penny landed in the rubble and headed for the Vaquah with a trail of survivors behind her. Many of them, she could recognize the marks of slavery on, with numbers or brands on their skin or just the trauma crouching in their eyes dulled by the pain of a long life in a work camp. Penny went through the wreckage to the shield surrounding the rubble and the defining line between the rest of the city and the destruction. Several news drones flew above her.
More were arriving from various directions. The soft footsteps grew into a constant drumming sound, like a beating heart of doom. Penny marched with them, heading to the spaceport. A large medical operation there quickly rerouted many of its various branches to the most injured freed slaves.
Penny pressed her considerable psychic energy on the entire group, accelerating their healing, slowing bleeding, and generally repairing their bodies and cells from the trauma they'd suffered. But the cloud over their heads did not brighten. The atmosphere remained tense and mournful. Many of them had lost friends, family, and more. She had no right to ask them to feel any different.
She had freed them, that was all. They were not her servants. She was not their ruler.
Several of them came up to her, offering thanks in the small ways they could. Kind words. Attempts at hugs. Even offers of devout prayer and worship, which Penny respectfully declined. She knew, as did most of them, that veneration for her deeds was inevitable. She didn't want to be seen encouraging it at all, since this was a public place where many eyes were upon her.
She knew that it would be misconstrued as a threat if she did. Religions were some of the most major threats entrenched powers could face if not properly co-opted by the state to suit their needs. And here, the 'state' was a military dictatorship billions of years old, ripened with corruption, money, and the immortality of Elders sporting technology beyond any other in the galaxy.
The sky was blue with shields overhead. The Vaquah hung in the distance, its thrusters gently burning to keep it aloft. A trail of shuttles linked the massive ship with several spaceports, including this one. Penny watched the freed Sprilnav get on it one by one, promising themselves to a new life aboard her ship. Technically, they were citizens of the Autonomous Peoples' Stars.
That protection, Penny knew, was why the Vaquah and its innocent inhabitants were still intact. Elders already had hired mercenaries to attack it. They'd failed, thanks to Rimiaha and Penny, but also the defenses of Kashaunta's Grand Fleet when it was in higher orbit. Kashaunta, despite her willingness to use Penny as she would, also had a certain intelligence and empathy. It was highly selective, and only money and power seemed to flip that switch.
But Penny needed the Elder, and Kashaunta only had use for her as an asset. She palmed the new communicator Kashaunta had issued her after the last one's destruction. Kashaunta's hologram appeared. It looked around, noticing the news drones in the air.
"Not here."
"Where?"
"You will know."
In the mindscape, a Sprilnav appeared on Penny's layer. They felt odd to her, almost like the minds of certain humans high up in the hivemind's network. Penny greeted the Sprilnav warmly.
"Hello."
"Queen and Elder Kashaunta requests your presence on her flagship."
"Very well."
In reality, Penny looked around at the crowd. She waited until it dwindled to nothing, and then spoke.
"Displace."
Conceptual energy twisted, and she stood on Kashaunta's flagship, though nearer to the edge than she'd expected. The Elder was waiting for her in an outfit that looked much like pajamas, though they were under a few armor pieces that appeared anything but decorative. Now that Penny noticed it, it was the same sort of armor that Yasihaut had worn to their last encounter, which interfered with conceptual energy. The Sprilnav were highly advanced. She wondered just how far their technology could go. She'd heard mentions of some ships having artificial gravity, and of nanites and programmable matter. But nothing certain.
"Hmm," Kashaunta said, giving Penny a once over. "You have come back. Shall I assume you are still my ally?"
"Nervous, are we?"
"Nervous is what you should be, Penny. The Judgment is coming. Ten days. Indrafabar and Justicar will both be on the court as High Judges. That is not good for us at all. So I figured a bit of prudence was in order. I have thought long and hard about this, and with the great battles of our time so fast approaching, I figure it is time to mend our relationship before the chasm grows any wider."
Kashaunta motioned to a special looking sword sheath on her back. Slowly, she drew a sword. A Soul Blade. Penny began to draw up her armor.
"Oh, I am not wishing for a fight, Penny. I know the damage you could do, even in my sanctum in the sky. Tell me, do you know how Soul Blades are forged?"
"No."
"Good. And tell me, do you know why they draw so much power to swing, even for Elders and beings as capable as us?"
"I have a few theories."
"I am sure you do," Kashaunta said. "But here is the thing. Soul Blades are typically weapons assigned to highly promising Elders, or even Progenitors. Filnatra, undisputed sword master that she is, can wield them as easily as breathing. If I were to swing this blade, there would be no drawback. Why?"
"Because you own that Soul Blade."
"Because this Soul Blade is mine. It is not just something I own. I own around seven or so more Soul Blades, with some weapons nearing their quality lying in my various vaults even now. You did not detect them, because I willed that not to be. I need you to understand this, Penny. You have power. You have might. But you are not invincible. My Soul Blade, if it struck you, would not cutely separate Nilnacrawla or Cardinality from you. Nor would your speeding space entity be able to block this blade with his flesh. If this cut you, it would release unending agony upon you before you exploded in a burst of burnt gore."
Penny sighed. "There is no need to threaten me. Allies do not threaten each other."
"But you do not see me as an ally. You see me as your means to get through the Judgment. You believe I see you as nothing more but a linear singularity maker, and perhaps a passing curiosity I'm backing on a whim. You neglect to imagine that there might be firmer reasons why I back you, and why more Elders are getting drawn into this conflict. You believe I am comfortable with showing you my more pragmatic and ruthless sides because I am comfortable with the fact that you cannot harm me. That you would not dare to do so, when you need my assistance so badly. That I might even be aiming to normalize my 'new' self with you."
"That is hardly my belief alone."
"Is it now."
Kashaunta grinned. There was no warmth in her gaze.
"Nilnacrawla," Kashaunta said. "Cardinality. Exile. Come out and show yourselves. You are being rude as guests."
Exile detached from Penny's head. He grew into the shifting array of fractals and shapes she was more familiar with. What had once grated on her eyes did so no longer. Kashaunta stared at the speeding space entity for ten seconds, then looked back up at Penny.
"He will not work on us. I will cover his form with holograms if he walks through my ship out of courtesy for my workers and crew, if he cannot."
"I am capable, Queen Kashaunta."
"You are quite knowledgable, aren't you?" Kashaunta mused, looking at him hungrily. "Oh, how I wonder what secrets you have in your head. How many of ours do you know?"
"I will not be taken as a hostage," Exile said.
"You will not because I decide not to," Kashaunta said. "Formally, our species are still at war. There is no treaty."
"The Sp'rkial'nova no longer exist."
"Yes, they do," Kashaunta said. "The name was discontinued for use regarding the lesser specimens we created. But I can assure you, Exile, if you wish to go by that name here, that we still do exist. I am a Sp'rkial'nova in the flesh. In the blood. In the mind. In the soul."
"Say what you will, Sprilnav. It changes nothing."
"On that I agree. Though our views on how things are may differ, and yours is wrong, your opinion is not valuable enough to matter."
She turned to Penny. She would have defended Exile, but he gave her a simple shake of his head area.
Nilnacrawla formed out of psychic energy in front of Penny. Cardi did the same beside her. Kashaunta tapped a claw on the ground. Tables and chairs appeared. A chef brought in food that looked passable and a few decent attempts at human cuisine.
"We do not have to eat, though I would expect that all of you at least sit at the table. We will discuss our grievances, and how to solve them before we proceed with the future. We shall first go to the matter of the Alliance. Penny, many in their number wish to establish contact with you. Do you agree to this? If so, I will add their communicator numbers to the translation program I have reserved for your personal use, in case your own device needs another sudden replacement."
"I agree."
"Good. A first step of diplomacy, I would say. Agreement. Now, Nilnacrawla, you look like you have something to say to me. What is it?"
"Free Meridia."
"Meridia was detonated by planet cracker during the 139th Sector 9 Border War. I am sorry more could not be done."
A cold draft of air rushed out of Nilnacrawla's nose. He glared at her. "You let them die."
"I did not. A Grand Fleet was defending that star system, and three came to lay siege. I am many things. A tactician, a queen, an Elder. But I am not a god. I cannot perform miracles. I evacuated 30 billion people from that world and its surrounding stations before the planet crackers hit it. 4 trillion more souls died in that blast. The best I can do is to offer an apology."
"That will never be enough for what you did. If you had never established your nation, they would still be alive."
"They would be slaves. Chattel slaves, not that cute little 'wage slavery' concept privileged people throw around. Perhaps I should remind you just how much darker that reality would have been for your female descendents, specifically. I am a brutal warlord, a dictator with an iron fist. But my claws do not squeeze nearly as tightly as I could. Metrics say that I could extract at least 370% more profit from my people if I simply enslaved them. But despite the shock this may bring to you all, I do have principles. The Autonomous Peoples' Stars are my people. My nation. My empire, if you think I'm imperialist. But I protect them as best I can."
Nilnacrawla's cold anger didn't lessen. Penny placed a calming hand on his front left thigh. He blinked. He let out a long, pained sigh. And he bowed his head to her. Not to Kashaunta, but to Penny.
"There is no need to be cruel."
"My language was accurate, Penny. He is a strong Elder. Everlasting knows he's stronger than most of these fools. Nilnacrawla was and is a hero of the Source war. I respect him enough not to mince words, or to give platitudes. Coddling is for babies. Nilnacrawla is far more mature."
Kashaunta turned to Cardi. "You have been remarkably silent in this, concept."
"I have."
"A wonderfully succinct statement. Perhaps you can shorten it further. But nevertheless, you and I will be working together with Penny much more in the near future. Rest assured, if you refuse to become more independent, you will be nothing more than a crutch for her to rely on before leaving her to fall when you are ripped away."
"When, Elder? I would like to think your protection is sufficient."
"I am sure the truth is quite the opposite, dear. I will now get to the point. Penny needs to move faster, and needs to break out of her shell. She needs to be pushed to do more. She has signed a binding treaty, which shows she is capable of more than barbarian aliens, as some Elders would call her. You, Cardinality, will help her be a high achiever. To do this, you need to learn more about your own history.
That is the theme of the year, after all. History. My history, Penny's history, Sprilnav history, and even Gaia's history, it would seem."
"Gaia? What do they have to do with all of this?" Penny asked.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that."
"Excuse me? You don't get to decide that, Kashaunta. You will tell me. I refuse to be coddled, like you say. I demand the respect I am owed."
"You forget yourself, Penny."
"I remember myself, actually. I am all I need to be. I can become all I need if I must. You can hold your backing against me all you want, but you won't withdraw it. As you said, more binds you and I than mere money and ideology."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then I've doomed my species and my nation to war, and this planet to the full power of my wrath."
"Wrath, Penny. Wrath. The Sprilnav have many words for anger, rage, hatred. There is the desire for vengeance, in varying degrees. There is that for justice, which does differ. And that for belonging. I know you believe you are standing up to me as a way to assert your own authority in this relationship of ours. You believe I see you as inferior, and will pull back my help when it is profitable for me. I will not offer you the consequences of what your words could mean.
You already know them, and that argument is as stale as your view on us Elders. I will say this once, Penny. You are the Champion of Humanity. The apex predator of your planet, the only one mostly in charge of an Alliance that does more than merely dream of overthrowing us. It is easy for me to say you are not a threat, though I do not ignore the threat you and your nation are trying to become. Gaia will be a part of your movement, but even my information is not entirely complete. I will not mislead you by claiming I know Gaia's link to this, just that there likely is one.
And I am not unreasonably petty. I am willing to put all our animosity behind us and start anew. Even if you are not willing to do the same, I am willing to make this work for us. You have more people to care for than just the Alliance, now. Do not forget them."
"A lot of words that mean nothing."
"Because you heard, but did not listen. Perhaps it will be easier this way, Penny. I want you to win."
"Explain."
"You wish to overthrow the current Sprilnav led order of the galaxy. Your path to that will likely be through mass slave revolt. A viable strategy that I could spread far beyond just this planet. And I actually agree with you. This Judgment, this utter insanity around the Alliance and your species has shown me the truth. The Elders as a class and a species cannot be trusted to rule any longer. We need new leaders. Better leaders."
"And yourself?"
"As the hypocrite that I am, and the power-hungry ruler of the Sprilnav, I would obviously exclude myself from that number. Let's be realistic. The Sprilnav will never accept a non-Elder ruler. If you wish to see what our insurgencies would be like, imagine the 2090s Struggles of Asia. Expand that to billions of planets, large and small. Countless ships and space stations. We have more collective ships than you have people. And as your military planners know, there is no such thing as an unarmed ship. Without us, without me, your plans are stillborn. Your galactic Alliance or whatever you make will fall to pieces without proper counseling. In essence, my offer to you, and you alone, is this. The galaxy, for the Sprilnav."
"Who backs your offer, with the power to give it?"
Progenitors Lecalicus and Nova appeared in the room.
"I back Kashaunta," Lecalicus wheezed.
"I observe her offer, and wish it a proper outcome," Nova said.
"Thank you, esteemed Progenitors," Kashaunta said, standing just to bow to them. Penny stared at Nova, balling her fists.
"There will be time for battle later," he said. "But not now. Hear out her request. She does not make it lightly."
The Progenitors disappeared.
"If I accept your offer, it will be on a written record."
"No. It will not be, because if that record is written, my nation will be facing war on all sides. A better idea would be for us to keep this under wraps."
"Perfect for betrayal," Nilnacrawla muttered.
"It would be, yes. But consider the second part of this situation, Nilncrawla. If word of this galactic offer, not just the Pact, were to get out, which is why two Progenitors who know the price of interference were called here, it would mean the deaths of Penny and all her kind. Or do you forget what rapidly approaches us?"
Nilnacrawla frowned. "I did. I apologize, Penny."
Kashaunta spoke up again.
"Penny. You believe I will betray you. So I make an offer of collateral. An offer so unbelievably sacred for us Elders that many would recoil at the mere thought of it. Now that you have signed a backed treaty, you are fully qualified."
Kashaunta grabbed her Soul Blade and presented it to Penny.
"What does this mean?"
"Nilnacrawla, tell her," Kashaunta said. "She will trust your mouth more than mine."
"Bonded Soul Blades are priceless artifacts," Nilnacrawla said. "To offer one to another is the ultimate gesture of trust and respect among many martial Sprilnav cultures. It can also allow for a mind bridge, a soul pact, or a proposal for marriage between two great houses, martial families, or Elders of great wealth and power. To offer this to a human... to anyone... is an ultimate sign of backing, and one of trust.
It is a sacrosanct honor, the absolute agreement of speaking truth and respect. The words I can use in any human language are insufficient to describe the weight of this honor. This gesture is one of absolute truth. Family lines with hatred going back millions of years would never dare to violate this honor."
"Only one Elder in history did so, one who once led a group known as the Stannic Resistance. He does so no longer. Penny Balica, Champion of Humanity... if there is nothing else I can give you to prove that I do really back you, there is this."
"...Just how low are my chances in the Judgment for you to resort to this?" Penny asked.
"They are not zero, but your battle with be incredibly difficult even with this boon of mine. The future of the galaxy, I now realize, hinges on the outcome of this. If we do not have enough trust, they will sniff it out, and we will fail."
So she had no choice. But as Nilncrawla continued to explain in her mind, Kashaunta was getting the worse side of the deal. Which meant she was throwing her backing behind Penny for real, beyond all reproach and retraction. Kashaunta, the most powerful Elder in the galaxy.
"And if I reject this gift, or your reasons for it?"
"Circumstances would demand that I kill you and then myself using this blade as a way to cut apart the dishonor, before my remains are dumped into a black hole to be forgotten forever. I would not do this."
"A dark and archaic custom," Penny said. She would have said more, but she looked at Nilnacrawla's face. He was clearly deeply uncomfortable. Her five words had shaken him more than anything she'd ever said to him before.
"You do not understand," Nilnacrawla said. "This is not something to joke or lie about. With a Soul Blade Pact in play, all else must cease. Right now, there is you, and there is her. Accept or decline. The choice, your only choice, is yours."
"How will this look to the Elders in the court? To the Sprilnav, and the people who back me?"
She could see how it would be a boon and a curse.
"You, and I," Kashaunta said. "The whole of the universe between us right now is you and I. No others exist until this one act is done. There will be trust or there will be death. No in between. No middle ground. The nature of this bond will be a Pact of Blades."
Conceptual energy swirled between them. Penny's natural translation, as part of the hivemind, failed for the first time ever. Her communicator likewise did not translate the words Kashaunta spoke.
"Eis nama kaste Penny Balica, sun lanci Dorima Kashaunta. Ko'ri, lanci nupa bes na Dorima'Pecunyanova. Sp'rkial'nova. Sun. Homo Sapiens."
The air grew thick with tension. It was not just emotional, either. Psychic and conceptual energy gathered. The mindscape started to distort as more and more eyes began to view Kashaunta and Penny. But all of them were Sprilnav eyes. All of them were Progenitors. Nova's appeared brightest and largest, nearly six times the size of the next largest pair. They stared at her, sending psychic and conceptual energy down upon her in waves that forced her and Kashaunta to kneel to the ground.
"I apologize for my earlier words," Penny said. "I should not have denigrated this."
Penny stood for an hour, deeply contemplating the Pact. If it was as Nilnacrawla was describing to her, it was a promise that Kashaunta would not break. If she was offering it at all, especially to Penny, it meant she had a level of trust in Penny's capability far above what Penny had previously thought. Apparently, there were even higher agreements than this that were possible, with this Pact being the lowest level of bond and considered unbreakable with the enforcement of consequences coming from the Progenitors themselves.
She thought of her place in Justicar and the wider universe. Hours passed like water. And then, by the end of it, after nearly 19 hours, Penny finally had decided. She gave a short nod to Kashaunta, who had been kneeling to Nova all this time.
Kashaunta gestured at the sword. "Tol, nopa shikai."
Nilnacrawla fed her a few suggestions on what she would need to say.
"I come to this Pact seeking peace, justice, and hope," Penny said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery."
Nilnacrawla translated Kashaunta's next words to her.
"I come to this seeking trust, understanding, respect, and peace," Kashaunta said. "And a promise not to betray one another, by lies or by treachery. I make this Pact before the gods, those who equal them, and those who surpass them. I bind them to an oath of silence regarding this event, until I directly instruct them otherwise, in a state of a sound mind, body, and soul. Here, we shall step into a future that needs both of us, casting aside that which is unimportant to focus on the ultimate goals we have. I offer my Blade to Penny Balica, of species Homo Sapiens. In this way, we forge a new future, and walk a new path. I accept the Pact."
"I accept the Pact."
Nova and a hundred Progenitors descended. Nova grew larger, and Kashaunta knelt to him. Penny remained standing. His sharp teeth glittered in the light. He pressed his claws to Penny's chest, and to Kashaunta's chest.
"The Pact of Blades is made before the Progenitors. We agree to your vow of silence. The penalty of breaking it will be dismemberment and disposal into a black hole. Penny Balica, Engineer Kashaunta. To break this Pact without mutual agreement is to call down our collective wrath upon yourselves. You both have agreed, and are of sound mind, body, and soul. The Pact is forged. By sword, by word, by action. I, Nova, Everlasting, Lord of the Progenitors, King of all Sp'rkial'nova, Heir to the Mantle of Power, Heir to Narvravarana, Progenitor, Elder, and Sprilnav, declare the deed done, etched in time, space, and Reality."
They winked out of existence one by one, leaving Penny and Kashaunta alone, to ponder the future. Penny's thoughts turned to the Judgment, and her confidence she could win it began to waver. How much worse was this Judgment going to be than before?
Penny stared at Kashaunta's Soul Blade. With careful fingers, she took it. Kashaunta sat up, satisfied.
"Now we can begin. I shall compile all the news about you I can find, and we shall see how to address the questions the High Judges will ask. Now that you trust me, I cannot betray you."

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Hermione and Harry fall into the Veil by Anonymous
Summary
Harry and Hermione fall into the veil and start popping up in time. This can be just going back to their own time or their parents or somewhere further back.

Love fall through the veil plotlines as they all tend to be very wildly AU and imaginative! This one was submitted for the Harmony Summertime Madness Fest which has both Claiming and Posting open! Works are not due until July so you have plenty of time if you choose to participate!
One of my favorite fall through the veil fics is Rouch's Through the Veil, although this prompt is focused on time travel! (a favorite trope ❤️❤️❤️)
Here's a drabble for fun based on this prompt! Maybe someone will decide to take up the challenge and write it out completely! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione stumbled towards the screaming and snapping sound of spells as she clutched her side. Every movement sent a dull throb throughout her entire body from where Dolohov’s spell had hit her. She ignored the pain with a single-minded focus of finding and making sure one person was okay. The person she was determined to keep alive no matter how many times he ran straight into danger.
Perhaps that’s why she was the only one who reacted fast enough when disaster stuck. In a large open room, dozens of fights were going on, but none as flashy and vicious as between Sirius and his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. Sirius laughed as he fought his cousin, taunting her as they exchanged mortal curses. Sirius’ entire attention was on his dangerous and cousin and he didn’t seem to notice he was getting too close to an ominous stone arch in the center of the room. A veil drifted from the arch on a phantom wind-like ghostly fingers reaching out for those closest.
It all happened in slow motion. Bellatrix screeched in fury at Sirius’ latest taunt and snapped out a spell swifter than Sirius expected. He tried to dodge the jagged red curse, but he stumbled, and his arms pinwheeled as he tried to keep his balance and not fall backward through the arch. The veil flared hungrily as if sensing Sirius’ demise.
Harry ran forward, determination in every line of his body as he arrowed toward his godfather. He was going for Sirius. Hermione didn’t yell; she didn’t try to warn anyone. Instead, she ran as fast as she could to save Harry. To save both of them if she was lucky enough.
But she wasn’t the only one trying to save their best friend.
Harry latched on Sirius, yanking him forward just as Remus crashed into his back the momentum propelling Harry into the stone arch as suddenly he and Sirius switched. Hermione gasped as she saw the veil too close to Harry, the gossamer cloth brushing over his face, and stretched out her arm grasping the back of Harry’s shirt to try to haul him back, but he was too heavy.
With a whisper of sound, Harry and Hermione were pulled through while Remus and Sirius crashed backward onto the floor in front of the stone arch.
On the other side Hermione felt weightless, and it was hard to see as if a dense fog covered everything. The only thing she knew was that she had the fabric of Harry’s shirt grasped tight. Whispers in familiar voices echoed around her, too low to make out what they said.
She tried to yell or talk to Harry, but she wasn’t able to make a sound. A part of her wondered if she was dead or dying. It certainly didn’t feel as she thought death would. Would her hand still ache from her grip on Harry’s shirt if she was dead?
Time didn’t have any meaning. The fog could have lasted only seconds or could have lasted days. Hermione only had one point of reference, one sensation. Her hold on Harry.
An analytical part of her thought it was the only thing she could affect and so maybe she should let go and see what happened. But no. That was simply something she was never going to do.
So the stasis held, the whispers washing over her, floating in the grey fog.
Until…
But no…
Was that something different?
Was that change?
The whispers had sharpened. The fog had darkened, and the weightlessness was leaving her.
Her stomach somersaulted and suddenly she realized she was falling. She yanked with all her might on the shirt fabric she still had clutched in her hand and grunted when she slammed into something hard.
“Hermione!” someone was patting her face gently. “Hermione wake up.”
She woke up and groaned, rolling over and clutching her hand to her stomach. It felt like her fingers were broken. They ached so badly. Someone pushed at her insistently, talking and trying to grab at her hand.
“Shhh, shhh, I know it hurts. I have some dittany still in my pocket from Umbridge.”
At that familiar voice, she opened her eyes to see Harry above her, looking at her worriedly. “Harry? Harry!” She surged up, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. “You’re okay!”
“I was a bit more worried about you, actually.” He said in a slightly strained voice from her chokehold, lightly patting her arms to get her to let go.
Hermione let go abruptly, looking around for the first time, noticing they were in an unfamiliar bedroom. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know. I just woke up here, and you were next to me holding my shirt.”
“We fell into that veil, I think,” Hermione said quietly.
Harry opened his mouth to reply but abruptly shut it as they heard voices approaching the closed door to the bedroom. Standing, he swiftly pulled Hermione to her feet, stepping in front of her as they both watched the bedroom door tensely. “Do you still have your wand?”
Hermione patted her pockets for a frantic second before locating her wand. Thank god for tethering charms. “Yes.”
“It doesn’t make sense. They would have been stupid enough to leave us with our wands if they meant us harm, but we need to get back to find out what happened to everyone.”
“Yes,” she repeated, agreeing as her hand tightened on her wand with only a slight ache after the dittany.
The bedroom door opened slowly, and they heard the humming of a lullaby first. A red-haired woman entered carrying an infant that was so small it must have been only hours old. “There, there now, love. I’m sure daddy is going to smush that silly old dog for laughing too loud and frightening you.”
Harry gasped, stumbling back into Hermione and squishing her against the wall.
“Wha–” Hermione’s question was choked off as the woman’s head snapped up, her wand appearing and pointing straight at them. It was the woman’s eyes that caught her. They were the same shade of green as Harry’s eyes.
The woman, however, had no such hesitation. Her spells snapped out lightning quick, disarming them and tying them up neatly with an incarcerous. She didn’t take her eyes off them as she raised her voice, yelling, “James! Sirius!”
​

Super weird situation- I am a hospital administrator and I am partnered with a physician to run my department and there have been a lot of personality conflicts. The first physician in the role (let’s say Dr. Z) tried to have me fired and bullied and harassed me relentlessly- the physicians are not hospital employees FYI, they are contractors. She stepped down when her bosses sided with me and I haven’t had to deal with her much. Her replacement (Dr. A) was much easier to work with, initially.
The project I was managing was a regulatory visit to maintain one of our designations and it was a very big deal. The department was in shambles when I took the job and the role had been vacant for almost 2 years so it was a lot of work to get ready and as the survey got closer, tensions got very high. Dr Z was mentoring Dr. A so our personality conflicts came to the surface.
The morning of the survey, the surveyors noted a missing document that was essential to maintaining our credential so it was very stressful trying to get it on the fly. While trying to track down why we didn’t have it, there was a lot of finger pointing and blame that was unnecessary as well as negative behavior (telling the team we are screwed, going to fail, etc.)
At the end of the first day as we are still working on the document, I get a call from Dr. Z saying I am incompetent and a terrible leader and that she threw away her career because of me- the story she tells everyone else is that she stepped down to spend k more time with her kids. whatever, she had done that before and i was used to it.
the next morning i encounter her and she dresses me down on front of a bunch of people- pointing her finger in my face and saying that she is going to drag me into the CEOs office and force me to take all the blame for the document (we finished it the night before so the issue was solved). it was awful energy for the team to deal with. i just walked away when she was done yelling.
fast forward to the exit interview and we passed with flying colors. Dr. Z thanks and identifies every team member except for me and then gives all the credit to a secretary who is her pet. the application alone was 90 pages and completed almost entirely by me.
She then takes off her shoes (she is Muslim so this matters). She had been wearing 4 inch stilettos with metal spike heels. And proceeds to throw them at me. We were across the room from each other so she had to really throw them to get them to land behind me. I didn’t even notice she had done that until I felt the shoe wiz by my face. I was stunned and went to my office and then just left because I was scared.
I called my boss who was horrified. He asked me to file a workplace violence report. HR met with me today and shared the results of their investigation. They found they couldn’t substantiate that the interactions were hostile or that she intended to hurt me. So they weren’t going to do anything about it.
I’m stunned. I have told this story to multiple people and they are always stunned that a professional person would behave that way. And if one of those shoes had hit my face I would have been badly injured. I am feeling so sad and angry that I have to keep working with this person and that there will be no consequences for their actions.
I consulted an attorney and he said what she did was assault. And he immediately recognized the cultural significance of a Muslim person throwing their shoes at someone (remember George bush?)
TL:DR- I got metal stilettos thrown at me during a meeting at work and HR says it’s not workplace violence.
What should I do? I feel embarrassed but I also feel like I am not being protected and they are unwilling to control bad behavior.

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 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 am a current junior, I go to a public Atlanta suburb high school (450 kids in my senior class)

• uva is my dream school and I’d love to go here

Major - finance/mechanical or biomedical engineering
Stats:
Current act - 27 (aiming for a 32+ in coming tests)
SAT - didn’t take
GPA - UW 3.83, W 4.35
Class rank - school doesn’t rank, but I’d be top 15% of class.
Course work - AP us history, AP stats, AP pre calc, AP psych, AP human geography, AP lang, AP macro, AP environmental science, 3 dual enrollment classes online (all A’s)
Extracurriculars

1. Vice President of Foster care support club, raising around $1,500 per year for local foster cares around metro Atlanta area
2. Founder and co President of financial literacy club - teach students at our school the benefits of learning how to do taxes, and real life knowledge to help them in the future
3. JDRF Youth ambassador (I’m a type 1 diabetic) - raise and campaign money for diabetes research, and I did a hospital shadow with an endocrinologist.
4. Children’s hospital volunteering - I was diagnosed with T1D in January of 2024, so I’m doing some volunteering with new found diabetes patients in the hospital to give them a sense of calmness.
5. Held a job throughout senior year - working 20+ hours a week from fall semester, (really good recommendation from my manager)
6. Varsity lacrosse captain - 3 years varsity lacrosse player, promoted to captain this year
7. Student government involvement

Essays - I used to live in Charlottesville, so I think I’m gonna write my why uva essay about how much I miss living there and display all my memories about living in Charlottesville as a child and how it’s made me who I am today as a person.

• I also am gonna write about my recent diabetes diagnosis and how hard it was to cope back into school and sports, but how the diagnosis was a blessing in disguise and help my build my character as a person.

Please lmk what you think my chances are for some of these other schools that are on my list!
Reaches - 1. UVA (dream school) 2. Tulane 3. Umich 4. UNC Chapel hill 5. Boston college (Super good rec for here)
Targets 1. Maryland college park 2. Wisconsin 3. Georgia (in state) 4. Georgia tech (in state) - should be a reach
Safety’s 1. Auburn 2. Virginia tech
Thank you!