Cities that are temperate grassland
The Twin Cities - the front page of Minneapolis and St. Paul
2009.09.16 23:41 The Twin Cities - the front page of Minneapolis and St. Paul
/twincities is focused on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.
2010.02.12 20:07 TypoTat BadTattoos
2013.02.20 23:58 cosmosclover cracker bargel
2024.04.29 09:26 Yurii_S_Kh WHAT IS THE FIG TREE’S FAULT? Sermon on Holy and Great Monday
 | Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh) submitted by Yurii_S_Kh to SophiaWisdomOfGod [link] [comments] These days of Holy Week abound with parables and images, through which the Lord harshly and loudly calls us from the path of perdition to Himself, to the saving path home to the Heavenly Kingdom. Today’s Gospel passage tells us about the barren fig tree. The Cursing of the Fig Tree Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered. And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only (Mt. 21:18-19). The Apostle Mark adds that it was not the season of fig harvesting yet (cf. Mk. 11:13). Other fig trees did not have fruit either, but they also did not have leaves, since fig trees first produce fruit, and then leaf out. But the fig tree in question only deceived wayfarers, enticing them to approach it, with its verdant appearance promising them fruit that was not there. The meaning of the withered fig tree becomes clear from the following two parables that Christ related on the same day after He had cursed the fig tree. These are the parables of the two sons and of the wicked husbandmen. The fig tree that promises fruit represents these characters—the son who said, I go, sir: and went not (Mt. 21:30), and the wicked husbandmen who should have given back fruit from the vineyard in due season, but instead did harm. Every creature in the world has its God-given purpose and mission. The fig tree, for instance, was supposed to produce fruit in due season. What fruits does the Lord expect from us? The Apostle Paul enumerates them in his Epistle to the Galatians: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance… (Gal. 5:22–23). We can perform all the prayer rules, go to church every day, read the Gospel and the Holy Fathers, observe all the rules prescribed by the Typikon and at the same time have no fruits of the spiritual life. On the one hand, the parable of the fig tree is about the Israelites, who were chosen by God, “covered”, like trees, by the “leaves” of Divine Law, but did not bear worthy fruits. On the other hand, this parable is about me and you. The Lord brought us to His Church, planted us by the rivers of water (cf. Ps. 1:3), gave us all the means for salvation, growth and fruition—the Holy Scriptures, the Church itself, His grace, and He even gives us Himself in Communion. And He quite rightly expects growth and fruits from us. But for most of us, at best, “things are still right where they started”. The parable that Christ had earlier told His disciples will help us understand the meaning of the cursing of the fig tree better. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down (Lk. 13:6–9). The Lord treasures every fig tree, every human soul. Each of us knows how long the Lord has been patient with us, “dunging” us, “digging about us”, begging us to improve and come to Him, our loving Father. He is long-suffering, but we do not know when the “three-year period” from the parable, in which the Lord still puts up with us, will elapse. The cursing of the fig tree. Fresco of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery In one of his homilies the holy Hiero-Confessor Luke of Crimea noted, “Why did Christ curse the fig tree? To teach us that we should tremble when we hear about it… We should not be deceived by the thought that our Lord is infinitely merciful and good and will surely forgive our sins. Many, many deceive themselves with this hope, and in this parable, and above all through the cursing of the fig tree, we learn that the Lord is not always infinitely merciful.” The holy New Hiero-Confessor Basil of Kineshma wrote about the same thing in his commentary to this parable: “His judgment can be not only lenient, but also strict and fair. Let those who flatter themselves with hopes for an all-forgiving God, without caring about self-improvement, keep this in mind.” And there are also other words that complete the call for our reform. They are about the signs of the end of the world: For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together (Mt. 24:28). Archbishop Averky (Taushev) writes, “Just as birds of prey gather where by a corpse, God’s judgment will appear where the inner life has died away and moral decay has started”1 The words from the Gospel of Mark that the time of figs was not yet (Mk. 11:13) emphasize that the people of Israel had missed their chance. Christ came, but the Israelites were not ready to accept Him. In cursing the fig tree, the Lord, like the ancient prophets, showed the impending judgment on Israel. In another parable, of the wicked husbandmen, the Lord also speaks about the time limit: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it (Mt. 21:34). Moreover, in the parable of the talents, when the master came and demanded an account of the funds (talents) he had invested; and in the parable of the ten virgins, when the doors to the wedding feast were closed and the latecomers were not let in, in these final days before Pascha the Gospel often warns us against spiritual procrastination, against constantly postponing our spiritual life until later, until the evening, until tomorrow… https://preview.redd.it/hmxzmtbnedxc1.png?width=700&format=png&auto=webp&s=f2718d4d39aecb1f77271eeee65438f6a05283bd The Lord warns us strictly: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Mt. 25:13); Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you (Jn. 12:35); The night cometh, when no man can work (Jn. 9:4). Our fruits do not grow overnight—both time and effort are required. Let us not delay our salvation and spiritual growth; let us try right now to bear fruit that will be pleasing to our Lord. Amen. |
2024.04.29 07:31 dotcommampersand My father may or may not have permanent brain damage and I cannot cope with the fact that I may end up being his caretaker
Quick intro, I'm an adult woman in my 20's, this is a throwaway account and English is not my first language.
Today at like 3 a.m. mom woke me up to tell me that my father wasn't feeling very well, he was dizzy and that she was taking him to the hospital. Later in the morning she told us that it was food poisoning and that they injected him. My father was still not feeling well and was still unable to walk correctly/not walk and feeling ear canal pain. They called some doctors that are friends/family because maybe he has to see an otorrinolaringologist and they wanted some opinions, oto dr said he did not have any ear infection and that he had to get an MRI/see a neuro to discard a transient ischemic attack. They did the MRI and his scans were okay, no brain damage, but mom told me that he didn't do good on the finger-to-nose test and stuff like walking in a straight line. They prescripted him atorvastatin and clopidogrel and the Dr. said that it might be, uh I think in English is something like a Benign Vertigo.
I'm just freaking out because I searched if you can have brain problems without it being apparent on the brain scan and Cerebellum damage, usually linked with posture and equilibrium is NOT noticeable. There is no cure, he might not be able to drive again (As the day advanced he felt better and is now walking but I don't think my mom is gonna sleep tonight paying attention to him and I'm nervous as fuck). We live in a third world country where driving is really the only way to transport yourself efficiently. My father works basically 7 days a week between his government job, when he's on-duty and the farm (not explaining how he can do all that, it's legal in my country to work for the government and privately). He is ALWAYS moving, waking up at 6 to arrive at 7 to his office, doing all kind of errands and supervising the farm which is like 45 minutes away from the small city where we live. Sometimes he does a few hours in the office, visits the farm, then comes back home to the office and has lunch at home. That man NEEDS to drive everywhere.
My relationship with my father has not been the best. When I was 16 years old he blamed me for my parents divorce (I never told my mom bc we had a wedding that day and I didn't wanted to ruin her mood, he never apologized), and in the end they never ended up divorcing!! Ever since that day I stopped loving him, he noticed after a while that I stopped being affectionate with him but I don't think he deserves my love.
He's like a 60 years old child sometimes with old-school values. He used to be very violent and get mad easily, I've never seen him hit my mom but he has made her cry, he used to grab and pull me by my hair when he got mad at me and insult me and my mom, ever since I was a child I've been scared of him and his violence, all of my friends in school were scared of his "intimidating aura" even if they never saw him be violent. He's homophobic and I'm a closeted bisexual, he's racist and I'm not, you cannot speak with him because he doesn't let you voice your opinions, his voice is the only thing that matters, even if he's not violent anymore he's impatient and throws temper-tantrums like a child. He told me when I was like 8 years old that he was happy to have daughters and not sons because a daughter can "serve him". I hate him.
This might sound cold, but I just see him as someone who needs to be alive for now to pay for my studies and expenses until I can be independent (I understand that he is a hardworking person and i DO appreciate that he pays for my stuff/has had sacrifices). I need him alive so that I can accomplish my dreams. I have an European citizenship and I wanna use that to do my master's degree abroad and immigrate to a country with good public transport, good healthcare, better management of public funds and safety. It has been my dream ever since I lived other there for an exchange program and saw how different things where (being vague on the country on purpose). I don't really plan on having kids, I just wanna live a comfortable live, play the games I want, travel with cheap prices, collect the books I want and only see my parents from time to time. It may not work of course! I might have to go back to my country and if that happens its FINE! But if I don't even get the chance to TRY it?? What's the point =(?
I graduated recently so I'm not doing a lot at home, taking language courses and doing a shorter postgraduate study at night, sometimes going to the farm. My youngest sister is at school and will graduate soon, my mother also has a job, obviously driving my father will have to be my job. Do you guys understand what that means? I am NOT a morning person, having to wake up at 6 am for extended periods makes me feel MISERABLE, I will ALWAYS need to be "on call duty" for him. Like, how can I even get a job if I have to drive him 8 times a day? What if I want to hang out with friends? Weekend escapade? GOOD SLEEP?? What if I have to give up on my studies? I will not feel like a human being, I will be a slave with no rights and I will have to spend long periods of time with the person I hate the most who cannot go for 5 minutes without yelling and acting like a fucking child!!! I can't do it.
I have a friend who is about my age and is the caretaker of three family members who depend on him, he had to move back to their house when he was like 20 and does odd-jobs and whatever to pay for everything they need. And you know what? Even though he recognizes that it's a very difficult thing to do, he says that it's okay, he says it with a smile. I am not like that, I cannot be the same as him. He never sleeps 8 hours straight, he says he fractions his sleeping schedule by naps throughout the day/night and has been doing it for years.
Another friend of mine, her mom had to take care of her mom and grandma, asides from working as an RN and being the mother of three kids. Yeah she's married but still, she had like 5 other siblings and no one else helped her. That is just so denigrating as fuck.
I just don't want things to go the way it did for my father: He was studying abroad when his own father died around his 60's and had to go back to our country to work and pay for his sibling's studies and stuff. Now I fear that I will not even get that chance. I can't give up on my freedom, if this becomes a long-term thing I will just give up and kms. I'm in tears as I write this, but I just can't do it, I will never be able to grow and develop my career and be the person I want to be if I have to be the caretaker and driver of the one person I NEED to get away from, I will have to put up with his yelling and rudeness every single day.
It seems that no matter how much time passes, he always finds a way of ruining my life. I talked to one of my besties about this whole thing and she basically told me that of course my feelings are understandable but that I should try and take it little by little since I'm obsessing with the future. I'm trying but failing :( FUCK I have a test tomorrow and I haven't been able to study.
If anyone managed to read all this, thank you. I'm very scared, I'm so so scared☹.
submitted by dotcommampersand to offmychest [link] [comments]
Today at like 3 a.m. mom woke me up to tell me that my father wasn't feeling very well, he was dizzy and that she was taking him to the hospital. Later in the morning she told us that it was food poisoning and that they injected him. My father was still not feeling well and was still unable to walk correctly/not walk and feeling ear canal pain. They called some doctors that are friends/family because maybe he has to see an otorrinolaringologist and they wanted some opinions, oto dr said he did not have any ear infection and that he had to get an MRI/see a neuro to discard a transient ischemic attack. They did the MRI and his scans were okay, no brain damage, but mom told me that he didn't do good on the finger-to-nose test and stuff like walking in a straight line. They prescripted him atorvastatin and clopidogrel and the Dr. said that it might be, uh I think in English is something like a Benign Vertigo.
I'm just freaking out because I searched if you can have brain problems without it being apparent on the brain scan and Cerebellum damage, usually linked with posture and equilibrium is NOT noticeable. There is no cure, he might not be able to drive again (As the day advanced he felt better and is now walking but I don't think my mom is gonna sleep tonight paying attention to him and I'm nervous as fuck). We live in a third world country where driving is really the only way to transport yourself efficiently. My father works basically 7 days a week between his government job, when he's on-duty and the farm (not explaining how he can do all that, it's legal in my country to work for the government and privately). He is ALWAYS moving, waking up at 6 to arrive at 7 to his office, doing all kind of errands and supervising the farm which is like 45 minutes away from the small city where we live. Sometimes he does a few hours in the office, visits the farm, then comes back home to the office and has lunch at home. That man NEEDS to drive everywhere.
My relationship with my father has not been the best. When I was 16 years old he blamed me for my parents divorce (I never told my mom bc we had a wedding that day and I didn't wanted to ruin her mood, he never apologized), and in the end they never ended up divorcing!! Ever since that day I stopped loving him, he noticed after a while that I stopped being affectionate with him but I don't think he deserves my love.
He's like a 60 years old child sometimes with old-school values. He used to be very violent and get mad easily, I've never seen him hit my mom but he has made her cry, he used to grab and pull me by my hair when he got mad at me and insult me and my mom, ever since I was a child I've been scared of him and his violence, all of my friends in school were scared of his "intimidating aura" even if they never saw him be violent. He's homophobic and I'm a closeted bisexual, he's racist and I'm not, you cannot speak with him because he doesn't let you voice your opinions, his voice is the only thing that matters, even if he's not violent anymore he's impatient and throws temper-tantrums like a child. He told me when I was like 8 years old that he was happy to have daughters and not sons because a daughter can "serve him". I hate him.
This might sound cold, but I just see him as someone who needs to be alive for now to pay for my studies and expenses until I can be independent (I understand that he is a hardworking person and i DO appreciate that he pays for my stuff/has had sacrifices). I need him alive so that I can accomplish my dreams. I have an European citizenship and I wanna use that to do my master's degree abroad and immigrate to a country with good public transport, good healthcare, better management of public funds and safety. It has been my dream ever since I lived other there for an exchange program and saw how different things where (being vague on the country on purpose). I don't really plan on having kids, I just wanna live a comfortable live, play the games I want, travel with cheap prices, collect the books I want and only see my parents from time to time. It may not work of course! I might have to go back to my country and if that happens its FINE! But if I don't even get the chance to TRY it?? What's the point =(?
I graduated recently so I'm not doing a lot at home, taking language courses and doing a shorter postgraduate study at night, sometimes going to the farm. My youngest sister is at school and will graduate soon, my mother also has a job, obviously driving my father will have to be my job. Do you guys understand what that means? I am NOT a morning person, having to wake up at 6 am for extended periods makes me feel MISERABLE, I will ALWAYS need to be "on call duty" for him. Like, how can I even get a job if I have to drive him 8 times a day? What if I want to hang out with friends? Weekend escapade? GOOD SLEEP?? What if I have to give up on my studies? I will not feel like a human being, I will be a slave with no rights and I will have to spend long periods of time with the person I hate the most who cannot go for 5 minutes without yelling and acting like a fucking child!!! I can't do it.
I have a friend who is about my age and is the caretaker of three family members who depend on him, he had to move back to their house when he was like 20 and does odd-jobs and whatever to pay for everything they need. And you know what? Even though he recognizes that it's a very difficult thing to do, he says that it's okay, he says it with a smile. I am not like that, I cannot be the same as him. He never sleeps 8 hours straight, he says he fractions his sleeping schedule by naps throughout the day/night and has been doing it for years.
Another friend of mine, her mom had to take care of her mom and grandma, asides from working as an RN and being the mother of three kids. Yeah she's married but still, she had like 5 other siblings and no one else helped her. That is just so denigrating as fuck.
I just don't want things to go the way it did for my father: He was studying abroad when his own father died around his 60's and had to go back to our country to work and pay for his sibling's studies and stuff. Now I fear that I will not even get that chance. I can't give up on my freedom, if this becomes a long-term thing I will just give up and kms. I'm in tears as I write this, but I just can't do it, I will never be able to grow and develop my career and be the person I want to be if I have to be the caretaker and driver of the one person I NEED to get away from, I will have to put up with his yelling and rudeness every single day.
It seems that no matter how much time passes, he always finds a way of ruining my life. I talked to one of my besties about this whole thing and she basically told me that of course my feelings are understandable but that I should try and take it little by little since I'm obsessing with the future. I'm trying but failing :( FUCK I have a test tomorrow and I haven't been able to study.
If anyone managed to read all this, thank you. I'm very scared, I'm so so scared☹.
2024.04.29 06:32 PsychoThinker1822 Had the very first heartbreak and can't comprehend. Please help.
TL;DR: My first relationship ended after 2 years, filled with family drama, mental health struggles, and constant fights. Despite my efforts to make things work, including sacrificing friendships and financial stability, my partner became distant, compared me to others, and eventually admitted to hanging out with someone else. I made mistakes too, struggling with bipolar disorder and inadvertently causing harm by involving others. Now, I'm devastated, experiencing panic attacks, and desperate for advice on coping with this heartbreak.
This a long rant and just want to let my heart out.
My partner (F20) of 2 years broke up with me and it was my very first relationship. Things were rocky for us due to various factors including horrifying incidents like we both come for conservative families and were caught being alone at my house, also had serious fights over various issues. I am clinically tested for Bipolar Disorder (mild) and she for ADHD (severe). We were from same high school, even lived near and used to go for same coaching. At first she hated me but eventually fell in love and asked me out. I was already in love with her and it was dream come true. We had a fairytale story for about 8-9 months when the caught incident happened resulting in fights between both families who btw were extremely good with each other before finding out about us. We both were strictly warned never to contact each other ever again but we still did. We both moved for college in same city. I had opportunity to go another prestigious college in far away city, but me being a fool opted for subpar college close to hers. It was traumatic for us both so 2-3 months went in recovering from family fights and we were again having good time. She befriended a girl who was extremely toxic and used to give her ill advices, my partner being immature used to blindly listen and cause issues between us. I also have a female best friend from school as well whic we have completely platonic relationship but she hated the fact that I had her as a best friend as there were rumors of us being a couple in middle school. For my partner's sake I cut off with the best friend and almost everyone she had issues with, I was in deep love and didn't wanted to make her upset and lose her. She always has been a extreme introvert with minimal to no friends and very toxic abusive family. I was with her when she was having the worst time including mental and physical abuse by her parents over studies, college and future. I always encouraged her to make friends, no matter gender and spend time with them.
Almost a year later on my bday she had a dress up party at her college and I had exams. She wished me at midnight, again in morning and that's it. Whole day there were no texts, no calls, no nothing. I was highly upset as I was expecting a surprise as I previously mentioned I had cut off everyone so only one I had was her. Way past 7 PM I got text from her she is leaving from college campus to go to her private hostel, which had path from a slum area infamous for mugging, rapes, etc. I advised her to take another longer but safer route and go in group. She said yes and didn't had any contact upto 9 PM. I contacted her another friend who told me my partner had left at 7 itself... It's been 2hrs no contact with her, also she had not taken the long route and went the infamous one. I sent numerous texts and dozens of calls only to get a text message at 9 - 930 that she was busy having shower and later had a call with her mother. I scolded her for being so irresponsible. She got upset, wished me happy birthday once again and went to sleep. I cried all night and next day decided to end things with her and sent a text addressing the same. She cried whole day and I got call from her various friends and I explained them the situation. Later I agreed to talk to her. I was expecting a apology but she didn't say anything and was making puppy sad faces. It really pissed me off and I started raging out. Also the dress up she wore for the event in college was little revealing (office formals but very tight ones) and in fit of rage said "You went dressed like a w***e", I agree it was way out of line and I regretted instantly. Said sorry multiple times but it offended her a lot.
We fit rough patch after that and had tough 2-3 months. I was confused, I blocked her but used to end up unblocking and talk with her. She had suicidal tendencies and one day ended up drinking entire bottle of cough syrup. Also she revealed to me about her past, where one of her family member had tried to touching her inappropriately. Although I was very angry, I immediately went to meet her and comfort her. But still we had tough time for a month. Then I got a call one day from her friends saying she hasn't been eating much and fainted. I had food poisoning with extreme painful stomach, but I still went h to her traveling 2 hrs on 2 buses and took her out to eat. Where she just had teary eyes and no words were spoken. I left like that but I realised I can't live without her, can't see her sad, can't let anything happen to her and her being so much sad is proof she feels bad, she won't be able to express in words but she feels it, we reconciled following day. After that things started getting normal. Even her toxic friend started showing her true colors and my partner cut her off. All was well and good until she befriended a new friend who has a rich boyfriend who used to pamper her in materialistic as well as other ways. She started comparing me with him.
We used to meet at my home and it being 40-45 min travelling time I used to drop or pick her up, and she used to use cab for one way travel. She used to complain how I don't do both, pick up as well as drop. We used to meet only on weekends and were physically active. She had a high sex drive resulting in 1hr to 1.5 hrs of lovemaking which would drain me out and was too tirying to drop her and come back. But I always used to pay for her cab as well as her other needs like clothes, food ordering etc etc. Her family used to send mere money and I used to spend on her being myself not buying anything or at times skipping meals, just for her happiness. Even send medicines, buy heating bag for period cramps as well as paying off her credit which overall used to consume 30-40% of my monthly budget. Which I never complained or felt bad, seeing her happy made me happy.
But in Jan of this year I got really depressed regarding studies, her fighting behavior as well as family issues. It led to affect my body physically as well and I got IBS. I was admitted in hospital for 3 weeks at my hometown and resting for next 2 weeks. Almost 1.5 months I was away. I was back for my midterms and went to pick her up from the station as she was home as well. She embedded up paying 100x times more to cab for just dropping her from main area to little out. I was upset and scolded her for being so irresponsible and wasting money. She didn't talk with me all the way to home and was silent as well when we reached home. Later we talked and had lovely time but while dropping her off the morning issue came up again and she was quite the whole time. Despite having pain in stomach I had gone to pick her up as well as drop and she being silent bothered me. I dropped her half way to her dorm and booked her a cab to go. Please note it was a populated metropolitan square with 500-600 people passing by and not some dark road. Also I made sure she sat in her cab and went home. I came back and didn't wanted to talk with her. I had to go back to my hometown for further treatment, but it had gotten worse and was admitted again. She had her exams so I never bothered her with details but I had to take high dose multi vitamin injections which were painful as bullet and of wrongly administered can cause extreme pain. And unfortunately one time it got wrongly administered and I had screaming pain, also it was her last day of exams so I just messaged her call immediately after exam which was approx at 3-4 PM. She said ok but didn't text until 7-8 PM. I asked where she was, she just said she was hanging out with friends and came back now and I being in pain said things like, when you will suffer same and your loved one will ignore you, you will understand and blocked her. After a few days I contacted back and never ever I had seen her talk the way she was talking. Extreme rude, careless and right up saying I don't want you. Your illness causes all pain.
I was devastated and tried apologising and making up. She was firm and wasn't budging. This went for few days and she ended up telling she has been going out with some guy, just 2 of them. She admitted it's just friends and nothing else. It was hurtful and cause my IBS to worsen, I was admitted back at 3 AM crying and crying.
I remember , on her birthday I had planned whole day out. Movies, parks, restaurant and various surprises, but she being introvert and lazy chose to stay home with me and order in. And now being so excited to go out with him was shocking for me. Also she started playing video games which she never had interest when I used to tell her to join me.
Also she used to waste a lot of time on social media and YouTube resulting in no studies. I advised her to delete social media to focus on studies. Which used to cause fights. I myself never had any social media except Reddit.
A few things to consider:
She has extreme high temper
She does extreme overthinking
Also always assumes I blame her for everything
And most importantantly, she thinks she is the only one with problems in whole world and other's problems are menial
I got back to the city and tried visiting her, calling her but she didn't wanted to meet. I literally felt my soul leaving my body. Shivering, crying, sleepless nights, and when slept, nightmares. Even had panic attacks and everything. I texted her million times apologising, begging her, literally*
But she just was straight up rude.
I finally planned a big surprise. I cooked burgers for her and her friends from scratch. Drew a drawing of her. Sang her favorite song as well as a self written song begging her to dont let me go or else I will die. Letter explaining my love to her, as well as promise to change according to her. Follow everything she says, never say hurtful stuff, and never do anything she doesn't like. Completely change myself. Also added a bouquet and some care stuff and sent to her yesterday. She said all this was mental torture for her. And she didn't wanted to meet at all. I was deeply upset and just ended up saying suicidal things and went away. Even ended up cutting myself on hand a bit. But she ended up coming to meet me but straight up said I don't want her. She has lost all love for me and never ever want me in my life ever again. And left.
I have been crying all night and even had 2 panic attacks.
Please note:
My behavior was main reason as well:
As I mention I am Bipolar, I used to end up blocking her for days on end just to avoid me saying anything hurtful to her.
I once in my depressive episodes ended up contacting her toxic friend and telling her some of the things, which she ended up telling everyone in their college completely destroying my partner's image which I regret a lot.
Also my female best friend, I used to tell her everything (nothing intimate... But sharing appropriate things) and my partner used to hate it. I stopped doing that immediately but she held a grudge till now.
And I ended up involving a lot of people in this because she had blocked me everywhere and I was desperate for someone to convince to meet me in person and talk it out.
This has been like a truck smashing my out of nowhere and I can't recover at all. Especially with no one to talk and just crying and crying.
People who went through first heartbreaks, or whom you thought was your the one, literally planned entire life with that person, please help me get through this.
submitted by PsychoThinker1822 to BreakUps [link] [comments]
This a long rant and just want to let my heart out.
My partner (F20) of 2 years broke up with me and it was my very first relationship. Things were rocky for us due to various factors including horrifying incidents like we both come for conservative families and were caught being alone at my house, also had serious fights over various issues. I am clinically tested for Bipolar Disorder (mild) and she for ADHD (severe). We were from same high school, even lived near and used to go for same coaching. At first she hated me but eventually fell in love and asked me out. I was already in love with her and it was dream come true. We had a fairytale story for about 8-9 months when the caught incident happened resulting in fights between both families who btw were extremely good with each other before finding out about us. We both were strictly warned never to contact each other ever again but we still did. We both moved for college in same city. I had opportunity to go another prestigious college in far away city, but me being a fool opted for subpar college close to hers. It was traumatic for us both so 2-3 months went in recovering from family fights and we were again having good time. She befriended a girl who was extremely toxic and used to give her ill advices, my partner being immature used to blindly listen and cause issues between us. I also have a female best friend from school as well whic we have completely platonic relationship but she hated the fact that I had her as a best friend as there were rumors of us being a couple in middle school. For my partner's sake I cut off with the best friend and almost everyone she had issues with, I was in deep love and didn't wanted to make her upset and lose her. She always has been a extreme introvert with minimal to no friends and very toxic abusive family. I was with her when she was having the worst time including mental and physical abuse by her parents over studies, college and future. I always encouraged her to make friends, no matter gender and spend time with them.
Almost a year later on my bday she had a dress up party at her college and I had exams. She wished me at midnight, again in morning and that's it. Whole day there were no texts, no calls, no nothing. I was highly upset as I was expecting a surprise as I previously mentioned I had cut off everyone so only one I had was her. Way past 7 PM I got text from her she is leaving from college campus to go to her private hostel, which had path from a slum area infamous for mugging, rapes, etc. I advised her to take another longer but safer route and go in group. She said yes and didn't had any contact upto 9 PM. I contacted her another friend who told me my partner had left at 7 itself... It's been 2hrs no contact with her, also she had not taken the long route and went the infamous one. I sent numerous texts and dozens of calls only to get a text message at 9 - 930 that she was busy having shower and later had a call with her mother. I scolded her for being so irresponsible. She got upset, wished me happy birthday once again and went to sleep. I cried all night and next day decided to end things with her and sent a text addressing the same. She cried whole day and I got call from her various friends and I explained them the situation. Later I agreed to talk to her. I was expecting a apology but she didn't say anything and was making puppy sad faces. It really pissed me off and I started raging out. Also the dress up she wore for the event in college was little revealing (office formals but very tight ones) and in fit of rage said "You went dressed like a w***e", I agree it was way out of line and I regretted instantly. Said sorry multiple times but it offended her a lot.
We fit rough patch after that and had tough 2-3 months. I was confused, I blocked her but used to end up unblocking and talk with her. She had suicidal tendencies and one day ended up drinking entire bottle of cough syrup. Also she revealed to me about her past, where one of her family member had tried to touching her inappropriately. Although I was very angry, I immediately went to meet her and comfort her. But still we had tough time for a month. Then I got a call one day from her friends saying she hasn't been eating much and fainted. I had food poisoning with extreme painful stomach, but I still went h to her traveling 2 hrs on 2 buses and took her out to eat. Where she just had teary eyes and no words were spoken. I left like that but I realised I can't live without her, can't see her sad, can't let anything happen to her and her being so much sad is proof she feels bad, she won't be able to express in words but she feels it, we reconciled following day. After that things started getting normal. Even her toxic friend started showing her true colors and my partner cut her off. All was well and good until she befriended a new friend who has a rich boyfriend who used to pamper her in materialistic as well as other ways. She started comparing me with him.
We used to meet at my home and it being 40-45 min travelling time I used to drop or pick her up, and she used to use cab for one way travel. She used to complain how I don't do both, pick up as well as drop. We used to meet only on weekends and were physically active. She had a high sex drive resulting in 1hr to 1.5 hrs of lovemaking which would drain me out and was too tirying to drop her and come back. But I always used to pay for her cab as well as her other needs like clothes, food ordering etc etc. Her family used to send mere money and I used to spend on her being myself not buying anything or at times skipping meals, just for her happiness. Even send medicines, buy heating bag for period cramps as well as paying off her credit which overall used to consume 30-40% of my monthly budget. Which I never complained or felt bad, seeing her happy made me happy.
But in Jan of this year I got really depressed regarding studies, her fighting behavior as well as family issues. It led to affect my body physically as well and I got IBS. I was admitted in hospital for 3 weeks at my hometown and resting for next 2 weeks. Almost 1.5 months I was away. I was back for my midterms and went to pick her up from the station as she was home as well. She embedded up paying 100x times more to cab for just dropping her from main area to little out. I was upset and scolded her for being so irresponsible and wasting money. She didn't talk with me all the way to home and was silent as well when we reached home. Later we talked and had lovely time but while dropping her off the morning issue came up again and she was quite the whole time. Despite having pain in stomach I had gone to pick her up as well as drop and she being silent bothered me. I dropped her half way to her dorm and booked her a cab to go. Please note it was a populated metropolitan square with 500-600 people passing by and not some dark road. Also I made sure she sat in her cab and went home. I came back and didn't wanted to talk with her. I had to go back to my hometown for further treatment, but it had gotten worse and was admitted again. She had her exams so I never bothered her with details but I had to take high dose multi vitamin injections which were painful as bullet and of wrongly administered can cause extreme pain. And unfortunately one time it got wrongly administered and I had screaming pain, also it was her last day of exams so I just messaged her call immediately after exam which was approx at 3-4 PM. She said ok but didn't text until 7-8 PM. I asked where she was, she just said she was hanging out with friends and came back now and I being in pain said things like, when you will suffer same and your loved one will ignore you, you will understand and blocked her. After a few days I contacted back and never ever I had seen her talk the way she was talking. Extreme rude, careless and right up saying I don't want you. Your illness causes all pain.
I was devastated and tried apologising and making up. She was firm and wasn't budging. This went for few days and she ended up telling she has been going out with some guy, just 2 of them. She admitted it's just friends and nothing else. It was hurtful and cause my IBS to worsen, I was admitted back at 3 AM crying and crying.
I remember , on her birthday I had planned whole day out. Movies, parks, restaurant and various surprises, but she being introvert and lazy chose to stay home with me and order in. And now being so excited to go out with him was shocking for me. Also she started playing video games which she never had interest when I used to tell her to join me.
Also she used to waste a lot of time on social media and YouTube resulting in no studies. I advised her to delete social media to focus on studies. Which used to cause fights. I myself never had any social media except Reddit.
A few things to consider:
She has extreme high temper
She does extreme overthinking
Also always assumes I blame her for everything
And most importantantly, she thinks she is the only one with problems in whole world and other's problems are menial
I got back to the city and tried visiting her, calling her but she didn't wanted to meet. I literally felt my soul leaving my body. Shivering, crying, sleepless nights, and when slept, nightmares. Even had panic attacks and everything. I texted her million times apologising, begging her, literally*
But she just was straight up rude.
I finally planned a big surprise. I cooked burgers for her and her friends from scratch. Drew a drawing of her. Sang her favorite song as well as a self written song begging her to dont let me go or else I will die. Letter explaining my love to her, as well as promise to change according to her. Follow everything she says, never say hurtful stuff, and never do anything she doesn't like. Completely change myself. Also added a bouquet and some care stuff and sent to her yesterday. She said all this was mental torture for her. And she didn't wanted to meet at all. I was deeply upset and just ended up saying suicidal things and went away. Even ended up cutting myself on hand a bit. But she ended up coming to meet me but straight up said I don't want her. She has lost all love for me and never ever want me in my life ever again. And left.
I have been crying all night and even had 2 panic attacks.
Please note:
My behavior was main reason as well:
As I mention I am Bipolar, I used to end up blocking her for days on end just to avoid me saying anything hurtful to her.
I once in my depressive episodes ended up contacting her toxic friend and telling her some of the things, which she ended up telling everyone in their college completely destroying my partner's image which I regret a lot.
Also my female best friend, I used to tell her everything (nothing intimate... But sharing appropriate things) and my partner used to hate it. I stopped doing that immediately but she held a grudge till now.
And I ended up involving a lot of people in this because she had blocked me everywhere and I was desperate for someone to convince to meet me in person and talk it out.
This has been like a truck smashing my out of nowhere and I can't recover at all. Especially with no one to talk and just crying and crying.
People who went through first heartbreaks, or whom you thought was your the one, literally planned entire life with that person, please help me get through this.
2024.04.29 06:02 AutoModerator [Weekly Megathread] FREQUENT Feedback / Requests / Suggestions
UPDATE: reordered the list a bit for better overview. Fixed issues will now appear at the bottom of a specific list for better readability.
========================================
We are a Fan subreddit, and not run by Blizzard, but the devs and CM's are frequently reading feedback from all sources, including reddit.
Many people come here to give feedback, which is welcome, but since some of the feedback is given very frequently, we compile this frequently given/posted feedback / requests / suggestions from players on specific issues in this weekly updated and reoccurring thread here to not bloat up the subreddit and people feed with it.
We will redirect most new threads about issues / feedback that are about below listed topics, to this weekly thread, to keep the subreddit better readable, while also keeping these issues highlighted as things the community is concerned about.
The list of these issues / topics is posted below and will be adjusted (when necessary) every week.
========================================
Things that have been fixed or otherwise solves or addressed will be crossed outlike this.
This also proved a good overview of which issues have already been adderesed / fixed / etc.
--- List of Feedback / Requests / Complaints that are frequently posted on the subreddit ---
UI
Stash
Items
Legendary Aspects
Artisans and Crafting
Balance (Combat)
Mount
Leveling / Campaign / Dungeons / Endgame / Uberbosses
Season Specific
Technical & Bugs
Other Quality of Life
Other
Recent additions to the list
Tell us in the comments and discuss with other about which topics you think should be on this list to be highlighted, and why!
That helps us to update the list for next week.
submitted by AutoModerator to diablo4 [link] [comments]
========================================
We are a Fan subreddit, and not run by Blizzard, but the devs and CM's are frequently reading feedback from all sources, including reddit.
Many people come here to give feedback, which is welcome, but since some of the feedback is given very frequently, we compile this frequently given/posted feedback / requests / suggestions from players on specific issues in this weekly updated and reoccurring thread here to not bloat up the subreddit and people feed with it.
We will redirect most new threads about issues / feedback that are about below listed topics, to this weekly thread, to keep the subreddit better readable, while also keeping these issues highlighted as things the community is concerned about.
The list of these issues / topics is posted below and will be adjusted (when necessary) every week.
========================================
Things that have been fixed or otherwise solves or addressed will be crossed out
This also proved a good overview of which issues have already been adderesed / fixed / etc.
--- List of Feedback / Requests / Complaints that are frequently posted on the subreddit ---
UI
- fix Typos in Item Tooltips and Text Boxes
- more than 100% completion in the Codex (or similar things) being displayed
- Requirements not met on Paragon Nodes
- Pathfinding Issues on the Map
- an Overlay Map (similar to Diablo 2)
- improved Chat / more QoL Features for Chat [solution suggested by a redditor]
- option to hide UI
- additional infos displayed on Clan Members and Friends
- an UI Indicator for when Resource XYZ is above ## (based on certain effects, e.g. from Passives or Aspects)
- INDIRECTLY ADRESSED (Season 4 Patch): additional Visual Indicators for Uniques and Legendaries aside from the Color (e.g. a Star on the Item Image for Uniques) - Lategame Items with Greater Affixes now have Roman Numerals behind them as a Visual Indicator
- INDIRECTLY ADRESSED (Season 4 Patch): Lootfilter and/or Salvage Filter - Rare Items now only drop with up to 2 Affixes, while Legendaries drop with 3 Affixes + Items with Greater Affixes on them have Roman Numerals behind them)
Add search to titles / Aspects / etc(added in Season 4 Patch to the New Codex System)a regular, consistent Order in which the Affixes on Item Tooltips are appearing / being displayedoption to mark Items for 'Keep' instead of marking them as 'Junk'separate Gem Tab(instead of gems, Gem Shard will drop now, which are a Crafitng Material from which you can craft gems. These Gem Shards will be stored in the Crafting Materials Tab) [alternative solution suggested by a redditor]fix the issue of flickering item tooltips when comparing items
Stash
- A few Private Stash Tabs for each Character (in addition to the Shared Stash Tabs)
Move all Aspects into the Codex to free up space in the Inventory and the Stash(Season 4 Patch)Search Function in the StashAdditional 'Sort Functions' in the Stash and Inventory,e.g.: HighestLowest Item Level, WhiteMagicRareLegendary... within the same Weapon/Armor Piece, etcSort Function should group same Aspects together
Items
- additional Affixes for the 'Razorplate' Unique Chest Armor (people often think its bugged)
- an improved Icon for Affixes that were re-rolled / enchanted, so that it better stands out
- partially / indirectly addressed: Gems are not worth picking up anymore at a certain point EDIT:
partially/indirectly addressed- has been somewhat addressed but not fixed by Gem Fragments now being picked up automatically) Gems not being interesting enough(Season 4 Patch with the Large Itemization Overhaul made the Bonuses on Gems less conditional, replaced a few Bonuses with others, and added Main Stat)Ancient Rare Items should not roll with only 3 Affixes(addressed in Season 4 Patch with the Itemization Overhaul, Rare Items)certain Affixes should not spawn as Normal Affixes on Items, but instead only on Passive Skills, Magic & Rare Paragon Nodes, or as a 5'th or 6'th Bonus Affixes on Uniques (addressed in Season 4 Patch with the Itemization Overhaul)too many different forms of '#% Damage Increased Affixes' on Items /// less of these Affixes overall /// move many of these Affixes to Paragon / Passives / Uniques /// only up to # of these should roll on a single item[Large Discussion about this on the subreddit] (addressed in Season 4 Patch with the Itemization Overhaul)Below-Sacred Items should no longer in WT3 once a certain Character Level has been reached + Below-Sacred Items should not drop in WT4 at allThe amount of Sacred Items in WT4, should reduce the higher your Character Level gets.(increased) Minimum Item Power on higher Character Levelshigher drop chance for Uber Uniques(one of the reasons people give is that these items are often not just powerful, but also build defining, and hence should be obtainable in a season + "real Grail Items" should be "less mandatory")
Legendary Aspects
- relocating some Legendary Aspects to the Skill Tree (as Passive Skills or Skill-specific Upgrades) and/or the Paragon Board (as Magic, Rare and/or Legendary Passives)
Legendary Codex Aspects should be able to be upgraded over time (b/c it feels bad to hold on to good ones long periods of time)(Season 4 Patch)other Legendary Powers (that currently are not obtainable via Dungeons) should appear in the Codex once salvaged.(Season 4 Patch)some/many of the mid- and late game Legendary Aspects should appear in the Codex, once the Item / Aspects has been salvaged / found / extracted(Season 4 Patch)Resource Aspects (like the Aspect of Concentration, etc.) should occur more frequently(addressed in Season 4 Patch, since they are now stored forever in the Codex)certain Aspects should occur more frequently in general(addressed in Season 4 Patch, since they are now stored forever in the Codex)Sort Function in Stash should group same Aspects together
Artisans and Crafting
- Duplicate Affixes should not appear when Enchanting /// or +1 additional Roll when Enchanting.
- Increased Movement Speed in town (to more quickly maneuver between artisans)
-
- Salvaging "Glacial Fissure" Sigil should show a warning and could refund some materials
- "Salvage Filter", aka an option at the Blacksmith to salvage items that do not met individually assigned conditions (like 'Salvage all Items below Item Power ###' - where ### stands for a number the players can select themselves, and other conditions)
- some people want to keep the Gatehall from Season 3 (Season of the Construct) as a new (optional) HUB (a community discussion on that can be found here )
Artisans, Vendors, Stash, Wardrobe, Townportal, Waypoint,Purveyors of Curiosities,etc should be closer together in towns (suggestion / illustration by a redditor) (Purveyors of Curiosities have been moved closer to other vendors and more Stashes have been added in each town) (plus, in the Season 4 Patch, all Artisans are now closer to the Waypoint / Town Portal)...Hair Color / Style should be able to be changed in the WardrobeEnchanting Costs too high / Cap Enchanting Cost / slower ramp-up of re-crafting costs(Season 4 Patch improved this)list Elixiers in their own group (e.g. compile Weak Iron Bark, Strong Iron Bark, Heavy Iron Bark Elixir, etc into their own Drop Down Menu)a 'Sell All Button' / 'Sell All below-Sacred Items' / 'Sell All non-Ancestral Items Button'(with the upcoming changes this issue will no longer be relevant)option to mark Items for 'Keep' instead of marking them as 'Junk'option to 'Salvage all below-Sacred Items' + an option to 'Salvage all non-Ancestral Items'(with the upcoming changes this issue will no longer be relevant)
Balance (Combat)
- Skeletal Ballistas targeting Players from Off-Screen / dealing too much damage
- "fix" One-Shot-Mechanics
- Increased Base Movement Speed (at higher Character Levels / at Level 100 / +#% all ## Level)
- 2 Evade Charges from Level 1 (or at higher levels / or 2 from the start and +1 all ## Level)
rework the Suppressor Elite Affix(is reworked: now no longer is active permanently on an Elites and also drops when the Elite is Hard CC'ed)Limit / reduce CC in higher dungeon difficulties(lets see how this will turn out)
Mount
- additional Charges for the Mount (at higher Character Levels, as rewards, etc)
- let us use Mount Charges in Town (to more quickly maneuver between artisans, etc)
reduced Mount / Dismount CooldownsFaster Mount / longer SpurImprove Mount Maneuverability / Smoothness / getting stuck on minor obstaclesMount should break through Barricades
Leveling / Campaign / Dungeons / Endgame / Uberbosses
- Event Tracker List / UI
- let us fight Campaign Bosses again outside of the Campaign (maybe as additional Uberbosses or Worldbosses)
- fix the bug of Enemies spawning behind closed doors / gates, which prevents to open the gate in the first place
- immediately port us into a Nightmare Dungeon directly after a Nightmare Sigil has been activated
- make Nightmare Dungeon Icons easier to see / easier to re-find on the map
- endgame tree of whispers quests
- increased Drop Rates for Summoning Materials (to summon Uber Duriel, etc) - (some even suggest that Uber Duriel should not require any materials to summon, b/c you still have to fight him to have a small chance to get a Uber Unique)
- Uber Lilith boss fight should be improved, the attacks should be better visible and visually line up.
- some people suggest that Uber Duriel should be harder, while at the same time also drop more rewarding items or drop Uber Uniques more frequently.
- some people suggest that Items dropped by Uber Duriel should always have maxed Affixes
increased Mob Density during Helltides(Season 4 Patch)partially / indirectly addressedsome people request Cinders to 1) be account wide, 2) have no Cinder Penalty on death, and 3) persist to next Helltide... EDIT: has been partially/indirectly addressed by increasing the frequency of Helltides, but some people reported that this is not enoughsome players suggest / request to no longer hide Helltide Chest Icon on the Map, because it just redirects player traffic to 3'rd party websites(additional update in Patch 1.3.0: icons for Helltide Chest of Mysteries and Living Steel Chest have been updated to make them more visually distinctive from the other chest icons)increased frequency of Helltidesmore XP / Rewards for Side Quests / Whispers / Overworld Events / Helltides / PvPBetter Notifications (in Chat and or "Popup Notifications") for Worldbosses, Legion Events, etc.let us teleport directly into a Nightmare Dungeon"something to do" in the Endgame aside from Uber-Lilith(e.g. additional Uberbosses, Uber Events, Uber Challenges, etc)(lets see how this will work once implemented)Uber Lilith should have a (noticeable) increased Chance to drop Uber Uniques(Uber Bosses will now have higher chances for Uber Uniques)
Season Specific
- Minor Bug: Season 2 Materials are still dropping in Season 3
- Season 3 (partially addressed, but overall noticeably improved) -
requests for improving the Season Mechanics, Traps, Rewards, the Companion, etc- has been quickly addressed via numerous adjustments (Season 2 issue) fix the issue where Potent Blood is dropping within a fountain, making it impossible picking it up
Technical & Bugs
- general request: reduce Lag / Stutter
- keep an instance of a Nightmare Dungeon open for ~5 minutes after disconnect
- bug of characters getting stuck / floating in various ways under certain conditions
the camera should be zoomed out more by default (or as an option)(Season 4 Patch)fix the GPU Memory Leak Issueimprovements and Bug Fixes to Living Steel Chests (many users request less Cinders to open them and/or them dropping more Living Steel)
Other Quality of Life
- Respawn Point in Dungeon closer to the place of death
- the 'Scroll of Amnesia' should be able to be bought from a vendor for a reasonable price. Some additional suggestions: Scroll of Amnesia should be regularly granted when reaching certain levels. One Scroll for Paragon-only, one for Skill Points-only.
- Let us set the Townportal to a City of our choice.
- A way to save (a limited amount of) "Build Loadouts" (similar to D3's Wardrobe, but not as a replacement for D4's Wardrobe, but rather as an addition / extension)
- some ways to get at least smaller amounts of Platinum outside of purchasing something
- some people ask to keep the Gatehall from Season 3 (Season of the Construct) as a new (optional) HUB (a community discussion on that can be found here )
the camera should be zoomed out more by default (or as an option)(Season 4)Nightmare Sigils: put the level of enemies from a Nightmare Dungeon on the Nightmare Sigil(in Patch 1.3.x)improvements for Gold Trading on Console(in Patch 1.3.0)WASD Movement(in Patch 1.3.0)Option to Refund All Paragon / a single board as a wholeallow to disable Combat Text
Other
- some form of ingame Looking for Group Feature [suggestion by a redditor]
- additional gender-specific Transmogs (especially for Male Sorcerer)
- additional Hairstlyes
- Event Tracker List / UI
Training Dummy- Training Dummy is there now, but some people also desire a DPS Meter on the DummyRenown Rework (for Seasons) / let 100% of Renown carry over to Season
Recent additions to the list
- updated for Season 4 Patch, which included the Large Itemization Overhaul (Codex Update, all Aspects in the Codex, Tempering, Masterworking, Increased Camera Zoom, Helltide Updates, new Artisan Placements, adjusted Gem Bonuses, etc)
Tell us in the comments and discuss with other about which topics you think should be on this list to be highlighted, and why!
That helps us to update the list for next week.
2024.04.29 04:17 Crispy_Carrot_67 2 years in. The pressure is suffocating. A letter to the most supportive GF in the world.
I'm male 32, she is female 32. Open to feedback or thoughts.
My love,
I'm writing this now to try to capture how I'm feeling, as I'm feeling it right now. I meant what I said last night, that it is a miracle someone like you can exist in this world. I've never met anyone as generous, humble, giving, supportive, pure, honest, as you. You are so special, beautiful outside and in. I love our life and our routine. I could easily continue. Exploring the two of us, hanging with friends, traveling, gives me so much joy. And the warmth, strength, and comfort you have provided me in a very difficult time in my life has been an incredible gift and privilege.
You deserve so much joy and happiness. I can't bear to watch your pain. You don't deserve it. I don't know if I'm ready for marriage. I don't know if I'm ready to move in, to actually plan a life with another person. It feels too big. My life is a confused, unstable experiment. My business is unpredictable. Will I have a [specific art] career? Is a [specific art] career even possible anymore? Is [my start up] a real thing? Can it ever be? I'm not suffering, but I am aware that I haven't made a single dollar in almost the entire time we've been together. OK, more than a single dollar, but not a living I should make to be able to give a real life long commitment to anyone. People say, "You'll figure it out as you go," but that seems horribly selfish and terribly stressful. It's not fair, I can't ask you or anyone to take this risk with me, not until I know I can support the lifestyle I want to provide and the future I want to give.
I know how this middle space is hurting you. Last night, at dinner, all the girls were talking about dream wedding locations and I could feel your sadness. It kills me. You don't deserve to feel that way. As someone who loves you, I can't bear to see you tortured like this. You told me you want your father to walk you down the aisle. You deserve that. He deserves that. I can't be putting that at risk. I also think it would be also wrong to push this before it was time. Asking you to be more committed when my future feels so up in the air feels wrong too. I have to leave [our city]. I know I need a change. Maybe not forever, but for a year or so. I've been here too long. My industry is in shambles, and I feel like if I'm going to have a chance, even the slim chance it already is, I have to see what is possible in [another city]. It may be for nothing, but I have to know for sure.
I love you so much. I truly hope and pray we can be in each other's lives forever. We have a loving, touchy, sexy, romantic relationship. We also have a deep and secure friendship that manifests in other ways, our talks, our dinners, our tennis games, our belief and support for one another. If we aren't together I know things will change, but the most precious and deepest parts of our relationship can endure, and deepen, and grow. I want this to be a lifelong connection. My mom cares so much about you, I think your parents care about me too. I care a LOT about them.
A huge part of me feels dumb for not leading the charge to more commitment, because of how special you are and how beautiful our relationship is. I think we could endure so much. But I feel bad asking you to be more serious with me when so much is unfigured out about my journey. Maybe in three or six months things will be different. Maybe it will take more than that. But this current no-man-zone is hurting us both so much and I can't bear to hurt you. You are an angel, a miracle, a pure creature who deserves not to be made to feel unwanted or unloved.
Taking a break is the hardest thing I think I can do. It will be awful. Not snuggling with you, or laughing with you will break my heart. But continuing like this feels unbearable, knowing the pain I am causing. Knowing what you deserve. I hope I can give that to you one day. I know that if it is meant to be, it will be.
The stress of my career has caused me to be less than the partner that you deserve. I have been agitated, short tempered, distant, depressed, and rude. I have been hyper focused on my job, my own pressures, and have been less than the boyfriend I want to be. The stress of our situation has also caused me to do and say things I later regret, and don't reflect the person I want to consider myself as. I feel like I need a moment to recenter myself. To get a hold of myself, and get my mind right. I don't feel healthy and strong the way I want to, when dating someone. You deserve the best of me, the best of anyone.
I can't bear to think about not being together, not knowing that I'll be seeing you tomorrow or another day soon for certain. that we have a date night or a weekend trip just around the corner. I am worried I may spiral into a depression that dwarfs whatever I am experiencing now. That's why I hope if we do take a break, it is a break, a pause, a moment to check in with ourselves and smartly consider what we want. In a perfect world, maybe we could continue to see each other or slowly take steps back. I don't know, that may be counter-productive. I love you so much. You are my piece of mind, you are my breath of fresh air, my break from the stress and discomfort of the world. I value you so fucking much. I don't know what the right thing to do is. I hope whatever happens we stay close, stay in each other's lives as deeply as we can, and always keep the road clear for finding the way back to each other in a romantic way, if that's what's meant to be.
I love you forever.
James
submitted by Crispy_Carrot_67 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]
My love,
I'm writing this now to try to capture how I'm feeling, as I'm feeling it right now. I meant what I said last night, that it is a miracle someone like you can exist in this world. I've never met anyone as generous, humble, giving, supportive, pure, honest, as you. You are so special, beautiful outside and in. I love our life and our routine. I could easily continue. Exploring the two of us, hanging with friends, traveling, gives me so much joy. And the warmth, strength, and comfort you have provided me in a very difficult time in my life has been an incredible gift and privilege.
You deserve so much joy and happiness. I can't bear to watch your pain. You don't deserve it. I don't know if I'm ready for marriage. I don't know if I'm ready to move in, to actually plan a life with another person. It feels too big. My life is a confused, unstable experiment. My business is unpredictable. Will I have a [specific art] career? Is a [specific art] career even possible anymore? Is [my start up] a real thing? Can it ever be? I'm not suffering, but I am aware that I haven't made a single dollar in almost the entire time we've been together. OK, more than a single dollar, but not a living I should make to be able to give a real life long commitment to anyone. People say, "You'll figure it out as you go," but that seems horribly selfish and terribly stressful. It's not fair, I can't ask you or anyone to take this risk with me, not until I know I can support the lifestyle I want to provide and the future I want to give.
I know how this middle space is hurting you. Last night, at dinner, all the girls were talking about dream wedding locations and I could feel your sadness. It kills me. You don't deserve to feel that way. As someone who loves you, I can't bear to see you tortured like this. You told me you want your father to walk you down the aisle. You deserve that. He deserves that. I can't be putting that at risk. I also think it would be also wrong to push this before it was time. Asking you to be more committed when my future feels so up in the air feels wrong too. I have to leave [our city]. I know I need a change. Maybe not forever, but for a year or so. I've been here too long. My industry is in shambles, and I feel like if I'm going to have a chance, even the slim chance it already is, I have to see what is possible in [another city]. It may be for nothing, but I have to know for sure.
I love you so much. I truly hope and pray we can be in each other's lives forever. We have a loving, touchy, sexy, romantic relationship. We also have a deep and secure friendship that manifests in other ways, our talks, our dinners, our tennis games, our belief and support for one another. If we aren't together I know things will change, but the most precious and deepest parts of our relationship can endure, and deepen, and grow. I want this to be a lifelong connection. My mom cares so much about you, I think your parents care about me too. I care a LOT about them.
A huge part of me feels dumb for not leading the charge to more commitment, because of how special you are and how beautiful our relationship is. I think we could endure so much. But I feel bad asking you to be more serious with me when so much is unfigured out about my journey. Maybe in three or six months things will be different. Maybe it will take more than that. But this current no-man-zone is hurting us both so much and I can't bear to hurt you. You are an angel, a miracle, a pure creature who deserves not to be made to feel unwanted or unloved.
Taking a break is the hardest thing I think I can do. It will be awful. Not snuggling with you, or laughing with you will break my heart. But continuing like this feels unbearable, knowing the pain I am causing. Knowing what you deserve. I hope I can give that to you one day. I know that if it is meant to be, it will be.
The stress of my career has caused me to be less than the partner that you deserve. I have been agitated, short tempered, distant, depressed, and rude. I have been hyper focused on my job, my own pressures, and have been less than the boyfriend I want to be. The stress of our situation has also caused me to do and say things I later regret, and don't reflect the person I want to consider myself as. I feel like I need a moment to recenter myself. To get a hold of myself, and get my mind right. I don't feel healthy and strong the way I want to, when dating someone. You deserve the best of me, the best of anyone.
I can't bear to think about not being together, not knowing that I'll be seeing you tomorrow or another day soon for certain. that we have a date night or a weekend trip just around the corner. I am worried I may spiral into a depression that dwarfs whatever I am experiencing now. That's why I hope if we do take a break, it is a break, a pause, a moment to check in with ourselves and smartly consider what we want. In a perfect world, maybe we could continue to see each other or slowly take steps back. I don't know, that may be counter-productive. I love you so much. You are my piece of mind, you are my breath of fresh air, my break from the stress and discomfort of the world. I value you so fucking much. I don't know what the right thing to do is. I hope whatever happens we stay close, stay in each other's lives as deeply as we can, and always keep the road clear for finding the way back to each other in a romantic way, if that's what's meant to be.
I love you forever.
James
2024.04.29 04:14 SicarioMonarch [A4A] To Touch the Sky and Beyond
It has been nearly 33 years since that fateful day, when the aliens invaded the Earth. Of course, no one believed that such a thing even occurred as the invasion 'began' in Antarctica. Not over a populous city like Los Angeles or London as one would have expected. Rather, it was there in the furthest point from any human settlements on the frozen continent, they came through a massive wormhole. The frenzy that followed throughout the world is as one would expect. A massive wave of panic and hysteria but then coordination, planning, and then a counterattack. The various nations of the world unite in their pursuit of ridding the aliens from the Earth. Pushed back that they did, but the wormhole remains in Antarctica, not shut down by the invading the aliens.
Admittedly, no one quite remembers who it was that would crossed that threshold, to enter it. But the reports that came afterword seem almost... fairy-like. Rather than it being connected to deep space as some imagined, it led to a planet. A planet that has an earth-like atmosphere, gravity, temperate. A whole new star system, connected to Earth with a world very much like it. An untapped place full of resources, living space, everything that Earth so desperately needed. Yet those aliens, retreated through that portal, it is their homeland. An expedition to the planet, now renamed as Aurora, began. To drive the enemy, the Greys, off of Aurora.
Yet, as it has been for the last 33 years, it has been largely a stalemate war. Humans would introduce a new technology, the Greys would counteract it, which then forces humans to devise a new way to counteract that. A back and forth for a whole 33 years. A constant air war weaves throughout the skies of Aurora, their white contrails etching into the canvas of the pale green sky.
Yet, for everything, a new age of warfare is about to begin, headed upon a rather particular... machine intelligence.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Salutations to you fair folks. I hope you are doing well on this particular day/night. I have come with a particular idea, largely influenced by one of my favorite SF works of all time. You get a cookie if you know what the series that I am taking this from. Anyway, this is a largely open-ended prompt but I believe that it can add with enough wiggle for us to expand to play this out. In short, I am looking to do a military/war-drama style roleplay. Now, I might have worded it poorly than I like to, but I am looking for a someone that wants to play as an artificial intelligence character. You and I will both be playing as a sort of GMs as we weave through the world while controlling our two main characters.
Within the setting itself, that is also largely open to change as well. For the sake of simplicity, the roleplay will take place in 2057, exactly 33 years from today. That'll give us the room to come up with various ideas, concepts, weaponry, etc. However, we can change the setting around if you wish. Perhaps make it near future (or exactly contemporary) and staying largely on Earth itself. However, it is the core concept of man and machine coming together that I want to keep regardless.
As said, the genre will be military/war-drama, but I would be open if you want to include some others as well. Want the AI to gain an artificial body and have it cross into romance? Sure.
I believe this is where I'll leave things off for right now. Please note that I am looking for someone that is serious in this roleplay. I am looking for those that are literate that can write multiple paragraphs. Also note that I am open to taking this over to another platform like Discord, but if we're staying on Reddit, I heavily request that you send a PM message rather than using chat. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon.
submitted by SicarioMonarch to Roleplay [link] [comments]
Admittedly, no one quite remembers who it was that would crossed that threshold, to enter it. But the reports that came afterword seem almost... fairy-like. Rather than it being connected to deep space as some imagined, it led to a planet. A planet that has an earth-like atmosphere, gravity, temperate. A whole new star system, connected to Earth with a world very much like it. An untapped place full of resources, living space, everything that Earth so desperately needed. Yet those aliens, retreated through that portal, it is their homeland. An expedition to the planet, now renamed as Aurora, began. To drive the enemy, the Greys, off of Aurora.
Yet, as it has been for the last 33 years, it has been largely a stalemate war. Humans would introduce a new technology, the Greys would counteract it, which then forces humans to devise a new way to counteract that. A back and forth for a whole 33 years. A constant air war weaves throughout the skies of Aurora, their white contrails etching into the canvas of the pale green sky.
Yet, for everything, a new age of warfare is about to begin, headed upon a rather particular... machine intelligence.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Salutations to you fair folks. I hope you are doing well on this particular day/night. I have come with a particular idea, largely influenced by one of my favorite SF works of all time. You get a cookie if you know what the series that I am taking this from. Anyway, this is a largely open-ended prompt but I believe that it can add with enough wiggle for us to expand to play this out. In short, I am looking to do a military/war-drama style roleplay. Now, I might have worded it poorly than I like to, but I am looking for a someone that wants to play as an artificial intelligence character. You and I will both be playing as a sort of GMs as we weave through the world while controlling our two main characters.
Within the setting itself, that is also largely open to change as well. For the sake of simplicity, the roleplay will take place in 2057, exactly 33 years from today. That'll give us the room to come up with various ideas, concepts, weaponry, etc. However, we can change the setting around if you wish. Perhaps make it near future (or exactly contemporary) and staying largely on Earth itself. However, it is the core concept of man and machine coming together that I want to keep regardless.
As said, the genre will be military/war-drama, but I would be open if you want to include some others as well. Want the AI to gain an artificial body and have it cross into romance? Sure.
I believe this is where I'll leave things off for right now. Please note that I am looking for someone that is serious in this roleplay. I am looking for those that are literate that can write multiple paragraphs. Also note that I am open to taking this over to another platform like Discord, but if we're staying on Reddit, I heavily request that you send a PM message rather than using chat. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon.
2024.04.28 19:06 UnusualAd8768 Reposting again
Giving this a shot
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Height and Weight: 5 feet 4 inches and 54 kgs
Marital status: Single
Education: MBBS
Profession: Medicine
Hobbies: I love reading. I like the realism genre in literature a lot. Like I am that kind of person who has to read for at least fifteen minutes before going to sleep. Moreover, I am into movies. There was a time I could watch three movies back to back. Rom-coms and psychological thriller are my favourite genres.
Do you want kids? Yes, Inshaa Allah. But I understand the fact that having kids is a huge responsibility and want my partner to understand the very same thing. You need to be mentally prepared and have to work on yourself before welcoming a kid in your life.
Religion: I will call myself moderately religious. I pray five times a day and read Quran with translation daily. I am of the view that religion gives meaning and stability to your life.
Deal Breakers: Smoker, atheist, short tempered, doesn’t care about his fitness, financially irresponsible.
Interesting facts about you: I don’t feel like these are interesting as such but I am that kinda person who can get out of her comfort zone for having fun. I am never tired when it comes to outing and travelling. I love long walks to such an extent that I hope that jannah is a walkable city. And I am an amazing listener with a strong memory. I will remember the smallest details about you.
City: Lahore but wanna relocate to US since I want to go for the USMLE route
Residence: Own
I will prefer a nuclear family since I have always lived in one.
Requirements: It is not a top requirement as such but I will prefer someone who is from the same profession as I am since our goals will be same that way. If he is from another field but our plans and personalities match, I got zero problem.
Expectations from Partner: Someone who is on their deen and understands that a man has to be the leader of the house. Someone who doesn’t bottle up his emotions and communicates easily. Someone who respects the fact that I am also an individual outside this relationship.
Timeframe: 2025. I am in favor of making things official as soon as we both are sure of each other
submitted by UnusualAd8768 to PakistanRishta [link] [comments]
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Height and Weight: 5 feet 4 inches and 54 kgs
Marital status: Single
Education: MBBS
Profession: Medicine
Hobbies: I love reading. I like the realism genre in literature a lot. Like I am that kind of person who has to read for at least fifteen minutes before going to sleep. Moreover, I am into movies. There was a time I could watch three movies back to back. Rom-coms and psychological thriller are my favourite genres.
Do you want kids? Yes, Inshaa Allah. But I understand the fact that having kids is a huge responsibility and want my partner to understand the very same thing. You need to be mentally prepared and have to work on yourself before welcoming a kid in your life.
Religion: I will call myself moderately religious. I pray five times a day and read Quran with translation daily. I am of the view that religion gives meaning and stability to your life.
Deal Breakers: Smoker, atheist, short tempered, doesn’t care about his fitness, financially irresponsible.
Interesting facts about you: I don’t feel like these are interesting as such but I am that kinda person who can get out of her comfort zone for having fun. I am never tired when it comes to outing and travelling. I love long walks to such an extent that I hope that jannah is a walkable city. And I am an amazing listener with a strong memory. I will remember the smallest details about you.
City: Lahore but wanna relocate to US since I want to go for the USMLE route
Residence: Own
I will prefer a nuclear family since I have always lived in one.
Requirements: It is not a top requirement as such but I will prefer someone who is from the same profession as I am since our goals will be same that way. If he is from another field but our plans and personalities match, I got zero problem.
Expectations from Partner: Someone who is on their deen and understands that a man has to be the leader of the house. Someone who doesn’t bottle up his emotions and communicates easily. Someone who respects the fact that I am also an individual outside this relationship.
Timeframe: 2025. I am in favor of making things official as soon as we both are sure of each other
2024.04.28 17:25 troika_vodka 29 [M4F] Bangalore / Mysore Looking for a relationship that leads to a lifelong marriage.
I have written here before and got close last time. This is likely to be my last post here.
I am 29, M, old school romantic. I am looking for a long-term relationship with a monogamous, childfree Indian woman (between 25 and 32) that eventually leads to a wedding.
I am an introvert, I can be initially awkward, but I am gentle. My life has been a roller coaster ride so far. Although I have a decent job now, I had a difficult journey due to an unconventional career choice. Currently, I work as a Strategy consultant in Bangalore.
To describe my appearance, I am tall (6' 2"), slightly fair, and wear spectacles. I am a teetotaler and non-smoker. I take care of my health and fitness. However, I have terrible dressing sense (hopefully, my partner can fix that).
I am looking for an independent woman with a specific set of values.
Empathy: Empathy towards fellow human beings and animals is important to me. My partner should be gentle and sensitive to ensure her actions/speech don't cause suffering.
Calmness: I am looking for a calm and patient partner. I cannot live with a short-tempered person. I am sensitive and take some time to recover mentally if there is a verbal argument/anger outburst.
Honesty
Loyalty
I would appreciate an old-school relationship where two people support each other in their personal, and professional growth and stay together with firm loyalty. I would prefer a gentle person who has been humbled by life, someone who appreciates the value of little things and who is not afraid of being vulnerable.
I want a relationship where values, interests, and goals mostly align. However, I want my partner to be capable of intellectually and ethically challenging me when I'm wrong. I don't care about my partner's salary, wealth, religion/caste/language as long as our values align. I need to look up to my partner morally to sustain the relationship, and this mental attraction is important to me.
Interests:
I'm mostly an indoor person and my interests are Cinema, books and football. I'm a cinephile and my favourite genre is psychological thriller. So, yes, I can talk a lot about movies, characters and themes. I don't travel much, but this can change if travelling makes my partner happy.
I'm mostly apolitical and my views can seem liberal or conservative depending on the issue. So, if politics is really important to you, I'm probably not the right person. I'm religious, but I don't mind if my partner is an atheist/agnostic. I intend to settle in India (I am thinking about Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune or Mysore, but I have an open mind to any Indian city in the south of Vindhyas) and can shift to my partner's city if required. I can speak and write in English, Kannada and Hindi, manage basic conversations in Tamil and currently learning Marathi. I'm fine with the occasional consumption of alcohol, but smoking and consumption of drugs are deal breakers for me.
I love serious conversations and can seem formal initially. Well, even my best friends complain that I speak/text formally. I am comfortable with humour when I feel there is a strong connection. I have multiple voices and one of them can be literally used as a voice for a monster in films. So, I have warned you already.
I have attached my pictures here: https://tinyurl.com/2j5j4s3a
If you are interested and don't have emotional baggage from your previous relationship(s), please send a DM.
submitted by troika_vodka to ChildfreeIndia [link] [comments]
I am 29, M, old school romantic. I am looking for a long-term relationship with a monogamous, childfree Indian woman (between 25 and 32) that eventually leads to a wedding.
I am an introvert, I can be initially awkward, but I am gentle. My life has been a roller coaster ride so far. Although I have a decent job now, I had a difficult journey due to an unconventional career choice. Currently, I work as a Strategy consultant in Bangalore.
To describe my appearance, I am tall (6' 2"), slightly fair, and wear spectacles. I am a teetotaler and non-smoker. I take care of my health and fitness. However, I have terrible dressing sense (hopefully, my partner can fix that).
I am looking for an independent woman with a specific set of values.
Empathy: Empathy towards fellow human beings and animals is important to me. My partner should be gentle and sensitive to ensure her actions/speech don't cause suffering.
Calmness: I am looking for a calm and patient partner. I cannot live with a short-tempered person. I am sensitive and take some time to recover mentally if there is a verbal argument/anger outburst.
Honesty
Loyalty
I would appreciate an old-school relationship where two people support each other in their personal, and professional growth and stay together with firm loyalty. I would prefer a gentle person who has been humbled by life, someone who appreciates the value of little things and who is not afraid of being vulnerable.
I want a relationship where values, interests, and goals mostly align. However, I want my partner to be capable of intellectually and ethically challenging me when I'm wrong. I don't care about my partner's salary, wealth, religion/caste/language as long as our values align. I need to look up to my partner morally to sustain the relationship, and this mental attraction is important to me.
Interests:
I'm mostly an indoor person and my interests are Cinema, books and football. I'm a cinephile and my favourite genre is psychological thriller. So, yes, I can talk a lot about movies, characters and themes. I don't travel much, but this can change if travelling makes my partner happy.
I'm mostly apolitical and my views can seem liberal or conservative depending on the issue. So, if politics is really important to you, I'm probably not the right person. I'm religious, but I don't mind if my partner is an atheist/agnostic. I intend to settle in India (I am thinking about Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune or Mysore, but I have an open mind to any Indian city in the south of Vindhyas) and can shift to my partner's city if required. I can speak and write in English, Kannada and Hindi, manage basic conversations in Tamil and currently learning Marathi. I'm fine with the occasional consumption of alcohol, but smoking and consumption of drugs are deal breakers for me.
I love serious conversations and can seem formal initially. Well, even my best friends complain that I speak/text formally. I am comfortable with humour when I feel there is a strong connection. I have multiple voices and one of them can be literally used as a voice for a monster in films. So, I have warned you already.
I have attached my pictures here: https://tinyurl.com/2j5j4s3a
If you are interested and don't have emotional baggage from your previous relationship(s), please send a DM.
2024.04.28 15:28 Legitimate_Day7581 Fog issue with ENB
 | i did not find a way to make the fog stop following the camera view (moving with my view movement ) and also the fog only appears when i'm outside of building inside of it it just disapear in a very ugly way ( when i say interior i don't mean entering with loading i mean open building with interior to explore here are the screen submitted by Legitimate_Day7581 to Fallout4Mods [link] [comments] screen before going outside of the little open building no fog at all : https://preview.redd.it/2cfv65uk28xc1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95351a8715addff4d0145ed5eff632952a6ac63f screen when outside fog appear and follow the camera https://preview.redd.it/uylo9a6l28xc1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6014bef2243471d800c4859c550665b7b1d2b749 here is the full mod orderlist : # This file was automatically generated by Mod Organizer. Fallout4.esm DLCRobot.esm DLCworkshop01.esm DLCCoast.esm DLCworkshop02.esm DLCworkshop03.esm DLCNukaWorld.esm BakaFramework.esm WorkshopFramework.esm Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.esp spacefiddle_Follower-Stealth-Distance-Fixes.esp CanarySaveFileMonitor.esl RAW INPUT.esp LooksMenu.esp LooksMenu Customization Compendium.esp Merged Fixes.esp CBBE.esp LIF.esl SanctuaryNoDog.esl HUDFramework.esm ArmorKeywords.esm ArmorKeywords_Patch_INNR_UFO4P.esp XDI.esm No_BloodWorm_MoleRats_Scorpion_Teleport-BugFix.esp Gas Masks of the Wasteland.esp Gas Mask ArmorKeywords.esp Gas Mask Hardcore Drop Rate.esp Gas Mask NPC.esp M8rDisablePipboyEffects.esp There It Is x Minimalist.esp Unused Map Markers - Cut Content Restored.esp Armorsmith Extended.esp Scopes.esp HighlightConsoleReference.esp Dank_ECO_DLCNukaWorld.esp Dank_ECO_DLCRobot.esp Dank_ECO-INNR.esp WorkshopFramework_ScriptOverride.esp Dank_ECO.esp Dank_ECO_DLCCoast.esp VaultOutfitPack.esl Mercenary.esp AWHD4KFull.esp nukaproject.esl Natural Landscapes.esl More Armor Slots - All Dlc.esp More armor slots.esp EvilViking13_PatchworkSanctuaryBridge.esp Live Action Handy.esp Lots More Male Hairstyles.esp Lots More Facial Hair.esp Lots More Female Hairstyles.esp Transit Sign HD.esp LC's UHD Skeleton Wardrobe.esp ImmersiveSupermutantsOrders.esp [A0] KT_Framework.esm HiPolyFacesCompanionPlugin.esl HiPolyFaces.esp Backpacks of the Commonwealth.esp Backpacks of the Commonwealth - INJECT.esp EferasShoulderBag.esp GlovesOfTheCommonwealth.esp GlovesOfTheCommonwealth_FR.esp Gloves of the Commonwealth - AWKCR Patch.esp Crafting Mastery - AE Patch.esp Crafting Mastery - Armor Keywords Patch.esp Crafting Mastery - Nuka Cola Collector Patch.esp Crafting Mastery.esp LoreFriendlySurvivalChems.esp eXoKTBoardGamesShelf.esp eXoKetarosLootableTreasures.esp Ketaros_Treasures.esp eXoKetarosPostCardRack.esp SkillBooks.esl New Bobbleheads.esl [C1] KT_DLC_BoardGames.esp Give Me That Bottle.esp CROSS_GoreCrits.esp CROSS_GoreCrits_FarHarborPatch.esp CROSS_ReducedLaserSmoke.esp CROSS_BreakActionLaser.esp WattzLaserGun.esp MercenaryCBBEPatch.esp DTG_LeveledListIntegration.esp GreaseRatGarbs.esp GreaseRatGarbs_RaiderPatch.esp GreaseRatGarbs_SettlerPatch.esp WestTekTacticalOptics-AWKCR.esp WestTekTacticalOptics.esp Tactical Flashlights - Settings.esp Tactical Flashlights.esp 4estGimp - WestTekTac_Injection.esp Munitions - An Ammo Expansion.esl Munitions - Reduced Ammo Patch.esp Munitions - Vanilla Ammo Addon.esl Dank_ECO-Munitions.esp Dank_ECO-Munitions_INNR.esp Munitions-Additional Ammo.esp VisibleWeapons.esp WeaponsOnBack Addon.esp 870_VWAS.esp AK74_VWAS.esp HAMR_VWAS.esp DefenseGun_VWAS.esp XM2076_VWAS.esp Friffy_Holstered Weapons.esp Holsters & sheaths.esp ConditionBoy.esp radmeter.esp SelectMarksman.esp NV_LMG.esp VanBuren_223.esp XR92_Rifle.esp SingleShotgun_ENG.esp HandmadeLeverActionSG.esp AK74M - AWKCR.esp AK74M.esp BattleRifle.esp Skb_RiflesRebirth.esp R91 - AWKCR-Compatibility.esp AVBMusket.esp AVBPipeGunsReplace.esp R91M.esp F4NVServiceRifleRedux.esp SigSauer127.esp Mosin.esp MosinNagant - AWKCR.esp M1911.esp PD_VisualReload.esp K9TacticalHarness.esp CAPA.esp DX Adventurer Outfit.esp Armored General by Hothtrooper44.esp DT_GunnerOutfitPack.esp SkibsWeapons-REDUX.esp PD_VReload_SkibsWeaponPackRedux.esp PD_VReload_M14.esp PD_VReload_AK74M.esp PD_VReload_DefenseGun.esp PD_VReload_M1Garand.esp PD_VReload_RaiderOverhaul.esp LAER Automatron Weapons.esp LAER-Armorsmith_Patch.esp LAER.esp DOOM1911.esp UniqueUniques.esp RadiumPistol.esp AlexMakarovPistol.esp 9x39Project.esp 9x39ProjectAWKCR.esp HandmadeAntiMaterielRifle.esl 870.esp Binoculars.esp Binoculars AWKCR Merged.esp F4NVServiceRifleRedux_Patch_Uniques.esp Yona_Weapon_DefenseGun.esp CWHuntingRifle.esl CorvalhoWidowShotgun.esp AVDelivererReplace.esp W.A.T.Minutemen.esp MilitarizedMinutemen.esp MilitarizedMinutemen-Horizon_PatchBlue.esp MilitarisedMinutemen_PatchesAddon.esp BLUE WATM-MilM Patch.esp M1Garand - AWKCR-VW.esp M1Garand.esp M14.esp RaiderOverhaul.esp 4estGimp - RO1 BoT 3Pack Injection.esp SuperMutantRedux.esp SuperMutantRedux_ArmorSmithExtended.esp 4estGimp - SuperMutantRedux_INNRs4FallUI.esp Synth Overhaul.esp CROSS_CoA.esp ImmersiveAnimationFramework.esp EveryonesBestFriend.esp Immersive Fallout - Movement (DLC).esp Immersive Fallout - Real Recoil (DLC).esp Immersive Fallout - Realistic ADS (DLC).esp Immersive Fallout - Realistic Jumping.esp Better Locational Damage - DLC_Automatron.esp Better Locational Damage - DLC_Far_Harbor.esp Better Locational Damage - DLC_Nuka_World.esp Better Locational Damage - DLC_WWorkshop.esp Better Locational Damage.esp Better Perks.esp BLD - Leveled Lists - DLC.esp 3dscopes-9x39project.esp 3dscopes-defensegun.esp 3dscopes-g67.esp 3dscopes-laer.esp 3dscopes-m14.esp 3dscopes-mosin.esp 3dscopes-R91M.esp 3dscopes-servicerifle.esp 3dscopes-wattz.esp 3dscopes.esp Better Explosives Redux.esp IAF - Far Harbor & Nuka World.esp NPCs Use Items.esp You Are Exceptional.esp YAE - Damage Nerf Patch v2k.esp MAIM Distributor.esp MAIM 2.esp MAIM 2 - Dismemberment Patch.esp MAIM 2 Fallout-fied.esp You Are Exceptional - MAIM 2 Patch.esp NPCs use MAIM Items.esp EAMR.esp whisperDelayDLC.esp DelayRoadToFreedom.esp Confidence_Man_Delayed.esp Special_Delivery_Delayed.esp Smoke-able Cigars.esp ImmersiveCovenantCompound.esp ConcordResurrected.esp Region Names on Save Files.esp SubwayRunnerRevised.esp AshlandStationSettlement.esp Ashland Station O - SubwayRunnerRevised.esp Atomic World.esp CF_AtomicWarlord.esp CF_AtomicWarlord_CBBE.esp CF_AtomicWarlordNoMod.esp SwampsEXPANDED.esp TrainBar.esp SalemEXPANDED.esp HagenEXPANDED.esp eXoKetarosLootableTreasures-HunkeredDown.esp ImmersiveHubCityAutoWreckers.esp ImmersiveV95.esp ImmersiveBeantown.esp Rsiyo'sLocationPack.esp InstituteJunkyard.esp BrainExplorerPack1.esp Commonwealth Underground and Forgotten Spaces2.0.esp TheSewers.esm DeadAirplane.esp UFOCrashSite.esp Commonwealth Improvements - Fort Strong.esp PlaneWreck.esp WildwoodCemeteryTombDungeon.esp SuperMutantRedux VIS Patch.esp Campsite.esp Journey.esp ALDP_TheCourtyard.esp Boston_Police_Department.esp GetDirty.esp GetDirty_NoCleanlinessPatchForCWSS.esp CWSS Redux.esp LessLoot - InsideJobs.esp Immersive Nahant.esp The Eyes Of Beauty.esp TheEyesOfBeauty.esp AzarPonytailHairstyles.esp MiscHairstyle.esp MoreBeards.esp MoreHairstyles4Female.esp MoreHairstyles4Male.esp Merged Appearance.esp MagsBlack.esp NastyNisha_AltVersion.esp NewFace_Settlers.esp KSHairdos.esp IWTinaDeLuca.esp SavrenX HD Vanilla Armor.esp Ghouls Revamped.esp AA Better Companions - No Conflicts.esp LC's UHD Bloatfly.esp LC's UHD Brahmin.esp LC's UHD Radroach.esp LC's UHD Gatorclaw.esp LC's UHD Mirelurk Queen.esp Nability - IAF DA-BLD-Agony Patch.esp Nability - IAF Tales from the Commonwealth Patch.esp OMEGA - IAF CoA Overhaul Patch.esp OMEGA - IAF GMTB Patch.esp MutantMenagerie.esm Mutant Menagerie LFAW CS.esp MutantMenagerie_BackwaterBeasts.esm MutantMenagerie_GrilledTurkey.esm detailedferalghouls.esp LC's UHD Feral Ghoul Apparel.esp mrp_PointLookoutOrderFix-DunwichBorers.esp D.E.C.A.Y.esp dD-Action Ragdoll Force.esp FO4 NPCs Travel.esp OMEGA - IAF BLD Patch.esp OMEGA - MutantMenagerie IAF Patch.esp OMEGA - MutantMenagerieFH IAF Patch.esp SettlementMenuManager.esp WorkshopRearranged.esp SKKMoveWorkshopMarkers.esp 155mm Howitzer M1.esp Leah's Memorials.esl Patched Roofs.esp BetterJunkFences.esp SalvageBeacons.esp ImmersiveTeleportation.esl ImmersiveTeleportationFIS.esp RealReadableBooks.esl SR_Settlement_Signs.esp SR_Settlement_Signs_Extended.esp SR_Settlement_Signs_Extended_Chained.esp SR_Settlement_Signs_Extended_Letters_and_Numbers.esp Static Objects and Buildings.esp VotWMaster.esm VotWSpecialVideos.esl TelevisionStationSet.esl VotWStarlightDriveIn.esp StandaloneWorkbenches.esl DCGuard_Overhaul-Workshop.esp VotWCells.esp VotWTheatre.esl WorkShopObjectPowerManagement.esp WorkshopPlus.esp Homemaker.esm DCGuard_Overhaul.esp Homemaker - Streetlights Use Passive Power.esp Homemaker - Unlocked Institute Objects.esp Showers.esl SolarPanelsMakeshift.esl CWPointLookoutFO4.esm CWPointLookoutFO4Patch.esl cVc Dead Wasteland 6 DLC.esp cVc Dead Wasteland 6 DLC2.esp cVc Dead Wasteland 6 DLC3.esp cVc Dead Wasteland 6.esp cVc Fishery.esp Eli_Display Shelves.esp Farming Resources.esp Graffity2ElectricBoogaloo.esp HoloDisplay.esp Lore Friendly Posters.esp More Scavenging Stations.esp OSHA_Signs.esp QuantumBox.esp Robot Home Defence.esp RRTV_MyFirstInfirmary.esp StandaloneWorkbenches.esp WorkingNCMachine.esp AutoDoors.esp cVc Dead Wasteland 6 AWKCR-VIS_Patch.esp nvvault1080.esp Molerat_Disease_Immunity_PA_Hazmat.esp The House.esp MaxwellsWorl.esp Moon Exploration.esp PD_LowerWeapon.esp lowered_weapons_lighting_patch.esp AnimatedCandles.esp Better Rugs.esp Ketaros_World.esp LC's UHD Fountain Statue.esp LC's UHD Kirby Head Statue.esp FO4 HD Overhaul Parallax.esp Not so RedRocket 4k retexture - It has been a long time.esp WoodReduxHD-BFTDTC-Patch.esp WoodReduxHD.esp No More Fake Puddles - Nuka World 1-0.esp PowerArmorImpactEffects.esp VeryZen_DarkCaves2k.esp dD-Enhanced Blood Basic.esp Merged Audio.esp Reverb and Ambiance Overhaul.esp Quieter Settlements - Contraptions.esp Quieter Settlements - Vanilla.esp Quieter Settlements - Wasteland Workshop.esp Realistic_conversations.esp OWR.esp OWR_CraftableDecor.esp OWR_CraftableDecor_CW.esp RAO - OWR patch.esp OWR2.esp OWR2_CraftableDecor.esp OWR2_CraftableDecor_CW.esp Thaylar Lighting 3.2 - Shadow.esp Thaylar Lighting 3.2 WorkshopRearranged Patch - Shadow.esp InsideJobs.esp InsideJobs_UFO4P.esp plenty 'o' exploration.esp DWUK_LexingtonInteriors.esp Immersive_Lexington.esp stumbleuponinteriors.esp TheMoleratTunnels.esm Computer Console illuminated.esp PPF-HeavyFlamer-CR.esm PPF-NeonFlats-CR.esm GoodneighborExpanded.esp RadioactiveSignsAIO.esl PPF.esm A Forest-Base Mod Patch.esp A Forest-Boston_Police_Department.esp A Forest-Immersive Lexington.esp A Forest-Fort Hope Revisited patch.esp A Forest-RynsFallout4.esp A Forest-Plenty O Exploration patch.esp A Forest-Vault 28 patch.esp Grasslands - Healthy.esp Better Landscape Grass.esp GAME.esp highwaysfix.esp CMRQL.esp WhoIsTheGeneral.esp Hunkered Down - No AtomCatsGarage.esp Hunkered Down-Settlements.esp DCGuard_Overhaul-DCEPatch.esp Stm_DiamondCityExpansion.esp CrimeTown.esp NAC.esp NAC-FH.esp NAC-NW.esp NAC-2287.esp NAC Gas Mask 2287 Updated Flags.esp NAC X Water LOD God Rays Fix.esp NAC-RemoveMenuItem.esp Nac X Fogline Fix.esp UltraExteriorLighting.esp UltraInteriorLighting_DarkerAmbience.esp UltraInteriorLighting.esp EnhancedLightsandFX.esp WET.esp Wetness Shader Fix.esp A Forest.esp ELFX-Hunkered Down.esp ELFX-PreVis.esp ELFX-TrainBar.esp ELFX-eXoPatch.esp ELFX-DCGuard_Overhaul.esp GoodneighborExpanded[Patch-Crimetown].esp GoodneighborExpanded[Patch-Previs].esp GoodneighborExpanded[Patch-PRP].esp PRP.esp PRP-Compat-PointLookout.esp Burst Impact Blast FX.esp Pip-Boy Flashlight.esp WestTekTacticalOptics_-_REACTOR_ENB_PATCH_1.1.esp |
2024.04.28 09:52 PerfectSociety Anarchy, Labor, and Ecology
In an anarchic social context, all labor would necessarily have to be purely voluntary (i.e. not coerced into being done by authority). If all labor is purely voluntary, it is unlikely that unpleasant labor (i.e. forms of labor which most people would struggle to find enjoyable) would be done on a large scale in a timely, consistent, regular basis. (I actually consider this a virtue, not a flaw, of anarchy.) Unpleasant labor includes (among other things) cleaning things, agriculture, waste management, mining, building maintenance/sedentary infrastructure maintenance, etc.
Because of this, a sustainable anarchy would have to be one that relies minimally on unpleasant labor and would have to be ecologically sound (i.e. that our ways of life under anarchy are ecologically regenerative rather than extractive). This would require that we:
(A) Obtain as much as possible of what we need from natural processes in ecosystems that operate without maintenance labor on our part, rather than producing man-made artificial alternatives to natural processes (which would inevitably have their own upkeep/maintenance requirements in terms of unpleasant labor). To do this, we will have to create the ecosystems necessary for a sustainable anarchy by rewilding various parts of the planet.
Possible Examples:
- Using bison to rewild north america and encouraging their population growth as part of the rewilding project. (Advantages: bison meat is relatively lean, mineral rich, and has a favorable taste; bison fur is extremely warm - the perfect coat for cold weather)
- Using camels to rewild various parts of south america, parts of north america, and parts of the world with desert or steppe areas. And encouraging their population growth as part of the rewilding project. (Advantages: Camel livers are vitamin and mineral rich; they can drink salt water to hydrate themselves, making them useful in areas with scarce water; low methane emissions; can be rode)
- Using goats to rewild various parts of the world. And encouraging their population growth as part of the rewilding project. (Advantages: Goats are highly versatile and can survive in a variety of biomes and altitudes; low methane emissions; browsing helps promote grassland formation, which will be increasingly important as a carbon sink given its relative resilience compared to forest in the context of global warming - see here: https://climatechange.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/grasslands-more-reliable-carbon-sink-than-trees)
**Note: Grazing and browsing activities from these animals can helps remove a lot of the aging crops from the ground, thus freeing the carbon and nitrogen sequestered to them. Then as the animals walk over the ground they’ve grazed/browsed, it pushes that carbon and nitrogen deeper where it can be used by seeds to stimulate the next round of plant growth. Animal feces also functions as fertilizer. Without this the carbon and nitrogen stays with the aging plants and more easily is eroded away compromising the quantity of topsoil in the land over time.
(B) Conduct our daily lives in a manner that is compatible with largely relying on natural processes from ecosystems (rather than relying largely on artificial man-made alternatives that fulfill a similar function but with a dependence on unpleasant labor).
Possible Examples:
- Using nomadic infrastructure (e.g. some kind of modern yurt-like structure for housing) rather than sedentary, fixed structures.
- Traveling as needed to always be in places where the weather is comfortable so as to eliminate the need for artificial climate control in our dwellings. There are many places where the weather is reliably comfortable without climate control (https://mnolangray.medium.com/cities-of-the-world-where-you-dont-need-ac-or-heat-mapped-2a3d6e018970). Obviously global warming will change the composition of this list over time, but there are likely to be places (perhaps different than the places that make up this list now) even in the future where the weather is reliably comfortable without climate control.
- Fulfill our nutritional needs largely by hunting and eating the animals (referenced above) that we used to rewild various parts of the planet. A few supplementary points on this example:
-------This will help minimize our reliance on agriculture and thus avoid another major source of unpleasant labor and our highly extractive, unsustainable use of soil. Please note that permaculture-based growing of plant food does not avoid the problem of unpleasant labor. Though the labor may be somewhat less monotonous and arguably more rewarding in some way, the reality is that permaculture requires a far higher amount of human labor for a similar amount of output than contemporary monoculture-based agricultural practices (which make use of capital equipment to a greater degree). Instead of relying on human labor or industrial goods (which require labor for production and maintenance) to grow plants for our consumption, relying on the rewilding animals to do the labor for us (eating wild biomass and concentrating it into easily consumable calories and rich stores of vitamins and minerals in their livers) would save us the need for a lot of unpleasant labor.
-------In addition to the meat, eating the livers of these animals would help minimize the need for vitamin supplementation.
-------Hunting and eating these animals would also keep the above mentioned animal populations from becoming an excessive burden on the plant life or other parts of the ecosystem, thus maintaining a sustainable system. Our hunting activities also encourage the animals to continuously move to different areas of land so that they don't overconsume a particular area of land.
- Make communal fires and cook meat on it to minimize the need to produce/maintain kitchen cooking appliances
- Eating outdoors so as to eliminate the need to clean messes in our homes from meals.
- Eat with our hands and on leaves (for example: https://moonrice.net/how-to-eat-off-a-banana-leaf/#:~:text=A%20banana%20leaf%20meal%20is,weddings%20and%20celebrations%20like%20Onam.) so as to eliminate the need to clean stacks of utensils/plates or produce/maintain dishwashing machinery.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ending Note: I want to encourage people to think about how we can create an anarchy that is ecologically sustainable and that minimizes unpleasant human labor. The examples I listed above are suggestions but aren't meant to be taken as universalizing solutions. Also, I am not a primitivist. I am not advocating that we abandon modern technology. My point is to suggest that we be ecological engineers and stewards, in order to use natural processes to reduce the need unpleasant human labor in sustaining our lives. What needs remain beyond that which natural processes can provide us are certainly areas where I would certainly be in favor of using modern technology. I am certainly in favor of modern technology that can aid in and be compatible with an ecologically sustainable and labor minimizing anarchy.
submitted by PerfectSociety to DebateAnarchism [link] [comments]
Because of this, a sustainable anarchy would have to be one that relies minimally on unpleasant labor and would have to be ecologically sound (i.e. that our ways of life under anarchy are ecologically regenerative rather than extractive). This would require that we:
(A) Obtain as much as possible of what we need from natural processes in ecosystems that operate without maintenance labor on our part, rather than producing man-made artificial alternatives to natural processes (which would inevitably have their own upkeep/maintenance requirements in terms of unpleasant labor). To do this, we will have to create the ecosystems necessary for a sustainable anarchy by rewilding various parts of the planet.
Possible Examples:
- Using bison to rewild north america and encouraging their population growth as part of the rewilding project. (Advantages: bison meat is relatively lean, mineral rich, and has a favorable taste; bison fur is extremely warm - the perfect coat for cold weather)
- Using camels to rewild various parts of south america, parts of north america, and parts of the world with desert or steppe areas. And encouraging their population growth as part of the rewilding project. (Advantages: Camel livers are vitamin and mineral rich; they can drink salt water to hydrate themselves, making them useful in areas with scarce water; low methane emissions; can be rode)
- Using goats to rewild various parts of the world. And encouraging their population growth as part of the rewilding project. (Advantages: Goats are highly versatile and can survive in a variety of biomes and altitudes; low methane emissions; browsing helps promote grassland formation, which will be increasingly important as a carbon sink given its relative resilience compared to forest in the context of global warming - see here: https://climatechange.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/grasslands-more-reliable-carbon-sink-than-trees)
**Note: Grazing and browsing activities from these animals can helps remove a lot of the aging crops from the ground, thus freeing the carbon and nitrogen sequestered to them. Then as the animals walk over the ground they’ve grazed/browsed, it pushes that carbon and nitrogen deeper where it can be used by seeds to stimulate the next round of plant growth. Animal feces also functions as fertilizer. Without this the carbon and nitrogen stays with the aging plants and more easily is eroded away compromising the quantity of topsoil in the land over time.
(B) Conduct our daily lives in a manner that is compatible with largely relying on natural processes from ecosystems (rather than relying largely on artificial man-made alternatives that fulfill a similar function but with a dependence on unpleasant labor).
Possible Examples:
- Using nomadic infrastructure (e.g. some kind of modern yurt-like structure for housing) rather than sedentary, fixed structures.
- Traveling as needed to always be in places where the weather is comfortable so as to eliminate the need for artificial climate control in our dwellings. There are many places where the weather is reliably comfortable without climate control (https://mnolangray.medium.com/cities-of-the-world-where-you-dont-need-ac-or-heat-mapped-2a3d6e018970). Obviously global warming will change the composition of this list over time, but there are likely to be places (perhaps different than the places that make up this list now) even in the future where the weather is reliably comfortable without climate control.
- Fulfill our nutritional needs largely by hunting and eating the animals (referenced above) that we used to rewild various parts of the planet. A few supplementary points on this example:
-------This will help minimize our reliance on agriculture and thus avoid another major source of unpleasant labor and our highly extractive, unsustainable use of soil. Please note that permaculture-based growing of plant food does not avoid the problem of unpleasant labor. Though the labor may be somewhat less monotonous and arguably more rewarding in some way, the reality is that permaculture requires a far higher amount of human labor for a similar amount of output than contemporary monoculture-based agricultural practices (which make use of capital equipment to a greater degree). Instead of relying on human labor or industrial goods (which require labor for production and maintenance) to grow plants for our consumption, relying on the rewilding animals to do the labor for us (eating wild biomass and concentrating it into easily consumable calories and rich stores of vitamins and minerals in their livers) would save us the need for a lot of unpleasant labor.
-------In addition to the meat, eating the livers of these animals would help minimize the need for vitamin supplementation.
-------Hunting and eating these animals would also keep the above mentioned animal populations from becoming an excessive burden on the plant life or other parts of the ecosystem, thus maintaining a sustainable system. Our hunting activities also encourage the animals to continuously move to different areas of land so that they don't overconsume a particular area of land.
- Make communal fires and cook meat on it to minimize the need to produce/maintain kitchen cooking appliances
- Eating outdoors so as to eliminate the need to clean messes in our homes from meals.
- Eat with our hands and on leaves (for example: https://moonrice.net/how-to-eat-off-a-banana-leaf/#:~:text=A%20banana%20leaf%20meal%20is,weddings%20and%20celebrations%20like%20Onam.) so as to eliminate the need to clean stacks of utensils/plates or produce/maintain dishwashing machinery.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ending Note: I want to encourage people to think about how we can create an anarchy that is ecologically sustainable and that minimizes unpleasant human labor. The examples I listed above are suggestions but aren't meant to be taken as universalizing solutions. Also, I am not a primitivist. I am not advocating that we abandon modern technology. My point is to suggest that we be ecological engineers and stewards, in order to use natural processes to reduce the need unpleasant human labor in sustaining our lives. What needs remain beyond that which natural processes can provide us are certainly areas where I would certainly be in favor of using modern technology. I am certainly in favor of modern technology that can aid in and be compatible with an ecologically sustainable and labor minimizing anarchy.
2024.04.28 06:34 Pushover46 Marriage Advice Needed
My husband (45M) and I (46M) have been together for almost 20 years, married for almost 6 years. We both are Gen X’ers that thought we could not come out when we were teens.
I had been married to a female for and after a few years I had finally got up the nerve to try to finally be me and left. I met a guy online and fell madly in love with him. I eventually left my red state for his blue state. The problem was his parents were very conservative and they eventually won. I lost him, our home, and my free to finally be me life. I found myself having to go back home.
My life spiraled out of control. I was drinking and partying every chance I got. It numbed the pain. One drunken night I fired up the ol’ computer and went searching for some fun. I was in my twenties. Usually the only guys online were those 20 years my senior. That night there was this guy that said he was a year younger than me. He was reserved and hesitant to talk. He was from another small town about 20 miles away. He was nice. He didn’t seem like he was going to hack me up into a million pieces. We started chatted nightly. We began talking on the phone, then eventually met in person. We began to hang out. He knew all about my breakup. I would get drunk and he would let me cry on his shoulder. I never pictured myself with him romantically. It was not that kind of relationship.
We hung out usually on the weekends. We would leave our small towns Friday after work and head for the biggest city in our state. There we could be around other people like “us”. One weekend, it was Pride. It was our first Pride. I can remember after a night/morning of partying, we made it back to our hotel. In a drunken stupor, we slept together. From that night on we were pretty inseparable. I soon moved in with him.
Our first 5 years were great. The next 5 years, things started changing. He started having these fits. He would lose his temper and just go crazy. He would destroy our home. He never got physically violent, but his words would sting. When he would tear things up, I would be there to clean it up. Eventually I grew tired of these outburst and cleaning up his messes. I grew bitter and hateful. We fought more than not. I learned he was sorta bipolar. I could tell when things were about to go crazy. I would make him mad at home, which would cause a blow up, so he would not go off in public.
Our relationship became unhealthy but I kept fighting for it. Our 9th year together, was probably one of the worst. I had lost my job,had gone back to school, money was tight. He was carrying us. At this point even though we still shared a bed, or relationship seemed to be changing.
The next couple of years rocked on and our relationship had its up and down but we held on. Our 14th year, I honestly had my feel. I was about to finally leave. Then his health took a turn for the worst. He started rapidly losing weight despite everything we were doing. When he lost half his body weight, we both thought cancer. I could not leave him. He needed me. We finally find out he did not have cancer. It was thyroid issues. It was something that could be fixed. This scare, made both of us appreciate the other more than ever. Gay marriage was just made legal. We decided to get married.
After getting married, we decided we needed a change. I bought a house in my hometown and we moved. He decided to quit his job of 20+ years and start something new. Before finding a new job, he took off an entire year. This is when our trouble started again. He was draining his savings just to be lazy. We stopped sleeping in the same room. He would “fall asleep” on the couch. At the end of that year, our relationship was strained to the point of breaking. I kicked him out at least 3 times. He eventually gets a new job, but he hates it and starts having his tantrums again. I had broke. I started making plans to divorce. He then has a stroke.
Just as before, this stops me from leaving. I love this guy. These last 3 months I’ve been with him 24/7. I do everything for him. He’s regained mobility on his right-side. He can’t read or write and his speech is limited. He lost his job. What little savings he had is gone because he’s job hopped so many times in the previous year he’s had to burn his savings. He’s got so much anger built up. I get it. This has taking a huge toll on him, but it has me as well. Today he had the biggest tantrum he’s had in a long time. He’s started screaming he wanted to kill himself. I told him he had been giving a second chance in life. He continued on screaming he wanted to die. I finally break and scream he should have just died when he had his stroke and ended his pain as well as mine. He told me I caused his stroke.
I love this guy, but I’m not in love with him anymore. I stay because of not wanting to be alone. But then I think how would he survive without me and it makes me feel bad for even thinking of leaving. We will celebrate our 20th year together this year. I am almost 50. Can I start over? Can we find love again?
submitted by Pushover46 to gayrelationships [link] [comments]
I had been married to a female for and after a few years I had finally got up the nerve to try to finally be me and left. I met a guy online and fell madly in love with him. I eventually left my red state for his blue state. The problem was his parents were very conservative and they eventually won. I lost him, our home, and my free to finally be me life. I found myself having to go back home.
My life spiraled out of control. I was drinking and partying every chance I got. It numbed the pain. One drunken night I fired up the ol’ computer and went searching for some fun. I was in my twenties. Usually the only guys online were those 20 years my senior. That night there was this guy that said he was a year younger than me. He was reserved and hesitant to talk. He was from another small town about 20 miles away. He was nice. He didn’t seem like he was going to hack me up into a million pieces. We started chatted nightly. We began talking on the phone, then eventually met in person. We began to hang out. He knew all about my breakup. I would get drunk and he would let me cry on his shoulder. I never pictured myself with him romantically. It was not that kind of relationship.
We hung out usually on the weekends. We would leave our small towns Friday after work and head for the biggest city in our state. There we could be around other people like “us”. One weekend, it was Pride. It was our first Pride. I can remember after a night/morning of partying, we made it back to our hotel. In a drunken stupor, we slept together. From that night on we were pretty inseparable. I soon moved in with him.
Our first 5 years were great. The next 5 years, things started changing. He started having these fits. He would lose his temper and just go crazy. He would destroy our home. He never got physically violent, but his words would sting. When he would tear things up, I would be there to clean it up. Eventually I grew tired of these outburst and cleaning up his messes. I grew bitter and hateful. We fought more than not. I learned he was sorta bipolar. I could tell when things were about to go crazy. I would make him mad at home, which would cause a blow up, so he would not go off in public.
Our relationship became unhealthy but I kept fighting for it. Our 9th year together, was probably one of the worst. I had lost my job,had gone back to school, money was tight. He was carrying us. At this point even though we still shared a bed, or relationship seemed to be changing.
The next couple of years rocked on and our relationship had its up and down but we held on. Our 14th year, I honestly had my feel. I was about to finally leave. Then his health took a turn for the worst. He started rapidly losing weight despite everything we were doing. When he lost half his body weight, we both thought cancer. I could not leave him. He needed me. We finally find out he did not have cancer. It was thyroid issues. It was something that could be fixed. This scare, made both of us appreciate the other more than ever. Gay marriage was just made legal. We decided to get married.
After getting married, we decided we needed a change. I bought a house in my hometown and we moved. He decided to quit his job of 20+ years and start something new. Before finding a new job, he took off an entire year. This is when our trouble started again. He was draining his savings just to be lazy. We stopped sleeping in the same room. He would “fall asleep” on the couch. At the end of that year, our relationship was strained to the point of breaking. I kicked him out at least 3 times. He eventually gets a new job, but he hates it and starts having his tantrums again. I had broke. I started making plans to divorce. He then has a stroke.
Just as before, this stops me from leaving. I love this guy. These last 3 months I’ve been with him 24/7. I do everything for him. He’s regained mobility on his right-side. He can’t read or write and his speech is limited. He lost his job. What little savings he had is gone because he’s job hopped so many times in the previous year he’s had to burn his savings. He’s got so much anger built up. I get it. This has taking a huge toll on him, but it has me as well. Today he had the biggest tantrum he’s had in a long time. He’s started screaming he wanted to kill himself. I told him he had been giving a second chance in life. He continued on screaming he wanted to die. I finally break and scream he should have just died when he had his stroke and ended his pain as well as mine. He told me I caused his stroke.
I love this guy, but I’m not in love with him anymore. I stay because of not wanting to be alone. But then I think how would he survive without me and it makes me feel bad for even thinking of leaving. We will celebrate our 20th year together this year. I am almost 50. Can I start over? Can we find love again?
2024.04.28 05:58 Sporadic_passions A Deathworlders Ambition: Chapter 2 (official re-write)
Chapter 2 part 1
Alex
12/31/2045: Guess I’m back where I started
It’s been almost a day since Nar and I escaped and we haven’t heard anything from his crew. Luckily letting “him” take over took quite a bit out of me, so I've been asleep for most of it. When I woke up Nar let me know about our situation which made me realize right now I’m exactly where I was before. At least I have someone to talk to… sort of. Ever since we escaped I got the feeling Nar has been itching to ask me some questions. Unfortunately, I had a feeling I knew what about. After I regained control on the bridge Nar was there watching me, I’m not sure for how long though I could guess it was long enough
“Hay Nar, can you tell me a bit about your crew?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well, I would like to know the kind of people I’m about to meet. This will be the second time I’m brought aboard a stranger ship and I’m not exactly batting a hundred here” This was only partly true. In reality, I am just trying to prevent him from asking questions about what happened
After pondering my request he decided to humor me, probably wanting to break the awkward silence.
“Fair enough. Alright well, I’m not sure what to say. We currently have 11 members including myself. They're a rowdy bunch but they're good people. Our captain is named Elith, she may be a stern woman but she has earned the complete respect of everyone on board, you won’t find anyone on board who wouldn’t follow her to hell and back. We have a doctor named Uvo along with his sister Arora who is our cook. Word for the wise be careful around her because Uvo can be quite overprotective, but he will fix you after breaking you”
He spoke that last part as if from experience as he rubbed his shoulder
“We have a couple of engineers named Dura and Vulin. They are good at what they do and in all my years of traveling with them have left no room for doubt in their abilities. Vulin has a twin sister named Pyria, she is our navigator and practically lives on the bridge. Recently we had a researcher named Zeno come aboard, He’s a curious one but is quite enjoyable and useful when it comes to locating goods and where best to sell them. Kurz and Saph are in charge of the cargo bay, kurz manages it while Saph helps out. While all of our crew are competent fighters we have an ex-merc named Ulder who runs security.”
“Wait if you have security personnel and the rest are competent fighters then how did you still end up captured? Did you just refuse to let them even try to save you or something?”
He didn’t answer for a while, he didn’t need to, his face said it all. “I didn’t want to risk getting them captured or killed when I could just give myself up instead”
“Something tells me they won’t see it like that”
He propped his head on his fist as he turned back to look through the large viewport at the front of the pod “… you're probably right”
I was going to start messing with him by talking about what kind of retribution his crew might have in store for us when the pod began to fill with a blinding light. Squinting, I could barely make out the rough shape of two giant doors beginning to open. A moment later the pod lurched to life and began moving toward the structure. Nar fidgeted with the rifle he had taken as we grew closer to the ship before finally landing with an audible crash.
The pod opened with a hiss as the two pressures equalized. Exiting through the opened hatch I was greeted by the sight of metal crates neatly stacked on all sides, each grouping tucked behind light blue rayshilds that were just strong enough to prevent the magnetized boxes from falling. The whole area was well-lit by overhead lights, spanning the length of the room. Dozens of rows of boxes filled the whole space. Where two rows of crates met was a large dedicated pathway leading to a single door at the end of the room.
Nar led the way down the makeshift hall toward the door as I continued to take in the sights. Similarly to the pirates, there were crates of various sizes. The difference was that each was labeled, showing off various goods. They had everything from art to medicine. Moving further down I noticed some didn’t sound quite… legal. Herbs that even with my limited knowledge I could tell were used for more recreational purposes, weapons that had been outlawed by most governments, parts for military-grade explosives, and even an entire crate of false IDs and papers.
“Hay Nar… what was it you said you guys do again?”
“Why do you ask?” he responded without turning to look at me
“Oh no reason in particular, just curious”
He pressed a button on the door panel, and slowly the door began to slide to the left as he faced me to answer, the light gleaming off one of his tusks
“We’re smugglers”
Right as the door finished opening Nar was immediately tackled. For a long while the glob of what looked to be hands, feathers, and tails continued to pin the poor Rall to the ground. When the dust settled he was being held down by 5 people holding onto him for dear life, cheering, laughing, and crying tears of joy. I could tell at least 4 of them were Rotis but I was taken aback at the sight of the girl wrapped around his neck
She was wearing a red hoodie with a pair of grey sweats, the faint smell of cooking oils wafting from her as if she had just rushed here from the kitchen. I almost mistook her for a human till I noticed what looked like feathers protruding from under her jacket.
“Your back!” The mystery girl said still clinging to his neck tight enough that I thought he might start to suffocate
“About time old man, beginning to think you finally bit the dust,” someone said from the doorway. His black feathers and white hair along with the look of death in his blood-read eyes gave him quite the sinister appearance.
That must be a Celean, but I thought they were supposed to look like colorful angels, this dude looks more like the Grim Reaper
“Oh shut up Uvo. Don’t mind him, he missed you too” the girl retorted still choking out Nar
Nar chuckled and gently removed her arms from his neck before becoming a bit more serious
“Umm… where’s the captain?”
“She’s on her way, she wanted to make sure no one was following us,” said a female Celean walking past Uvo. She looked amused at the situation as she reached Nar's side and held out a hand to help him up. With a smile he took it and was immediately hoisted back onto his feet, knocking the others back onto the floor.
“Thank’s Dura, I hope things haven't been too rowdy while I was gone,” he says patting the much smaller celean on the shoulder
“If by rowdy do you mean peaceful” Uvo muttered from the doorway.
The others began to berate him for his comment while Nar and Dura laughed at the commotion, all the tension I didnt even realize he had was slowly melting away. Further past the door, faint footsteps could be heard, slowly growing louder as whatever it was stomped its way toward us. I cast a concerned glance at Nar, who was watching with bated breath.
When the footsteps finally came to a head, a beautiful and pissed-off Ashen marched through the door. Her skin was a sun-kissed orange that blended with her long ginger hair that had been tied neatly into a ponytail, her feline ears poking on the top of her head. She wore a vibrant blue overcoat, trimmed with gold and decorated with several brass buttons. The coat was open, revealing a plain white shirt tucked neatly into her leather pants that let her tail lash around agitatedly. Forgoing shoes, seemingly preferring to have her paws unimpeded.
Stepping in close to Nar she wailed him in the gut with enough force to crumple him over.
“You giant vial offspring of a Gundark. You got a lot of nerve, what the hell took you so long to contact us?” she yelled as Nar tried to recover, her voice was filled with anger but slowly began to waver the longer she went on.
“Im sorry” He started to say, having finally recovered from her initial attack, but was cut off when she suddenly drew him into a hug
“Do you know how worried I… we were?” her voice, barely a whisper, as Nar pulled her in closer, her head nestling under his chin
“I know”
“THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE!?” she exploded, her anger now back in full force, launching herself square into his chin, knocking him back to the ground.
Lying flat on his back, the Ashen jumped on top of him getting ready to give him another piece of her mind. Probably realizing he was fighting a losing battle he looked up to me “Alex, a little help”
Trying to suppress my amusement I shook my head “Sorry pal, im not nearly brave enough to get involved in this” Knowing he would get no assistance from me he closed his eyes, appearing to accept his fate. In the corner of my eye, I could see the others in the room shift, soon I realized they were all staring at me
Well… this might get a little awkward
I watched the Ashen recoil off Nar when she also finally realized I was there. Recomposing herself, she straightened her posture and wiped off her clothes before finally speaking “Nar… who is this?”
I scan the other's faces as Nar begrudgingly sat up. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to unease.
“This is Alex” he waved a hand in my direction “He was captured by those cutthroats a while after me. It’s thanks to him that we managed to escape”
“Dont sell yourself short, I never would have made it if I didnt have you to back me up and arrange an actual escape” I had the feeling something deep down scoffed at my declaration, I quickly moved to mentally bury it deeper
“Ah, well, in any case, I think thanks are in order,” she said in a professional tone, letting her stance relax. However, she still eyed me like I was a wild animal that snuck into her house.
“My name is Elith, captain of this ship. On behalf of myself and my crew, I thank you for saving one of our own”
“It was no trouble, I’m just happy to be off that ship and moving again”
“Be that as it may I am still obligated to show our appreciation. So for the time being you will be our guest. I'll have a room prepared for you, feel free to wash up in the meantime, being covered in that much blood can't be good for your health”
I examined myself and realized the extent of my loss of control
That’s probably why they are so wary of me, I mean I sure as shit would be concerned if someone who looked like the monster in a slasher film randomly showed up in my home
“Arora,” the captain said, regaining my attention “would you please show our guest where the shower is while I have Dura find him a room”
Arora gave me a smile and gestured for me to follow. Just as I was about to follow her I noticed the captain pull in Dura and whisper something to her. A moment later she gave her a nod and followed us through the door, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.
Chapter 2 Part 2
Alex
The halls were eerily similar to the pirates, which made sense since most modern ships followed similar designs, but it was still unnerving. It appeared most of the lower deck was designated to cargo and ship supplies with the far back near the stairs housing maintenance supplies and access hatches. Walking up the steps we entered a new hall with several doors on both sides spanning the entire length of the hall.
A few of the doors were open revealing rooms belonging to individual crew members rather than group housing. Each room was decorated in wildly different ways. While one was filled with schematics and drafting equipment another was covered in a wide variety of plants and greenery.
The only thing that caught my attention more than the unusual decoration choices was the occasional glance I would catch Arora throwing my way. She looked at me with such intensity that didn’t match the fake smile she was wearing. But despite whatever her feelings were towards me she couldn’t meet my eyes, instead flinching each time I caught her before quickly turning back just to repeat the process a few seconds later
Tired of this game and annoyed at the growing silence I tried to lighten the mood
“So how long have you known Nar?”
No response
“He mentioned you were the ship cook, must be difficult preparing food for multiple different species”
She simply nodded without saying anything. Never dropping her smile
Disappointed at the lack of conversation I tried a different approach
“This is just an observation but I get the feeling you don’t like me”
This got a reaction. Arora suddenly stopped, visibly shaken at the accusation. It was at that moment I realized she wasn’t suppressing anger, she was suppressing fear
“What makes you say that” she questioned, her voice surprisingly composed compared to how the rest of her was reacting
“It isn’t hard to tell when someone is forcing a smile. The only question I have yet to answer is whether it’s because I'm a stranger, or because I'm human”
She shivered at my last remark, pretty much telling me which it was. As if she knew I had guessed correctly she quickly tried to explain herself
“It’s not that I dislike humans, it’s more like… I’m weary of them. We travel a lot and even though they are relatively new they already have quite a reputation”
This was news to me. Sure I knew some of us had already managed to sneak past the borders but I didn’t think it was enough to be noticeable
“What all have you heard about us?”
Arora took a breath before finally being able to look me in the eyes “Like how they have spent most of their existence killing one another, how they throw themselves from conflict to conflict, and how most of the said conflicts are more gruesome than almost any other races most intense war” as she continues I noticed her demeanor change from fear to something resembling grim acceptance “I’ve heard stories of your gangs committing atrocities that would make mass murders blush and on top of that not only do they have the ability to expand past their borders they have a dense enough population that no one could hold them back if they decided to end their agreement” she took a deep breath, all the fear having evaporated “we may get into our fair share of conflicts but we don’t go looking for them, but if even half of what I’ve heard is true then it sounds like having a human on board is just asking for it”
Honestly, I was a little taken aback, it had been quite some time since someone spoke exactly what was on their mind rather than dancing around it to try and soften the blow, really it was refreshing. I couldn’t help but admire her blunt honesty but that didn’t help me come up with a response.
Probably seeing the shock on my face she let out a small sigh as she turned to continue down the hall “But to your credit, you did save Nar’s life and he seems to trust you. So I’ll trust his judgment”
I followed her in silence till she finally stopped outside a door about halfway down the hall. Pressing a button on an adjacent panel the door slid open revealing a small room. The left wall was taken up by a large shower with a small sink placed on the other side. Walking in I noticed a washer and dryer placed just past the sink with a closet sitting neatly in between the dryer and the corner of the wall.
Walking past me she opened the closet and pulled out a towel as well as a change of clothes that looked like they were made for humans till I noticed two slits in the back that were probably meant for celean wings.
“You can change into these when you’re done, I’m sure my brother won’t mind sharing till your clothes get cleaned” She glanced at my tattered and blood-soaked clothes “If they can get cleaned”
She set them on the counter and walked back out, just before closing the door I caught her giving me one last worried glance as the door shut
I took the journal from my pocket, more than a little relieved to see it was undamaged, and placed it on the counter next to the change of clothes. Turning on the shower I began attempting to peel off my clothes, the blood having fastened them to my skin, made it a little uncomfortable but before long I threw them in the wash and stepped into the shower while it did its job. As soon as the water hit my body I could feel the stress and fatigue I hadn’t even realized I'd been carrying start to wash away along with the blood and grime.
I stood there for a while, letting the water run all along my body, but my mind inevitably wandered to what Arora had said, about how humans were already so feared despite not many of us being out here. What she heard was true, there was no denying that, but there is also more to us than just violence
If I’m being honest I don’t know why I care what she thinks of humanity, it’s not like I’ll be here long and once I leave I doubt we will ever meet again. But that look of fear in her eyes, how could I claim I’ve changed if I leave things as they are?
“Well there is one thing I can do”
Alex
Chapter 2 part 3
“Alright now that our guest has arrived we can get this meeting started,” the captain said, getting up from her seat “First, seeing as now the whole crew is present, I feel introductions are in order. Everyone this is Alex, Alex this is my crew. The two Ralls are Nar and Kurz, the Rotis with the dark red skin is Vulin and his sister Pyra is next to him. The Rotis covered in scars is ulder, and the one that looks like she just crawled out of a furnace is Saph, while the one shaking from excitement uncontrollably is Zeno. You’ve already met Arora, this is her brother Uvo and beside him is Dura. And lastly, there's myself Elith Tavakar, but you may just call me captain”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all and thank you for your hospitality”
“Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let's get down to business. During Nara's capture, we suffered quite a bit of damage to our ship’s hull and some critical systems, namely our weapons controls and shields”
“What?!! You guys have been traveling around with essentially no way to defend yourself for weeks?!!” Nar shouted
“I’m sorry, we were a little busy looking for some obnoxious muscle head, who was too stubborn to call for help or even try to let us know where he was!!” Elith retorted, shutting him up “Like I was saying, the damage is too great to fix right now so we will need to stop and make repairs as well as refresh our supplies. The closest settlement is Everan, we can stop there. Alex, Nar was telling me you are on a pilgrimage, correct?”
“Yes that’s correct, that’s why I left the human territory”
“Well then once we arrive we can help you procure a new shuttle or at the very least find a ship that will take you where you need to go. Everan is a trading outpost so you're bound to find something that will suit your needs”
“Thank you, I am quite eager to get moving again”
“Then it’s decided. We’re a little over a day’s travel away, for now, feel free to explore the ship. Arora can you keep an eye on our guest for a bit longer” The captain's face was hard to read but what was unmistakable was the glint of pity she gave Arora when she asked her to keep watching over me. I’m going to assume it’s because she knows Arora is frightened of me and not because the captain herself might not like humans.
“Of course captain, it would be my pleasure”
A light growl drew my attention to Uvo, whose expression was anything but pity. His eyes were trained on me, his red pupils searing their image into my mind. Every inch of him was stiff and emitting danger. My hand instinctively reached for my hip, only to grip empty air. Luckily before anything could happen the captain dismissed us and we were sent on our way.
Everyone began filing out into the halls one by one with Arora and I bringing up the rear. I slowed down to get some distance between us and the rest of the crew. When they were far enough away I stopped Arora
“Listen, I’ve been thinking about what you said before, and I wish I could say that what you’ve heard were just rumors and that you don't need to worry about us but I won’t lie to you, we have a violent history that continues to this day in various degrees, I myself have seen my fair share of bloodshed. However, what I can tell you is that we aren't all fire and brimstone. There is plenty left to humanity if you are willing to look.”
She seemed skeptical but didn't walk away, hopefully meaning she was still willing to hear me out
“Let me prove it. We have a day till we reach our destination right? Well how about using that time to get to know a real human then decide for yourself if we’re evil or not”
She looked me in the eyes as I held my breath. I swear I could almost hear the gears begin to turn in her head. “So I can ask anything, and you’ll answer honestly?” she finally said “What’s in it for you?”
“I want to learn more about what the rest of the galaxy is like, small tidbits of information get to Earth but not enough to make an informed voyage, this could be my last chance to learn anything useful before i'm back on my own again,” I said a little relieved she was open to the idea “besides, it would be nice to have some company. I have a feeling Nar will be a bit preoccupied for a while”
“Well, the captain did ask me to show you around and keep an eye on you” She let out a defeated sigh and then held out her hand “Alright it’s a deal”
Shaking her hand I smiled at her “Thanks, so where to first?”
“Well since your room isn’t quite ready yet, I figure I would take you to the lounge. It’s got a nice view and since no one uses it, it’ll be a good place to keep you out of trouble”
“Perfect, lead the way”
We walked from the bridge down the hall and stopped just past the showers. Walking into the new room, I was a little surprised at how big it was. It was almost double the size of the bedrooms we passed, with a more open concept. The area was decorated with a sofa placed directly in front of a TV on my right, a large rug that took up most of the room's floor, and a series of cabinets along the wall to my left that connected to a table that formed a large L-shaped workspace. Lastly just past the table on the opposite wall were two bookshelves filled with a variety of topics. Bringing the whole room together was a large window that took up a large part of the wall, greeting everyone who entered with a beautiful starry landscape.
“About this settlement we're heading to, have you ever visited it before?”
“A couple of times, it's a remote settlement out in the middle of nowhere which makes it a nice rest stop for people who want to keep a low profile like us”
“Sounds lovely, anything I should know about it?”
“Nothing that I can think of, the wealthier residents can be a bit stuck up but if you ignore them they won't cause any problems. They prefer to indulge themselves in their art and sculptures” The last sentence seemed a bit mockery
“I take it you're not a fan. Are there exhibits that bad”
“Hard to appreciate any of it when you're constantly being belittled by the artists for lacking the cultural refinement to truly understand the piece”
Having gotten my fill of the stars I moved from the rug to the back of the couch next to Arora. “Sounds like you’ve got a story”
“You could say that. A while back we were hired by a wealthy resident to take him on a voyage around the neighboring system. The job lasted about a week but he made it feel like an eternity. He felt the need to constantly remind us he was an important artist and as such was entitled to be treated like royalty. I don't think there was a time when someone didn't want to throw him out the airlock, but I gritted my teeth and did my best to appease his ego so he wouldn't cause trouble for the others” I could see her frustration turn to amusement as she continued to tell me her story “this, unfortunately, meant that I had become his favorite person on the ship which eventually led to him trying to flirt with me. For a while, I ignored it which only made him become more direct each day till it all came to a head on the last day of our trip where right before we landed he decided to hell with it and tried to kiss me. However, he attempted this in front of my brother who was quick to put an end to it with a swift jab to the stomach and a simple threat backed up by a pistol pressed against his head. I had never seen a Rall run so fast in my life”
“Your brother sounds as intense as he looks, do you think he will try to pick a fight with me just because you are keeping an eye on me?”
“He shouldn't… as long as you’re on your best behavior”
Her grin combined with her playful tone sent a small shiver down my spine.
“I think I'm starting to see the family resemblance”
My joke earned me a genuine smile, the first I had received in a long time. Finally some progress, what else can I do? Springing to my feet I had an idea
“Arora, you wouldn't happen to have any of his art or supplies would you?”
“Uhh probably… why?”
“Just curious. Never seen art from another species is all”
She got up from the couch and walked over to the row of cabinets. Rummaging through the last one she pulled out a couple of canvases and a small box. Tossing me one of the canvases I began looking it over, and man was it something. It looked like a bunch of random colors splashed onto a canvas with a few streaks of silver and gold here and there. Flakes of what looked to be copper had been blown across the surface like someone gave a toddler a bottle of glitter and told them to go nuts. Like I said, it was something.
“Guess this just goes to show you, you can buy good materials but you can’t buy skill” I mumbled
Putting the canvases on the table I turned my attention to the box. Inside were various brushes and several paints. Most were just standard primary colored paints with a couple more extravagant paints such as gold and silver. Lastly, I pulled out several small blank canvases about the size of a book cover
“These will work perfectly”
“For what exactly? Are you some kind of artist?”
“Well my friend was a much better artist than I am but he insisted I practice with him so I did pick up a thing or two. My biggest weakness is my mind is constantly moving a hundred miles a minute so I have trouble keeping one mental image long enough to paint it. However, if I have even a single thing acting as inspiration I can make just about anything, though my strong suits are portraits, landscapes, and still lives. So now that I have the materials all I need is inspiration. got any suggestions?”
“Why do you have the sudden urge to paint? It may be valuable but I doubt the captain will want to buy any off you”
“I’m not trying to sell it, I just want to show you a bit of human culture, I can’t do much but I can at least paint”
“No offense but I think I’ve seen enough paintings,” she said, rolling her eyes at the canvass strewn on the table “and frankly I’m still not sold on artists as a whole”
“Just trust me, I'm sure I can make something you’ll like. Either way, this will keep me preoccupied for probably the whole trip so you won’t have to worry about me running off and causing trouble”
“Well, I guess that’s a fair point. Fine, I think I have something that will work. Stay here while I grab it, I’ll only be gone a second”
Not long later Arora returned with a large microscope and several Petri dishes. Setting everything up she placed one of the dishes under the microscope and began adjusting the dials to bring the object into focus.
“My brother used to show me some of his research into medical herbs back home. The shapes and colors that made up each one was breathtaking. I’m sure this will be enough to keep you busy”
“Thank you, and I haven’t forgotten our deal. I’ll answer any questions you have about humans”
“There will be plenty of time for that later. For now, I think I’m going to lay on the couch and get some sleep. Having you on board has been quite mentally taxing”
“Oh ha ha,” I said, faining offense “Enjoy your nap, I will still be here when you wake up”
She didn’t retort, instead waving me off dismissively before crashing hard onto the couch.
I picked up one of the metal brushes and flexed my hand, allowing the brush to float and gently spin as I had done so many times during my exercises to test my implants. Alright then, Let’s get to work
Arora
Chapter 2 part 4
I don’t know how long I had been asleep but it must have been a while. Ever since Nar brought that human, Alex, aboard I’ve been constantly worried, worried might not be the right word, I’m more like, terrified. Terrified that the rumors might suddenly become true and we would have a fight on our hands that I’m not sure we could win without losing someone.
Luckily he will be leaving soon, though I will admit he isn’t as bad as I thought a human would be. So far he hasn’t tried anything and in fact, he has been enjoyable, at least enough to where I felt safe enough to get some sleep, though that doesn’t mean I feel refreshed.
Sleeping under the light was a mistake, I woke up feeling a bit dizzy with a slight headache. I was so disoriented I didn’t even realize a blanket had been draped over me. Did I grab this and just not remember? No, I am sure I went straight to sleep.
Peaking over the top of the couch I half expected to see the entire room in shambles and Alex gone, but to my relief he was still sitting at the table, now hunched over and deeply asleep. I walked over to check on him, doing my best not to wake him. He still frightened me but my fear didn’t outweigh my curiosity. He had been working on a painting, apparently passionately enough to not bother moving somewhere more comfortable to sleep.
Peaking over his shoulder I was taken aback by what I had seen. About 6 canvases had been made into beautiful paintings. One was of a large open field of grasslands with a single large tree in the center casting broken shadows across the land. Another was of a waterfall landscape covered in moss and flowers, and another was of a crumbling city being overrun by the forest, all the structures being consumed by vines and trees.
So this is human art. Never seen something like this at Everan. I thought as my fingers gilded across one of the fabric-like canvases
“See, told you you would like it,” Alex said faintly, causing me to nearly trip as I recoiled away from him
“Hope I didn’t wake you” he continued, hopefully not noticing my reaction “I found a blanket when I was looking for more supplies. Figured you could use it” stretched out his arms and let out a yawn before grabbing something off the table and handing it to me
It was a painting of a human girl wearing an emerald green dress that gradually became a deeper shade. Flowers spread like fire along the bottom of her outfit, merging it with the landscape.
“What’s this for?”
“It’s for you if you want it. I don’t really have a need to keep any of it”
I was speechless, this random guy was giving me something not only so beautiful but also extremely valuable, and for no reason at all. I was having a tough time wrapping my head around what his ulterior motive might be until he told me he had a favor he wanted in return
“I was hoping you would continue to show me around once we land, I’ll need help to find supplies for my trip”
I was a little hesitant, that would mean spending a bit more time with someone I was still uneasy about but how would that ever change if I never gave him a chance
“Alright, deal. It will give me more time to question you anyway”
“I'm looking forward to it,” he said with a smile.
submitted by Sporadic_passions to HFY [link] [comments]
Alex
12/31/2045: Guess I’m back where I started
It’s been almost a day since Nar and I escaped and we haven’t heard anything from his crew. Luckily letting “him” take over took quite a bit out of me, so I've been asleep for most of it. When I woke up Nar let me know about our situation which made me realize right now I’m exactly where I was before. At least I have someone to talk to… sort of. Ever since we escaped I got the feeling Nar has been itching to ask me some questions. Unfortunately, I had a feeling I knew what about. After I regained control on the bridge Nar was there watching me, I’m not sure for how long though I could guess it was long enough
“Hay Nar, can you tell me a bit about your crew?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well, I would like to know the kind of people I’m about to meet. This will be the second time I’m brought aboard a stranger ship and I’m not exactly batting a hundred here” This was only partly true. In reality, I am just trying to prevent him from asking questions about what happened
After pondering my request he decided to humor me, probably wanting to break the awkward silence.
“Fair enough. Alright well, I’m not sure what to say. We currently have 11 members including myself. They're a rowdy bunch but they're good people. Our captain is named Elith, she may be a stern woman but she has earned the complete respect of everyone on board, you won’t find anyone on board who wouldn’t follow her to hell and back. We have a doctor named Uvo along with his sister Arora who is our cook. Word for the wise be careful around her because Uvo can be quite overprotective, but he will fix you after breaking you”
He spoke that last part as if from experience as he rubbed his shoulder
“We have a couple of engineers named Dura and Vulin. They are good at what they do and in all my years of traveling with them have left no room for doubt in their abilities. Vulin has a twin sister named Pyria, she is our navigator and practically lives on the bridge. Recently we had a researcher named Zeno come aboard, He’s a curious one but is quite enjoyable and useful when it comes to locating goods and where best to sell them. Kurz and Saph are in charge of the cargo bay, kurz manages it while Saph helps out. While all of our crew are competent fighters we have an ex-merc named Ulder who runs security.”
“Wait if you have security personnel and the rest are competent fighters then how did you still end up captured? Did you just refuse to let them even try to save you or something?”
He didn’t answer for a while, he didn’t need to, his face said it all. “I didn’t want to risk getting them captured or killed when I could just give myself up instead”
“Something tells me they won’t see it like that”
He propped his head on his fist as he turned back to look through the large viewport at the front of the pod “… you're probably right”
I was going to start messing with him by talking about what kind of retribution his crew might have in store for us when the pod began to fill with a blinding light. Squinting, I could barely make out the rough shape of two giant doors beginning to open. A moment later the pod lurched to life and began moving toward the structure. Nar fidgeted with the rifle he had taken as we grew closer to the ship before finally landing with an audible crash.
The pod opened with a hiss as the two pressures equalized. Exiting through the opened hatch I was greeted by the sight of metal crates neatly stacked on all sides, each grouping tucked behind light blue rayshilds that were just strong enough to prevent the magnetized boxes from falling. The whole area was well-lit by overhead lights, spanning the length of the room. Dozens of rows of boxes filled the whole space. Where two rows of crates met was a large dedicated pathway leading to a single door at the end of the room.
Nar led the way down the makeshift hall toward the door as I continued to take in the sights. Similarly to the pirates, there were crates of various sizes. The difference was that each was labeled, showing off various goods. They had everything from art to medicine. Moving further down I noticed some didn’t sound quite… legal. Herbs that even with my limited knowledge I could tell were used for more recreational purposes, weapons that had been outlawed by most governments, parts for military-grade explosives, and even an entire crate of false IDs and papers.
“Hay Nar… what was it you said you guys do again?”
“Why do you ask?” he responded without turning to look at me
“Oh no reason in particular, just curious”
He pressed a button on the door panel, and slowly the door began to slide to the left as he faced me to answer, the light gleaming off one of his tusks
“We’re smugglers”
Right as the door finished opening Nar was immediately tackled. For a long while the glob of what looked to be hands, feathers, and tails continued to pin the poor Rall to the ground. When the dust settled he was being held down by 5 people holding onto him for dear life, cheering, laughing, and crying tears of joy. I could tell at least 4 of them were Rotis but I was taken aback at the sight of the girl wrapped around his neck
She was wearing a red hoodie with a pair of grey sweats, the faint smell of cooking oils wafting from her as if she had just rushed here from the kitchen. I almost mistook her for a human till I noticed what looked like feathers protruding from under her jacket.
“Your back!” The mystery girl said still clinging to his neck tight enough that I thought he might start to suffocate
“About time old man, beginning to think you finally bit the dust,” someone said from the doorway. His black feathers and white hair along with the look of death in his blood-read eyes gave him quite the sinister appearance.
That must be a Celean, but I thought they were supposed to look like colorful angels, this dude looks more like the Grim Reaper
“Oh shut up Uvo. Don’t mind him, he missed you too” the girl retorted still choking out Nar
Nar chuckled and gently removed her arms from his neck before becoming a bit more serious
“Umm… where’s the captain?”
“She’s on her way, she wanted to make sure no one was following us,” said a female Celean walking past Uvo. She looked amused at the situation as she reached Nar's side and held out a hand to help him up. With a smile he took it and was immediately hoisted back onto his feet, knocking the others back onto the floor.
“Thank’s Dura, I hope things haven't been too rowdy while I was gone,” he says patting the much smaller celean on the shoulder
“If by rowdy do you mean peaceful” Uvo muttered from the doorway.
The others began to berate him for his comment while Nar and Dura laughed at the commotion, all the tension I didnt even realize he had was slowly melting away. Further past the door, faint footsteps could be heard, slowly growing louder as whatever it was stomped its way toward us. I cast a concerned glance at Nar, who was watching with bated breath.
When the footsteps finally came to a head, a beautiful and pissed-off Ashen marched through the door. Her skin was a sun-kissed orange that blended with her long ginger hair that had been tied neatly into a ponytail, her feline ears poking on the top of her head. She wore a vibrant blue overcoat, trimmed with gold and decorated with several brass buttons. The coat was open, revealing a plain white shirt tucked neatly into her leather pants that let her tail lash around agitatedly. Forgoing shoes, seemingly preferring to have her paws unimpeded.
Stepping in close to Nar she wailed him in the gut with enough force to crumple him over.
“You giant vial offspring of a Gundark. You got a lot of nerve, what the hell took you so long to contact us?” she yelled as Nar tried to recover, her voice was filled with anger but slowly began to waver the longer she went on.
“Im sorry” He started to say, having finally recovered from her initial attack, but was cut off when she suddenly drew him into a hug
“Do you know how worried I… we were?” her voice, barely a whisper, as Nar pulled her in closer, her head nestling under his chin
“I know”
“THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE!?” she exploded, her anger now back in full force, launching herself square into his chin, knocking him back to the ground.
Lying flat on his back, the Ashen jumped on top of him getting ready to give him another piece of her mind. Probably realizing he was fighting a losing battle he looked up to me “Alex, a little help”
Trying to suppress my amusement I shook my head “Sorry pal, im not nearly brave enough to get involved in this” Knowing he would get no assistance from me he closed his eyes, appearing to accept his fate. In the corner of my eye, I could see the others in the room shift, soon I realized they were all staring at me
Well… this might get a little awkward
I watched the Ashen recoil off Nar when she also finally realized I was there. Recomposing herself, she straightened her posture and wiped off her clothes before finally speaking “Nar… who is this?”
I scan the other's faces as Nar begrudgingly sat up. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to unease.
“This is Alex” he waved a hand in my direction “He was captured by those cutthroats a while after me. It’s thanks to him that we managed to escape”
“Dont sell yourself short, I never would have made it if I didnt have you to back me up and arrange an actual escape” I had the feeling something deep down scoffed at my declaration, I quickly moved to mentally bury it deeper
“Ah, well, in any case, I think thanks are in order,” she said in a professional tone, letting her stance relax. However, she still eyed me like I was a wild animal that snuck into her house.
“My name is Elith, captain of this ship. On behalf of myself and my crew, I thank you for saving one of our own”
“It was no trouble, I’m just happy to be off that ship and moving again”
“Be that as it may I am still obligated to show our appreciation. So for the time being you will be our guest. I'll have a room prepared for you, feel free to wash up in the meantime, being covered in that much blood can't be good for your health”
I examined myself and realized the extent of my loss of control
That’s probably why they are so wary of me, I mean I sure as shit would be concerned if someone who looked like the monster in a slasher film randomly showed up in my home
“Arora,” the captain said, regaining my attention “would you please show our guest where the shower is while I have Dura find him a room”
Arora gave me a smile and gestured for me to follow. Just as I was about to follow her I noticed the captain pull in Dura and whisper something to her. A moment later she gave her a nod and followed us through the door, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.
Chapter 2 Part 2
Alex
The halls were eerily similar to the pirates, which made sense since most modern ships followed similar designs, but it was still unnerving. It appeared most of the lower deck was designated to cargo and ship supplies with the far back near the stairs housing maintenance supplies and access hatches. Walking up the steps we entered a new hall with several doors on both sides spanning the entire length of the hall.
A few of the doors were open revealing rooms belonging to individual crew members rather than group housing. Each room was decorated in wildly different ways. While one was filled with schematics and drafting equipment another was covered in a wide variety of plants and greenery.
The only thing that caught my attention more than the unusual decoration choices was the occasional glance I would catch Arora throwing my way. She looked at me with such intensity that didn’t match the fake smile she was wearing. But despite whatever her feelings were towards me she couldn’t meet my eyes, instead flinching each time I caught her before quickly turning back just to repeat the process a few seconds later
Tired of this game and annoyed at the growing silence I tried to lighten the mood
“So how long have you known Nar?”
No response
“He mentioned you were the ship cook, must be difficult preparing food for multiple different species”
She simply nodded without saying anything. Never dropping her smile
Disappointed at the lack of conversation I tried a different approach
“This is just an observation but I get the feeling you don’t like me”
This got a reaction. Arora suddenly stopped, visibly shaken at the accusation. It was at that moment I realized she wasn’t suppressing anger, she was suppressing fear
“What makes you say that” she questioned, her voice surprisingly composed compared to how the rest of her was reacting
“It isn’t hard to tell when someone is forcing a smile. The only question I have yet to answer is whether it’s because I'm a stranger, or because I'm human”
She shivered at my last remark, pretty much telling me which it was. As if she knew I had guessed correctly she quickly tried to explain herself
“It’s not that I dislike humans, it’s more like… I’m weary of them. We travel a lot and even though they are relatively new they already have quite a reputation”
This was news to me. Sure I knew some of us had already managed to sneak past the borders but I didn’t think it was enough to be noticeable
“What all have you heard about us?”
Arora took a breath before finally being able to look me in the eyes “Like how they have spent most of their existence killing one another, how they throw themselves from conflict to conflict, and how most of the said conflicts are more gruesome than almost any other races most intense war” as she continues I noticed her demeanor change from fear to something resembling grim acceptance “I’ve heard stories of your gangs committing atrocities that would make mass murders blush and on top of that not only do they have the ability to expand past their borders they have a dense enough population that no one could hold them back if they decided to end their agreement” she took a deep breath, all the fear having evaporated “we may get into our fair share of conflicts but we don’t go looking for them, but if even half of what I’ve heard is true then it sounds like having a human on board is just asking for it”
Honestly, I was a little taken aback, it had been quite some time since someone spoke exactly what was on their mind rather than dancing around it to try and soften the blow, really it was refreshing. I couldn’t help but admire her blunt honesty but that didn’t help me come up with a response.
Probably seeing the shock on my face she let out a small sigh as she turned to continue down the hall “But to your credit, you did save Nar’s life and he seems to trust you. So I’ll trust his judgment”
I followed her in silence till she finally stopped outside a door about halfway down the hall. Pressing a button on an adjacent panel the door slid open revealing a small room. The left wall was taken up by a large shower with a small sink placed on the other side. Walking in I noticed a washer and dryer placed just past the sink with a closet sitting neatly in between the dryer and the corner of the wall.
Walking past me she opened the closet and pulled out a towel as well as a change of clothes that looked like they were made for humans till I noticed two slits in the back that were probably meant for celean wings.
“You can change into these when you’re done, I’m sure my brother won’t mind sharing till your clothes get cleaned” She glanced at my tattered and blood-soaked clothes “If they can get cleaned”
She set them on the counter and walked back out, just before closing the door I caught her giving me one last worried glance as the door shut
I took the journal from my pocket, more than a little relieved to see it was undamaged, and placed it on the counter next to the change of clothes. Turning on the shower I began attempting to peel off my clothes, the blood having fastened them to my skin, made it a little uncomfortable but before long I threw them in the wash and stepped into the shower while it did its job. As soon as the water hit my body I could feel the stress and fatigue I hadn’t even realized I'd been carrying start to wash away along with the blood and grime.
I stood there for a while, letting the water run all along my body, but my mind inevitably wandered to what Arora had said, about how humans were already so feared despite not many of us being out here. What she heard was true, there was no denying that, but there is also more to us than just violence
If I’m being honest I don’t know why I care what she thinks of humanity, it’s not like I’ll be here long and once I leave I doubt we will ever meet again. But that look of fear in her eyes, how could I claim I’ve changed if I leave things as they are?
“Well there is one thing I can do”
Alex
Chapter 2 part 3
After drying off I changed into the clothes Arora had been kind enough to lend me. Now dressed and no longer soaked in blood I felt refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to get to work. I had come up with a simple but hopefully effective plan. Basically, if I could get her to spend some time with me I could give her a different impression of humanity. Finally ready I opened the door where I was surprised to see Arora waiting for me. **“Have you been standing there this whole time?”** **“No… maybe, you sure took your time”** **“Let me guess, you didnt want to leave the dangerous human unattended, right?”** **“Captain wanted me to take you to the bridge after you got yourself cleaned up. She wants to plan our next move and for some reason wants your input”** Not wanting to keep my host waiting I nodded and followed her down to the very end of the hall to a similar pair of large double doors just like the pirates. The doors opened as we drew closer, allowing starlight to shine through from the large glass dome that encased the entire room. Just in front of the door sat a large chair, I assumed was for the captain, that overlooked all the ship's control consols and was sat in front of a large rectangular table where Nar and the others were gathered around.As we approached the others made room, allowing us to join them. Not including us there were 10 others gathered around the table with us appearing to be the last to arrive.
“Alright now that our guest has arrived we can get this meeting started,” the captain said, getting up from her seat “First, seeing as now the whole crew is present, I feel introductions are in order. Everyone this is Alex, Alex this is my crew. The two Ralls are Nar and Kurz, the Rotis with the dark red skin is Vulin and his sister Pyra is next to him. The Rotis covered in scars is ulder, and the one that looks like she just crawled out of a furnace is Saph, while the one shaking from excitement uncontrollably is Zeno. You’ve already met Arora, this is her brother Uvo and beside him is Dura. And lastly, there's myself Elith Tavakar, but you may just call me captain”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all and thank you for your hospitality”
“Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let's get down to business. During Nara's capture, we suffered quite a bit of damage to our ship’s hull and some critical systems, namely our weapons controls and shields”
“What?!! You guys have been traveling around with essentially no way to defend yourself for weeks?!!” Nar shouted
“I’m sorry, we were a little busy looking for some obnoxious muscle head, who was too stubborn to call for help or even try to let us know where he was!!” Elith retorted, shutting him up “Like I was saying, the damage is too great to fix right now so we will need to stop and make repairs as well as refresh our supplies. The closest settlement is Everan, we can stop there. Alex, Nar was telling me you are on a pilgrimage, correct?”
“Yes that’s correct, that’s why I left the human territory”
“Well then once we arrive we can help you procure a new shuttle or at the very least find a ship that will take you where you need to go. Everan is a trading outpost so you're bound to find something that will suit your needs”
“Thank you, I am quite eager to get moving again”
“Then it’s decided. We’re a little over a day’s travel away, for now, feel free to explore the ship. Arora can you keep an eye on our guest for a bit longer” The captain's face was hard to read but what was unmistakable was the glint of pity she gave Arora when she asked her to keep watching over me. I’m going to assume it’s because she knows Arora is frightened of me and not because the captain herself might not like humans.
“Of course captain, it would be my pleasure”
A light growl drew my attention to Uvo, whose expression was anything but pity. His eyes were trained on me, his red pupils searing their image into my mind. Every inch of him was stiff and emitting danger. My hand instinctively reached for my hip, only to grip empty air. Luckily before anything could happen the captain dismissed us and we were sent on our way.
Everyone began filing out into the halls one by one with Arora and I bringing up the rear. I slowed down to get some distance between us and the rest of the crew. When they were far enough away I stopped Arora
“Listen, I’ve been thinking about what you said before, and I wish I could say that what you’ve heard were just rumors and that you don't need to worry about us but I won’t lie to you, we have a violent history that continues to this day in various degrees, I myself have seen my fair share of bloodshed. However, what I can tell you is that we aren't all fire and brimstone. There is plenty left to humanity if you are willing to look.”
She seemed skeptical but didn't walk away, hopefully meaning she was still willing to hear me out
“Let me prove it. We have a day till we reach our destination right? Well how about using that time to get to know a real human then decide for yourself if we’re evil or not”
She looked me in the eyes as I held my breath. I swear I could almost hear the gears begin to turn in her head. “So I can ask anything, and you’ll answer honestly?” she finally said “What’s in it for you?”
“I want to learn more about what the rest of the galaxy is like, small tidbits of information get to Earth but not enough to make an informed voyage, this could be my last chance to learn anything useful before i'm back on my own again,” I said a little relieved she was open to the idea “besides, it would be nice to have some company. I have a feeling Nar will be a bit preoccupied for a while”
“Well, the captain did ask me to show you around and keep an eye on you” She let out a defeated sigh and then held out her hand “Alright it’s a deal”
Shaking her hand I smiled at her “Thanks, so where to first?”
“Well since your room isn’t quite ready yet, I figure I would take you to the lounge. It’s got a nice view and since no one uses it, it’ll be a good place to keep you out of trouble”
“Perfect, lead the way”
We walked from the bridge down the hall and stopped just past the showers. Walking into the new room, I was a little surprised at how big it was. It was almost double the size of the bedrooms we passed, with a more open concept. The area was decorated with a sofa placed directly in front of a TV on my right, a large rug that took up most of the room's floor, and a series of cabinets along the wall to my left that connected to a table that formed a large L-shaped workspace. Lastly just past the table on the opposite wall were two bookshelves filled with a variety of topics. Bringing the whole room together was a large window that took up a large part of the wall, greeting everyone who entered with a beautiful starry landscape.
“About this settlement we're heading to, have you ever visited it before?”
“A couple of times, it's a remote settlement out in the middle of nowhere which makes it a nice rest stop for people who want to keep a low profile like us”
“Sounds lovely, anything I should know about it?”
“Nothing that I can think of, the wealthier residents can be a bit stuck up but if you ignore them they won't cause any problems. They prefer to indulge themselves in their art and sculptures” The last sentence seemed a bit mockery
“I take it you're not a fan. Are there exhibits that bad”
“Hard to appreciate any of it when you're constantly being belittled by the artists for lacking the cultural refinement to truly understand the piece”
Having gotten my fill of the stars I moved from the rug to the back of the couch next to Arora. “Sounds like you’ve got a story”
“You could say that. A while back we were hired by a wealthy resident to take him on a voyage around the neighboring system. The job lasted about a week but he made it feel like an eternity. He felt the need to constantly remind us he was an important artist and as such was entitled to be treated like royalty. I don't think there was a time when someone didn't want to throw him out the airlock, but I gritted my teeth and did my best to appease his ego so he wouldn't cause trouble for the others” I could see her frustration turn to amusement as she continued to tell me her story “this, unfortunately, meant that I had become his favorite person on the ship which eventually led to him trying to flirt with me. For a while, I ignored it which only made him become more direct each day till it all came to a head on the last day of our trip where right before we landed he decided to hell with it and tried to kiss me. However, he attempted this in front of my brother who was quick to put an end to it with a swift jab to the stomach and a simple threat backed up by a pistol pressed against his head. I had never seen a Rall run so fast in my life”
“Your brother sounds as intense as he looks, do you think he will try to pick a fight with me just because you are keeping an eye on me?”
“He shouldn't… as long as you’re on your best behavior”
Her grin combined with her playful tone sent a small shiver down my spine.
“I think I'm starting to see the family resemblance”
My joke earned me a genuine smile, the first I had received in a long time. Finally some progress, what else can I do? Springing to my feet I had an idea
“Arora, you wouldn't happen to have any of his art or supplies would you?”
“Uhh probably… why?”
“Just curious. Never seen art from another species is all”
She got up from the couch and walked over to the row of cabinets. Rummaging through the last one she pulled out a couple of canvases and a small box. Tossing me one of the canvases I began looking it over, and man was it something. It looked like a bunch of random colors splashed onto a canvas with a few streaks of silver and gold here and there. Flakes of what looked to be copper had been blown across the surface like someone gave a toddler a bottle of glitter and told them to go nuts. Like I said, it was something.
“Guess this just goes to show you, you can buy good materials but you can’t buy skill” I mumbled
Putting the canvases on the table I turned my attention to the box. Inside were various brushes and several paints. Most were just standard primary colored paints with a couple more extravagant paints such as gold and silver. Lastly, I pulled out several small blank canvases about the size of a book cover
“These will work perfectly”
“For what exactly? Are you some kind of artist?”
“Well my friend was a much better artist than I am but he insisted I practice with him so I did pick up a thing or two. My biggest weakness is my mind is constantly moving a hundred miles a minute so I have trouble keeping one mental image long enough to paint it. However, if I have even a single thing acting as inspiration I can make just about anything, though my strong suits are portraits, landscapes, and still lives. So now that I have the materials all I need is inspiration. got any suggestions?”
“Why do you have the sudden urge to paint? It may be valuable but I doubt the captain will want to buy any off you”
“I’m not trying to sell it, I just want to show you a bit of human culture, I can’t do much but I can at least paint”
“No offense but I think I’ve seen enough paintings,” she said, rolling her eyes at the canvass strewn on the table “and frankly I’m still not sold on artists as a whole”
“Just trust me, I'm sure I can make something you’ll like. Either way, this will keep me preoccupied for probably the whole trip so you won’t have to worry about me running off and causing trouble”
“Well, I guess that’s a fair point. Fine, I think I have something that will work. Stay here while I grab it, I’ll only be gone a second”
Not long later Arora returned with a large microscope and several Petri dishes. Setting everything up she placed one of the dishes under the microscope and began adjusting the dials to bring the object into focus.
“My brother used to show me some of his research into medical herbs back home. The shapes and colors that made up each one was breathtaking. I’m sure this will be enough to keep you busy”
“Thank you, and I haven’t forgotten our deal. I’ll answer any questions you have about humans”
“There will be plenty of time for that later. For now, I think I’m going to lay on the couch and get some sleep. Having you on board has been quite mentally taxing”
“Oh ha ha,” I said, faining offense “Enjoy your nap, I will still be here when you wake up”
She didn’t retort, instead waving me off dismissively before crashing hard onto the couch.
I picked up one of the metal brushes and flexed my hand, allowing the brush to float and gently spin as I had done so many times during my exercises to test my implants. Alright then, Let’s get to work
Arora
Chapter 2 part 4
I don’t know how long I had been asleep but it must have been a while. Ever since Nar brought that human, Alex, aboard I’ve been constantly worried, worried might not be the right word, I’m more like, terrified. Terrified that the rumors might suddenly become true and we would have a fight on our hands that I’m not sure we could win without losing someone.
Luckily he will be leaving soon, though I will admit he isn’t as bad as I thought a human would be. So far he hasn’t tried anything and in fact, he has been enjoyable, at least enough to where I felt safe enough to get some sleep, though that doesn’t mean I feel refreshed.
Sleeping under the light was a mistake, I woke up feeling a bit dizzy with a slight headache. I was so disoriented I didn’t even realize a blanket had been draped over me. Did I grab this and just not remember? No, I am sure I went straight to sleep.
Peaking over the top of the couch I half expected to see the entire room in shambles and Alex gone, but to my relief he was still sitting at the table, now hunched over and deeply asleep. I walked over to check on him, doing my best not to wake him. He still frightened me but my fear didn’t outweigh my curiosity. He had been working on a painting, apparently passionately enough to not bother moving somewhere more comfortable to sleep.
Peaking over his shoulder I was taken aback by what I had seen. About 6 canvases had been made into beautiful paintings. One was of a large open field of grasslands with a single large tree in the center casting broken shadows across the land. Another was of a waterfall landscape covered in moss and flowers, and another was of a crumbling city being overrun by the forest, all the structures being consumed by vines and trees.
So this is human art. Never seen something like this at Everan. I thought as my fingers gilded across one of the fabric-like canvases
“See, told you you would like it,” Alex said faintly, causing me to nearly trip as I recoiled away from him
“Hope I didn’t wake you” he continued, hopefully not noticing my reaction “I found a blanket when I was looking for more supplies. Figured you could use it” stretched out his arms and let out a yawn before grabbing something off the table and handing it to me
It was a painting of a human girl wearing an emerald green dress that gradually became a deeper shade. Flowers spread like fire along the bottom of her outfit, merging it with the landscape.
“What’s this for?”
“It’s for you if you want it. I don’t really have a need to keep any of it”
I was speechless, this random guy was giving me something not only so beautiful but also extremely valuable, and for no reason at all. I was having a tough time wrapping my head around what his ulterior motive might be until he told me he had a favor he wanted in return
“I was hoping you would continue to show me around once we land, I’ll need help to find supplies for my trip”
I was a little hesitant, that would mean spending a bit more time with someone I was still uneasy about but how would that ever change if I never gave him a chance
“Alright, deal. It will give me more time to question you anyway”
“I'm looking forward to it,” he said with a smile.
2024.04.28 04:21 JaxterH [HC] Toad Dragons
![[HC] Toad Dragons](https://external-preview.redd.it/tU6zbe0CZXqOjxJG4Y3TvdqTbOKAapZ0i7thV8cTN6w.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=b9f927f8fd61cd028ec4bd7d3a23b0be1b67f991 "[HC] Toad Dragons") | The Lore on the Toad Dragon is disappointingly brief for such a wonderful, disgusting monster so fuck it. I need to stretch my writing muscles anyway. HC stands for Headcanon; while inspired/based on canon, this is LARGELY speculative on my part. submitted by JaxterH to WarhammerFantasy [link] [comments] Enjoy! https://preview.redd.it/5yhibwnbp4xc1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=63cfaba053f560cbd0c2a6c6f2db6a68fe01200e Toad Dragons, also called Mirelurks and Dragons of Nurgle, are creatures that live on Malleus, residing in the uttermost North in the Cold Mires of the Chaos Wastes. Though their greenish hides and disgusting aspect might suggest so, these are not daemons of Nurgle; they are mortal animals of the world, though whether they are native or even natural is another story. Their origins are a mystery and the scholars of the world interested in such things raise their brows at the moniker of "dragon", given to them by the far less studious Northmen. Instead of those proud, skyborne beasts, the Toad Dragon has more in common with the landbound lumbering beasts of Lustria, in particular the Dread Saurian. Some theorize that in the earliest days of the world, when Chaos first invaded Lustria and the joint forces of Nurgle and Tzeentch fell upon Chaqua, these monsters were the product of the Plaguelord's foul contagions and the Waychanger's warping magic working in terrible tandem upon the war-beasts of Lizardmen. When the city at last fell, Plaguebearers hoarded the blighted beasts into the portals whence the daemons first came and it was from these monsters that the first Toad Dragons were bred. Others say such foul beasts are not from Malleus at all. The Plaguelord collects not just the flora of other worlds for his garden, but on occasion their fauna too. The Toad Dragon is one such collected animal, though it has adapted so much to it's daemonic abode as to be indistinguishable from the proper daemons. While massive and dangerous to mortals and even greater daemons, compared to the scale of Nurgle's garden the Toad Dragon is only a mere toad and serves much the same function: it eats the many flies and smaller lifeforms within the garden. They offer balance and order to the chaos of Nurgle's realm, as mortal toads do in the mortal world. In both theories, the evidence given for their lack of proper origin from Nurgle is their temperament. Unlike the Plaguefather's daemons, Toad Dragons are notably foul tempered and destructive. Deposited as tadpoles in the muck of a swamp, these beasts never stop growing once they squirm into being. Other lifeforms live within them, apparently unaffected by their caustic breath and stomach acid. It is believed, much like gut bacteria, that these Toad Worms have a symbiotic relationship with it's host and may even be the reason behind it's caustic spit in the first place. Should a Toad Dragon die, Toad Worms will exit the body through the mouth, nose, and even the eyes. It is believed that these worms are the larval stage of the Plague Toad, a much maligned daemon of Nurgle. Plaguetoads are known to exist in a sort-of harmony with the Toad Dragon within it's territory, so long as it defers to the beasts dominance of course. Toad Dragons have tusks-bearing, petal-like maws. Males, the more common of the sexes, are smaller and use these tusks to battle for dominance and for the attention of the female. Females are rarer and larger; her territory will overlap with several males and she will mate with the one who wins out over his competitors. There is no certain way to tell Toad Dragon sexes apart by appearance; one can only be sure if the Dragon has laid it's egg-cluster, in which it will be revealed as female. Bubebolos, the Nurgle-marked Toad Dragon of Tamurkhan the Maggot Lord, was commonly recorded as male, but those who know well the anatomical trends between the sexes of this species posit that the Greatest of All Toad Dragons was very possibly a female. Toad Dragons are not known to die of age and are suspected, even, to be ageless. Bubebolos was not only large, but ancient-- this may suggest that the creatures are biologically immortal. The Gods do not often pay much attention to simple beasts when sapient races are so much more interesting and practical to work with. However, Nurgle is known for his enduring love of these putrid Mire Monsters and his champions consider being able to bind one to ones own will to be sure sign of the Plaguelord's feculent favor. In some more north-bound clans, this is a right of passage for Tribe Leaders, all invariably Champions of Chaos. Along with being implicated in the creation of the Plague Toads, some suggest that the Jabberslythe was an attempt by Nurgle's minions to put more 'dragon' into the Plague Dragon by breeding wings onto the beast. Undeniably, the Jabber and the Toad Dragon share several traits to suggest this is true-- namely greenish skin, a grasping tongue, and a the temperament of a starving ogre. |
2024.04.27 22:34 KayakRifleman Talking with Predators part 3 (NoP Fanfic)
(Okay here it is part 3. Of course I would love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you enjoy it.)
3: Memory transcription subject: Kayleik, Venlil. Citizen of the Venlil Republic. Date standardized human time July 12th, 2136.
“Kayleik, sweetie please get up.” My mother's voice was urgent.
I woke up with a start, kicking my blanket off of me. Then I looked up at my mother, relieved to see she wasn't some hollowed out creature. My relief faltered when the memory of what happened last night came back. I looked over at my holo-clock somewhat puzzled, my brain still cloudy with sleep and the memory of that terrible dream. Typically I would get myself out of bed in plenty of time to get ready for school. Perhaps last night's distress made me oversleep.
The little hologram displaying a 3D image of Venlil prime, showing me time, weather and emergency broadcasts. I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw the hologram flashing a deep vibrant orange. I looked up at my mother, fear spread across her face. “What's going on mummy?” I said suddenly awake. As I said those words my ears shifted and focused on a sound coming from just outside my window. It was the blaring of the emergency sirens, and the terrified yells and screams of people fleeing to one of the many bomb shelters. “Are the Arxur here?” I yelped, my stomach twisting at the thought.
“No, it’s not the Arxur.” She grabbed my paw and tugged at me to follow, I had been too big to carry for several years. Though the look in her eyes gave me the distinct impression that if I didn't start moving right now she might give it a try. Fear gripped me and I held on to her paw for dear life as we made our way to the front door. As we passed by the main room I overheard a news broadcast, and a middle-aged male Venlil voice saying urgently. “I repeat, a human ship has dropped out of FTL, and is now approaching Venlil prime. Find shelter and prepare for the worst. Protector keep us safe.”
‘Humans? But they went extinct nearly 200 years ago. That's what the book said.’ The moment my mother opened the door and we stepped outside my legs went into autopilot. As we ran the aftermath of a stampede came into view. There were dead Venlil in the street, orange blood pooling around them, bloody paw prints stamped into their fur. It was always the same, stampedes were part of our nature, part of the nature of every race in the federation I could think of. It was only predators like the Arxur that didn't stampede.
Fortunately for us we lived on the outskirts of the capital, where it was more sparsely populated. Fewer people died out here during the mad dash to the shelters than in the Interior of the city. I looked up at my mother, and saw that her amber eyes were wide with fear. Pupils dilated trying to see everywhere all at once but seeing nothing. Her ears were flat against her head and her breathing was more labored than it should have been. I could see she was in the beginning stages of a full-blown panic attack.
I forced my gaze away from her and focused on what we were heading towards. There was a large crowd of people, many of them trying to push others out of the way. The last time this had happened we were nearly trampled, the crowd's fear feeding into itself. Until everyone devolved into mindless dumb beasts doing whatever they could, to keep going forward. We had managed to escape with only minor bruising, but I remember the feeling of something soft and moist underneath my paws. As the herd's insanity drove us inexorably forward.
A thought came to me, piercing through the haze of fear and instinct, like a lightning bolt of rationality. ‘We stampeded, we left others to die out in the streets, because we were too afraid to stop and help.’ I took a deep breath and steeled myself, scanning the area, my heart pounded as we hurried. There were tens of people lying in the street, dead and dying. Mostly Venlil but there were some Gojids, Harchans and even a Zurulian who was still breathing. My heart sank when I realized there was nothing I could do to help any of them. I didn't have any special training, and I wasn't big or strong enough to carry any of them. I felt so small and helpless in a way I never had before, like my eyes were truly open for the first time. I wanted to snap my treacherous eyes shut and turn away, to retreat back to my protective fog of fear and raw instinct.
“No Kayleik, don't you dare close your eyes.” A voice from some dark far away corner of my mind growled. I forced myself to look, keeping my eyes on the Zurulian. Turning my head as we passed, so as to never lose sight of him. The brown furred quadruped got to its feet and stood on shaky legs, green blood dripping from a gash on top of his head. My heart leaped with a sudden joy, and I was just about to get my mother's attention, when he took a shuddering breath, closed his eyes and collapsed. The Zurulian whose race was so well known for their kindness and love for all living things, died, alone and afraid in a pool of his own blood.
Tears of anger and frustration began forming in the corners of my eyes. I hated this, I hated the fear, the panic, the overbearing instincts, the stampedes, the needless death, my own weakness. But more than anything in that moment, I hated being prey. ‘Being prey makes you pray’ The predator in my dream had said. Determination gripped me, I wasn't prey, and I wasn't going to blindly follow the herd either.
My eyes darted back to my mother once again. Seeing her so afraid made my heart hurt. Despite the chaos around us, I would make sure me and my mother got to the shelter safely. The memory of what she said about my father came flooding back. ‘Even when everyone around him was losing their minds he always kept his, and made sure everyone was safe.’ Then I thought ‘What would he have done right now?’ I wrapped my tail around her wrist, and said with a confidence I didn't realize I had. “Don't worry mummy, we'll get there, we always do.” I think the confidence in my voice startled her. To my relief she looked down at me, her dilated pupils shrinking back down to their normal size. I squeezed her paw reassuringly, and she flicked her ears in acknowledgment as we slowed our pace trying to ignore the sounds of panic around us.
A crowd of panicking people appeared, coming up the street right behind us and we quickly turned down a side street to avoid a stampede. To our relief no one followed us. After several minutes I realized we had entered an unfamiliar neighborhood. My mother looked back the way we came, her tail swishing back and forth as she pursed her thin lips. Then she pointed to the entrance of an alleyway, “I think if we go down that way it'll put us back onto the main road.” We headed to the alleyway picking up our pace, and as we turned a corner we nearly walked into the back quills of a Gojid family. I saw two adults and a child. The father, large with dark fur, was panting like mad. As his lighter colored wife draped an arm over his thick neck. Her legs were shaking, barely able to support her weight. The Gojid child was trying to help his mother when his ears flicked back and he turned to face us, to my surprise I knew him.
“Salpan!” I yelled, relieved to see a familiar face.
“Ka-ka-kayleik what are you do-doing here?”
I was momentarily taken aback, I had no idea Salpan had a stutter. I brushed that aside for right now. “We're heading to bunker 8, and we came down here to avoid a stampede. What about you?”
“W-w-we are” Salpan started to say before his father cut him off.
“We're heading to bunker 7. It's closer to our house. But my wife is very ill and her legs are giving out. Please help us.”
I felt my mother stiffen at the request, and she retightened her grip on my paw. A hard look came over her face, and l could see her weighing the options between me and Salpans family. ‘No, we can help them’ I thought. ‘I couldn't help the others, but maybe I can help Salpan and his family.’ Besides in a way I felt like I owed it to him. Even if he might have predator disease, Salpan was the only one at my school who hadn’t abandoned me. “Let's help them mummy, if we do we can all make it.” She looked down at me in surprise then looked up at Salpan and his family, indecision freezing her to the spot. “What are your names?” I asked walking towards them tugging at my mother to follow. Salpans father took in a couple deep breaths, “I’m Glorn and this is my wife Maylit, you already know our son.” Glorn moved his gaze to my mother, “What's your name ma'am?”
“Um… Tarcy.”
Maylit looked up at my mother and spoke in a weak voice, “Salpan speaks very highly of Kayleik, I'm happy I finally get to meet her Tarcy.”
I looked over at Salpan, who met my gaze nervously. ‘What in the stars did you tell them?’ I thought bewildered. ‘We've never even spoken until today.’
Maylit's words seemed to break whatever trance my mother was in, and she relinquished her grip on my paw and walked forward, grabbing one of Maylit’s surprisingly thin arms and placing it around her neck. “Let's get to the bunker before it's too late,” My mother said. Together the two grown ups half walked half carried the sick Gojid down the alleyway. While me and Salpan ran ahead making sure our little herd wasn't going to walk straight into a stampede or worse.
“The b-b-br-broadcast said it's a human ship in or-orbit, what even are h-hu-humans anyway?” Salpan asked as we ran, his voice pleading for an answer.
“They’er sentient predators, but they were supposed to have gone extinct nearly 200 years ago.”
“How do y-y-yyou know that?”
“I had a book that talked about them.”
“Stay closer to us you two!” Glorn yelled.
I got to the edge of the alleyway and peered around a corner, Salpan close behind me breathing hard. The street was quiet, several bodies all Venlil, lay motionless blood pooling around them.“Oh protector,” Salpan said under his breath right beside me, his eyes widened as he took in the whole scene. There's something worse about the quiet, when there's nothing there to distract you from what you were seeing.
“That's far enough!” Glorn yelled.
“Let's head back,” I said, turning around not wishing to look at the scene before me, for longer than I had to.
“No Ka-Ka-Kayleik look, there's still ssssom-someone alive.”
I whipped around, “Where?” I nearly yelled.
Salpan pointed a claw at a small dark mass, “under the Ve-venlil.”
I squinted trying to see what Salpan was seeing. Then I saw it, there was someone small, and much darker in color than the Venlil they were under. “Come on Salpan, let's hurry back and tell our parents.” I turned and ran off, Salpan groaned a little and followed. We made our way back, Salpan huffing and puffing behind me. The digitigrade legs that us Venlil enjoyed were great for quick bursts of speed. Where the more flat-footed nature of the Gojid, forced them to develop legs that were better suited to heavy lifting. Looking at my mother and Glorn the physical differences were obvious. My mother was helping but Glorn was still shouldering the majority of his wife's weight, with a look of grim determination.
“The streets are safe but there's someone still alive over there, I think they're Venlil.”
My mother's ears drooped, “sweetie we can't carry another person.”
“No, whoever it is, they're Smaller than me. Me and Salpan could easily help them.”
Glorn huffed angrily, “We can't have anyone else slowing us down. I'm sorry Kayleik but we're going to have to be more pragmatic than that. Salpan, come over here and help Tarcy.”
Salpan raised his ears and paws as if to protest, but a stern look from his father stopped that, before Salpan could muster up any more courage. “Yes d-d-dad,” he slumped his shoulders in defeat. Walking over to my mother and taking her free arm, placing it around his shoulders, giving her some much needed relief.
“Come on sweetie let's go.” My mother said as the small herd passed me.
A growl rumbled from inside my mind, ‘Fuck that.’ I could practically hear the voice clenching its teeth in outrage. It was hard for me to resist the temptation to lash out at their callus words. I followed alongside until we reached the edge of the alleyway. As they turned left I turned right, and ran over to the body. My heart practically skipped a beat for the second time that day. Fighting back a wave of nausea as my paws touched the lifeless body that was once Venlil.
“Kayleik don’t” my mother said her voice sounding uncertain. I pushed with every ounce of strength I had, nearly falling over myself as the corpse shifted. There was the sound of claws scrabbling against pavement, and a small male Harchen stood up. His scales were nearly black with fear, and his slitted yellow eyes looked up at me never blinking. I looked down at him, checking to make sure he wasn't injured. Harchens were naturally smaller than Venlil, even when fully grown most adult Harchens would struggle to look me in the eyes. This harchen was small, barely coming up to my chest. I guessed he must have been around my age or maybe a little younger.
I reached out and touched him on the shoulder. He flinched away from my touch and stepped back looking at me like he thought I was going to hit him. I pulled my paws back to my chest, palms facing inward in the universal gesture of “I'm not a predator.” “Hay, it's okay you're safe now.” He didn't respond. “I’m Kayleik, and we're all heading to bunker 7. Please come with us before the humans land and do whatever it is they're going to do.” I wanted to ask him his name, where his parents were and many other questions. But I could feel Glorn’s glare on me, so I had to make this quick. “Come on, if we hurry we can still make it.” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. It seemed to do the trick, because when I reached out to grab his scaly paw he didn’t pull away.
“If you're done trying to save every lost soul Kayleik, then I suggest we get going before we get turned into a predator's dinner.” Glorn snapped, sounding like he was about to lose his temper. Me and the harchen followed close behind our strange little herd. We went down another two blocks, took a right and there it was, bunker 7. Bunker 7 followed the same basic design as virtually every other bomb shelter in the federation. It was a squat, reinforced building with large steel blast doors, designed to withstand an orbital bombardment. The structure's job was to protect a high capacity elevator that would take us down to the actual bomb shelter. There was still a line of people filing in, waiting for the elevator to come back up.
A sigh of relief came from Glorn, Salpan, Maylit and my mother. As we continued to walk I looked down at the Harchen relief flooding my body “we made it.” I said my ears and tail, moving with excitement and relief. The Harchen on the other hand didn't look excited or relieved. Instead he looked at the ground, with a hard glint in his eyes. His scales had turned to a vibrant blue color with red and yellow lines running down his neck that ended at the top of his chest. I assumed these were his natural colors, which meant he had calmed down at least. Though the lack of excitement was a bit concerning. “Hey did you hear me, I said we made it, we're safe now.” The harchen whipped his tail In gruff acknowledgement, but still remained quiet. I flicked an ear and kept to myself, this was stressful for everyone and I didn't want to stress him out.
As we entered the queue I could hear others talking anxiously about the humans in orbit. My mother put down Maylit’s arm, shared a few words that I couldn't hear over the din of the crowd with Salpan and his family. Then with shaky legs joined me and my quiet companion. She looked down at me, an odd expression of happiness, worry and something else I couldn't identify. She fixed me with that look for several moments longer than I was comfortable with. I was about to ask if there was something on my face, when she shifted her focus onto the harchen. “What's your name sweetheart?” My mother asked, taking a couple steps forward, concern evident in her voice.
The reptile blinked and with his eyes still fixed to the ground said in a small voice, “Zeak.”
“Where are your parents Zeak?” He didn't answer, instead I watched as his long thin tail coiled up an his scales began to turn a doll black once more. Tears formed in his eyes and he tried to blink them away, not daring to look at any of us. My mother's eyes widened in sudden realization. “Oh no dear, I am so sorry.” My mother said, reaching out enveloping Zeak in a gentle hug. His scaly head pressing into the soft fur of her stomach. My breath caught in my throat, and a deep well of pity opened in my heart, as I thought about the harchens I had seen lying dead in the street.
I watched as Zeaks small fists clenched under my mother's embrace. He shrieked and ripped free from my mother's grip with surprising ferocity, leaping away, his tail slapping against the ground. Zeak glared up at my mother, his long tail uncoiling like a whip, small body shaking with rage. I stared at him, taken aback by the sudden shift in his demeanor. So did my mother and others around us, including Salpan and his family. “No sweetheart, it's okay, you're safe now. We're all safe now.” My mother said, paws reaching out for him, inviting him back in.
Zeak’s eyes narrowed, “sweetie we can't carry another person.” He said in a mocking impersonation of my mother's voice. My mother's ears fell and she looked down at the pavement, shame showing on her face.
“That's not fair!” Glorn snapped, his spines bristling. Then in a growl bordering on the predatory said, “You should be grateful.”
Zeak focused his malice onto Glorn. “We can't have anyone else slowing us down. I'm sorry Kayleik but we're going to have to be more pragmatic than that.”
“Don't test me harchen.”
“If you're done trying to save every lost soul Kayleik, then I suggest we get going before we get turned into a predator's dinner.” Zeak continued his voice venomous, becoming even more mocking as he spoke.
Glorn grumbled and turned away, spines still bristled. Maylit sighed and looked at her husband with concern and something else, pulling Salpan closer to her. Salpan’s brown eyes darted between me and Zeak, his body tensed up like he was ready to bolt forward and put himself between us.
My mother looked back up, her eyes soft and sad. “My sorry Zeak, I was afraid, we were all afraid... we never should have said those things… we should have been braver.”
Zeak pointed at me and hissed, “she wasn't afraid, why?”
Before my mother or myself could answer, a tall Venlil with black and white fur came up behind the enraged harchen and placed a paw on his shoulder. “Ok pup that's enough now, OW!” I saw Zeak's tale whip out hitting the tall Venlil in the eye making him back away in pain and surprise. A collective gasp came from the onlookers, and people began to back away from the small reptile as if he was a dangerous beast. I felt my mother pull me towards her, one paw covering her mouth in surprise. It was right then the elevator doors opened and the crowd surged forward. As our little herd was pushed and prodded into the elevator, I called out Zeak's name and tried to keep my eyes on him. The last I saw of him before the elevator's steel doors closed was his long tail disappearing into the crowd. Heading away from bunker 7.
submitted by KayakRifleman to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
3: Memory transcription subject: Kayleik, Venlil. Citizen of the Venlil Republic. Date standardized human time July 12th, 2136.
“Kayleik, sweetie please get up.” My mother's voice was urgent.
I woke up with a start, kicking my blanket off of me. Then I looked up at my mother, relieved to see she wasn't some hollowed out creature. My relief faltered when the memory of what happened last night came back. I looked over at my holo-clock somewhat puzzled, my brain still cloudy with sleep and the memory of that terrible dream. Typically I would get myself out of bed in plenty of time to get ready for school. Perhaps last night's distress made me oversleep.
The little hologram displaying a 3D image of Venlil prime, showing me time, weather and emergency broadcasts. I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw the hologram flashing a deep vibrant orange. I looked up at my mother, fear spread across her face. “What's going on mummy?” I said suddenly awake. As I said those words my ears shifted and focused on a sound coming from just outside my window. It was the blaring of the emergency sirens, and the terrified yells and screams of people fleeing to one of the many bomb shelters. “Are the Arxur here?” I yelped, my stomach twisting at the thought.
“No, it’s not the Arxur.” She grabbed my paw and tugged at me to follow, I had been too big to carry for several years. Though the look in her eyes gave me the distinct impression that if I didn't start moving right now she might give it a try. Fear gripped me and I held on to her paw for dear life as we made our way to the front door. As we passed by the main room I overheard a news broadcast, and a middle-aged male Venlil voice saying urgently. “I repeat, a human ship has dropped out of FTL, and is now approaching Venlil prime. Find shelter and prepare for the worst. Protector keep us safe.”
‘Humans? But they went extinct nearly 200 years ago. That's what the book said.’ The moment my mother opened the door and we stepped outside my legs went into autopilot. As we ran the aftermath of a stampede came into view. There were dead Venlil in the street, orange blood pooling around them, bloody paw prints stamped into their fur. It was always the same, stampedes were part of our nature, part of the nature of every race in the federation I could think of. It was only predators like the Arxur that didn't stampede.
Fortunately for us we lived on the outskirts of the capital, where it was more sparsely populated. Fewer people died out here during the mad dash to the shelters than in the Interior of the city. I looked up at my mother, and saw that her amber eyes were wide with fear. Pupils dilated trying to see everywhere all at once but seeing nothing. Her ears were flat against her head and her breathing was more labored than it should have been. I could see she was in the beginning stages of a full-blown panic attack.
I forced my gaze away from her and focused on what we were heading towards. There was a large crowd of people, many of them trying to push others out of the way. The last time this had happened we were nearly trampled, the crowd's fear feeding into itself. Until everyone devolved into mindless dumb beasts doing whatever they could, to keep going forward. We had managed to escape with only minor bruising, but I remember the feeling of something soft and moist underneath my paws. As the herd's insanity drove us inexorably forward.
A thought came to me, piercing through the haze of fear and instinct, like a lightning bolt of rationality. ‘We stampeded, we left others to die out in the streets, because we were too afraid to stop and help.’ I took a deep breath and steeled myself, scanning the area, my heart pounded as we hurried. There were tens of people lying in the street, dead and dying. Mostly Venlil but there were some Gojids, Harchans and even a Zurulian who was still breathing. My heart sank when I realized there was nothing I could do to help any of them. I didn't have any special training, and I wasn't big or strong enough to carry any of them. I felt so small and helpless in a way I never had before, like my eyes were truly open for the first time. I wanted to snap my treacherous eyes shut and turn away, to retreat back to my protective fog of fear and raw instinct.
“No Kayleik, don't you dare close your eyes.” A voice from some dark far away corner of my mind growled. I forced myself to look, keeping my eyes on the Zurulian. Turning my head as we passed, so as to never lose sight of him. The brown furred quadruped got to its feet and stood on shaky legs, green blood dripping from a gash on top of his head. My heart leaped with a sudden joy, and I was just about to get my mother's attention, when he took a shuddering breath, closed his eyes and collapsed. The Zurulian whose race was so well known for their kindness and love for all living things, died, alone and afraid in a pool of his own blood.
Tears of anger and frustration began forming in the corners of my eyes. I hated this, I hated the fear, the panic, the overbearing instincts, the stampedes, the needless death, my own weakness. But more than anything in that moment, I hated being prey. ‘Being prey makes you pray’ The predator in my dream had said. Determination gripped me, I wasn't prey, and I wasn't going to blindly follow the herd either.
My eyes darted back to my mother once again. Seeing her so afraid made my heart hurt. Despite the chaos around us, I would make sure me and my mother got to the shelter safely. The memory of what she said about my father came flooding back. ‘Even when everyone around him was losing their minds he always kept his, and made sure everyone was safe.’ Then I thought ‘What would he have done right now?’ I wrapped my tail around her wrist, and said with a confidence I didn't realize I had. “Don't worry mummy, we'll get there, we always do.” I think the confidence in my voice startled her. To my relief she looked down at me, her dilated pupils shrinking back down to their normal size. I squeezed her paw reassuringly, and she flicked her ears in acknowledgment as we slowed our pace trying to ignore the sounds of panic around us.
A crowd of panicking people appeared, coming up the street right behind us and we quickly turned down a side street to avoid a stampede. To our relief no one followed us. After several minutes I realized we had entered an unfamiliar neighborhood. My mother looked back the way we came, her tail swishing back and forth as she pursed her thin lips. Then she pointed to the entrance of an alleyway, “I think if we go down that way it'll put us back onto the main road.” We headed to the alleyway picking up our pace, and as we turned a corner we nearly walked into the back quills of a Gojid family. I saw two adults and a child. The father, large with dark fur, was panting like mad. As his lighter colored wife draped an arm over his thick neck. Her legs were shaking, barely able to support her weight. The Gojid child was trying to help his mother when his ears flicked back and he turned to face us, to my surprise I knew him.
“Salpan!” I yelled, relieved to see a familiar face.
“Ka-ka-kayleik what are you do-doing here?”
I was momentarily taken aback, I had no idea Salpan had a stutter. I brushed that aside for right now. “We're heading to bunker 8, and we came down here to avoid a stampede. What about you?”
“W-w-we are” Salpan started to say before his father cut him off.
“We're heading to bunker 7. It's closer to our house. But my wife is very ill and her legs are giving out. Please help us.”
I felt my mother stiffen at the request, and she retightened her grip on my paw. A hard look came over her face, and l could see her weighing the options between me and Salpans family. ‘No, we can help them’ I thought. ‘I couldn't help the others, but maybe I can help Salpan and his family.’ Besides in a way I felt like I owed it to him. Even if he might have predator disease, Salpan was the only one at my school who hadn’t abandoned me. “Let's help them mummy, if we do we can all make it.” She looked down at me in surprise then looked up at Salpan and his family, indecision freezing her to the spot. “What are your names?” I asked walking towards them tugging at my mother to follow. Salpans father took in a couple deep breaths, “I’m Glorn and this is my wife Maylit, you already know our son.” Glorn moved his gaze to my mother, “What's your name ma'am?”
“Um… Tarcy.”
Maylit looked up at my mother and spoke in a weak voice, “Salpan speaks very highly of Kayleik, I'm happy I finally get to meet her Tarcy.”
I looked over at Salpan, who met my gaze nervously. ‘What in the stars did you tell them?’ I thought bewildered. ‘We've never even spoken until today.’
Maylit's words seemed to break whatever trance my mother was in, and she relinquished her grip on my paw and walked forward, grabbing one of Maylit’s surprisingly thin arms and placing it around her neck. “Let's get to the bunker before it's too late,” My mother said. Together the two grown ups half walked half carried the sick Gojid down the alleyway. While me and Salpan ran ahead making sure our little herd wasn't going to walk straight into a stampede or worse.
“The b-b-br-broadcast said it's a human ship in or-orbit, what even are h-hu-humans anyway?” Salpan asked as we ran, his voice pleading for an answer.
“They’er sentient predators, but they were supposed to have gone extinct nearly 200 years ago.”
“How do y-y-yyou know that?”
“I had a book that talked about them.”
“Stay closer to us you two!” Glorn yelled.
I got to the edge of the alleyway and peered around a corner, Salpan close behind me breathing hard. The street was quiet, several bodies all Venlil, lay motionless blood pooling around them.“Oh protector,” Salpan said under his breath right beside me, his eyes widened as he took in the whole scene. There's something worse about the quiet, when there's nothing there to distract you from what you were seeing.
“That's far enough!” Glorn yelled.
“Let's head back,” I said, turning around not wishing to look at the scene before me, for longer than I had to.
“No Ka-Ka-Kayleik look, there's still ssssom-someone alive.”
I whipped around, “Where?” I nearly yelled.
Salpan pointed a claw at a small dark mass, “under the Ve-venlil.”
I squinted trying to see what Salpan was seeing. Then I saw it, there was someone small, and much darker in color than the Venlil they were under. “Come on Salpan, let's hurry back and tell our parents.” I turned and ran off, Salpan groaned a little and followed. We made our way back, Salpan huffing and puffing behind me. The digitigrade legs that us Venlil enjoyed were great for quick bursts of speed. Where the more flat-footed nature of the Gojid, forced them to develop legs that were better suited to heavy lifting. Looking at my mother and Glorn the physical differences were obvious. My mother was helping but Glorn was still shouldering the majority of his wife's weight, with a look of grim determination.
“The streets are safe but there's someone still alive over there, I think they're Venlil.”
My mother's ears drooped, “sweetie we can't carry another person.”
“No, whoever it is, they're Smaller than me. Me and Salpan could easily help them.”
Glorn huffed angrily, “We can't have anyone else slowing us down. I'm sorry Kayleik but we're going to have to be more pragmatic than that. Salpan, come over here and help Tarcy.”
Salpan raised his ears and paws as if to protest, but a stern look from his father stopped that, before Salpan could muster up any more courage. “Yes d-d-dad,” he slumped his shoulders in defeat. Walking over to my mother and taking her free arm, placing it around his shoulders, giving her some much needed relief.
“Come on sweetie let's go.” My mother said as the small herd passed me.
A growl rumbled from inside my mind, ‘Fuck that.’ I could practically hear the voice clenching its teeth in outrage. It was hard for me to resist the temptation to lash out at their callus words. I followed alongside until we reached the edge of the alleyway. As they turned left I turned right, and ran over to the body. My heart practically skipped a beat for the second time that day. Fighting back a wave of nausea as my paws touched the lifeless body that was once Venlil.
“Kayleik don’t” my mother said her voice sounding uncertain. I pushed with every ounce of strength I had, nearly falling over myself as the corpse shifted. There was the sound of claws scrabbling against pavement, and a small male Harchen stood up. His scales were nearly black with fear, and his slitted yellow eyes looked up at me never blinking. I looked down at him, checking to make sure he wasn't injured. Harchens were naturally smaller than Venlil, even when fully grown most adult Harchens would struggle to look me in the eyes. This harchen was small, barely coming up to my chest. I guessed he must have been around my age or maybe a little younger.
I reached out and touched him on the shoulder. He flinched away from my touch and stepped back looking at me like he thought I was going to hit him. I pulled my paws back to my chest, palms facing inward in the universal gesture of “I'm not a predator.” “Hay, it's okay you're safe now.” He didn't respond. “I’m Kayleik, and we're all heading to bunker 7. Please come with us before the humans land and do whatever it is they're going to do.” I wanted to ask him his name, where his parents were and many other questions. But I could feel Glorn’s glare on me, so I had to make this quick. “Come on, if we hurry we can still make it.” I said with as much confidence as I could muster. It seemed to do the trick, because when I reached out to grab his scaly paw he didn’t pull away.
“If you're done trying to save every lost soul Kayleik, then I suggest we get going before we get turned into a predator's dinner.” Glorn snapped, sounding like he was about to lose his temper. Me and the harchen followed close behind our strange little herd. We went down another two blocks, took a right and there it was, bunker 7. Bunker 7 followed the same basic design as virtually every other bomb shelter in the federation. It was a squat, reinforced building with large steel blast doors, designed to withstand an orbital bombardment. The structure's job was to protect a high capacity elevator that would take us down to the actual bomb shelter. There was still a line of people filing in, waiting for the elevator to come back up.
A sigh of relief came from Glorn, Salpan, Maylit and my mother. As we continued to walk I looked down at the Harchen relief flooding my body “we made it.” I said my ears and tail, moving with excitement and relief. The Harchen on the other hand didn't look excited or relieved. Instead he looked at the ground, with a hard glint in his eyes. His scales had turned to a vibrant blue color with red and yellow lines running down his neck that ended at the top of his chest. I assumed these were his natural colors, which meant he had calmed down at least. Though the lack of excitement was a bit concerning. “Hey did you hear me, I said we made it, we're safe now.” The harchen whipped his tail In gruff acknowledgement, but still remained quiet. I flicked an ear and kept to myself, this was stressful for everyone and I didn't want to stress him out.
As we entered the queue I could hear others talking anxiously about the humans in orbit. My mother put down Maylit’s arm, shared a few words that I couldn't hear over the din of the crowd with Salpan and his family. Then with shaky legs joined me and my quiet companion. She looked down at me, an odd expression of happiness, worry and something else I couldn't identify. She fixed me with that look for several moments longer than I was comfortable with. I was about to ask if there was something on my face, when she shifted her focus onto the harchen. “What's your name sweetheart?” My mother asked, taking a couple steps forward, concern evident in her voice.
The reptile blinked and with his eyes still fixed to the ground said in a small voice, “Zeak.”
“Where are your parents Zeak?” He didn't answer, instead I watched as his long thin tail coiled up an his scales began to turn a doll black once more. Tears formed in his eyes and he tried to blink them away, not daring to look at any of us. My mother's eyes widened in sudden realization. “Oh no dear, I am so sorry.” My mother said, reaching out enveloping Zeak in a gentle hug. His scaly head pressing into the soft fur of her stomach. My breath caught in my throat, and a deep well of pity opened in my heart, as I thought about the harchens I had seen lying dead in the street.
I watched as Zeaks small fists clenched under my mother's embrace. He shrieked and ripped free from my mother's grip with surprising ferocity, leaping away, his tail slapping against the ground. Zeak glared up at my mother, his long tail uncoiling like a whip, small body shaking with rage. I stared at him, taken aback by the sudden shift in his demeanor. So did my mother and others around us, including Salpan and his family. “No sweetheart, it's okay, you're safe now. We're all safe now.” My mother said, paws reaching out for him, inviting him back in.
Zeak’s eyes narrowed, “sweetie we can't carry another person.” He said in a mocking impersonation of my mother's voice. My mother's ears fell and she looked down at the pavement, shame showing on her face.
“That's not fair!” Glorn snapped, his spines bristling. Then in a growl bordering on the predatory said, “You should be grateful.”
Zeak focused his malice onto Glorn. “We can't have anyone else slowing us down. I'm sorry Kayleik but we're going to have to be more pragmatic than that.”
“Don't test me harchen.”
“If you're done trying to save every lost soul Kayleik, then I suggest we get going before we get turned into a predator's dinner.” Zeak continued his voice venomous, becoming even more mocking as he spoke.
Glorn grumbled and turned away, spines still bristled. Maylit sighed and looked at her husband with concern and something else, pulling Salpan closer to her. Salpan’s brown eyes darted between me and Zeak, his body tensed up like he was ready to bolt forward and put himself between us.
My mother looked back up, her eyes soft and sad. “My sorry Zeak, I was afraid, we were all afraid... we never should have said those things… we should have been braver.”
Zeak pointed at me and hissed, “she wasn't afraid, why?”
Before my mother or myself could answer, a tall Venlil with black and white fur came up behind the enraged harchen and placed a paw on his shoulder. “Ok pup that's enough now, OW!” I saw Zeak's tale whip out hitting the tall Venlil in the eye making him back away in pain and surprise. A collective gasp came from the onlookers, and people began to back away from the small reptile as if he was a dangerous beast. I felt my mother pull me towards her, one paw covering her mouth in surprise. It was right then the elevator doors opened and the crowd surged forward. As our little herd was pushed and prodded into the elevator, I called out Zeak's name and tried to keep my eyes on him. The last I saw of him before the elevator's steel doors closed was his long tail disappearing into the crowd. Heading away from bunker 7.
2024.04.27 20:21 WonderingTube5 So one of my friend showed me Lupin and my thoughts
I'm a guy who doesn't typically watch stuff on Netflix. However my friend showed me Lupin, I gave it a go. Holy smokes when I finished watching 1st episode. I got so into it, so much so I watched all episodes asap. Which speaks a lot.
Story kept me engaged, which is surprising. It's not like random stranger meets another random stranger. No, story is personal which makes things more interesting. Knowing the characters previously had history. Action sequences were intense at some part. Even had me shocked in some moments. I want to say, city feels big part of the series. Ranging from people to landmarks.
Now I wanna go in deeper dive about Assane Diop. Having back and forth of past and present was brilliant. Each time reflected Assane's past memories. He seems perfect with no flaws, but that's really true. He makes wrong moves when under of his emotions. Which greatly costed his process. Leading him being stuck in more intense situations. Just when the heat rises, enemies will show up. Assane will have allies, needed new ones along the way of his quest. Assane has big morale. He isn't going around and randomly taking lives. He is a guy trying for what he believes is right thing. He has character development throughout the series. At season 1, he is too focued on his pursuit against Hubert. At season 2, he slowly realize his errors and is more cautious of being more protective of his family. At last season 3, he is was entering his endgame. New enemy surfaced: Keller. So Assane decided to take down Keller before deciding to end his journey, as well turning himself in order to put everything to stop. But shocking, Hubert had other plans. Meaning it's far from over. Like I said before. When higher threat rises, Assane might need friends and allies to fend off.
Now I wanna talk about some of the characters.
Babakar Diop, was the father figure for Assane. Literally everything about them was heartwarming. Until Babakar was misformly placed as a suspect by Hubert. Sadly Babakar died by hanging. Very tragic character. And being the main transformation of Assane for becoming the man he is.
Mariama Diop, the mother of Assane Diop. Had sad history at her job, not getting paid well. Decided to steal the money but got caught in the process and got thrown in jail. Being left behind while Assane and Babakar were in France. 25 years later Mariama pops up. She was at 1st hand in the hands of Keller but escaped. Later we see her meeting Assane at subway after so many decades. and it's just sweet to seeing her reunited with her son.
Claire, the mother of Laour and Assane's wife. Assane and claire had bit uneasy at start. But later they got together. Claire was fearful of Assane after knowing what he truly was. But deep down she knew she couldn't leave Assane behind. Just like what a normal mother would do. When in tricky situations, she would do anything to protect Laour.
Raoul, son of Assane. He highly admires Assane. But he is sadly caught in Assane's conflict. Getting kidnapped by Hubert's 1st hitman as an example. He is just a innocent boy who is stuck between 2 walls.
Benjamin, Assane's BFF and right hand man. They been together since they were kids. Benjamin had Assane's back when needed. However in season 3 he got betrayed by Assane, tho did get out of prison. Now question is, does Benjamin have hatred to Assane after what happened or not.
Juliette, second love interest of Assane. If things were different Assane might been with Juliette. But there's some sort of a barrier between her and Assane because of his father: Hubert.
Anne, Hubert's wife. Was a potential of being mother figure for Assane but that got rejected. She's been known to help Assane in secret, after Assane's was alone and had no one else in his life.
Bruno, another Assane's close friend since kids. Was a helping hand in some of Assane's most dangerous tasks.
Phillippe, secret undercover for Assane to get infos about Hubert's business and Assane using it for his advantage.
Now come to the main police investigator team on Assane.
Youssef, honestly one of my fav. The one who found out Assane's identity. Later on Dude was staight up helping Assane with saving his son to being in a disguise for the trade at season 3 last episode. Youssef actually thought of doing that was logical instead of following the police protocol.
Sofia, the bossy woman. She is very serious person and very strict of her work. Having complicated time with Youssef of what is right and what is wrong. Sofia main goal in mind is to catch Assane. Now Sofia might be temper filled but she doesn't seem corrupted with her actions. She does have caring side, which was seen couple of times. At season 4 I think Sofia will have complete change of mind and help out Assane for whatever threat that is coming.
Romain, out of all the cops I seen he was the most neutral. Which really isn't a bad thing as he wasn't corrupt. However didn't see too much of him. He also could be potential of helping out Assane for whatever trouble that could blow out.
Now lastly, Assane's major enemies.
Dumort, the man who been ordered by Hubert to falsely sue Babakar. Was kidnapped and interrogated by Assane at some point. Which later been used to expose Dumort's corruption.
Keller, who wanted people to do for his own goods. He is hungered for greed which was his downfall.
Hubert, the archenemy of Assane. The businessman who ruined Assane's happiness. Corrupt leader doing for his own likings. List goes on. He caused so much pain to Assane, even on does so present time as well. One of the worst being getting his hands on Laour. He was exposed by Assane at season 2, getting thrown in jail. However unexpectedly, Hubert was seen at the end of season 3. Secretly handing a Lupin handwrite to Assane. Telling Assane that one of his pals is a traitor. That made my mind blown.
I gotta say, it was a ride. I haven't been hooked for something like this. I'm really looking forward to season 4. Bigger enemy power will show up. New allies join up. And man Sofia's actress is... something. You might know what I mean. Hope to see more of her in season 4, cus why not. Anyways this show is underrated and really does deserve more attention to it. Even if the actions might fell out of place. It was enjoyable to watch. I almost forgot, the songs are superrb.
Had to edit, as some of the order were in wrong place. Shoutout to fun fact for point that out.
submitted by WonderingTube5 to lupinNetflix [link] [comments]
Story kept me engaged, which is surprising. It's not like random stranger meets another random stranger. No, story is personal which makes things more interesting. Knowing the characters previously had history. Action sequences were intense at some part. Even had me shocked in some moments. I want to say, city feels big part of the series. Ranging from people to landmarks.
Now I wanna go in deeper dive about Assane Diop. Having back and forth of past and present was brilliant. Each time reflected Assane's past memories. He seems perfect with no flaws, but that's really true. He makes wrong moves when under of his emotions. Which greatly costed his process. Leading him being stuck in more intense situations. Just when the heat rises, enemies will show up. Assane will have allies, needed new ones along the way of his quest. Assane has big morale. He isn't going around and randomly taking lives. He is a guy trying for what he believes is right thing. He has character development throughout the series. At season 1, he is too focued on his pursuit against Hubert. At season 2, he slowly realize his errors and is more cautious of being more protective of his family. At last season 3, he is was entering his endgame. New enemy surfaced: Keller. So Assane decided to take down Keller before deciding to end his journey, as well turning himself in order to put everything to stop. But shocking, Hubert had other plans. Meaning it's far from over. Like I said before. When higher threat rises, Assane might need friends and allies to fend off.
Now I wanna talk about some of the characters.
Babakar Diop, was the father figure for Assane. Literally everything about them was heartwarming. Until Babakar was misformly placed as a suspect by Hubert. Sadly Babakar died by hanging. Very tragic character. And being the main transformation of Assane for becoming the man he is.
Mariama Diop, the mother of Assane Diop. Had sad history at her job, not getting paid well. Decided to steal the money but got caught in the process and got thrown in jail. Being left behind while Assane and Babakar were in France. 25 years later Mariama pops up. She was at 1st hand in the hands of Keller but escaped. Later we see her meeting Assane at subway after so many decades. and it's just sweet to seeing her reunited with her son.
Claire, the mother of Laour and Assane's wife. Assane and claire had bit uneasy at start. But later they got together. Claire was fearful of Assane after knowing what he truly was. But deep down she knew she couldn't leave Assane behind. Just like what a normal mother would do. When in tricky situations, she would do anything to protect Laour.
Raoul, son of Assane. He highly admires Assane. But he is sadly caught in Assane's conflict. Getting kidnapped by Hubert's 1st hitman as an example. He is just a innocent boy who is stuck between 2 walls.
Benjamin, Assane's BFF and right hand man. They been together since they were kids. Benjamin had Assane's back when needed. However in season 3 he got betrayed by Assane, tho did get out of prison. Now question is, does Benjamin have hatred to Assane after what happened or not.
Juliette, second love interest of Assane. If things were different Assane might been with Juliette. But there's some sort of a barrier between her and Assane because of his father: Hubert.
Anne, Hubert's wife. Was a potential of being mother figure for Assane but that got rejected. She's been known to help Assane in secret, after Assane's was alone and had no one else in his life.
Bruno, another Assane's close friend since kids. Was a helping hand in some of Assane's most dangerous tasks.
Phillippe, secret undercover for Assane to get infos about Hubert's business and Assane using it for his advantage.
Now come to the main police investigator team on Assane.
Youssef, honestly one of my fav. The one who found out Assane's identity. Later on Dude was staight up helping Assane with saving his son to being in a disguise for the trade at season 3 last episode. Youssef actually thought of doing that was logical instead of following the police protocol.
Sofia, the bossy woman. She is very serious person and very strict of her work. Having complicated time with Youssef of what is right and what is wrong. Sofia main goal in mind is to catch Assane. Now Sofia might be temper filled but she doesn't seem corrupted with her actions. She does have caring side, which was seen couple of times. At season 4 I think Sofia will have complete change of mind and help out Assane for whatever threat that is coming.
Romain, out of all the cops I seen he was the most neutral. Which really isn't a bad thing as he wasn't corrupt. However didn't see too much of him. He also could be potential of helping out Assane for whatever trouble that could blow out.
Now lastly, Assane's major enemies.
Dumort, the man who been ordered by Hubert to falsely sue Babakar. Was kidnapped and interrogated by Assane at some point. Which later been used to expose Dumort's corruption.
Keller, who wanted people to do for his own goods. He is hungered for greed which was his downfall.
Hubert, the archenemy of Assane. The businessman who ruined Assane's happiness. Corrupt leader doing for his own likings. List goes on. He caused so much pain to Assane, even on does so present time as well. One of the worst being getting his hands on Laour. He was exposed by Assane at season 2, getting thrown in jail. However unexpectedly, Hubert was seen at the end of season 3. Secretly handing a Lupin handwrite to Assane. Telling Assane that one of his pals is a traitor. That made my mind blown.
I gotta say, it was a ride. I haven't been hooked for something like this. I'm really looking forward to season 4. Bigger enemy power will show up. New allies join up. And man Sofia's actress is... something. You might know what I mean. Hope to see more of her in season 4, cus why not. Anyways this show is underrated and really does deserve more attention to it. Even if the actions might fell out of place. It was enjoyable to watch. I almost forgot, the songs are superrb.
Had to edit, as some of the order were in wrong place. Shoutout to fun fact for point that out.
2024.04.27 19:33 additional-donkey22 Postmortem of a 7 day trip in Monteverde and La Fortuna
We (me and 2 others - Americans between the age of 28 and 30 y/o) just got back from a week-long trip (April 19-26, 2024) in Costa Rica where we flew into Liberia airport and spent 3 nights in Monteverde and 4 nights in La Fortuna. For those traveling to these places in the future I hope this helps with your planning!
Transportation
I was reading mixed reviews on whether to rent a car or not. We decided not to. The roads being slipshod, minimal signage and streetlights outside of the towns persuaded us to rely on shuttles and taxis. We also did not book our tours through a package that included transport, so it was on us to figure out how to get from point to point throughout the week.
Used Adobe shuttle service to go from Liberia International Airport to Monteverde which was a door-to-door service ($245). And then used them going from La Fortuna back to Liberia International Airport ($193)
Getting around Monteverde
The demand for Uber in Monteverde is not that high so do not depend on it. You will need taxis to go from place to place around Monteverde. We asked our Airbnb host for a contact on Whatsapp. That worked out great. Have colones on you!!! Preferably 10s and other smaller bills as they can not always make change. The first taxi we got he had to stop at the bank because we did not foresee needing paper currency all that much. Luckily my friends debit cards were able to withdraw cash, mine was not. So please, come prepared with colones if this is how you plan to get around. These taxis are pretty expensive, usually amounting to about $1 a minute. Though not ideal, it was still a nice peace of mind not having to worry about getting lost or banging up a rental.
We stayed in an Airbnb somewhat remote from the city of Santa Elena. We used the taxi driver's contact on Whatsapp to schedule rides to get us to the excursions/restaurants. If we were in Santa Elena, it was pretty easy to just walk up to a taxi and tell him where we needed to go.
Going from Monteverde to La Fortuna
Jeep-Boat-Jeep experience was awesome and I highly recommend. Amazing value. We saw Arenal volcano via boat on a gorgeous sunny day. I think we got lucky, the boat driver said it's not typical you get to see the tippy top of the volcano like we did. A very economical way to get out to La Fortuna.
Getting around La Fortuna
Uber here worked very well. They are MUCH cheaper than the taxis omg. The only times we had to call a taxi were in the mornings when we wanted to go to breakfast in downtown La Fortuna. Our Airbnb was probably 10-13 minutes drive from downtown La Fortuna and I think Ubers don't want to fetch you when you're cast too far away. Again, our Airbnb host gave us a contact on Whatsapp to use for taxis on-demand.
Looking back
I probably could have stomached renting a car knowing what I know now. Waze will get you to where you need to go. The headlights on a 4x4 will more than take care of lighting your path when it gets dark at 6pm. And the key is just to drive slow. But I don't regret the decision to not rent a car. There are tradeoffs either way.
Food
Food is a very subjective topic. I'll just say I think the Costa Rican food overall was pretty average. There is also an abundance of Italian food and at no point did I think it was better than average either. Like there are some reviews out there that say Italianissimo in La Fortuna is the best Italian food they've had outside of Sicily. That's crazy 😂 - because it lacked a lot. The margherita pizza was just cheese pizza with ground basil on it... and the pasta about the same.
Here were the standouts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Monteverde
Monteverde
The coolest thing we did in Monteverde was the ziplining. Wow what a thrill. It felt like my spirit transcended while whooshing over the lush forestry. The chocolate/coffee/sugar cane tour was neat. Very informative and I enjoyed the tastings and the takeaways.
The night tour was average. Temper your expectations. You might see one or two exotic animals. We were equipped with some pretty weak flashlights. Probably the lamest experience of the trip - but at the same time it's one of the quintessential things you have to do while here. I mean what else are you gonna do at 8pm? Watch another episode of Netflix? Get out there!
The Cloud Forest was cool, glad we went with a guide. He was able to spot a quetzal for us and take some really awesome pics.
La Fortuna
DO NOT RENT A KAYAK WITH ARENAL WATER SPORTS. What a letdown. We had a guide that went completely rogue while out on the lake. It started to rain, the wind was whipping, and he acted like he was out there for his own exercise. He was so far ahead of us at times that he became a speck on the horizon. He never looked back, never gave us any instructions beforehand. And offered us a weak little powerbar once we got to the halfway point as we were trying to catch our breath. We were exhausted at that point and I was pretty upset. The climate conditions were not favorable and he expected us to have this elite level of fitness to keep up with him. We made it through, God willing, but do yourself a favor and just rent a jetski if you want to spend time on the lake. This was my biggest flop in the whole trip.
DO GO HORSEBACK RIDING @ Mistico Hanging Bridges Park!!!!! This on the other hand was the best experience we had in La Fortuna. This was my first time riding a horse and it was pretty simple mounting and riding. We climbed 200 meters in total on horseback and saw some of the prettiest views I've ever seen on planet earth. While drinking water out of a fresh coconut that the guide hacked with a machete at the summit. Pro-tip: Wear jeans or pants, you don't want raw skin rubbing against that saddle. Ouch.
Mistico Hanging Bridges Park was worth it. Those bridges get a little nerve-wracking! But the views they offer are world-class. Now that I'm back home typing this in the concrete jungle I live in in America, I'm sad I won't get more glimpses of scenery like that.
The La Fortuna waterfall was awesome, the hike at Arenal Volcano National Park was worth it (about 3+ miles if doing Las Coladas going up + El Ceibo on the way back), and the free public hot springs at El Choyin was a nice refresher after the hike. Be prepared for the climb back up from La Fortuna waterfall. It'll test your fitness for sure.
We did all of these things "a la carte." Meaning we booked the tours through Viator and found our own transportation to and from. There are packages where you can bundle everything together like the Waterfall, Volcano hike, Hanging Bridges all in a 10 hr day. I would seriously consider pricing that out if you're with a group. I feel that could've boosted the efficiency a bit in our itinerary, with the tradeoff being less flexibility in where we got to eat throughout the day.
Overall
We jampacked a lot in a 7-day span. We did not have much time to waste only being here a week and trying to squeeze as much juice out of two places as we could. And even doing so, I felt like the trip was a day too long. 3 nights in Monteverde and 3 nights in La Fortuna would've been perfect looking back.
Costa Rica is an amazing place with extremely friendly people. Teeming with biodiversity and lush landscapes, it should be visited by those that love seeing God's paintbrush at work. He really went heavy on the green when he made Costa Rica. The English here is pretty good and they have the best country slogan in the world in my opinion... one so powerful that it spontaneously compelled my friend to get it tattooed on his wrist!
Pura Vida!
submitted by additional-donkey22 to CostaRicaTravel [link] [comments]
Transportation
I was reading mixed reviews on whether to rent a car or not. We decided not to. The roads being slipshod, minimal signage and streetlights outside of the towns persuaded us to rely on shuttles and taxis. We also did not book our tours through a package that included transport, so it was on us to figure out how to get from point to point throughout the week.
Used Adobe shuttle service to go from Liberia International Airport to Monteverde which was a door-to-door service ($245). And then used them going from La Fortuna back to Liberia International Airport ($193)
Getting around Monteverde
The demand for Uber in Monteverde is not that high so do not depend on it. You will need taxis to go from place to place around Monteverde. We asked our Airbnb host for a contact on Whatsapp. That worked out great. Have colones on you!!! Preferably 10s and other smaller bills as they can not always make change. The first taxi we got he had to stop at the bank because we did not foresee needing paper currency all that much. Luckily my friends debit cards were able to withdraw cash, mine was not. So please, come prepared with colones if this is how you plan to get around. These taxis are pretty expensive, usually amounting to about $1 a minute. Though not ideal, it was still a nice peace of mind not having to worry about getting lost or banging up a rental.
We stayed in an Airbnb somewhat remote from the city of Santa Elena. We used the taxi driver's contact on Whatsapp to schedule rides to get us to the excursions/restaurants. If we were in Santa Elena, it was pretty easy to just walk up to a taxi and tell him where we needed to go.
Going from Monteverde to La Fortuna
Jeep-Boat-Jeep experience was awesome and I highly recommend. Amazing value. We saw Arenal volcano via boat on a gorgeous sunny day. I think we got lucky, the boat driver said it's not typical you get to see the tippy top of the volcano like we did. A very economical way to get out to La Fortuna.
Getting around La Fortuna
Uber here worked very well. They are MUCH cheaper than the taxis omg. The only times we had to call a taxi were in the mornings when we wanted to go to breakfast in downtown La Fortuna. Our Airbnb was probably 10-13 minutes drive from downtown La Fortuna and I think Ubers don't want to fetch you when you're cast too far away. Again, our Airbnb host gave us a contact on Whatsapp to use for taxis on-demand.
Looking back
I probably could have stomached renting a car knowing what I know now. Waze will get you to where you need to go. The headlights on a 4x4 will more than take care of lighting your path when it gets dark at 6pm. And the key is just to drive slow. But I don't regret the decision to not rent a car. There are tradeoffs either way.
Food
Food is a very subjective topic. I'll just say I think the Costa Rican food overall was pretty average. There is also an abundance of Italian food and at no point did I think it was better than average either. Like there are some reviews out there that say Italianissimo in La Fortuna is the best Italian food they've had outside of Sicily. That's crazy 😂 - because it lacked a lot. The margherita pizza was just cheese pizza with ground basil on it... and the pasta about the same.
Here were the standouts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Monteverde
- Birria tacos @ Taco Taco Tacqueria. Be careful on ordering a spicy margarita if you don't have a high spice tolerance. It was so spicy it became undrinkable.
- Mint lemonade @ Tico y Rico.
- Surf and Turf @ Tiquicia
- Soda La Hormiga (mostly because it was flavorful and good value)
- A smoothie bowl from Jungle Bowls
- A "copa" dessert from a local vendor (usually somewhere by the edge of the park in downtown)
- A pastry from La Principal Bakery
- My girlfriend also hired a private chef on the night of my birthday. She still hasn't told me how much it cost 😂 but whatever it was it was well worth it. She used a website called "takeachef.com" and two chefs came over to the Airbnb and made us homemade guacamole and salsa with homemade tortilla chips (best chips and guac of my lifetime btw), tilapia ceviche, a bone-in chicken casado dish, and a chocolate mousse. With of course, as many margaritas as you wanted. (Passion fruit, jalapaneo, and regular). Awesome way to have dinner one night on your trip in my opinion.
Monteverde
The coolest thing we did in Monteverde was the ziplining. Wow what a thrill. It felt like my spirit transcended while whooshing over the lush forestry. The chocolate/coffee/sugar cane tour was neat. Very informative and I enjoyed the tastings and the takeaways.
The night tour was average. Temper your expectations. You might see one or two exotic animals. We were equipped with some pretty weak flashlights. Probably the lamest experience of the trip - but at the same time it's one of the quintessential things you have to do while here. I mean what else are you gonna do at 8pm? Watch another episode of Netflix? Get out there!
The Cloud Forest was cool, glad we went with a guide. He was able to spot a quetzal for us and take some really awesome pics.
La Fortuna
DO NOT RENT A KAYAK WITH ARENAL WATER SPORTS. What a letdown. We had a guide that went completely rogue while out on the lake. It started to rain, the wind was whipping, and he acted like he was out there for his own exercise. He was so far ahead of us at times that he became a speck on the horizon. He never looked back, never gave us any instructions beforehand. And offered us a weak little powerbar once we got to the halfway point as we were trying to catch our breath. We were exhausted at that point and I was pretty upset. The climate conditions were not favorable and he expected us to have this elite level of fitness to keep up with him. We made it through, God willing, but do yourself a favor and just rent a jetski if you want to spend time on the lake. This was my biggest flop in the whole trip.
DO GO HORSEBACK RIDING @ Mistico Hanging Bridges Park!!!!! This on the other hand was the best experience we had in La Fortuna. This was my first time riding a horse and it was pretty simple mounting and riding. We climbed 200 meters in total on horseback and saw some of the prettiest views I've ever seen on planet earth. While drinking water out of a fresh coconut that the guide hacked with a machete at the summit. Pro-tip: Wear jeans or pants, you don't want raw skin rubbing against that saddle. Ouch.
Mistico Hanging Bridges Park was worth it. Those bridges get a little nerve-wracking! But the views they offer are world-class. Now that I'm back home typing this in the concrete jungle I live in in America, I'm sad I won't get more glimpses of scenery like that.
The La Fortuna waterfall was awesome, the hike at Arenal Volcano National Park was worth it (about 3+ miles if doing Las Coladas going up + El Ceibo on the way back), and the free public hot springs at El Choyin was a nice refresher after the hike. Be prepared for the climb back up from La Fortuna waterfall. It'll test your fitness for sure.
We did all of these things "a la carte." Meaning we booked the tours through Viator and found our own transportation to and from. There are packages where you can bundle everything together like the Waterfall, Volcano hike, Hanging Bridges all in a 10 hr day. I would seriously consider pricing that out if you're with a group. I feel that could've boosted the efficiency a bit in our itinerary, with the tradeoff being less flexibility in where we got to eat throughout the day.
Overall
We jampacked a lot in a 7-day span. We did not have much time to waste only being here a week and trying to squeeze as much juice out of two places as we could. And even doing so, I felt like the trip was a day too long. 3 nights in Monteverde and 3 nights in La Fortuna would've been perfect looking back.
Costa Rica is an amazing place with extremely friendly people. Teeming with biodiversity and lush landscapes, it should be visited by those that love seeing God's paintbrush at work. He really went heavy on the green when he made Costa Rica. The English here is pretty good and they have the best country slogan in the world in my opinion... one so powerful that it spontaneously compelled my friend to get it tattooed on his wrist!
Pura Vida!
2024.04.27 17:58 Repulsive_Sky5521 My experience with Govt job as a Lower Cadre (Central govt)
I want to hide the department where I am in, but want to provide a reality of the Govt Sector from the perspective of a lower cadre. I feel that this should help upcoming generation to decide if they still want to go for the Govt job. I will try to break myths about it as much as possible. Btw, I work in counter where there is extensive amount of "public dealing".
Ambitious people should never join govt sector at all because you will have to bear with piss poor management (if you have one actually) for the rest of your life. I now regret it but I literally had no option because of the financial condition of my family and had to sacrifice my career may be because I wasn't serious in going to IT sector. anyways. This is solely my personal view.
submitted by Repulsive_Sky5521 to india [link] [comments]
- Govt employees mean "Kamchors": A big myth but I have seen some employees (most of them are senior to me) who never do their work and they have ample time to gossip! (they mostly work in back office sections), But in counter there is rush. In this dept I saw most works are done in time bound manner for the interest of service. But Higher officials (Group B and A officers) neither come on time, nor do they want to be in forefront like leaders. They even deliberately procrastinate to sign a file by showing discontent with any document/letter etc!!
- Infrastructure is Abysmal: That's a reality. There is extremely poor infrastructure! I can not describe this in one sentence. I had direction in 7 different offices till now and feel that the infrastructure, the overall cleanliness of those offices (branches) are piss poor. the management don't even employ extra departmental staffs for short term to clean these garbage! preservation of previous records for whatever reasons are hindering the overall health of the office! I also have worked under cracked roofs, I have worked with prehistoric Computers (Some of them have DDR2 RAM of only one stick!). I am pretty sure that private organizations (or even PSU banks) don't have such dirty offices. The most interesting part is that we have to work under the scorching heat of the sun but so called administration work under AC. That's discrimination!
- Administration vs Operative wing battle, A pure sense of Discrimination: The battle is subtle and Administration always manipulates and wins. The Operative wing has to work 6 days a week whereas Administrative offices have to work 5 days a week. The sense of discrimination just starts right from here. Higher officials often procrastinate to do any work. The Bills (say stationary bills etc) aren't even provided in timely manner so we literally have to maintain office expenses from our pockets! Even in providing holidays such as Casual leaves or Earned leaves they often don't sanction. Same goes in Railways as I have heard! Employees such as Guards, Loco pilots often have to work in multiple shifts without sleep and they are often bereft of holidays that they "DESERVE" to spend with the family! Even sometimes I have seen that 10-12 days of EL is not given for marriage and honemoon, only 5-6 days were granted! I have heard from one colleague that one of his friend could not get EL to travel in A & N Island whereas his wife (Works in the same dept) got the EL, and that's a Joke! The condition of Part time staffs are even worse.
- There are Unions but they are Good for nothing: The leaders mostly show that they care for you but they often grease higher official's palm to satisfy their own needs, i.e. promotion, transfers etc. Only a handful of them are helpful.
- Salary is not up to the mark: I know private employees will kill me for saying this but for a Common middle class person the salary should be high enough to live comfortably! The Salary is not enough to meet any sudden health related expense. If both of husband and wife is earning then that's a different story.
- CGHS, another example of discrimination!: I live in X city (as per Central govt's list), still I won't get anything Cashless! I would have to reimburse! Same goes for any employee who is working in rural area. And That's a sheer discrimination! Moreover the CGHS reimbursement process is also pitifully slow. Naturally had to buy another Health Scheme.
- Skilful does not mean you will be promoted, i.e. No Smart Work: Skill disparity in this dept is immense! I see many people relate "Skills" to knowing basics of words, excel and powerpoint! I see that many seniors or even new-comers don't know these basic things and they often need to be advised by "more skilled" colleagues to do these works. Most of the seniors including some high profile officials don't even know these basics! People with decent skill know that they won't be promoted even if they do some smart work. So the sense of doing "Smart work" with the help of "Skill" is mostly absent.
- Work Culture is toxic: The work culture overall is not great because many aged colleagues tend to interfere in personal domain of a person too much. A person who is not married is always mocked regarding this. A person who did not have kids are subtly mocked because of such condition. Gender and Reverse Gender based discrimination is there too be it in posting or work loads.
- Corruption is present but in a very subtle manner: I can not elaborate these but it is rooted into the system I am afraid. Literally no one can skip this part but the so called "Undertable money" in my dept is not present in that sense in this current era. I see why some employees mourn for these.
- The So called "Business" in this department is so bogus and aimless: They want us to work for every type of field possible and that's impossible because that certainly reduces the efficiency of an employee! The training facility is very primitive The higher cadres don't know how the ground level counter work is managed i.e. outrage of customers, extensive cash handling etc, link failures etc. the rules made for this department is so ambiguous that administration can easily take any action against you if there is any complaint against you. The dept now wants more "business" but the management don't know how to do so. So they want various types of work all together and that reduces the efficiency and extensively increases the cost to even accommodate all the works. There is a lack of "Professionalism" in handling the work at times.
- Acknowledgement from customers: I feel content when I see a satisfied customer go from the queue. They often respect me as "Sir!" even though I am at the forefront of the dept and not even a higher official. That is satisfying. Not saying that you can satisfy all customers but it is the only satisfaction I get (may be because of my behaviour, I don't know). But I see so many of my colleagues yell at them. I mean! Man! they are here for their own need and they should be handled properly, there are aged people as well! I see so many colleagues (both males and females) have bad temper and foul mouth.
Ambitious people should never join govt sector at all because you will have to bear with piss poor management (if you have one actually) for the rest of your life. I now regret it but I literally had no option because of the financial condition of my family and had to sacrifice my career may be because I wasn't serious in going to IT sector. anyways. This is solely my personal view.
2024.04.27 17:30 SicarioMonarch [A4A] To Touch the Sky and Beyond
It has been nearly 33 years since that fateful day, when the aliens invaded the Earth. Of course, no one believed that such a thing even occurred as the invasion 'began' in Antarctica. Not over a populous city like Los Angeles or London as one would have expected. Rather, it was there in the furthest point from any human settlements on the frozen continent, they came through a massive wormhole. The frenzy that followed throughout the world is as one would expect. A massive wave of panic and hysteria but then coordination, planning, and then a counterattack. The various nations of the world unite in their pursuit of ridding the aliens from the Earth. Pushed back that they did, but the wormhole remains in Antarctica, not shut down by the invading the aliens.
Admittedly, no one quite remembers who it was that would crossed that threshold, to enter it. But the reports that came afterword seem almost... fairy-like. Rather than it being connected to deep space as some imagined, it led to a planet. A planet that has an earth-like atmosphere, gravity, temperate. A whole new star system, connected to Earth with a world very much like it. An untapped place full of resources, living space, everything that Earth so desperately needed. Yet those aliens, retreated through that portal, it is their homeland. An expedition to the planet, now renamed as Aurora, began. To drive the enemy, the Greys, off of Aurora.
Yet, as it has been for the last 33 years, it has been largely a stalemate war. Humans would introduce a new technology, the Greys would counteract it, which then forces humans to devise a new way to counteract that. A back and forth for a whole 33 years. A constant air war weaves throughout the skies of Aurora, their white contrails etching into the canvas of the pale green sky.
Yet, for everything, a new age of warfare is about to begin, headed upon a rather particular... machine intelligence.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Salutations to you fair folks. I hope you are doing well on this particular day/night. I have come with a particular idea, largely influenced by one of my favorite SF works of all time. You get a cookie if you know what the series that I am taking this from. Anyway, this is a largely open-ended prompt but I believe that it can add with enough wiggle for us to expand to play this out. In short, I am looking to do a military/war-drama style roleplay. Now, I might have worded it poorly than I like to, but I am looking for a someone that wants to play as an artificial intelligence character. You and I will both be playing as a sort of GMs as we weave through the world while controlling our two main characters.
Within the setting itself, that is also largely open to change as well. For the sake of simplicity, the roleplay will take place in 2057, exactly 33 years from today. That'll give us the room to come up with various ideas, concepts, weaponry, etc. However, we can change the setting around if you wish. Perhaps make it near future (or exactly contemporary) and staying largely on Earth itself. However, it is the core concept of man and machine coming together that I want to keep regardless.
As said, the genre will be military/war-drama, but I would be open if you want to include some others as well. Want the AI to gain an artificial body and have it cross into romance? Sure.
I believe this is where I'll leave things off for right now. Please note that I am looking for someone that is serious in this roleplay. I am looking for those that are literate that can write multiple paragraphs. Also note that I am open to taking this over to another platform like Discord, but if we're staying on Reddit, I heavily request that you send a PM message rather than using chat. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon.
submitted by SicarioMonarch to RoleplayPartnerSearch [link] [comments]
Admittedly, no one quite remembers who it was that would crossed that threshold, to enter it. But the reports that came afterword seem almost... fairy-like. Rather than it being connected to deep space as some imagined, it led to a planet. A planet that has an earth-like atmosphere, gravity, temperate. A whole new star system, connected to Earth with a world very much like it. An untapped place full of resources, living space, everything that Earth so desperately needed. Yet those aliens, retreated through that portal, it is their homeland. An expedition to the planet, now renamed as Aurora, began. To drive the enemy, the Greys, off of Aurora.
Yet, as it has been for the last 33 years, it has been largely a stalemate war. Humans would introduce a new technology, the Greys would counteract it, which then forces humans to devise a new way to counteract that. A back and forth for a whole 33 years. A constant air war weaves throughout the skies of Aurora, their white contrails etching into the canvas of the pale green sky.
Yet, for everything, a new age of warfare is about to begin, headed upon a rather particular... machine intelligence.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Salutations to you fair folks. I hope you are doing well on this particular day/night. I have come with a particular idea, largely influenced by one of my favorite SF works of all time. You get a cookie if you know what the series that I am taking this from. Anyway, this is a largely open-ended prompt but I believe that it can add with enough wiggle for us to expand to play this out. In short, I am looking to do a military/war-drama style roleplay. Now, I might have worded it poorly than I like to, but I am looking for a someone that wants to play as an artificial intelligence character. You and I will both be playing as a sort of GMs as we weave through the world while controlling our two main characters.
Within the setting itself, that is also largely open to change as well. For the sake of simplicity, the roleplay will take place in 2057, exactly 33 years from today. That'll give us the room to come up with various ideas, concepts, weaponry, etc. However, we can change the setting around if you wish. Perhaps make it near future (or exactly contemporary) and staying largely on Earth itself. However, it is the core concept of man and machine coming together that I want to keep regardless.
As said, the genre will be military/war-drama, but I would be open if you want to include some others as well. Want the AI to gain an artificial body and have it cross into romance? Sure.
I believe this is where I'll leave things off for right now. Please note that I am looking for someone that is serious in this roleplay. I am looking for those that are literate that can write multiple paragraphs. Also note that I am open to taking this over to another platform like Discord, but if we're staying on Reddit, I heavily request that you send a PM message rather than using chat. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon.
2024.04.27 16:08 Eisheth_Lev Am I wrong for wanting to cut ties with my dad?
I 16f have a bad relationship with my dad. For some context I have five siblings, four older sisters and one older brother. I'm the youngest in the family but as my oldest sister we're having severe daddy issues. My dad was extremely abusive towards her, and did some really bad stuff. Like smashing her head on the wall or hitting her with an encyclopedia to "beat some knowledge into her head". And I for most of my childhood didn't even know my dad because he was away for work. When I was really little I was scared of him because I didn't know him at all. When I got older I found out I had my oldest sister, because of my dad's abusive behaviour towards her I only met her when I was 7 or 6. I was surprised because it was my first ever conscious memory of her. Now she's in Scotland and visits mostly on holiday or Christmas. I always thought he was a good dad when I was little. It started to change when he started drinking again. Later I found out that before me my fourth sis and my brother was born my dad was having really bad drinking problems but he was clean for many years. He even swore before god not to drink again. He's a christian but quite hypocritical. He started drinking again but later started to hide it. He's not drinking often but if he drinks he always drinks too much and is getting really drunk and abusive. I slowly started to hate my father. He got even worse. I once cut my finger when I was cutting oranges when I was around 8 and he was screaming at me for staining the floor and wasn't concerned about me. I was crying my finger hurt and he was screaming. Back then I didn't understand it. But later I figured out that he has anger issues that I think I inherited from him. With my older sister that is the fourth one I'm closer than to my other siblings. We fight sometimes but we love each other very much. We were sometimes going to our basement or around the house and finding some hidden vodka or beer. We were opening it and pouring it on the ground. As mentioned he got worse. He started to fight with mom more and more often. I'm not emotional, when my dad got into the accident I wasn't crying or when my mom got to the hospital because of a broken knee. I'm not particularly caring because I know that they'll be fine. And my dad was always mad at me because I have a habit of smiling in bad situations. He would always scream at me for it. He began to lie and drink more, a few times was sitting on the chair outside drinking by himself. I even found out that he r*ped my mom a few times. Last year before Christmas he had a big fight with my mom. Because of something that my paternal granny said. She was always bitter about my mom and they never got along so my granny always told shit about my mom to my dad. And it was a fight about my mom leaving granny and grandpa in the cemetery. My mom was after knee surgery and couldn't walk long distances and my granny was mad about it. My dad started fighting about it with mom and then left the house. He drank some vodka and then went to his friend that is also my classmate's dad. He was a little drunk and really mad so the friend was nervous and scared as my dad was driving really fast. My mom is a friend of my classmate's mom who is also the wife of my father's friend. The mom of my classmate got really pretty, put on a short dress and makeup and went to our local pub and found my dad and her husband there. We live in a small city so there's not really many places to get drunk. They both were drunk and flirting with some young women. My mom's friend recorded everything and sent it to my mom. Then she sent it to us all and did not show it to my dad. We had four cats and two dogs back then (one of the cats passed away this Easter), we took all the cats to my room and one dog because the other one was sleeping outside, she's a husky and doesn't like to go upstairs where my room is. So all the pets went to sleep but I couldn't sleep at all. I was nervous that my dad would walk into my room (my mom and sister were in the room with me, I have a couch big enough to fit them, my two oldest sisters weren't home and my fourth sis was at her friend's house, my bro was sleeping in his room) and act abusive and be violent. He was back home thanks to my bro but was quiet which I didn't expect. I fell asleep after 3am and couldn't get enough sleep for the rest of the week.
My class teacher was concerned about it but I didn't say anything to her because I didn't want to bother her, she has enough problems with her own children. I started not to feel safe around my dad, that behaviour happened before and I stopped trusting him after this one. He recently started acting better so I thought he tried to change but got drunk and lost so much money on gambling in Germany in his work. And got better again. But today was enough for us. My dad and my neighbour were working on a new furnace in our basement and me and my two sisters went to McDonald's because I wanted to eat a wrap. When we were on our way back home we saw our dad and he was on a bike on his way to our local shop. We decided to go after him to check what he was buying. Long story short he bought beer "only" for our neighbour. But he was already drunk and when we got back home he started saying to my sis that we embarrassed him at that store. Because there was a mean cashier and my sisters stood up when she was mean while our dad was only smiling. I went to my room and decided to relax a bit. After a while my sis walked inside my room and said to pack my stuff that we're going to my maternal grandma. The major difference between my paternal granny and my maternal grandma is that my maternal grandma would never tell my father where we are. Besides he's too drunk to even walk by now probably.We packed our stuff and went to our grandma. In the ride to her I decided to cut off my dad from my life permanently after I turn 18 and never speak to him again. Even our dog is depressed because of him. So now we're staying at my maternal grandma's house for the weekend to wait for him to go to work again. My dad called my sis and screamed at her where the car was because there was a lift jack and my dad needed it. But he wasn't interested in us. So I don't want him in my life even again. He was a shitty dad and I only realised it recently. I just can't force myself to like him once again. Not after what he did. So for the night we were staying at my maternal grandma's house. It was quite nice and peaceful. In the house is also living my aunt and her husband. I'm not really close to the husband because he's not my bio uncle and he never bothered to have a relationship with me so I didn't bother either. They were all nice to us and our dog was having a great time with my grandma's dogs. Though my grandmother also has a cat we just call him "Ginger" because he's a ginger cat. The cat was sticking to my grandma but let me pet him. Also we ate ice creams The night was peaceful and I was watching a movie with my sis then went to sleep.
I know it may sound bad but when I was 14 met a man much older than me, don't get me wrong he's married and only interested in his wife, but they don't have children because of his wife's fertility problems. He's around 39 years old now, let's call him Liam. Liam is very nice to me and is caring. I have known him for two years and he's like a father to me and his wife is also really sweet to me. I have a better relationship with them than with my actual parents. Though I still admire my mother for enduring my father for such a long time. It may sound weird but Liam is giving me pocket money and is mentioning making me his adopted daughter more often. I'm always declining I don't want to move out and leave my mom alone with that piece of shit. I haven't told my family about Liam and his wife. I want to keep it secret because my dad would think that I'm having a bad relationship with Liam, my dad knows that I like older men but I would never try to get this kind of relationship with Liam. He's a good father figure to me nothing beyond it. But I have a hard time refusing his wife, let's call her Miranda. Miranda is a very sweet woman and cares for me just like I'm her child. Actually Liam found me when I was crying alone in the rain after my parents had a fight and I went out for a walk. I was kinda hesitant at first but was very hungry and he took me to his home and fed me. Miranda was a little surprised by this but later started to invite me to their house and I started to grow closer to them. I was thinking about moving into their house when I turn 18 and actually getting adopted by them. I haven't talked about that situation with Liam and Miranda yet. They have Liam's father over for a few weeks. He's quite a violent guy with a history of crime records and has been to jail few times. Though I think he likes me because he said that family is not about blood ties and he would be happy to have me as his grandchild. He recently started insisting on me to call him "grandpa Al" as his other grandchildren, from his second son. I honestly don't know how he married his wife, Liam's mom. His wife is very much like Miranda but much more naive and sweet always saying that her hubby did nothing wrong. I don't want to tell them anything about it until I meet them in person and I'll be sure that Liam's dad is not around. If I tell them now Al would probably hear it and get angry. Liam also has a temper after his dad and I don't want them to get in trouble by doing something to my dad. They both were already angry enough when I told them what he was doing before I met Liam. I'll tell them when I'll be ready. And I hope my mom will finally divorce my dad. For now I'm staying at my grandma's house. I have been texting with Miranda and she was asking about the reason of me being at my grandma's but I sold her a lie about my grandma's birthday. I won't tell them for now.
A small update:
We woke up around 8am and very reluctantly went back to our house in the city (my maternal grandma is living in a small village). Our dad needed to have the car back but we didn't get back because of it. Our mom (she's in the hospital and rehabbing her knee) said to us that we should stay at our grandma's house but we went back home anyway, my older sister didn't tell me why but I didn't argue, she bought me a hot chocolate. We stepped out of the car and went inside the house. The first thing I heard was my dad standing in the doorway and saying "where have you been this whole night?". I didn't answer. I ignored him and walked past him, upstairs to my room. I locked myself there and only left my room when he was gone to visit my mom in another town and I cleaned the kitchen with my fourth sis. It's been peaceful since then. But I'm a bit scared of what will happen when he comes back. I still haven't told Miranda or Liam about it and I think I won't for now.
submitted by Eisheth_Lev to amiwrong [link] [comments]
My class teacher was concerned about it but I didn't say anything to her because I didn't want to bother her, she has enough problems with her own children. I started not to feel safe around my dad, that behaviour happened before and I stopped trusting him after this one. He recently started acting better so I thought he tried to change but got drunk and lost so much money on gambling in Germany in his work. And got better again. But today was enough for us. My dad and my neighbour were working on a new furnace in our basement and me and my two sisters went to McDonald's because I wanted to eat a wrap. When we were on our way back home we saw our dad and he was on a bike on his way to our local shop. We decided to go after him to check what he was buying. Long story short he bought beer "only" for our neighbour. But he was already drunk and when we got back home he started saying to my sis that we embarrassed him at that store. Because there was a mean cashier and my sisters stood up when she was mean while our dad was only smiling. I went to my room and decided to relax a bit. After a while my sis walked inside my room and said to pack my stuff that we're going to my maternal grandma. The major difference between my paternal granny and my maternal grandma is that my maternal grandma would never tell my father where we are. Besides he's too drunk to even walk by now probably.We packed our stuff and went to our grandma. In the ride to her I decided to cut off my dad from my life permanently after I turn 18 and never speak to him again. Even our dog is depressed because of him. So now we're staying at my maternal grandma's house for the weekend to wait for him to go to work again. My dad called my sis and screamed at her where the car was because there was a lift jack and my dad needed it. But he wasn't interested in us. So I don't want him in my life even again. He was a shitty dad and I only realised it recently. I just can't force myself to like him once again. Not after what he did. So for the night we were staying at my maternal grandma's house. It was quite nice and peaceful. In the house is also living my aunt and her husband. I'm not really close to the husband because he's not my bio uncle and he never bothered to have a relationship with me so I didn't bother either. They were all nice to us and our dog was having a great time with my grandma's dogs. Though my grandmother also has a cat we just call him "Ginger" because he's a ginger cat. The cat was sticking to my grandma but let me pet him. Also we ate ice creams The night was peaceful and I was watching a movie with my sis then went to sleep.
I know it may sound bad but when I was 14 met a man much older than me, don't get me wrong he's married and only interested in his wife, but they don't have children because of his wife's fertility problems. He's around 39 years old now, let's call him Liam. Liam is very nice to me and is caring. I have known him for two years and he's like a father to me and his wife is also really sweet to me. I have a better relationship with them than with my actual parents. Though I still admire my mother for enduring my father for such a long time. It may sound weird but Liam is giving me pocket money and is mentioning making me his adopted daughter more often. I'm always declining I don't want to move out and leave my mom alone with that piece of shit. I haven't told my family about Liam and his wife. I want to keep it secret because my dad would think that I'm having a bad relationship with Liam, my dad knows that I like older men but I would never try to get this kind of relationship with Liam. He's a good father figure to me nothing beyond it. But I have a hard time refusing his wife, let's call her Miranda. Miranda is a very sweet woman and cares for me just like I'm her child. Actually Liam found me when I was crying alone in the rain after my parents had a fight and I went out for a walk. I was kinda hesitant at first but was very hungry and he took me to his home and fed me. Miranda was a little surprised by this but later started to invite me to their house and I started to grow closer to them. I was thinking about moving into their house when I turn 18 and actually getting adopted by them. I haven't talked about that situation with Liam and Miranda yet. They have Liam's father over for a few weeks. He's quite a violent guy with a history of crime records and has been to jail few times. Though I think he likes me because he said that family is not about blood ties and he would be happy to have me as his grandchild. He recently started insisting on me to call him "grandpa Al" as his other grandchildren, from his second son. I honestly don't know how he married his wife, Liam's mom. His wife is very much like Miranda but much more naive and sweet always saying that her hubby did nothing wrong. I don't want to tell them anything about it until I meet them in person and I'll be sure that Liam's dad is not around. If I tell them now Al would probably hear it and get angry. Liam also has a temper after his dad and I don't want them to get in trouble by doing something to my dad. They both were already angry enough when I told them what he was doing before I met Liam. I'll tell them when I'll be ready. And I hope my mom will finally divorce my dad. For now I'm staying at my grandma's house. I have been texting with Miranda and she was asking about the reason of me being at my grandma's but I sold her a lie about my grandma's birthday. I won't tell them for now.
A small update:
We woke up around 8am and very reluctantly went back to our house in the city (my maternal grandma is living in a small village). Our dad needed to have the car back but we didn't get back because of it. Our mom (she's in the hospital and rehabbing her knee) said to us that we should stay at our grandma's house but we went back home anyway, my older sister didn't tell me why but I didn't argue, she bought me a hot chocolate. We stepped out of the car and went inside the house. The first thing I heard was my dad standing in the doorway and saying "where have you been this whole night?". I didn't answer. I ignored him and walked past him, upstairs to my room. I locked myself there and only left my room when he was gone to visit my mom in another town and I cleaned the kitchen with my fourth sis. It's been peaceful since then. But I'm a bit scared of what will happen when he comes back. I still haven't told Miranda or Liam about it and I think I won't for now.
2024.04.27 15:21 Tricky-Pop-7800 No Idea Where to Move - Please help!
32F single female in healthcare, decent job market in any state so I’m overwhelmed by choice but I want to leave the plain states in the next year or so. I’m looking for:
Cities I’ve considered: Denver Colorado Springs Charlotte Richmond Milwaukee Salt Lake City (less likely since I’m single and who’ve heard the dating scene isn’t great)
Thank you everyone for your help!
submitted by Tricky-Pop-7800 to SameGrassButGreener [link] [comments]
- A moderate sized city with a decent food + a local restaurant, bar, and coffee scene.
- Some sort of nature (water or mountains) either visible from the city or easily drivable. I grew up on a lake and have since lived in land locked, flat cities which have worn me down a bit.
- Moderate climate, I can’t do hot year round. I can handle snow just fine but enjoy temperate areas most.
- I have a car, but hoping that the bulk of a city’s activities are within 20 minutes ish of driving. Public transport would be nice but not necessary by any means.
- I want to avoid the most HCOL spots as I am single (Seattle is a dream but not at this point in my life given housing costs)
- Close (less than an hour) from a major airport is very important to me so I can fly to friends and family in Midwest states with direct flights
- I’m single but I know this doesn’t factor majorly into a moving decision. Moderate politics, left leaning if that matters.
Cities I’ve considered: Denver Colorado Springs Charlotte Richmond Milwaukee Salt Lake City (less likely since I’m single and who’ve heard the dating scene isn’t great)
Thank you everyone for your help!
2024.04.27 14:19 Angel466 [Bob the hobo] A Celestial Wars Spin-Off Part 1003
PART ONE THOUSAND AND THREE
[Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter] [The Beginning] [Patreon+2]
Sunday
By the time we re-entered the conference room, everyone was back up on their feet, and more men in suits had arrived. From the way Detective Douche was doing everything but crushing the toe of his shoe into the ground, things weren’t going the way he wanted. Daniel simply looked bored.
Well, that made two of us.
The officer broke away from us and rejoined her colleagues, where she started talking to them in a lowered voice. Douche and Daniel noticed them as well, and they headed over that way to join in. I had no idea what they found so riveting, but Gerry was tugging me towards her father, so we moved in the other direction towards them.
“Did you talk to the police?” the little, older man with wire-rimmed glasses demanded, and I immediately arched my eyebrow at him.
“I went to the bathroom,” Geraldine insisted.
But the man’s eyes were on me. “Did she give you her card? Tell you to call her later?”
I was suddenly fed up to the back teeth with all of it. “If you must know, she asked me to set her up with my older brother the next time he’s in town. I told her he was based out of the country, but she gave me her card anyway. We talked about things for maybe three minutes while Gerry and Kulon were in the bathroom.”
“You sent Kulon in, leaving yourself vulnerable?” Tucker asked.
“I will always protect Geraldine ahead of myself.” I cuddled her close and kissed her hair before adding, “She’s mine to protect.” I looked back at the officers huddled together. “And besides, who’d make a move on me with this much blue on the scene?”
Daniel broke away from the group and came over to me. “They want to charge someone with assault since injuries did occur, but the way it’s panning out, that’ll only happen if they can convince you to press charges against the man who tasered you since your kick was in defence of Miss Portsmith first.” He paused. “You don’t, do you?” I shook my head, and he smirked. “I told them that would be your answer. And with the rest of it being agreed upon before the exercise started and no one else has been hurt or willing to press charges, there’s nothing more they can do…”
He paused when Douche came back, looking like he finally had something over us. “Why do you feel Miss Portsmith’s life is in danger to the point she needs her own bodyguards, Mister Portsmith?”
“He’s a concerned father,” the tiny man replied, removing his wire-framed glasses and cleaning them with a handkerchief. “Unless you plan on posing that particular question to every celebrity and dignitary who uses bodyguards for their immediate families’ safety. I myself would find that a complete waste of the city’s time, but should you choose that path, I suggest you start at the White House.” He returned his glasses to his face and blinked patiently at the detective. “Was there anything else?”
“You can’t be playing wargames in a public space…!”
“We weren’t. The room was hired for a private function, and one person exceeded the formal boundaries of that space. It’s no different to someone being thrown out a window and landing on the sidewalk, detective. The blow that sent him there came from private property after he put his hands on another without their permission. If no one’s pressing charges, you have nothing.”
Douche scowled at me. “Is this the way you really want this to go down, kid? What if next time, they try something more lethal than a Taser? Like a knife or a gun?”
Since he scowled at me sooo lovingly, I returned the favour by blinking at him like he was the world’s greatest moron.
A few minutes later, he and his uniformed sidekicks (Lucas would murder me if he heard me thinking that of patrolmen) left. Daniel pulled me aside and whispered, “Be more careful, Sam. This isn’t a game, and these sorts of shenanigans will follow you for decades.”
“They were hurting Gerry,” I reiterated. “I wasn’t playing ar—”
He held up a finger, silencing me. “I’m not saying you can’t defend your girlfriend. I’m saying you were lucky this time. The veil’s explanation fell this side of the law. Next time, it might not. Say, for example, next time you aren’t being electrocuted. The only other way the veil could explain you knocking a full-grown man off his feet would be if you had a weapon like a crowbar, in which case you’d be charged with premeditated aggravated assault.”
I hadn’t been aware of that. “The veil will make up a crime?”
“The veil will take what you did and adapt it to what the humans will believe. Most times, it won’t involve a criminal action, but in this instance—you. Hurt. Him.” He poked me in the shoulder to reiterate each of those three words. “You hospitalised him, and there aren’t many explanations that don’t involve premeditation. I’m just saying, from now on, be careful.”
“Do you know why I have Kulon and his brothers with me?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes … and quite frankly, having Grandad's temper in a hybrid is fucking terrifying. They aren’t here to protect you. They’re here to protect the world from you.”
“I took a pill,” I insisted, determined to defend my actions. “I didn’t strike out at that man because I was losing it. I didn’t even kick the one that was hurting me.”
“I heard, and kudos to you for pre-empting that situation. I’ve heard you’re not a big fan of pills, so thank you for putting your bias aside for the sake of the world.”
I squinted at him. “Dude, I can’t tell if you’re being serious or yanking my chain.”
His amused smirk didn’t help. “I think we can both agree we like the world the way it is.”
“How did you know to come? Do you have like a built-in family trouble radar or something?” It was as close as I could go to asking what his innate was in public.
“Rubin reached out to Mom, who contacted me.”
“I thought with your bracelet on, you couldn’t use your telepathy.”
“I can’t, but Mom’s The Weaver, and there’s not a piece of jewellery in the world that she can’t punch straight through when she wants to.”
“That’s gotta be handy.”
“You have no idea.”
I leaned closer to him. “Can I ask you a personal and very family-related question?”
Daniel did a quick pan of the room. “Make it quick.”
“If the rest of us are innately tied to our parents, where would yours start with your mother being who she is?”
“That’s easy. Mom and her grandfathers are at the top of the food chain, and all their kids are the starting point of any innate flow. From the stories I’ve heard about my grandfather’s dad, it’s just as well. Mean, evil and crazy are just three words I’ve heard to describe him.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Wait, so as Lady Col’s son, your innate can be anything you want it to be?”
His wry grin and matching eye-waggle were really annoying.
“Well, you suck.”
His accompanying chuckle was just plain evil. “I’ll see you around, kiddo.” He then paused and reached over to muss up my hair before I could stop him. “In the meantime, try and stay out of trouble.”
I ducked and batted his offending hand away, but the damage to my ego was already done, and he walked away, chuckling. “Jerk,” I whispered in good humour after him. I raked my fingers through my hair to knock it back into place and headed back to Gerry, who met me halfway.
“Everything okay?” she asked, sliding back into her favourite spot on my left side with her hand hooked around my waist.
“Yeah. Daniel just needed me to understand a few things. But what was with you and that cop’s business card?”
“Apart from the fact that she was a woman giving you her phone number, she was working you for information, honey bear. I wasn’t sure when I first saw her hand it over, but watching her once we got back, I knew she had.” She turned and kissed my cheek. “You’re too trusting for your own good. You treat everyone like your friend until they give you a reason not to.”
“How is that a bad way to be?”
“Before, when you had nothing people wanted, it was a perfect way to be. Now, you have what others want, and they’ll often become your best friends to gain access to it, whether it’s your money, your name, or, in this case, your take on what happened here. Not everyone who comes across as a friend actually means it.”
I felt my ire rise. “Do you still have that card?” Because I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. She dug into her pocket and produced the card, and after taking it from her, I turned to Kulon. “Wanna ash this for me?” I asked, holding it up for him between two fingers.
He grinned and took the card, cupping it against one hand. Then, with his back to Mr Portsmith and his people, he released a pursed-lipped breath (that under normal circumstances would’ve been used to blow out a candle) to breathe a stream of intense fire like a blowtorch directly into his palm. The card ignited and immediately curled into ash that stayed in his completely unharmed hand.
It was over in an instant, and he pocketed the remains with a cheeky wink at Geraldine.
Looking at her, I realised her mouth had fallen open in shock, and her eyes were crazy wide. “Welcome to the insanity of the rest of your life with me,” I whispered as I kissed her hair and cuddled her, hoping that would be the case.
“Are you burning something over here?!” Tucker demanded, rushing towards us.
“Nope,” I answered, popping the ‘p’ for it was already a done deal, not an ongoing one. “But we’re pretty much done here. Was there anything else you wanted to talk to Geraldine about before we go?”
Tucker blinked. “W-We haven’t … I mean, breakfast is still upstairs,” he stammered.
The other guy in a suit chuckled, and when Tucker looked back at him in annoyance, his smile grew, and he gestured at me. “This is who you once described to me as ‘that shy boy from school who’s dating Geraldine’, Tuck?” His eyebrow arched up in mockery. “Really?”
Tuck … so, he was a friend, not just a business associate. They looked about the same age too, though that didn’t necessarily carve that in stone.
“In my defence, Julian, he’s changed a lot in recent times.”
I had?
Personally, I couldn’t see it.
[Next Chapter]
* * *
((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I’d love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))
I made a family tree/diagram of the Mystallian family that can be found here
For more of my work, including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
FULL INDEX OF BOB THE HOBO TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!
submitted by Angel466 to redditserials [link] [comments]
[Previous Chapter] [Next Chapter] [The Beginning] [Patreon+2]
Sunday
By the time we re-entered the conference room, everyone was back up on their feet, and more men in suits had arrived. From the way Detective Douche was doing everything but crushing the toe of his shoe into the ground, things weren’t going the way he wanted. Daniel simply looked bored.
Well, that made two of us.
The officer broke away from us and rejoined her colleagues, where she started talking to them in a lowered voice. Douche and Daniel noticed them as well, and they headed over that way to join in. I had no idea what they found so riveting, but Gerry was tugging me towards her father, so we moved in the other direction towards them.
“Did you talk to the police?” the little, older man with wire-rimmed glasses demanded, and I immediately arched my eyebrow at him.
“I went to the bathroom,” Geraldine insisted.
But the man’s eyes were on me. “Did she give you her card? Tell you to call her later?”
I was suddenly fed up to the back teeth with all of it. “If you must know, she asked me to set her up with my older brother the next time he’s in town. I told her he was based out of the country, but she gave me her card anyway. We talked about things for maybe three minutes while Gerry and Kulon were in the bathroom.”
“You sent Kulon in, leaving yourself vulnerable?” Tucker asked.
“I will always protect Geraldine ahead of myself.” I cuddled her close and kissed her hair before adding, “She’s mine to protect.” I looked back at the officers huddled together. “And besides, who’d make a move on me with this much blue on the scene?”
Daniel broke away from the group and came over to me. “They want to charge someone with assault since injuries did occur, but the way it’s panning out, that’ll only happen if they can convince you to press charges against the man who tasered you since your kick was in defence of Miss Portsmith first.” He paused. “You don’t, do you?” I shook my head, and he smirked. “I told them that would be your answer. And with the rest of it being agreed upon before the exercise started and no one else has been hurt or willing to press charges, there’s nothing more they can do…”
He paused when Douche came back, looking like he finally had something over us. “Why do you feel Miss Portsmith’s life is in danger to the point she needs her own bodyguards, Mister Portsmith?”
“He’s a concerned father,” the tiny man replied, removing his wire-framed glasses and cleaning them with a handkerchief. “Unless you plan on posing that particular question to every celebrity and dignitary who uses bodyguards for their immediate families’ safety. I myself would find that a complete waste of the city’s time, but should you choose that path, I suggest you start at the White House.” He returned his glasses to his face and blinked patiently at the detective. “Was there anything else?”
“You can’t be playing wargames in a public space…!”
“We weren’t. The room was hired for a private function, and one person exceeded the formal boundaries of that space. It’s no different to someone being thrown out a window and landing on the sidewalk, detective. The blow that sent him there came from private property after he put his hands on another without their permission. If no one’s pressing charges, you have nothing.”
Douche scowled at me. “Is this the way you really want this to go down, kid? What if next time, they try something more lethal than a Taser? Like a knife or a gun?”
Since he scowled at me sooo lovingly, I returned the favour by blinking at him like he was the world’s greatest moron.
A few minutes later, he and his uniformed sidekicks (Lucas would murder me if he heard me thinking that of patrolmen) left. Daniel pulled me aside and whispered, “Be more careful, Sam. This isn’t a game, and these sorts of shenanigans will follow you for decades.”
“They were hurting Gerry,” I reiterated. “I wasn’t playing ar—”
He held up a finger, silencing me. “I’m not saying you can’t defend your girlfriend. I’m saying you were lucky this time. The veil’s explanation fell this side of the law. Next time, it might not. Say, for example, next time you aren’t being electrocuted. The only other way the veil could explain you knocking a full-grown man off his feet would be if you had a weapon like a crowbar, in which case you’d be charged with premeditated aggravated assault.”
I hadn’t been aware of that. “The veil will make up a crime?”
“The veil will take what you did and adapt it to what the humans will believe. Most times, it won’t involve a criminal action, but in this instance—you. Hurt. Him.” He poked me in the shoulder to reiterate each of those three words. “You hospitalised him, and there aren’t many explanations that don’t involve premeditation. I’m just saying, from now on, be careful.”
“Do you know why I have Kulon and his brothers with me?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes … and quite frankly, having Grandad's temper in a hybrid is fucking terrifying. They aren’t here to protect you. They’re here to protect the world from you.”
“I took a pill,” I insisted, determined to defend my actions. “I didn’t strike out at that man because I was losing it. I didn’t even kick the one that was hurting me.”
“I heard, and kudos to you for pre-empting that situation. I’ve heard you’re not a big fan of pills, so thank you for putting your bias aside for the sake of the world.”
I squinted at him. “Dude, I can’t tell if you’re being serious or yanking my chain.”
His amused smirk didn’t help. “I think we can both agree we like the world the way it is.”
“How did you know to come? Do you have like a built-in family trouble radar or something?” It was as close as I could go to asking what his innate was in public.
“Rubin reached out to Mom, who contacted me.”
“I thought with your bracelet on, you couldn’t use your telepathy.”
“I can’t, but Mom’s The Weaver, and there’s not a piece of jewellery in the world that she can’t punch straight through when she wants to.”
“That’s gotta be handy.”
“You have no idea.”
I leaned closer to him. “Can I ask you a personal and very family-related question?”
Daniel did a quick pan of the room. “Make it quick.”
“If the rest of us are innately tied to our parents, where would yours start with your mother being who she is?”
“That’s easy. Mom and her grandfathers are at the top of the food chain, and all their kids are the starting point of any innate flow. From the stories I’ve heard about my grandfather’s dad, it’s just as well. Mean, evil and crazy are just three words I’ve heard to describe him.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Wait, so as Lady Col’s son, your innate can be anything you want it to be?”
His wry grin and matching eye-waggle were really annoying.
“Well, you suck.”
His accompanying chuckle was just plain evil. “I’ll see you around, kiddo.” He then paused and reached over to muss up my hair before I could stop him. “In the meantime, try and stay out of trouble.”
I ducked and batted his offending hand away, but the damage to my ego was already done, and he walked away, chuckling. “Jerk,” I whispered in good humour after him. I raked my fingers through my hair to knock it back into place and headed back to Gerry, who met me halfway.
“Everything okay?” she asked, sliding back into her favourite spot on my left side with her hand hooked around my waist.
“Yeah. Daniel just needed me to understand a few things. But what was with you and that cop’s business card?”
“Apart from the fact that she was a woman giving you her phone number, she was working you for information, honey bear. I wasn’t sure when I first saw her hand it over, but watching her once we got back, I knew she had.” She turned and kissed my cheek. “You’re too trusting for your own good. You treat everyone like your friend until they give you a reason not to.”
“How is that a bad way to be?”
“Before, when you had nothing people wanted, it was a perfect way to be. Now, you have what others want, and they’ll often become your best friends to gain access to it, whether it’s your money, your name, or, in this case, your take on what happened here. Not everyone who comes across as a friend actually means it.”
I felt my ire rise. “Do you still have that card?” Because I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. She dug into her pocket and produced the card, and after taking it from her, I turned to Kulon. “Wanna ash this for me?” I asked, holding it up for him between two fingers.
He grinned and took the card, cupping it against one hand. Then, with his back to Mr Portsmith and his people, he released a pursed-lipped breath (that under normal circumstances would’ve been used to blow out a candle) to breathe a stream of intense fire like a blowtorch directly into his palm. The card ignited and immediately curled into ash that stayed in his completely unharmed hand.
It was over in an instant, and he pocketed the remains with a cheeky wink at Geraldine.
Looking at her, I realised her mouth had fallen open in shock, and her eyes were crazy wide. “Welcome to the insanity of the rest of your life with me,” I whispered as I kissed her hair and cuddled her, hoping that would be the case.
“Are you burning something over here?!” Tucker demanded, rushing towards us.
“Nope,” I answered, popping the ‘p’ for it was already a done deal, not an ongoing one. “But we’re pretty much done here. Was there anything else you wanted to talk to Geraldine about before we go?”
Tucker blinked. “W-We haven’t … I mean, breakfast is still upstairs,” he stammered.
The other guy in a suit chuckled, and when Tucker looked back at him in annoyance, his smile grew, and he gestured at me. “This is who you once described to me as ‘that shy boy from school who’s dating Geraldine’, Tuck?” His eyebrow arched up in mockery. “Really?”
Tuck … so, he was a friend, not just a business associate. They looked about the same age too, though that didn’t necessarily carve that in stone.
“In my defence, Julian, he’s changed a lot in recent times.”
I had?
Personally, I couldn’t see it.
[Next Chapter]
* * *
((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I’d love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))
I made a family tree/diagram of the Mystallian family that can be found here
For more of my work, including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
FULL INDEX OF BOB THE HOBO TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!
2024.04.27 13:38 throwawayauthelp I (m25) looking for advice helping my autistic sister (27f) and family after discovery of behavior
Hello!
I'm not very familiar with this subreddit or with the topic beyond surface level, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to have to keep details here somewhat vague as they would be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the circumstances. I have the same post on Autism_Parenting but I haven't received much feedback in the past few days so if there is some rule against this please let me know and I will delete the other post.
My (25m) sister (27f) 'Rachel' was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (now considered ASD so I will not refer to it as this going forwards) when I was a child, but my parents never told me until I was an adult. She was aggressive and antisocial as a child but I did not know why and simply avoided interacting with her when possible for the vast majority of my life. When I found out she was on the spectrum I felt sympathetic as if I had known I might have tried to work with her on it better, but at that point in my life I felt too much time had past without addressing it and I chose to keep to my current attitude of keeping my distance. I was never rude or unhelpful to her, but neither of us interacted with the other unless we had to.
We live in different states now and until very recently I simply didn't think about her very often because we never interact, but recently their has been a profusion of issues in the family and I feel I need to come in and help.
When she was young she was extremely rude. If she thought someone was ugly, fat, stupid, annoying, etc. she would tell them directly while giving a big 'shit eating grin' from ear to ear. She would burp constantly, steal other people's food, and was a compulsive liar. The most common issue, and one that continues to this day, is a variation of the following: Go out to a restraunt, she will look at the menu, say she wants to pick the most expensive meal option, my parents will ask her not to. She will say 'okay'. The waiter will come and ask what she wants. Rather than look at the waiter, she will look at my parents with a huge ear to ear 'shit eating grin' and say that she wants the most expensive meal. Most of the time, they would over ride her and say that she just wanted chicken tenders. In rare cases, they would allow her to order these things. She would take the tiniest bite of the food and declare she didn't want it anymore and wanted chicken tenders. This does not just apply to food. When invited to a cousin's wedding, she wanted to wear white. It was explained to her why that is not appropriate. Once they got to the dress shop to pick out a dress, as soon as the employee came to ask what she was looking for, she turned to my parents and gave the grin staring, stating they came for a white wedding dress.
My parents initially tried punishing her with restricting her privileges to tv, computers, etc ,but if they did she would throw temper tantrums that would last literal days until they relented. It did not take long for the new strategy to be ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away. Once we got out of school, a lot of these things seemed to go away and the family thought she had learned to stop doing these things. She did a lot of things no one thought she would be able to do; she got a job, paid her own rent, got her own groceries, and can even drive her own car. Whether they thought this earnestly or were just hoping for the best, everyone thought that her past behavior was behind her.
This all changed in the past few weeks. I can't get into specific details about if, but she works at a location that pays unusually well but has very demanding work and has extreme employee turnover. Any given month they might start with 20 employees and end with 2 or 3, or vice versa. We discovered that a number of issues were happening at the job because a family friend started working there as well. To give a few examples,
I don't think either approach is appropriate but I am struggling on what to do. I am going to try to sit down with her, ask her why she does these things, ask her if she could try to not do some them if for no other reason than job security. I want to suggest she goes to a therapist or some sort of counselor or expert, especially with my parents as they have become increasingly estranged with her. I am probably going to try to have consistent visits with her as I live in another state. I will not lie I have barely interacted with her in the past 20 years but I feel as though it is my fault that things have gotten this way. If I had tried to talk to her about this, maybe things would be different.
What would you recommend? Would a therapist, phycologist, or counselor help? Would any kind of medication help or would that be a mistake? Are these all purely symptoms of autism, or is there any deeper intent here? No one in my family believes her about anything anymore because of her compulsive lying, especially given her habit of grinning at people when she does these things. Is that conceivably a part of autism as well? How can I help my sister and my family in a way that is helpful for everyone.
submitted by throwawayauthelp to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
I'm not very familiar with this subreddit or with the topic beyond surface level, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to have to keep details here somewhat vague as they would be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the circumstances. I have the same post on Autism_Parenting but I haven't received much feedback in the past few days so if there is some rule against this please let me know and I will delete the other post.
My (25m) sister (27f) 'Rachel' was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (now considered ASD so I will not refer to it as this going forwards) when I was a child, but my parents never told me until I was an adult. She was aggressive and antisocial as a child but I did not know why and simply avoided interacting with her when possible for the vast majority of my life. When I found out she was on the spectrum I felt sympathetic as if I had known I might have tried to work with her on it better, but at that point in my life I felt too much time had past without addressing it and I chose to keep to my current attitude of keeping my distance. I was never rude or unhelpful to her, but neither of us interacted with the other unless we had to.
We live in different states now and until very recently I simply didn't think about her very often because we never interact, but recently their has been a profusion of issues in the family and I feel I need to come in and help.
When she was young she was extremely rude. If she thought someone was ugly, fat, stupid, annoying, etc. she would tell them directly while giving a big 'shit eating grin' from ear to ear. She would burp constantly, steal other people's food, and was a compulsive liar. The most common issue, and one that continues to this day, is a variation of the following: Go out to a restraunt, she will look at the menu, say she wants to pick the most expensive meal option, my parents will ask her not to. She will say 'okay'. The waiter will come and ask what she wants. Rather than look at the waiter, she will look at my parents with a huge ear to ear 'shit eating grin' and say that she wants the most expensive meal. Most of the time, they would over ride her and say that she just wanted chicken tenders. In rare cases, they would allow her to order these things. She would take the tiniest bite of the food and declare she didn't want it anymore and wanted chicken tenders. This does not just apply to food. When invited to a cousin's wedding, she wanted to wear white. It was explained to her why that is not appropriate. Once they got to the dress shop to pick out a dress, as soon as the employee came to ask what she was looking for, she turned to my parents and gave the grin staring, stating they came for a white wedding dress.
My parents initially tried punishing her with restricting her privileges to tv, computers, etc ,but if they did she would throw temper tantrums that would last literal days until they relented. It did not take long for the new strategy to be ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away. Once we got out of school, a lot of these things seemed to go away and the family thought she had learned to stop doing these things. She did a lot of things no one thought she would be able to do; she got a job, paid her own rent, got her own groceries, and can even drive her own car. Whether they thought this earnestly or were just hoping for the best, everyone thought that her past behavior was behind her.
This all changed in the past few weeks. I can't get into specific details about if, but she works at a location that pays unusually well but has very demanding work and has extreme employee turnover. Any given month they might start with 20 employees and end with 2 or 3, or vice versa. We discovered that a number of issues were happening at the job because a family friend started working there as well. To give a few examples,
- She virtually refuses to work unless they are understaffed.
- She steals food from other employees, and if caught gives the classic 'shit eating grin' and blames the activity on her having autism
- Whenever the state sends inspection teams to the location, her bosses hide her in the back of the building for fear of her being caught doing something (or not doing something)
- She constantly berates other employees and calls them slow, fat, stupid, bad at their job. If they are struggling she will mock them in a sing-songy voice for being so bad at their jobs, and if they ask her to help she will respond with 'I can't, i'm autistic' and give the shit eating grin. If she hears someone has had a loved one pass away, she will make weird comment about them or tell them they need to 'get over it' regardless of whether or not they are crying or even brining it up
- She lies compulsively. Even if she is caught doing one of these actions, like stealing food off of someone's plate, she will insist that everyone around her is lying. If an employee states that they are gay or muslim, she will suddenly claim that she is and go around telling everyone, even though she is not. When a current employees, lets call her Diane, had her daughter start working there, Rachel went around telling everyone that Diane considered her to be more of an actual daughter than the actual daughter. This was not true and Diane let her know this.
I don't think either approach is appropriate but I am struggling on what to do. I am going to try to sit down with her, ask her why she does these things, ask her if she could try to not do some them if for no other reason than job security. I want to suggest she goes to a therapist or some sort of counselor or expert, especially with my parents as they have become increasingly estranged with her. I am probably going to try to have consistent visits with her as I live in another state. I will not lie I have barely interacted with her in the past 20 years but I feel as though it is my fault that things have gotten this way. If I had tried to talk to her about this, maybe things would be different.
What would you recommend? Would a therapist, phycologist, or counselor help? Would any kind of medication help or would that be a mistake? Are these all purely symptoms of autism, or is there any deeper intent here? No one in my family believes her about anything anymore because of her compulsive lying, especially given her habit of grinning at people when she does these things. Is that conceivably a part of autism as well? How can I help my sister and my family in a way that is helpful for everyone.